I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Grand Council
"Well," Chrysa said, looking over at the exhausted children. "Annabeth, do you think your dad would be willing to come pick us up?"
Annabeth looked startled.
"I…maybe?"
Chrysa moved over to embrace the girl.
"I'm sure he'd want to see you," she said into her ear. "Especially after being kidnapped. And I think you might need it a bit too."
Annabeth finally nodded. "I can call."
Chrysa passed over her iPhone. Annabeth slowly punched in the numbers, while Chrysa dragged Percy and Thalia so that they were far enough away that the conversation was private. The Muffliato charm Chrysa cast didn't do any harm either.
Annabeth wandered over a minute later. "Um…where are we?" she asked, looking slightly sheepish.
"Caldecott Tunnel," Chrysa said. "I think at least." She moved so she could look down at the highway going through the hill. "Yep," she called. "Caldecott Tunnel."
Annabeth repeated the information into the phone. The conversation didn't last much longer before she hung up and passed the phone back to Chrysa.
"He's on his way," Annabeth said, sounding slightly disbelieving. "When I told him that he could just drop us off at a hotel, my stepmom cut in and said that we were staying with them and she would start making more dinner for us."
She looked over at Percy apologetically.
"We only have one guest room though, so you're probably stuck on the couch."
Percy let out a tired yawn.
"At this point, I could probably sleep anywhere," he admitted.
"Food, shower, then sleep," Chrysa ordered. "You're not messing up the Chase's upholstery when you haven't bathed since Monday…or before."
She looked at Percy suspiciously. He somehow managed to keep a straight face.
"We'll be safe here," she offered as she sank down to the ground, finally giving in to the exhaustion that had been pressing her since the adrenaline rush from fighting Atlas had worn off. The others followed suit.
"What was that, Chrysa? That armor, that fighting…Atlas knew you," Annabeth said, looking troubled.
"He did," Chrysa said quietly. "You're a bit behind on news, Annabeth. To put it shortly, I've been reincarnated twice now. I'm living my third life. In my previous life, I was known as Maria di Angelo, the mother of Bianca and Nico di Angelo, who have spent the past sixty-three years in the Lotus Hotel and Casino."
Annabeth's jaw dropped. Chrysa simply continued talking.
"In my first life, I was a goddess – Titaness, really. I was the eldest daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, first of the three thousand Oceanides. Atlas was my first cousin…and also my nephew, through my sister/his mother. We knew each other quite well. In the days before the gods, we were the right and left hands of Kronos."
All three demigods were staring at her in shock.
"You…you worked for Kronos?" Percy finally managed to bite out.
"Originally," Chrysa said with a shrug. "I wasn't around to assist with the killing of Ouranos – I was being fostered in the House of Nyx at the time – but I did come back just afterward. Kronos and I were close, growing up. I'm actually about a year older than he is. We were playmates. Gaea raised me until I was sent to Erebos and Nyx."
"Who were you?" Annabeth asked.
"My name was Leuke," Chrysa said, her voice very quiet. "I was the goddess of shadows and secrets, patroness of spies, assassins, and eventually, traitors."
"Traitors?" Thalia asked, her voice rising.
"I betrayed Kronos," Chrysa said, a cold smile creeping onto her face. "He thought that I was on his side, but I'd been plotting against him since he raped my sister. I know how to hold a grudge. He forced himself on my sister, so I carved his heart out of his chest and hid it where he'll never find it. It's why it's taken him so long to reform."
"You told me that only Hades knew where the heart was," Percy said accusingly.
"I just said Hades knew," Chrysa corrected. "And he doesn't, anymore. I moved it since the last time we spoke. I'm the only person in the world who knows where it is. That's why Kronos is willing to do just about everything to get leverage against me. And capture me as well, he definitely wants revenge."
Chrysa held out her hand, calling the shadows to curl around it.
"I still have my domain. There isn't a shadow I can't control, and there isn't a secret I can't discover." She grimaced. "Unfortunately, without the body of a goddess, I'm limited in what secrets I can access. Mortal bodies aren't capable of holding omniscience."
"I can't believe that you sided with Kronos!" Percy burst out.
"It was a different time, Percy. Life was different. I was different. More vicious. More ruthless. I was raised by Gaea and Nyx, neither of whom was known for being compassionate. They used to call me "Zeus' attack dog", because all Zeus needed to do – and Kronos before him – was to give me my target, and I would eliminate them. Even now, my name is almost never spoken aloud. Names have power, and to speak my name is to draw my attention. I had a whole host of titles that were used instead."
"Those things you said to Thorn?" Thalia asked.
"'Deceiver, Contriver, Whisperer,'" Chrysa said. "All titles given based on my role as goddess of secrets and lies. "'Terrifying, Night-wanderer, Knowing One'…I was the boogeyman to many of the gods. I usually operate at night, though I am capable of functioning in the day, and I know all secrets. I am the First-born of Oceanus and Tethys, the first grandchild of Ouranos and Gaea. You all saw my armor, 'Darkly-cloaked' is relatively obvious. They called me the 'exacter of justice' because I acted as Zeus' left hand. If there were problems, I made them go away."
"There were two more," Thalia said. "You called yourself the 'queen of those below' and the 'lady of the first throne'."
"As I said, I have been around since before the gods," Chrysa said slowly, trying to figure out how to phrase this. "Before my first death, I sat on the Olympian Council through several of its incarnations. I led it after Rhea left. King of the gods or not, Zeus did not take over as head of the Council until I died. I held the first throne."
Before Chrysa could answer the other question, her phone began to ring. She pushed it over to Annabeth, who answered it.
"Hi, Dad….no, we're actually on top of the hill…. Okay, we'll head right down."
She pulled the phone away from her ear.
"Dad's here. He says he drives a yellow Volkswagen and will meet us at the end of the tunnel going east. He's already pulled off to the side of the road."
The four of them got up wearily and began their march down the giant hill – though it was less of a march and more of a slow slog. Thankfully, there were plenty of streetlights in the area around the tunnel, so it was easy enough to find the yellow Volkswagen. Just before they got there, Chrysa glanced behind her into the tunnel and spotted two teenagers, holding spears and wearing purple t-shirts, standing on either side of a 'maintenance hatch'.
Dr. Frederick Chase climbed out of his vehicle when he saw them.
"Annabeth!" he called frantically, hurrying to embrace his daughter. "What happened to you? Are you alright?"
"She was kidnapped," Chrysa cut in before Annabeth could prevaricate. "Last Friday. We only just got her back."
Professor Chase's face paled and he pulled his daughter even closer to him. He nodded to Chrysa over Annabeth's shoulder.
"Miss Potter-Black."
"Dr. Chase. This is Thalia, who originally took care of Annabeth after she ran away, and Percy Jackson, whom I assume you've heard about."
"You're quite right," Dr. Chase said, nodding to both teenagers.
The professor ushered all of them into his yellow Volkswagon. Chrysa took the passenger seat while Annabeth was squished between Percy and Thalia in the back. After the week they'd all had, they probably needed it. Amaranth, Ron, and Hermione had often done the same after one of their adventures.
The ride back to the Chase home was mostly silent. All three of the demigods in the backseat had passed out from exhaustion.
"Is she hurt?" Dr. Chase asked Chrysa quietly.
"I don't think so," Chrysa replied, equally quiet. "The person in charge of her captivity was Luke, and he swore to protect her once. He would have done his best to keep her from harm."
There were several more minutes of quiet in the car as Dr. Chase got them back into San Francisco and navigated the path to his house.
"She'll be okay?"
"She's strong. And she has her friends and family supporting her. She'll be okay, eventually."
Dr. Chase nodded, satisfied with her answer.
They arrived at the Chase home not long afterwards. Annabeth woke up groggily when they pulled into the driveway, but Percy and Thalia were still conked out on her shoulders.
"We're here," Chrysa said in a sing-song voice. "Percy, Thalia, time to wake u~up."
Both teenagers groaned in unison. Dr. Chase raised an eyebrow.
"They're always like this," Chrysa confirmed with a sigh. She leaned over the seat towards the pair. "Don't make me pull out the water gun."
"We're up!" Percy and Thalia nearly yelled, jerking awake with surprising speed. Dr. Chase looked impressed.
They all clambered out of the car. Mrs. Chase met them at the door, greeting Annabeth with a hug.
"It's good to see you," she said with a smile. Her smile faded slightly when she saw Chrysa. "Miss Potter-Black."
"Chrysa's fine," she offered politely.
The Asian woman smiled back tightly. "Sophie, then."
"Frederick," Dr. Chase added in.
Sophie Chase ushered them into the house.
"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes," she said. "I made your favorites, Annabeth."
"Could we possible shove the three of them into showers?" Chrysa asked. "None of them have nearly showered in a week. Annabeth's been in a dungeon of dubious cleanliness during that time, and Percy and Thalia have been in several battles, gone through the desert, and ridden a giant pig during that time. Oh, and Percy wrestled a guy who smelled like hot seaweed, dead fish, and brine."
Thalia and Annabeth both took a step away from Percy.
"I'm sure we can do something about that," Sophie said with a smile. "Annabeth, why don't you use your father's and my bathroom? Thalia can take the guest bathroom, and Percy can use yours and the twins'. Bobby! Matthew!" she called.
Identical twin boys came running from the living room.
"Annabeth!" they cried out in unison as they hugged her. Annabeth looked slightly surprised as she returned the embrace.
"Boys, these are Annabeth's friends, Percy, Thalia, and Chrysa," Susan said, pointing each of them out.
One of the twins – Chrysa thought it was Bobby, but even their own parents mixed them up – looked directly at her and asked despondently, "Are you here to take Annabeth away again?"
Annabeth reeled back in shock.
"No, I'm just here keeping an eye on my little sister and my cousin," Chrysa said, gesturing to Thalia and Percy. "I do have to borrow Annabeth for a few days, but I'll try to convince her to come back in time for Christmas."
"Where are you going?" the other twin asked.
"We have a meeting in New York to go to tomorrow," Chrysa replied.
"But that's so far away!" the first twin protested. "How are you going to get there so fast?"
Chrysa waved her hand through the air, allowing green sparks to leave her fingertips.
"Magic," she said.
Both boys gaped.
"Bobby, could you take Annabeth to her room and then to my bathroom?" Sophie Chase said. "Matthew, please take Percy to the guest bathroom, and Thalia to yours and your siblings' bathroom."
The children – they must have been seven or so by now, Annabeth had run away when they were infants – led the tired teenagers up the stairs.
"I showered this morning," Chrysa replied to Sophie's questioning look. "I was away for a day for medical reasons."
"You left them alone?" Sophie asked, aghast.
"I used magic to transport a Hunter of Artemis away from sudden death to medical attention, but in the process furthered injured myself. I was on bedrest for a day," Chrysa said coolly. "And Percy and Thalia – while more than capable of taking care of themselves, considering Thalia spent four years on her own without adult supervision, I did not leave them alone. There was another Hunter of Artemis there, and she was several thousand years old."
Sophie tentatively seemed to accept that.
Chrysa knew that neither Chase parent really liked her – after all, when their daughter had left them, it had been for her custody the second two times. Annabeth had called her specifically to come take her away from her father and stepfather.
There was a reason Bobby and Matthew Chase saw her as a villain.
Small-talk in the living room was…awkward, to say the least. Sophie quickly escaped back into the kitchen, leaving Frederick to attempt to make conversation. They quickly settled on military history – while Frederick Chase preferred WWI, he was still knowledgeable about WWII, and Maria di Angelo had lived through WWII (and WWI, but she had been a toddler at the time) and was able to keep up. Once Bobby and Matthew returned to the living room to play with their Legos, Chrysa joined them on the floor to build. Sophie frowned when she looked into the living room and saw her there, but she didn't stop her before she headed up the stairs.
Unsurprisingly, Percy finished first, and came downstairs in much-too-large t-shirt and sweatpants.
"Mrs. Chase offered to wash our clothes for us tonight," he said. "These are Mr. Chase's."
"Dr. Chase," Chrysa corrected absently.
"Dr. Chase's," Percy repeated.
Annabeth showed up next, followed closely by Thalia, both with wet hair, wearing t-shirts and pajama pants that Chrysa had seen Annabeth wear previously.
"Oh good," Sophie said. "Now that everyone's here, we can have dinner. Annabeth, Thalia, would you like to dry your hair after dinner? I keep my hair dryer under the sink in my bathroom."
Thalia shrugged.
"Percy can dry it," she said. "Percy?"
Percy reached out and touched the top of Thalia's head. Her choppy black hair dried instantly.
"Annabeth?" Percy asked.
She shook her head.
"My hair always ends up really frizzy when you dry it." She turned to her stepmother, took a deep breath, then said, "I would love the hair dryer later, thank you."
"Of course," Sophie said.
The Asian woman ushered them all into the dining room and settled all of them around the table; Frederick was at the head, with Sophie standing by the foot. Annabeth was between on the twins on one side, while Percy sat between Thalia and Chrysa on the other.
Sophie bustled back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, bringing steaming plates full of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans to everyone. Chrysa could hear Percy's stomach growl.
"Eat up!" Sophie announced.
The younger three demigods, along with the twins, dug into their food with gusto. Chrysa was a bit more careful with her eating, but she was somewhat better fed than the younger set.
The conversation flowed between most of the people at the table, though Percy and Thalia were obviously tired. Annabeth looked better off; imprisonment or not, she had gotten more sleep than the rest of them had over the past few days. Chrysa kept quiet. The Chases didn't particularly want to talk to her, and she didn't want to interfere with one of the few times that they got to interact with their daughter.
Sophie sent all of the children – demigods included – to bed directly after dinner. The demigods were too tired to protest. Bobby and Matthew tried, but Sophie countered by saying that Annabeth needed sleep.
Finally, it was just Frederick, Sophie, and Chrysa in the living room.
"Thank you," Frederick finally said. "For looking after Annabeth."
"You don't have to thank me," Chrysa replied. "I know you wish she was still with you."
"You gave her somewhere to turn to when we couldn't," Sophie said. "After the twins were born, with everything that happened, when she ran away…"
"Thalia saved her then," Chrysa said firmly. "I took Annabeth under my wing because I couldn't save Thalia."
"That doesn't changed the fact that you looked after her for years," Sophie pointed out. "You're still looking after her, even after Thalia came back."
"I do my best," Chrysa said, shifting uncomfortably. "If you don't mind, I will retire." She winced as her British accent made its reappearance. Nowadays, if she wasn't in Britain, it only did that when she was uncomfortable.
"I'll show you to the guest room," Sophie said.
Thankfully, there was no more conversation on the way. Chrysa and Sophie parted ways with a simple, "Have a good night," before Chrysa was safely behind the closed door of the guest room.
The next morning, Chrysa did her best to avoid even more awkward conversation by getting up absurdly early (by West Coast standards) and dragging the trio of more-than-half-asleep demigods down to the living room so they could Portkey back to New York.
Just before she said the activation word, a small voice from the doorway said, "Annabeth?"
They all turned to see Sophie Chase padding into the room on slipper-clad feet, a bathrobe over her pajamas.
"Yes?" Annabeth asked warily.
"You're always welcome here," Sophie said firmly.
Annabeth stared in shock for a moment, before quietly saying, "Thank you, Sophie."
Chrysa chose that moment to tap the Portkey – a large, yellow rubber duck – with her wand and order, "Penthouse!"
With a rush of color and sound, they landed in the middle of Chrysa's penthouse, all of them toppling to the ground. Chrysa had one of Thalia's feet in her face, and someone else's head on her thighs. Thalia's knee was under Annabeth's elbow. Annabeth was almost entirely on top of Percy, who was the head on Chrysa's thighs.
Unsurprisingly, Annabeth made it up first, a blush painting her cheeks red. Thalia made it up next, then Percy, and lastly Chrysa.
"We have about an hour and a half before we need to be on Olympus," Chrysa instructed. "I want you all in the garage in half an hour. Change, shower, whatever you feel the need to do. Just remember, we are going to a council of all the gods, so you might want to look nice."
She then promptly abandoned all of them while she went to get ready. The Grand Council only happened once a year after all, and this would be Leuke's first in more than three thousand years. The world would be watching, so she was ready to stun them all.
Getting ready was something that could not be accomplished in thirty minutes. Chrysa promptly went to the potions lab/ritual room that was on an undetectably extended floor above hers, used the Time-Turner that she most-definitely-did-not-have-thank-you-Hermione, and went back in time for three hours.
Once it was ridiculously early in the morning again, she returned to her bedroom and summoned her attendants.
"More enemies to kill, my lady?" Androktasia asked.
"Not this time, I'm afraid," she said with a sigh. "No, my shadows. This time we have something perhaps even more dangerous."
"The Winter Solstice meeting," Logos guessed.
Chrysa inclined her head, before smiling wickedly.
"It's been thirty-four hundred years, after all. I think I should like to make a dramatic entrance."
Her attendants' grins were just as devious, as should be expected from Stories, Lies, Murder, and Manslaughter.
Three hours later, she was ready for her grand entrance.
"Are you sure you do not wish for one of us to drive you, my lady?" the goddess of lies asked.
"Yes, Pseudea," Chrysa said. "I have a chauffeur for these sorts of things. Though I usually drive, I'm not sure I want to in this dress."
"Please don't ruin all our hard work," Androktasia pouted. "We want all of Olympus to see you are just as dark and beautiful as you have always been."
"You've certainly succeeded at that," Chrysa said, looking herself over in the mirror once more.
Her unruly black curls had somehow been tamed, thanks to her attendants' expertise. Her tresses were braided around the imperial gold circlet on her brow. Her gown was a mix of emerald green and the darkest blacks, all trimmed and dusted with pure imperial gold.
As always, there were several Stygian iron knives on her person. Her favorite one was the most prominent, hanging from the imperial gold chain that served as her belt.
There was a knock at the door. Her attendants all disappeared into the shadows.
"Chrysa?" Annabeth asked. "Are you ready?"
"I think so," Chrysa called back. "One moment."
It took her a minute to find the black silk clutch in her closet. She stuffed her wallet, keys, and iPhone into it, before opening the door to find Annabeth, Thalia, and Percy waiting for her. Their jaws dropped when they saw her.
It was obvious that they had put some sort of effort into their appearances – Thalia's clothes, while still all black, weren't ripped for once. Percy was wearing slacks and a dress shirt. Annabeth had put on a dress. But they had nothing on Chrysa.
"Are we supposed to be that dressed up?" Percy asked.
"No, just me," Chrysa said with a smile. "It's my first official Council since coming back. I wanted to make an entrance. Come on. The chauffeur is waiting."
"You have a chauffeur?" Thalia hissed as they made their way downstairs.
"I'm borrowing one," Chrysa admitted, leading them toward the limousine waiting in front of the elevator.
Once they had all slid inside the elevator, Chrysa knocked on the divider separating them from the driver. It slowly lowered, and the demigods reared back at the sight of the desiccated face of no-longer-living chauffeur.
"Everyone, this is Jules-Albert," Chrysa introduced, not reacting to their looks of shock. "He used to be a French race car driver. Now he acts as my chauffeur when I need one that isn't a house-elf."
"You have a zombie for a chauffeur?" Percy demanded. "That's so cool! He's not going to try to eat our brains, is he?"
"No, Jules-Albert does not eat…anything, actually. He likes McDonald's though. And Coke. His kind love Coke."
"Drink-Coke or drug-coke?" Thalia asked.
"Drink-Coke," Chrysa clarified. "I've never tried drug-coke on one of them. It might be interesting."
"What happened to 'drugs-are-bad'?" Percy asked.
"Drugs are bad," Chrysa clarified. "Don't take them. They tend to be really weird with demigod physiology. So don't do drugs. Plus, monsters. You can't stay alive if you're impaired by drugs."
They pulled up at the Empire State Building just before dawn. Chrysa led them out of the vehicle and up to the front desk.
"Hello, Martin," she greeted. "I'm here to see my father."
"Of course, Miss Potter-Black," the man said. He passed over a card to her. "You know the way."
"I do. Thank you, Martin."
There was practically no one there as they made their way to the elevator.
"What's with that guy anyway?" Percy asked. "Is he human?"
"No, he's a godling," Chrysa said. "The American child of two gods. Martin is the son of two minor gods, I don't remember who. He's been manning the front desk since the Empire State Building was built."
The rest of the ride was quiet, though it wasn't long. This was the world's ninth-fastest elevator, after all.
The doors opened on Olympus. There was a large chariot waiting there, with Nike standing at the reins.
"My lady Chrysocomê," she greeted with a bow.
"Nike," Chrysa replied. "You are to take us to the Council?"
"Indeed, my lady. Lord Zeus sent me to escort you."
They all clambered on to the chariot. Chrysa, with her heavy skirts, stood next to Nike.
The denizens of Olympus stopped and stared as they rode by. Olympus was beautiful in the early morning darkness. The torches and fires made the mountainside palaces glow twenty different colors, from blood-red to indigo. No one ever slept for long on Olympus. The twisting streets were full of demigods and nature spirits and minor godlings bustling around, but everyone parted as Nike drove through the city in Zeus' chariot. The silver gates opened on their own as they approached.
When they arrived, Chrysa checked her appearance in a swiftly-conjured mirror and was pleased to discover she had not a hair out of place.
"Thank you for your assistance, Nike," she said appreciatively.
Nike bowed her head to Chrysa. "It was no trouble, my lady."
Chrysa stared up at the palace, Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy flanking her. They regarded the palace in much the same manner as they'd regarded Westover Hall a week ago. Then, Chrysa first and the other three arrayed behind her, they walked into the throne room.
There were twelve enormous thrones in a U-shape around the central hearth, just like the placement of the cabins at camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations – even the newest one, Zoe the Huntress, making her way across the heavens with her bow drawn.
All the seats were occupied. Additionally, Chrysa could sense Hades lurking in the shadows of the room, and Hestia occupying the central hearth fire. Amphitrite stood near the center of the room, next to the Ophiotaurus, which was happily swimming in a hovering sphere of water.
"Welcome, heroes," Artemis greeted.
"Now that everyone has arrived, the Grand Council may begin," Zeus said. He was speaking to the whole room, but his eyes were fixed on Thalia.
Zeus called out, "Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth and Home, Firstborn of Kronos and Rhea, will you take your seat at this Council?"
A flame exited the central hearth, forming into the shape of a human being. Suddenly, as if blown out by a candle, the fire disappeared, leaving behind a young woman with a shawl over her black hair.
"I accept my seat at this Council," Hestia declared.
The room shifted, and everything changed. The thrones were now in a circle, with Chrysa and the demigods on the inside of it. The order had completely changed as well: Zeus was still at the head, but to his right were Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, and Hermes, with Dionysus at the foot of the room. To Zeus' left were Demeter, Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, and then Athena.
A throne of fire appeared between Zeus' throne and Demeter's. Hestia took her seat.
Zeus called out, "Hades, Lord of the Underworld, God of Riches and of the Dead, son of Kronos and Rhea, will you take your seat at this Council?"
Hades moved from the shadows to the center of the room, much to the surprise of Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth, if their shocked gasps were any indication.
"I accept my seat at this Council," Hades stated.
The room shifted again, and a black onyx throne decorated with skulls appeared between Zeus' throne and Poseidon's. Just as Hestia had, Hades grew to fifteen feet tall as he walked to his throne and took his seat.
Zeus called out, "Amphitrite, Queen of the Seas, Goddess of Saltwater and Sea Creatures, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, will you take your seat at this Council?"
"I accept my seat at this Council," Amphitrite replied easily.
Once again, the room shifted as Amphitrite's blue silk and mother-of-pearl throne appeared between Hera's and Aphrodite's, at the midway point on the right side of the room. The goddess grew as she walked to her throne and took her seat.
Zeus' eyes finally came to rest on Chrysa. She nodded stoically.
"Leuke Chrysocomê, Goddess of Shadows and Secrets, Firstborn of Oceanus and Tethys, Champion of Thanatos, Lady of the First Throne, will you take your seat at this Council?"
Chrysa took a deep breath, then allowed the shadows to come up around her feet.
"I accept my seat at this Council," Chrysa said firmly.
The room shifted for a final time. Leuke's shadow-black throne, made from onyx and decorated with Stygian iron, appeared between Zeus' throne and Hestia's at the head of the room.
Chrysa felt Zeus and Hades both contribute their godly power to her so that she too could grow to a godly height – well, nearly a godly height, Leuke had always been short – and take her seat among the gods of the Olympian Council.
Once she was seated, she nodded to Zeus, who said, "I cede my place as leader of the Grand Council to Leuke Chrysocomê."
Chrysa nodded once more, even as the demigods – still in the center of the room – gasped.
"Let the Grand Council begin," she called out, her voice echoing through the throne room. She turned and looked over toward Artemis, who stood.
"The Council has been informed of my capture and the quest to release me," the auburn-haired goddess said. "We know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. We know of Atlas' attempt for freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. But now the time has come to vote on our knowledge. We were only awaiting your company, Lady Leuke."
"All in favor of acting against the amassing forces of Kronos?" Chrysa asked.
Everyone in the room raised their hands, though Hestia, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus looked reluctant.
"We vote to act then," Chrysa declared, before nodding to Zeus.
"Apollo, Artemis, I want you to hunt the most powerful monsters and strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause. Poseidon, you have my permission to unleash your full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. Athena, I want you to personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Leuke, if they do…."
Leuke smiled darkly.
"I will discover all information related to the Titans' plans that I am able. And if there are escapees, I will take care of the threat just as I always have."
A cold chill fell in the room at her words. She noticed Annabeth shiver.
"And what of my heroes?" Artemis asked, rising from her throne and walking over to the trio of demigods. She turned to human size as she went, a young auburn-haired girl, perfectly at ease in the midst of the giant Olympians. Her silver robes made it seem as if she was walking in a column of moonlight. Once she reached the heroes, she turned to face the other Olympians.
"These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service," Artemis said. "Would any her deny that?"
She looked around at the assembled gods, meeting their faces individually.
"I gotta say" – Apollo broke the silence – "these kids did okay." He cleared his throat and began to recite: Heroes win laurels…"
"Um, yes, first class," Hermes interrupted, like he was anxious to avoid Apollo's poetry. "All in favor of not disintegrating them?"
A few tentative hands went up – Demeter, Aphrodite.
"Wait just a minute," Ares growled. He pointed at Thalia and Percy. "These two are dangerous. Same with Death Face's brats. Get them in here too. It'd be much safer, while we've got them here…"
"Ares," Poseidon interrupted, "they are worthy heroes. We will not blast my son to bits."
"Nor my daughter," Zeus grumbled. "She has done well."
Thalia blushed and studied the floor.
"If my children are harmed," Hades said silkily, "I wouldn't bother going after you. I'd just hand you to Leuke."
All eyes in the room darted to Chrysa, whose hands were tightly gripping the armrests of her chair at the mention of hurting her children. The shadows swirled tightly around her. She smiled darkly at Ares, who winced.
Athena cleared her throat and sat forward.
"I am proud of my daughter as well. But there is a security risk here with the other two, as well as Hades' and Leuke's children."
"Mother!" Annabeth said. "How can you –"
Athena cut her off with a calm but firm look.
"It is unfortunate that my father, Zeus, and my uncle, Poseidon, chose to break their oath not to have more children. Only Hades kept his word, a fact that I find ironic. Even so, his children from before the Oath was made are no longer in the Lotus Hotel and Casino and are therefore a threat once more. As we know from the Great Prophecy, children of the elder three gods…such as Thalia and Percy, and the di Angelo children…are dangerous. As thickheaded as he is, Ares has a point."
"Right!" Ares said. "Hey, wait a minute. Who you callin'–"
He started to get up, but a grape vine grew around his waist like a seat belt and pulled him back down.
"Oh, please, Ares," Dionysus sighed. "Save the fighting for later."
Ares cursed and ripped away the vine.
"You're one to talk, you old drunk. You seriously want to protect these brats?"
Dionysus gazed down at the trio wearily.
"I have no love for them. Athena do you truly think it safest to destroy them?"
"I do not pass judgment," Athena said. "I only point out the risk. What we do, the Council must decide."
"I will not have them punished," Artemis said. "I will have them rewarded. If we destroy heroes who do us a great favor, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it."
"Calm down, sis," Apollo said. "Jeez, you need to lighten up."
"Don't call me sis! I will reward them."
"Well," Zeus grumbled. "Perhaps. But the monster at least must be destroyed. We have agreement on that?"
Most of the room began to nod. Chrysa considered it, then said, "I'm not killing it again. It's still giving me dirty looks."
That comment seemed to clue Percy in on what they were talking about.
"Bessie?" he asked incredulously. "You want to destroy Bessie?"
Poseidon frowned.
"You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?"
"Dad," Percy said, a pleading tone in his voice, "he's just a sea creature. A really nice sea creature. You can't destroy him."
Poseidon shifted uncomfortably.
"Percy, the monster's power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or…"
"You can't," Percy insisted. He looked straight at Zeus, staring him right in the eye. Chrysa wasn't sure whether to be proud at his bravery or groan at his recklessness.
"Controlling the prophecies never works. Isn't that true? Besides, Bess – the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that is wrong. It's just as wrong as…as Kronos eating his children, just because of something they might do. It's wrong!"
Zeus seemed to consider that. His eyes drifted to Thalia.
"And what of the risk?" he asked. "Kronos knows full well, if one of you were to sacrifice the beast's entrails, you would have the power to destroy us. Do you think we can let that possibility remain? You, my daughter, will turn sixteen on the morrow, just as the prophecy says."
"You have to trust them," Annabeth spoke up. "Sir, you have to trust them."
Zeus scowled.
"Trust a hero?"
"Annabeth is right," Artemis said. "Which is why I must first make a reward. My faithful companion, Zoe Nightshade, has passed into the stars. I must have a new lieutenant. And I intend to choose one. But first, Father Zeus, I must speak to you privately."
Zeus beckoned Artemis forward. He leaned down and listened as she spoke into his ear.
Chrysa couldn't resist eavesdropping. There was just enough of a shadow for her to tilt her head and listen in. Unfortunately, she only heard Artemis say, "Thalia," before Hades through a pebble at her forehead. Her eyes refocused as she glared at him.
'No eavesdropping,' he mouthed from across the room.
Chrysa picked up the pebble – which was actually made from solid turquoise – and threw it back at him. He managed to catch it, and then smirked back in response to her increased glare.
Artemis turned around to face the trio once again.
"I shall have a new lieutenant," she announced. "If she will accept it. Thalia, daughter of Zeus, will you join the Hunt?"
Stunned silence filled the room. Percy stared at Thalia in shock. Annabeth smiled and squeezed Thalia's hand before letting it go, as if she'd been expecting this all along.
Thinking back on it, she might have. Chrysa knew Annabeth had seen how uncomfortable Thalia was in her new normal. The Hunt would give her a chance to start over, without any reminders of her earlier sacrifice or Luke's betrayal.
"I will," Thalia said firmly.
Zeus rose, his eyes full of concern.
"My daughter, consider well…" he began, but Thalia cut him off.
"Father," she said. "I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. I won't let this prophecy be mine. I stand with my sister Artemis. Kronos will never tempt me again."
She knelt before the goddess and began her oath, though how she knew it, Chrysa couldn't say.
"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."
"I accept your Oath," Artemis said.
Thalia began to glow with a familiar silvery light as she was blessed with immortality and the powers of the Hunters.
Afterward, Thalia did something surprising. She walked over to Percy, smiled, and in front of the whole assembly, gave him a big hug.
Percy blused.
Once she pulled away and gripped his shoulders, he said, "Um…aren't you supposed to not do that anymore? Hug boys, I mean?"
"I'm honoring a friend," she corrected. "I must join the Hunt, Percy. I haven't known peace since…since Half-Blood Hill. I finally feel like I have a home. But you're a hero. You will be the one of the prophecy."
"Great," Percy muttered. Chrysa only heard it because of the shadows.
"I'm proud to be your friend," Thalia declared.
She hugged Annabeth, who was trying hard not to cry, before going to stand at Artemis' side. She paused in front of Chrysa.
"I'm sorry, Chrysa," she said with a sad smile. "You were an amazing sister, and you did everything you could to help me. But…I just…"
"I understand," Chrysa said quietly, smiling sadly at her younger sister. "You need to move on. You can't stay in the same place after everything that happened. I was the same way after Britain. I can go back and visit, but I can't stay for long. Too many things changed in my life. I understand, more than anyone, the need to start over. I love you, Thalia."
Thalia smiled again, and a single tear fell down her face.
"I love you too, Chrysa."
Chrysa looked over at Artemis as Thalia went to stand at her goddess' side.
"I have a single request."
"You did save me," Artemis nodded agreeably.
"I'd like her back for Christmas Eve and Day. I'll bring her back on Boxing Day."
Artemis considered it, then nodded.
"You can find us no matter where we are, through your shadows?"
"Yes, but I was just going to give her a Portkey tied to you," Chrysa shrugged. "It's…dangerous, at the moment, for me to travel through the shadows with passengers. I'm not the only one who can do so, and I don't know how many Kronos has already seduced to his side. No one can defeat me in the shadow realm, but I'm not certain I could protect others."
"Very well," Artemis said. "I will agree to it. Now for the Ophiotaurus," she said, addressing the entire room once more.
"This boy is still dangerous," Dionysus warned. "Along with the di Angelo children. The beast is a temptation to great power. Even if we spare the children –"
"No," Percy said, looking around at all the gods. "Please. Keep the Ophiotaurus safe. My dad can hide him under the sea somewhere, or keep him in an aquarium here in Olympus. But you have to protect him."
"And why should we trust you?" rumbled Hephaestus.
"I'm only fourteen," Percy pointed out. "If this prophecy is about me, that's two more years."
"One year, seven months, and four weeks," Chrysa pointed out.
Percy looked at her incredulously.
"What?" she asked. "I know when your birthday is."
"That is two years for Kronos to deceive you," Athena said. "Much can change in two years, my young hero. Or even," she said, looking over at Chrysa, "One year, seven months, and four weeks."
"Mother!" Annabeth said, exasperated.
"It is only the truth, child. It is bad strategy to keep the animal alive. Or the boy."
"I would like to reiterate that I am not killing him again," Chrysa stated firmly.
Poseidon stood.
"I will not have a sea creature destroyed, if I can help it. And I can help it."
He held out his hand, and a trident appeared it in: a twenty-foot-long bronze shaft with three spear tips that shimmered with blue, watery light.
"I will vouch for the boy and the safety of the Ophiotaurus."
"You won't take it under the sea!" Zeus argued, standing suddenly. "I won't have that kind of bargaining chip in your possession."
"Brother, please," Poseidon sighed.
Zeus' lightning bolt appeared in his hand, a shaft of electricity that filled the whole room with the smell of ozone.
Enough was enough, Chrysa decided. She reached out with her shadows and used them to yank the bickering gods' ankles. They both fell to the ground and conveniently lost their grip on their weapons at the same time. Chrysa grabbed them with their shadows and sent them to the laps of their more even-minded wives.
She stood from her throne.
"Both of you, behave!" she scolded. "Don't make me bring out my blackmail folder."
Both gods grimaced.
"Fine," Poseidon said. "I will build an aquarium for the creature here. Hephaestus can help me. The creature will be safe. We shall protect it with all our powers. The boy will not betray us. I will vouch for this on my honor."
"As will I," Chrysa said firmly. "And I will vouch for mine and Hades' children."
"As will I," Hades confirmed.
Zeus thought about this before nodding to Chrysa.
"All in favor?" she called out.
Most of the hands in the room went up. Dionysus abstained, as did Ares and Athena. But everyone else voted in favor.
"We have a majority," Chrysa decreed, trying not to let the glee in her voice be too obvious.
"Since we will not be destroying these heroes, I imagine we should honor them," Zeus said. "Let the triumph celebration begin!"
It had been a while since Chrysa had been to an Olympian party. Zeus had offered her one on her return as Leuke, but she had refused, as she didn't want her identity to be publicly known yet. Now, it seemed that her homecoming had been combined with the triumph.
The Nine Muses began to play, and they seemed to have learned some new tricks. The gods could listen to classical music, the younger demigods could listen to hip-hop, and it was all the same sound track. There were no arguments, no fights to change the radio station, just requests to crank it up.
Dionysus went around growing refreshment stands out of the ground, and a beautiful woman walked with him arm-in-arm – his wife, Ariadne. Dionysus looked happy for the first time Chrysa had seen – truly happy, not just gleeful over winning a game. Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains, and platters of mortal snack food crowded the banquet tables. Golden goblets filled with whatever drink you wanted were freely available.
Gods kept moving over to Percy to congratulate him. Thankfully, the reduced themselves to human size first, so they didn't accidentally trample partygoers under their feet.
Nico and Bianca were reunited with Chrysa very shortly into the party, as soon as Chiron and the group of demigods from Camp Half-Blood made their way in.
"Mamma!" Nico called out as soon as he saw her. She had already shrunk by that point, from thirteen feet down to five-and-change, but he still managed to find her instantly. Both of her children ran to her side. "You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay, tesoro," Chrysa said. "I promised to come back to you. And I did. I will always do my best to come back to you."
"She is very good at that," Hades said, coming up behind Chrysa and wrapping his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"Hello, Papà!" Bianca greeted brightly.
"Hello, little ones," Hades greeted with a small smile.
Chrysa nearly laughed at the shocked looks they were getting from the spectators. Very few people had ever seen Hades like this, and no one had seen him quiet as openly affectionate since before Leuke had died.
The party continued long into the night. Nico and Bianca had already fallen asleep on garden benches. Hades was watching over them, his capacity for socialization filled for the year. It was late evening when Amphitrite found Chrysa.
"Will you come with me to the garden?" she asked quietly.
"Of course," Chrysa replied.
They walked to the Kepos Triadelphes in companionable silence, only stopping to each grab a new goblet of ambrosial wine.
"He is a good boy?" Amphitrite finally asked.
Chrysa immediately knew she was speaking of Percy.
"He is," she said freely. "He cares, perhaps too much. If anything, his fatal flaw is personal loyalty. He will go to the ends of the earth for those he cares for, and at least half as far for innocents. But I think he might still manage to make the right choice, should Kronos threaten all he loves for Olympus."
"What of you?" Amphitrite asked as the entered the open pavilion that detailed their lives. "Could you make that choice?"
Chrysa remained quiet for a long moment as they finished their walk and sat down in front of the mosaics of Metis' life.
"I would depend," she finally said. "Were it Hades, or Persephone, or even you or one of our other sisters, I could choose the world. But for Bianca and Nico? They are my children. I can't imagine sacrificing them to save the world. But I also can't imagine not doing my duty. Traitors may be mine, but my loyalty doesn't waver once given. I know that if anyone was threatened, I would sacrifice myself instead in a heartbeat."
"I wish you wouldn't," Amphitrite said. "I don't want that for you. Metis wouldn't want that for you either."
"Metis is gone, Trite. She has been for a very long time," Chrysa said tiredly. "Athena has much of her personality, but she is…harder, than our lost sister."
"Metis grew up raising her sisters," Amphitrite pointed out. "Athena grew up alone, with only her mother's death at her father's hands. Or mouth," Amphitrite said with a grimace.
Chrysa stared at the mosaic of their sister for another long moment.
"I think she would have liked what Olympus has grown into. And I think she would have approved of Percy for her granddaughter."
"Athena's child? The one the boy wanted to rescue?" Amphitrite asked with a raised eyebrow. "They are romantically involved?"
"Her name is Annabeth, and she has been my ward on-and-off over the past several years," Chrysa said. "They aren't romantically involved…yet. But it will happen. I'm not sure whether it will remain, but I think it will. Demigods' lives don't tend to be particularly long. If they make it to the point of getting together, they'll probably stay together until one or the other dies."
"If he survives his sixteenth birthday, I'm sure he can make it to middle-aged," Amphitrite offered. "There were plenty of other less capable heroes who did."
Chrysa let out a small laugh.
"I hope you're right. For his sake."
They sat there for a while longer, sometimes speaking, sometimes not. It was enough to just spend time together again, a small piece of calm before the storm they knew was coming.
An idea struck Chrysa. She looked slyly over at her sister.
"How would you feel about going on a short adventure with me?"
Amphitrite looked back, and Chrysa could see hints of her younger sister before she went respectable peeking out again.
"What kind of adventure?" the goddess asked, a faux-casualness in her voice.
"Breaking into Mount Othrys and liberating as many demigods as we can from their dungeons," Chrysa said innocently.
"This is such a bad idea," Amphitrite said with a shake of her head, though she was smiling broadly. "Count me in." She snapped her fingers, and her regalia was replaced by armor.
The shadows came up around Chrysa, and her own finery melted into her shadow armor.
"You should probably let someone know if we're going to be sending random demigods back to Olympus," Amphitrite pointed out.
Chrysa called the shadows to her cupped hands and lifted them to her mouth.
"Hades," she said, "Trite and I are going to go break into Mount Othrys and free people from the dungeons. If you could send someone to the throne room to greet whoever we send, that would be great."
The message left through the shadows as Chrysa dropped her hands.
"What's the plan?" Amphitrite asked.
"We sneak in, break into jail cells, and throw portkeys at people so they end up in the Olympus throne room. You start on the top level, I start on the bottom. When Kronos' forces start trying to stop us, you fight them off while I continue letting people out. If it gets too hard for you, we'll switch. When we're done, I'll shadow us out."
"I thought shadow travel was dangerous at the moment?" Amphitrite asked.
Chrysa shrugged.
"Not for me. A little bit for my companions, but you're a goddess, so you ought to be fine."
"I hope I don't get nauseous," Amphitrite groaned as Chrysa grabbed her arm and dragged her through the shadows to the dungeons of Mount Othrys.
It went better than expected. It took three minutes and six high-security cells before the alarms went off at the extra security measures went up. It took ten more minutes before Chrysa made it through the other six high-security cells. When she made it up to the second floor of the dungeons, she heard Amphitrite call down, "Switch!"
Chrysa quickly shadowed upstairs and immediately drove knives into the backs of two of the attackers. She looked over at Amphitrite as she became visible, even as she dodged the strikes of more attackers.
"Bottom floor's clear," she stated. "The other two are on you."
Amphitrite nodded and disappeared down the hall. It took another fifteen minutes for Amphitrite to yell she was finished. Chrysa immediately disappeared into the shadows, only pausing long enough to grab Amphitrite and tug her through as well. A few steps later, they were back in the throne room on Mount Olympus, along with nearly fifty confused demigods and three very unamused Elder Gods, all of whom immediately noticed as Amphitrite and Chrysa left the protection of the shadows.
Most of that was probably because they started giggling and high-fiving over the miniature coup they'd just pulled off against Kronos' forces, all while less-than-sober.
"That was stupid!" Zeus yelled. "You two could have been killed, or worse, captured, and then where would we be?"
"It worked though," Chrysa said. "So I suppose we were brave. Bravery is stupidity that works. I am a Gryffindor, after all."
Zeus buried his face in his hands. Hera smothered a giggle from beside him.
"You are both far too drunk for this," he muttered. He looked up at his brothers. "Each of you can take your particular inebriated lady home and then scold them in the morning. Loudly, since they'll be hungover," he recommended.
Poseidon snorted.
"It would be a bit hypocritical, but they do deserve it. I fear the next time I get drunk."
He snapped his fingers, and then he and Amphitrite both disappeared.
Hades rolled his eyes fondly as Chrysa stumbled over to him. He had to catch her as she nearly fell into his arms.
"You're getting blood on my robes," he said mildly. "How did you manage to fight like this?"
"I need to be a lot more ineb – ineberi – drunk than this to fight badly," Chrysa said, slurring slightly. "'Sides, it was a bottleneck. Easy pickings."
Hades rolled his eyes once more as he half-turned to face his remaining brother and sister.
"Zeus, Hera, I presume I will see you when the next crisis pops up. Good night."
"Good night," the king and queen chorused.
Hades snapped his fingers, and he and Chrysa were in her chambers in the Underworld.
"B'bies?" Chrysa asked.
"Nico and Bianca are already in the rooms I prepared for them here," Hades assured. "Right next door to yours, actually. I'm going back to my own chambers. I shall see you in the morning."
"Late morning," Chrysa suggested.
"We'll see," Hades chuckled. He pressed a kiss to Chrysa's temple.
"Good night, my love."
"G'night."
It's probably going to be a bit before the next chapter, since I've barely started it. Next time, we get to go over and see what Nico's been up to from Titan's Curse up until The Battle of the Labyrinth. Hope you enjoyed!