Summary: Perseus, first-born child of Poseidon and Amphitrite, God of the Stars and Constellations, of Navigation and of the Astral Plane. Patron of Heroes and Mentor to the Goddess Artemis. Sitting upon the ruling council of the Gods for thousands of years – and now facing the end of Olympus.

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Discord server created for Astraeus – A place for Q&A, as well as general discussion of the story and somewhere I will be posting upcoming dates that I plan to update. I will also post there if there is a delay in my schedule, as well as try to take time to speak to people who enjoy the story so far, and even those who take issue with it.

Anyway, thanks to everyone supporting my work and on with the show!

Chapter Twelve

An uncommon gathering was being held in the single most remote place on earth, set to a soundtrack of lapping water against rough stone. Poseidon had risen a temporary island from the depths at Point Nemo – the furthest place one could travel from land of any kind, and set roughly half-way between Chile and New Zealand in the heart of the South Pacific. It was, in some ways, a perfect reflection of the three immortals who gathered there. There was nothing except the sea, the sky and an endless blanket of stars.

The water folded itself gently into the edge of the rough stone platform, though less than a quarter mile away in all directions the treacherous swells of deep water could be seen. Perseus stood alongside his father and uncle as they were informed of the information Zeus was able to force out of the only known Titan that they had a ready access to, and was likely to know anything at all. Atlas hadn't given away much, and what he did say was more of a taunt than it was truly helpful. They now knew the location of their enemy, and only because they couldn't do anything about it.

Though she slumbered, the Earth Mother had managed to exert her massive will on a small piece of the world during the Gigantomachy, and she held it in her grasp still. Alaska was beyond them in every way, and while all of their domains surrounded the enigmatic landmass, they weren't capable of influencing it or even crossing the border. Their spheres of control still existed there, but it was beyond their reach.

The Primordial deities still retained a great deal of power over their territory, though much of it had been split into sections that younger Gods took control of. They were not to be trifled with, and if Gaia decided that a small piece of her was completely off limits, she was fully capable of keeping it that way. Perhaps if all of Olympus assaulted it at once they could claim it, but with her older children taking refuge there to defend it, and her own will holding it tight, it wasn't worth the cost of a siege.

The Titans, then, would have to be either flushed out into the open, or else the Gods would have to wait for them to set forth from Alaska on their own.

"This information is worthy, even if it's not actionable," said Poseidon, his voice low and gruff. "Knowing where they are does us little good if we can't move on that intelligence, but perhaps I can create a blockade in the sea to hem them in and give us early warning of their movements."

"The most pressing issue is that we can assume the forges they're using to create their...replicas...are also there, and thus fully beyond our reach." said Perseus. "The Elder Cyclopes have become a problem, willing or not."

"Agreed," said Zeus, his eyes turned skyward. "This coming conflict...it will test everything we've built. My children don't understand the true nature of what it is we face. They're familiar with the Gigantes, but they do not yet realize that our predecessors tower over those useless cretins. The nature of their creation and prerequisites for their destruction was what made them any kind of threat. Titans have no such specifics to protect them, yet their power is far greater."

"They'll understand soon, whether they like it or not," Poseidon answered. "That meeting we saw spelled an even more serious threat than any we faced in the early days. Oceanus is a formidable enemy and not one we've truly fought, as are some of the others. There isn't any way to know for certain who remains an ally and who's turned enemy."

"I have my suspicions, though without proof," Zeus responded. "Still, this places us in a very precarious situation, and we must take further steps with care."

Perseus agreed. There was also another issue to be addressed, and it was one they'd all avoided thus far. Thousands of years ago, or perhaps as few as a dozen, this meeting would have included Hades. Now, there was no way to know his motivations for certain, only that they likely didn't align with those of Olympus – at least not completely. He'd refused to help Krios, but he also refused to allow Perseus to deal with him and indirectly aided his escape.

"We all know that we're one short, and exactly why that is," Perseus finally said. "I'll accept my share of the blame for that, but we can't just ignore the situation as if nothing happened."

"Hmph," Poseidon scoffed. "I'll admit you're not blameless, but Hades took a step too far. He's always done that – pushed the boundaries, used his enemy's weakness against them. This time he crossed a line that I'm not sure I'm willing to accept. It reeks of father's cruelty, especially as he swore a specific oath against it."

"And yet without furtherance of that conflict, we'd likely have Krios captured," Zeus said evenly, cutting his eyes to Perseus with an air of slight accusation. "I told you to end this feud for a reason, one that you showed yourself too shortsighted to predict. I told you that, with enemies at our door, infighting could not be tolerated."

"I told him to leave, in Colorado," Perseus defended, though he didn't allow any emotion to color his tone. This discussion must remain civil, for it was likely that the three of them would be the main pillars that would support Olympus through the coming war. "I wanted no conflict with him while I was dealing with our primary enemy. He took it upon himself to further things. He paid the price for that, and he cost us all a victory. I'll accept my own failings, but his cannot be ignored any longer either."

"Agreed," Poseidon said lowly, though he didn't look at either of them as he spoke. "We've all had our differences. It comes with the territory of just who and what we are. However, our brother's been given a large amount of trust and has been allowed a great deal of tolerance over the years due to his own sacrifice. It's made him believe, I fear, that he can act any way he pleases without consequence."

Zeus sighed in response, running a hand through his hair in obvious weariness. "Hades took the worst of our positions in the beginning, and for that I've given him a measure of freedom that perhaps I shouldn't have. I didn't protest when he took my daughter as a queen, and I allowed him to operate within his own judgment because his judgment has always been within the realm of reason. I fear that may be changing."

"I've given this a great deal of thought, and I believe I know his endgame, though it's difficult to be certain," Perseus said after a moment. "What's the one thing he's wanted above all, ever since the beginning?"

"A seat at the table," Poseidon answered readily. "He's always desired a seat on the Council."

"Right," Perseus agreed. "We all agree on that, and yet with the seats filled, there's only one that's viable for him. He won't harm Hera or Demeter, and he knows that both of your seats are outside his reach. Aphrodite's position is extremely necessary, as her loyalty to Olympus must forever be assured. The rest are children of the King and/or Queen in Hephaestus' case, and any direct threat to them would see too much opposition. Mine is all that's left."

"You think he's after your throne, even with my refusal to grant him one?" Zeus asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I think he's provoking a conflict with me, in the hopes that he can remove me. In the hopes that he can claim a grievous enough offense to, in the event of my death, allow him to demand my seat as restitution." Perseus said. "It isn't outside the realm of possibility. Let's not pretend that I have the best standing on the Council at the moment, and despite the few that would protest on my behalf, if you agreed to his appointment the rest will fall in line even if they don't like it."

"Think of what my conflict with him has cost," Perseus continued. "It began with his attempt on Thalia Grace's life, with some help from the sea, and on my very doorstep no less. He had to know I'd act to save her. He likely didn't expect me to bring his own children into the equation, but my doing so played into his hands perfectly. It gave him the excuse to target my daughter, which escalated things, and in return I threatened war. His response, then, was to provoke me into breaking one of our most sacred laws in the throne room. I admit my own rash actions didn't help, but he knows exactly what to use against me."

"And then in Colorado…" Poseidon muttered thoughtfully.

"In Colorado he interrupted what he had to know was a fight between myself and another immortal," Perseus continued. "He claimed to demand the location of his children, but he knows as well as any that they were with my daughter and I would've removed them to safety before I acted. The result of his interruption was the escape of my enemy and thousands of dead mortals – something I'll have to answer to the Council for."

"Thus weakening your own position further," Zeus said. "Had you captured or killed Krios, the unfortunate demise of the humans would've served a purpose. As it is, you caused a lot of damage with no true victory to show for it."

That was something of a sore point for Perseus, and doubly so to have it pointed out so directly. He hadn't thought much of it during the heat of battle, but afterwards he realized just how large an error he made. He should've shown more restraint, but instead at the sight of Atlanta being threatened by his greatest enemy, and with everything that'd happened leading up to it, he allowed himself to release the leash he held on his own strength. In a matter of an hour or two, that had spelled the end of a great many children who's parents – if they survived – would mourn them just as deeply as he did his own fallen sons and daughters.

Vigils for those lost in his fury were already being held the world over. In the United States certainly, but across many other countries as well. People were scared and horrified, and they were uniting to pay their respects to the people lost to a tragedy that they couldn't possibly know the truth of.

Already the humans were looking outward, trying their best to penetrate his domain in search of answers. They had ways of tracking the movement of asteroids and meteors, and had no explanation for why they never saw the impacts coming. The early consensus – fed to them by the Mist – was that one of those they tracked had struck something and fragmented, sending several small shards to Earth in an unpredictable way.

The damage done by himself and Draco, on the other hand, had them seemingly divided. The mainstream answer they seemed to be pushing was an attack with a new type of weaponry by a foreign nation who wasn't taking credit for it, while the much less popular sentiment seemed to be aliens from another world. The theories didn't mesh well, which was causing a lot of opposition on both sides. If it was an attack by a foreign nation, then how were the meteors involved in the exact same location? And if it were intelligent life from elsewhere, why wasn't there any proof?

In some ways, both were true. He was definitely alien to the mortals, even though he'd called the earth home since long before they had. He also, sort of, represented another form of government that they had no knowledge of, and they most certainly didn't understand his 'weaponry'. The entire situation was nearly too large for the Mist to cover entirely, and it was seemingly struggling to shroud the truth from all the mortals all at once.

The worst part of it was that this was only the beginning. The first war fought against the Titans was devastating, but the Golden Race of humans who lived at the time were far more advanced and far less populous. They stayed out of the way, mostly, and the death toll of those fighting was minimal.

This time the world was crawling with humanity everywhere the eye could see. The damage would likely be catastrophic.

There was nothing for it, though. Nothing he could do to save them or protect them. Perseus knew that Olympus couldn't simply roll over for her enemies in an effort to protect the humans. Should they be cast down and replaced by the old guard who ruled before, all of humanity would be doomed anyway. The current race of humans, those of the Iron Race, would be held in the highest contempt by the Titans, and would be wiped from the world within days should Olympus fall. The only way to save some of them was to accept that they couldn't save all of them.

The knowledge that he'd killed a great number and didn't even have a true victory to show for it was a heavy burden, but to be perfectly honest it was easily held when the outcome could have been so much worse. Perhaps it was monstrous of him to place the lives of his children over the rest of humanity, but he'd never claimed to be anything more than what he was. If it were Atlanta's life, weighed against the entire population of America, the choice would be as easy for him as it was atrocious – a private thought he had no intention of speaking aloud to anyone.

He knew it wasn't even close to morally right, but that knowledge wouldn't change his perspective. His fatal flaw had always been his loyalty. To Olympus, to what they'd built. To the demigods who lived a life in service to their rule, and who often died a painful death. Even to the mortals whom he'd lived among and learned to truly respect and care for. However his loyalty to his wives and children had always superseded all others, and even if it made him selfish and monstrous, he refused to change.

While he was sorry the mortals were killed, their fate weighed against Atlanta's safety was acceptable. It was just painful in a way to realize that, had he shown restraint, protection of one didn't have to cost the other.

"While Hades' true motivations are speculation at this point, you should both know that I will not be sending his son to him," Perseus said after a moment of silence. "I'm not going to reward his conduct with an opportunity to raise a son that he can then use as a blade in my back. Nico Di Angelo will not be leaving Camp Half-Blood."

Zeus stared at him for a moment, looking as if he were deep in thought, but most certainly present for the conversation. "You realize that if you do this, it could weaken your position further. You'd be breaking your word that all agreements regarding the half-bloods that were already made would stand."

"Perhaps it will, but I'll take that risk as opposed to allowing Hades a lieutenant who can cross all boundaries and move with relative impunity. My barrier wouldn't keep him out of camp, and if he retains his father's ability to walk the shadows, then there's nowhere he can't reach. His mortal soul allows him access to go anywhere and challenge anyone. I won't allow it." Perseus said firmly.

Zeus stared for a moment longer, and then nodded. "It isn't a risk we can afford. You will have to shoulder the burden for it however. I made an agreement in front of the entire Council. I can't be seen to break that agreement for reasons that I have no personal stake in."

"Part of that agreement included my daughter's safety as well," Poseidon reminded them. "She's innocent in this. Doesn't even know who or what she is. I won't allow harm to come to her in response to anyone else's dealings."

Perseus snorted, giving his father the side-eye. "You do realize the hypocrisy of that statement, I hope? All of them are innocent, including Nico and Thalia and even Estelle Jackson. That's exactly what I've been trying to get across this entire time. And besides, I've already told everyone how I will view an attack on the demigods trying to make their way to camp."

"And you think Hades is likely to care, even a little, about your threats?" Poseidon asked rhetorically. "Despite your recent victory, it isn't likely to be easily repeatable. In terms of raw strength you've never been able to equal him."

"He'd better care," Perseus answered, allowing his eyes to drift upward toward the stars. "If we cross blades again, I'll kill him."

"Right of conquest?" Zeus asked, eyeing him warily.

"His wouldn't be the first realm I've conquered, even when everyone said it wasn't possible." Perseus responded.

That statement didn't seem to ease Zeus even a little. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Before he took further steps to mitigate the fallout of everything that'd happened, Perseus had another stop to make along the way.

The crunch of broken pieces of rock and gravel was drowned out by the sound of large waves breaking against an immobile shore. The cliffs were steep, the tops covered in greenery while the exposed stone beneath was stained brown and gray and black from thousands of years of exposure and erosion. Foam churned at the base of the cliffs where the chilled waters of the Irish Sea met land, and even upon the shoreline in this particular area the waters were quite deep.

The cries of sea-faring birds echoed in the air as Perseus approached his destination. While dawn was just breaking over New York, it was already nearing noon in Ireland. At the very edge of the cliffs overlooking the water he could already spy a stone structure, and as he approached it revealed itself to be a stele, the intricate carvings depicting a young girl surrounded by symbolism. The compass, a sprinkling of etched stars, and the backs of several whales swelling from the flat surface of the sea. In the center a child, eyes closed and appearing to sleep.

The monument looked as if it had seen better days. It was weather-beaten and moss and lichen clung to it's surface tightly, but even after several hundred years of exposure to the elements the nature of it was clearly visible. Ancient Greek letters swept across it, their meaning indicating a hope for peace and rest, and once he was close enough Perseus allowed himself to stop and stare at it.

A gesture, and the stone cleaned itself as the years of debris and wear were erased from it. A pale gray stone revealed itself finally, ripped from the very cliff-side he stood upon and shaped in memory of his young daughter so very long ago. It had been many years since his last visit, but recent events brought the old memories bubbling back to the surface, and he couldn't resist a visit in memory of her.

Upon her death she'd been given a burial fit for a hero – her body wrapped in a shroud and coins gifted for passage by Charon the ferryman. Deirdre had been cremated alongside some of her favorite possessions, and all that remained of her in the world was this single monument that would stand for as long as Perseus could maintain it.

It was built where she fell, but not because of her death. It was placed there because she always loved that particular spot and her memory would forever watch over it. In many ways she'd been more entranced by the sea than the stars, and she would spend hours looking out into the waves longingly. A pod of his sacred animals – the Orcas – would visit a few times a year and she always held a deep love for them. She'd wait to see their fins break the surface in a spray of water, and laugh as they recognized her and performed tricks for her.

With a careful motion, he allowed his fingertips to brush the stone gently. She wasn't here – he knew where she rested exactly – but this was as close as he could ever get to her again. The souls in the Underworld were beyond his reach, and so he would come here to pay homage to her.

Fucking Hades…

Feeling the rough stone beneath his fingertips, he allowed himself to imagine that things were different. That he was capable of saving Deirdre in the same way he'd saved Atlanta. Her death at the hands of monsters was something he wasn't allowed to interfere in, no matter how much he wished to. Only the fact that Atlanta faced a Titan, a divine being who was a direct threat to his rule, had allowed him to save her. He wasn't sorry he had, even as he wished he could have saved her sister so long ago.

Still, as painful as the memories were of his long-dead children, Perseus wouldn't allow them to cripple him in the face of a true and direct threat to Olympus. His feud with Hades would have to be set aside for the immediate future, and he couldn't allow his uncle to draw him into it further. It was because of this decision that he'd allowed himself one more moment to come to her monument and pay some semblance of respects. He missed her, and he still hated Hades for what he'd done, but as much as he felt like he owed something to her memory, it couldn't come at the price of a Titan victory.

"Ξεκουράσου παιδί μου," Perseus whispered. "Το φως θα λάμψει ξανά πάνω σου."

With the crash of the next set of waves, he was gone.

There was an overwhelming sense of determination to his steps when he arrived back in New York, and he marched through Camp Half-Blood with a purpose. The weakened barrier was strengthened to a pulsing hum with a simple gesture, and he bypassed the smoldering campfire without a glance for it's caretaker. Hestia may have been acting well within her own nature when she saved Hades in the throne room, but if she hadn't then perhaps Krios would be dead or captured now.

She'd indirectly cost him victory twice, and while he still felt the protective feelings he'd always held for her, he didn't have the desire to interact with her. Hestia's passive nature and avoidance of conflict were noble traits, but they would be useless in the war to come. Sometimes, if you wanted peace and held a desire for beautiful days you could look back on with fondness, you had to be willing to fight for it. She'd do well to realize that.

Early as it was, he knew that Chiron would already be awake and alert. He entered the Big House to find the centaur in his office examining the quarterly expense reports for the camp, and Perseus noticed the stack of shipping papers that would soon be attached to the exported fruit which funded their endeavors. The television was on, and he was amused to see Artemis engrossed in an old-fashioned cartoon which showed a small, balding man hunting a comically oversized rabbit.

She flushed a deep scarlet instantly, and the electronic devise seemed to flicker a few times, before it went black – a small amount of smoke rising from the back of it.

"I was just seeing what the humans have been up to," she said seriously, as if he hadn't just caught her in the act. "You never know what dangers lie in their programs."

"Sure thing, Doc," he said, nodding dismissively at her. "I assume your girls haven't arrived yet?"

"They haven't," she confirmed, her fist clenching as her face seemed to color even more. "They camped overnight rather than arrive in the dark. The children here are...jumpy, and there have been attempts for things to cross the borders recently. There wasn't any need to cause an incident which would result in the demigods' humiliation should they attempt to assault my maidens by mistake."

"And Bianca?" he asked, picking up a folder that appeared to contain tax documents that were quite obviously forged. While he left the day to day running of the camp to Chiron, he was aware enough to know that they didn't pay the human government a fraction of what was reported within.

"She's mine, now," Artemis answered. "Atlanta had her convinced before they ever arrived. The boy, on the other hand…"

"Don't worry about him," Perseus said in response. "I have a plan in mind for him that should satisfy both he and his sister."

Artemis raised her eyebrows in question. "There was already a bargain struck regarding his future."

"Yeah," he muttered absently, though he brushed aside the protest easily. He may not be willing to focus on his uncle in the face of a greater threat, but that didn't mean Hades would have his way either. "Things have changed. Call it spoils of war, if you like."

"Father won't be happy," she responded, though it didn't seem as if she were protesting too deeply. Perseus only chuckled in response.

He then turned his attention to the centaur who was listening closely and pretending as if he weren't. Chiron knew how to play his role admirably, and was even older than the Gods themselves. He'd been an invaluable ally for Perseus over the millennia, and it seemed as if it were time to reward that devotion.

"I've come to speak with the campers, and for another specific purpose, but also to speak with you Chiron," Perseus began, gaining the full attention of the immortal trainer. "The landscape is changing rapidly with the appearance of new enemies who wear the faces of old ones. You remember well the first war, which is why I'm going to be giving you a position of authority. No longer are you merely a trainer for heroes, but if you're willing I'd like for you to serve as my lieutenant for the foreseeable future."

Chiron appeared intrigued, and also more than a little confused. "I'm not sure I follow completely," he said.

"Camp Half-Blood will still be yours to run, but I'd like you to begin branching out further as time and duty allow. You will be authorized to commission quests in my stead, with the full support of my seat on the Council, and also to personally make...house calls, of a sort to retrieve particularly sensitive demigods and bring them safely to camp. The coming months and years are going to see the need for heroes, and demigods who are outside our influence are going to be in more danger than ever before. Either to recruitment by enemy forces, or else being hunted by monsters beneath the control of the Titans." Perseus clarified.

"Will that not go against our King's decree regarding demigods making it to camp without direct interference?" Chiron asked.

Perseus grinned slightly. "We'll just say you're a strangely shaped satyr, shall we? In all honesty, I already have a demigod in mind for you to keep your eye on. Poseidon has a daughter, here in New York, who will need to be brought to camp by next summer's session. She's much younger than we usually see, but with things being the way they are, her attendance for the summer will become necessary I fear."

Chiron winced slightly, though he tried to hide it. "A child of Zeus, Hades and now Poseidon attending at the same time? Will we even have a camp left to preside over?"

"You'll enjoy the challenge, I'm sure," Perseus answered with some amusement. "The scent of the sea is...powerful in this girl. She won't be capable of hiding beneath the Mist for much longer, and she isn't old enough to survive an ambush on her own. She'll need training and knowledge in order to even see her teenage years."

Chiron appeared to sadden visibly at that final statement. However, he shook the melancholy off quickly, and asked another question. "And regarding the commission of quests?"

"You know as well as I do that we Olympians can have distractions which keep us away for periods of time, and my absence could come at a time when a quest is desperately needed. I trust you to act in the best interest of Olympus and Camp Half-Blood. If you see the need to act, do so with my blessing and I'll answer to the Council on your behalf." Perseus said seriously.

"That's a lot of trust to place on my shoulders," Chiron responded. "My actions could lead to serious consequences for you in that situation."

"It's been earned," Perseus argued. "This means I'll have to keep you further updated on the decisions of Olympus so that you don't unknowingly act against our interests, but I don't see an issue. It may lead to you having knowledge that we don't necessarily want shared with anyone else, but I'd repeat my earlier statement. The trust is well earned."

"In that case I'll accept, with the single caveat being that I would like to give my input on quests commissioned by others and who exactly is qualified to join them. I don't expect to be the final judge of it, but I'd like to at least make my opinion known." Chiron said finally.

"Agreed," Perseus said, nodding. "Now, I have just one more spectacle to make, and then we can allow the day to begin as normal. Please summon the campers to the dining pavilion early this morning. I'll wait to address them there."

"What do you mean by 'spectacle'?" Artemis asked, her eyes narrowed.

Perseus only flashed her a shark-like grin and said nothing as he exited the office.

The low murmur of voices filled the pavilion as each of the children answered the call of the conch which had echoed through camp half an hour earlier than was normal. Perseus watched on, calmly standing at the front of the open-air structure, and was pleased to see Atlanta arrive with a tall, pale girl following her closely to sit alongside Artemis.

He hadn't seen her in person since they met in the wooded area in Missouri, when everything began getting out of hand. He was pleased to see that she was healthy and appeared well-rested after a night spent in Cabin 8 with her newest companion. She wouldn't be staying long after the rest of Artemis' entourage arrived, but he was hopeful that he could steal a small amount of time with her before they were separated once more.

The figurative drums of war were sounding, and there was no guarantee they would see one another again.

He was also surprised to see Athena arrive just in time to sit with her own children. She tilted her head in acknowledgment of him, and he reminded himself that he owed her a debt of gratitude for speaking up for him to Zeus, possibly saving him from a severe form of punishment. Perseus was sure his King hadn't forgotten that they were interrupted before he could pass sentence, and that conversation would be coming soon as well.

Once everyone was seated, he decided that he wasn't going to delay the situation any longer. "I understand that many of you know a little of a situation that's occurred recently, and I'd like to assure you that, whatever rumors you've heard, they aren't likely the full truth. I won't be sharing that full truth today, but not because you don't deserve it. There are just other, more pressing decisions to be made in the short term. Rest assured, I will shed some light on the situation soon."

"However, the reason I've asked you to gather early today is that I have a few announcements to make, some of them regarding changes that will be felt directly here at camp, and others that have more far-reaching consequences. I understand this has been a summer of change from what many of you are used to, but change comes for all of us and we must learn to adapt."

Perseus glanced around at the seated campers, nearly all of them far too young to fight a war. That war would come for them anyway, and so it was his responsibility to watch over them and keep their best interest in mind. It was also his job to keep their morale as high as possible with conflict looming over them all.

"That being said, I think it's time we made a change to camp that all of you can have a personal impact on. It's a long time overdue, and I will apologize for not having done so sooner." he said sincerely. "Some things were, until recently, beyond my control. That isn't the case any longer. As of this week, we will begin making some additions to Camp Half-Blood. To begin with, we will be holding a vote for all campers to participate in that will see the addition of five new Cabins over the winter months, in order to pay homage to those Gods with children who are currently housed in Cabin 11."

The shocked silence allowed him to continue without interruption, and fully ignore both Athena and Artemis. "We will begin with five cabins, each year, until all Gods with children represented here at camp have a home and an identity that they can call their own. We will eventually get to all of them, but we must start somewhere, and so the first of the new Cabins will be Cabin 13, home of the children of Hecate, who's aid has been instrumental in keeping a barrier around camp which has protected you all from that which would seek to harm you. The remaining Cabins will be decided by popular vote, until all are represented."

The whispers seemed to rush forward all at once, and the excitement from the overcrowded table for Cabin 11 was more prominent than any other. This was long overdue, and having taken full control of Camp Half-Blood, he was no longer entertaining the thought of following orders which would only ostracize certain children from their parents and possibly from Olympus as a whole.

"We will also begin construction on a true Pantheon, where alters may be placed and offerings given to all Gods, even should they not have children represented here. It's time that we take a look at old ideas, as opposed to new ones. Greece was home to several of these structures, and while we may currently rest on American soil, our hearts will always reside in the motherland which gave birth to us all. Difficult times lie ahead, and perhaps a little faith can see us through the darkness to the other side." Perseus said, and he meant it.

Many of the Gods were underrepresented and given not so much as a single ounce of faith in this world they had created. If they wished to retain allies and not turn them into enemies, they would have to bridge the gap that separated them. Otherwise, the fires of war were likely to feed on the broken bonds that had come from their original exodus from Greece and Rome.

He allowed the excitement to take them for several minutes as he watched on, but there was still another matter to deal with, and with his usual reckless abandon, he intended to do it as publicly as possible.

"One final thing, before I allow you all to return to your day. You all I'm sure are aware that the quest was a success, and the children were returned safely," he said, unwilling to even mention Hades' name. "Normally this would be the time where we planned a claiming ceremony for our newest additions, however there are some slight adjustments needed. Bianca Di Angelo, as I'm sure you've noticed, has agreed to join Artemis in her eternal Hunt. Thus, she is technically no longer a camper, and instead serves her Goddess more directly."

Squaring his shoulders, Perseus searched out the young, pale-skinned boy at the table for Cabin 11. "Nico Di Angelo, please step forward." The boy was far too exuberant and did so without hesitation. He fought his way free of the crush of bodies surrounding him, and stood eagerly in front of Perseus, clenching a small figurine in his fist.

"Nico," Perseus began. "While I know you're new here, and likely have a limited understanding of the divine world in general, I'd like to make you an offer, if you're willing. In the old days, it was not uncommon for a hero to be given a series of challenges, and in return be named as Champion of their patron God, able to act on their behalf and interact with the mortal world. I'd like to offer you the opportunity to do so, as my personal Champion."

Athena was staring at him with a burning intensity that he happily ignored, and Artemis, he noticed, had her eyes closed in apparent defeat.

"For real!?" Nico whooped, grinning with open excitement. "Yes sir!"

"Excellent, then I'd like you to simply repeat after me," Perseus said, and there was a brief twinge of guilt as he prepared to follow through with his plan. In some ways he was treating the boy as a pawn, but he didn't allow it to stop him because he knew that he would only act in the boy's best interest. And if Hades thought he was the only one who could lay claim to someone else's children, he was very much mistaken.

"I, Nico Di Angelo, swear to serve Astraeus in the name of Olympus. I release all other claims, both mortal and divine, and offer my eternal service to the Stars. I swear this oath upon the Styx."

Nico repeated the verse perfectly. A crash of thunder to seal the oath, and suddenly the boy stood in front of his peers flushed with a brilliant white light. Above his head hovered a massive, intricate compass with the four cardinal directions glowing with starlight.

"Nico Di Angelo, Champion of Astraeus, Cabin 5," Perseus intoned gravely.

Author's Notes: So here we come to the end of Chapter 12, and one of the last chapters in Arc 1 of this story, which is already pretty long, and has so much more in store. I have one more chapter planned for Arc 1, which will serve as an intro to Arc 2 as well.

This chapter is nearly 2k words shorter than my usual, but this is a sort of wind-down period for the story before we move further. I still think I managed to make it all relevant to the story as a whole.

I know some people on the discord speculated about Nico's fate, and I can't remember who it was, but someone mentioned Perseus adopting Nico based on a tiny hint I dropped in Chapter 9. They were closer than they realized. As most of you are probably aware from my writing style, this doesn't happen in a vacuum, and we will see the results of this later in the story.

The opening scene with Zeus and Poseidon was something that I felt needed to be included, even if it was relatively simple. I don't believe everything regarding the Gods would be spoken of with the full audience of the Council, and with the three of them – plus Hades – having defeated the Titans in the past, they are the most direct opposition to the Titans in the present.

Also, while it may cause confusion for some with the power levels, particularly those of Perseus-vs-Hades, it will be explained in Arc 2. I understand it can look as if they are all over the place, but there is a reason for that. I just can't reveal it yet.

As always, hope you enjoyed and review if you want to, or don't if you don't.