Chapter Text
Percy walked out of the portal, Jason and Nico behind him. They would be lying if they said they weren’t at least a bit scared, but they were extremely excited. Who wouldn’t be? They were in a new world now, one where they were the gods.
It all started a month ago. The camp was still healing from the war. Most of the Seven had died, and only Percy and Jason were still alive. The war with Gaea had been harder than expected. So many campers, both Greek and Roman, were gone. Only half had survived.
But they weren’t really living. They were simply surviving. Everyone was drowning in grief, just eating, grieving, sleeping, and repeating.
After a few weeks, the Greeks and Romans began rebuilding their camps, but Percy and Jason preferred to stay away from everyone, much like Nico had done since his first day at camp.
Then something unexpected happened. A letter appeared out of thin air in front of each of the small Big Three. In each letter was the same message:
Your presence is required in Olympus (like right now).
—Hermes, the messenger, and the other less important gods
Percy smiled as he read the letter. He could almost see Hermes’s smirk while writing it. Percy liked Hermes more than most of the gods, especially because of his sassiness. He could relate.
Nico frowned as he entered the gates of the Empire State Building. He tried to think of a reason why the gods would summon him, but none came to mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall blond figure walking with a tan one and realized it was Jason and Percy.
He walked quickly until he caught up and called, “Guys!”
Both of them tensed and turned around quickly. After a moment, they relaxed when they realized it was just Nico. They weren’t fully recovered from the wars yet and were always on edge.
“Hey, Nico, didn’t see you there,” Jason said with a faint smile.
“Yeah, you’re so short we didn’t know where to look,” Percy teased.
Nico hit him. “I’m not even that short!”
“Yes, you are.”
They continued their argument all the way to the elevator to the 600th floor.
When they entered the breathtaking city and stepped into the throne room, the meeting began. It was long, loud, and full of sass and threats flying around.
“You are not sending us!”
“I am the king of the gods! I will send you wherever I want!”
“I will fight you!”
And so on.
The result of the meeting was hopeful for all sides. For the three demigods, it was the wish for a fresh start. For the Olympians, it meant one less thing to worry about.
It was decided that Percy, Jason, and Nico would leave for a parallel world—a different yet very similar Earth.
It took a few hours, but the gods explained that once, they had ruled several worlds. In some, they had faded; in others, they had left because they were no longer needed. Recently, one of those worlds had become unstable. It needed the order that gods used to bring.
Therefore, the council decided to send the Big Three’s children to become the new gods of that world.
Nico walked through the portal feeling hopeful. No more annoying quests, no more wars. He could start over again with his two cousins and forget his past.
When Nico emerged into this new world, he was surprised. It didn’t look ruined. In fact, it looked awfully normal. He was observing New York from afar with his cousins when he felt it—the surge of pure power.
Nico felt the raw energy coursing through his veins. When he looked up, he saw everything and nothing at the same time. He could feel the life in every single thing.
He never thought it was possible to feel that powerful. In a blink of an eye, he simply knew everything he needed to know about his powers, the Underworld, creation, and destruction. He understood the ridiculous amount of power he now held. He finally felt what it was like to be one of them. And he loved every second of it.
To his left stood Jason.
Jason felt strange. He had never dared to hope to become a god—certainly not one this powerful. He had always had someone above him: first Lupa, then his leaders in Camp Jupiter, and even as praetor he still answered to the gods.
But now he was his own person. No one to give him orders. No one to criticize him. No one to force him into quests. It was as terrifying as it was incredible.
One part of his mind screamed that he didn’t deserve this, that he was going to fail and destroy an entire world. But another part was sure he would make it. He just knew he was going to do a great job.
That feeling only grew stronger once he felt the power that came with his new role. It didn’t scare him. It made him more determined than ever not to fail—not for his father, not for the gods, not even for his mentor, but for himself.
Percy felt relief.
He could never forget Annabeth, but he could move on. He could start fresh. When he felt the huge wave of power inside him, he knew it would take time and effort, but this world would heal—just like his own soul.
Together, Nico, Jason, and Percy could sense what was wrong with this world. The Underworld was a mess. When a soul passed on, it didn’t reach its destination. There was no one to help them cross the Styx. Olympus was still located in Rome, which was a problem. The underwater kingdom was ruined, and the merpeople were probably extinct.
Most, if not all, mythical creatures had suffered the same fate.
“Well, guys,” Percy said in a surprisingly deep voice, “it’s time for a change.”
“Yeah…” Jason agreed. “First things first, let’s set some basic rules. We’ll have a council with the three of us in it after Olympus is rebuilt.”
“Yes, but it should only be the three of us,” Nico added. “Even if new gods appear, I don’t think it’s wise to have too many members. I don’t want us to end up like the Olympians.”
“Great idea, Neeks. Now, what do we do about the mortals? We don’t know how to create a mist yet. Nico, you should work on that—it’s closest to your domain.”
“What are our domains?” Jason asked.
“Well,” Percy said, “I feel a connection to the sea and natural disasters, and I can feel the earth vibrating beneath me. I guess we have our fathers’ domains and a few that are similar, but I think we can take on more if we wish. It’s not like there are any other gods here—or even fate.”
“True,” Nico said, “but let’s get back to the main question. I think we shouldn’t hide from mortals. We want to change everything, and we can’t do it without them noticing. And the mist is out…”
“You know what, I agree,” Percy said. “The mortals deserve to know the truth.”
“If you two are in, I believe that’s the best choice,” Jason concluded.
“Then let’s do it.”
Percy summoned mist with the water around him while Jason made the sun shine brighter. Lightning struck across the sky as the ground trembled and the sea roared. Through the mist Percy created, their three faces appeared.
“Mortals,” thunder rumbled, “the world has lost its balance. The dead do not reach the Underworld, and all mythical creatures are gone. We are the gods. I am Lord Perseus, and behind me stand Lord Jason and Lord Nico. We are here to restore this world.”
After revealing themselves to the mortals and explaining the necessities, each went to inspect his own domain. Nico went to the Underworld, Jason to Olympus, and Perseus to the underwater kingdom.
When Nico reached the entrance to the Underworld, he saw countless souls waiting to cross the river with no one to guide them. He flashed to where the palace once stood and began rebuilding.
The new palace was similar to his father’s, dark and majestic. It took a lot out of him, but it was worth it.
Next, Nico recreated the realms within the Underworld: the Fields of Punishment, Asphodel, Elysium, the Isle of the Blessed, and a new section dedicated to demigod heroes—the Island of Heroes.
Exhausted, he rested for a while before continuing his work. He wanted his Underworld to be better than his father’s. His first change was to create someone to guide souls across the river—loyal, unbribable, and kind. He also planned to establish a court with three judges and reminded himself to discuss with his cousins the idea of someone like Thanatos, who would rule over death.
After that, Nico finally allowed himself a long, deep sleep.
Jason, meanwhile, flashed straight to Rome. He flew around Olympus, observing it. It was a floating mountain with a few ruins left from the once-great temples.
He imagined what the new Olympus should look like. First, he wanted to build three grand palaces- one black, one light blue and green, and one bright yellow - arranged in a half-circle with a throne room in the center.
He also wanted to build a small city for the mythical creatures that would soon walk the earth again, and maybe for a few new gods in the future.
Using his powers, Jason began creating what he envisioned, controlling the wind to move the materials. Normally, gods like Hephaestus or Athena would handle such tasks, but since they no longer existed here, he and his cousins had full authority.
When he was satisfied with the design, he began dragging Olympus toward the heart of the West—New York. It moved painfully slowly.
Jason sighed. “This will take a while…”
Deep in the ocean, Perseus was swimming toward where he felt the heart of the underwater kingdom. When he reached the ruins, he stopped to take it all in.
The first thing he did was rebuild the magnificent palace and its gardens. It gleamed in deep blue, and Perseus couldn’t help but admire how it turned out. Then he began rebuilding the merfolk’s homes. He knew he’d need to talk to Nico and Jason about bringing them back from extinction—along with other sea creatures.
After the three gods finished rebuilding the essentials, they all flashed to Olympus’s throne room.
Each had his own throne. Nico’s was the darkest shade of black, surrounded by moving shadows that seemed alive. Perseus’s throne was made of coral, decorated with pearls and seaweed. Jason’s throne was just as mighty, carved from blue marble with faint lightning flickering around it.
“Well, how are your domains?” Jason asked.
“It’s all good now,” Nico said. “But the Underworld was a complete mess at first.”
“Same here,” Percy said. “No merfolk, no buildings, just ruins.”
“Oh, please,” Jason complained. “I dragged Olympus all the way here from Rome—at the speed of a turtle.”
Silence followed.
Then they all burst out laughing.
“Well, I guess you win that one, Grace,” Percy said, chuckling. “But I really need to talk to you about bringing back some of the mythical creatures.”
“Agreed,” Nico said immediately. “The Underworld needs workers. I also need someone to have a domain over death and someone to handle punishments. Maybe a few loyal spirits.”
“Yeah, I already have space up here for them,” Jason added. “Especially satyrs and centaurs. But what about monsters?”
“Well, most of them are important,” Percy said. “Like the Cyclopes. They could help us rebuild this world, and there were many monsters who once served the gods.”
“All right,” Jason said, “so we all agree. We need to bring back satyrs—”
"And centaurs!" Percy chimed in.
"And centaurs," Jason agreed.
"I think that each of us should create the mythical creatures for our main domain, and for the others—the ones who would not be under our direct control—we should consult each other," Nico offered.
Both Jason and Percy instantly agreed. They were building something beautiful, a better world than the one they had come from.
And it was only the start.