We are given a list of things we've killed

I must have stared at Poseidon for ages, trying to connect what I'd heard with what I was feeling. Annabeth and Grover were completely out of my line of sight. I wondered how Annabeth was taking this. I couldn't even figure out how I was taking this. I stood and stared into his eyes, deciphering. Then eventually, Grover took my arm and pulled me away. He thanked Poseidon for me. He guided me out of Olympus and down the hall, away from the Gods. We got back into the elevator and shot out of sight.

I looked at my vague reflection in the elevator doors. Examined my facial features. It occurred to me several times that Annabeth and Grover were talking behind me, but it didn't seem important enough to join in.

When we got outside, the line was longer. There were some thicker clouds around the building. I felt a few raindrops hit my face. One slid down the side of my nose and off my mouth. It was cold. And that helped anchor me back into reality.

Annabeth climbed into the back with the strawberries. In the hot car, they'd all begun to bake, so the vehicle smelled like jam and jelly. I took the front seat and buckled up, breathing deeply. "Zeus… he seemed afraid of us," I said as Grover opened his side of the door.

Grover didn't answer as he pulled the seatbelt over himself and clicked the metal buckle in. "Yeah," he said after several seconds. "Well, you two are pretty powerful." He put his blinker on and moved into traffic. More raindrops collided with the windshield.

We made it only two feet before Grover broke with a sigh. "I'll tell you more once we're out of the city."

Because we were heading away from Tourist traps, we were able to get out a lot faster. Soon, we were on the road to Yonkers.

"So," Grover began, and passed the piece of paper Zeus had written on to Annabeth in the back seat. "Here's the deal. The yarn is located in the Smithsonian in Washington DC. The Museum of Natural History, Demigod section. It's a four-hour drive. But we don't know where the polias is, and our only lead is at the bottom of the Mariana Trench."

"What?" Annabeth exclaimed. "In Japan?"

I didn't know much about the Mariana Trench at all, so it was great that she provided that context so I could be concerned too.

"As far away from the Gods as possible," Grover explained. "But… Annabeth Chase might not have it. It's not a guarantee. If she doesn't have it, we could be hauling that yarn around and that could be dangerous. I think we ought not to risk it.

"So you want to go to the Mariana Trench and back again?" I asked. "How will we get there?"

"Zeus said he wouldn't strike us out of the sky," Grover said. "And it's Tuesday. Flights are cheaper."

"Oh," I said. "I've never been on a plane."

"Because you're a son of Poseidon," Grover said. "You're the reason we'd be struck out of the sky." He paused. "Though, if they thought Annabeth was breaking her banishment terms, he might have struck you down too."

Annabeth shivered. I could tell because the box she was on shook.

Annabeth found a box of plastic bags in the back of the vehicle and put Zeus's note inside three to be extra sure it wouldn't get wet. Meanwhile, Grover began a scary campfire-esque story.

"Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson have faced every monster there is out there," he said. "And almost every God, too. Some may try and come after you two for revenge because you smell like them. Percy's scent is always very particular - that's why Mr. D. sniffed you. But you're not as strong as you were, so maybe we can blend in a little bit." His hands gripped the wheel so tightly that I was sure he was trying to convince himself as well. "You've faced Medusa, the hydra, the Stymphalian birds, cyclopses, titans, and the earth itself. Percy has wrestled the God of Old Age, Annabeth has outsmarted the Mother of All Spiders, and so many others. It's a long list but, chances are, if you can name it, you've fought it."

"What about the Amazons?" Annabeth asked.

"Percy has," Grover replied.

"What about the Nemean Lion?" Annabeth asked.

"Percy has," Grover repeated.

"What about sirens?"

"Annabeth has."

"The Chimera?"

"Percy."

"Arai?"

"You both have."

Annabeth kept rattling things off and my name got brought up a lot. I didn't know half of what she was saying. But I could tell by her voice some of them were pretty impressive.

We made it to an airport and Grover pulled out a credit card out of the vehicle glovebox. We paid for parking for a week because it was cheaper and safer than parking for four days or something. It'd be awful to return to find the car had been towed. Grover used the card to buy us airplane tickets and then we wandered down to wait an hour for our flight. All in all, this felt pretty easy thus far. Our gate was right next to a food court, so Grover got me a burger, some fries, and a shake. Annabeth got some Chinese food she was very excited about, and Grover got fried tofu from a third place. Pretty good variety for an airport, I thought.

"I just don't get it," Annabeth said when we were finally able to begin boarding. "Percy and Annabeth sound… awesome! And completely devoted to the Gods! Why would they be banished?"

"Back again, Grover?" asked the flight attendant checking passports. "You just got back last week!"

"Yeah, an emergency came up," Grover replied. "Here's our passports." He handed her three blank white cards. She picked each up and examined it. I furrowed my brow. There was absolutely nothing on them. But she handed them back with a smile and said, "Hope you have a safe trip!"

"You fly with them a lot?" I asked.

"Yeah," Grover agreed. "To keep in touch. Percy and Annabeth are my best friends. I'm always on this direct line. Come on, I always get upgraded to first class."

This was a perk. The first-class seats could be leaned all the way back and had bigger pillows and blankets and better food and drink options. Even though I'd just had a burger, I ordered pasta to my seat.

Annabeth continued to pester Grover. "But why were they banished? They did so much! They were amazing! They-"

"They got too amazing," Grover muttered. "The Gods got jealous."

"But…" Annabeth frowned. "They're Gods. No matter how good mortals get, they won't be able to best the Gods!"

"You don't really understand," Grover sighed. His tone was deadly and serious. He tightened the strap around his waist and fiddled with the end. "Percy and Annabeth won. They beat the Gods at their own game. And to punish them for winning, even though no one knew it could be done, the Gods sent them away."

"How do you win?" I asked. "What does that mean?"

"Gods used to be top of the food chain," Grover explained. "You become a God when you're brave enough, stupid enough, beautiful enough. You live an idealized life of comfort and glamour. For all of the reign of the Gods, the best thing you could become was a God. But it turns out… Being a God is a dead end. The Gods are messed up. They never work out their problems. The only progress in their sphere is by humans, and then the Gods take the credit. The way that you win… is by not becoming a God no matter how good you get. Then you become better than them. Stronger than them. More powerful than them."

The thought was overwhelming. I swallowed. "What could be more powerful than a God?" I asked.

"Do you become a titan?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Grover shook his head. "We call them Legends. Legends are the newest link in the rolling ball. First you had the Primordial Gods. Then the Titans. Then the Gods themselves. Now, Legends have begun appearing around the world. They're something different than has ever been seen before. They bend reality. They can change things around themselves. Normally, new things aren't as powerful as old things. But Legends… they're able to influence the Gods."

"Influence them how?" Annabeth asked. I was grateful she asked, because I was struggling just to keep pace with the conversation. Let alone plan my response. Besides, she was asking all the questions I wanted answered.

"With the Gods, you feel their presence," Grover said. "They feel old. They feel powerful. But you still do what you want. When Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase became legends, the Gods started feeling inclined to follow them. That's why they were banished."

"That's it?" I asked. "They just started thinking they should listen and then boom! Banished?"

"That's not exactly surprising, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

I frowned. "Don't call me Seaweed Brain."

Grover looked over at me and thought. "Yes, but no," he decided. Then he paused again. I didn't really like when he paused because that meant the answer was going to yet again derail me for all I knew about Gods. Finally, he leaned back. "Percy Jackson turned down the gift of immortality four times. Annabeth did it three times. Instead, they chose to make life better for people each time. That was inspiring. But we didn't realise… in the grand scheme of things, becoming a God hinders you. Percy and Annabeth did it because they realized the Gods were messed up. When they became Legends, their demigod powers were enhanced and their personal power for inspiration quadrupled. When they suggested something, your mind kind of bent to accept it. Even for the Gods."

Annabeth realized Grover was leading up to something. "What did they do?" she asked.

Grover chuckled. The airline stewardess came by, so we fell silent as she handed us drinks and snacks, then looked back to Grover. He drank his coke in a gulp and then ate the cup and napkin too. "Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase convinced Zeus to cede his throne."

Annabeth gasped. I didn't really get what that meant, but it did seem out of character for all I'd heard from Zeus before. Grover nodded. "Zeus isn't King of the Gods anymore. You saw how his throne is pretty normal sized? Percy and Annabeth did that. Then, they convinced Hera that she could be a better example of a perfect marriage if she had a better husband. Hera divorced Zeus and married Morpheus, the God of Dreams. You notice how she doesn't have a throne on Olympus at the moment?"

The plane hadn't taken off yet, so I figured we were still good to be talking about Zeus's failed love life. Honestly though, it kind of sounded like it was better for everyone. Hera had left a marriage in which she had been cheated on literally thousands of times and now got to be married to a literal Man of Dreams. And now Zeus could have affairs with whoever he wanted.

Grover wiggled into his seat to relax and leaned it back. "That's why Percy and Annabeth were banished. And they were told that if they ever came back, the Gods would unite to destroy them. However, since they left, other Legends have popped up here and there. You send a demigod on enough quests… have them fight enough monsters… boom, a Legend is born. So far, none as powerful as Percy and Annabeth, but there's seven or so… yeah."

The pilot announced takeoff and the stewards and stewardesses began their pre-flight checklists. Grover told us that we'd better not chat more about Hera in the sky, but I couldn't resist asking, "How is the celibacy vow going?"

"Percy broke that off too," Grover replied. "Back when he was sixteen. Zeus has three children at Camp Half Blood now. Poseidon has one, and Hades has one."

The plane lifted off and the conversation was over.

But I couldn't stop thinking about it. How do two people just convince someone to cede their throne? Did they plan it? If so, why? I mean, yeah sure, Zeus was wild. But they had been that way for thousands of years. What could inspire them to change? What kind of being had that much power?

12/28's chapter will be called "We avoid being turned into Cream of Wheat."