I was gassed.

Heket wasn't lying- summoning those ribbons was a force and a half. I felt drained and tired- that weird soreness you got at the end of the day was permeating my body.

Don't get me wrong- that cost felt steep, and my legs and arms felt like jelly, sure, but all of that was much better than having to fight Jason and Prometheus at the same time. Now that's something I don't honestly know if I could've done.

Grace…there was something familiar about that last name. I felt like it was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't remember right now.

Not that I had the time.

Jason was eyeing me with a dangerous look- like a crazed animal, almost. Electricity sparked at his fingertips, humming against his sword. It gave an ominous background noise to what already felt like a pretty scary situation.

I was half-expecting the Michael Myers theme song to start playing in the background.

Another lightbulb flickered out as I hefted Riptide, looking warily at the angry blonde, "Jason, you—"

Jason screwed his eyes shut, and a tremor passed through his body. When his eyes opened again, they were glowing blue and really angry. "That's not my name!"

There was a crackling noise, followed by a loud thunderclap. I rolled, and the spot I was standing on was sizzling.

I frowned at him, "Listen, man, I don't want to fight you. Let me do what I came here to do."

"My father has told me to fight," Jason snarled, removing a coin from his pocket. He clutched it tightly. "Thus, I will. Where is he?"

"He's gone," I said, pulling my dagger out from my [Inventory] and flipping it so that it was held in a reverse grip. Dual wield Percy was in full form, "For good."

"Don't make me laugh," Jason said, flipping the coin. To my surprise, when it landed back in his hand, it was a golden blade with a worn leather hilt. He spun his curved sword, settling into an aggressive stance. We mirrored each other perfectly, "My father wouldn't lose to you."

"Well, he did," The fizzy water from the soda machine was spilling onto the floor. "And you will, too, if you attack. Let's talk this out. I think there's something going on, Jason. We don't need to fight right now—"

"I told you, that isn't my name!" Jason screamed loudly, a frantic tinge to his tone. He exploded toward me, blasting through the air like a rocket.

CLANG!

His curved sword smashed into Riptide, and I actually felt myself skid back a little. This dude was strong.

I twirled Riptide and lashed out at my cousin. The blade should have gone straight through his right shoulder, but the blonde was unbelievably fast and well trained. Even in the haze and low light of the bar, Jason dodged and parried as if he could see all my moves before I even pulled them out.

I hadn't crossed swords with an opponent like this since…well, since I took on Ares a while back. Jason was honestly just that good.

I'd practiced some of my swordsmanship against Triton, but even he wasn't this good.

Well, in terms of swordsmanship, that is. Triton's more of a brawler, with daggers and shape-shifting and all that. All I've gotten to work on against him is reflexes and timing, as well as how to take a few hits.

When we train, he doesn't actively try to hurt me- just punishes missteps and attacks that don't work out. It's annoying, sure, but it's not life-threatening and definitely not too painful by any stretch. It's an exercise in tightening my form and decision-making, not a trial run against an opponent.

And…that might just be what my undoing is right now. There are few people that can match me sword for sword who are actually trying to kill me.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is I'm rusty against someone that fights back with the intent to kill and the skill to back it up—an adversary like Jason, if you will.

We battled back and forth, thrusting and parrying. Much to my annoyance, I could still hear Luke in my head, throwing out suggestions. It wasn't helping. Damn dude was in my head from earlier.

Even with my boosted reflexes and insane skill, Jason was just better. Prometheus must've been training him his whole life- a few months of exponentially boosted training wasn't going to make up for a lifetime of rigid preparation.

My arms felt tired. My body was sluggish from the spell I cast on Prometheus. Jason's lifeless face was too unnerving. His glowing eyes, the damp room, the blurring tip of his blade—none of it was helping me focus.

I feinted and thrust at Jason's gut, but he anticipated the move. He knocked my sword out of my hand again, and Riptide clattered against the floor.

He wasn't even winded. He pressed the tip of his golden sword against my sternum.

"Well, what is your name, then?" I gritted out, pushing him back by manipulating the water into a fist that socked him in the face.

He flailed backward, falling onto the floor. He coughed and spit out some water a moment later, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead.

"Arcas!" Jason roared a moment later, the air around me folding in on itself.

Yeah, you read that right. The air itself folded in on me.

I felt the breath get torn out of my lungs as I was forcibly picked up by the air and sent hurtling further into the facility, crashing through a shelf full of vials. I spluttered as some raspberry-flavored liquid dripped into my mouth.

"Your name is Arcas?" I continued, rubbing my throat, and standing back up. "Like, Arcas from the myths? You realize how ironic that is, right? Prometheus kidnapped you and named you after one of your own brothers."

"Prometheus didn't kidnap me, he saved me," Jason blasted another arc of lightning at me, little lines splintering off as it careened toward me. I raised my hand, and one of the metal dummies in the room flew in front of me, taking the brunt of the bolt. It was sent hurtling into the wall, a singe mark on its chest. "He took me in when I had no one else! He taught me how to be a warrior!"

"You can't seriously believe he had your best interests in mind," I continued, slashing my dagger at Jason.

He blocked it with his curved sword and jabbed his golden one at me. I sidestepped the jab, bringing Malice out of my [Inventory] and thrusting it down in a wide arc. As he went to block it, I aimed a mana-reinforced kick at his chest, catching him off guard and pushing him backward.

"The man was pumping you full of godly mana a moment ago!" I argued, and then suddenly stopped short.

Subject A. Arcas.

The realization hit me like a truck. Did Jason know? There's no way he knew he was nothing more than a subject to someone he considered a father. He wouldn't be fighting this hard if he did. Not if he knew what his 'father' had planned for him.

"You were a test subject to him! I have the papers to prove it!" I hollered. "Stop this dumb fight! This…you aren't helping anyone like this!"

Jason's eyes widened. "What? What the hell around you talking about?"

I tossed him the file. "See for yourself. Subject A."

There was a brief moment of time where Jason's shoulders dropped. He read the file, his hands starting to shake a bit. For a second, I even felt bad. Sure, we were going at it, but he just found out someone he considered a father was using him.

"Listen, man…I know it can be rough," I said. "But we're cousins. You're not alone. Let me help."

"You…this…" Jason sputtered, his fingers sparking. The edges of the file lit on fire. "This…NO!"

I saw his hand tense, and the entire area around us exploded in a blaze of heat and electricity. My eyes widened as he was on me, even faster than before.

I felt my face crack as Jason smashed into me with a thunderous haymaker. I recovered just in time for him to follow it up with an uppercut that sent me flying into the ceiling of the building. I stuck myself to the ceiling, trying to put some distance between me and my lunatic of a cousin.

"Are you fucking crazy?" I dodged another lightning bolt. "Did you not read the file?"

Jason was done talking. He removed some pellets from his belt and closed his fist around them. They glowed a pale shade of blue as he threw them toward me.

A gust of wind exploded from his fingertips, propelling the pellets toward me faster than I could see with my normal eye. I leaped off the ceiling, just as the pellets impacted behind me.

BOOM!

The metal ceiling was torn apart as the pellets grew, exploding into a cataclysm of lightning-charged shrapnel. I flipped back down onto one of the desks, glaring at Jason.

He wasn't willing to see reason- that could've killed me.

I wanted to help Jason. Really, I did. I didn't want a cousin of mine going crazy because Prometheus played mind games with him as a kid, but he didn't want to see the light, and I had a mission to do.

"HA!" I yelled, feeling a tug in my gut. The ground underneath Jason exploded in a froth of whitewater, pulling Jason down underneath.

I focused on keeping the water level, packing it into a ball of pressure as I ran down the facility. The staff was right around…there!

I turned the corner into a dimly lit part of the building- a plain room with no decorations or windows. It smelled oddly like…a forest.

Mr. D's staff was out in the open, placed on top of what looked like a metal immobilizer with holly and pine needles wrapped around it. There was another human-sized one right next to it, much to my horror.

Did…did Prometheus really clamp Jason in there?

That was…scary. Mana transfusion in the direction Oscorp had taken it in was an extremely dangerous process.

Hell, it was something that most of the gods still thought was impossible, but clearly, Oscorp's technology had found a way to make it work.

The spiders were a tremendously important step up what they could do before, and Jason was proof that it could work on demigods, but it wasn't quite at the mayday level I'd thought before. Still scary, though.

I didn't give myself too much time to ponder that thought. The makeshift water prison I'd forced Jason into was glowing blue, and a moment later, it exploded. A completely drenched Jason looked around for a moment before his eyes locked onto me.

Remember that mana theory from earlier? That's what the needles and holly were there for. One of the ways you could bypass certain enchantments was by blending together some elements to restrict the flow of mana inside.

Weird, I know, but think of it like insulating a live wire.

Putting my weapons back in my [Inventory], I coated my hands with water, letting my father's protection wash over me.

As you guys know, there are more ways to grab live wires- you can put on a pair of rubber gloves. I wouldn't get the major boost Jason had by permanently merging Mr. D's power with his own, but I could still use it.

Think of it as a temporary boost. One I was in dire need of.

I grabbed Mr. D's staff off the clamp, feeling his godly energy feed into me. The world flickered, almost as if I switched from standard-definition to HD. Colors became more vivid. Lines became sharper. My field of view increased.

I took a deep breath, and the staff's tip flickered with forest green light.

Jason swung his arm, a bolt of lightning shooting toward me. I dodged it, jumping into the air, and pointing the staff at him.

BRRRRRR!

A monstrous amount of mana emerged from the staff, blasting Jason into a wall. Whether it was Jason's own strength or the fact that he already had that mana coursing through his own veins, he shrugged off the blast after not too much pain.

He growled, clapping his hands together. All the power in the base surged toward him, pouring off the wires, screens, and lightbulbs into his fingertips. We were in the complete darkness now.

I remember back in health class, watching those corny testimonials about people who got shot. I have to say, packing a bunch of twelve-year-olds into a classroom after lunch, plopping them down into seats, and then making them watch a grizzled cop talk over b-roll of gunshot victims was a pretty dumb way to warn us against the dangers of guns and drugs and stuff.

All the victims said they didn't even feel the bullet- they'd just recall a ringing sound and bam! Hospital bed.

I always thought that was a load of bullshit- that is, until Jason Grace hit me with the scariest lightning bolt I've ever seen.

The worst part? I couldn't even see it coming. Before I could ever begin to think about slowing down time, the bolt had left his fingertips. It was longer than a school bus, and just about as wide as a gym locker.

My skin tingled painfully. My insides knotted in and out, burning like molten lava was running through them. My mouth tasted bitter. I blacked out for a second.

When I opened my eyes again, I was soaring in the sky over the Hudson, my shirt torn apart and my skin raw and red. The staff was still tucked in my grasp, but man, I felt like shit.

Jason was soaring toward me like a jet, his weapons glittering in the pale moonlight.

I narrowed my eyes, feeling the call of the Hudson underneath me. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans.

My turn, now, cousin.

A jet of water erupted from the Hudson, churning around my waist. It oriented me and supercharged my senses even more than they were before.

"This ends now," I snarled, letting the water wash over my body and coalesce into armor. Before, on the ground, we were completely unmatched. That was Jason's turf- a facility full of electronic devices.

The river bent and churned to my wishes. For the first time in a long time, I let my power run completely rampant.

I raised Mr. D's staff in the air, and the river exploded upward. Gigantic waves that somehow reached both of us crashed on top of Jason, who yelled in pain as the choppy river buffeted him.

The wind was picking up now, too. I couldn't tell if it was me or him, but the entire area of the sky we were in was darkened, and howling with winds that were so loud I could barely hear myself think.

Jason yelled, and the waves blasted away from him. He was panting. Dark storm clouds were forming around him, glimmering with lightning.

As the freshwater droplets dripped onto my face, I still considered the pit in my stomach that seemed to be growing more and more. I knew I could kill Jason now if I really wanted to…but…did I?

He was my cousin- just a kid. A kid who'd been stolen from his rightful family and raised by the Titan of foresight, for crying out loud. Every part of his childhood must've been planned out. Everything from his meals, to play time- all of that was planned out by a sociopath with a deep hatred for the gods.

I doubt Jason has had any emotional intimacy in his life. Earlier, when I jokingly told Prometheus he wanted me as a servant, he told me he was all set on that account- is that what he meant? Was Jason really raised on the ideals of the old world- the idea that a man's worth was tied into his worth as a warrior and leader?

This wasn't a battle of just physical gifts, or powers, anymore. It was a battle of wills.

On one side, you had Jason, who was fighting for what he believed to be the closest thing he'd ever had to a father. He thought he was upholding his ideals, carrying on his legacy- avenging him. Maybe he was right, in his own, twisted way.

Then, you had me. I was fighting for everyone at camp, everyone on Olympus. Honestly, I was fighting for everyone in the whole world- no one would have it easy.

That strengthened my resolve.

This battle was going to come down to who wanted it more- and it was going to be me.

Jason wasn't giving me much of a choice, anyway. He summoned two wind-spirit-looking things to his side. Yeah, things.

I really don't know how else to describe them.

They were like…like if you took a human's body and switched into a gaseous state of being. Their whole forms were composed of swirling black vapor, with eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. They sprouted black smoky wings and rose above Jason, pointing their fingers at me.

A funnel cloud materialized around me. The winds switched gears, battering me and trying to shove me out of the sky.

Fat chance. The Hudson creaked and groaned, spilling out more water to keep me upright.

I roared, letting the staff fill my body with energy.

I had no choice. This battle, even in the water, was falling rapidly out of my favor. I called to the sea. I reached inside myself and remembered the feeling of utter control and dominance I'd had in Atlantis. Everything from the hopes and dreams of its residents to the call of the animals, to the waves and the currents, the endless power of the ocean.

Of my father's domain. Of my domain.

I manipulated the moisture in the air around me in a circular motion while drawing water from the river- I didn't even care if I lost track of the water in the air and too much or too little spilled over.

Mr. D's staff glowed brightly in the dark clouds, like a beam of light piercing the darkness. I knew Jason was closing in on me with his spirit buddies.

I took everything in. I mean it- everything. I looked at the spinning clouds around me, the waves piling so high they could hit a plane- the flickering storm around me. I felt the moisture in the air- it was there. It was mine to command.

All my feelings…the pain I felt from Jason's attacks. The happiness I felt at knowing one of my relatives was out there, even if he was trying to kill me. The fear that I'd fail, and everyone I've come to care for would die.

The unfairness of the situation- why was I being forced to fight Jason when we should've grown up together?

I let myself dream, for a moment, of a happy childhood with Jason. We could've grown up together…going to school and coming to camp on the breaks. Taking arts and crafts together, learning how to swordfight from Luke. Chiron would still be around, teaching us about the big bad world. Sharing beads on our necklaces.

I could've gone to Atlantis in the summers, and I'm sure Zeus would've arranged something for Jason, too. I could've had my first crush with him around to tease me. My first swordfight. My first monster kill.

He could've…he should've been my best friend. My brother.

And now, I was going to have to kill him, or he'd kill me.

It's so unfair.

I let it loose in one horrible scream.

An explosion, a tidal wave, a whirlwind of power simultaneously erupted in my body with so much force, I couldn't help but scream at the top of my lungs.

The Earth rumbled underneath me. I felt the ground react to my anger and frustration, splitting open with a monstrous groaning and creaking noise. Lava spewed out, pouring into the Hudson. Bursts of steam started hissing on the river's banks.

Fire and water collided. The superheated steam rushed at me all at once, and I shot upward from the jet of the water in a huge explosion, just one piece of flotsam thrown free by a million pounds of pressure.

The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was flying, flying so high Zeus would never have forgiven me, and then crashing into Jason with the staff, just as he and his buddies charged up an extra-large helping of lightning.

Then everything went black.

Screaming. I heard…lots and lots of screaming,

With a great deal of effort, I finally opened my eyes and Zeus…

The entire area around me was decimated. I felt the dirt on my back, and I surmised that my collision with Jason had somehow knocked me onto the riverbank.

The sky above me was covered in smoke and steam, and the entire area smelled like burning tinfoil. Somewhere off in the distance, I could still hear the sound of lava bubbling into the water. There was fire everywhere. Above us, the storm we'd both created was howling out of control, sending small arcs of lightning down all over the river.

My attention snapped to Jason, who was lying on the ground somewhere near me. He growled and snarled, pushing himself to his feet.

Oh…my.

Half of his face was covered in blood and soot, and his right arm was a decimated mess. He staggered over to me, his fingers twitching as a small arc of electricity kept shooting back and forth.

His walk turned into a stumble, and he fell next to me.

I lost.

Damn it…all of that wasn't enough to take Jason down? What kind of monster was he? That would've wiped out Carcinus.

I'd failed.

Jason raised his hand at me, a look of determination forming on his face. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. I saw the message in his eyes clear as day: you're done for.

Even though he was in no condition to finish me- not that he wouldn't try- and I wasn't able to kill him, I'd still lost the fight.

And then, just as he was about to shock me, his eyes strayed behind me, to a screaming woman who was coming to pick up her child, who had been walking toward us.

The child, a little girl, was looking at both of us with a smile. I could only imagine what the Mist was making her see, but she was stumbling toward both of us, as happy as can be. Maybe she thought were just some friends, lying around.

I found it ironic. This little girl was about to watch me get fried alive. Her big, bright, blue eyes were about to be blinded.

I turned back to Jason, whose mouth was hanging slightly open. He blanched and screwed his eyes shut again, this time muttering something under his breath. He'd looked like he'd seen a ghost.

I only caught one word: Thalia.

Oh. Oh.

I felt like smacking myself- if I could even move my hand, trust me, it would've made the loudest slapping noise the world's ever heard.

Thalia Grace. Jason Grace. Zeus hadn't just had one kid- he'd had fucking two of them.

Jason was full-blown sobbing now, pounding his fist into the ground. He sobbed, "Thalia! Thalia! Why?"

Maybe some of his old memories were coming back? Was all he needed a little bit of reminding, and a big ol' zap from Mr. D's staff?

Zeus, that sounded wrong.

I remembered the Michael Scott quote: How do you tell somebody that you care about deeply, "I told you so." Gently with a rose? In a funny way, like it's a hilarious joke? Or do you just let it go, because saying it would just make things worse…probably the funny way.

I laughed at my own reference, although it came out as more of a hacking cough than anything. I turned back to Jason, who was looking at me, a desperate and haunting look in his eyes.

I knew that look. I remember seeing it plastered all over my own when I was younger. It wasn't the fear of not fitting in, or not having a family or anything- though, those were all parts of it. It was the fear of being alone.

The fear that, you know, when's it's all said and done, and the dust settles down, you'll have nothing left. That it'll be just you.

No cousin of mine was going to feel that way. No demigod should have to.

That's why I took this forsaken rolling quest- that's why I even bothered going to such lengths to beat it into Jason.

This wasn't the only option.

We didn't have to be alone. We didn't have to struggle. The life of a demigod didn't have to be lonely and violent. We could have each other.

I struggled- and believe me, it was hard- to raise a finger at him. He looked at me expectantly, as if he thought I was going snipe him, but I just pointed back to me.

"N-not…alone," My voice felt hoarse and rough, but I stumbled out, "F-fam…ily…"

Jason's eyes widened. "But…I just tried to kill you! I…fuck, I was so wrong."

Did I think Jason was going to automatically switch sides and support the gods? Hell no! The man was raised by a Titan- just getting some memories back wasn't going to break him of that sort of influence.

It would speed up the process, sure, but I'd still have to keep an eye on him. If that's what it takes, that's okay. No demigod left behind.

How ironic, was it, then, that Prometheus had named Jason after Arcas, the guy who'd almost shot his own mom? He wasn't that different from the original after all…still trying to kill his own family by mistake.

"N-next time," I coughed, blood splattering the ground next to me. "Win…next time."

Jason cracked a grin, planting his face into the grass. He let his whole body relax, "Yeah, sure. We'll see about that."

I closed my eyes and sent up a prayer to Hera, or Juno, or whoever; all fun and games aside, we were both going to bleed out if we didn't get help soon- and that wouldn't be fun for anyone. Especially not those late-night clean-up crews.

The road to Olympus was rough. After our little conversation, Jason passed out, and I had to crawl myself over to the Thyrsus.

Hera wasn't feeling too generous. To her credit, she did poof me closer to Mr. D's staff, and give me a little boost of energy, but still.

Kind of annoying, considering I just imploded a part of the Hudson. I thought I'd sacrificed enough to get the premium treatment from her, but I guess she had other stuff on her mind at the moment.

Then, I had to walk all the way to Manhattan- I went through the Duat, of course- with Jason in my arms.

So, honestly, I was the winner of the battle. Ha! Still felt like I lost, though.

Grace zero, Percy one!

It was kind of awkward when I stumbled and fell to my knees a moment later, twitching on the Manhattan pavement. Even the staff wasn't pumping me with enough energy to keep my legs from giving out on me.

I felt like jelly.

Embarrassingly enough, I had to text Triton for help.

The conversation went something like this:

P: Triton, I need help. I'm literally on the floor right now.

T: Really? What's so funny?

P: No, no, I'm fucking dying!

T: Perce, bro, you haven't sent anything. Did you put it on your story? Instagram? Snapchat?

P: Triton. Empire State Building. Pretzel.

T: What?

P: I'm doing voice to text. Just come to the Empire State Building!

"So, this is what you meant," Triton grinned at me, appearing out of the thin air a moment later. "Huh. I thought you sent me a meme I didn't see or something."

His time on the overworld had changed him a bit- he was wearing a faded black sweater with a pair of faded blue jeans and black Doc Martens. He topped off the whole look with a large coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

All in all, he looked like he was ready to go to a Nirvana concert or school. With the way kids were dressing these days, it really could've been either.

He hefted Jason on his back and pulled me up with one arm. "Come on. I haven't been to Olympus in forever."

Just like last time, an enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit, where I saw Hestia sitting. She ran to me when I walked into the room, wrapping my body in a warm, healing hug.

"I'm sorry," She whispered to me, fiery tears forming in her eyes. "I wanted to help…but my brother…"

I hugged her tighter. "It's okay, auntie. It's okay."

The thrones were almost all filled. Ignoring the immense pressure of the room- I stared at the rest of the Olympians, some of whom were flickering uncontrollably with Jason in the room.

"Apollo," Zeus commanded, his eyes softening at Jason's prone form. "Tend to your brother."

I didn't have to be told what to do. I came toward the throne all the way in the center and knelt, even as my entire body screamed in protest.

Apollo had wheeled Jason off to some infirmary, giving Triton a pretty cool look handshake. I didn't get that sort of treatment, unfortunately. Zeus had my dad summon a kiddie pool, and he commanded me to step inside.

"You at least could've given me a rubber ducky, or something," I complained to my dad, who grinned at me proudly. He nodded his head to Triton, who gave him a friendly wave.

"Tell us what happened, boy," Zeus said, a lot more gently than he had the first time I met him. He looked tired- old.

I told them everything. From the weird Minotaur, to Peter getting his powers from the Thyrsus, to Prometheus kidnapping Jason.

When I got to that part, Zeus' knuckles tightened on his throne to the point of whiteness. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, "Tell me, Perseus…what is it you know of Prometheus?"

"He gave humans fire," I relayed simply. "And you chained him to a rock for it."

I was expecting Zeus to blast me with his bolt on the spot for my lip, but to everyone's surprise, he gave out a booming laugh. He turned to Poseidon, "I'm beginning to like your boy, brother."

My dad grinned proudly as if he had just won a bet, "I told you- he gets his humor from me."

"Yes, well," Zeus cleared his throat, turning back to me. "That is not quite what happened. Boy, when the days were cold and dark, and we'd just won our first battles against them, the Titans Epimetheus and Prometheus were given the task of distributing the means of survival to each living creature. Epimetheus asked Prometheus that he be allowed to do it, and, with Prometheus's agreement, he proceeded with his quest. Under Epimetheus' care, some creatures were given speed, some strength or cunning, and others flight. When Prometheus returned to see how the task was progressing, he'd discovered that Epimetheus was finished. The problem, however, that there was nothing left to give to humans. He observed the humans' discomfort; they were hungry, cold, and defenseless. He pitied them. So, Prometheus stole fire from Olympus and with it, the technical arts for humans."

A real bad guy, I wanted to say, but I didn't feel like pushing my luck. I didn't want to risk getting on Zeus' bad side when I'd just begun to get on his good side by bringing his son back to Olympus.

"With these gifts, your kind acquired the ability to know things, to build, to engineer. These gifts, though, were not distributed equally among all people, so some were skilled at trade work, others with smithing, others at war. I noticed this but did nothing to stop it. In my early days as a ruler, there were many…things I was unskilled at. This was one of them," Zeus sighed greatly, leaning forward. "So, I observed you, humans, with your new capabilities and found them to still be wanting; you were unorganized and without virtue, after all. How could you not be? My lack of knowledge was not an unwillingness to help. I directed Hermes to go to Earth and to give the people the civic arts. I wanted to bring respect and right among men, to the end that there should be regulation of cities and friendly ties to draw them together. And unlike Prometheus, I wanted to let you all have your share; for cities could not be formed if only a few humans had a share of these arts."

I was shocked into silence- which is saying a lot because I have something to say most of the time. That…that completely changed my view on things! This whole time, I thought Zeus punished Prometheus because he tried to help us- not because he fucked us over!

"So, you see, child, Prometheus did not suffer because of his desire to help- he suffered because of the problem he created by giving men fire and technology but not the civic virtue to complement them. Understand, this, boy- if there is to be balance and good in society then the civic arts must accompany the technical arts. One cannot exist without the other. The existence Prometheus would've condemned you all to would have been one of great suffering- that is why he was punished," Zeus finished off, raising his hands, "Prometheus was punished because in having the gift of forethought he should have known that to steal only the technical gifts humans would become a menace to themselves, to other creatures and, eventually, to the earth itself."

There was an unspoken implication in there somewhere.

As the Titan of Forethought, Prometheus would've known what giving fire to humans would result in. Zeus, even despite what he was saying now, didn't subject Prometheus to thousands of years of torture for just a slight mistake- he knew that Prometheus did it on purpose.

Damn.

Zeus smiled at me as if to say: told ya so!

"That's something," I said intelligently, much to the amusement of my uncle. Another question suddenly bubbled up to my mind, "Is that why he took Jason?"

"I'd be a fool to say it wasn't one of the reasons," Zeus confirmed, flickering between forms again.

"That…flickering," I pointed out. Heart hammering, I remembered Hera's name jumping back and forth between Juno and Hera. "It's because of Jason, isn't it? He's not Greek."

"Perseus…"

"There are roman demigods," The reality of my statement set in, and I doubled over. Triton gave me a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Gods. Why have we never run into each other? Ever?"

"You have, Perce, a fuck ton of times. It's always a shitshow, and always the major gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. That prick Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome," Triton explained, holding me upright. He glanced at the gods, who'd settled into their other forms. "The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."

"More warlike," Hestia- no- Vesta said. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

My dad looked older, more serious. His eyes still held warmth as he looked at me, though, "The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So, during Roman times, demigods started to divide—either Greek or Roman."

"So, Jason's setting all of you off," I guessed, to which the council nodded. I felt a rush of anger, "He's not going anywhere."

"He doesn't have to," Vesta came to my aid, defiantly looking at the rest of the Olympians. "We'll do our best to keep this under wraps. Prometheus doesn't have a Roman counterpart, so chances are, Jason doesn't know. You can keep him at camp."

She paused for a moment as if waiting for someone to argue with her. When no one did, she nodded to herself. "Good. It is settled. Let us return to our Greek forms."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved when the gods I'd come to know swam back into vision, one by one.

"Your reports of the Titans are…concerning," Zeus said. He looked around the council, "Let us ponder this. We will reconvene in a few months' time."

He turned back to me, "Perseus…take care of my son."

He disappeared in a bolt of lightning.

I was hit with a round of déjà vu- it felt just like it had when I'd returned Zeus' lightning bolt. Most of the other gods, left, except Athena, my dad, and Hera. Even Hermes didn't look too happy after that meeting.

Mr. D picked his staff up off the ground, smiling wickedly. He turned to me, grinning, "Oh, yes! This is good. Here, boy. For your service."

He tossed me some car keys to a car. "Mr. D, I can't drive."

"This is the home of the free, land of the brave, is it not?" He snarked. "Enjoy."

"Dickwad," Triton said as he disappeared. "God, I hate that fat fuck."

"Triton," Poseidon warned. "Language."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Hera was happy to see me, and even happier that I'd taken some more steps toward uniting the good ol' fam. She gave me a tentative hug and disappeared to the infirmary, where she said she wanted to see Jason.

I got ready to leave with Triton when Athena walked up to us. Athena stood in the middle of the road with her arms crossed and a look on her face that made me think uh-oh. She'd changed out of her armor, into jeans and a white blouse, but she didn't look any less warlike. Her gray eyes blazed.

I thought she was coming to lay into me, but she turned to Triton, who grinned awkwardly. "Little Owl—"

"Don't you little owl me!" Athena snapped. "Two months! Two whole months without an IM, or even a little drop-in? You could've even had your brother here run a message up!"

I gaped at the two.

Triton smiled at me, "Athena's…sort of like a daughter to me."

"You're kidding."

"Nope!" Triton said, throwing an arm around Athena's neck. "Sorry, owlie. I was learning a thing or two from Perce, over here. Speaking of which, do you know about this place called Cugino's? I know you're the goddess of wisdom and all, but their pizza is just…"

[SIDE][STORY] Quest Completed!

The Green Goblin

Spurred on by the discovery of the Thyrsus, Norman Osborn is planning something dire for the city of Manhattan. Dispose of him and return the artifact to Olympus.

Rewards:

+1000 REP with [GODS]

+200,000 EXP!

Perk: [Mediator]

Skill: [Hurricane Generation]

Skill: [Earthquake Generation]

Skill: [Storm Generation]

*The perk [Mediator] allows you to determine what form a god will take while speaking to you. Provides a flat boost of 10 to CHA and WIS!

PERSEUS JACKSON

[SON OF POSEIDON]

[HESTIA'S FAVORED]

[ECHIDNA'S BANE]

[GODSLAYER]

[BLESSING OF HERA]

[DIVINE CONSULTANT]

Level- 52 (20,000/40,000)

HP- 60,000/60,000 (BOOSTED 2X)

SP- 40,000/40,000

MP- 90,000/90,000 (BOOSTED 2X)

Allegiance- N/A

STR- 68 (+5)

VIT- 25

DEX- 56 (+5)

INT- 59

CHA- 46 (+5)

WIS- 43

LUC- 32

Points- 60

Perk Points- 16

Money- $3721

Son of the legendary God of the Seas and Sally Jackson, Percy is the current child of prophecy. Despite his murky past, Percy is ready to take on his future with determination.

REP at Half-Blood Hill: REVERED!

REP at Atlantis: REVERED!

REP at Olympus: LIKED!

*THE TITLE [SON OF POSEIDON] PERMANENTLY GRANTS +1000 MP AND BOOSTS THE REGENERATION OF MP!

*THE TITLE [HESTIA'S FAVORED] PERMANENTLY REGENERATES YOUR HEALTH BY 30% AND GAINS +5% FOR EVERY 100 HP LOST BELOW HALF!

*THE TITLE [ECHIDNA'S BANE] ALLOWS THE USER TO BE IMMUNE TO ALL POISON!

*THE TITLE [GODSLAYER] GRANTS THE USER 2X EXP WHEN INVOLVED IN A FIGHT WITH A DEITY! THIS EFFECT SCALES, DOUBLING FOR EVERY IMMORTAL OPPONENT AND TRIPLING FOR EVERY OLYMPIAN!

*THE TITLE [HERA'S BLESSING] ALLOWS THE HOLDER TO TRESPASS ON SACRED GROUNDS AND FEEL AMBIENT DIVINE ENERGY!

*THE TITLE [DIVINE CONSULTANT] DOUBLES THE EXP GAINED BY DOING A QUEST GIVEN TO YOU BY ANY DEITY!

AN: And there ends the brief interlude of the Spider-Man arc. After doing some thinking and talking to JackBlaze- my man- I've decided to restructure the story.

There will be brief, but very minor Marvel elements mixed in, but they will be few and far in-between, and they will all serve a purpose, just like Peter and MJ and the Wildcats did. They won't detract from the story, nor will they be a major part of the plot.

Rather, I'm going to focus on building and expanding the world I've already created. Atlantis was a great example of that, so if you liked Atlantis and want to see more, rest assured, that's where this story is going.

Rick did a great job of creating the base world of PJO, but given the fact that it is a children's book, there were certain elements he wasn't really too deep into, certain things he didn't tackle. He was also limited by the publishers, a schedule- all of that. I'm not.

I plan to dive into some of the treasure troves he left untapped. What does that mean? Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?

Just know I have a plan. That's all.

We're almost at half a million views. That's huge. I can't thank you enough and just know I'll keep cranking out these quality chapters for y'all.

Thank you.

-Maroon