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Chapter Text

We were being rewarded for our efforts in the Giant War and for our efforts to help Apollo during his time as a mortal.

Me, Annabeth, and Grover had never made it to Camp Jupiter, as we got news of Jason's death and turned the car around to go to camp half-blood for the funeral, as it was being held there. After that, the gods decided to invite us to Olympus for rewards.

So now we were in the Olympian throne room, waiting for the gods to call each of us up for our rewards.

"DEMIGODS," Zeus boomed.

"For your efforts in the giant war and for helping Apollo on his mortal journey, we, the gods, shall offer you Godhood. Should you decline, you will be granted a wish, disregarding one of you," he said.

"Piper McLean, do you accept godhood?"

"I do, Lord Zeus."

"Very well, you shall be the minor goddess of charmspeak and blowdart guns."

Zeus shot a golden beam at her, and when it stopped, her aura was significantly stronger. He continued this with every demigod that was to be rewarded.

Frank became the minor God of shape-shifting, Hazel became the minor God of jewels and precious metals, Leo was made the minor God of blacksmithing and machinery, with Calypso gaining partial immortality so she could stay with him, Nico was made the minor god of skeletons and shadow-travelling, Will was made minor god of healing and light, Grover was made minor god of the wild, Thalia was made the minor god of lightning, and Reyna was made the minor God of tactics. Meg had decided not to show up, and you could see that Demeter and Apollo were disappointed.

Annabeth was second to last, and when she was called, I thought I knew what she would say. I thought she would decline the gift so we could live life like we had planned. But...

"I accept!"

The gods looked surprised, and I stumbled.

"Wise girl, why?" I asked.

She looked over at me and said

"Percy, you don't understand. Now, if you accept as well, we can live our immortal lives together, and I could build Olympus, Camp Half-Blood, and Camp Jupiter into even better versions of what they are."

"Annabeth, I thought you knew me better than that. If I'm able to help others before myself, I will." I said sadly, shaking my head.

She looked crestfallen, as if she had just now thought through her decision. She was made the minor god of architecture and wisdom, looking sad the whole time while her domains were announced.

"PERSEUS JACKSON," Zeus said, announcing that it was time for my reward.

"DO YOU ACCEPT GODHOOD?"

I looked around the room, seeing many of the gods holding their breaths, awaiting my decision. Hestia seemed sad, as she probably already knew what my answer was, and Poseidon and Annabeth were looking on, hoping I would accept. But they both knew what my answer actually was. You could see it in their eyes.

"I decline, Lord Zeus."

"Very well," he grumbled.

"For saving Olympus twice, and for your heavy contributions in both wars and Apollo's time as a mortal, we, the gods, are granting you 4 wishes instead of 1. And yes, we promise on the Styx to make them happen if it is within our power."

"Thank you, Lord Zeus. But before I use my wishes, I would like you to complete the promise you made to me after the first war, the one where gods would be honored.

This includes Hades and Hestia gaining thrones on the Olympian council. They are both children of Kronos as well and deserve their spots."

Zeus grumbled a bit, but with some stares from the 2 gods in question, he relented. 2 new thrones appeared, one that was black, covered in jewels and bones, and a small crown of flowers at the top, while the other was a throne made of wood and fire, coexisting, and giving off a cozy feeling.

Hades and Hestia ran up to me, giving me a hug and their thanks before walking to their respective thrones.

"For my first wish, I would like a way to instantly travel between Olympus, Camp Half-Blood, and Camp Jupiter,"

"Very well, after this meeting, I will have Apollo, Hades, and Hephaestus, and Athena work on that. However, teleporting to Olympus will only work if allowed by a god."

"Thank you, Lord Zeus. For my second wish, I wish for a partial immortality field around Camp Half-Blood and specific parts of Camp Jupiter so campers will be stronger and can live longer, should they want to."

"This is a big ask, are you sure."

"Yes, Lord Zeus, I am sure."

"Very well, it shall be done. Now, for your third wish?"

"I wish for Lord Dionysus's punishment as Camp Half-Blood's director to be removed. Chiron is a good director, and Dionysus hates his already unfair punishment with every fiber of his being."

Dionysus almost fell off his chair, and everyone, including the gods, looked at me as if me asking for that had never crossed their minds.

"It is within my power, so I must accept. Dionysus, your punishment is officially over. Now, Perseus, what is your final wish?"

"I'll be honest, Lord Zeus, this is the biggest one yet."

"Just tell us Perseus, so we can continue what we were doing before this."

"Very well, Lord Zeus. I wish for the ancient laws keeping gods from seeing their children and fighting in wars to be disbanded."

The entire throne room fell silent, the gods looking upon me with silent gratitude and happiness. Zeus bowed his head.

"If I may be honest, Percy?" Zeus asked, his head still bowed. "I wanted for you to ask this. I think it would be good for us gods to see our children, and it would help prevent something like the modern titan war from happening again." At this, he looked up, tears of happiness and freedom threatening to spill from his eyelids. "I would have been bound by my own laws to not change them, so I thank you, Percy, for allowing us gods to truly visit and see our children again."

"It-it is my honor, Lord Zeus."

"Please, no more Lord or Lady nonsense, you have earned the respect of the gods, you have no more need to be so formal. NOW, WHO WANTS TO CELEBRATE AT CAMP HALF-BLOOD?" Zeus yelled, standing up.

The gods flashed us to Camp and went to get the Romans and Hunters. Soon, all three were at camp Half-Blood celebrating, partying, and talking with their children/parents.

Near midnight, as everything started to die down, some gods approached me. Hades thanked me again, Athena gave me her condolences with what happened with Annabeth, but she gave me her blessing to marry her, which was shocking. Then it was Apollo, thanking me for helping him through his time as a mortal and giving me a gold bow that can turn into a gold ring as a personal reward from him. Then Hephaestus, who told me that his forge was always open if I needed something built.

Then Dionysus, who surprisingly wasn't drunk. He thanked me for lifting his punishment, calling me "one of the only decent demigods out there," and gave me his blessing. I will never have hangovers and can not go insane. After him, it was Hestia, thanking me again and offering me the place as her champion. I accepted, of course. I can control fire to a mild extent, though not as good as Leo, I can instill some hope into people, make them feel calm, and I can summon home cooked meals. Then was my father, Poseidon. He pulled me into a hug and told me how much he loved me and how proud of me he was. Finally, Zeus came to talk to me.

"Hello, Zeus."

"Hello, Percy. I must thank you. I think you have brought upon a new era of peace"

"Yeah... if only the others were here to experience it."

"Thinking of the fallen?"

"Yeah," I say as I look down at the stump I'm sitting on. Shortly after Athena had given me her blessing to marry Annabeth, I went and sat on a stump right outside the party to process.

"Me too. I have thought of Jason every day since I heard the news. Along with the Castellan kid, Artemis's ex-lieutenant, and all the others down in Elysium. I think of them often. It's getting harder for me to understand why I just let it all happen."

"It's because you grew."

"Pardon?"

"I don't mean physically, I mean, as a leader and as a god. I think from here on out, you and the rest of the gods will continue to change for the better. The modern world, being able to see your kids, regretting your past actions, and remembering the fallen will all make you less self-absorbed and arrogant than you used to be."

"I think you're right, my boy,"

"My boy?" I question, raising one of my eyebrows.

"Yes. You call me Zeus, I will call you my boy. At least in private. You really seemed to do the impossible. You made us gods change for the better, not with threats, but with selflessness and patience, and even now, we are still changing. In fact... I, Zeus, king of the gods, give Percy Jackson my blessing. He will be allowed in my domain and will be able to summon and hold lightning."

I stare, shocked (pardon my pun) at Zeus. "Are you serious? Like 100% serious? Like not drunk at all?"

He claps his hand on my shoulder."No, my boy, I am serious. Now I must go, or else the rest of the gods will question why I've been gone for so long. And please, Percy, keep this between us."

"I will, Zeus."

"Thank you, my boy."

And he walked away. The next visitor I got was my Wise Girl, Annabeth.

"Hey Seaweed Brain."

"Hey, Wise girl."

"Do you want to talk about the whole... immortality thing?"

"No, I just want to dance."

She smiled and came up to me, putting her hands on my hip and hand so we could silently dance together.

We swayed back and forth, dancing to sweet nothing, just enjoying the closeness, and I whispered to her.

"I love you forever, Wise Girl."

"And I you, Seaweed Brain."

After about an hour of dancing, we both said goodnight and headed to our cabins to sleep.

And I had a dream...

Chapter Text

I was in a black void, floating, when I heard a voice. A voice I thought I would never hear again.

"Hello, Perseus," said Akhlys

"What do you want?"

"Why, Percy, you don't even have the manners to say hello?"

"I almost killed you last time we met. Why come to see me?"

"It's simple, really. In the coming years, absolute misery will be spread, and I will feast like never before...however, I have realized something."

"And what might that be?"

"After my feast, all will die. There will be no more misery, as there will be nothing left to give misery."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Why, Percy, it has EVERYTHING to do with you. I will help you, and you will spread misery unlike you have seen, especially across monsters, but even across your so-called "friends," giving me the feast I desire. And, of course, it will help you continue to save that which you love. It is a win-win situation. Do you accept?"

"How do I know what you're saying is the truth?"

"I swear on the River Styx that what I have said is true."

"But I don't want to give my friends misery." I said, shaking my head.

"My help will not control you in any way. If you spread misery to your friends, it will be either your choice or an outside factor."

"And your help will help me save those I love?"

"Yes, boy, It will."

"Then I accept."

She grinned and licked her lips as if she could already taste her feast. "Very well. I, the goddess Akhlys, hereby make Perseus Achilles Jackson my champion."

I somehow stumbled while floating, my jaw dropping. "But I'm already Hestia's champion."

"Relax, Percy. This will not overhaul that. You are now the champion of 2 gods and can bring hope or misery to whatever you wish. Now, because you are my champion, poisons will make you stronger instead of harming you, and you can instill misery into people. Now, you will be waking up soon. Any last things to say?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Thank you, Akhlys. Although I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my friends."

"Why, it's quite simple. Don't. Goodbye for now, Percy. And remember, Misery loves company." She said, fading away into the void.

I jolted awake in my cabin. I got dressed and hurried out to the dining pavilion for breakfast. Hermes and Apollo were at their tables, eating breakfast with their children, while the Hunters are eating at their table with Artemis, away from everybody else's, and the Romans were eating at their cohort tables, something we created for Roman visitors.

After that, the Romans and Hunters left, the Hunters seeming to disappear into the forest, while the Romans used the newly built teleporter. I went to say hi to Mrs. O'Leary in the training area, and then beat up a few dummies.

Annabeth snuck up behind me, wrapping me in a hug from behind.

"Y'know Seaweed Brain, you don't need to train as much anymore. The Giants and Titans are gone."

"I know, Wise Girl, but it's always good to stay on your toes."

"That it is, Percy. By the way, it's your shift for border patrol. See you later?"

"See you later, Annabeth. Love you!"

"I love you too."

I went to the border for my shift. As I was patrolling around Thalia's tree, I heard a scream. I ran towards the sound, just find my good old buddy, the Minotaur bearing down on a kid. He looked about 16, but there wasn't time to worry about that.

"HEY BEEF HEAD," I yelled.

The Minotaur snapped his head towards me, recognizing my voice, as I had killed him 2 times before. He came barreling towards me, just like he did the last couple of times.

Seriously, this guy needed a change in tactics. I jumped up as he was charging, landed on his back, turned around, and stabbed him through the head. He crumbled to dust as I leaped off him.

I walked over to the boy and offered him my hand to get up, but he just slapped it and got up himself.

"So you're Percy Jackson, huh? You don't look like much," he said, looking me in the eyes.

"I just saved your life, and the first thing I hear is how I, quote, don't look like much?" I asked as I started to wonder who this kid was.

I took him on a tour around Camp, putting guard duty on Clarrisse for the time being. As I was showing him around, he didn't do much other than stare at girls and glare at everything else.

I took the time to look him over. He was about 5 "10,  had brown hair, cloudy blue eyes, and white skin.

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

He sneered. "My name is John. Remember that, so when I become even better than you, you can tell everyone about how you knew me."

I didn't give him the satisfaction of responding, I just started to wonder who his godly parent was.

My question was answered at dinner rhar ngiht. Camp was eating dinner when a lightning bolt appeared above his head.

Everyone looksled stunned. Zeus had another child that none of us knew about?

Without missing a beat, Chiron said, "All hail John, child of Zeus, the king of gods and the God of thunder."

He looked down at everyone bowing until he saw me, who wasn't bowing.

"Well, Perseus? You heard Chiron. BOW."

"You haven't earned my respect, and based on my conversations with you earlier, I don't think you will," I said, continuing to eat my burger.

"I AM THE CHILD OF THE KING OF THE GODS, NOW BOW TO ME!" He yelled, the sky starting to flash.

"No," I said, picking up my burger and walking to the beach, knowing that everyone at dinner was looking at me in shock.

The next day, I was walking along the beach when Katie Gartner walked up and slapped me hard.

I stumbled, holding my cheek.

"What the hades, Katie?"

"Oh, don't even with that. I know you killed our plants!"

"What plants?"

"The ones in the Demeter cabin gardens!"

"Katie, I swear I didn't kill any of your plants. Who told you I did?"

"John! And I know he wouldn't lie!" She says before storming off, leaving me to wonder how she could so easily trust him after seeing how he acted when he was claimed.

Every single day after that, someone from a different cabin would find me and hurt me in some way, and then tell me that their entire cabin hated me.

2 weeks after John got to camp, I only had what remained of the 7, who were in Rome or doing their godly duties, Will, who spent almost all of his time in the infirmary, and Thalia, Reyna, and Nico, who weren't around much. I was practically alone.

The only real person I had left was Annabeth, who had stayed by my side the whole time, and always tried to help heal my wounds. The campers had started working together to harm me. I didn't ever fight back, so they usually ended up making me bleed.

One day, I headed to Olympus and ordered something from Hephaestus. It was time to cash in on the blessing Athena gave me.

About a week later, I was sitting on my bunk in my cabin when Hermes delivered the package. He looked at me sadly. He knew about what's been going on but couldn't do much to change it. I didn't often go out of my cabin anymore, as almost everyone at Camp hates me and tries to harm me, while John and his recently acquired goons will try to fight me. I quickly sign the package and get back into my cabin. I open the box, and Voila! There it was, my proposal ring for Annabeth.

I started mentally preparing myself for the proposal. I wanted it to go smoothly and for nothing to interrupt it. I picked the day that most campers were gone, selling the strawberries we grow for money to help support Camp.

The day came, and I was sitting on the beach, with a picnic laid out, waiting for my Wise Girl to get there. As she walked onto the beach, I could tell she was hiding something, but I didn't question it. It was probably god stuff.

She sat down next to me and smiled, somewhat sadly, which confused me, but I trekked on. I was positive that nothing could ruin this moment.

"Hey Wise Girl. Something wrong?"

"Hey, Percy. Yeah, something is wrong, but let's eat first."

"Ok..."

We ate and talked, just enjoying the time together. I made some meat and cheese sandwiches, I got some soda, grapes, and strawberry, and for dessert, I made blue fudge.

We finished the food, laughing at a whale joke I made. I was getting ready to pull the ring out when Annabeth said

"Percy, we have to talk."

Uh oh. Hearing that from someone close to you means something bad is coming.

"About what, Wise Girl?"

"Percy, I-I cheated on you." She stammered out, putting her head between her legs.

The waves instantly recceeded, and the water got darker as I stood up.

"You what?"

She lifted her head up to look at me."I cheated on you, Percy. I'm sorry. I wish I could make an excuse, but I can't. And I can't lie to you either. I know this means our relationship will end, but please know that I will still love you, even if it's just platonic," She mamaged to stumble out, crying.

"Who?"

"What?"

"Who did you cheat on me with?"

I thought I knew, but I needed confirmation, and she was the only one who could give it.

"J-john." She said, as quietly as she could.

I shook my head, tears threatening to fall.

"I knew it."

"Percy, I'm -

"No. I don't want to hear it. I-I'm leaving. I'm going to Camp Jupiter. And I'm going the long way."

"Wha-why?"

"WHY? BECAUSE THE ONLY PEOPlE I HAVE LEFT ARE THERE! Everyone here is either too busy or hates me. "

"I don't hate you..."

I held up my hand. "Don't, Annabeth. I already told you I don't want to hear it."

"WHY? WHY WON'T YOU LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF?"

"BECAUSE YOU CHEATED ON ME ANNABETH!" I yelled before slightly calming down so I could continue. "Annabeth, I was planning to propose to you today. I thought that we could look towards the future again. I dared to hope that I could live out my life with you, even if you never aged. I had grown content with the fact that I would die in your arms. But now... all that hope, all those dreams, they're gone. For a second time, you shattered my future. And I'm not letting it happen again."

"When was the first time?"

"When you accepted godhood." And with that, I turned on my heel, preparing to leave, only to see the campers, with my bag already packed, sneering at me. They were lined up along the beach line and had seen the whole thing, and yet they had the audacity to sneer at me. The one whose life was almost ruined. The one who was beaten every time he left his cabin to eat. The one they used to call a friend and a brother. John shouldered his way through the crowd, getting to the front to look at me.

"So, Perseus, finally leaving."

"Yes, John. You get what I assume was your wish. You will have me gone. Congrats, I'm sure that you are now the best demigod. Oh wait, no, you aren't. Because I'm not dead, and neither is anyone surrounding you. And even though the campers all hate me, when the next big fight comes, I will help them. Not gladly, no. Campers, I hope you are content with the fact that now, I will only come back to save you. I hope you are content with only getting my promise to save you. "

"Why does that matter? We all hate you, and the Campers have me. I am the strongest demigod, and I'm better than you in every way. We don't need your promise."

"My fatal flaw is loyalty. I am loyal till death, maybe even past that. So even if I hate you, I will save your butts from death," I say to the campers before turning to John.

"Let me tell you something, John," I say, spitting out his name as if it's venom and walking up to look him in the eye. "You are the single worst demigod I have ever met. You will never get your wish because as long as there are other demigods, you will ALWAYS be worse than them."

With that, I slung the bag that the campers packed for me over my shoulder and walked through the crowd of demigods staring at me. Some with hate, but most with sorrow and regret.

The crowd followed me, making almost no sound. When I finally made it to Thalia's tree, I stopped. This was it. I was leaving behind a place filled with good memories, a place where I made new friends and got to go on adventures and a place that made me grow. But I was also leaving behind a place of pain, a place of loss, and a place full of people who hated me.

I took a deep breath and walked past the tree line, almost immediately being grabbed by a monster. Kelli, the Emposai.

The crowd started to rush forward before Kelli put a claw to my throat and spoke.

"Stop, campers. You drove him out, and now, when the next big war comes, you will have lost your greatest soldier! Say ta-ta, Perseus," She says, faking sweetness.

I glared at the campers. "I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. I WILL come back to save your a**es."

Kelli snarled and waved her hand, creating a hole beneath us, causing us both to fall.

As fast as I could, I got away from her, turned to face her, got Riptide out of my pocket, and cut her in half.

I looked down, expecting to see ground, only to see the hole continue, seemingly infinitely.

I looked up, but all I saw was rock closing above me. And then I realized. I was going back to Tartarus, alone this time.

Chapter Text

After a couple of days of just falling, I somehow managed to sleep.

"Hello, Percy," I heard Akhlys say.

I was back in the void, talking to her again.

"Is this what you meant by me spreading misery? That I would be taken away when everyone needed me the most, because another war is coming? Well, I hate to break it to you, but I will get back, even if I have to spend months crawling out of this pit!"

"Oh, Percy, the misery has barely started. Yes, your fellow campers will despair over the fact that they no longer have you. But remember this. As much as I love and feed off of misery, I would not have made you my champion if you weren't already Hestia's. Someone powerful, spreading both misery and hope, is the best way to keep my feasts coming."

"I'm not that powerful... am I?"

"You will discover that on your own. Now, your little skydive trip is coming to an end. When you land, make your way to Damasens hut. Inside is a book that will give you a way to stay alive. Once you do that, come find me so I can teach you to use the death mist yourself."

"Yes, Lady Akhlys."

"Hm. "Lady" Akhlys... I like the sound of that. Anywho, goodbye, Perseus. I trust you will succeed."

I woke up, my eyes having to adjust to the faint red light. I looked down, and just like last time, the hole opened up into a cavern, the distant areas shrouded by fog. What I could see, however, sucked. There were distant craggy mountains jutting up from the ground, forming uneven ridges on the "skyline." There were forests filled with trees and the zit-like things monsters regenerated in, and there were various monsters roaming around.

I scanned for a river and found one. Schist. The River Phlegethon was the only river in sight. I knew it would suck, but to be honest, it was probably the best river I could have gotten, as it was my key to survival until I got to Damasen's Hut.

I hit the water, sinking into the river, knowing that I wouldn't be crushed on impact. What I didn't expect was the pain. My entire body felt like it was being melted off, burned, and suffocated at the same time. I subconsciously opened my mouth to scream, only to swallow ounces of the fire water. Now, the pain was both inside and outside of my body. It sucked. A lot.

Somehow, in the midst of my pain, I used my powers to propel myself onto the beach. I felt better than I ever had, completely full and energized, but I had to wait for the pain to completely wear off, as it was engulfing my mind.

When I was finally able, I got up to look at my surroundings. I recognized where I was from the last time I was down here, so I turned to the direction of Damasen's hut and started jogging.

After about 10 minutes of jogging and hiding from monsters, I heard voices.

"She was supposed to be back by now!"

"You know her. She's probably playing with her food."

I hid behind a rock and peeked over to see who was talking. It was some Telkhines and an Aurai.

"But it's been an hour since the specified rendezvous time! You know the deal! She HAS to do this correctly, or else!"

So they were working with Kelli! Wait... if it's been an hour... and I've been jogging for 10 minutes... then I had been in the River Phlegethon for 50 minutes! No wonder I had felt so recharged.

I leaped out of my hiding place before one of the monsters noticed me peeking over the rock.

I uncapped riptide and made quick work of the Telkhines before fighting the Aurai. I circled it, unsure of what to do. Either I kill it and gain a curse that could kill me, or I let it leave and tell others that I am back in Tartarus.

"Perseus Jackson."

"What do you want, curse giver?"

"Should you kill me, the given curse will not kill you, I swear on the River Styx. So, what will you d-"

The Aurai didn't have a chance to finish, as it was already dead. Unfortunately, I heard its voice hissing in my head.

"Congratulations, Perseus. The curse I have given you will doom you, I'm sure of it."

"What is it!" I yelled to the air in front of me.

"Ambrosia, Nectar, unicorn horn shavings, and godly healing magic will have almost no effect upon you. Try not to get hurt." It laughed as its voice faded from my mind.

That was really bad. Like, really, really bad. The only thing that can truly heal me now is... the River of Fire. Wow. I wonder who gave me that curse.

I continued my trek, wondering what my future would be like from here on out. I passed many things, a cliff, a beach of glass shards, and the forest where I made my stand against the Aurai last time I was here. I finally saw the colored fog that surrounds the swamp where Damasen's Hut was, I just had to get over the River Phlegethon,which was blocking me from just walking over there. My thinking was interrupted by a voice.

"Well , well, well, Perseus Jackson." She says behind me.

I slowly turned around to see exactly who I thought it was.

"Hello, Arachne. How are you doing on this fine day?"

"Don't play games with me, child, you know why I'm here."

"And what might that be?"

"Revenge. You killed me just as I was about to kill that wretched daughter of Athena."

"I'll have you know, I don't want to fight. Please, Annabeth isn't here right now."

"Perseus Jackson is begging not to fight? How fitting for his last words." She snarled and jumped at me. I uncapped and swung Riptide, killing her the same way as last time, only this time, her momentum was carried through my blade, making me stumble and trip... straight into the river. Again.

For the second time in a day, I was feeling unimaginable pain. And yet... it felt better. Sont het me wrong, it still hurt, like if all of hell was condensed into a coffin for you to float in, but it hurt just a smidge less. This time, however, the combination of the exhaustion of traveling through Tartarus and the pain of the river made me black out.

I was back in the void, floating.

"Well, Percy?"

"Well, what, Lady Akhlys?"

"I still like that title. What I mean is, do you still think you are not strong?"

"What do you mean? All I've done so far is kill a couple of monsters."

"Percy, you are currently doing much more than that and will do much more than that. However, I will let you see that for yourself. You will be waking soon. Is there anything else you want to say?

"I don't think so, Lady Akhlys."

"Very well. Percy, when you find Damasens book, create the flask first. That is the object that will save you. Now, wake up."

I woke up, expecting to have used my powers to pull myself out of the river, but all I saw was orange. I was still in the river, and yet I felt no pain.

Was this what Akhlys meant? That I would grow used to the Phlegethon? It seemed impossible, and yet... here I was. I swam my way to the top, shooting out of the fire water and into the swamp. I stumbled my way to Damasen's hut, glad to be in a safe place, even if it was surrounded by what was essentially hell.

I scrounged around the hut, looking for the book that Akhlys told me to find. When I did, I found the page that told me how to make the flask and what it does.

Turns out, the flask will always return to you, like Riptide. But even better yet, it has an infinite amount of any of the liquid of the 5 lakes of the Tartarus. You just have to shake it and say what lake you want, and boom! It'll stay that liquid until you switch it.

I knew why I needed this. As far as I could tell, the only thing that could heal me now was the Phlegethon. This would give me a way to stay alive.

And goody, goody. To make this flask, I needed any kind of metal, which the campers of camp half-blood so generously packed for me,(they literally only packed basic building materials and granola bars in my pack) and some water from all five rivers of Tartarus.

I knew what I had to do, so I put the book in my pack, made sure I had Riptide, and set out to find the 5 Rivers.

Chapter Text

Walking out of the hut, I began to wonder. Which river should I go to first? I don't need to set out to find Phlegethon, as I'll be near it almost the entire time.

So my choices are the river Styx, Acheron, Cocytus, or Lethe. I chose Cocytus, as it seemed the safest, and I wanted to save Acheron for last.

I knew where part of Cocytus was, as that was where me and Annabeth landed the first time I was here, so I started heading in that direction, sticking close to the Phlegethon.

I didn't encounter many monsters, which surprised me. The only monsters I did encounter were some hellhounds and telkhines, which I made quick work of.

I'm halfway there when I hear a growl, one which I recognized. The Nemean Lion walked out from an area hidden by rocks.

I cracked my knuckles. Even if I got hurt, I was still next to the Phlegethon, so I knew I could be healed.

"Hey, kitty. Ready to play?"

The Lion roared and charged at me. I didn't bother using Riptide, as it wouldn't hurt the Lion, so I had to use my fists. I jumped up, landed on its back, and started trying to gouge its eyes out.

It started bucking, but I managed to tear one of its eyes out before I was thrown off. I landed with my face in the sand, and then I stood up and turned to face the Lion. With its one good eye, it stared at me with anger and hate.

"What? Mad that I managed to hurt you?"

It roared and charged me a couple more times, and I just rolled away to escape. It started circling me, warily, until my back was towards the Phlegethon. It charged again, and this time, when I tried to roll, it hit me with its paw, sending me backward into the Phlegethon.

I see. It had been expecting me to die, or at least be incapacited, so it could get away.

I stand up in the river, using my water powered to control it. The Lion tries to run but is grabbed by tendrils of fire water, causing it to panic. As it's squirming, I shove gallons of fire water down its throat, suffocating and killing it.

I get out of the river, kick some of the golden dust, and grab the Nemean Lion skin, willing it to turn into a sweater. It does, and I put it on.

My trip to Cocytus was uneventful from there, so when I got there, use use some rocks to bash some sheets of metal from my pack into a makeshift container and lid.

I fill the container partway with Cocytus water before putting the lid on it and slipping it into my pack. I headed back to the Phlegethon and repeated the process. Three more to go! Although, I don't know where the Styx or Lethe is, as my last encounters with them were in the Underworld, not Tartarus. I decided to ask Akhlys. I know where the Acheron is, but I have to go through Nyx's palace first.

I went back to Damasens Hut to sleep and relax before going to look for the last 3 rivers. I didn't come across any monsters, which made me worry. I knew a war was coming, but there should still be some I encounter.

When I made it back to Damasens hut, I hit the sack. Back to the void I go.

"Hello, Percy."

"Lady Akhlys, I must ask yoy a question."

"Ask away."

"Where are the river Styx and Lethe? And do I have to go through Nyx's palace to get to the Acheron?"

"Did you see the mountains when you fell into Tartarus?"

"Yes."

"Good. Those mountains are where you will find the river Styx. I must warn you, however, it is guarded by a creature you have fought before."

"Which creature?"

"I must let you discover that on your own."

"What about Lethe?"

"To get to the Lethe, you must follow the Styx uphill from the mountain. Try not to look down when walking to it. It will only make the trip worse. And for your sexond question, we will discuss that more when the tume comes."

"Thank you, Lady Akhlys."

"You're welcome, Percy. I'm sorry for how long the trip will take."

I jolt awake before I can ask what she means by that. I sigh, and for get my stuff. I scrounge around Damasens hut a bit more, finding an ivory dagger with a gold sheathe and something to put on my bow. It functions as a small scope, although it doesn't seem to do anything other than that. I can't figure out what it is, though, until I look at Damasens' book.

Turns out, with it attached to my bow, I can fire up to 200 arrows at once. If you combine this with the fact that the bow has infinite arrows, boom! A weapon of mass destruction that can turn into a ring on my finger.

I put the dagger in the sheathe and strap it to my belt, grab my pack, and head out to scale a mountain.

As I walk alongside the Phlegethon, I notice that although it seems like there are no monsters, golden dust scatters the ground.

I survey my surroundings, finding nothing interesting. But as I walk closer to the mountain, more and more gold dust starts appearing.

And then, I hear it. A slight growling, the soft flapping of wings, and the whistling of a small object coming at me at intense speeds. I dodge out of the way, one spike hitting my sweater and shattering on impact.

I whip around and see a manticore. Bot just any manticore, though. It was Dr. Thorn.

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"Perseus Jackson..." he says with hate.

"Yep, that's me. Are you the one killing all those other monsters?"

"How do you know about that?"

"The gold dust scattered across the ground. Duh."

He snarls. "Enough! Yes, I killed the other monsters, but that does not matter. How did my spike not hurt you?"

"Killed the Nemean Lion a day or two ago."

"Ah. So you are saying... I must aim for the legs!" He says quickly, firing spikes at me. I dodge out of the way and take out my bow. No better tume to practice, right?

"Really, Perseus? All monsters know you are terrible with the bow. Did you lose your sword?" He asked, feigning curiosity.

I mumbled 45 and 6 the bow, turning Doctor Thorn into a pincushion. He looked at me with surprise before turning to dust.

I turn my bow back into a ring and start walking up the mountain. After about an hour, I have to start climbing, so I take my dagger out and test how strong it is. I hit it against a couple of rocks before driving it through them with as much strength as I could.

The entire mountain rumbled and looked up in shock. Was this what Akhlys meant about me being strong, or was it about me getting "used" to the Phlegethon? Or... was it both?

I shook my head, breaking out of my thoughts. The dagger didn't even look scratched, so I started climbing, stabbing it into the mountainside when necessary, but only with enough force to stick it in the rocks, It's not like I wanted to cause an avalanche.

After climbing for a couple of hours, I see the top. I struggle a little bit, but I finally make it to the peak of the mountain. I climb over the edge and collapse. I haven't had any contact with the Phlegethon in a while, and it was apparent.

Little cuts had started to form through my body, breathing hurt a bit, and I was getting weaker.

I stand up and look around. I am at the tip of the mountain, a small flat area with a stream running through it. I knew this was the Styx, as Akhlys had told me it was at the top of the mountain. I could see for miles around. There wasn't much, just 2 rivers, forests, and many, many zit-like things. I put some Styx water into my container. 2 rivers left! I looked around to see what Akhlys meant when she said to follow the Styx uphill.

And then I saw it. The Styx was floating uphill... into the air?

It was strange. Imagine a normal river that suddenly, steeply, starts going up, cutting through the air. The problem was that I couldn't figure out a way to follow it. It was floating for Hades sake!

The only way for me to follow would be to swim and use my water powers to keep myself from falling. So I did just that. When I got I to the Styx, everything started to hurt. Not as much as the Phlegethon did when I wasn't used to it, but it still hurt, like if every hair follicle on your body was stabbed by a needle.

I now see what Akhlys meant when she said not to look down. If I were to, I would see a huge drop and probably be shocked out of my powers, causing me to fall.

The river didn't look like it led to anywhere, but I trusted Akhlys not to kill her champion, so I continued swimming.

Eventually, I saw something in the distance. They mountain tip was far behind me, as I had been swimming for a while. I saw what looked like a floating island, covering in red tropical trees and plants.

The river evened out, so it became a lot easier to swim to the island. Once I got there, I left the Styx. I didn't want to be in the river for longer than I had to. I stumbled onto the lush red ground and lay down. When the pain of the Styx finally subsided, I heard a voice in my head.

"Who dares enter my realm uninvited?" It boomed, giving me a headache.

I clenched my teeth through the pain and said, "Perseus Achilles Jackson. I am only here to gather some water from the river Lethe, and then I will find a way to leave."

"A demigod? Oh... and quite a powerful one at that."

"I'm not that powerful." I replied stubbornly.

"Hmm... humble as well. Tell me, Percy, how any monsters have you come across in your short time in Tartarus?"

"A couple, but much less than I would expect. Why?"

"Percy, the monsters are absolutely terrified of you. When word got around that Perseus Jackson was back in Tartarus, almost all monsters who haven't yet escaped here fled far, far away from the Phlegethon, as they knew that you would be traveling along it."

"That... makes sense."

"Yes, it does. Now, I will let you gather some of the river Lethe, and I will give you a way off this island."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"I mean, why are you helping me?"

"Percy, you helped bring recognition to me, my children, and my grandchildren. You brought a kind we haven't had in thousands of years. Of course I would help you."

"Who are you?"

"I am Hypnos."

"Oh."

"Nothing to say to a helpful primordial?"

"I-Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome. Now, once you collect the Lethe water, I will give a gift. It is permanent and is made of hopes and dreams, so it can not be harmed. Using it will feel natural, and you will instinctively know where you are going with it."

"What is it?"

"That would ruin the surprise. Now, go collect your water. I am tired."

With that, the conversation (and headache) ended. I walked over to a pool of swirling white water and put it in the almost full container. Once the lid was on, my back hurt like it was touching the Styx again. I fell to the ground on my knees, preparing myself for what I thought would be hours of pain, only for the pain to suddenly vanish.

I looked behind me to see what caused the pain, and then did a double take to make sure that what I was looking at was real. I had wings! They were a transparent black, filled with white and purple swirls.

I remembered what Hypnos said about using them, so I tried to flap them and rose a couple of feet in the air before falling back onto the ground.

I grinned and backed far away from the edge of the island. I had to get to the Phlegethon soon. The cuts were getting deeper, and standing was getting harder, but why not have a little fun? I got in a track stance and took a running start before jumping off the island at the last second, opening my wings, and flying away.

It was my first time flying, and I hadn't been in contact with the Phlegethon in a while, so I started to weaken. I was scanning below me for the telltale orange of the fire river, but I couldn't see it. Black spots started dancing between my eyes, and each pump of the wings got harder and harder, the pain hurting more and more.

But I couldn't give up. I kept flying, seeing less and less, and falling more and more. And then I saw the orange. With one last burst of strength, I flapped my wings as hard as I could. And then I began to fall. The last thing I remember before blacking out was sinking into cozy warm lava. I had made it.

"PERCY!"

I was back in the void, talking to Akhlys.

"Yes, Lady Akhlys?"

"Do you know how close you came to death?" She practically yelled.

"No?"

"Percy, you were right on the cusp of it. Literally, two more flaps of your wings and you would be dead."

"Aw, do you care about your champion?"

Her eye twitched.

"Percy, when you wake up, head to Damasens hut. I have gathered some of the river Acheron into a bowl there. Use that plus the water and metal you have collected to make the flask. Then come to me, and I will help you out of Tartarus."

"Very well, Lady Akhlys. Thank you for worrying for me."

I awoke, covered in orange. When I walked out of the river, I followed it back to Damasens hut, encountering no monsters. They must be really scared of Me.

When I get there, I find the bowl with the Acheron in it. It starts wailing at me, "Oh, murderer, murderer! Join us!" I just told it to shut up and dumped it into my container. I close the lid and open Damasens book to the page I need. I read what I have to do and set everything out.

I put the container with the river waters in front of me, putting a granola bar on top of it along with a lit candle. I then recite

"Rong, Sen, m'moshpa! Neen lock pras!"

A bright light flashes, and I'm blinded for a couple of seconds. When my vision finally returns, I see the flask. It's beautiful. It's blue, with various red and green splotches, waves, lighting bolts, fires, and purple and white swirls, all constantly moving around in it.

I did it. Days of walking, climbing, and swimming through Tartarus, along with hours of unspeakable pain, all led to this. The item that will never leave me, the item that will keep me alive.

I put the flask on my left side and put the dagger in its sheathe on my right side. I then shoulder my pack and start my trek towards Akhlys' field of poison flowers.

Chapter Text

I walked out of the hut, hoping not to come back.

I started my journey, deciding to fly so the trip would be faster. I flew away, out of the swamp, and back into the barren land of Tartarus.

I remembered the Hermes shrine me and Annabeth used to communicate with Camp Half-Blood last time we were here, so I started scanning the ground below me, searching for it.

Eventually, I find it. It looked the same as last time, except now, there was a figure standing next to the shrine, with many stone statues of monsters populated the crater.

That could only mean 1 thing. Medusa had finally regenerated. I landed outside the crater, slowly and quietly walking backward to get closer to her, using my dagger sheathe as a mirror.

She whipped around once she heard me and looked at me through the mirror.

"Well, if it isn't Percy Jackson. You look quite older. How long was I regenerating for?

"About 6 years, Auntie."

She sneered. "Don't call me that. And how are you alive? My sisters should have gone after you for revenge."

"A lot has happened since you died. 2 wars came along, and during the buildup of one of them, I killed your sisters."

"2 wars? Who were they against?"

"The Titans and the Giants."

"Hm. It seems that I have missed quite a lot. Your blade really did a number on me."

"Look. I just want to get out of Tartarus. If you leave and agree to not fight any more demigods, I won't kill you."

"What makes you think you can kill me?"

"I have killed multiple Titans and Giants, I recently killed the Nemean Lion and Dr. Thorn the Manticore ALONE, and I killed you when I was 12. I don't think I can kill you, I know I can."

She grumbled a bit but accepted. "If you let me collect the food that is soon to appear from the shrine, I will accept your deal."

"Alright, fine. But how do you know food will appear?"

"I timed it. Every day, at about this time, food appears in the shrine."

Good, that meant the campers were eating something and would be there for a message.

The shrine suddenly started to spew smoke. Medusa grabbed the food that had just appeared inside of it and started to walk off.

"Goodbye, Perseus. I hope to never see you again," She called out with a mouth full of food. I watched her through the sheathe until I was sure she was far away.

I put the sheathe back on my belt and walked over to the shrine. I knew that I would have to send a note, but it's not like I have a napkin this time.

So I started looking at the monsters that Medusa turned to stone. It was mostly hellhounds and telkhines, but I eventually found what I was looking for.

A cyclops. Perfect. I break its head off and start carving words into the rock with Riptide. I carefully place it in the shrine, watching it burst into smoke and hopefully making its way to Camp.

I then cap Riptide and put it into my pocket before continuing my flight to Akhlys. It should be smooth sailing from here.

Annabeth POV:

The entire camp was eating dinner, quietly as usual. After Percy was captured, we had all started to wonder why we had turned our back on him. I mean, we all loved him, and we knew he would never try to harm us.

All of us hate John for spreading lies and turning us against Percy, and yet he seems oblivious to it. He constantly flirts with girls and tries to challenge people to a duel. Every other day, he finds me and makes advances.

Even though Percy would have hated to admit it, he was essentially the camp leader, with me as the second in command. So when he was taken, I had to step up.

I've been helping people with their problems, creating war plans, and diffusing fights. It's tiring, and I don't know how Percy did it all the time.

The Camp knew of the Hermes shrine in Tartarus, so just like every dinner, we watched each Hermes camper carefully as they sacrificed their food.

Hestia herself had to come down to tend to the Camps hearth, that's how little hope we had. All demigods other than the Hunters had been called to Camp to prepare and train for the war that was coming. The problem was that our greatest fighter was lost in Tartarus.

It had already been 2 months. We knew time worked differently in Tartarus, but most of us had given up hope. We all thought we would die without Percy, and most of us thought he was already dead.

Connor was going up to sacrifice his food when the shrine suddenly shot red and green fire.

Everyone's head quickly turned to stare at the fire, only to see a figure emerge from it. A figure that I had bad memories with.

I stood up. "What do you want, Akhlys?" I said loudly, everyone else seeming to be frozen.

"Why Annabeth, how great it is to see you again. I must say, your ex is doing a great job traveling through Tartarus."

"He's okay?"

"Of course he's okay. He is the single most powerful demigod to ever exist. On the power level of an Olympian, maybe even surpassing that."

John unfroze and decided to jump into the conversation. "What are you talking about? I could easily take Jackson. Heck, I bet I could take you!"

Akhlys just laughed. "Please, the only mortal who could fight me and win is Percy himself. You would die in seconds. And against him? You wouldn't even be able to pull your weapon out."

"Is Percy really that strong?" I asked.

"Why, of course, and he's grown even stronger in Tartarus. Unfortunately, he has yet to face his greatest challenge. And to do that... he will have to make it past me." Akhlys said, grinning evilly at the last part.

John tried to say something but was pushed out of the way by Hestia, who came marching up directly in front of Akhlys, staring her in the eyes with anger and hate, the fire contained within them going wild.

"If you DARE harm my champion, I will get the entire Olympian council to revoke your Godhood. It won't even be that hard. We all like him."

I was shocked. The entire council liked Percy? Also, Percy was Hestia's CHAMPION?

Akhlys and Hestia seemed to have a heated mental discussion, but then Hestia relaxed and nodded her head, seemingly giving Akhlys permission for something before marching back to the hearth.

"And with that, I must leave. Percy is getting near my field, and I must be there to meet him. Oh, and he sends this." She tosses a stone cyclops head to me before sinking, dissolving into a puddle of fizzing liquid.

I catch the head and scream. That breaks the campers out of their silence, and they rush up to me for guidance and answers.

"What's the head about Annabeth?" Piper asked.

I turn it around in my hands before seeing the etching.

"It says... Hey guys, I know you're worried about me, but I've done ok so far. Start war training back up again. Sincerely, Percy"

"So Percy is okay?" Piper asked, everyone's eyes starting to show hope.

"It seems like it, although I expected a longer message from him."

"I mean, you did all turn your back on him. Maybe he doesn't really like you guys anymore?"

"Yes, well, I must go report this to the Olympians. You all heard what Percy said. Get to training, chop chop!" Hestia said, intervening and stopping the conversation.

We all finished dinner, ignored John's protests about training, and said we wouldn't need to train with him around. We finished setting everything up and started to train. From here on out, we would all get stronger, faster, and smarter to prepare for the war. We WOULD win, and we would win for Percy.

That night, after training was over, I saw what was left of the Seven, along with Nico, Will, and Reyna walk out to the woods. So I put my invisibility cap on to follow them.

They conti used walking until they reached a clearing, and they all sat on rocks or stumps.

"You can come out now, Annabeth," Nico said.

I take the cap off and sit next to Piper. All the others don't look surprised, so I guess Nico told them I was following.

"So, why did you all come out here?" I ask them.

Leo replies. "We want to talk about Percy without interruptions from harpies or young campers. Or John."

"Oh. What about Percy?" I ask.

Hazel replies this time. "Whether or not he will want to come back."

I nod sadly. "I see."

"I mean, I don't think he should." Nico said.

I look at him, shocked. "How could you say that, Nico? You don't want him to come back?"

"Of course I want him to come back! I just... I just don't think we deserve for him to come back. I mean, he was clearly suffering, and we didn't do anything about it! Heck, you cheated on him, Annabeth! You were the last straw!"

I hate that I can't argue with that. "I know... I don't know what came over me that day, but I-no. I can't make excuses. I messed up badly, and now we might all die because Percy is gone and probably hates us!"

I start crying, and Piper traps me in a hug and lets me cry into her shoulder.

"Shhhh, it's okay, Annabeth," She says, comforting me.

"But it's not! We were terrible to him, and all of you guys were away or super busy! I was the closest to him, I should have tried to help!"

"Annabeth, listen to me. It is okay. We can not change the past, but we can change the future. Even if Percy no longer likes us, he made a promise to help. You know him. He always keeps his promises. He will come back, and if he leaves after that, it's his choice, and we can't do anything to stop it. Understand?"

I nod my head and escape the hug.

"I'm really tired, guys. I need to go to sleep. Thank you, guys."

"For what? Frank asks.

"For not hating me." And with that, I put my invisibility cap on and headed back to my cabin, letting them talk throughout the night.

Percy POV:

After about an hour of flying, I finally see Akhlys sitting in her field.

I land in front of her, out of breath.

"Is it tiring to fly, Perseus?"

"Yeah, but it was easier than last time," I manage to wheeze out.

"Good. Now, you need to leave Tartarus soon, so as much as I hate to do it, I need to give you the easy way to use the Death Mist."

"What's the hard way?"

"Training you to use your power over misery to hang it like a cloud around you. However, that takes time that I recently learned you do not have. Also, it would take lots of energy and would put you out of commission for about an hour every time you used it."

"Oh. What's the fast version?"

"I poison you."

"WHAT?"

"Alright, look. I am going to inject you with a specific kind of poison, so when you want to use the death mist, it activates, almost killing you. It does not have any downsides other than a little pain. This will allow you to use the death mist as much as you want, with no consequences other than a little pain every time you activate it."

"Wow."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Lady Akhlys."

"Very well." She lifts a finger and slowly pushes it into my neck.

"Percy, this will leave a mark," She says as she punctures the skin, pushing a purple liquid from her finger into my neck. When she retracts her finger, I stumble and fall onto my knees.

"Are you okay, Percy?"

"Yes, Lady Akhlys, just needing to let the black spots leave my eyes."

"Good. Now, imagine using the Death Mist to make yourself invisible."

"I do, and feel a slight bit of pain before looking down at my hands. They look like a corpses'.

"Now, Percy, the Death Mist will work on everyone but me and Primordials."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I am about to teleport you to a giant wall. Fly up the wall, and once it evens out, you will be in the Underworld, home free of Tartarus. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Is there anything else I must do?"

"Before you scale the wall, you will face your biggest challenge yet. I trust you will succeed. Are you ready?"

"Yes." I said, determination in my eyes. I was almost out of Tartarus. I was almost home.

"Goodbye, for now, Percy," Akhlys said, waving her hand. For a second, all I saw was black. Once I could see, what I saw shocked me.

This sure as heck wasn't a wall. I don't know where in Tartarus I was, but what I do know is that the "wall" Akhlys mentioned was more like a cliff side the size of Mount Everest. It was so high, I couldn't even see the top.

Before I could even spread my wings, however, a voice boomed.

"Perseus F*cking Jackson," it said.

"Woah, no need for cussing!" I replied.

"You are lucky the fates like you."

I look around, trying to spot whoever is speaking. All that's behind me is an extremely dense line of trees and plants. I was trapped.

"What are you talking about? The fates hate me."

"The only reason I have not killed you is because they decreed it so."

"I call bullcrap. But ignoring that, you are you?"

"Aww, you don't recognize me? I'm hurt." The voice says, sassily. Then, a figure rises out of the ground in front of me.

He looks at me. "Remember me now?"

"Unfortunately, I do. Hello Tartarus," I say as I bring out Riptide.

"Please. That sword wouldn't stand a chance against you. Besides, I'm not here to fight."

"Then what are you here for?"

"I'm here to make a deal. You see, I can not kill you. However, I can keep you in this pit for a very long time. So I'm willing to make a deal. You fight someone of my choice, and if you win, you get to leave. If you lose, they kill you. Deal?"

I didn't want to take it, but it's not like I have a choice. It's either this or be stuck in the pit for a long time.

"I accept."

"Good. Now, I am going to teleport you to a training area. I expect you to use it. Understand?"

"Yes." I say as I put Riptide away. He waved his hand, and I appeared in what looked like a small Tartarus version of a hotel room.

There was a king-sized bed, a TV, a sink, a shower, a window overlooking an arena, and a hallway leading to an area full of training dummies. Something felt off, and then I realized why. There were no doors. I was stuck.

The TV sparked to life, showing Tartarus speaking.

"In one week, you will fight your opponent. In your training room, there is a button for you to press. Once pressed, it will start the training course. Now Percy, I know you can only be healed by the Phlegethon, so the shower and sink only give Phlegethon water. Start your training." He says, grinning evilly.

I don't think he knows that the Phlegethon no longer hurt me. I sigh and go to the training area to start.

I enter the training room and uncap Riptide before pressing the start button. About 5 training dummies activated, rushing at me with fake weapons.

One slashed at me, so I ducked and swept its legs, stabbing it after it hit the ground. The next dummy came at me with a sledgehammer, heating it above its head and trying to slam it down on me, but I just sidestepped and cut off its head. The next cane and me with an age, swinging it as hard as it could. I jumped backward as it swung and then leaped forward to stab it. The next came at me with a spear and tried to stab me. I knocked the spear to my right and then kicked the dummy, sending it flying across the room. I then unscathed my dagger and threw it at the dummy, killing it. The final dummy had a bow. As it strung the arrow, I threw Riptide at it, knocking it off balance. I got my bow out, pulling the string back and mumbling "20" before firing it, turning the final dummy into a pincushion.

It was all quite easy. I go over to pick up my dagger and sword before going back to the button to start again, this time using both the sword and the dagger at the same time.

I continued trying, practicing with different styles. The only times I stopped were to either drink some Phlegethon from my flask or take a shower.

I practiced dual wielding, I practiced just using my bow, just using my sword, and just using my dagger, and I practiced throwing my dagger and using its sheathe and my sword for defense until I could pick it up and throw it again. I just practiced for who knows how long.

I was walking back to the button when I heard a little voice in the back of my head.

"Tommorow is the match. Take time now to sleep."

I instinctively felt like I should trust it, and my instincts were usually right, so I went to sleep.

I am jolted out of my sleep by the TV sparking back to life. It was Tartarus again.

"You have 1 hour until I teleport you to the arena."

With that, the TV turned off. I sighed. Today, I would escape Tartarus, no matter what. I went to take a final shower, letting the Phlegethon run over me, cleaning and soothing me.

I get out of the shower, get dressed, and do some stretches.

When I'm teleported to the arena, I immediately dislike it. It is shaped like a coliseum, with nothing in the middle but me. My opponent isn't here yet.

Tartarus was sitting on a throne in the stands and called out, "Are you ready, Perseus? I dont think you will like your opponent."

"I'm ready for anything you throw at me."

He smirks. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He waves his hand teleporting in a Titan.

I look in shock. I thought he would make me find a long forgotten monster or a Giant, I didn't expect to have to find one of my friends. Especially one who helped me survive on my first trip through Tartarus.

"TARTARUS!" Bob yells angrily.

"Yes?" Tartarus asked lazily, knowing what would be said next.

"YOU PROMISED ME IT WOULDN'T BE A DEMIGOD!"

"Oh, but Bob, he's barely a demigod at all." Tartarus said, leaning forward in his chair. "I mean, just look at his aura. He's on the power levels of the Olympians themselves."

Bob calmed down and looked at me before saying, "Percy, you will win this. However, do not feel bad. I WILL regenerate and be free of Tartarus. It may take a while, but I will come to the surface again. Got that?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I really didn't want to fight him. And I DEFINITELY didn't want to kill him.

He got into a fighting stance, switching his broom into his spear. I got into mine, hesitantly pulling out Riptide.

Tartarus yelled out, "FIGHT!"

Bob rushes at me, trying to stab me. I simply dodge and roll away. He hisses at me, "End this fight as soon as you can! The longer you fight me, the more it will hurt." I didn't believe him, but I had to listen to him.

He rushes me again, and this time, I effortlessly knock his spear away and stab him through the chest with a sob. He turns to dust, the only things left being his spear/broom, which is too big for me to take, and his uniform name tag.

I pick up the name tag and turn towards Tartarus, who is stunned that I killed a Titaon so quickly.

"We made a deal. Let me leave."

"Oh, but Perseus, I have one more deal I have to finish." He says snarkily, coming out of his shock.

"What is it?" I say, getting into a defensive stance.

Tartarus appears in front of me, something small clasped in his hands.

"Bob made me promise that in exchange for fighting in the arena, I would find you and give you his pet."

Tartarus unclasped his hands, revealing Small Bob, and gave him to me.

"Perseus, if you ever come here again, I will do everything in my power to kill you. Do you understand?" Tartarus snarls.

"Do you think I came down here on purpose?" I ask, as Small Bob climbes from my hand to my hair, settling down and falling asleep.

Tartarus sneers. "Even a week of training and killing a friend doesn't stop your sass, does it?"

"No, now let me leave." I say quietly.

He waves his hand, and I am back at the wall. I picked Small Bob up from my hair and put him in my sweater pocket before unfolding my wings and starting my ascent out of Tartarus.

I fly up for at least an hour when the fog and sky start to turn more black instead of red. A good sign. Another hour of flying, and I can see the top.

I finally get over the top, flying far away from the cliff before stopping. The Underworld was safer than Tartarus, but I need some rest before I go to see Hades and convince him to take me to the gods.

I see a nearby cave and start walking to it, expecting it to be empty. Today was rough, and I need time to process and cry. I entered, and the last thing I saw before being knocked out was some wrinkly old ladies.

Chapter Text

I wake up in the same cave I was knocked out in and shake my head to clear it. I would stand up, but I'm tied to a rock.

"Where am I?"

"You, Perseus, are in the cave of the fates."

Crap. "What am I doing in the cave of the fates?"

"You tell us, Perseus."

I start to look around. The cave was more of a cavern, with three old wrinkly ladies knitting and cutting yarn in front of me. This is the fates cave? It sucks.

"I needed time to rest before going and meeting the Olympians and my mom."

"Ah."

All three fates suddenly start focusing on their yarn, looking sad about something.

"What's wrong?"

"Percy... your mother is dead."

I'm stunned.

"You're lying. You have to be."

They all shake their heads and cut another string. I start thrashing around, trying to get out of the ropes binding me.

"WHY DO YOU HATE ME? ALL MY LIFE I'VE SUFFERED!

They all stare at me, shocked by my sudden outrage. I calm down and continue quietly.

"You three know my entire story. Heck, you wrote it. So why me? Why was I beaten by my stepfather? Forced into finding 2 symbols of godly power at 12? Have my best friend kidnapped to find the golden fleece? Have to go across the country to save my other friend and a goddess? Have to fight in 2 wars? Lose my memory? Lose multiple friends? Betrayed by the ones I loved? Have to go through Tartarus TWICE? WHY AM I THE ONE WHO GETS HIS MOTHER KILLED? AFTER ALL I'VE DONE?

Why. Do. You. Hate me?"

"We don't hate you, Percy. At some point in their lives, three distinct futures open for someone. Your three futures were the ones we currently reside in, one where you were recruited by Kronos's army and another where you die at the hands of the Minotaur. We do not hate you. While yes, we write the future, think of it this way. We pave the road, but other people decide what you pass while driving it. Percy, all three of us actually like you, and we want you to succeed. That is why we kept Tartarus from killing you the moment you fell back into his domain."

"I-I see."

"Percy, we are truly sorry for you and for your mother."

"Did she achieve Elysium?"

"Yes, she did, along with Paul and Estelle."

I didn't think it was possible for me to be even more crushed, but it was.

"Who killed them?"

"We will tell you, but you must promise not to kill him. He will get his justice eventually.

"I promise. Now, who is it?"

"John."

I stare at them silently.

"How?"

"He went on a mission to kill as many monsters as possible within a city, and a stray lightning bolt set the apartment your family was in on fire."

"I see."

"We trust you will keep your promise. Now, you must go talk with the Olympians."

"Very well, Lady Fates."

They faded away, along with the ropes trapping me to the rock. I sit on the ground for a while, finally letting myself cry. I cry for hours, eventually stop. I know that Mom, Paul, Estelle, and Bob would want me to push through.

So I stand up, drying my eyes, and take a couple of minutes to wind down. I then walk out of the cave, spread my wings, and take off to Hades' palace. When I get there, I see him walking through the gates, grumbling. I land behind him and yell, "BOO!"

He yelps at turns around, throwing his hands up like he's ready to punch before he sees me.

"Percy!" He cries, wrapping me in a hug.

"Hey, Uncle Hades." I say, awkwardly hugging him in return.

He let's go of me and clears his throat.

"I have to take you to see the Olympians, you know that, right?"

"Yes, Uncle, that's why I came to find you.

"Good, good. Get ready."

He grabs my shoulder, and we teleport to the Olympian throne room. All the gods are here. They see me and instantly go quiet, causing Zeus to look up from his game of chess with Hera.

"MY BOY! You've returned." Cries Zeus.

The rest of the gods look at him confused, while Hades goes and sits on his throne.

"Yes, Zeus, I have returned."

Poseidon comes up and hugs me, followed by Hestia, and both are clearly happy to see me. I smile at them, and they return to their thrones.

Zeus cleared his throat. "Now, Perseus, if you don't want to, you don't have to. However, I think it would be beneficial for us to know what you have gone through in Tartarus for the last five months."

I stumble. "I've been gone for five months?"

Zeus looks at me confused. "Yes, how long was it for you?"

"About two weeks."

The gods all look at me with sympathy.

"Anyways, to answer your question, Zeus, I am willing to share what I went through in Tartarus."

I share what happened, not omitting anything, even the part about Tartarus's comment on how strong I was or my talk with the fates. When I am finished, the gods all look surprised and sad.

Zeus, however, stared at me with pride.

"You may not want to hear this right now, but congratulations." I stare at him, shocked.

"I'm sorry? Congratulations on what?"

"You have survived Tartarus a second time, and I think everyone here can agree, when I say that is no small feat."

The gods all agreed, and then Zeus seemed to have an idea. He looked at each god, seeming to have a mental conversation with each until discussing it in quiet with Hera.

He turns to me and says. "Percy, I have discussed it with the gods currently here, and we have decided. We will offer you Godhood one last time. Turning it down will not grant a wish. Do you accept?"

I think about it. All my ties to the mortal world are gone, however, if I accept, I will never live a normal life. Then again, when was my life normal? Plus, if I accept, I can help even more in the coming war.

I look around the room. It's completely silent, as everyone is holding their breath, awaiting my answer. Other than Hestia, who has a small smile on her face. She knows my answer.

"I accept."

The gods all breath a sigh of relief, before smiling at me. Zeus raises his hand, but is interrupted by a portal opening above him. A figure steps put, float walking towards me. Her skin is pitch black, the color of space, filled with stars and galaxies, while her eyes are purple.

When she gets eye to eye with me, she says,

"How I have waited for this day, Percy."

Me and the other gods stare at her in confusion. "Who are you?" I ask.

"I am Chaos."

This simple sentence causes the throne room to burst into noise, several gods asking questions and yelling at each other, before Zeus yells, "SILENCE!"

"Now, why have you graced us with your presence, Creator?"

She looks at him. "My, you really have changed for the better."

Zeus looks confused, and Chaos turns back to me.

"Perseus, I am here to grant you Godhood."

The gods all look upon me with awe, only Zeus speaking.

"Creator, will Percy become an Olympian?" He says hopefully.

"That is his choice for now." She replies.

"I-no thank you. I don't think I'm ready for that kind of power yet." I say, all the gods faces falling.

"Very well," Chaos says before putting her hand to my heart.

Glowing white energy starts to course through her and into me.

"All hail Perseus Jackson, god of Demigods, Hidden Weapons, Accuracy, Finding, Tides, and the Five Rivers of Tartarus."

She finishes. "After the war Perseus, if you love, you will become an Olympian, and whether you like it or not, you will also receive more domains."

I stare at her in shock, not processing her new words.

"I'm the God of... what?"

"Alright, Percy, I will help explain your domains. You are a guardian of Demigods, their Protector, if you will. You will be able to mix and summon as much of the Five Rivers as you need for anything. Mixed combinations will have different effects, you'll know instinctively what does what. You will instinctively know the location of what you are trying to find, and how to get there. You will be extremely accurate with any ranged weapon. Your water powers are stronger. And finally, you will be able to turn weapons into tattoos on your body to summon and hide at any time."

"That's... a lot."

"Yes, it is. Now I must leave, I need to catch my breath for the next few millenia. Goodbye, Percy."

"Goodbye, Lady Chaos." I say as she pools into nothing.

I look at the gods, expecting them to say something about me "being to powerful" or nonsense like that. Instead, they all jump up and come hug me. Even Ares, Dionysus, and Artemis, the three I least expected to ever hug me.

"Wwwwwhat's happening?"

"We heard what Chaos said," Athena responded.

Hera followed up, saying, "After the war, you will become one of us. We are welcoming you into the family, for you have helped all of us."

The gods all dislodge themselves from the hug and go back to their thrones.

Zeus clears his throat. "Now, Perseus, you must choose what to do now."

"I already know, Zeus. I will be scouring America, searching for demigods and bringing them to either Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, or The Hunt."

"Very well. Anything to say before you leave?"

"Yes. What's the possibility of a family game night?"

The gods all grin.

"Why, Perseus, I think it's very possible." Zeus replies.

Chapter Text

"I WILL DESTROY YOU PERSEUS!" Zeus yelled at me.

"Yeah, yeah, Thunderpants. Just gimme the 600 drachmas."

He grumbles and does. Then Hades goes. He rolls the dice, and... three!

"Yes! Just the number I needed!" He says, moving his piece three spaces forward and buying the last piece of property.

"Alright, everyone count your money!" Zeus announces.

We all count. I have 4300, Zeus has 1600, Athena has 8000, Ares and Aphrodite have 800, both Apollo and Hermes have 2200, Artemis has 3000, Hephaestus has 4500, Hades has 3300, Poseidon has 4200, Dionysus has 1500, Demeter has 4100, Hera has 4900, and Hestia has 5000.

"Athena wins again!" I proclaim, throwing my hands in the air.

Apollo laughs and elbows Hermes, who reluctantly hands him 20$.

"You were betting on the game?" Athena asks.

"Heck yeah! And I just made 20 bucks!" Apollo responds, with Hermes grumbling beside him.

"Alright, everyone, that's it for today. You all know the drill, same time next week."

The gods all flash away, other than Poseidon. He puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Percy, I think you know that it's time for you to get back to camp."

"Yeah, dad, I know. I made a deal with Artemis, and I'll be traveling with the Hunters to protect them until they get to Camp Half-Blood."

"Good, good. I love you, Percy."

"Love you to dad," I say as he flashes away. Now it's just me in the Olympian game room. Every week on Friday, the Olympians and I play a couple of rounds of a board game. Today, we played a modified version of Monopoly, so all 15 of us could play.

I stand up , stretch, and walk out of the game room into the throne room. (It connects directly.) I walk out of the throne room, unfold my wings, and take off to fly to the Hunters while reflecting on the past five years.

I went to Hephaestus for weapon upgrades. My dagger is now a throwing knife, just as strong as before, and will always come back to me, the gold sheathe is now a shield, my bow can now fire up to 1000 arrows at once, which will all automatically seek out monsters, and I can grow my wings so big that I can wrap myself in them like a cocoon. It's a nice way to sleep.

Then I made all my weapons tattoos on my body, Riptide became a tattoo of a wave on the back of my right hand, the throwing knife became a tattoo of a throwing knife on the inside of my right hand thumb, the shield became a tattoo of a watch on my left wrist (it tells time as well,) and my bow become a tattoo of the sun on the back of my left hand. My flask is still attached to my belt, and I have a mask that makes my hair and eyes flash multiple colors and covers the top half of my face. It, along with Damasens book, can turn into an earring. My Nemean Lion skin is usually a sweater or a t-shirt, but when I'm "on the job," it's a cloak.

For the past five years, I've scoured the country for demigods, always escorting them to either of the camps, depending on their parent, or to the Hunt if they were a girl hurt by a dude. When they ask my name, I just tell them to call me Pap.

It stands for Perseus Achilles Protector (I changed my last name to Protector when Hestia adopted me), but I don't tell them that. Across five years, I've found upwards of 500 demigods, maybe 550. I don't know, I don't keep count.

After I became a god, I asked the gods not to mention me to the campers or to the Hunt, outside of if I was alive. I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted them to know I was back. Now I know that I will tell them, eventually. Just not yet.

I gave Small Bob to Hestia as a pet. I still see him often, but I'm too busy to care for him. I still miss my parents, and somedays I have to force myself to get up with the idea of a demigod dying while I'm sulking. But it's gotten easier over the years. Hestia adopting me, and me finding a new family in the Olympians really helped.

I finally get near the hunters camp, using death mist to turn invisible and watch from the outskirts. Artemis is explaining the situation to her Hunters.

"Alright, look, I know you don't agree, but it will only be until we reach Camp Half-Blood."

"But it's a male! We don't need a male to protect us!" Whines Pheobe.

"No, we don't, but I made a deal with him. He's a friend and like a brother to me."

"But he's going to try and flirt and hit on us!"

No, he won't. He's very respectful. Besides, I'm giving him all the camp chores."

I step into the camp, dispelling the death mist, making everyone jump.

"Wow, I was going to thank you for calling me a brother, but then I learn you're sicking me with the chores? Not cool, Silver."

Artemis scoffs and says, "That was the deal. You can travel with us for a while if you do the chores."

"I know, I'm just messing with you."

As two girls march up to me, I realize a mistake I made. I never told Thalia and Reyna that I was back.

They reach me, and Thalia electricly slaps me while Reyna punches me in the gut. I bend over, clutching my stomach.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN KELP HEAD?" Thalia yells at me.

"Ooh, uh, hold on, let me catch my breath," I manage to wheeze out.

"Percy, I swear to God, you better explain yourself right now, or you're never gonna breathe again," Reyna threatens.

I catch my breath, look at them, and say "Alright look. A lot of stuff happened. But what if I explain it during dinner, so everyone hears it?"

Thalia growls. "Fine. But you better make a damn good dinner."

"Don't worry, Thals, I will."

"Good." She says before turning and walking away with Reyna and the rest of the Hunt.

I turn to Artemis and say, "I think that went well."

She just laughs, hands me a note, and goes to her tent. I start to read the note before Pheobe walks up to me.

"Alright, male," She spits out, likes it's the worst thing in the world.

"Yes, Pheobe?" I ask calmly.

"I heard what you called Artemis. Now, what are you ACTUALLY doing here?" She asks, trying to be threatening.

"I know you heard what I called Artemis. I'm sure the rest of the Hunt did, too. I call her Silver because it's faster than Artemis, and only Apollo calls her Arty. Now, as to what I am doing here, that's quite simple. I want some time interacting with people who aren't gods before I meet the demigods at Camp. I also like seeing those I brought here. It's good to see them doing well. Thank you for helping them. Now, I must get to chores. Goodbye, Pheobe."

I walk away, leaving her there to do whatever it is she does. Turns out my chores are to sharpen arrows, wash clothing, and cook.

I'm sharpening arrows when a girl no older than 10 comes up to me, tapping me on my shoulder.

I turn around to talk, but I continue my task.

"H-hello." She stammers.

"Hello, Ava." I reply.

"H-how do you know my name?"

"I brought you here."

Her eyes widen, and she gasps. "A-are you Pap?"

"Yes, I am."

She squeals and says, "Ohmygosh, I uh, uh, I need to go tell the others," before scampering off. I finish the arrows and start on the laundry, using my water powers to clean them without touching them. I skip over the undergarments, however. I may be a male, but I have standards I uphold myself to.

When I get back to camp, the Hunters are gathering around a table. I set the clothes next to Artemis's tent and walk to them.

"Pheobe glares at me and asks,"Where is dinner?"

"It's coming right up, Pheobe. Now, what would you like for dinner?"

She smiles cruelly and says, "An omelet, with vanilla pudding on the side."

I snap my fingers, and the dish appears in front of her. I then go to every Hunter and summon food for them as well, eventually coming to Artemis.

"Ah, Silver, do you want the usual?"

"Yes, please, Percy."

I snap my fingers, and Voila! In front of her is a steak and mashed potatoes, both covered in an orange spice blend.

One of the Hunters, Hannah, I think her name was, speaks up. "Lady Artemis? Why do you permit Perseus to call you Silver, and why do you have a "regular" dish from him?"

"Well, you see Hannah, I let him call me Silver for the same reason I permit Apollo to call me Arty. It's because Percy is like a brother to me. As for why I have a regular dish, Percy actually cooks for the Olympians."

The Hunters stop eating and look at me strangely. "You cook for the Olympians?" Ava asks.

"Why, of course. Don't you cook for your family?"

The Hunters look even more stunned, with Reyna quietly asking the question this time. "The Olympians are your family?"

"Yes, the Olympians are my family. However, the MAIN reason I cook for them is simply because I make better food than all of them."

"How?" Thalia asks.

"My time traveling through Tartarus ended up giving me a... "unique" set of extra spices to use while cooking."

The Hunters jaws dropped.

"You. Traveled. Through. Tartarus?" Pheobe asks hesitantly.

"Yes. I did it twice."

"Alone?"

"Not on the first trip."

Everyone just stares at me.

"Alright, look. I'll can tell you guys about what I've been doing over the past few years, but seriously, eat your food before it gets cold."

The Hunters all pick up their utensils and practically inhale their food. Artemis, however, eats slowly, savoring the taste of my cooking.

When she gets done, I snap my fingers, and all the dishes disappear.

"How do you do that?" A hunter asks.

"Do what?"

"Summon the food and get rid of the dishes."

"I am the champion and adopted son of Hestia. Now, is everyone ready?"

"The Hunters all nod their heads, even Pheobe. They all look excited.

"Alright, hold your questions until the end."

I tell them just about everything. I tell them about the first two wars, the rewards ceremony, the treatment at camp after John got there, the fall into Tartarus, the trip through it, escaping it, my talk with the Fates and the Olympians, and me protecting and escorting demigods. The only things  lI leave out are family game night and my curse.

By the time I'm done, they're looking upon me with awe and wonder, while Pheobe just looks at me apologetically. I drink from my flask before speaking.

"Alright," I say. "I think it time for us to head to bed, we need to travel to Camp Half-Blood in the morning, right Silver?"

"Yes, Percy." She responds before facing her campers. "Alright, listen up! When we get to Camp, Percy will be disguised. He does not want to show his face to camp yet for reasons you can all probably guess. So you are not to mention he is traveling with us or anything about his adventures. Got it?"

Everyone responds "Yes Lady Artemis."

"Good. Now go get some sleep. Tomorrow, we will be trying a new way to get to camp."

Everyone heads to their tents, yawning, while I turn to Artemis.

"What do you mean by a new way?"

"Tommorow, we will be trying to use the Labyrinth to get to Canp Half-Blood. Now go get some sleep."

I stretch and yawn, saying, "Just for the record, Silver, that's a really bad idea."

"You are the God of finding, are you not? We will be fine. Now, go to sleep. It will be funny to see the campers' reactions in the morning."

"That it will. Goodnight, Silver."

"Goodnight, Percy," Artemis says before walking into her tent.

I find a suitable tree in the camp, take a swig of my flask, hang upside down, and cover myself in my wings to form a cocoon before drifting off to sleep...

Chapter Text

Artemis POV:

I wake up to screaming.

"LADY ARTEMIS! HUNTERS! PLEASE HELP!"

The Hunters and I all rush out of our tents to see Hannah pointing at large, black coccoon with multi-colored swirls.

The Hunters aim their bow at the cocoon before I stand in front of them.

"Now, now, girls. There is no reason to shoot it."

"What? But my lady, it's a monster of some kind, is it not?" Pheobe asks.

"No, that is not a monster. That, my Hunters, is how Percy sleeps."

The Hunters share at it, shocked.

"What... is the cocoon made out of?" Thalia asks.

"It's not a cocoon. It's Percy wrapping his wings around him for warmth and protection," I reply.

"Now, I know this is confusing for you, but waking up early is good. We have more time to pack," I say.

"Wait, so we're just going to ignore him and let him sleep?" Reyna asks.

"No, I will wake him. Now, get to packing."

The Hunters leave to start folding up their tents and feeding their wolves as I walk up to Percy.

"PERCY!" I yell onto the wings, startling him awake.

His wings unfold, and he loses his legs grip on the tree branch he is hanging from, resulting in him falling on his head.

"Ow, Silver. You didn't have to yell," he says, standing up and rubbing his head, blushing when he realized the entire hunt saw and was laughing at him.

He does some stretches and asks, "When do we set off to the Labyrinth?"

"Once the Hunt is all packed."

"Oh goody. I can't wait."

"Percy, you don't have to worry. Your powers should lead us through the maze."

"And if they don't? What then, Silver?"

"Then me, you, Reyna, and Thalia flash the Hunt out of there."

"Alright, fine. It's a somewhat sound plan."

Good, he's on board. I turn to the Hunt, seeing them ready to go.

"Where's Percy's stuff?" Atalanta asks. She is always the one who makes sure nothing is left behind.

"I don't have stuff."

"Why not?"

"Everything I need is on me."

"Even spare clothes?" She asks, wrinkling her nose.

Percy gestures at his long sleeve shirt. "This is the Nemean Lion pelt. It doesn't get dirty. And my pants are magically enchanted."

"He's lying about the pants, I know he is. He just really likes them and doesn't have any spares lying around," I say.

The Hunters all wrinkle their noses, though more as teasing than genuine disgust.

"Ah, great, Silver, you ruined my reputation."

"Yes, and it was quite easy. Now, enough with that. Percy, get your... uh, "work clothes" on, and follow me and the Hunt. When we get to the Labyrinth, I will be trying everyone together with a rope, and you will lead. Got it?"

He nods and taps his earring, making his mask appear, and then turns his shirt into his cloak. It looks very menacing.

"Now, Hunters, remember your promise. Do not mention meeting or interacting with Perseus. when at camp, and just refer to him as Protector. Understand?"

The Hunt nods.

"Good. Now, off we go," I say, heading towards the nearest entrance to the Labyrinth.

Percy POV:

We finally make it to a Labyrinth entrance after 3 hours of jogging/running. The only reason I'm still able to stand is because I train at Olympus with the gods.

This Labyrinth entrance is in an old metal shed. It's in a field of wheat and seems to have had an elevator in it, but it's very rusty. On the shed is an electrical warning sign, but other than that and rust, it seems safe.

Artemis ties all of our right hands together, with me at the front and Artemis at the back.

As we enter the Labyrinth, my powers kick in. I know what turns to make 7 turns before I get to them. This is much easier than the last times I was here. All is going well when I hear a voice coming through one of the halls. We're at a fork, and the wrong way is where the voice is coming from.

I recognize the voice, so I turn to the Hunt and say, "There are 4 turns remaining. The final turn leads to a dead end. Once you get to the dead end, keep together and start heading up the ladder. You will pop out as Zeus's fist, get off it, and head to camp so others can get out. Understand?"

Everyone nods, and I say, "Good. I have to go check on something. Take 3 rights and 1 left. I will catch back up."

The Hunters nod, and I untie myself from them. They continue on, taking the right path, while I take the left.

I walk for a couple of seconds before the hallway opens up I to a room. Not just any room. However, it is one I have been in before. Anteus's arena.

Antes isn't here, however. The voice I recognized was someone else. I look around the room, only for my eyes to land on a Titan. Hyperion is in the arena part of the room, yelling at a cyclops, "I don't care! I am attacking that infernal camp today, whether or not my brother supports it!"

The cyclops nods, terrified. I step into the arena and yell, "HEY, HYPERION!"

He turns and looks at me and narrows his eyes, the cyclops scampering away. "Who are you?" He asks.

"Someone who wants information. Which one of your brothers is planning to attack the camp?"

He sneers. "Why should I tell you that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll kill you."

"You don't have a weapon."

"Oh?" I ask, snapping my fingers, causing my throwing knife to appear in my hand.

He pulls out a spear with a flaming tip and says, "A throwing knife, no matter how strong, cannot beat a spear. Especially one that can come back to me, can shoot fire, and was forged with the help of Kronos!"

"Oh, so Kronos is the one trying to attack camp." I say, surprised.

Hyperion stops for a moment and then frowns. "Damn. Fine, yes, Kronos is planning to attack, with the help of Gaea."

"Thank you for the I formation. Oh, and the spear."

He drops his guard for a moment, confused, and gets a knife embedded into his forehead as a result. I walk over to him as he's dying and pry the spear from his hands.

In one last act of defiance, he heats the arena up as much as he can, trying to fry me. It doesn't work. I mean, I shower and bathe in the Phlegethon. Of course, it doesn't work.

He dies, and a strange clicking sound starts. It's coming from the hallway across the arena, not the one I need to go through. I turn the spear into a tattoo, and it becomes a tattoo of a little flame on the inside of my left-hand thumb.

The clicking starts getting louder, and as I walk back to the hallway I need to get through, I look back to see what the sound is.

A huge mass of different black bugs is flowing out of the other hallway. I turn my back and run, knowing that getting caught by those would mean a certain painful death. I get back to the fork and take the 3 rights and the left, seeing about half of the Hunt still in the maze.

"GO, GO, HURRY UP!" My yelling speeds them up. If something gazed me, the guy who went through Tartarus twice, it's probably ly good to avoid it. I start grabbing Hunters and flying them up the ladder hole, depositing them on Zeus's fist before I go get more.

The clicking sound has started, and I know it will soon get to us. I try to flash, everyone out, but I can't for some reason. That power is blocked. When there are only about 30 Hunters left, the clicking gets loud. I start just throwing them up the hole.

There's 3 left when the mass of bugs turns the corner. I grab all 3 and throw them out, and then turn towards the mass, taking out my new spear.

"I heard this can shoot fire? Wanna test it out?" I say to the bugs.

The bugs stop moving and clicking for a second before all converging into one shape. They take the shape... of my mom.

I falter, trying to figure out what I'm fighting is.

"We are the gifted and chosen of the great God Tithonus," says the black blob of bugs, taking the shape of my dead mother

"Why are you trying to attack me?" I ask.

"We were told that if we do, we would be given leftovers of the war."

"Why did you take the shape of my mother?"

"So we could do this."

They suddenly rush at me, and I hesitate to attack long enough for them to converge upon me. They cover me.

They start biting and stinging and tearing my skin, trying to burrow inside me. I am holding out, knowing that if I open my mouth, I am done for. I fall on the hard dirt of the labyrinth and start convulsing, using all of my energy just to not scream. The stings are causing me hallucinations and intense pain.

I see my mom, I see Paul, I see Estelle, and I see Annabeth in my hallucinations. They all either stab me, tell me how much they love me, or die.

After what feels like hours of pain, the bugs start to burrow. When one touches my blood, it screams. The scream is one of the loudest things I have ever heard.

The rest of the bugs stop and start to slowly crawl off, hoping for me to be unconsious. I am not.

I instantly use my water powers to extract some of my blood and sling it at the bugs. When it touches them, they scream and smoke and melt, as if my blood is acid. I extract more and more blood, using it to kill all the bugs.

Eventually, I kill them all, but I end up using so much blood that now, I can't stand up. I slowly take a swig from my flask, but fall unconsious before I can put it back at my side.

The last thing I see is Artemis dropping heavily into the Labyrinth.

Chapter Text

I wake up in the infirmary, with my cloak set on the table next to my cot, and Will fussing around me, talking to Nico. Other than us three, the infirmary is empty.

"I don't know, Nico! I can't take his mask off, and the Ambrosia and Nectar are doing almost nothing! I'm surprised he's still alive!"

I lift my head and say, "Yeah, well, I'm a surprising guy."

Both of their heads turn to me, and Will asks, "How are you awake?"

"I dunno. Where's my flask?"

"I confiscated it. Trust me, you don't need alcohol."

I freeze and ask, "Where did you put it?"

"I just told you that you don't need alcohol. It doesn't matter where I put it."

"WHERE DID YOU PUT IT WILL?" I yell, starting to panic. If it hasn't returned to me now, that means someone is holding it.

He's surprised by my outburst but relents. "I gave it to the Hephaustus campers to throw in the lava at the training pit. Now, how do you know my name?"

I freeze and then jump up.

"Woah, dude! I already told you that you don't need alcohol. It's bad for you!"

"God's above, did you even LOOK into the flask?" I ask, angrily putting on my cloak.

"Well, no, but -"

"It's not alcohol in the flask, Will. The liquid in the flask is literally the only thing that can heal me!"

I rush out of the infirmary, ignoring the pain. People stop to watch me run, all looking confused.

Someone steps in my way.

"Hey! Why are you running through my camp?" He says.

I look at him. Great, it's John. The arrogant **** is blocking me from getting to my flask.

He starts to say something but is cut off when I slap him so hard he lands 30 feet away from me, unconscious.

I continue running and catch up to the Hephaestus campers, and I look to see who is holding my flask. It's Leo.

"Thank God. Leo, give me the flask."

He holds it to his chest, saying, "I don't even know you. Also, alcohol isn't allowed in camp, and you look like you need to go get healed."

"Leo, that flask is not filled with alcohol. It is a special magic item that holds the only thing that can heal me."

"It holds nectar?"

"No. Now GIVE IT!"

He hands it over, confused by my anger. By now, the rest of the camp is watching, and Piper and Annabeth come marching up to me.

I take a drink from my flask, feeling the wounds over my body close and heal.

Annabeth swipes my flask, saying, "Alright, I have questions for you."

"Alright, Annabeth, I'll answer your questions at dinner. Can I have my flask back?"

"No. Alcohol isn't allowed at camp." Leo starts to say something, but she cuts him off. "I heard what you told Leo, but I don't know you, and I don't trust you. So I'm confiscating this."

"Annabeth, I swear to you, that flask is not filled with alcohol."

"How can I trust you? I can't even see your face."

I think for a moment, before replying.

"You try it. You'll recognize it. And no, it's not poison."

She narrows her eyes but reluctantly drinks some before bulging her eyes out and doubling over.

Piper rushes to her side, glaring at me murderously, and starts to stomp towards me when Annabeth says, "Piper, stop. I'm fine."

Piper looks at her, surprised, and then looks back at me, pointing Katoptris at my chest and saying, "You've got some explaining to do. What's in that flask?"

"Well, Piper, that flask is full of -"

"The river Phlegethon," Annabeth cuts in. She stands up and gives me the flask back before saying, "When dinner comes, you better explain yourself."

"Believe me, I will."

"Good," She says, walking away with the rest of camp in tow.

I walk back to the infirmary, ignoring the looks of confusion the campers are giving me.

I reach the infirmary, seeing Will inside, tapping his foot impatiently, holding Nico's hand.

"Did you get the flask?" Nico asks.

"Yep, I did. Is it okay if I rest until dinner?"

Will sighs and says yes, leaving the infirmary with Nico.

I lay on the cot, thinking about what happened. I had seen almost everyone. Both camps were here, preparing for the war.

But eventually, I'm shaken out of my thoughts by the dinner horn. I get up and stretch before exiting and walking towards the dining pavilion.

I walk towards the Hunters table, asking Artemis if I could sit with them. She says yes, and everyone at the table seems happier.

Chiron walks up on the stage, speaking to everyone.

"Alright, now I know many of you are itching for answers, but first, we must welcome the Hunters."

Everyone claps and says hello, and I see John eyeing us hungrily. He struts up and says,

"Hey girls, I bet you'd like to meet me. My name is John, and I'm the greatest Demigod to exist. Come to the Zeus cabin after lights out, and I'll show you a good time."

The Hunters and Campers stare at him, disgusted and shocked, while I just laugh. He looks at me as if just realizing that I'm here. He narrows his eyes.

"Why are you laughing?"

I struggle to reply, I'm laughing so hard. When I'm finally able, I say

"You just come up to a group of man-hating women who have taken SACRED OATHS of maidenhood, and expect to, quote, "show them a good time?" I snort and continue.

"You are lucky you shocked them, or else you would be dead. And do you honestly think YOU'RE the best Demigod? Honesty, how much of a **** can you be?"

He gets mad and starts yelling. "YOU WILL RESPECT ME! I AM THE GREATEST DEMIGOD, THE SON OF THE KING OF THE GODS!"

I look at him, no longer laughing. I stand up and walk to him, looking him in the eye.

"I will never respect you. You have done terrible things, and I will not stand for your arrogance any longer."

He smiles smugly and says, "Oh yeah? Well, I won't stand for YOUR arrogance any longer. I am the greatest demigod and the most powerful child of Zeus."

The sky flashes and fills with clouds. Everyone, even what's the rest of the 7, looks up nervously.

Only me and Artemis aren't looking up. I look at her, asking her a mental question. She nods, giving me permission, and I smile.

Thalia starts to say something but is cut off when an enormous lightning bolt comes from the clouds and explodes into me. The sound is deafening, and there is so much smoke in the air.

When the smoke clears, I see John smirking, and everyone stares at him. The campers seem sad, and the Hunters are extremely angry.

They mood shifts, however, when they see me still standing. John's smirk dissappears, and everyone looks happy.

I throw back my hood, revealing my mask covered face, my eyes and hair flashing between colors.

"H-how are you alive?" John stammers.

I hold up my hand as an answer. It crackles with electricity. "When the lightning bolt came down, I simply grabbed it. Zeus's blessing is quite helpful, you know."

He stares at me and then pulls out a hidden dagger and tries to stab me, shocking everyone.

Everyone is shocked more, however, when the dagger just hits my cloak and shatters.

I stare at him, anger building in my eyes. He tries to back away but is unable to, as I summoned water to hold his legs in place.

"John Matthews Gold."

"H-how do you know my name?"

"You have tried to harm someone for the last time."

"Y-you can't punish me! My father is Zeus."

"I can very much punish you, for you are in my domain."

"Y-your domain? W-who are you?"

I unfold my wings and say, "I am Protector, or PAP, 2 time traveler of Tartarus, drinker of the Phlegethon, cursed by the Aurai, adopted child of Hestia, champion of Akhlys. I am the slayer of Tithonus's chosen, Dr. Thorn the manticore, the Nemean Lion, and the Titan Hyperion. I am the swimmer of Styx, friend of the fates, son, niece, and brother of the Olympians, friend and battle brother of Perseus Achilles Jackson, and the God of Demigods!"

I walk to him and put my hand in front of his face, poised to flick him.

"And... I am the force to give you your punishment. Any last words before I punish you for the murders you committed?"

"I haven't killed anyone!"

"YOU KILLED SALLY, PAUL, AND ESTELLE BLOFIS!" I yell before flicking his head with my electrified hand.

He went flying across camp, only stopping after hitting one of the ampitheater pillars, slumping unconscious onto the ground.

Annabeth stands up, hope in her eyes.

"Percy?"

I whip my head towards her.

"What?"

"Ohmygod, it is you. It all makes sense."

I start slowly shaking my head, but no one notices. They're all caught up in the hope that I am me.

"Stop," I say quietly.

Annabeth continues, "It's why you had the new campers call you PAP. It stands for Perseus Achilles... Protector."

"Stop!" I say, but she is so caught up in her speech that she doesn't.

"And that's why you're so mad at John and how you controlled the water, and that's how you know our names!"

"I said STOP!" I yell, a slight shockwave rippling from me.

"I. Am. Not. Percy Jackson."

"How do we that that's true?" She demands, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

I sigh and answer sadly. "Because Percy Jackson is dead."

The entire camp goes silent. Annabeth drops her arms and simply says,

"What?"

"You heard me."

"No. NO! You have to be lying. When we asked the gods, they said he was alive and made it out of Tartarus."

"When was this?"

"About 4 months ago."

"Percy died 5 days ago."

She doesn't say anything for about a minute, trying to grasp this new information.

"How?"

"Pardon?"

"How did he die? And how did you know him?" She asks, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

I sigh and get ready to tell a story.

"On my second time traveling through Tartarus, I met Percy. He was alone, walking alongside the river Phlegethon. We met and talked, and agreed it would be a faster escape if we worked together. We made it to Damasens Hut and found a book that contained the blueprint of a flask that would have an infinite amount of Tartarus river water. After traveling to all five rivers to collect what was needed, we returned to the hut and created it. We then went to Akhlys to learn how to use the death mist and were teleported by her to an... exit out of Tartarus. After getting over one last challenge, we escaped and have been helping demigods get to the camp for years, along with killing monsters."

"How did he die?"

"A monster got a lucky shot. He died in my arms."

"Did he say anything?" Piper asked.

She hadn't spoken the whole time, so I was surprised. But I answer, nonetheless.

"He told me that he forgave all of you and that he still cherished the good memories he had with you all."

Almost every camper is crying at this point. The only person who's not is Annabeth, and it's because she still isn't convinced. But I know what will break that dam. I turn to her and say

"You, however..." I take a deep breath before continuing. This was going to be hard.

"He saved you for his dying breaths."

"And what did he say? That he hates me? That he will never forgive me!?" She asks, fighting tears.

At that moment, I realize that she blames herself for me leaving, and she can't forgive herself if I don't forgive her.

I shake my head. "No, he said that he could never hate you. He said that he wanted to come back to you, to his Wise Girl. With his last breath,  he said... he-h..."

It's so hard, but I have to do it. I will reveal myself, but I can't yet.

Annabeth is dangerously close to crying, and she steps closer to me, reaching her hand out weakly.

"What did he say?" She asks, almost begging.

"He... he said that he wished he had given you the ring a week earlier."

A stunned silence follows. I had never discussed my planned proposal with any of the gods, so this was news to Artemis. And from the stunned silence of the campers, I could tell that she had never told them either.

The silence is ended abruptly when she starts to sob. Annabeth is finally letting the tears spill. She finally believes me. She slowly drops to the ground in front of me and curls into a ball. It takes everything I have to not unmask and comfort her.

Piper and Hazel come up, picking her up and taking her to the Athena cabin to comfort her.

Chiron, with tears in his eyes, walks up to the stage and tells everyone that it's lights out.

Some people go and bring John to the infirmary. Artemis and the Hunters offer to let me sleep in their cabin with them. Turns out, they see me as a brother now.

I decline and go into the forest. I find a suitable tree and hang upside down from one of its branches, wrap my wings around myself, and cry myself to sleep.

Chapter Text

I wake up and look through my wings. It seems to be about midnight, and Nico is in front of me, about to poke me with his sword.

"Do you need something, Nico?"

He jumps back and whirls around.

"Who said that?"

"Nico, look back at the coccoon."

He looks back at me, and I unfold my wings, but stay hanging upside down.

"I said that."

"Oh. Are those... wings?"

"Yes, they're a gift from a primordial. Why are you here?"

His face darkens as he says, "I was actually looking for you."

"What for?"

"I know Percy isn't dead. I would feel his death, considering how powerful he is."

"Hm, yes, I guess I didn't think of you having that knowledge."

"So where is Percy?" He asks, pointing his sword at my nose.

I use my finger to push the sword away and tap my ear to turn my mask back into an earring.

"Is my mask really that good at hiding my identity?"

He drops his sword with a clang, looking at me with his jaw dropped.

"Percy?"

I drop to the ground and stand up before replying.

"Yeah, Nico, it's me."

"Y-how did-why are y-I -"

"Alright, Nico, slow down, I can answer your questions."

He takes a deep breath and asks his first question.

"How did you get through Tartarus?"

I tell him about my journey through Tartarus, leaving nothing out.

"You killed Bob?" He asks.

"Yes. I had to. However, he reassured me that he would be reborn one day and would get to the surface."

"I-ok. Why are you hiding your face? And why did you tell the camp that you were dead?"

"A couple of reasons. One, if the enemies think that I'm dead, then I have the advantage. Two, if the camp thinks that I'm dead, then I become a martyr. And three, I really need more time before I'm ready to show them I'm back."

"Why were you traveling with the Hunters?"

"I needed some time interacting with non-gods before I got to camp. Also, Nico, all the Hunters know who I am, so if you have to, you can talk about me with them."

He looks at me and asks his final question. "Can I tell Will? I really don't like hiding things from him."

I think about it and reply, "Yes. But you have to make him promise not to yell anybody."

"Deal," he says, fading into the shadows. I am unable to sleep, so I go to the dining pavilion, only to find John there. I quickly turn my earring back into my mask and walk up to him.

"You should be in the infirmary."

He whips around, yelping as he sees me.

"W-why are you awake?"

"Because I want to be. What are you doing?"

"I-I was just going for a walk."

"Don't lie to me, John. There is nothing stopping me from killing you."

"Wha-there is absolutely something stopping you from killing me!"

"And what might that be?"

"If you kill me, my father will punish you," he says as he puffs out his chest.

I look at him, unamused, before looking up at the sky and yelling

"HEY THUNDERPANTS! RUMBLE THE SKIES IF YOU LIKE ME MORE THAN THIS GUY!"

The sky rumbles and flashes with lightning.

I look back down at John, who seems terrified. I continue speaking.

"Now John, last chance. What were you doing?"

"Fine! I was sending a message."

"A message to who?"

"That's none of your business."

"I am the God and protector of Demigods. It is absolutely my business."

He's about to respond when the breakfast horn blows. Campers start walking out of their cabins and into the dining area.

I turn to John."We'll talk later. Go eat," I say with the flick of my hand.

He turns and walks towards the Zeus table while I go and sit next to Nico and Will, who, being Nico's boyfriend and resident doctor, was allowed to sit at the Hades table with him.

I sit across from them and ask Will,

"Has Nico told you yet?"

"Yeah, he did. Is it really you?"

"Yes, it is. Did he tell you my reasons?"

"Yeah. Do you know whe -"

He's cut off by the big house's door banging open, Rachel stumbling out, her eyes turning green.

We all stay silent as she delivers a prophecy.

The cloaked one comes
To silence the old enemies' thrums
With everything on the line
Seeming doomed by the fates twine
With him, his six paragons come
Their reappearance causing the hum
An old flame to regain
And a sacrifice, to let it all remain.
When all seems lost, he rises again.
Both the Sacrifice and the Pit
Will fight to see who gains the pain
But when it comes down to it
All it will take is a single hit.

Rachel collapses and is caught by 2 campers who carry her to her cave.

I start to eat again when Chiron walks onto the stage and says,

"Head camper meeting! Thalia, Reyna, Frank, Hazel, and Protector, please come as well. John... Thalia will sub in for you."

I head into the big house, seeing everyone sitting at their spots around the ping pong table. I opt to stand.

"So," Annabeth begins. Her eyes are red but determined. "Old enemies... that has to be both the Titans and the Giants."

"What?!" Frank cries."We beat them less than 10 years ago, and they're already coming back?"

I step forward. "Yes, and with the line about the Pit in the prophecy, it seems like Tartarus will be helping them this time."

That causes Chaos around the room until Annabeth yells, "QUIET!"

She looks at me and says, "With him, his six paragons emerge... you're the cloaked one... that must mean what's left of the 7 and Nico are your paragons!"

"What about Reyna and Thalia?" I ask.

Annabeth looks to be at a loss for words, but I continue.

"No, you are not the paragons of the prophecy. While you are all very good and strong demigods, the prophecy is just confirming a plan I've had in the back of my head for a while."

"And what is that?" Hazel asks.

"I'm going to call in a favor from the fates."

Everyone looks at me, dumbfounded.

Chiron butts in before people start telling me of how stupid of a plan it is.

"Alright, well, we can focus on the prophecy tomorrow, but for now, you should all focus on tonight's game of Capture the Flag."

Leo perks up. "Can I please use Festus this time?"

Chiron is about to say no, but I respond instead.

"It's Campers/Romans vs. Hunters, right? I'll play, and the campers can set traps and use Festus."

Annabeth looks at me strangely before saying, "You realize how unfair that is, right? You and the Hunters are doomed."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," I say, smirking. "Now, I have to go do some things, but I will be back in time for Capture the Flag. Goodbye," I say, waving at everyone before turning invisible with the death mist and mist teleporting to Olympus.

I go to Hephaestus' palace and knock. A robotic assistant lets me in. I walk around before eventually finding him. I explained what I wanted and gave him the materials needed, and then left.

Next, I go to Hades' place and tell him my plan. He relents and gives me his permission. Next, I go to see the fates.

I walk into their cave to see them over a strange mirror, letting 3 robotic automatons do their work.

I hear them mumbling but only hear snatches. "Not supposed to happen... out of our hands... not important... interesting... Tartarus... they look so happy... child..."

I speak up. "If I may, Lady Fates, what are you looking at?"

They look up from their mirror, and one of them hides it in her cloak.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. We were just looking at a different timeline."

"Oh. You can do that?"

"Yes, we can. Now, what are you here for?"

I tell them of my plan and the prophecy, and they give their approval.

I check the time and realize that it's getting close to Capture the Flag.

I teleport back to Olympus and pick up my item from Hephaestus, and then I teleport back to Camp Half-Blood. I teleported to the dining pavilion, so now I have to head to Zeus' fist.

When I get there, the Hunters come up to me, talking about how this will be the easiest game ever. I'm about to tell them not to get cocky, but then the horn blows.

I take off to where I know the Campers will have placed their flag. It's a nice little spot I found before John showed up that is easy to defend.

I noticed that the line you have to pass to win if you have the Flag is at the river where I was claimed when I first got to camp.

I get to the spot, and low and behold, Leo is the standing guard of the flag, on top of Festus.

I walk up in front of them and start talking.

"Hey Leo! Where's the rest of your team?"

He looks down at me and laughs. "Man, they all went after your guys' flag."

"Good to know, Leo!" I say, punching Festus in the snout. Leo goes flying off his back, and Festus skids on the ground until he stops at about 50 feet away.

Festus starts warming up his mouth, and Leo notices too late.

"Wait, Festus no!" He cries, but it's too late. I am covered in fire and just stand there. When the fire stops, Leo sees me standing nonchalantly and stutters, "wha-how? How are you alive?"

"Disregarding that I am Hestia's adopted son, I bathe in the River Phlegethon."

I stroll past him and Festus, who are looking at me in awe, and grab the flag, taking off back towards the split line.

I stop when I see Annabeth holding the hunters' flag, standing right at the edge, waiting for me.

I walk out in front of her. If either of us takes 2 steps, we win.

"Why did you wait for me?"

"I wanted to see how strong you really are. I don't doubt that you're strong, I just..."

"You want to make sure I was worthy of being Percy's friend, don't you?"

She sighs. "Yes and no. Percy could make friends with pretty much anybody, I just..."

"Annabeth. Why did you have the separation line be the river where he was claimed?"

"Brings back memories. Now, are you going to try and take the flag or what!"

I lean on the flag I'm holding like a cane. "Nah."

She stares at me, confused. "Why?"

"Because the moment I take a step, I will be attacked by all the campers hiding around us and will be hit by a dozen traps."

She looks stunned. "How did you know that?"

I sigh. "I am a god. Now, want to see something cool, Annabeth?"

She looks suspicious, but she knows I can't do much, so she nods. I put the flag on my back, take out my flask, and shake it while mumbling, "Styx, Acheron, Cocytus."

I manipulate the liquid inside and have it slowly flow out of the flask until it reaches a ball of floating liquid the size of a beach ball.

"How are you doing that?" Annabeth asks, staring at the ball of liquid in awe.

"I am the God of many things, one being Demigods, as you know, but another is the Five rivers of Tartarus. Now, are you ready for the cool thing?"

She nods, not taking her eyes off the ball. "Great. I'll have fun with this," I say. She turns to me, confused, and I flick my hand, causing the ball to explode, sending drops of water out to every demigod surrounding us.

I unfold my wings and grab the flag Annabeth is holding before flying off to Zeus' fist, laughing and dodging the arrows being shot at me.

I land at Zeus' fist and untie the Hunters, who had gotten jumped and git with traps.

"You guys got cocky," I said dissaprovingly.

"Yeah, well, we learned. Now, I think we have to get back to Camp," Thalia says.

I nod. "That we do. Come on, everyone."

When we get back to camp, I see a lot of campers crying. Annabeth stomps up to me. We're pretty far from the campers, so I signal the hunters to continue moving.

"What was that liquid!" Annabeth asks.

"That, Annabeth, was a mixture of Styx, Acheron, and Cocytus. Want a taste?" I ask, holding my flask out to her.

She declines, and I shrug, bringing the flask to my lips and drinking some.

"I thought you only drank Phlegethon."

"Nah, I just like it the most. Plus, it's the healing one, so... it's usually the one I drink."

She looks at me, thinking about asking a question. She decides and does.

"Where did you get the flask?"

"Damasen had book filled with blueprints and designs for magical things. The flask was one of them."

"Did you leave it in Tartarus?"

"No, I have it on me always."

"What, where?"

I tap my left ear, and the book appears in front of me. I catch it and hand it to Annabeth.

"I enchanted it so it will always return to me and so it can turn into an earring."

She looks in it a bit and hands it back. I tap my left ear again, and there it is, hanging off my ear.

"There's a piercing on your right ear,  but no earring. What goes on that?"

"My mask."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"... Are your hair and eyes always shifting colors?"

"No, that is an aspect of the mask."

"Oh. Do...do you have weapons? I haven't seen you use any."

"Yes, actually. One of my domains is hidden weapons. All of my weapons are tattoos on my body."

"That's...really cool."

"Yes, it is."

"Do you...do you have Riptide?" She asks quietly.

"Yes, I do. It was a gift from Percy."

"Which tattoo is it?"

"Can you guess?" I say, using it as an excuse to give her my hands. She looks over them until she see the wave on the back of my right hand. She taps it. "This one. This is Riptide."

I pull my hand away and summon Riptide. The tattoo dissappears from my hand at the same time Riptide appears.

"Yes. You are correct," I say, handing her the sword.

She takes it and looks at it lovingly. She gives it back, saying, "If Percy wanted you to have it, make sure you use it."

"Believe me, I will," I say, smiling, turning the sword back into a tattoo.

She sees my smile under my hood and then seems to realize something. She throws off my hood and stares me directly in the eyes.

I look at her eyes, surprised, and fall into the trap. I can not tear my gaze from the grey eyes, the ones boaring into my soul. The ones I love.

"I knew it..." She whispers. She throws my hood back on and grabs my chin. The horn signaling lights out starts, signaling for everyone to get to their cabins to go to sleep.

"The beach, 12:00! And you better have a dam good explanation," She growls out before stomping away to her cabin, blinking tears out of her eyes.

Thankfully, no one saw or heard the final exchange. I sigh, knowing that the hardest talk in my life was about to come, but I also knew I had one last thing to do before 12:00.

I turn myself invisible and go to search through John's cabin.

Chapter Text

I make my way to the Zeus cabin, dodging the campers heading to their cabins for sleep.

When I get to the Zeus cabin, I hear John talking inside.

"Yes, I under- No, I'm not- Ugghh, yes I'm gonna drink it soon. That stupid "protector" guy is gonna pay."

He pauses for a moment before talking again.

"No, it's just him. The prophecy said something about six paragons, but those are probably just what's left of the 7. And Nico, I guess."

He pauses again.

"Yes, I'm just gonna do the same thing I did to Percy. I'll do it tomorrow, ok?"

He pauses for the final time before becoming mad.

"No, I can't do it right now! I can't kill him. My father likes him more than me, and it's dark. You know what I have to do when it's dark."

He storms out of the cabin, and I barely dodge him. He starts walking to the dining pavilion, but that's a problem for the layer.

I slip inside the cabin and start searching. There's not much, just a bed and a three drawer stand.

I search the first drawer and find some combs. The second drawer only has weird lighting bolt pins. The third has what looks like an empty bottle, with the label sticker improperly torn off.

I look around the cabin a bit more when something catches my attention. The pillows are strangely propped up, as if hiding something.

I lift the pillows and see a purple-pink potion and a strange red disk.

I take both and slip them into my cloak when the cabin door opens. Thankfully, I'm still invisible, so all John sees is his pillow floating.

He misinterprets the situation entirely.

"Oh, c'mon, Annabeth," he says.

"I've told you before that if you want to... have a 'good time' you could just ask."

I look at him, disgusted, and put the pillow back on the bed. He notices and starts slowly walking to the bed, saying, "Well, that seemed like an invitation to me. Take that cap off baby, lets start the night."

He's standing at the back up the bed, lips puckered and eyes open, waiting for 'Annabeth' to reveal herself. I slip behind him and then hit him with my shield.

He falls onto the bed, unconscious, and I slip out of the cabin, glad I wasn't caught.

I teleport to Olympus and go to Hephaestus's palace. When the robotic servant lets me in, I see him lounging on his couch, drinking a beer, watching a football game, and tinkering with a metal square.

"Hey, Percy. Got an order?"

I hand him the disk and say,

"No, I just need to know what this is."

He takes it and pales.

"Percy, where did you find this?"

"Under John's pillows at camp."

"Was there anything else?"

"Uh, yeah, a potion," I say as I pull it out.

He takes the potion and seems to realize something. He freezes as if building something in his mind.

"Hephaestus? Yoo-Hoo, earth to Hephaestus," I say as I wave my hand in front of his face.

He snaps out of it, looks at me, and says,

"Come with me. We need to call a council meeting."

I look at him, confused, but he marches out of the palace and into the throne room, leaving me no choice but to follow.

When we get there, he pulls something out of his pocket and throws it up. It sputters and then rises to the roof. When it touches the roof, a bright light shoots from it.

The gods start flashing in, one by one. Once all of them are here, Zeus asks,

"Why did you call this meeting, Hephaestus?"

"I recently learned that Camp Half-Blood has a spy in its midst."

The gods all stare, their interest peaked.

"And who might this spy be?" Zeus asks.

"Your son, John Gold."

"Do you have proof?"

"Yes, father. Percy searched his cabin and found this," Hephaestus says as he pulls out the red disk.

"What is it?"

"This, father, is an object that allows someone to talk to someone else mentally."

"How does this prove he is a spy?"

"Because this specific disk is a direct mental contact with Tartarus."

Zeus goes silent before saying,

"Veery well. Anything else for you to say?"

"Actually, yes, father," Hephaestus says.

We all look at him, confused about what else he has to say.

"As you know, John was the reason Percy left camp."

"Yes, I do know that. But I also knew ow that it wasn't just him. Percy told us that the camp hated him."

"That's true, Father, they did, but it wasn't there doing."

Everyone looks at me, wondering how I would take it. I'm just looking at Hephaestus.

"What do you mean, it wasn't there doing?" I ask.

He looks at me and says

"Percy, this potion you found is a charmspeak potion," he says as he pulls the potion out of a pocket.

I stare at him.

"What is a charmspeak potion?"

Aphrodite speaks up, answering my question.

"Many, many years ago, I did something... dumb. I made a deal with a witch, where she would help me with my problem if I gave her two potions that would induce charmspeak."

"What do you mean?"

"Percy, those two potions make a person have charmspeak for about 2 months."

My mind reels at this new information.

"Wait, so not only is John a spy, but he also used a potion to turn everyone against me?"

"Yes," Aphrodite says as she nods.

Zeus clears his throat and speaks.

"What should we do about him, then?"

I answer, saying, "Lord Zeus. After I learned that he killed my parents, I made a promise to the fates not to take revenge. They said he would get his due. So for now, I don't think we should do anything."

He looks at me uncertainly but says,

"Very well. I think with that, this meeting is over."

He flashes away, and so do the rest of the gods, other than Hephaestus. I turn to him and ask,

"Can I have the potion?"

He smiles and hands it over, saying,

"You should head pack to camp. It's 12:00."

I blanch and teleport to camp. I race my way to the beach and see Annabeth sitting on it. I pat myself to make sure I have the potion and the order from Hephaestus on me.

I walk up and sit next to her.

"Hey, Annabeth," I say lightly.

She shakes her head and looks across the lake.

"Why did you tell me you were dead?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't even. I know it's you under there, Percy."

I sigh and take my mask off. I keep my hood on, though, just in case.

"Yeah, Annabeth, it's me."

She turns to face me, and I turn to face her. We're just looking at each other's faces, and then she bursts into tears.

"Woah, woah, Wise Girl, what's wrong?" I ask as I scoot up to her, holding her hands.

"Don't call me that," She manages to say.

"What, why?"

She starts crying harder.

"I-I cheated on you! We loved each other with everything we had, and I cheated! I can't move on, I just - I just...I..."

She envelopes me in a hug and says

"I don't think you can ever forgive me, but... if you can... can we at least be friends again?"

I pull her away from me and look her in the eyes.

She looks back at me, and we stare for a bit, lost in the others' eyes.

"I-I like your eyes better this way," She stutters.

"Better which way?"

"The sea-green is better than the rainbow."

I nod and lift my hand to her cheek, wiping away one of her tears.

"Wise Girl -"

She grabs my hand and looks at me angrily.

"I told you not to call me that. I don't deserve it. I betrayed you, and... you..."

I gently lift her hand off mine.

"I what, Wise Girl?"

"You don't have to pretend to love me to make me feel better. I don't want you to. I want you to live your life, and if that means that I'm not in it, or if I'm just a friend, then I... I'll accept it."

"Why would you accept that?"

She starts to cry again.

"Because I love you, Percy. And I think I always will. I don't know why I cheated, but -"

"You still love me?"

She nods slowly and uncertainly before lowering her head in shame.

I bring my hand to her chin and lift her head to look me in the eyes.

I start to speak softly.

"Annabeth. You will always be my Wise Girl, because..."

"Because what?"

"Because I will always love you."

She continues looking me in the eyes, searching every last atom of them for signs of lying. She finds none.

"You... you really still love me?"

"Yes, Wise Girl, I do."

She rushed into me, knocking me onto the sand with a hug and then a tearful kiss.

We stand up, holding each other in our arms, when I take the potion out of my pocket.

"Wise Girl," I whisper.

She looks at me, and then the potion and asks,

"What is that?"

"This is a charmspeak potion. I found it when searching through John's cabin."

She looks at me, confused.

"What do they do?"

"Give someone charmspeak for a while. There was one empty bottle."

She looks at me, understanding dawning I'm her eyes.

"That *****. I'm going to kill him," She says, the anger of a thousand sun's in her eyes.

"Annabeth, one last thing."

"What is it, Percy?"

"When I was telling you about my 'final words,' I was telling you the truth. I do wish I had given you the ring a week earlier."

She kisses me and looks me in the eye.

I continue, saying, "I always kept the ring with me, but recently I ordered something from Hephaestus, and the ring was one the materials."

She looks at me and says, "Seaweed Brain, if you feel bead about losing a ring, I swear I'm gonna -"

"No, no, Annabeth. I didn't lose it. It was just used as a component for something else, something better."

She looks at me, confused, and I take a step back. She starts to look hurt until I drop on one knee.

She gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. The sun has started to rise behind me. It's the perfect timing.

"I, uh, I never got to do this before, and I haven't practiced it in a while, so here goes." I take a deep breath and continue.

"Annabeth Chase, you are my Wise Girl. I love you with everything I have ever had and everything I will have. We have done so many things together, but now we get to do something new. My time spent with you is brighter and better than anything else. Telling you I was dead was the hardest thing I have ever done."

I pull Hephaestus's package out of my pocket. It's a grey and blue box. Inside of it is a chain necklace, the chain links always shifting between black, green, gold, and grey. It has a small charm of an owl in front of a wave.

I open the box and present her the necklace.

"Annabeth Chase, will you live out the rest of your days with me? Will you... be my wife?"

She looks at the necklace, weakly takes it out of the box, and holds it in her hand.

"Yes, of course," She says weakly as she throws herself into my arms. We spin around and crash into the sand, laughing and crying tears of joy.

We stay there for a while, but eventually, I stand up, still holding Annabeth in my arms.

"Wise Girl."

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain?"

"It's almost time for breakfast."

She rubs her eyes.

"Okay. You should put your mask on."

I do, and then say,

"Alright. Please don't tell anyone about what happened or that I'm Percy."

"Okay. But you should tell everyone soon."

"I will, but there's a few more things I need to do."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"God's above you look beautiful. Uhhh... Oh yeah! Your necklace can turn into any kind of firearm, and it will have infinite ammo. It will function perfectly in your hands or mine."

She stares at me.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah, very."

"I'm beautiful?"

"Wha- that's the part you focus on?"

"My hair is a rats nest! And I don't have any makeup on."

"You look beautiful no matter your hair style, plus, I'm not a big fan of makeup, soo..."

She playfully pushes me and says, "You better unmask soon, cause I don't want to have to hide this necklace."

I chuckle. "Soon, Annabeth, I promise."

"Good."

The breakfast horn blows, so she starts to walk away. I remember something and call out to her,

"Don't kill John, okay?"

She looks back and says,

"Fine!"

I blow her a kiss, and she walks away, presumably to the dining pavilion.

I make sure everything is still on me and set out to the woods. I'm gonna need a couple more hours of sleep before going to talk with Piper.

Chapter Text

I find a good tree and fall asleep, causing a weird dream.

I'm standing on what looks like a metal square in space. Behind me are planets and stars. In front of me is complete black. It seems that I'm standing at the edge of the universe.

"Well, Percy?"

I turn around, expecting to see Akhlys, but I am surprised to see Chaos.

"Well, what?"

She sighs. "Will you take the leap?"

"What leap?"

She looks at me and says,

"Oh, I see."

"You see what?"

"You're here too early."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, for now. However, I can help you."

"How?"

"With advice. You need to get the paragons soon. Much has happened in the last couple of days, much more than I would expect. You are a fast worker."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Look, Percy, you have a week. One week until the war finishes. You need to get the paragons and start training the campers."

"But I don't even know who all of them will be!"

"You'll figure it out. Until then, know this. You will see your family when gathering the paragons. They are content and living their lives in Elysium. Do not try to bring them back."

I bow my head, sadly. "If that your will, Lady Chaos."

"Thank you, Perseus."

"Of course."

"You will wake soon. When you come back here," She says, gesturing to the square, "you better have an answer."

"An answer for what?"

"You'll figure it out," She says as my vision goes black.

I awake to quiet footsteps. It's dark, I slept too late.

I look through my wings to see who caused the footsteps. Piper is trying to sneak through the forest. She hasn't seen me yet, so I turn invisible and start to follow here.

She walks for a while and eventually reaches Zeus's fist, sitting on it. I make sure my mask and cloak are on and walk up to sit next to her, making myself visible.

"It's dangerous to go out alone at night, y'know."

She jumps up and whips out Katoptris and points it at me, surprise and fear in her eyes. She sees me and lowers her dagger, sitting back down next to me and saying,

"Yeah, well, I do it every night, and I haven't been hurt or caught yet."

"Why?"

She sighs. "I had a... friend who died some years back. I come here because the rock is named after his father, and I can clearly see the sky."

"You say friend with hesitation, was he more than that?"

"I... yeah, he was. We dated for a while, but we got into an argument, and eventually, we... split apart. I wanted to go back to him, to talk through it and to try the relationship again, but..."

"He died."

"Yes. And know that I'm a god, I won't be able to see him in Elysium."

"Then why did you accept Godhood?"

"Emotianal turmoil. And not thinking through my actions. I'm surprised Percy turned it down twice. It's so tempting. But now... both Jason and him are dead."

"Jason?"

"The one who died. My ex."

"I see. Do you think Jason still cares for you?"

"I don't know. I, however, would give up godhood for the chance to bring him back. Even if he wouldn't give the relationship another shot, I think we would still be friends."

"I see. You really care for him."

"Yeah, I do. Very, very much."

I stay silent for a moment before asking,

"Why are you so open to talking with me? It's not that I'm ungrateful, I love to help, but I just would like to know why."

"I talked to Annabeth. She was so much happier today than she's been in years, and I wanted to know why. When I asked, she paused for a moment and just said that she talked to you."

"Huh."

"I don't know why talking to you would make her so happy, but I trust her."

"I see..."

She looks up to the stars and says,

"I should get going. I need some sleep. Thank you for -"

"Who do you think the six paragons are?"

She looks at me confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Just interested."

"Okay, well... the prophecy said they would reappear, right? So, probably missing Demigods."

"That's an... interesting guess."

She looks at me, thinking about something, and asks,

"Aren't you the champion of Akhlys?"

"Yes..."

"Why are you so nice?"

"Aren't you the daughter of Aphrodite?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why aren't you stuck up?"

"Oh, ha ha." She stands up and stretches. "I should really get going."

"Yeah, you should."

She starts to walk away until I say

"Piper, does Katoptris still work?"

She turns around, looking at me suspiciously.

"How do you know I have Katoptris?"

"A couple of reasons, but the main one is the fact that you pointed it at me earlier."

"Oh. Right. Well, no, it doesn't work anymore."

"Okay, just checking."

She starts to turn away when I speak up again.

"Wait, one last thing."

She turns back around to look at me, folding her arms and huffing out,

"What?"

"The six paragons. They aren't gonna be missing Demigods," I say, and then teleport away.

When I land in Olympus, I make my way to Athena's palace.

I knock on the door, and about a minute goes by before the door opens.

"Wha- who's there?" Athena asks sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Athena. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course, Percy. Want some tea?"

"No, thank you, just need some help."

I walk into the palace, walk into the living room, and sit down on a couch. Athena sits down across from me and puts her hands on her knees.

"What do you need help with, Percy?"

"Have you heard the new prophecy?"

"Yeah, Apollo recited it for us."

"I need help with some of the paragons."

"What do you mean?"

I tell her my plan, but also about how I only have 4 out of the 6 picked out so far. She nods along and then mentions 2 people I haven't thought of.

"I didn't even think of those two. Thank you, Athena."

"You're welcome, Percy. Anything else to say?"

"I finally made do on the blessing you gave me 6 years ago."

"What? I nev... wait, really!?"

I nod my head. "Yes, really."

She hugs me as hard as she can.

"Once this war is over, we'll get Hera to set the wedding up! Oh, it'll be great!"

I don't have the heart to tell her about my suspicion of what roll I will play in the war.

"I'm sure it will be. Thank you for the help, Athena."

She nods giddily and goes to make tea so she can sleep. I teleport away. There's only about 8 hours until lunch. That's when I'm gonna introduce the Paragons.

I walk through the gates of the Underworld, passing Cerburus and giving each head a bone.

When I get to Hades's palace, I enter. He sees me walk into the throne room.

"I wondered when you would come. Decided who to pick?"

"Yes, I have."

"Good. When you have them, just call out to me. I'll bring you all back here."

"Got it."

"Good luck, Percy," he says as he snaps his fingers, teleporting me to Elysium.

I look around. Everything is basked in a faint yellow-good light. I walk around for a bit before seeing three people having a picnic on a hill.

"I mean, they're late all the time. What do you expect." One says.

Another replies, in a voice that souns like a girl, "Yeah, but I made all the food. It'll get cold if they are any longer."

The third speaks up, saying, "Hun, were in Elysium. Food doesn't get cold if it's not supposed to be."

She harrumphs and is about to reply when she sees me. She scoots back suddenly, and I'm confused as to why until I realize that I'm still wearing my cloak and mask.

The other two stand up, one holding a hammer, the other taking out a familiar sword. At that moment, 3 other people walk up the hill from the other side.

They see the 2 with their weapons drawn, and then they see me and also pull out their weapons. One has a gold sword, another has a bow, and the last one pulls out a pair of hunting knives.

"Alright, who are you?" The one with the familiar sword says. I squint and look up the hill, the gold-yellow light keeping me from seeing the peoples faces.

"I'm, uh, just a dude trying to find some people."

"Who?" The one with the gold sword asks.

"Some old Demigod friends of mine, trying to give them a second chance."

They all lower their weapons and huddle together. The girl who was sitting is now standing up, also talking in the huddle. The only thing I hear is "Not Nico," which confuses me.

The one with the familiar sword steps forward, saying, "Alright. If you tell us the names of the demigods you're looking for, we can help you."

I scoff. "I can't just tell you. I can't even see your face."

"What? Why can't you-oh. I forget about the light sometimes. Just come up here. We won't kill you."

I walk up to the top of the hill and look at each of them, stunned.

"So?" The one with the gold sword asks. "Who are you looking for?"

I say nothing, just pulling down my hood. They all stare at my hair, shocked.

The one who was sitting asks me, "How did you get your hair and eyes like that?"

I just stare at them and start to tear up. The one with the hammer asks,

"Hey, are you alright?"

I say nothing again, this time tapping my ear to revert my mask into an earring.

Now it's their turn to be shocked. They all state at me before tackling me in a hug, laughing.

I laugh with them. With my old friends. With Luke, Jason, Beckendorf, Selena, Zoe, and Bianca.

They suddenly stop laughing, and they lift me up.

"As great as it is to see you, does this mean you're..?" Jason asks hesitantly.

I laugh again. "No, I'm not dead. I was actually looking for you six."

"Why?" Silena asks.

"A new prophecy was issued. Some of the lines are about 'six paragons reappearing,' and I figure it would be you guys."

"Ok," Bianca says.

"Where would we be going?" Zoe asks.

"To camp half-blood."

They all wince, and Jason puts his hand on my shoulder.

"We got the news of what happened... with you and the new camper," he says.

"Yeah," Luke continues. "When I see Annabeth again, she better have Thals there, or else she's walking away with a broken bone or two."

"Pleae don't break my fiances bones."

They all stare at me, shocked.

"Wha-but she cheated!" Bianca says.

I laugh and say, "Yes, but not of her own choice. Turns out, the new camper had two potions that gift charmspeak for a couple of months, along with a direct communications tablet with Tartarus."

They all stare and start voicing about how they're gonna kill him.

I calm them down and say, "Don't worry, I took the second potion of his and gave the thing that allowed him to speak with Tartarus to Hephaestus. The fates said he would get his due, so when you arrive at camp, just don't interact with him."

They all cross their arms.

"Percy, what makes you think we're coming back?"

I look at them, confused. "Why wouldn't you?"

"We all made precautions for something like this. Unless all of us go, none of us do," says Bianca.

"What's stopping you all from going?"

"We all made one individual rule," Silena responds.

Luke continues by saying, "Yeah. All of us have our individual rules. The only one left actually stopping us, however, is Jason's."

Jason rubs the back of his head.

"Seriously, guys, you should go on ahead. Go back to life. I'll be fine."

"No!" Beckendorf says.

"Alright, Jason," I ask. "What's your rule?"

He pats his pockets anxiously. "It's kinda selfish, but... I only really want to come back if I can be with Piper again."

I look at him and laugh.

"What?" He says. "Does she have a new boyfriend?"

I quiet down before speaking.

"No, dude, it's not that. Earlier, I had a talk with her. She told me that she misses you and wants to give the relationship another go. She said she would give up Godhood to bring you back."

His eyes sparkle, and Silena yells, "Whoooo! Jiper will be back, baby!"

Zoe chuckles and looks at me. "Anything we should know before we get to camp?"

"Yeah. No one but Nico, Annabeth, and the Hunters know who I am. It's what the cloak and mask are for. When at camp, at least until I unmask, just call me protector, or PAP. Also, all the campers think I'm dead. So if they ask if you saw me in Elysium, say yes."

They all nod their heads.

"Alright, guys. Get ready."

I mind message Hades, telling him I got the people. There's a black flash, and then all seven of us are standing in front of Hades.

Everyone but me freezes at the sight of Hades. I look at him and say

"Thank you, uncle."

"Anytime, my boy," he says as he walks away.

Everyone stares at me, and I just chuckle and say,

"After I got out of Tartarus, the Olympians became my family. We have a game night every friday. Last friday we played monopoly."

They all laugh, imagining the gods huddled around a monopoly board.

"Ok. Hey guys?" I ask somewhat hesitantly, and they look at me.

"Yes, Percy?" Zoe asks slowly, hearing my tone.

"You all have partial immortality now," I wince out.

They all look at each other and say at the same time, "Cool."

I breathe a sigh of relief. I really didn't want to have to argue with them.

"Alright, guys," I say as I summon cloaks for them. "Put these on. During lunch at camp, I'm gonna introduce you guys. Do not take your hoods off or interact with anyone until then, no matter how hard it is. Just walk up onto the stage silently."

They all nod, putting on their cloaks.

"Zoe, did you get the hang of modern english?"

"Yes. It took a while, but I did."

"Good," I say as I put my cloak and mask on. "Also, be prepared for the rushes of old friends and parents."

"Parents?" Luke asks.

"Yeah, or in Zoe's case, patron. I'm inviting my family to this event," I say with a glint in my eye.

I get everyone to hold hands in a ring, and I teleport us to half blood hill.

We all look over at the camp, the other six savoring the feeling of being back. I start walking to the dining Pavilion, and the six form a line behind me.

The demigods eating lunch see us and look confused, trying to figure out who the six behind me were.

I smirked under my hood, and I mind messaged the Olympian council. One by one, the Olympians flashed in until all 14 were here. Athena and Hades also wore smirks, while the others looked on with confusion.

When we reached the stage, I had them all stand in a horizontal line towards the eating campers and the Olympians, who had settled at their respective tables. The Hunters were also still at camp, so they were sitting at their table. The Romans were sat at their tables as well.

Athena was next to Annabeth, and I could see them talking quietly, both very happy.

I clear my throat and gain everyone's attention.

"Demigods and Olympians. As you know, the recent prophecy had a line about six paragons. I have gathered them and would like to introduce them. I will be telling you what they have done, and they will reveal themselves.

I start going down the line.

"The first Paragon is an extremely brave individual. She fought in the Titan war and was the reason the Ares campers fought. She was one of the daughters of Aphrodite to break out of the typical cliche, she is..."

Silena throws down her hood.

"I am Silena Beuregard."

The older campers stare in shock, and Clarisse runs up onto the stage, enveloping her in a hug. They both cry and walk off the stage, Clarisse guiding her to meet Piper, and I see Aphrodite looking at me happily.

"Next," I continue, "He stayed behind on a mission to make sure it went according to plan, knowing full well he would die because of it. He took care of Festus before Leo came along, and he came back with his girlfriend. He is -"

He throws his hood down.

"It's nice to see you all again, I'm Charles Beckendorf."

The older campers look even more stunned, and the Hephaestus cabin comes up to the stage and pull him away with them, bringing him to meet Leo. I see Hephaestus looking at me with pride.

I move to the next person in line.

"She went on a mission to save her patron, knowing full well she would die. She served her patron for thousands of years and was turned into stars upon her death."

Artemis's eyes start to sparkle with hope.

"She is..."

Zoe throws down her hood and says,

"I am Zoe Nightshade, ex-lieutenant of Artemis and now a modern english speaker."

Again, the older campers are shocked, and the Hunters push their way to the stage, taking Zoe and bringing her back to their table, laughing and crying the entire way. I see Artmeis looking at me with gratefulness.

I move to the next person.

"She was a daughter of Hades and was trapped in a magic hotel for 70 years." I see Nico start to grip Will's hand hard. "When she finally escaped, she encountered a manticore before coming to camp. She joined the Hunters of Artemis and bravely joined a mission despite being new. She is..."

Bianca threw down her hood, saying, "My name is Bianca Di Angelo."

Nico walks up to the stage, holding Will's hand tightly. He walks up to her and reaches out to touch her, as if he thinks she is a dream. She rushes forwards to hug him, and only let's go to drag Will into the hug. They all walk towards the Hades table and sit. I see Hades looking at me with pride.

"Now, these last 2 may come as a surprise," I say as I move to the next person in line.

"This next man was a misguided and tricked individual. He fought for the Titans in the Titan war, but before he did that, he was a great teacher and friend. When the war came along, he sacrificed himself to get rid of Kronos." Annabeth, Thalia, and Hermes are all looking at me, starting to realize who he is.

"I personally believe that he should be forgiven, and I know he will make a great protector for demigods. He is..."

Luke throws down his hood.

"My name is Luke Castellan, and I was the host of Kronos," he says gravely.

The gods all look at him, and Zeus says,"Luke. You are forgiven."

He breaks into a smile as Annabeth, Thalia, and Hermes come up to him, hugging him and crying tears of joy.

I move to the final person.

"This person was killed before he could make amends with what he wanted. He was a great leader and a great friend. He was a role model and was a son of Zeus."

Zeus's eyes widen, along with Piper's and everyone else's. Piper starts pushing her way to the front and stops at the front of the stage.

I continue.

"He was one of the Seven. He helped Apollo on his journey as a mortal and was the champion of Hera. He is..."

Jason throws his hood off and opens his arms. "My name is Jason Grace," he says to the campers before looking at Piper and saying,

"Hey, Pipes. I missed you."

She shrieks and clambers onto the stage, rushing into his arms and kissing him.

Zeus, Apollo, Hera, Reyna, Nico, and the 7 all climb onto the stage to cry and hug him.

When everything settles down, and all the gods and campers settle down at their tables, I speak again.

"Okay. I had a dream last night, and to make it short, we have one week until the 'big fight,' so for the next week, we will be training. Any questions?"

John slams his hands on the Zeus table. "Yes! You brought six people back from the dead and revealed them, but didn't reveal yourself! Who are you?"

"Does it truly matter?"

"Yes! REVEAL YOURSELF!"

I pretend to think for a moment and then say,

"Alright, but first, I would like to reveal... you."

He stammers and says,

"wha-reveal-what do you mean?"

The Olympians all smirk and raise their hands along with mine. John floats onto the stage before dropping onto it.

"What I mean is, it's time for you to reveal your true purpose at this camp."

"My true purpose at this camp is to learn! Like everyone else!"

I shake my head. "See, that's where you're wrong." I pull the potion out of my cloak and hold it out for the campers to see.

"This, my dear campers, is a charmspeak potion. It grants the drinker charmspeak for a couple of months. I would like you all to know that there was one empty bottle in John's cabin."

The campers put the rest together and start glaring at John.

"You!" Clarisse spits out. "You caused everyone's hate of Prissy! You caused him to go to Tartarus!"

"Oh, speaking of Tartarus," I say, motioning to Hephaestus. He smiles and pulls the red disk out of a pocket, and teleports it to me.

I hold it out for everyone to see. "This red disk is a direct mental channel to Tartarus himself. Using this, you could speak to Tartarus. Or, in John's case," I say as I turn to him. "You could use it to follow orders."

Everyone is glaring at him now, all wanting to partake in his death. But I continue, turning to him.

"However, John, I have a question for you. What did you trade for the charmspeak potions?"

He puffs out his chest. "It doesn't matter! Because even if you killed me, I already did the deal! And because of that, when I die, I'll immediately go to the Isles of Blest! And bo one will be able to take me from there!"

I glare at hum through my mask. "We don't care, John. What did you trade for the potions and the afterlife deal?"

He sags a little but then regains his confidence. "I promised the death of Perseus Jackson."

The entire camp goes silent. All the grumbling or hissing in anger is gone.

"And what... was the punishment if you failed?"

"Why does it matter?" He asks arrogantly.

"Just humor me."

He looks at me and says, "Fine. If I failed, I would be immediately taken to the fields of punishment, forced to partake in all the punishments down there."

I look at him and start to chuckle. The Olympians, Nico, Annabeth, the Hunters, and the paragons with me. It escalates to laughing and soon to being almost unable to breathe. The campers look at them and me as if we are crazy.

John looks at us, confused and slightly scared.

"W-whats so funny?"

I manage to stop laughing, as do all the others.

I turn to John, stopping my laughter and becoming serious.

"John, I'd like you to meet someone."

He narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"Who?"

"I'd like you to meet a Demigod 10,000 times better than you. I'd like you to meet the retriever of the Master Bolt, the Helm of Hades, and the Golden Fleece."

The campers seem confused.

"I'd like you to meet the slayer of the Nemean Lion, Dr. Thorn the manticore, Tithonus's chosen, Hyperion, Bob, the Aurai, Arachne, Medusa, the Hydra, and the Gorgons."

The campers all seem to start understanding something.

"I'd like you to meet the two time Savior of Olympus, one of the 7, the former bearer of the Achilles curse, the swimmer of Styx, the drinker of the Phlegethon, the champion of Hestia and Akhlys, the blessed of Athena, Zeus, and Dionysus, the gifted by Damasen and Hypnos, and Hestia's adopted son.

The campers are all looking at me with hope.

"I'd like you to meet the God whose godhood was granted by Chaos herself, I'd like you to meet the God of Demigods, Hidden Weapons, Accuracy, Finding, Tides, and all of the five rivers of Tartarus. The son, brother, and nephew of the Olympians.

The campers all look at me with awe and patience, while John takes a step back, his face as white as a sheet. "No," he whispers.

"I'd like you to meet Perseus Achilles Protector-Jackson," I say as I throw off my hood.

"I'd like you to meet...me," I say as I turn my mask into an earring.

Chapter Text

The campers all look at me, shocked. The put together during my speech that I was talking about myself, but it was still a shock to see me after so long.

The 7 walk up onto the stage.

"You're alive," Hazel says.

"Yes, I am alive."

Piper punches me in the arm.

"You really pulled a Leo," She says. Leo comes up to me and flicks my head, saying,

"Dude, you really need to talk to Annabeth."

"I did."

"What?" Frank asks.

"Yeah," I say, "You guys haven't noticed how happy Annabeth is? I know Piper noticed."

"I-well, yeah, but I just figured it was determination," he says.

"What did you guys talk about?" Leo asks.

I chuckle, and Annabeth walks up and stands next to me, holding the necklace out, saying,

"We talked about what happened, and then..."

"I proposed to her."

The 7's eyes light up but are interrupted by yelling.

"LET ME OUT!" John screams. He's trapped in a case of bones, courtesy of Hades.

"Hm," I say as I turn to him. "What was the deadline for your deal?"

His face pales, and he stammers.

"Ye-yesterday."

"Oh. Well, goodbye then," I say, waving to him and mind messaging the fates. They kick his punishment into action, and his bone cage starts to sink into the ground, with him in it, screaming the entire way.

When he is finally gone, I turn to the campers.

"Alright, guys, I know that this is a big shock, but we have one week to train. Finish your lunch and head to the arena."

They quickly finish their food and start heading towards the arena, gods in tow.

The 7 all go, except for Annabeth, and the Paragons come up to me.

"What are we doing, Percy?" Silena asks.

"Alright. Luke, teach swordmanship, Bianca, teach archery and accuracy, Zoe, teach... I guess knives? Beckendorf, teach hammers and building stuff on the fly, Silena, help teach powers, and Jason, you should help with spears. You used to use one, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Alright. Everyone understands? Go teach."

The paragons walk towards the arena to start relaying my orders and teaching. Annabeth gives me a kiss and heads off to practice swordmanship with her drakon-bone sword.

I walk into the arena and see the demigods all getting into groups, and I see the gods all standing in a huddle, not knowing what to do.

I walk up to them and say, "Hey, you didn't think that you wouldn't also be practicing, did you?"

They all laugh and then bring out their weapons.

Ares has a sword, Athena a spear, Hephaestus a hammer, Zeus his lightning bolt, Poseidon his trident, Hades with his helmet and sword, Hera has a staff, Demeter has a scythe, Dionysus has his pinecone weapon, Apollo has a bow, Artemis has hutning knives, Hermes has George and Martha, Hestia just attaches a thing to her two pointer fingers, and Aphrodite has a small knife.

They all get into a stance, and we begin. We've practiced before, but this time, I'm gonna use all my weapons, including my new one.

I get into a stance and shout, "BEGIN!"

Zeus fires his lightning bolt at the same time Poseidon shoots water out of his trident. I dodge both and rush towards the gods, pulling out Riptide.

I clash with Ares for a bit, dodging the occasional blast and arrow sent my way. When the time comes, I dodge out of the way of a lightning blast, and it hits Ares, sending him flying.

I turn to Athena and switch to my throwing knife. I chuck it at her, and she just laughs and deflects it with her spear. I rush in while she's distracted and front kick her in the chest, sending her flying.

I move to Dionysus, who starts trying to hit my head with the pinecone staff. I bring out my book and throw it at him. While he's confused, I grab his weapon, wrench it away from him, and then swing it like bat into his head, causing him to crumple.

I turn to Poseidon, who has been shooting water at me non-stop, and pull out my spear. I clash against his trident, but eventually, I disarm him, jumping up to dodge a blast from Zeus, causing the blast to hit Poseidon instead.

I turn to Aphrodite, who attempts to distract me with doves while trying to stab me. I block her slashes easily, but then Hephaestus jumps in, smashing the ground with his hammer. I look at them both and switch to Riptide. I disarm Aphrodite quickly and then grab Hephaestus's hammer, quickly tearing it from his hands and spinning, making it hit both him and Aphrodite.

I drop the hammer and turn to Zeus and Hades, who are working together. Hades's helmet doesn't work on me, so he's just using his sword. I turn invisible and sneak up behind Hades, taking his helmet off and putting it on my head. I reappear and yell, "BOO!" Sending them both scrambling away. I'd disarm them and turn towards the twins.

Apollo has been firing arrows the entire time, and Artemis has just been waiting. I leap towards them, throwing my knife and firing a few arrows before pulling out my sword and fighting Artemis, who's wildly slashing with her knives. I jump forward, going over her head and land in front of Apollo. I grab him and twist, throwing him into Artemis.

Hermes turns George and Martha into laser mode and starts firing at me. I dodge and run up to him, taking my knife out and battling his short staff with it. After a bit of back and forth, I take my bow out and hit hum.in the stomach with it, and then hitting his head with my knife butt when he doubles over.

I turn to look at Hera and Demeter, who are standing side-by-side, waiting for me. They rush me, and Hera swings her staff, and Demeter swings her scythe. I jump backward, making it so that their weapons crash into each other. I leap forward, pulling out my bow and hitting them both I the head with the two ends of my bow.

I turn towards Hestia, the last Olympian standing.

"Hey mom, what do the things on your fingers do?"

She lifts her hands and says, "This."

She shoots out a huge bright orange-yellow beam. I wince and cover my face, expecting it to be some sort of weapon, but it doesn't seem to do much, so I drop my hands and look at her confused. At least until I hear a booming voice behind me say

"Yield, my boy."

I trun around and see all the gods back up, holding some form of ranged weapon. Apollo and Artemis have bows, Dionysus has what looks like a t-shirt cannon, Zeus has his bolt, Poseidon has his trident, Hades has a spear made of bone that is posed to throw, Athena looks ready to throw her spear, Hermes has George and Martha pointed at me in laser mode, Hephaestus holds what look like a gun, Aphrodite has colored smoke bombs, Ares has a ball-and-chain, Hera is pointing at me, and Demeter is holding a water gun.

I look at them and jump up as fast as I can, speeding into the sky before they can react. I hear yelling below me, but I take out my bow, notch it, and whisper, "fifteen," and release the arrows, falling back down.

When I land, I notch an arrow and whisper "a thousand" and point it at the Olympians, whose weapons were all launched about of their hands by an arrow.

"Do YOU yield?"

They grumble and do. I laugh and turn my bow back into a tattoo.

"You guys did great! You started working better as groups or as a team, and Hestia bringing you guys back really surprised me. Well done."

We all laugh and congratulate each other. I love my family. Apollo eventually tells everyone in the Arena that it's dinnertime, and so we all head to the dining pavilion to eat.

I get the feeling that this week will be fun.

Chapter Text

Tomorrow is the day. It's been 6 days, full of training. We all have about 3 hours of free time until we go to bed, so I start to make preparations.

About 3 days ago, Chaos visited me in a dream, showing me a way to win the upcoming war.

I now know what my role to play in the prophecy is, so I go to the Ampitheatre. The gods are there, and I call Zeus up to talk.

We walk until we're out of hearing range, and I turn to him.

"Percy, what did you want to talk about?" He asks.

"I have a request for you."

"What is it, my boy?" He says, smiling.

"If I die tomorrow." His face falls, but I continue, taking off my book earring and giving it to him. "If I die tomorrow, I want you to give this to Hephaestus. Him and Athena will be able to create great things with it. It is also my personal diary."

"Perseus," he says darkly. "You all not die tomorrow."

"Look, Thunderpants, I would like to say that as well, but I'm not gonna deal in absolutes. Anything is possible."

He looks at me and puts the earring into his pocket.

"Very well. But Perseus, you have done so much good, and you will do so much more. Try to survive any way you can, got it?"

I nod. "Yeah, I got it. Thank you, uncle."

He hugs me, and I return it. I pat his back, and eventually, we part. He blinks back teats and goes back to the Olympians, continuing his conversation with them unhindered.

I turn invisible and go to find my friends. I see the Paragons, the 7, Calypso, Nico, Will, Reyna, and Thalia all sitting together in the arena, talking.

I walk up and turn visible, spooking them.

"Geez, Percy, you scared us!" Piper says.

I smile and crouch, saying "Alright guys. Tomorrow is the big day. Are you guys ready?"

They all pipe in with determination, voicing their confidence in winning.

"Good. It's important that you guys are ready because we will be fighting a lot of enemies. However, I do have something to say."

They all look at me curiously, and Leo asks, "What?"

"I love you all, and I'm glad we're all back. We will survive tomorrow, and we will live our lives."

They all smile and agree before returning to their conversation. I check the time and tell them to head to bed. Sleep is important, after all.

I head to Poseidons cabin, and the light out horn blows early. I enter the cabin and look around. I see the Minotaur horn and my messy bed before crashing onto it and falling asleep.

I open my eyes in a black void. I look around, trying to find Akhly.

"Percy, other way."

I turn around and see Akhlys playing chess with Chaos.

"Lady Akhlys, Lady Chaos," I say, bowing my head to them as I say their name.

"Percy, you understand what you will have to do tomorrow, right?" Akhlys asks.

"Yes, I do."

"Good," Chaos says. "Perseus, we need to have a talk," She continues, moving a pawn.

"About what?"

Akhlys sighs. "Dam. Good game, Chaos."

"Good game, Akhlys. Now, you remember our deal. It's better this way. You know it is."

"Yes, I do," She says as she dissappears.

Chaos turns back to me. "Like I said, we need to talk."

"What is it?"

"Percy, you are extremely powerful, and your power continues to grow. You single-handedly took on all 14 Olympians, and that was before almost a week of hard training."

"I don't tend to think I'm that powerful."

"I know you don't. Look, Percy, what I'm saying is, when you fulfill your role in the prophecy, using the... thing I taught you, you need to divert some of the power into healing so it doesn't vaporize your friends. Also, as a precaution, have the Olympians throw up shields when you do it."

"Of course."

"Good. Be prepared for a tough choice afterward."

"What choice?"

"Just be prepared," She says as she fades into the void. I wake up, wondering why I'm not upside down. It's still dark out. By my estimations, it's about midnight.

I head out of my cabin and head to the beach, where I see Annabeth sitting. I walk up and sit next to her.

"Why're you still awake, Wise Girl?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Worrying about something?"

"Yes."

"What're you worried about?"

"The line in the prophecy about a sacrifice."

I still. "What about it?"

"We've lost so many demigods since the second titan war. And I don't want any more to die."

"Ah."

"And-and what if you die? I don't know what I would do if..."

"You would keep living."

"What?"

"If I were to die, you would keep living."

She shakes her head. "I don't know, Percy. I -"

"No, Annabeth, you don't understand. If I die, I want you to keep living. You have to, for me. Understand?"

"I- Percy, why are..."

Her eyes widen. "No..." She says. "No, please tell me I'm wrong. Percy, tell me I'm wrong!"

"Wrong about what, Wise Girl?" I ask, knowing full well that she figured it out. She takes my hand and squeezes it hard as she looks into my eyes.

"Please tell me that you're not the sacrifice. Please, Seaweed Brain, tell me that you're not going to die!"

I look down.

"Y-yeah, Annabeth, I'm going to die."

She falls silent and starts to cry. I look up at her and open my arms. She jumps into them, knocking both of us over.

"Please, Seaweed Brain, please tell me you're joking," She says through tears.

"No, Annabeth, I'm not. I'm serious. Please don't cry, I hate seeing you cry."

She just cries more and squeezes me harder. I hold on to her, silent, for minutes before she talks again.

"And I won't be able to see you again because..."

I nod. "Yeah, because we're gods."

She kisses me through her tears.

"I thought we were going to get married... I thought we would have kids, neices, a family."

I kiss her and continue to hold her in my arms.

"I did, too. And I was looking forward to it, but even the fates can't do anything about this."

She cries and puts her head into my chest.

"Hey." I try to reassure her. "If there's any way for me to get back, I'll do everything I can to come back to you. Understand?"

She sobs into my shirt.

"I-I understand. You promise?"

"Yes, I promise. Wise Girl, you need to go to bed. You need to sleep for tomorrow."

"No," She says firmly into my shirt.

"Annabeth, you -"

She lifts her head and looks into my eyes, staring at me with stubborness.

"Seaweed Brain, y-you are going to hold me, and we are going to fall asleep together on the beach. We-we are going to enjoy our f-final moments together, got it?" She says as tears start to spill from her eyes again.

I nod and kiss her, letting my own tears spill out. She lays on top of me as I hold her, never wanting to let go. We kiss, cry, and say nothing, never wanting the moment to end.

Eventually, we fall asleep.

I dream of a future. I'm sitting on the edge of a dock, swinging my legs while Annabeth next to me, her head on my shoulder, our hands entertained. We are watching two kids who look like us play in the water. They are twins.

I look over at Annabeth, and she says.

"Are you dreaming as well?"

"Yes."

She turns back to look at the kids.

"It must be a gift from the gods. One final moment together, able to see what our future would be."

"I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Other than you."

We squeeze each other's hands and look into each other's eyes.

"I'm going to memorize this dream. I will never give up on it."

"Annabeth, you -"

"No, Percy," She says as she shakes her head. "You made a promise. You ALWAYS keep your promises. And you WILL come back to me, a-and we WILL experience this moment!"

I turn her head to look at me and kiss her.

"I love you, Wise Girl."

She starts to cry again and says,

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain."

We look back towards the kids.

"They're going to be beautiful," I say

"They already are."

"Just like you."

We watch the kids silently after that, not wanting to ruin the moment. I feel my vision start to fade, so I pull her towards me for One. Last. Kiss.

I awake to the sound of a horn before I can, Annabeth gone, footprints on the beach showing that she left to get ready.

I sit up and look at the sunrise, burning it into my memory.

Chapter Text

I look away from the sunrise and stand up. I stretch and teleport myself to the Ampitheatre.

I'm the last one to arrive. The Olympians and Campers are all ready and waiting. I land nesr the fireplace, and the Paragons come up to me.

Before they can say anything, I pull a small ball out of my pocket. I crush it in my hand, and a gold light flows into each of them.

"Gift from Chaos. You're much stronger now, physically and magically. Protecting the Demigods is a top priority. Killing monsters comes after. Obviously, still fight, but if you see a Demigod about to die or hurt, you help them."

They all nod, and I turn to the Demigod army. We get in formation and March up half-blood hill. The biggest army of monsters I have ever seen is staring at us, hungrily licking their lips.

I can see the Giants and Titans in the back of the army, led by Kronos, who is brandishing a grey and gold scythe. Porphyrion is behind him, grumbling.

The Gods faces all pale, and we have a mental conversation.

Zeus: We can't win this.

Artemis: We have to try.

Me: I have a plan. Don't worry, and put up a shield when I tell you.

Poseidon: Percy, what are you planning?

Me: Just do what I said. We'll be fine, I promise.

We stop our conversation as Kronos bellows at us,

"Ready to die, Olympians?"

"I could ask you the same," I yell back.

He growls, and the monster army charges forward. I yell, and we charge forward to meet them.

I rush into the battle, mowing down monsters with my sword. I can see the Paragons rushing around, killing monsters and healing campers.

The Hunters and the Apollo cabin are firing arrows from the back. The romans are flanking the enemies while the Greeks are meeting them head-on.

Piper and Jason are back to back, slashing and using their powers. Frank is constantly shape-shifting, while Hazel is sending high-velocity gems at monsters.

Leo and Calypso are riding Festus above us, blowtorching the enemies. Annabeth is using my proposal necklace and has so far turned it into a rocket launcher, dual pistols, and a manned turret.

I reach Kronos, and the monsters not currently fighting the demigods form a circle around us.

"Y-know, if I wished, this scythe could fade immortals."

I cock my head. "Really? What do you call it?"

He smiles darkly. "Reaper."

"..."

His smile falters. "What?"

I laugh a bit. "Dude, that's like the most unoriginal name for a scythe ever."

He glares at me. "You won't be laughing after I kill you with it."

"Yeah, sure," I say, still chuckling. "Now, we doing this or what?"

He swings his scythe, and I roll away. He swings again, this time being blocked by my sword. I twist my wrist, but he yanks the scythe back, causing my sword to fly out of my hands.

He kicks the sword behind him, and he attacks, aiming for my neck. I grab the scythe blade and use it to yank the weapon out of his hands.

He stumbles forwards carried by the momentum and falls over, landing on his knees. I turn the scythe over in my hands and then make it mine. It turns into a tattoo of a grandfather clock on my back.

He stands up and looks for his weapon. He can't find it, so he turns to me.

"Where is my scythe?" He demands.

I summon it and hold it in my hand.

"Actually, it's my scythe now. And I'm renaming it to... Timemaker."

He glares at me. "That's a stupid name."

"You're a stupid name," I grumble before leaping to gim and cutting off his head.

It falls onto the grass, and I turn towards Porphyrion when a sword juts out of my chest.

Third Person POV:

The gods and demigods were still fighting when they heard Annabeth scream at the top of her lungs.

Everyone stops to look where she's looking, seeing Gaea plunge a second sword into Percy, this time into his arm.

Percy whirls around to face her and starts to glow. All Demigods and Gods suddenly find them selfsame at Thalias tree, teleported there by Percy.

Annabeth starts to run back into the battlefield, but is grabbed and held by her friends, who endure her onslaught of curses, kicks, and punches.

As the glow gets brighter, all the Olympians are mind messaged and put up a magic shield.

Percy grabs Gaea by the throat and lifts her, getting stabbed again from behind by Porphyrion.

The moment Porphyrions spear goes through Percy's chest, everything explodes.

It was as if a nuclear bomb had gone off. The sound was deafening, and the Olympians shield shattered almost instantly. Everyone was blown back, blinded and deafened by the blast.

When their vision returned, and the smoke cleared, all that was left was a crater with a body inside of it. Gold dust floated through the air, never seeming to end.

Annabeth was the first in the crater, skidding down with no thought of her own well-being.

By the time the others got there, he was gone. Percy had died in Annabeths arms.

Annabeth POV:

Please, Seaweed Brain, please be alive.

I skid down the crater, not caring if I get hurt. I get to the bottom and rush towards the body.

I lift Percy's head in my arms, cradling it.

"H-hey Wise Girl," he manages to croak out.

I start bawling.

"Percy, why would you sacrifice yourself?"

"I w-was going to die of the sword wound, and I f-figured, hey, why not save e-everyone from G-Gaea?"

I lift him up and look him in the eyes, managing to stop crying long enough to speak.

"Y-you better keep your promise," I sniffle.

He smiles at me.

"Don't worry, Wise Girl. I will. I love... I lo... I..."

He slumps in my arms, dead.

I hold him to my chest and cry. Others come into the crater and try to separate him from me, but I don't let them.

My Seaweed Brain is gone. I finally got him back, after years of questioning why I did what I did.

I finally had him back, and I would of had him forever. We would of been immortal, we would of married, we would have had kids.

I know that he'll do whatever he can to keep his promise, but that doesn't change the fact that he died in my arms.

That makes it hard to imagine any kind of future with him in it. Piper comes up to me and convinces me to let go of Percy.

I do, and the gods pick him up. I trust they will take good care of him. I stumble my way to the Poseidon cabin, ignoring everybody. I grab the Minotaur horn and crash into Percy's bed, falling asleep while holding the horn and my necklace.

Chapter Text

Annabeth POV:

I get up from Percy's bed and set the Minotaur horn on the dresser. I search through his closet and take out a shirt, putting it on.

It's been three days since Percy went nuclear, and we are all still grieving. The funeral is tonight.

I head out of the Poseidon cabin and walk to the dining pavilion. No one is talking, understandably.

I sit with the Paragons and the 7, sandwiching myself between  Luke and Thalia. Tables don't mean much anymore. People just sit where they want now.

"Hey, Annie, how are you holding up?" Luke asks.

I don't answer and start eating eggs and bacon, along with a blue pancake.

Thalia sighs next to me and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Look, Annabeth, you haven't spoken in days. We're all mourning, but Percy wouldn't want you to collapse into yourself," She says.

I open my mouth as if to speak, and then shut it. I don't trust myself with words.

I finish my food and head to the beach, aware of the worried eyes of my friends following me.

I get to the spot where he proposed and sit down, looking upon the water.

Poseidon rises out of it and sits next to me. He hasn't spoken in the last couple of days either, and he sits with me when I come to the beach.

We just look over the water, saying nothing.

Eventually, Piper finds me. She looks at Poseidon, and he dissolves into mist.

She sits next to me and picks up some sand, letting it run through her fingers.

"Thalia had a point. Percy wouldn't want you to isolate yourself. He loved you, and he would have wanted you to move on."

I drag my fingers through the sand, somewhat aggressively. Because I haven't spoken, no one knows of the promise he made to me. They all think he's actually dead and gone.

And with them speaking about him in past tense, it's getting harder for me to believe he will come back.

But I refuse to give in. I will speak again when he is back, no matter how long I have to wait.

Piper watches me and eventually looks down. She shakes her head sadly and walks away.

The next person to find me is Luke. He just stands next to me and says,

"The others thought I could convince you to 'get up' and 'move on', but I know you."

He sits next to me.

"And I know that you won't open back up until he gets back."

I don't respond, and he just looks towards the water.

"Y-know, when we first saw gim in Elysium, we laughed and bowled him over. We were so happy to see him again until we realized that he was dead."

He laughs softly to himself before continuing.

"He wasn't dead and told us about this whole 'paragon' thing. I was surprised and a bit reluctant, but I agreed. We had all planned for something like this, though. We had all made a single rule, and if it wasn't met, then we wouldn't return."

He starts fiddling with his cloak.

"We were very close, so we had agreed that we would only go if all of us did."

He stops fiddling with his cloak and starts lazily dragging his fingers through the sand, not seeing me watch him with interest.

"Well, needless to say, all our rules were met. Bianca had wanted Nico to move on from her, which is why she avoided him when he came to bring her back to life during the modern giant war."

He looks back over the water.

"Beckendorf wanted the Hephaestus curse lifted, which, thanks to Leo, it was. Silena wanted the Aphrodite campers to learn some humility, which they did. Zoe just wanted to learn modern english. We spent days on that, she is remarkably to teach to."

He chuckles to himself and then looks down sadly.

"Jason often thinks his own rule was the most selfish. He only wanted to return if he could have another shot with Piper."

He looks over at me, surprised to see me looking him in the eyes. He looks away and continues.

"But I never told anyone my rule. I... I actually made a couple, which we weren't supposed to do. I wanted Hermes to love me, I wanted Percy to teach the gods some humility and..."

He looks down at the sand.

"I wanted you to move on. I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to interact with you or Thalia ever again. I didn't know if I wanted to re-enter the Greek world again."

He looks back over the water.

"But I'm glad I did. I get to interact with my old family, and I'm with my new one."

He stays silent for the next while. Eventually, he stands up.

"I have to go prepare for the funeral. You will be there, right?"

I nod.

He breathes a sigh of relief.

"Whew. Good."

He walks away, leaving me alone on the beach.

I turn my necklace onto a pistol and examine it. It's silver, green, blue, white, and gold. It's beautifully designed, and on the grip is the words 'Be mine forever.' I almost burst into tears right there. I look up and send a silent prayer to Percy, wishing for him to return.

I stand up a few hours later and go to the Athena cabin. I find my necklace of camp year beads and slowly entertained it with Percy's proposal necklace.

When I'm finished, I turn it into a pistol again. It looks the same, except now, there is a design for each bead on the pistol.

I leave and go back to the dining pavilion. I eat munch with my friends and then go back to the Poseidon cabin.

I sit on Percy's bed and wait. Eventually, it gets dark. I've been sitting for hours, so I get up and stretch before walking out of the cabin.

I walk to the Ampitheatre and sit next to Hestia, who is tending to the hearth.

"Hello, dear," She says kindly. I don't reply and just watch the flames. Campers start coming into the Ampitheatre and sitting down.

Once all the Demigods are at the Ampitheatre, the gods teleport in, all looking gaunt and tired. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades all carry a coffin. The shroud covering it is sea-green, with a trident and a wave. But if you look closer, you notice more details.

Percy holding a lightning bolt and a helmet. Him giving a fleece to Clarisse. Him trapped by vines on a roof. Him shooting an arrow at Geryon. Him fighting Kronos. Him falling off a cliff on a silver platter. Him fighting Jason. Him staring at Nyx. Him standing with his friends and the gods with a nosebleed. Him driving a car. Him falling down a hole, alone. Him falling into an orange river. Him gaining his wings. Him fighting Bob. Him talking to the fates. Him killing Hyperion. Him playing Monopoly with the gods. Him flying with a flag. Me grabbing him by the chin. Him proposing to me. Him fighting the gods. And, lastly, a golden explosion.

All the little scenes, carefully woven into the shroud. It must have all of the past days to make it. No wonder my mom looks tired. She had to weave the thing.

Many people give eulogies, but I just stare at the shroud, trying to burn it into my memory.

The time comes. Everyone has given their eulogies, and the gods set the coffin ablaze. Only, it doesn't burn.

I snap back into attention, watching it. It starts floating, turning upright, the flames dancing patterns around the scenes in the shroud.

Laughter rolls off the hills, menacing and cruel.

"In one months time, I will come. You may have beaten my wife and children, but you only did that because HE was still alive."

"Who are you!" Zeus shouts.

I'm pale because I recognize the voice.

The voice laughs again, and says,

"I am the soon-to-be destroyer of Olympus. Husband of Gaea and father of the Giants. I am The Pit."

"N-no," Zeus stutters.

"Yes. I. Am. Tartarus."

The laughter fades, and the coffin burns instantly, the ash floating to the ground, as if taunting us.

The camp stays completely silent, and the Gods all flash away while we Demigods just head to our cabins. Without saying a word, we know what the plan is. Train, train, and train some more.

We may have lost our greatest fighter, but I believe he will come back. And until he does, I'll be getting stronger.

I lay down in Percy's bed and fall asleep, clutching the necklace.

Percy POV:

My eyes shoot open, seeing absolute Chaos in front of me.

Chapter Text

Annabeth POV:

I stumble out of Percy's bed and head to the Ampitheatre. It's the second day since the funeral. Five days since Percy's death.

Yesterday, we formulated a training schedule for the month. First things first, everyone eats together at the Ampitheatre.

I sit next to Piper and silently eat. I then head to the training arena to shoot up some dummies.

I'm at the arena, shooting, when I hear a voice behind me.

"Well, if it isn't the girl."

I look around and see that I'm no longer in the arena. I'm in Damasen's hut, and Tartarus is standing behind me.

"Are you going to respond?"

I look him dead in the eyes and shake my head.

He sneers. "Fine. You don't need to. I came to deliver a message."

I tilt my head, interested.

"I know the promise he made to you."

I tighten up and take a few steps back.

"I also know that it is the only thing giving you hope."

I instinctively look for my knife, realizing it's not there.

"Looking for something?" he laughs.

I nod, momentarily forgetting about the necklace.

"I took the knife off you the moment you appeared. I can't let you hurt me right now, can I?"

I look at him, interested.

He looks at me and continues.

"As I was saying, I know that the promise gives you hope."

His eyes glint maliciously, and he continues.

"But he is dead. Permanently. He would have to have the power of a Primordial to return."

I shake my head, refusing to believe him.

"You don't believe me? Hm."

He thinks for a moment before saying.

"I took the knife off you for precaution, but it couldn't actually hurt me. The only thing that will be able to defeat me is Percy himself, or..."

My hand starts twitching, just waiting for confirmation from my brain.

"Or I guess something he was extremely emotionally attached to."

He looks at me and grins evilly.

"And that's why -"

He cut off by multiple bullets, puncturing his body. He stumbles and bleeds before growling at me and waving his hand. I slam into a wall and then black out.

I shoot my eyes open to see some campers looking over me with worry. I brush them off and continue practicing at the arena, renewed vigor in my training.

Percy POV:

She's standing above me, and I realize that I'm on my back. She sees me awake and moves next to me, helping me up.

"Thank you, Lady Chaos."

"Oh, stop being so formal, Percy."

"Alright, just Chaos then. How long was I out?"

She bites her lip anxiously.

"Time works a bit differently here."

I look around, trying to place what 'here' is, and I realize that I'm standing on a large sheet of metal. I'm back at...

"No, Percy, this is not the end of the universe, although it does look like it."

"Then what is it?"

"It is where you shall make your choice."

I look at her, confused.

"What choice?"

"Go back or go forward."

"...that's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"For days, you've mentioned a super important 'choice,' but it's just a crossroads? Really?"

She scoffs and looks at me.

"Are you serious?"

"I mean, is there more to the choice than what you said?"

"Wha-yes!"

"Then what is the choice?"

She put her fingers to her temples, rubbing them a bit.

"Alright, look, here's the actual choice."

Annabeth POV:

It's been two weeks since the funeral. One week until the fight. We are all considerably stronger, faster, and more powerful, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough to defeat Tartarus.

I'm sitting in the strawberry fields, picking strawberries to pass the free time I have. Mom comes up to me.

"Hello, Annabeth," She says kindly.

I just smile at her and give her a hug before returning to strawberry picking.

"Me, Aphrodite, and Hera were planning the wedding."

I freeze. I really don't want to have another conversation with someone where they talk about Percy in past tense.

"I... I'm sad it didn't happen."

I nod slowly and resume picking.

"Annabeth. I have... something for you. It's from Percy. I haven't read it."

She hands me a note with my name lovingly written on it. She teleports away, leaving behind the smell of books and yarn.

I open the letter and read it.

"Hey Wise Girl," it says. "If you're reading this, then I'm dead. I've been talking with Chaos in my dreams, and she showed me a way to save everyone, if needed. Even the dead ones."

I stare at the letter, shocked. It was correct, there was no casualties other than Percy in the battle. Heck, any fallen demigods from the battle had been brought back when Percy went Nuclear.

But the big question. Percy knew CHAOS? Like, the primordial? I shake my head and keep reading.

"I'm writing this note sometime after promising you that I would come back. And don't worry, I'm still planning on keeping that promise."

I tear up a bit and continue reading.

"Annabeth. I need you to know something. The necklace I gave you is much stronger than I thought. It's literally connected to me. (And you.) So basically, if one of us is permanently gone, the necklace won't turn into a weapon."

I immediately turn the necklace into a pistol and continue reading.

"Chaos told me that it did this, and it's awesome! So now, as long as there's a chance of me coming back, your necklace will work. I hope it gives you some hope.

Love, Seaweed Brain."

I smile and carefully fold the letter, putting it into my pocket. I head to the beach to reflect a bit before sleeping.

Percy POV:

"Alright, look, here's the actual choice," Chaos says.

I wait patiently and look at her while she struggles to come up with the words.

"Ok, got it. You know how immortals fade?"

"Yeah?"

"They don't permanently disappear. If you were to drop off the platform into the empty looking void, you would be teleported to a completely new solar system, and all the faded immortals would be there. Along with dead nymphs and satyrs.

"I see. And if I fall the other way?"

She sucks in a breath.

"You would go back to earth."

I look at her.

"I just step off the platform and get sent back to earth?"

"Yes."

"Huh. That's easy."

"What do you mean, it's easy?

"I thought that I would have to fight stuff to get back to earth or go through some big, stupid adventure."

"So you're going back to earth?"

"I was planning on it, yeah. I have a life there, friends, family, and a promise I have to keep."

"Alright. However, the fall will take a long time."

I give her a side-eye. "How long?"

"Mmmmmm... about 2-3 weeks?"

I stare at her, shocked.

"I'll be falling for two and a half weeks?"

"Oh yes. And you will have to fight Tartarus."

"Woah, timeout," I say, making the symbol with me hands. "I'll be fighting Tartarus?"

"Yes. He has risen and will attack camp half-blood."

I look at her and then rub the bridge of my nose. "Will I get a warning of when I'm about to land?"

"Yes."

"Thank the gods."

"Have you made your decision?"

"My decision was always made," I say as I smirk and drop off the platform.

The wind starts whistling loudly around my ears, my cloak flapping behind me.

I lean back and close my eyes, preparing for the long fall

Chapter Text

Annabeth POV:

It's been a week since the funeral. The Paragons have been working us hard, and we've all gotten much stronger.

I finish sparring with Luke and head to Zeus's fist for some alone time. Instead, I find Piper.

"Hey Annabeth," She says.

I don't reply, I just sit on the rock next to her.

She looks at me sadly.

"Still not talking, huh?"

I shake my head.

She sighs. "I wish I knew why. I know it has something to do with Percy, but..."

I look up at the sky, avoiding the answer. She looks up with me, and we stare for a while.

I realize something and look at her strangely. She sees me looking at her and then laughs.

"Oh, you're wondering where Jason is. He's gone to sleep. Something about how the early bird gets the worm."

I chuckle and shake my head.

She looks up and says,

"This is where Percy talked to me before he went to get the Paragons."

I look at her, my head tilted.

"He still had the mask on. He asked me about Jason, and we talked. It was nice."

I reach into my pocket to give her the note, but then decide against it.

She talks more, and I just listen. It's nice, and although it's a bit strange with me not talking, it's nice.

-Timeskip-

It's been two weeks since the funeral, and I'm battling my mother.

She swings at me with her spear, and I hit it aside with my drakon-bone sword.

She tries to hit me with her shield, but I roll under it and jump up inside her arms with my sword to her throat.

"I yield," she says, and I step back, happy. I finally beat my mother! This was the 14th attempt, and I did it!

I then go on to fight Jason, Luke, Bianca, and Hazel before the day finishes.

I head to the beach and look at the sky.

"Bob says hello."

The sand suddenly starts to tremble, as if something large was underneath it, shifting.

I call for my mom through our minds, and she appears next to me, already starting to wobble.

It suddenly stops, and we stand on the beach, confused before the sand in front of us seems to blow up with a roar.

I fly back and land on the ground. A large figure has sand streaming off his shoulders and hair. He starts to speak.

"Motherf -"

"Who are you!" My mother demands, preparing to jab him with her spear.

He looks at her and then sees me. His eyes widen as he scrambles to me.

"Titans above, Annabeth, are you okay?"

I would recognize that voice anywhere. I see Athen awaking up behind him and grab the spear, shaking my head.

"Who is this?" Hisses my mother.

The Titan looks confused and then says,

"I am Bob."

-Timeskip-

Bob's arrival at camp caused some uproar, but it worked out. Hestia gave him Small Bob back, and now he helps with spear training.

It's been three weeks since the funeral. The entire camp seems to be on edge. We know the fight is coming, but we still aren't completely sure if we're prepared for it.

I have sparred with everyone at the camp, even Bob. The only people I was unable to beat at least once were Ares, the Big Three, Artemis, and Bob.

I lay down in my bed after a long day of training, already starting to drift into sleep. We will win this next fight, and I will get Percy back.

-Timeskip-

It's here. The horn just bellowed, announcing it. We are all already suited, and we march to the tip of the hill.

We see an army of monsters, about the same size as last time. The problem is, they all look more rabid, as if they were on heavy amounts of cocaine and steroids.

In the middle of the army is the man himself, Tartarus. He glares at us all, and without saying a word, he points towards us.

The army rushes us with a war cry, and we respond with just as much enthusiasm.

The final battle has begun.

Chapter Text

Annabeth POV:

We rush into the opposing army and start carving our way through it. I immediately bring out my necklace and turn it into dual pistols, firing through the ranks of monsters.

Frank is turning into creatures and firing arrows while Hazel rides on Arion, stabbing monsters she gets close to.

Jason is back to back with Piper and is using his sword to keep monsters at bay while Piper turns them against each other.

Leo is riding Festus and shooting fire, while Calypso seems to be riding a robotic metal bird. Like Festus, but a big bird. She drops down anvils and hammers occasionally, as well as Ambrosia packets.

The Paragons are angrily cutting rows through the monsters, while the Olympians are killing the most and are quite scary. They bottled up their emotions for a month. All the anger, sadness, and guilt they experienced with Percy's death, they are letting it all out, decimating monsters while they do so.

The monsters seem to never end. We aren't tiring yet, thankfully, but it's only a matter of time. I look across the battlefield and see Tartarus standing still, watching us.

Cracks open at his feat, and monsters come pouring out. 'Crap,' I think to myself. He's just bringing the monsters back.

It seems that mother has seen this as well because the Olympians are now heading towards Tartarus, cutting down any monsters in their way.

I follow them, trusting my companions and Bob to deal with the monsters. Around Tartarus is a circle with no monsters, big enough for everyone to fight in.

We enter the circle, and he laughs.

"Look at the high and mighty Olympians, saddened by the loss of one demigod," he says.

"Percy was a full-fledged god and would have been an Olympian had he not sacrificed himself," Zeus retorts.

Tartarus continues. "And yet he did. I hope you remember the prophecy. The only who can beat me is the 'sacrifice,' and look at that, he's gone."

Athena starts to talk, saying, "It also said that when needed, he will rise."

"Yes. When PERCY is needed, I will rise," Tartarus chuckles out. "Really, you aren't that smart, are you?"

Athena glares at him while he looks over all of us, his gaze finally landing on me.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Fiancé. Percy had that ring with him his entire trip through Tartarus, y-know. I'm glad to see it's not a ring anymore, though. I always hated rings."

I just glare at him.

"What, nothing to say? Hmm, too bad."

He looks across the battlefield and realizes something.

"Ah, I've been monologuing, huh? I'm surprised, almost all the monsters are gone, you guys really trained for this, didn't you?"

We all nod, and he flicks his hands, covering them with metal gauntlets.

"Let's begin then, shall we?"

Vines immediately burst out of the ground while arrows come rushing at him. He simply holds his gauntlets up, causing a shield to form and shakes the vines off.

The gods all rush him, and I stay behind. I would be unable le to help in the fight, so instead, I turn around and kill any monsters who try to interfere with the fight.

The amount of monsters has dwindled dramatically, and with me firing my pistols, they soon all go.

The only enemy left is Tartarus. I turn around and lose all hope.

Only Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are still up. The rest are knocked out or wrapped in chains.

The Big Three are covered in bruises and scratches, while Tartarus seems unharmed.

Poseidon glances at his brother's and then hardens his eyes, glaring at Tartarus.

"What's wrong, Poseidon? Angry that a Primordial beat some gods? You do realize that you would need to be a primordial to defeat me, right?"

Poseidon roars in anger and rushes Tartarus. Tartarus sidesteps and grabs Poseidons trident, yanking it out of his hands and thrusting it into his stomach. Everyone gasps as Tartarus laughs.

His laughing is cut off by Hades, who used his helmet to get behind him. He puts Tartarus into a chokehold and faces him towards an extremely angry Zeus.

Zeus blasts Tartarus with his master bolt continuously, hitting Hades as well. Hades seems to accept this and holds onto Tartarus as long as he can before crumbling to the ground, unconscious.

Tartarus falls to his knees, his body smoking. Zeus looks at him, tired.

"Leave, Tartarus," he booms.

Tartarus starts to shake. I realize he's laughing as he stands up, looking directly at Zeus.

He rotates his shoulders and says,

"I'll give you one thing. That little toothpick of yours is painful."

Zeus glares at him while the Demigods watch, hoping for the best.

"But, heh, Zeus... I told you already. You need to be a primordial to defeat me. And you are not one," he says as he holds his hands up. Chains shoot out of the ground and entrap Zeus.

He then turns towards Poseidon.

"You're the father of Perseus, right?"

Poseidon looks at him from the ground and gasps out, "Yes."

"Interesting," Tartarus says. He walks up to Poseidon and puts his hand on his shoulder, healing him.

Poseidon looks at him with shock, and Tartarus says,

"I want the Olympians to be alive for my torture."

He punches Poseidon in the face, and chains shoot out of the ground to trap him as well.

Tartarus turns towards the demigods, raising his arms.

"I beat your gods. Bow to me, and I will show mercy."

The demigods shout out their refusal while I shake my head.

He claps once. "Very well then."

Barbed chains shoot out of the ground and catch all of us, many screaming out in pain.

He laughs and looks towards the sky.

"Congrats, Fates! The sacrifice is gone. I am VICTORIUS!"

He looks back down to all of us, smiling evilly. I look towards the sky. The sun is about midpoint, and I'm trying to find something to look at.

I'm scanning the sky when I see it. A strange looking ball of orange and blue, streaking across the sky.

Tartarus starts monologuing, but I don't hear it. The ball gets closer and closer, starting to arc towards us. At first, I think it's a meteor, and fear rushes through my body. But then I hear it. The faint sound of... laughing.

Others hear it to and start to look around. The gods stop struggling in their chains and look up to the sky. Everyone else follows, seeing the ball above us, descending fast.

The laughing is getting louder, and then I hear it.

"Whooooooooooo, baby! Let's kick some PRIMORDIAL A**!"

I look towards the ball and say the first word I've said in a month.

"Percy."

Chapter Text

Annabeth POV:

The ball gets closer and closer, the laughing getting louder, and hope jumping in my chest. He kept his promise. Percy is alive. And close.

"What in the name of..." Tartarus says, looking up at the ball.

It crashes into the ground and sends everyone flying. When the dust and smoke clear, Percy is standing in a small crater, Riptide drawn and glaring at Tartarus.

"Hey, how's it going?" Percy asks, twirling his sword. Everyone watches him with hope in their eyes.

Tartarus growls. "You died."

"Yeah, well, I'm back."

"How? You released more energy than a primordial."

"I had a choice. And I chose to come back. After all," He looks at me and smiles.

"I had a promise to keep." He turns back and looks Tartarus in the eyes. "You ready to die?"

Tartarus sneers. "I could ask the same to you."

Percy laughs and says, "You aren't gonna kill me. I'd like to see you try, though."

Tartarus growls and rushes at him, trying to scratch him with his claws. Percy dodges and blocks, not attacking back.

Tartarus gets more and more angry, and his attacks get faster. Eventually, Percy looks like he's fighting off a whirlwind.

Tartarus grabs onto Percy's sword and looks him in the eye, angry.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" He growls.

"The prophecy said it would only take one hit."

Tartarus yells and yanks Riptide from Percy's grasp. He throws it behind him and lunges into him.

Percy sidesteps quickly and turns to face Tartarus, only to see him rushing at me.

"NO!" Percy yells.

Tartarus holds me by the back of the neck, facing me towards Percy.

"Say goodbye to your precious 'Wise Girl,' Perseus," Tartarus says as he starts to try and stab me with his claws.

Percy teleports and slices off Tartarus's hand. He screams, and I collapse onto the ground, hitting my head.

The last thing I see before I black out is Percy's hand going through Tartarus's chest.

-Timeskip-

I wake up in the infirmary and look around. Will is there, and breathes out a sigh of relief when he sees me open my eyes.

"Thank goodness. You hit your head pretty hard. How are you feeling?" He asks.

I sit up and hold my head. "Oof, not great. What happened?"

Will looks at me and says, "Percy beat Tartarus."

"How?"

Will takes a deep breath. "He tore his heart out of his chest."

I look at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. He crushed it in his hand, and the chains trapping all of us disappeared. It was weird."

I shake my head and stand up unsteadily. "Am I good to leave the infirmary?"

Will nods, and I leave to go find Percy. I pass a lot of my friends on the way.

Jason and Piper say hi and bye. They're planning on leaving camp and living out their lives together now that the wars are over.

Leo and Calypso are preparing to go back to the Waystation. The Hunters are already gone, and the Romans are marching out of camp through the portal.

I pass Nico as he heads to the infirmary, and he tells me where Percy is.

I walk to the beach and see Percy sitting on a picnic blanket. I sit down  next to him and give him a kiss.

He laughs and returns it. "Hey Wise Girl. I'm glad you're okay."

I lean my head on his shoulder and ask, "Why would I bot be okay?"

"You uh... you spent a week in the infirmary."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter know. What's the picnic basket for?"

"One last picnic at camp half-blood."

"What do you mean, one last picnic? Are you leaving camp?"

He laughs. "Technically, yes. The war is over, so bow I have to finish a deal I made with the gods."

"What deal?"

"I... I will become the 15th Olympian."

"Oh. Wow."

"Yeah. We have to leave soon, and once I become an Olympian, I have to leave this life at camp behind."

I grasp his hand tightly. "Are you going to leave me behind?"

He shakes his head and kisses me. "Of course not, Annabeth. I would never. Now let's eat."

We eat and enjoy the time together, appreciating the lake and camp. Eventually, we finish, and Percy stands up, dusting off his cloak and extending a hand to me.

"Well, Annabeth?"

"Well what, Seaweed Brain?"

"Qeve been through a lot in our time together. But now, the hardest challenge yet. Will you come with me, and stay with me forever?"

I grasp his hand and pull myself up.

"Of course," I whisper to him as I kiss him. He grins, and we flash away, to the crowning of a new Olympian, to our wedding, and to our future. We will get through it all, together forever.

-Big Timeskip-

I lean my head on Percy's shoulder, looking over the dock at our twin children, who are playing in the water.

"Can you believe it?" I ask Percy.

"Believe what?" He asks.

"That after 11 years, we finally get this moment?"

He laughs. "It is a bit crazy, isn't it? But yes, I do believe it."

I snuggle closer into him, grasping his hand with mine.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain."

"And I love you, Wise Girl."

Essence POV:

I smile and float into the sky, trying to burn the scene into my brain. It's nice to see another world where I end up with Annabeth. I wonder what the next world has in store for me.

Chapter Text

So I thought it would be fun to tell readers the original plans for this story, regrets, and scrapped concepts or storyline. (Of which there wasn't much.)

Tithonus is the Greek God of bugs in Greek mythology and was, at some point, supposed to be a direct enemy Percy fought. But... I didn't want to do too much for my first story.

Dionysus's blessing that made it so that Percy can't go insane was supposed to come up during Percy's trip in Tartarus. At some point, he would be near the edge, overlooking Chaos, and something about his psyche would crack. His vision would go purple, and then suddenly he would understand everything for about 5 seconds, and then just back away from the ledge.

Percy stabbing his knife into a mountain and making the mountain itself shake was planned to be foreshadowing for his absurd strength, which didn't end up being used much.

I regret the ending a little bit. Not the ending itself, I do like it, but I think that I should have separated the epilogue and final fight into two separate chapters.

Believe it or not, this wasn't originally supposed to include Chaos, and was originally going to be a Gaurdian of the Hunt story.

While I do think that the inclusion of Chaos was slightly unneeded, I really liked writing the edge of the universe bits.

The Gaurdian story was dropped, although remnants still exist, like Percy traveling with the Hunt for a couple chapters, and "Big Brother Percy."

The name P.A.P was originally supposed to be a bigger plot point, and I was looking forward to making an undertale reference.

In the battle where Percy goes nuclear, I wrote about 800 words for the battle before realizing that what I was writing would not get to the scene I wanted, so I deleted it.

When Percy sends a message to camp, I realized that the message conflicted with his attitude in the first couple chapters, so some scenes were completely re-written.

When I wrote this story, I wrote a chapter every day. I quickly started to get burnt out, and I think it affected the story. Adding a couple of chapters here and there and lengthening specific parts could have helped the flow of the story.

Percy's visions of the future was never planned. Well, none of the stuff with Annabeth was planned, but I'll get to that. When I was writing in lead-up to the battle with Gaea, the idea just popped into my head and I rolled with it.

When I started writing, I switched between past and present tense a lot, which was frustrating, and led to each POV having to be labeled past or present Tense.

There was supposed to be a lot more encounters with the gods, and they would almost always give the campers a hint as to his identity.

For example, Ares would call him a Seashell, while Apollo would call him a Riptide.

There was a scene back when it was still a Gaurdian story where some hunters get injured, and Percy mixes a bunch of different tartarus rivers in his flask to keep them alive until he can get them to Camp Half-Blood. It was going to be comedic and tense, but was eventually scrapped.

Annabeth was never supposed to get back together with Percy. Yeah. I'm serious.

Originally, this was going to be a Pertemis story. However, I had a conversation with someone ( it doesn't matter who,) and I voiced some frustrations about writers shipping Artemis with people, and how it kind of defeats some of her purpose. I then realized that I was doing the same thing.

While I did eventually end up writing Pertemis, I didn't for this story, even though I had a really, really good scene on the beach where Annabeth accepts that her and Peecy are over.

Why didn't I write Pertemis anyway?

I really liked writing the Percabeth dance in the first chapter.

So yeah! That's mainly it, at least that I can remember right now. Thank you for reading, and give your thoughts on the changes if you're willing.

If you liked this story, feel free to read my others.

Goodbye and goodnight!