3rd Person

Percy only had one question in his mind.

Why did it always have to be him?

At Poseidon's proclamation to Percy, the entire room had gone silent. Each god awaited his reaction; they expected the son of the Seas to step up… to be the hero like he had always been. How naive they had been.

At first, He started laughing after none of the Olympians had confirmed the question. Small laughs, almost like he was in denial of the reality of the situation. But when no one laughed with him, and he was met with the ashamed stare of his father… he couldn't hold it in any longer. No way in Hades was this actually happening.

"Are you fucking serious?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt all his anxiety, all the bottled up rage he had held onto for years, every failure he had made and all the suffering he had seen. He would all let it out today. He didn't know that now, but it would happen.

Being met with nothing in response, he raised his tone. "Are you fucking serious?" He said. Still no response from any Olympian. Now he was literally seething…no way in hell he was going to be married to someone else. The sea was restless like him, and being contained would be like blocking off the flow of the tides. To him it could not happen. He despised the concept of even being forced into something without his permission but isn't that what happened to him his entire life.

"After all I did, for you all, I get forced into a marriage… with a maiden goddess of all fucking things?"He looked at his father."Who the fuck proposed this idea? Surely you can't allow this?"

Poseidon looked up, now speaking in a soft voice. He knew Perseus was on the edge of blowing his lid- and he knew that Zeus would not hesitate to attempt to take action against him. "Son, I tried to stop them… but Hera in her infinite wisdom has forced this upon us. I am sorry."

He took in the gods around the room. Ares had a look of indifference on his face, to him this did not matter in any measurable capacity. Apollo looked like he was almost going to puke, his face contorted in two emotions, one of anger and one of sickness. Not physical, but of emotional distress. Athena had not made any such signs, still glad that she had gotten out of the ordeal in its entirety. Zeus was not at all his usual self, looking down at the floor. His daughter getting married off to a sea spawn had been enough to finally get him to be quiet. Hermes still stood impatient in his seat, looking uncomfortable. The wine god imitated Ares, seemingly not caring. Hera had a look of Triumph on her face; she had finally succeeded in marrying off one of Olympus's goddesses. Demeter had a visible frown on her face, perhaps the scenario reminded her of her own daughter. Then his eyes drew to Artemis. The maiden looked completely broken inside, resigned hopelessness coursing through her. It seemed like that she did not blame Percy himself, but more Hera for putting herself in this situation. Yet some resentment was still in her eyes. He didn't know why but her expression made him feel horrible inside.

He turned to Hera. "So this is how it's going to be. I'm going to be forced into this…"

Hera nodded in conformation. Percy realized he was truly stuck in the situation without any way to get out, so he resolved to do the thing he could.

Hera now spoke up, impatient to make the marriage official. "Now, do you, Perseus Jackson, accept Phoebe Artemis in the hand of Marriage?"

A long silence. Most of the gods thought that Percy would step up as he always had, into the role. He would sacrifice his happiness for making the burden of Artemis' marriage easier. He would do the heroic thing. Yet most of them did not understand that like the sea, he was also unpredictable. How many times had He been gambited off with his life for the Olympians? Now marrying a man hating goddess? No way in Hades.

"No."

Part of the council was shocked. Clearly they had overestimated how much Percy would sacrifice. He was tired of playing their games though, and he was done with it.

"What do you mean, no?" Hera was clearly displeased. But she figured it was just a matter of nerves. Poseidon was on the edge of his throne again, ready to speak up in favor of his son.

"Did you fucking not hear me? I said no."

Hera now sighed. She figured she could quickly force the demigod into submission. She clearly did not understand the demigod in front of her fully. "I apologize, Perseus, but you are misinformed. You do not have much choice in the ma-"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Years of fighting, of service to the Olympian gods, years without question and years of helping them. He had saved the world twice. Was that not fucking enough. His lid finally blew, and he was going to let out all the resentment he had built up.

"I HAVE ALL THE CHOICE, DO YOU HEAR ME? I HAVE ALL THE FUCKING CHOICE!"Clearly most of the gods on the council had not expected such an outburst from the son of the sea. Even though he knew he was overstepping his boundaries, he continued. "SINCE I WAS FUCKING 12. SINCE I WAS 12 IVE BEEN SERVING YOU. I RETRIEVED THE MASTER BOLT, AND I SAVED LADY ARTEMIS, I FOUGHT TWO FUCKING WARS FOR YOU? IS THAT NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO HAVE A CHOICE? IS THAT NOT ENOUGH?" He raged on; "AND YET, EVEN AFTER SO MANY DEMIGODS HAVE SUFFERED, SO MUCH BLOOD SHED, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT HAS DONE FOR YOUR CHILDREN? ALL OF US FOUGHT FOR YOU AND HELPED YOU, AND ALL YOU DO IS KEEP PAWNING US OFF, I'M TIRED OF THIS BULLSHIT"

Zeus had interrupted his rant. "SILENCE! I will not have this in the Olympian council! I understand your frustration, but you shall not make such an outburst again!"

Percy clearly did not care about Zeus's proclamation, as he continued on, with even more rage. "YET YOU NEVER CHANGE. ANOTHER WAR, MORE LOSSES, MORE DEATHS. WHAT AM I LEFT TO DO? AND NOW IM FUCKING MARRIED OFF I SWEAR"

His rage had been slowly replaced by his own desperation to get out of the situation and it had subsided to anger and sadness. "I can't fucking keep doing this! I'm always the fucking one taking the bullet for you people. We are always taking the bullet! This is how we are repaid! Always gambited off for something or the other. I have all the right, do you hear me! I have all the fucking right in this decision! I was a fucking child soldier for you people. Have you ever thought about the Roman demigods? They are made to be child soldiers from the age of 10!"

His desperation to get out of the situation to be free for once in his life, continued "What do you leave me to do? What can I do? I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS LIFE OF SACRIFICE. AND I ASK THE FATES WHY IT HAD TO BE ME? AFTER EVERYTHING WE GO THROUGH, DO YOU THINK WE WANT TO KEEP BEING HEROS? WE AREN'T LIKE THOSE OF 3,000 YEARS AGO, WE WANT TO LIVE PAST 20!"

As his rant began to conclude, he was brought back to the reality of the situation. The throne room was silent. Zeus was fuming with anger and it looked like if he said a single word he would smite him. Poseidon was a bit more happy now that his son had stood up for himself, but he knew In the grand scheme of things it would not change much. Artemis though… she had a look of utter despair. If not Perseus, which man could she tolerate to be with? But he knew inside of himself that no matter what he did the reality of the matter would not change, he wasn't escaping this. The anger began to come upon him again. "Yet, everything we do, everything we have done for you, it's never enough. I know it will never be enough, but couldn't I have peace for once? I didn't want to fight three wars just for this."

He trailed off, now sighing. It seemed the Hearth in front of him had almost been extinguished for him, for others it may have burnt brightly at that moment… but not for him. He didn't really know what to say. "I'll see myself out."

And then the Son of Poseidon strode out of the room, Hera calling for him to come back. But she knew that Poseidon would be extremely defensive of his son now, and she wouldn't be able to force him back.

It took 5 seconds of silence for the Olympian Council to go batshit.

ARTEMIS POV

After that entire ordeal, she felt horrible… not just for herself, but for Perseus.

She had, like the other Olympians, expected him to step up, to take the sacrifice and get married off for the sake of her sanity and others' sanity. But he had not. Instead he had let his mind speak what he thought, and he clearly had thought a lot. The son of Poseidon had done something not many mortals had done before the Olympian council. He had made them feel ashamed. Not of the actions they had taken, but the lack of action.

The rant continued to replay in her head. Most of them had deserved it… and they would likely feel miserable for how they had treated their children, and she was again glad to be a maiden goddess. She could not Imagine having to leave a child to die and forcing them to fight without helping them… and the other Olympians did it regularly. He had also poked another hole, about the fact that their children were basically child soldiers in the grand scheme of things.

How much longer would they have to suffer for the Olympians' own devices to be served? How much more blood had to be shed? Yet these thoughts were barely at the back of her mind as she saw him walk out… her one chance of a tolerable marriage.

Now the rest of the gods all talked among themselves, some debating on the validity of his statements, others more reserved. Athena was in rapid conversation with both Dementer and Hermes. Some like Ares were oddly quiet, but still seemed to be indifferent to the conversation itself. Zeus and Posedien were still in a slump from what had just transpired. Hera was visibly pissed. She now looked at the expression on Apollo's face… sadness, for her. In her own despair she had forgotten about his reaction completely. Instead of the normal cheerful god he once was, he looked like he had seen death itself.

Zeus called the council to order again. "SILENCE!" And then his wife spoke.

"That may not have gone over so well for Perseus-" Ares snorted. "You think?" She glared at him before continuing. "But I think he will come around eventually- that is all. Moving on,"

The council was significantly duller as Zeus and Poseidon now began there negotiations of peace- even after so fucking much thry still were the same… immortals stubbornness always persisted. Constant debating over one thing or another, contradictions. They finally gave a report, and the rest of them gave their reports.

When it was Artemis's turn, she was significantly more quiet than she normally was. Her brother shot her a sympathetic look. She knew he would do something stupid to try to get Perseus to change his mind- but she didn't know what he would do. She wasn't even in the mental state to stop him right now… she just wanted this meeting to end for god's sake. She just wanted it to end!

Then when they had concluded, she had flashed to the hunters camp. The hunters… she had not Even informed them yet. They were her sisters and she had told them nothing… but she'd burn that bridge when she had to. Right now she was shell shocked to do anything. A short conversation with Thalia, where she had been as elusive as possible. All she told her is that the war had ended and Percy had been set free , then told her to get some rest. God knew she herself needed it, but she had to be strong. Showing weakness was not something she had been used to, and she wasn't going to show it now, when it was one of the most crucial moments kf her entire immortal life.

Entering her tent, she looked around. A space she had been in for 3 thousand years, and it was one that had not changed much. Animal pelts decorated the walls of the room, of multiple kinds. The floor was made out of a darker spruce wood. The tent itself was barebones, with a bed in its center.

Where she had slept for 3000 years… she barely used her palace, only maybe once a decade. She preferred to be with her hunters. Goddesses did not sleep much anyway, it only acted as a means to refresh their energy and was not a requirement.

She wondered about that boy Perseus… had she been so selfish to ask for him and him alone? He was the only man she would have been able to tolerate in such circumstances.. yet he had already been through so much, and fought so much. Artemis had become desensitized to bloodshed, the amount she had seen over the years… but for a growing teenager? How mentally screwed was he?

She had seen many hunters die over the thousands of years she had lived, and each death had shaken her to the core. She was a goddess and had gone into such despair over these deaths… she could not even think about how much pain a mortal would fear, as they were much less reserved in their emotions.

Right now she had 20 different trains of thought in her mind, all wondering the same few things…what would happen next? Apollo might do something stupid, but she doubted he would be able to turn Perseus over. She would have to be the one to convince him. But how would she get him close to her what method could she use? She was not sure… all she knew is that she had to have Perseus. It was the only way this stupid marriage could be tolerable. A slight obsession began to form over her… the most loyal male, he had to be

hers.

Not only for her sake, but for his sake. She was trying to mentally justify her own thoughts so badly she was starting to form an obsession. As she laid down, and her head sank into her pillow, she knew he must be hers. Only the fates could change that.

PERCY'S POV.

He took in the view as he trudged out of the throne room, onto the streets of mount Olympus. The colored apartments… with greek their Marble facades, married with Roman aspects, with the cobbled floor of cold stone. The grand temples of the gods mixed in with the urban sprawl of the streets, thousands resided. Annabeth had done a good job of redesigning Olympus… Annabeth… another person he had failed. But no time for him to ponder. What was next for him? He couldn't live a normal mortal life without monsters seeking him at every turn, and he couldn't exactly return to Camp… that place held too many memories for him to stay there and keep his sanity. Maybe with his father at Atlantis? But he enjoyed the mortal world… Maybe he could rent a small place on Olympus for now.

Olympus itself also had a godly bank, where spirits and even gods deposited there Drachma with no worries of it being stolen, as strong magical wards of Hecate and the 12 Olympians had been cast upon it. He now found himself in front of it. A large building made of Marble with multiple white columns, decorated with carvings of the heroes and gods, along with Ancient Greek on the front. He had climbed up the large marbled steps. His father had gifted a sizable number of drachmae to him and also set up an account for him. He withdrew enough for a month, but he wasn't sure whether he should rent a place on Olympus. It would be kind of dumb to be so close to the gods, and one of them would probably find him out. But when had he cared about discretion? He had never been given the chance. So he rented a small flat on the streets near the massive throne room, next to a sizable market where thousands of exotic things and trinkets were sold.

His bed was large, with the normal Olympian sized room. A 60-inch TV sat parallel to it. Flipping through the normal Olympian channels, not much interested him. News about the Poseidon Zeus war ending had spread, and celebration was throughout the city. Though the news of who had been married off to make it happen did not occur. The rest were horrible reality TV programming.

His window was a view of most of Olympus… the observation decks above the city… everything.

Laying down on the bed… he contemplated to himself again. How had his life led to being married to a fucking madien godess? He hadn't Even thought about that part. The goddess must be crushed… She was literally known as a man hater by most of Olympus. He used to be one that didn't buy into rumors about people… but he had changed. His recollection of everything had also become much weaker, it was all one blanket of trauma. He knew that Artemis had been nice to him back then, but that was in the back of his mind. Another thing that surprised him was him somehow avoiding being smitten. Somehow he had avoided the wrath of Zeus, maybe with how fast his words had fallen upon them and how much weight they actually carried.

He passed the hours by working out inside the apartment. It seemed the only thing he had was his skills and his strength, that was the only thing that really made him useful to Olympus. He was very fit, something that Constant training had done to him. He did not have a bodybuilder's physique though, more one of a boxer, with his muscles being in his arms and his legs more than anywhere else. After working out, covered in sweat, he showered before he finally hit the pillow.

Morpheus did not grant him the sweet lull of sleep though. He fell into another dream..

There he was now, on the battlefield during the rise of Gaea, Riptide in his hands. He struck down another one, the warrior inside him screaming for him to continue, as he dulled with another. 57 had fallen to his blade this battle alone, as he had cut through the monsters like a hot knife through butter. His blade an arc of destruction. He had been caught In the gut by a low blow from a monster- he did not relent and sliced his head clean off. It seemed the battle was in their favor. Then multiple monsters had charged again, in formation. He braced himself, now readying to crash into the enemy lines…

The battlefield changed again, now he was in the field during the war with his father and Zeus… he had fallen upon the thunder gods forces with all his might, waves of water crashing against his formations. Then, as they had closed distance… it had been closed ranged combat, him just fighting for his life, demigods and monsters both fought him. Blade after blade almost struck him down but he miraculously had avoided death every time even when it had stared him straight in the eyes. Then in the heat of it all, a demigod went for a stab at his neck, one which would have killed him. He smashed his sword into the boy, cutting a wide into his stomach. In his rage he had impaled him in the chest… he had done the one thing he swore not to do, he drew the blood of another demigod.

Then it was Tatarus, the same old memory, fighting through the pit with Annabeth… all the horrors he had seen, everything he had been through… it all flashed before his eyes. Then again… back to Camp half blood, during the battle of the Labyrinth. He watched as a child of Ares flew past him, his head bashed open in 5 different ways. He felt sick

Then it was back to the Mountain… the fight with Atlas, and the death of Zoë nightshade. Why could he not have one peaceful night of sleep?

The monsters he had faced- all the horrible memories he had had stayed with him. Guilt was the one thing he felt, along with his trauma. It seemed like it was the one thing he could not slay, the one monster he could not best. Not struck down by the blade, he would be struck down by his own god's damned mind.

Finally, it seemed Morephus had mercy upon him, as he slipped into darkness from the dreams… rest. Gods knew he needed it

Not exactly the 5k words I promised you, but still my longest chapter by far… leave a review if you enjoyed it!