Rebelling Against Fate

Prologue: Deal With the Devil to Save an Angel

Nico used to have a crush on me.

For weeks after he said it, I could hardly think of anything but his confession. I played back every interaction we had, every memory of him that I could, trying to see what I had missed. How could I have misinterpreted his feelings so badly? Even looking back, all I could see in him during the memories was loathing.

Then it hit me. Nico grew up in the 1930's or 1940's, back when being gay was still a crime, or at least thought of as a mental illness. Maybe that was self-loathing I saw, and he avoided me because of his own fear? Could I have really done that much damage to him? I had no choice, I had to talk to Will Solace.

"No way! Why would I tell you anything?" Will said.

"Please, I'm begging you! I have to know how much I hurt him. I just want to help make things right!"

Will gave me a look and sighed. "You're planning something crazy, aren't you?"

"Maybe," I admitted. If things were as bad as I feared …

Will groaned. "Alright, but this better stay quiet."

"Nothing I hear will leave my lips," I vowed.

"Okay, first off, I am gay, and I actually do think Nico is cute. But the main reason I'm with him is because when I examined him after he brought the Athena Parthenos back, I found out that he'd been cutting himself, some of them might have even been suicide attempts. I was afraid that if he was left alone, he would kill himself. I don't even dare try to break up with him because I think it would break Nico entirely." I nodded, knowing that, for Nico's sake, I truly did have to keep quiet about it.

After that conversation, I went looking for Nico, but even Iris-messages didn't get through to him. I considered asking Hades, but we had never been on very good terms, especially considering how we had met. Between his accusation that I had stolen his Helm of Darkness and the fact that he had kidnapped my mother in an attempt to make a deal, not to mention the fact that he later imprisoned me before the Battle of Manhattan, we pretty much despised each other. As such, I went to my step-mother, Amphitrite. I had been fortunate enough to learn that she actually didn't mind her demigod children and had even been asking to meet me for years before we finally did meet. With her help, and a lot of arguing and persuasion on my part, she sent me to the Fates so I could ask them how to help Nico. They were not very helpful.

"No one can help the son of Hades now," Clotho stated.

"His fate has been sealed," Lachesis added.

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

"He has joined his father permanently. He now resides in Elysium," Atropos stated.

"WHAT?! Since when? How did he die? He was only thirteen!"

"His day of death was decided when he was born," Lachesis answered. "Even Hades cannot cheat death, as he well knows. Had the children been left out of the home of the lotus eaters, they would have known friends, grown old and died full of years. Niccolo di Angelo heard your discussion with the son of Apollo and killed himself on the day he should have died an old man. You, Perseus Jackson will move on from your cousins' death, marry and have children, then die an old man after having saved the world more times than any other mortal."

I growled at that. "No, no way did he hear us unless you interfered! I had Lou Ellen make sure no one could hear us before we started talking, and she tested it to be sure! And to Tartarus with my fate! I choose my own fate, not you!" With that, I stormed off, intent on going to the one person who would help me.

Hades had been even more helpful than I had hoped once I revealed what the Fates had done. Thanks to him, I was now standing before what remained of Kronos, and I called out to him. What do you want, Perseus Jackson? he demanded.

"I want to make a deal with you, Kronos. I regret some of my choices when it comes to your rise. If you send me back, things will change."

If I had the power to change the past, don't you think I would have done so myself?

"Sending yourself back would take more power than you had outside of your immortal form. Sending a mere mortal, even a demigod like myself though? I bet you can do that even now. What do you say, grandfather? I'll even swear on the Styx if it helps." Hades told me that such a thing was possible, but so far as they could tell, it meant the death of the time traveler in their original timeline. Mom and Paul … were very understanding when I told them what had happened, though I don't think they took it as well as they claimed.

Kronos stayed silent for several minutes before answering. Well played, Perseus. You shall have your wish, but I choose when. And you will serve me in the end.