Percy:

"My wife wants to speak to you." Tartarus said with a smile as I was pulled into the abyss, I felt the Earth shake as Gaea laughed in glee at my helplessness. I tried to curl up, tried to hide but Mother Earth was a cruel mistress, she would never allow that. There was no sanctum within the dirt. The ground took a hold of me and pried open my eyelids, forcing me to look at the rushing barrage as I was pulled deeper into Gaea's clutches. The message was clear, there was no hiding from her.

The endless tons of earth rushed with such force I feared they'd crush me. Sandwiched between two impossibly heavy walls of dirt, one pushing, one pulling, I barely had enough space to flex my fingers as the Earth dragged me down into the depths, every time I breathed in, the dirt rushed to envelop me, forcing me to take shallower and shallower breaths with each frantic gasp. I desperately tried to blink as tears welled up in my eyes, dirt pouring into them, causing constant irritation. No matter how hard I tried to shut my eyes, I couldn't. All I could do was watch as I was pulled further and further into the depths.

Hours crawled by in this suffocating prison, each time I tried to shift, tried to get comfortable, the walls around me tightened, smothering me, I was drowning in the Earth itself. Just when the pressure became unbearable - just as my vision began to dim - it would ease, only to return with a vengeance moments later. The brief reprieve offered little solace; if anything, the anticipation of the next crushing wave was almost worse than the sensation itself.

Sweat trickled down my forehead as a dull again began to fester behind my eyes, I felt my temples begin to pound as a swelling headache set root in my mind. A faint warmth licked at my back, though it was rapidly growing hotter and hotter with each inch I descended. Wherever I was being taken, it was hot, unfathomably so. Soon, the sweltering heat and the suffocating pressure proved to be too much. Darkness danced in the edges of my vision as my body gave in, slipping into unconsciousness. Yet even as my mind faded, the eyes remained pried open and I was forced to watch as my world went dark.

I awoke in the mouth of a cave, panicked, gasping for breath. I'd dreamt that the Earth had fully consumed me. Thankfully I was still alive, for now at least. I took in a few deep, slow breaths and I felt myself gradually calm down. There was a strange taste in the air, it was thick and oppressive, it felt old and recycled, causing the whole cave to smell like a bad case of morning breath. It was still a struggle to breathe but it was a luxury compared to what I had to suffer through before, at this point I'd take whatever little victory I could.

I took in my surroundings, I was in some kind of strange underground fort, all around me were the cracked remnants of once regal marble pillars, thick tall war ravaged walls lay in ruins all around me. I had no idea where I was but at least I was back on solid ground. A shiver ran down my spine as the memory of the constant suffocating rumbling resurfaced. I brushed that thought aside and pushed forward through the ruins. I had a horrible feeling that I was being watched.

I reached the centre of the fort. No, not a fort, a palace. One that looked strangely familiar yet I was certain I had never been here before. Its walls seemed to climb forever, its ceiling matched the height of the tallest skyscrapers. The colour, once beautiful and full of life, was now faded and lifeless, shrouded in a thick layer of dust.

All around me were statues, massive looming figures standing twenty feet high that cast shadows even larger still. Were those… The gods? I looked around me and sure enough I saw the familiar faces of the six eldest gods, these were the first statues I'd seen of them since the Athena Parthenos that truly captured their likeness properly. Hestia's kind eyes. Zeus' stormy gaze. Hades' facade of calm. Hera's twisted maternal smile. Demeter's winter sorrow.

And finally… my father. He was dressed in a toga that looked far too formal for his tastes, but it was undoubtedly him. As I drew near, I could almost smell the ocean. I smiled sadly. The small may be comforting, but down here, it only served as a reminder of how out of my depth I was.

I left the statues behind me and moved deeper into the ruins, the ground began to shake lightly, kicking dust up into my eyes, causing my eyes to water. Sighing to myself I blinked repeatedly as I tried to regain my sight. I was still partially blinded as a hot wind passed over me in a low slumbering rhythm, the Earth rose and fell in sync with the wind. Was that just my eyes playing tricks on me? I wondered. No. The Earth was breathing. My blood ran cold. That could only mean one thing. Gaea.

"Hello Perseus." A familiar sleepy voice whispered, it sounded lower and more distant but it was definitely her.

"Gaea. How are you still here? You were killed…" I asked quietly.

"I was. Yet I was consecrated to the Earth before I could truly fade. I languished in the depths, further and deeper than I ever thought possible, lost in the darkness for almost a year. And that's where my husband found me. He restored my essence."

"That's impossible! How-"

"How indeed. Tartarus achieved something I thought impossible. But love it a great motivator, as you are well aware. We can do impossible things to save those we treasure the most. The ordeal almost broke us, but we endured. And I live on—weakened, but very much alive. Day by day, my strength returns to me, I will be back to my old self soon enough."

Her voice even sounded tattered, as if her vocal chords had been torn to shreds and then hastily reconnected. She clearly wasn't lying about still being scattered, this was only a weak echo of the true Mother Earth, yet that alone was terrifying in itself. Even now she radiated pure primordial power, a power perhaps only rivalled by her husband.

I thought back to the Seven and I had endured—lost memories, lost time, lost battles… lost friends. We'd all given everything to stop Gaea, yet here she was. Had it all been for nothing?

As I looked around, it sure felt that way.

We fought so hard, and where did that get us? Annabeth was dead and I was… wherever this was.

"Why so quiet, Perseus?" Gaea whispered mockingly. "Silence is quite unlike you."

I ignored her, I didn't know what to say. The earth mother continued. "Do not despair, little demigod. You all made a valiant effort, you came closer to succeeding than anyone before you, your father and his siblings included. I commend you, truly."

At the mention of my father, my gaze drifted once more to his statue. It really did look like him. Whoever the sculptor was, they had skills that would make Medusa herself envious.

"Old world architecture," Gaea said appreciatively. "Masterful, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" I muttered. "Wait— if you're already awake, why haven't you just killed me? Why bring me here?"

"Fate looms over you like a dark cloud, Perseus. You're spoken for, you do not die here." Gaea replied simply.

"Spoken for?" I asked. "By who?"

"That is not for me to divulge."

"Then why am I here?" I demanded.

"To talk."

"So talk."

The ground trembled as Gaea let out a soft chuckle. "There's that sharp tongue I remember," she mused. "I always admired how direct you are. In truth it was the only thing I ever liked about you."

"You ever going to get to the point? This is fun and all don't get me wrong. You're very scary. Terrifying. But it seems like you went to a lot of effort to just waste it on small talk."

Gaea laughed once again at my bluntness. "You're right of course, Perseus, I didn't bring you here for idle chit chat. However, before we get to that. Do you know where you are?"

I looked around the at the ruins and shrugged. "No clue, though I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

"You are standing amongst the ruins of Mount Olympus… the first Olympus."

"How… how is it here? We're underground." I asked in confusion. This place was about as far removed from a mountain as you could get.

"I already told you once. Everything returns to the Earth in time… kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, I am the only constant. Everything that touches the ground is a part of me, Olympus is no exception. I saved it, taking it within me before it was lost forever."

"I'm confused… why would you save Olympus?" I asked suspiciously, none of this made sense. "You hate the Olympians."

"This was to be the start of a new world, a better world. I simply couldn't bear to let it go." Gaea replied plainly. "And no, Perseus, I never hated my grandchildren, I do not dismiss the past conflict, but they are my family. Do not forget, without me they would never have escaped Kronos."

"What do you mean?" I asked, growing more and more confused by the second.

The ground rumbled again as Gaea laughed humourlessly. "How little you know, child. It was I who saved Zeus from being devoured along with his siblings. I who provided him with shelter for years. I who allowed him to grow in strength in order to overthrow my son."

"Why? Why would you help the Olympians?"

"Because my daughter begged me to. Rhea and I share the same curse, we love all our children with every fibre of our being. It is a privilege, but it is also a heavy burden. Kronos was cruel, he promised her a beautiful life, one filled with love and family. Yet when the children came, he took them from her, one after the other. I could not stand by and watch her suffer. And do not forget Perseus, the Olympians are my family too, and they were children. I abhorred what my son did to them."

I wasn't sure what to think, what to believe. I didn't trust Gaea, and it was hard to imagine that she was even capable of caring about something, but I had a sense she was telling the truth here.

"If what you're saying is true, if you really did help the gods, then why did you turn on them?" I asked cautiously, unsure how the earth mother would react.

"Because they betrayed me, they betrayed all of us. I had made my peace with the reality that my son, like his father before him, was lost. He had to be stopped. But they didn't stop at Kronos, they made an example of every Titan who had stood against them, and they did it with cruelty I thought only Ouranos himself was capable of. I knew this would only further the cycle of violence that plagued our family, so I went to Zeus and pleaded with him to show mercy, to make him see reason. But that kind little boy I once knew in Crete was no more, I saw nothing but his father within him. Zeus took my pleas as a sign that the remaining Titans that were still free were plotting against him. And as such, he had the all neutral titans rounded up, and they too were banished to Tartarus. Their only crime? Being my children. This was too much for me, I could not bear more loss. And so, I fell into the deepest slumber of my long life." Gaea sighed to herself sadly, sending a blast of hot air passing over me, she seemed genuinely upset.

I felt something almost close to sympathy for Gaea. Almost. But I knew what she was truly, an ancient evil that loved no one and would harm anything that stood in her way, this was all just some elaborate fairy tale. The ground grumbled indignantly in reply to my thoughts.

"I am not some evil fairytale villain, Perseus." Gaea hissed angrily. "Evil… by its very definition is subjective. All I have ever wanted is for my family to be together, reunited as one. Does that sound evil to you? No. You've lived believing one side of history. Perhaps I should show you another."

Her words echoed in the back of my mind and my world began to spin, I looked around me as the ruins of Olympus were pulled into the shadows, twisted and spat out, I closed my eyes as the Earth around me began to roar as it reanimated itself piece by piece.

Finally, once silence fell once more and the world stopped spinning, I opened one eye cautiously and took in my surroundings. I was on the side of some kind of misty hill in the middle of an empty wasteland, it seemed to climb for miles upon miles, making even Everest look like nothing but a simple dirt mound. And beyond it.. nothing. This place was unnerving, it was too quiet, too still, too empty. Noticing a faint path outlined by years of footsteps, I cautiously began to follow it, slowly advancing up the hill. Distance— or perhaps time— seemed to follow different rules here. As with only a few steps, I'd seemed to have travelled miles. I glanced around warily, eyeing the surrounding darkness. It was crushing, carnivorous even. I don't know how I knew, but I could tell that if it got a hold of me I would cease to exist. Memory or not, the threat within that darkness was very real.

"Uhhhh… Gaea?" I asked nervously.

"Keep going, Perseus." She whispered back from somewhere within the dark. "You won't be harmed if you stick to the path, only a few more steps."

I had no choice but to trust her, so I continued walking. As I got closer to the peak I got a better look at this hostile environment. The darkness seemed to go on forever, the world was shrouded in a constant colorless darkness, I wasn't sure if dark was the right word, light just didn't seem to exist here. I caught something out of the corner of my eye as I looked up, a splitting headache instantly tore through my mind. A voice in the back of my head told me to avoid looking anywhere near that thing. Whatever it was, it radiated infinite power, power beyond anything I had ever felt, Tartarus and Gaea felt like ants compared to this thing. It was existence itself. It was everything that ever had been, would be or could be. I'd felt something similar over a year ago, when Annabeth and I had stood near the void of Chaos. I knew I was in its presence once again, but this still felt different. I felt so isolated in its presence, so desperate for comfort. I realised that perhaps the emotions I was feeling weren't my own, but perhaps they belonged to the owner of these memories.

I carefully averted my gaze from anywhere close to the void, and that's when I saw it. A house.

What was a house doing in a place like this? I thought, utterly bewildered. It looked so out of place here. Who could live in a place like this? I trudged warily towards it, for some reason I felt like it was going to attack me. It's a house, Percy. My inner voice whispered reassuringly. Don't be stupid, it can't harm you. I couldn't argue with that logic. Shoving aside the feelings of doubt, I cautiously wandered over to the front door and rapped my knuckles lightly on the door.

The second I made contact, the door the house flickered slightly and half of it just vanished, I stepped back in shock. What in Hades name was that? I looked at where the half of the house had been. In its place was… nothing, it was like it had never even been there at all. It simply ceased to exist.

"What is the place?" I asked incredulously.

"This was a place I once called home." Gaea replied sadly. "I miss this place."

"Why not just bring it back then?" I asked.

"There are some things even I cannot bring back, some things are too far gone. My home was consumed by the void, now all that's left is the memory. Yet even that is fading." Gaea sighed sadly.

I stepped away from the house and continued down the path towards the edge of the hill. It ended so abruptly that I nearly fell into the void below, barely catching myself in time.

I looked down, again… nothing.

The best way to describe this place was incomplete, it was like a placeholder for the world that was to come, an empty foundation of a planet. It reminded me of one of Annabeth's early building sketches: the structure was there, but there was so much left unfinished.

The true remoteness of where I was finally hit me, this was the loneliest place that ever was, or ever could be.

Where the hell was I? I wondered to myself.

"This was Earth, my Earth. In a time before time itself." Gaea said, answering my unspoken question for me.

Are you in my head? I thought, praying for no response.

"No, Perseus. You're in mine."

Oh. That's way better. I looked around, the darkness wasn't quite so layered over here, I could just about see the vague silhouette of a dense forest of trees. It was comforting. The forest was something to look out for within the vast nothingness. The trees may not be sentient but they were life. That was something. I felt slightly less lonely in that moment. Safer. I watched the trees a while longer as they swayed to and fro in the illusion of wind. With thick trunks and thin branches from a distance they almost looked like very large people, like they were a crowd of people waving happily to me.

"That was by design." Gaea murmured in the back of my mind. "I was alone. The first child of Chaos, I had nothing and no one. I tried to create sentient life but I was too young, I lacked the strength. In its stead I created this. The forest became my sanctum, my one solace, my first and only constant."

I stayed quiet, words were unnecessary, I knew exactly how she felt, I'd only been here a short while and already it was overwhelming. I couldn't imagine this being all I had ever known.

I could have stayed there forever, thoughtlessly watching the endless shapes of trees waving happily to me but a sigh brought me back to this harsh reality. I turned sharply and found a woman standing there, gazing into the forest, sorrow in her eyes.

She was deathly pale, the kind of pallor only possible for someone who had never known the sun. Towering over me—so impossibly tall that I barely reached her stomach—she wore a flowing black dress that clung to her weightlessly. Dark raven locks framed her striking hazel eyes, a beauty both ethereal and sorrowful. And then it hit me—I knew her.

"This is-"

"Me," Gaea murmured sadly. "This was my existence for billions of years. I'd come here and watch my forest. It was all I knew, all that I could do to keep myself out of my own mind."

"Billions?" I asked incredulously?" The idea of spending that much time alone in isolation was impossible to wrap my head around, no wonder Gaea was insane.

"Yes, Perseus. Billions."

The woman, Gaea walked to the edge of the cliff and waved gently to the trees, her broken features formed into a slight smile as the branches waved peacefully back at her. Her face smile quickly faded and was replaced with a look I knew all too well. Longing. It was the same expression Annabeth wore when she heard the Sirens sing all those years ago.

I sat there watching Gaea as she stared blankly into darkness, she truly was the embodiment of the Earth, her expression was as blank as the barren wasteland around her, it was her. Even still I could sense the sadness that lay beyond the shallow facade. It was impossible not to.

Rapidly, Gaea's blank expression morphed into one of helpless desperation, she fell to her knees shaking uncontrollably and let out a low moan of pain. The ground shook mournfully with her as its mother mourned. The forests were fading, quickly being replaced by the empty darkness that cloaked us.

Gaea looked up and let out a low choking sound, she looked like she wanted to cry but hadn't learned how. So she just stood there, a broken goddess looking at the emptiness that had consumed her single happiness.

"What happened?" I asked slowly, my voice shaking slightly as I spoke.

"Eventually even my forests succumbed to the darkness." Gaea spoke mournfully, as if the memory was still painful. "I was truly alone, young and terrified to face existence alone again. Soon after I fell victim to my own power. Without knowing it I pushed myself beyond my limits while trying once again to create life, this time I failed and fell into a deep slumber, the first of many to come. When I finally awoke the loneliness simply became too much, I could no longer stand the isolation, I asked Chaos for one last gift. Family. Thankfully, my wish was granted. For the first time in my life, I allowed myself to be truly happy."

"So that's what you've always wanted? Family?" I asked as Gaea's empty world faded around me and the ruins of Olympus returned.

"Yes, Perseus. That is all I have ever wanted."

"Then why are you trying to kill the Olympians? They are your family!" I was angry now, after what I had seen I felt I could understand Gaea, at least to an extent. But I still couldn't understand this.

"You speak true, child. As much as I am loath to admit it. The actions of my past only helped to continue the cycle of violence that has plagued my family since its inception."

Huh? Did Gaea just admit she was wrong?

The goddess continued. "I realise now what I should have so long ago, the lust for absolute power, for dominion over all others will forever be the undoing of this family. For there to be true peace, there must be unity. I wish to reunite my family. My entire family. Titans, Olympians, Gigantes. This is the only path forward."

Gaea may have changed, but she was even more insane than before if she actually thought what she was saying was possible. "That will never work," I said. "Even if the Olympians agreed, which they never would. There's no way the Titans or Gigantes would."

"They will."

"How do you know?"

"Because my husband will ensure they remain obedient. My children may defy me, that is their nature after all. But all immortals fear the pit. They will fall in line, or they will fall, for all time."

"So you're working together then?" I asked quietly, anger beginning to build up within me.

"He's my husband." Gaea said simply, as if that was a proper answer.

I felt my temperature rise as my blood roared in my veins. If Tartarus and Gaea were working together, then that meant she was behind everything. My father being taken, my friends dying… Annabeth. Instinctively, I brushed my hand against my pocket, checking that Riptide was still there, thankfully it was. Good, I thought. I might need it.

"So it was you. You're behind everything, you're the reason Annabeth is dead."

"Whatever do you mean, child?" Gaea asked softly, feigning ignorance.

She was mocking me.

"You know exactly what I mean," I roared. "Campers, my friends, my girlfriend. Your husband killed them."

Gaea remained silent.

I continued, my anger growing with each word. "I don't understand, if you wanted to draw me out, there were other ways. You didn't have to kill anyone."

Again, silence.

"Why?" I asked weakly. "Just… why?"

"I do not know, Perseus." Gaea said at last. "In truth, you have caught me off guard. I knew nothing of this."

"I don't believe you."

"You may believe whatever you like. But ask yourself, after everything I have shown you, after all I told you. Do you truly think I would do what you accuse me of?"

She had a point there. As much as I hated to admit it, Gaea seemed different, at least somewhat so— and she had no reason to lie.

"So, if it wasn't you…"

"No, I have grown tired of needless death. I would never sanction such a thing."

"Then why would Tartarus-"

"I cannot say," Gaea said, interrupting me. "My husband marches to the beat of his own drum. Though needless violence… that is not his way."

"So many demigods dead…" I muttered in disgust.

"How many?" Gaea said, a hint of urgency in her tone. In a rare first, she seemed truly unsettled.

"Twenty three."

"I see…" Gaea remarked, sounding more and more troubled by the second. "That is concerning."

"What do you mean?"

"Killing children, young and innocent, so much life ahead of them. There is tremendous power in that."

"What kind of power?" I asked.

"I have my suspicions, but I cannot be sure. To know for certain, seek out Hecate. Magic is her domain, she will have greater insight on this matter than I."

"Okay… what about my father?"

"What about him?"

"While I was being held by Tartarus, shortly before you appeared, he told me he took my father."

"Your father?" Gaea truly sounded confused now, a rare thing to hear from someone who usually seemed to know everything. "Perseus. Tell me exactly what my husband said to you."

"He said that if my dad was gone, his brother would be drawn out."

"I see…"

"He didn't tell you that, did he? You took my dad without telling you."

Gaea didn't reply so I continued. "Who's his brother? Why does he want to draw him out?"

Again, silence.

"Trouble in paradise?" I said mockingly. "It's never too late to divorce you know." As I said it, I immediately regretted my words. Down here, I was powerless. For some reason, Gaea didn't want me dead, but if I pushed my luck, I'd end up as a Percy sized mud puddle.

"Sorry?" I said sheepishly, hoping that would be enough.

"Humorous," Gaea said dryly. It was clear she didn't find any of this the least bit funny. "Unfortunately, you are correct. Tartarus did this without my knowing, I would have never permitted such a foolish action. It only serves to undermine what I hope to achieve. What I had thought he too hoped to achieve."

So Tartarus isn't as loyal to Gaea as she thought he was.

"I know what you're thinking," Gaea said, in reply to my thoughts. "Tartarus is not loyal to anyone or anything, he is loyal only to his emotions, I have always known this. His love for me runs deep, but his sense of hatred runs deeper."

"He must really hate his brother then."

"Indeed he does."

"Why?"

"Family is complicated." Gaea replied simply. It was clear that whatever the backstory was here, she wasn't interested in sharing. Whatever. My dad was my focus anyway, primordial family drama didn't matter.

"Where's my father? What's Tartarus done to him?"

"I truly do not know. Wherever he is, he's beyond my reach, I cannot sense him."

"So he's not on the ground." I said. "That narrows it down at least."

"I suppose so… regardless. You will not find your answers down here."

"Then let me go."

"You are not my prisoner, I told you already, I brought you here to talk. You are free to leave." Gaea said coolly.

I was surprised, but I wasn't exactly going to argue with her. "Then I'd like to leave. Now."

"Very well, you may leave. But before you do, a word for the wise. You may be a child of the sea, but right now the ocean may not welcome you. Pontos, like my husband, is ruled by emotion. He is… unpredictable. You would do well to avoid him."

Pontos. So that was his name. I made a mental note to do some research on him when I got the chance. If only Annabeth was here, she probably knew everything there was to know about him. I felt a pang in my heart, but I forced it aside. I couldn't think about her right now. Especially not down here.

"Got it," I said dismissively. "Avoid the ocean, will do. So, can I go?"

Gaea didn't reply, opting to remain silent. Instead, a searing ray of sunlight pierced through the gloom behind me, casting long shadows over the ruins. I flinched, shielding my eyes—after so long in the darkness, even the faintest daylight was blinding. After a few moments, my eyes adjusted and I dared to peek again. A tunnel. And beyond it, the faint, but unmistakable sound of birdsong.

A way out.

I grinned, I was finally free. I wasn't sure how long I'd been down here, probably hours, but it felt like years in my mind. With a wide smile on my face, I headed towards the light.

I trekked up the tunnel for hours, with each step, drawing ever close to freedom. I'd be walking for so long now my legs were screaming out for relief, the relentless climb up draining every ounce of strength they had. At last, I reached the tunnel's end. The evening sun blazed in my eyes, but I took it all in anyway. I collapsed to the ground, chest heaving, utterly spent, but smiling. I'd made it. The air was filled with birdsong and the crisp scent of pine, and, in the distance, the gentle trickle of running water from a distant stream. It was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.

I pulled myself to my feet, still wheezing, and took in my surroundings. I was in some sort of campsite. Silver tents were dotted around a clearing in the forest. I saw several girls dressed in identical silver uniforms sitting around a bench staring at me in shock. The moment our eyes met, they bolted to their feet and sprinted off without a word.

"Intruder! We have an intruder!" I heard a girl's voice cry out. I heard several more voices yelling urgently to each other as the sound of heavy feet thundered towards me. I tried to shout out that I meant no harm but before I could a horrible familiar feeling began to crawl down my spine, I'd felt this only once before, back in New York when Ethan was about to stab me in the small of my back, I whirled around to face the threat, drawing Riptide as I did. Before I could move to strike. Two silver arrows thudded into my chest in rapid succession, soaking my shirt in warm blood instantly.

"Oh." I managed weakly as I slumped to the ground. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Thalia Grace, her face set in grim determination, bow drawn tight, another arrow nocked and aimed at me. Then, nothing.

So, sorry for the delay in getting this out. As I said in my last author's notes, I've been travelling. I ended up sleeping for 1-3 hours every night of the ten day trip so I didn't exactly have the energy to edit this until now. Also Luton airport, you suck.

Anyway, thanks as always for the support. All reviews (other than the stupid bot comments) are so appreciated, thank you all for your feedback and ideas! Chapter 11 coming very soon I promise. Back with Artemis for that one. Updates should be uploaded around the normal schedule again now.

I'll respond to some comments here. First though, sorry to anyone having to read these stupid bot fanart comments, they aren't from genuine artists, they're just spam. I get constant messages from them too and due to this site having no moderation, I can't delete the comments. All I can ask is you guys report them when you see them.

Now, onto actual comments.

Dazzlingdiver, I like that idea. It would need to be within the themes I touched on in chapter 9 regarding keeping Percy as Percy, but I do have some plans along that line. You'll see later on in the story.

Jason Grace Mace, I'm honoured that despite how much you clearly hate Pertemis, you're still enjoying this story. It will remain a Pertemis story, however I aim to make it an enjoyable read for anyone, and for it to have more depth beyond just that pairing. I'm glad you liked Tartarus too, curious to know what you'd make of Gaea.

PhantomFuryJP, just wanted to give you a lil thanks here, I keep seeing your comments with every new chapter. I'm really glad to see you've been consistently enjoying the updates!

That's all for now, I'll be back again with chapter 11 in a couple of days!