The atmosphere in the room was heavy, filled with a tension none of us could break. The seven of us—plus Calypso—had gathered at Camp Half-Blood, hidden away in the shadows of the Big House, hoping not to draw attention. Normally, this was where we'd plan our next move, plot out how to save the world. But today, there wasn't any grand quest or villain to overthrow.
Just Percy. Alone against the Olympians.
"They can't really expect him to survive all fourteen trials," Annabeth said quietly, her voice strained. Her fingers clenched tight around the edges of the table, white-knuckled. She was trying to stay composed, to find a solution, but the slight quiver in her voice betrayed her. "This isn't… this isn't right."
Jason shook his head, looking down at the table like the answers might appear there if he just stared hard enough. His normally confident face was pale, and his scar stood out like a slash of lightning across his cheek. "No one's ever survived more than three trials, Annabeth," he muttered. "And they're throwing all fourteen at him? They want him to die."
"Or they want him to break," Piper whispered, her voice barely audible. She'd barely said a word since we got here. Her eyes were distant, hollow, as if she was somewhere else. "The gods… they're not testing him. They're punishing him."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Leo's voice cracked as he spoke. There was an edge of desperation in it, the kind that made it clear even he couldn't laugh this off. Leo was always the one who cracked jokes, who kept everyone going even when things seemed hopeless. But right now, the humor was gone, replaced with a raw helplessness. "The gods aren't just throwing monsters at him. They're trying to rip him apart, mentally, physically—everything."
Calypso's eyes were fixed on the window, her gaze distant. When she spoke, her voice was like a soft echo. "They won't stop until he's either broken or dead. They're afraid of him. He's defied them too many times, and now…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to. We all knew what she was thinking.
Frank shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Normally, he radiated a quiet kind of strength, the steady rock in our group. But now, he looked uneasy, uncertain. "What can we do, though?" he asked, not meeting anyone's eyes. "This isn't like fighting Gaea or the giants. The gods… they're too powerful. We'd be going against all of them, except maybe Hades."
"If we tried anything," Hazel added, her voice trembling slightly, "they could wipe us out in an instant. All of Camp Half-Blood, New Rome—everything."
"Percy knew what he was risking," Jason tried to reassure them, but the words fell flat. Even he didn't believe them. "He made his choice."
"Because they didn't leave him one!" Annabeth snapped, her voice cracking with a rare edge of anger. She ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "They trapped him into this, and they're going to kill him for trying to get out."
No one had the courage to contradict her.
In the corner, Nico was silent, his face a mask of cold fury. He hadn't said a word since the meeting started, but the air around him seemed to pulse with barely contained anger. He stood with his back to everyone, arms crossed, staring out at the darkening sky beyond the window.
Piper glanced over at him, biting her lip. "Nico?" she ventured softly, as if afraid her voice would set off a storm.
Nico didn't turn around. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost a growl. "They're cowards," he said, bitterness dripping from every word. "All of them. The gods sit on their thrones, acting like they're above everyone, like their decisions are justified because they're the ones making them. But they're just scared of what Percy could become."
"Nico, don't—" Hazel began, worry lacing her words.
"No, Hazel," he snapped, spinning around. His eyes were shadowed, his expression hard. "Don't you see it? They know they're losing control. They know people like Percy, like us, don't need them anymore. So they're putting him through this to remind us of our place."
The silence that followed his words was suffocating. No one wanted to admit it, but Nico was right. The Olympians were afraid. They were lashing out, trying to assert their dominance by breaking the person who had defied them the most.
"We're not going to just sit here and watch him die, are we?" Leo asked, his voice almost pleading. "We have to do something. Anything."
Annabeth's shoulders slumped, the weight of everything pressing down on her. "If we try to fight them, Leo… We'd lose. Even if we somehow got Hades on our side, the rest of the Olympians would turn on us. And the mortals… they'd pay the price."
"I can't believe this is happening," Frank muttered. "We've been through so much. Fought so many battles. And now, we're supposed to just let them do this to him?"
"There's nothing we can do, Frank," Piper said, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Even if we tried to intervene, we'd just make it worse. For Percy. For everyone."
Jason squeezed her hand, but even he looked resigned. They were all starting to realize the same thing—that this wasn't a battle they could win. This was the gods reasserting their control, reminding everyone where they stood.
But in the corner, Nico's eyes were hard, a cold fire burning in their depths. His fingers twitched, as if itching to grab the hilt of his sword. In his mind, something was beginning to take shape, an idea so dark and twisted it almost made him smile. He knew he couldn't act now, couldn't do anything yet. Not without risking everything.
But one day… One day, he would make them pay.
As the meeting ended, and the others dispersed in silence, Nico stayed behind. Alone, his thoughts turning to shadows and vengeance. The gods thought they were invincible, untouchable. But deep down, Nico knew there were cracks in their thrones, weak points that only someone willing to venture into the darkest places would find.
And when that day came, he would make sure the Olympians learned what real fear felt like.