Prologue: Twilight of Olympus

The throne room burned.

Once glorious columns of marble cracked, shattered, and smoldered amidst torn banners and scattered armor. Flames danced wildly, painting twisted silhouettes upon broken walls. Olympus lay broken beneath the crushing weight of war—its grandeur reduced to rubble, its skies painted crimson by flames and battle, lighting flashing in colours unseen by mortal eyes. Above, the stars themselves seemed to mourn.

At the heart of the devastation stood Percy Jackson, his once-bright armor now dulled and battered from countless battles, Riptide gleaming fiercely in defiance against the encroaching darkness. Sweat and blood mixed freely on his exhausted face, yet his sea-green eyes burned resolutely. Beside him fought Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, her silver bow pulsing radiant silver with every loosed arrow, her huntress garb torn, scorched, and crimson-streaked, yet her poise remained as steadfast and fierce as ever.

Between the two, shielded by their unwavering courage, stood a figure trembling not from fear, but from anguish—Selena Zoe Jackson, daughter of Olympus's greatest hero and its most steadfast goddess. Her heart pounded violently, her eyes wide and brimming with tears, reflecting the devastating scene around her and the stark determination etched into her parents' faces.

Beyond them, the gates of Olympus lay shattered, allowing relentless tides of monstrosities to spill forth. Legions of nightmares surged forward—twisted drakons with scales of blackened steel, shadow-wraiths born of despair, and colossal giants whose very steps shattered mountains. The horizon itself trembled beneath the weight of their march, shadowing the throne room with an impenetrable, malevolent darkness.

"Selena, you must go—now!" Artemis's voice rose sharply, piercing through the cacophony of war, her eyes shimmering with a pain she fought desperately to conceal.

Selena shook her head vehemently, defiance mingling with sorrow. "No! We stay together! We're a family—I won't abandon you!"

Percy turned sharply, his expression softening despite the urgency. He stepped close, gripping Selena's shoulder firmly but gently. His voice broke through the chaos, gentle yet filled with aching conviction. "You must survive. You're the only one who can rewrite this future."

He pressed something cool and precious into her palm—two intricate bands crafted from celestial silver entwined with ocean-forged gold, shimmering softly with their love and legacy.

"Our wedding rings," Artemis whispered, voice tight with heartbreak. Her hand gently cupped Selena's cheek, brushing away a tear. "They'll recognize these. Proof of our truth. Proof of our love."

"Mom," Selena's voice fractured into a whisper. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks, streaking through the soot and ash. "Dad, please... I can't leave you here."

Percy cupped her face tenderly, eyes radiating warmth and pride despite the devastation surrounding them. "This isn't goodbye. We'll find each other again, I promise. But right now, you must be brave. The fate of everything we love rests on you."

A monstrous roar shattered the brief intimacy, the gates of the throne room groaning under renewed assault, splinters flying as shadows clawed hungrily at Olympus's heart. Ares and Hephaestus strained against the weight of the nightmare horde.

Artemis lifted her chin defiantly, silver eyes blazing with fierce determination, her bow raised protectively. "Percy, it's now or never."

He nodded, resolute, turning back to Selena one final time. Golden energy began to coil around him, swirling like liquid light, bending the fabric of time itself. "We love you, Selena. Always remember that."

Selena lunged forward, wrapping her arms desperately around them, embracing them fiercely one final time. "I love you, too. I'll fix this—I promise."

Percy stepped back, channeling every ounce of his remaining strength, the air humming with primordial power as he shaped reality itself. Artemis raised her bow defiantly, her arrows piercing through the storm of darkness like blazing stars.

"Go," Artemis whispered urgently, tears finally slipping down her cheeks, shimmering like falling stars. "Find us. Save us."

Golden threads surged, wrapping Selena in blinding radiance. She screamed, reaching helplessly toward her parents as the world around her shattered and fragmented into infinite fragments of time.

Through the shifting veil, she glimpsed them standing resolutely, Artemis's silver bow radiant against the darkness, Percy's sword slicing through time itself. Behind them, the remaining Olympians and their allies gathered courageously, making their final stand against the overwhelming tide.

Then, from beyond the shattered gates stepped an immense shadow, darker and more terrifying than all the rest—crimson eyes burning with infinite hatred, cloaked in darkness absolute.

Tartarus himself had come.

"NO!" Selena's anguished cry pierced through the veil, echoing across eons as the golden threads of time sealed her fate.

She fell through darkness, clutching only two wedding rings and the weight of a broken future. Selena Zoe Jackson drifted through eternity, her heart screaming with grief and determination, vowing silently that she would rewrite fate itself if necessary.

Olympus faded into darkness, consumed by shadows.

Yet deep in Selena's heart, the smallest flame of hope still burned, flickering defiantly against the storm.