Chapter Twenty-Eight

"He cut off my fucking–-!" Hermes exclaimed as he entered the room before he immediately quieted upon seeing the scene in the room.

Zeus' chest rose and fell rapidly with his breath. He looked around at the council, his eyes still flickering with lightning. Thunder continued to roll while the rain poured outside. "Does anyone else want to try this?" When no one responded, for shock at what they had just witnessed had gripped them, the King of the Gods turned to Apollo. "Apollo, check out Hermes' hand." He turned to Artemis. "Artemis, hunt down your husband and bring him to me." He turned to Athena. "Athena, kill that… thing." He pointed at Rastr.

She nodded and summoned her spear. She walked over to the spider demon, who just stared up at her. He did not run, did not fight, for this was his punishment. He had endangered his King, albeit, unknowingly, and deserved death for that. She stabbed the spear into the top of the demon's head, vertically down the body. Black blood stained her spear as well as the marble flooring. The demon made some choking noises before his body stilled, dead.

As she did that, Zeus stalked out of the room, disappearing into the rain. The other Gods of the council stared at Poseidon's dead body. Kneeling by the corpse was a little girl, wearing a black hooded robe. Her head was bowed as she mumbled some words. She reached out and closed his eyes. Slowly, the council filed out.

Artemis approached Poseidon's body. She knelt next to her Aunt. "He did not deserve that." She said quietly.

"No." Hestia agreed. "He did not."

She sighed. "Percy is going to be a wreck when he finds out."

"If he even does." A silence filled the air, only broken by the fallen rain. "Will you help me bury him?"

"Should we not give it to Amphitrite and Triton?"

"Ah, yes. Forgive me, I am… distracted." Hestia said, still staring at her brother's body. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, you have something to be doing. I.. I will handle this myself."

"Are you sure? I can help you."

"No, no. I'd rather do this on my own. Amphitrite and Triton will not be pleasant. I would rather you not be there to experience it. Besides, I doubt Zeus will tolerate you deferring his orders. I think it would be best to follow them, for your sake."

"He wouldn't kill his own daughter, would he?"

"Before today, I would have agreed, but after today, when he just killed his own brother, I would say all bets are off."

Artemis looked at Poseidon and was struck by just how much he resembled Percy. So much so, that for a second, it wasn't Poseidon laying there, but Percy. She sighed and stood. "I wish you the best, Aunt Hestia."

"You as well, Artemis. I believe you are going to need it."

Artemis stood up and slowly walked out of the room. Her thoughts were racing. Namely, with what Hestia had said. Did Zeus really have it in him to kill her if she didn't obey him? She needed some advice.

She ended up at her brother's palace just as Hermes was leaving, his stump wrapped in a bandage that was already starting to turn golden. As she walked up to the palace, the God glared at her before walking off. She raised an eyebrow before shaking her head. She walked up to the door and knocked.

A couple of seconds passed before she started to hear footsteps approaching the door. The door opened a crack, and Apollo peered out. "Artemis!" He said, and opened the door all the way.

She smiled tiredly. "Can I come in?" She asked quietly.

Apollo's face sobered and he stepped back. "Of course, come in."

"Thank you." Artemis stepped in. She closed the door behind her.

"What's going on?"

"What did you think?"

"About?"

"Everything that just happened."

Apollo sighed and turned around. He began to walk further into his palace. Artemis followed. He walked through the entrance hall and into his kitchen. She was struck by just how similar their palaces were. Annabeth had come to them separately when she was designing them, which means they must have had the same ideas.

The kitchen was connected to his living room in an open floor plan. The kitchen had an island in the middle where a sink was embedded on one side. The other side hung over by quite a bit. Stools sat underneath. The only difference was the color scheme. Where she was silver and ebony wood, he was gold and birch wood.

Apollo reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. "Do you…"

"Yes, please." Artemis said gratefully.

Apollo poured both glasses and handed one to Artemis, who pulled out a stool and sat down. Apollo held out his glass.

"What are we toasting to?"

"I don't know."

Artemis chuckled and tapped her glass against his before pounding the liquor. The glass clinked on the marble as she set it down. "You did not answer my question."

Apollo took in a deep breath. "I'm still processing what happened. It all went down so fast. One moment Percy was defending his own mortality, and then it's like I blinked, and suddenly Uncle Poseidon is lying dead on the floor, killed by our Father." He poured himself some more bourbon. He offered the bottle to Artemis who took it and poured some more into her glass.

She nursed this glass as opposed to throwing it back like the previous glass. Her fingers tapped on the side of the glass.

"Did you know?" Apollo asked.

"Know what?"

"About that thing that kneeled before Percy?"

She hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, I knew. I have known… about a month now, I guess?"

"You asked me for my thoughts, but I know you really just want some advice. What are your thoughts?"

Artemis took another sip of her alcohol. "I do not think it is right, what our Father did."

Apollo snorted. "I don't think any of us do. He murdered his own brother, who was protecting his son, because he made assumptions about Percy without letting him defend himself. It was a fucked situation from the start."

"He has ordered me to bring Percy in."

"I know, I was there." Apollo sighed and poured himself another glass. "But you don't think you should?"

"Percy has not done anything wrong." She sighed. "When I found out, he gave me his reasoning for hiding it from me. At the time, I thought his reasons were kind of crazy. Far fetched. But, nevertheless, I agreed to keep his secret. But now, I see he was right."

"What was his reasoning?"

"He did not want something like this to happen. This exact situation is what he feared." She took another sip of her bourbon. "If I were to bring him, I would be condemning an innocent man to death. And I can not do that."

Apollo took the rest of his bourbon. "You can't stay here either. Our Father would not allow it."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Probably… something stupid."

"Just know, Artemis, if you leave, I'm not sure you would ever be able to come back. But… whatever you choose, I support you."

Artemis stared at her glass of bourbon intently as she swirled the alcohol around it. She sighed. "I know." She stood. "I guess…" She started, a tear beginning to form in the corner of her eye. "I guess this is goodbye." Her voice broke.

"Artemis…" Apollo stepped forward, around the island, and approached his sister. He wrapped his arms around her. "We will see each other again, I know it. However long it takes, no matter what happens. I know it."

"You do not know that."

"Yes, I do." Apollo said softly. "God of Prophecy, remember?"

"There are no prophecies. Fate is gone, remember."

"We will see each other again. The Sun will shine, and all will be well. I promise."

They separated. Artemis approached the island and threw back the rest of her bourbon. "Thank you, Apollo. For everything."

"Of course. What are siblings for?" He smiled.

Artemis nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. She turned to leave and began to make for the door.

"Oh! Artemis. Before you go, can I ask you one more thing?"

Artemis turned around. "I guess. What do you want to know?"

"Do you love Percy? I believe that you are doing this due to your sense of justice, but I can't help but wonder if there is more to it."

"No. I mean, how I feel about Percy is not love, I do not think. There… There is something, I am sure of that. I like being around him, but it is not love. Not yet. In the future, maybe it will be."

Apollo smiled. "Okay." He took in a deep breath. "I wish you well."

"You as well."

LINE BREAK

"Stop moving." Hephaestus grunted before resuming the wiring.

"It tickles." Hermes said.

"Yeah, well, this will all be for nothing if I cross the wrong wires. In fact, you'll lose more than your fucking hand. Then I'd have to remake your entire bloody arm."

"Fine." Hermes groaned. He gritted his teeth as he felt tiny pricks in his wrist, each one a wire that was soldered into his nerves. He focused on breathing as Hephaestus continued his work.

When the Godly Blacksmith finally finished, he stood. "There you are."

Hermes raised his hand and clenched his fingers. The metal hand responded to his thoughts, feeling just as natural as his regular hand. "What else can it do?"

Hephaestus raised a bushy eyebrow. "It's a hand. It does… hand things."

"Oh."

"Are you fucking disappointed? I can take it back and the you have no hand, how about that?"

"I'll take it, thank you." Hermes said, rising.

"Yeah, whatever." Hephaestus grumbled before walking towards the back of his workshop.

LINE BREAK

Artemis appeared in the middle of her Hunter's camp. The fire was out, probably doused by the pouring rain, the storms mourning the loss of their God. The wind blew against the tents, the fabric rippling. She couldn't see any of her Hunter's around, they were all probably in their tents.

The rain instantly chilled her, soaking through her clothes. The storm had not been this bad on Olympus, probably due to the air spirits that protected the mountain. She swifty made her way to Thalia's tent and entered, closing the flap behind her to keep the rain from coming in.

Thalia was sitting on her bed, back against her headboard, sharpening in her arrows. She had headphones on, so loud that Artemis could hear 'Misery' by Green Day. Upon seeing her Goddess in her tent, she put down the arrow, paused her walkman, and took her headphones off. "Yes, My Lady?"

"Start packing, we are leaving. Immediately."

"What's going on?"

"A lot has happened, very quickly. I will explain later, right now, just pack. I will tell the rest and prepare to move us."

Artemis walked back out into the rain and visited each Huntress, telling them the same thing as Thalia before heading into her own tent. She quickly snapped her fingers and all of the contents of her tent disappeared. The brazier, the blankets that made up her bed, the desk. The tent immediately lost all its warmth. Not as cold as outside in the freezing rain, but no longer a place of comfort.

She walked back outside. The rain pelted her, as she was met with the sight of her Hunters tearing down camp, taking down their tents. The only light was the waning moon above them, which didn't provide a bunch of light. Artemis immediately started helping the less experienced Hunters.

"Where the fuck did this rain come from?" Phoebe yelled.

"Poseidon is dead, nature weeps!" Artemis answered back, yelling to be heard over the rain.

"What!" Thalia exclaimed. "Poseidon is dead?"

"Like I said, I will explain it all later! Right now focus on packing up!"

"I think we're done, My Lady!" Thalia yelled.

Artemis nodded and glanced over her Hunters, confirming the lieutenant's words. Satisfied, she drew her knife, the one Percy gave her. She sliced the air, opening the rift. "Come on! One at a time, let us go!"

LINE BREAK

Percy entered the throne room, where Mephistopheles was standing by his throne, his usual place. As the King approached, he asked, "How's my nose?"

"It is… a nose, My Lord."

"Not red or anything?"

Mephistopheles shook his head.

"Okay, that's good. About the only good thing. I'm fucked, Mephistopheles, absolutely fucked."

"What happened?"

"A lot. For one, I found Rastr."

"Where is he?"

Percy chuckled darkly. "He's probably dead now. I didn't exactly stick around to find out about his fate."

"What exactly happened up there?"

"Exactly what I didn't want to happen. Zeus found out about this." He gestured around them. "Kind of. He knows I'm the King of somewhere. But he thinks I want to wage war against him, and as such, I am now basically wanted for treason." He sighed before yelling, "FUCK! GODS FUCKING DAMN IT ALL!" His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to cool down. "I don't see an end to this." He said quietly.

"Uh, My Lord." Mephistopheles said.

"Yes?"

The Royal Advisor pointed at something behind Percy, who turned around. There was a rift in the middle of the Hall, leading to a clearing in some woods. Rain was pouring, some of it making it into the hall. Dark silhouettes crowded around the rift. Percy's hand went to his knife, before the first silhouette entered the hall, revealing herself to be his cousin, Thalia. Percy instantly dropped his hand.

"Thalia? What are you doing here?" Then he raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your hair?"

Thalia shrugged. "I cut it. Used my knife and a pond as a mirror. Didn't do a good job."

Percy chuckled. "Must be a Big Three kid thing. I sometimes shave with Riptide. I wonder if Nico cuts any of his hair with his blade?"

He watched as more people entered the hall, all Hunters. A few he recognized. The last person to enter, the rift closing behind her, was Artemis.

She made her way to the front of the group and approached Percy. He bowed his head. "Artemis."

"Percy."

"Lady Artemis." Mephistopheles said.

"Mephistopheles."

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked.

"I will explain in a little bit." She turned to Mephistopheles. "Will you please prepare the guest rooms for my Hunters?'

Mephistopheles glanced at Percy. The King of Hell nodded. "Do as she says."

Mephistopheles bowed. "It will be done." He turned to the group of Hunters."If you all will follow me, I will take you to your rooms." He set off towards the east wing of the castle, the Hunters hesitating before following him down the hallway.

When they were all gone, Percy turned to Artemis. "What are they doing here? I thought you said you weren't going to tell anyone, but you just brought your entire girl scout troop."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "What did you call them?"

Percy scoffed. "Please, half of them would find it funny, and the other half wouldn't even know what that is."

Artemis sighed. "Look, Zeus ordered me to hunt you down and bring you back to Olympus. But I am not going to do that. You do not deserve that. So I decided to come here, to avoid my Father's wrath. But I can not risk my father taking out his rage on my Hunters, so I decided to bring them with me."

Percy sighed. "That makes sense."

"What happened between you and Hermes? He returned without a hand."

"Seems like you already know. He chased me, I jumped off Olympus, he followed and grabbed me, I cut his hand off, then came here. I smashed my nose on the floor, healed it in the shower, then you showed up."

"Huh."

"What, were you worried about me?" Percy said, joking.

"Yes, I was." She said.

"Oh."

Artemis' eyes flicked down to his lips, and back again. She started to lean in. Percy, through pattern recognition, realized what was happening and started to lean in too. Their eyes closed as their lips met. After all the rantings she had overheard from Aphrodite, she had expected something like fireworks to shoot off in her mind, but no such thing. Their lips met, and then parted, and it was over.

"Oh." Artemis said softly. "I should probably tell you. Your father is dead."

"Jesus, Artemis." Percy said, his palm rising to meet his face. "You kiss a guy then tell him his dad is dead. How?"

"My father."

Percy sighed. "Fuck."

A/N. So, I saw a bunch of people asking when Poseidon was going to reform, and the answer is, he isn't. I saw some other people asking, how did he die since he's immortal? And the answer is, remember Azazel's story, the one Lilith was telling Eve? In the story, the wise woman told the village elders, an immortal can be killed by another immortal, ergo, Zeus killed Poseidon.

Thoughts?