Chapter Text
Zeus wakes up slowly as Apollo's sun warms the room. It slides over the soft woven sheets, and next to him, Hera sighs and seems to sink deeper into the soft purple pillows, whatever tension plaguing her dreams vanishing under the warmth of Apollo's sun.
Zeus sighs, then gently kisses his wife on her forehead before sliding out of bed and letting his hooves hit the marble floor.
He needs to take some time to think about everything they have learned in the past day.
He sighs again, then walks toward the balcony of their room, just to gather his thoughts.
Far off in the distance, the golden sun is just starting to rise, with the silver moon still in the sky, casting the sky in soft shades of orange and purple.
‘A perfect balance.’
Apollo must have woken up early, then, to check on Hermes and their children.
‘...our children.’
The memories of the night before rush back, causing Zeus to nearly stumble.
‘Our children are alive, right?’
He instinctively reaches out for his wife, for some support, as he starts shaking.
‘Right?! Or was it a trick? Did the curse strike in the very heart of Olympus?’
“Hera.” He whispers quietly. “Hera.”
Because it feels like a dream, a nightmare, and if the vision from the night before was not true, then he and the Gods of Olympus would welcome the vision as what could be and once again mourn their losses as they do every Brightest Star Day.
‘But on the mere chance that it was true…’
“Hera.” He says again as she startles awake, sleep still clinging to her eyes as she stares at him in confusion. “We need to check on our children.”
Understanding dawns in her eyes, followed by the normal fear, panic, worry, then she closes her eyes and steels herself for the worse.
“I understand.” She whispers. “Gather the others.”
Zeus bows his head. He would not fight the young God of Death if he saw him, only beg for another chance, beg for more time, with the false hope they had all been given.
‘On the mere chance that this is real…’
He leaves the room to seek the other Gods, only to find them all crowded in the dining room in various conversations, except for Apollo. The only conversation he can hear for the moment, other than Ares and Hephaestus arguing over how Ares's daughter had a spear that was not his, to let Hephaestus take a look at it and see it for himself, is the one between Athena and Artemis about what had happened the night before because his daughter looks absolutely horrified upon learning what she had missed.
“Artemis.” He calls out to his daughter. “Did you find anything?”
She shakes her head. “No, Father. I searched the entire area where Apollo found them. Nothing.”
He bows his head. ‘So. Even the monsters responsible for this will not show their faces to us. …No matter. We will find them, even if they are from another world.’
“Let us go see them.” Athena whispers, desperation in her voice. “I want to see my daughter, Father. Please.”
Who is He to refuse such a request?
He and the other Gods start running down the hall, claws and hooves thundering as they strike the marble floor, and he reaches the end of the hall, turns the corner-
Apollo stands next to the doorway, claws digging into the wall. His gray wolf ears are pinned back to his head and his white swan feathers are flared in worry.
His lips move in silent prayer, begging Thanatos, or whoever else is left, to not take them away.
/I have not gone in yet./ His son says softly. /We all need to see this together./
Together, the Gods steel themselves for the worst, for the silent, still bodies of children never able to breathe again, for the monster born from cursed flesh to leap at their faces, and push open the door to the temple-
They do not see the monsters, with pitch black blood and shining white teeth and glistening bronze claws.
They do not see the God of Death crouched next to a child's still form, a hand on their shoulder and a genuine apology on his lips before vanishing from their sight.
No.
They see their children, all curled up in a pile in the beds all shoved together, still sound asleep from the nymphs’ constant lullaby.
They…
They are alive.
Various nymphs and satyrs look up in their direction and give varying bows and greetings to the Gods as they stand in the doorway and stare in wonder at the children gathered just a few feet away.
‘Did they do this? Our children? Did they push the beds together to not be apart for another second?’
Zeus's eyes stray to Hermes, his son, glowing under the soft yellow sunlight as Apollo teleports immediately to his side.
He trusts his son and knows that Hermes needs more healing, but his breathing is steady and his domains are stable and he does not fade.
His son is alive.
…They are alive.
‘They are real.’
Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Pan stay at the door while Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, and Dionysus approach the pile of sleeping children slowly.
‘How long did it take you to fall asleep?’ Zeus wonders. ‘How did you sleep? Was it relaxing or full of peace? Or was it painful and unable to bear. Your bodies are here. Will you wake now? Or when the sun is high above us?
I fear the day you wake and scream in terror at the sight of us. What should I do when that happens?
I am a King, but I am also a Father.
What should I do now? Do I hold you all in my arms? Or do I prepare for an invasion of a world so far beyond my reach?’
As he wonders, he sees his family reach for their children. Ares shifts into a boar and sits down next to his daughter's head, pressing his snout to her forehead. Dionysus shifts into a leopard with purple spots and leaps onto the bed, pausing and staring at his sons before stepping over their feet and curling up next to their heads.
Apollo wordlessly shifts into a swan and lands on top of the bed. The younger God bends his neck down next to the blond boy next to Hades’ son, and closes his eyes. Hades joins Apollo on the bed, shifting into a large black hound with pointed ears, and lies down next to his son.
‘Somehow…’
Poseidon and Athena reach for their children, blue fish scales and brown owl feathers brushing against skin. They say nothing, only kneel on the ground next to them, to not wake them from their sleep.
‘They are all real.’
Relief floods his body as he gently lays a hand on the black haired girl's forehead, the girl whose form Fate had taken just the night before. The girl with his eyes.
It is warm.
Her breathing does not change.
She stays asleep.
She stays real.
“What is her name?” He asks Apollo. Again.
He wants- needs to know. Needs to confirm the dream is now reality. He needs to know everything about her and his son to see how best to take care of them, to love them.
“I heard Poseidon's son call her Thalia.” Apollo answers.
Thalia.
The name of his daughter, born and died long ago.
The name of his daughter, now living and breathing before his very eyes.
His daughter lives. His daughter, the first star in the sky, lives again.
He thought it was impossible, a mere trick, that Apollo- and the others- had simply misheard her name being spoken.
But Apollo does not lie.
‘Her name is Thalia. My daughter. Thalia.’
The dream is over.
The dream is gone.
Now, there is the reality.
Eleven children of the Gods, alive and breathing and almost perfectly healthy.
“Thalia.” He whispers reverently. “And she is-?”
He looks up at Apollo as the younger God gently brushes the blond boy's hair aside.
“Healthy.” He confirms. “They all are, now. Except for Percy, Annabeth, and the son of Hades. They just… need time…”
He trails off, staring at his own son with an expression of pure adoration on his face.
“Time to?” Poseidon prompts.
Apollo sighs and lets his wings sag. “They just need time, Uncle. I do not have any other way of saying it. I can not heal them, there is no known cure, and they just need time.”
“Then we will give them that time.” Poseidon says.
Zeus can tell that, from the way his brother's claws clench around solid air, he wants nothing more than to hold his son and take him to Atlantis and keep him there forever.
Zeus can, at the very least, promise him the first two. At some point in the future, after the three have healed.
He feels the same way about Thalia and Jason.
Slowly, he reaches out his other hand and rests it on Jason's head. Just to feel his presence again.
The baby boy exhales quietly, snuggles deeper into Thalia, and does not open his eyes.
But he is healthy.
Alive.
Zeus has so many questions for his new son and daughter. So many questions. He wants to know everything. Everything about them and the world that they came from.
‘As much as I am grateful for your existence… are there any more like you, dear Thalia?’
“We should probably ask them our questions when they wake up.” Apollo suggests, giving everyone a look.
At his words, they all sigh.
He is right, of course. They are not going to get any answers from staring at their children once they wake up.
They are terrified of them.
‘And for good reason.’ Zeus thinks. ‘Because some alternate version of us abandoned them, made them think they were not wanted.
Well, we want them now. We will treasure them far more than anyone in their lives ever has…’
~~~
“O children of Gods and heirs to their thrones
We are filled with joy to finally welcome you home
As you rest here in the night's gentle embrace
We only pray to be here when you finally wake…”
Thalia wakes up to the sound of singing.
Slowly, her eyes open to a blend of soft female voices singing a gentle lullaby that she has not heard before. It's so gentle, so soothing, it almost lulls her back to sleep.
Almost.
Her eyes feel heavy, with dried skin and faint tears sticking to her eyelashes. Still, she makes herself force her eyes open and blink at the room around her.
She doesn't recognize the room, filled with gold with various tapestries decorating the walls.
She stares blearily at one long tapestry, showing a group of figures, one gold and one silver, facing a large poison green snake before it clicks.
‘Oh, Gods, we're in Apollo's temple!’
“Shit.” She mutters before glancing down at her brother.
He's still asleep, still curled up in her black leather jacket she insisted she hold onto.
Still a baby, a toddler, one that she hasn't seen in years, but he's still asleep.
“Sorry, Jason.” She whispers.
Thalia raises her gaze from her brother to the other demigods, who have all curled up on the beds. Will, Nico, Clarisse, Chris, Percy, and Annabeth cuddle together, with Castor and Pollux facing each other with their hands clasped.
Luke has collapsed on the bed next to theirs, with his new wings folded on his back and his face buried in a pillow. Even from here, she can see the dried tear marks on it and the small sleeping snake next to him.
She swallows.
Shoves that aside.
Tries to refocus on something else, something that will not address… Luke.
‘How did we even get here?’
The last thing she remembers is… Will, Nico, Pollux, and Castor pushing everyone's beds together, with Will explaining that, if one of the Gods shows up, they could all jump them and Nico, now that he's actually rested, could shadow-travel out. Nico and Clarisse had summarized what had happened to them after they had separated from the main group. Thalia had apologized for not listening, but Clarisse had waved her off.
“I blame the monsters.” The girl had said. Chris had said nothing, only squeezed her hand in comfort, which she accepted silently.
After that, it was her head hitting the pillow, the nymphs singing, and then-
Nothing.
No dreams (that she remembered), no visit from her Artemis or her father- ‘I don't even know why I'm hoping for a visit from him after the way he treated Mom, me, and Jason-’, no waking up in the middle of the night to Percy or Annabeth shaking her awake and begging for answers as to why they're physically 7 years old, in an alternate past, and Luke is there with them.
Nothing.
Except waking up just now, her brother in her arms, and a strange feeling on her forehead, like the wind had just blown and brushed her hair aside.
Odd.
It probably isn't important.
‘At least they let us keep our clothes and weapons. With all the fuss this… weird Hades gave Nico over not wielding a weapon, I'm really surprised they let us keep ours.’
She sighs, sits up slowly to not wake her brother, then places her hand on Will's shoulder and starts shaking.
“Will.” She says quietly. “Will, wake up.”
“Hnnn.”
“Will.”
“...ive more minut…”
“Solace, if you don't wake up, I will start screaming and wake up Nico.”
“...fine…” Will grumbles, blinking at her.
“I'm up… I'm up…”
As Will wakes up, Thalia looks around the room. Eerily, the room is empty, with no sign that anyone is there. None of the nymphs or satyrs from the night before are present, though Thalia has a bad feeling that they're still in the room. Somewhere. With the sun still rising, her gaze flicks to the door, the large balcony, and the pool where this world's Triton and Pallas are still sleeping.
‘Gods Above. I can't see a way out of here. The door gets us out of the temple, but we risk running into the Gods. The same thing happens if we try to escape via the balcony, the nymphs here will probably alert everyone once they see we're gone.
…there's no way out of here, is there?’
Castor, Pollux, and Nico wake up next, all three immediately sitting up and glancing at each other as if to remind themselves that yes, the past day had happened, and they were still together in the home of the Gods.
Clarisse wakes up next, her right hand automatically drifting to her wound, and the other to her forehead, where she blinks, pulls her hands away, and studies them suspiciously. She nudges Chris with her shoulder, who immediately snaps awake, sitting up and scanning the room like she had before his shoulders slump in clear defeat.
‘Okay. With seven of us awake, we have a better chance of getting out of here. We're all awake, we're thinking clearly, we can find a way out of here.’
Luke suddenly gasps, and Thalia whips her head around to stare at him, only to see the teenager lifting his head up from the pillow and blinking rapidly at the room around him. He locks red and teary eyes with Thalia, before he sighs, rolls over onto his back, lets his new snake curl around his neck again, swings his legs over the side of the bed, and stares at the floor.
‘...I wonder what he was dreaming about…’
He doesn't say anything to the others, which Thalia almost appreciates. It saves her from starting an argument no one is ready for.
…which, finally, leaves Percy and Annabeth.
…who are not moving.
‘No.’
“Percy.” She hisses, placing Jason down on the bed. “Annabeth.”
No response.
She starts breathing heavily, stumbling to her feet.
“Percy.” She says louder. “Annabeth.”
Still no response.
‘No, Gods. Please, no.’
Thalia hops off the bed, ignoring the way Luke's eyes track her gaze and the way he, too, goes pale.
‘Gods, please. You can't take them from us now, we just got them BACK-’
She rushes over to their side, grabs Annabeth by the left shoulder-
And feels her warm breath brush against her fingertips.
‘Oh, thank the Gods, she's alive.’
She gently places a hand on Percy's cheek. Feels the heat and sweat coating his skin. Hears his breathing.
‘They're both still alive.’
She nearly collapses in relief, bending her head over her sleeping friends and closing her eyes.
“Annabeth?” She whispers into the silent air. “Percy?”
…
There's no response.
No reaction.
No movement from her friends.
They don't stir, don't raise their heads and blink at her with confused but clear gazes, they just stay on the bed.
Eyes closed.
Asleep.
‘Get up.’ She thinks. ‘Come on, you two. Wake up. We can't do this without you. Either of you.’
…nothing.
Thalia nearly sinks onto the floor, only for a hand to land on her shoulder. She jumps, startled, and raises her left hand to attack-
“Do you see why Father and I were so worried when they first collapsed?” Will asks her quietly as he bends down into her line of sight. “We couldn't wake them then, and we can't wake them now.”
Thalia stares at the still body of her adopted sister. “...then what can be done?” She whispers.
“I don't know.” Will confesses. “I don't think we can do anything except pray.”
“Not to these Gods.” Thalia mutters.
Will huffs. “Definitely not these Gods. If our prayers can reach them.”
“They probably can now.” Thalia mutters. “Dam language barriers.”
It's enough to make them both crack a small smile, for Thalia to let Will pull her to her feet.
“We'll figure this out.” He says softly.
She nods and turns back to the others, all watching her with various expressions of fear and worry.
“They're… they're fine. They're just sleeping.”
Clarisse practically collapses back onto the bed. “Thank the Gods.” She mutters.
“...why aren't they awake yet?” Nico asks, crossing his arms. “I've never seen them like this.”
“Even after T-” Castor begins to ask.
“Even after then.” Pollux interrupts, glancing in Luke's direction.
Castor frowns as he stares at Percy and Annabeth. “That can't be good.”
“It's not.” Will grumbles, walking back over to Nico's side. “But your father and mine insisted that they stay together so we can figure out a solution, and that was the night before all of…” He aimlessly gestures to the entire temple. “This.”
“So what can we do?” Clarisse asks. “How can we help them? Like they've helped us?”
“I don't know…” Thalia trails off, staring at Luke. “...Luke?”
“Hmmm?” The teenager blinks at her with his new blue-golden eyes. His scales and feathers shimmer in the sunlight.
It's unnerving. Knowing that it's Luke standing before her, and not the Titan in his body. Even with his new features that remind her of the Gods who found them, who actually went out of their way to rescue them and bring them back to Olympus to heal.
‘The Zeus I know would never do something like this… all he has done is trap me inside of a tree. For years.’
She wants to fight Luke. To scream at him until her anger's spent, to punch him till he's black and blue and purple.
But… It would not be enough. It would not be enough. So many people are gone because of him and his mistakes, and she has every reason to exclude him from the conversation.
‘But we need to get home. We need to go home. After that, we don't ever have to see Luke again.
Just focus on that. You can be polite, Thalia. It goes against everything you are, everything you stand for, but you can be polite until everyone's safe and the Gods have left and then you can challenge him and fight him and tell him everything you're holding back.’
“How have they been while you've been with them?” She asks.
She tries to keep the venom out of her voice, but Luke still winces anyway.
‘Good. Traitor.’
“They've been throwing up a lot.” Luke admits. “It's hard for either of them to keep food down or stay… present? I don't know what happened to them-”
“And you don't get to know.” Thalia snarls.
‘Great. There goes my attempt to keep the peace. Might as well rip off the bandaid.’
“I-” Luke bows his head as the snake around his neck looks between the two demigods. “...Fair. We need to get out of Olympus anyway.”
Clarisse snorts. “Well, Castellan. We are healed now.” She leans forward, an attempt to dig into his personal space. “Do you expect us to fall off of Olympus like last time?”
“Well, it worked, didn't it?” Luke counters, his new wings flickering into view of everyone gathered.
The daughter of Ares and the son of Hermes stare at each other, seemingly ignoring the rising tension in the room. However, before they can say anything, Nico interrupts.
“Where would we go?” He asks. “Genuinely. Where would we go? Do we have or know anything that would get us back home?”
Chris shakes his head. “I don't have anything.” He admits. “I was so focused on getting here than getting back. Maybe Lou Ellen gave me somethi-”
He cuts himself off, making eye contact with something behind Thalia and paling.
‘Great. Who's behind us?’
She turns around slowly.
And makes eye contact with a wide awake Hermes, staring at them with an incredulous look on his face. His eyes are wide, but no longer bloodshot. His jaw is now reattached, and when he raises his left hand towards them, she sees that his right hand is now healed, resting on his stomach.
“Hi.” Chris says loudly then switches to muttering under his breath. “Great. He's up now. I should have guessed.”
“It was either him or my father.” Will whispers. “It's fine.”
“Still think they can understand us?” Pollux asks.
“Probably. I wouldn't doubt it. I'm just hoping he hasn't heard much.”
“Check your backpack.” Clarisse hisses. “We can distract him.”
“Ok.”
Chris goes silent, Thalia assumes that he's diving into his backpack for something helpful, but Hermes continues to stare at Luke.
The God opens his mouth, then visibly hesitates. He instead, cautiously, sticks a partially healed tongue out to the air. It's still stained gold from the ichor and a large chunk of it is missing, but it has healed enough to where it can visibly be seen.
The God blinks, then frowns. He runs his tongue over his mouth as if trying to think, then lets out a loud bird like chirp.
The kind that sends chills down her spine and makes her want to respond, want to call out for her parents to come get her-
‘But they're not coming.’
She's been a Hunter for long enough to recognize the animal instincts of a God. Except… Lady Artemis is never this… open with her instincts. Or open in general.
“What is he doing?” Castor whispers, staring at Hermes in concern. “Why is he making those noises like Dad did with us when we were young?”
“They're animal instincts.” Thalia says softly. “The Gods of this world must be closer to their more… older forms to actively use those in front of us.”
She knows the Gods are ancient, she's lived with Artemis and the Hunters for a few years. But it's actually seeing them, seeing the Gods of another world actually use their abilities without care for human life… it scares her.
Even after everything, it scares her.
Because one wrong move, and all eleven demigods are incinerated out of anger or pettiness or simply because the Gods want them gone.
She glances at Nico, remembering the conversation from last night. About how Nico and Clarisse had reacted to their fathers using those instincts on them.
“And I'm guessing that's how your and Clarisse's fathers were able to confirm that you're their children.”
Nico frowns. “But we're not their children, Thalia.”
She opens her mouth to argue, then stops.
‘What am I saying? Of course we're not their children… why would I say that we are? Is there something wrong with my head?’
A door creaks, and everyone jumps, reaching for weapons they no longer had and only finding pillows.
Clarisse curses under her breath. “Dam!”
Thalia inhales and steps to the front of the group. “Get behind me.” She orders.
As the door to the temple creaks open, Thalia readies for an explosion.
Instead, a young woman she recognizes as one of the nymphs from the night before steps into the room, carrying a tray filled with flowers.
The young nymph looks like she stepped out of a painting, with her soft brown hair, golden vines and leaves wrapping around her limbs, and her white dress flowing behind her. A bronze hairpin styled like the sun keeps her hair from falling into her hazel eyes. She looks at the group of children and gives them a small smile.
“Hello.” She says gently. “It is good to see you all have awoken. My Lord Apollo and your families were afraid that you would not survive the night.”
She sets the tray down next to Hermes and turns to another nymph- and Thalia starts, because wait, where are the nymphs and satyrs that they saw the night before-
‘Are they in the walls?!’
“Let our Lord know they have awoken.” She says gently. “I am sure he would be delighted to know the children have woken from the night.”
She turns back to the demigods. “In the meantime, would you let me check your injuries? We would like to know if you all need more healing.”
Thalia exchanges a look with the other demigods, who look at each other, then shake their head at Thalia.
She swallows, unable to tell if that's a no to the nymph's question or a no to Thalia.
Actually, now that she thinks about it, she doesn't feel like she's about to collapse on the floor and seize, so maybe their injuries have healed.
“I guess it wouldn't hurt to be looked at…” she says finally.
The nymphs brighten. “Of course, my Lady!” They chorus.
“It's Thalia.” She says quickly. “Just Thalia.”
“We understand, Lady Thalia.”
She gives up arguing with them. It doesn't help them get out of here.
‘I wish Annabeth would wake up already… it's easier to plan with her here. Not that I can't, but… there's nowhere to go.
We have to go somewhere.
We have to get away from here.
But where?’
…
“Thinking of leaving?”
Thalia jolts, her eyes flying open as she stares right into the piercing golden eyes of Apollo himself.
‘When did you get here?!’
He tilts his head to the side. “At the very least, allow me to heal you all.”
“They appear to be healed, my Lord.” The nymph from a few minutes ago speaks up, ignoring the way Clarisse, Luke, and Thalia herself glare at her.
Apollo frowns. “It appears so. I just wish to see for myself-”
As he reaches for Thalia's hand, she immediately yanks it back, her teeth instinctively curling into a snarl.
She blinks. ‘Where did that come from?’
Apollo's eyes soften. “I promise that I will not hurt you.”
Thalia opens her mouth to argue, to beg for space and time, but Will grabs her hand.
“Just-” He says tightly. “Let him do what he has to.”
‘Just to get out of here.’ He doesn't say.
She gets it. They need to go home.
‘...But do we want to?’
“So.” Apollo says after a moment, a moment where Thalia knows he didn't move, but he still beams at them with joy.
“My father, Lord Zeus, would like to speak with you all.”
Thalia freezes. ‘Oh, hell no. Not yet. Not now. Not right when we're trying to make a plan to escape this mess.’
“Our friends aren't awake yet! We can't leave them!” She says quickly.
‘There's no telling when they'll wake up. They need someone familiar to be with them when they do. And then we can get out of here.
…but.
…where would we go?’
“We will be right down the hall.” Apollo promises. “And we have our nymphs and satyrs who will defend them with their lives.”
A bow from the gathered nymphs and satyrs, and the group exchanges several glances.
Of worry. Fear. Defeat. Resignation.
‘...There's no way out.’
Thalia sighs in defeat. “Fine.” She mutters. “We're coming.”
She turns around and sees her younger brother sitting up and looking up at her with bright blue eyes.
“At least tell me this is a bad idea.” She whispers to her brother.
Jason, wisely, stays quiet, and reaches for her anyway.
She sighs again and picks up her younger brother, making eye contact with Clarisse.
‘We need a plan. Think you can figure something out while I deal with Annabeth and Percy?’
Clarisse, to her surprise, nods.
“Alright.” The daughter of War declares, grabbing her spear and taking her boyfriend's hand. “Let's go say hello to everyone.”
~~~
Apollo tells the nymphs to stay in the temple and watch over Hermes, Triton, and Pallas. He claims it's because they need an extra day to heal, but Luke has seen those injuries. Hermes needs way more than an extra day to heal from those wounds.
So why leave him behind? If the Gods want to know everything about them (and they're the Gods, they do everything with a hidden purpose in mind), why leave Hermes, Luke's “father” and the Gods’ current translator, out of the interrogation?
There is no way they actually want to get to know them.
No way.
They'll probably be separated and taken to different temples, only seeing each other on rare occasions and doomed to forget who everyone is.
…who they are.
‘If only Mom could see me now… no, don't think about that-’
He shoves the thought of his mother away. He can't address that right now, he can't show weakness in front of these false Gods.
‘Except they're not false. They're real. As real as the ground beneath our feet and the stars in the sky above us.
This is real, so they are real, so I have to get everyone away from them.
Even if I-’
Apollo clears his throat, snapping Luke out of his thoughts.
“Your families are through that door.” He says softly, pointing with a claw toward an open doorway with a soft yellow light emanating from inside.
Luke swallows and glances at the other demigods. They stare back at him.
“Well, Castellan?” Clarisse asks.
‘Right.’
He sighs, scratches Squiggles under his snout, then nods at the others before they all enter what is clearly a throne room-
And oh.
Oh, he thought Apollo was scary, descending from the skies in his golden chariot with a wild delight in his eyes, an almost maddened grin never leaving his face- if he could even call the visible wolf teeth, golden fur, and a mix of raven and swan feathers a face.
As multiple pairs of animal eyes look up from their chatter, Luke feels terror run down his spine.
The mix of animal features on otherwise human(ish) bodies is terrifying. And that's coming from the person who willingly hosted a Titan.
In the center are Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of Olympus.
Zeus is tall, dressed in white, with a large golden scar on his forehead, cloudy white hair pulled back, and ivory horns that curve upward as if to hold the world in them. A cream colored tail rests at his feet, and he holds a large lighting bolt in his right hand like a staff.
Hera is tall, with deep blue peacock feathers tangled in her waist-long curly brown hair. At her feet, a long tail with tan fur curls around her left ankle, and it's covered with golden bracelets and bangles with… designs, maybe words on them that he can't make out.
Her eyes are a soft caramel brown, almost matching her hair, that fill with tears at the sight of the nine demigods standing in the doorway. Luke catches sight of the small ivory horns and the lion ears on her head, along with the freckles on her skin, and the sharp iron metal claws on her hands.
Beside Hera is Demeter. The Goddess of the Harvest is dressed in greens and yellow, with straight brown hair falling to her waist. Green, gold, and black scales cover her arms, and golden eyes gaze out at him on a tanned freckled face. A pair of what looks like pink pig ears rest on her head, and a large brown staff rests at her side.
Hestia is next to Demeter, covered in orange veils resembling flames. Through the veils, Luke spots soft orange eyes, light brown hair that he swears turns fiery orange, a pair of donkey ears, and a golden necklace with five crystal beads pulsing with multicolored lights.
Next to Zeus is Poseidon. Luke noticed the God back when he had attempted to break into Olympus to rescue everyone, but now the God of the Sea looks calmer. One eye is milky white and covered in a ghastly scar, while the other…
The other looks like Percy's eyes.
Poseidon is covered in blue-green scales, and his long dark hair almost hides the horse ears from Luke's sight. A blue metal trident rests at his side as well.
Next to Poseidon is Hades, the God of the Dead.
He looks like the God Luke remembers, except for his legs, which vanish into shadow from the waist down, and the dog ears nearly hidden by his hair. He still has his helm, unsurprisingly.
Aphrodite…
She looks like his mom.
If his mom is taller, younger, unburdened by the Curse of the Oracle, and looks at him with clear attentive eyes.
He swallows the lump that appears in his throat and blinks.
And it's Thalia's face that stares at him, it's the youthful smile of his siblings that beams at him, it's Annabeth's eyes that are filled with tears (at his betrayal).
‘Yes, I love them, but they are my sisters.
…my sisters who now want nothing to do with me.’
The Goddess of Love smiles softly, her form shifting back to his mom, and he can see the dove feathers at her eyes, ears, and collarbone.
Next to her is Athena. Annabeth's grey eyes stare at him from a pale face with reddish-brown hair, brown and gold feathers under her eyes, and large owl wings protruding from her back. She's dressed in bronze armor from her shoulders to her feet, with white cloth underneath the armor.
Ares sits next to Athena, with his mother's hair, a face full of boar tusks, and eyes that burn with endless fire. He wears a red robe that Luke swears is dripping blood, and is also wearing bronze armor.
Next to Hestia is Artemis, and the Goddess of the Hunt is dressed in silver. Deer antlers shimmer on her head and large doe eyes gaze at him with clear suspicion.
For a second, he thinks of Thalia behind him, of the Hunters who died in his pathetic war.
He almost shrinks back, away from her glance in particular. If the Goddess is as wild as the others claim, she will murder him the second he steps forward.
He stays still.
Hephaestus also takes after his mother, with darker brown hair and arms and legs covered in soot from the forges. A pair of donkey ears, like his Aunt, rest on his head, and a cane rests at his side.
Dionysus looks like he did yesterday, young and covered in leopard spots.
The only two Gods missing are Apollo, but he’s behind them, and Hermes, but he's still in the temple.
Still.
It's… not normal.
None of this is normal.
The Gods… shouldn't look like this.
…did they ever look like this?
He wants to go home. If his mom is even alive anymore.
He wants to go home.
‘But I can't. Because I'm stuck here. With everyone behind me and these useless Gods in front of me.’
Luke stares up at the Gods and wishes that they were nowhere near Olympus.
Apollo steps past them, giving them all a clear attempt at a comforting smile- that doesn't work, it makes Luke feel like he's standing in a cage of bones and he's next-
‘-the creepiest things were the skulls. The arena was full of them. They ringed the edge of the railing. Three-foot-high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from Pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like horrible chandeliers…
His Lord made him sit in the place of honor. Made him stare down at the deaths of countless centaurs, satyrs, and yes, even fellow demigods.
“Look at this, Luke Castellan. Look at the way they fear you. This is how you gain true power. This is how you make an everlasting change.
Speak to Antaeus, the son of Poseidon and my former mother. Speak to our host, demand our passage through the Labyrinth. Then, we can lay waste to Olympus, and destroy the pathetic Gods who abandoned you-”
“Luke.”
He blinks.
Chris's hand is on his shoulder.
His face is unreadable, but his eyes…
They burn with the fact of knowing.
“You're here now.” His brother tells him quietly. “He's not.”
Luke swallows.
He does not respond to Chris's attempt at grounding him, at reminding him where and when he was.
He does not bring up the nightmare from the night before.
“Sure.” He mutters.
He tears his eyes away from his brother and watches Apollo step in front of the group.
“Father.” Apollo addresses Zeus with a smile that doesn't fade. “I present to you, nine of our children of the Gods.”
Zeus stares at them incredulously as they finally enter the room. Luke can hear the gears turning in their heads as they finally put two and two together, see the relief and hunger war in their eyes. Zeus just stares at each of them, as if attempting to identify them with just a glance.
He hesitates, sets his Masterbolt on the ground-
“Don't you dare.” Thalia, Clarisse, Chris, and Will hiss together behind him.
Luke inhales and forces his suddenly twitching fingers still. “I wasn't going to do anything.” He hisses back.
Zeus clears his throat, and as soon as the demigods look at him, leans forward on his throne.
“Who… are… all… of… you?” Zeus asks haltingly.
In English.
The demigods stiffen.
‘Oh, hell.’
When no one answers the God, Luke blinks. “Σχέ.” (Wait.) He says, switching to Greek and pointing at himself, just to get their attention off of everyone else. “Are you talking to… to me?”
“You are the oldest.” Hera replies in Greek as her body seems to relax, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. “Surely you know of what has transpired to bring you all here?”
‘No, dear Wicked Stepmother, I do not know a thing.’
He is more than willing to let Thalia and Clarisse handle this conversation, but as soon as he turns around to ask them-
The girls’ faces are white.
‘Oh. They're scared too.’
Thalia clings to her younger brother and holds him close, almost bending herself over him to hide him from the Gods’ view. Clarisse doesn't show any fear on her face, other than turning white, but her spear in her hand shakes as she stands next to her friend.
Fine. Fine. It's fine. He can handle the conversation while they figure out how to get everyone back to their world. He can be a distraction while they get away.
‘It's the very least I can do.’
Luke looks the God of the Sky in his eyes and says (in English), “My name is Luke Castellan.”
‘Deep breath, Luke. Though it's obvious, you have to say it.’
"...and I am the son of Hermes.”
He turns toward the demigods. “These are my-”
‘Friends.’ He almost says. Over the past few days- ‘has it really been that long?!’ -they have gone from his friends to his enemies to his allies to his friends to his…
“...companions.” He settles on. An easy word, one that won't get everyone angry at him. “Thalia and Jason Grace, daughter and son of Zeus." The God of the Sky's face brightens, but Luke ignores the question in his eyes and continues, gesturing at each of his… companions in turn.
“Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares. Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes. Castor and Pollux Chiavin, sons of Dionysus. Will Solace, son of Apollo. Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades. And-”
He stops as soon as his hand gestures to empty air.
Percy and Annabeth… were not- are not here. They aren't here to speak up for themselves, aren't here to demand answers. They're still in the infirmary, left alone and in the Gods’ hands.
‘I shouldn't have left them there. Sure, Apollo healed us, but there's a catch. There's always a catch. I shouldn't have stayed quiet, I should have spoken up the second we were told to meet these copies of our parents. I shouldn't have left them there, especially in their current state.’ Whatever was going on with them now, it was enough- is enough to make even Thalia and Clarisse afraid. And that… that scares Luke. Because what in the name of Hades happened after he died?!
Luke blinks, and somehow, makes direct eye contact with both Poseidon and Athena. God and Goddess stare at him with almost pleading green and grey eyes, and he-
Is not a fool. It's clearly a trick. He knows better, he should not say a word-
“...and Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase.” He says finally. “The son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena.”
He ignores the other demigods’ laser focused stares, only locking eyes with Thalia, whose face has gone even more pale.
‘Why?’
“...and you are ours?” Zeus whispers. “All of you… are ours?”
Luke nods.
Zeus visibly swallows.
“And you are real?” He asks. “All of you. You are real? Time is not… deceiving us here?”
Luke bites his lip. “I don't know how we got here.” He admits. “But I can assure you, we are real.”
Zeus grips the armrests of his throne, slowly pushes himself to his feet, and Luke reacts on instinct, stepping in front of the others.
“Luke-” Thalia hisses.
He ignores her and keeps his eyes on the God of Thunder as he slowly descends from his throne and approaches…
…Thalia and Jason.
Wordlessly, he drops to his knees in front of the demigods and stares at them in wonder.
And Luke thought it was a strange thing to see: the King of the Greek Gods on his knees before his children.
Zeus reaches out a hand to Thalia. “Θύγατερ, υιέ. Λυποῦμαι ὅτι οὐ παρῆν ὑμῖν ὅτε ἐδεῖσθέ μου.” (“My daughter, my son. I am so sorry that I was not there for you when you needed me to be.”)
The terror in Thalia's eyes immediately changes to anger as she tenses up, lightning beginning to arc up and down her arms. “You were never there at all.” She hisses, practically snarls, teeth pulling back in a grimace.
Clarisse places her other hand on her shoulder and Thalia blinks. Slowly, she relaxes, and the lightning dies down.
“Sorry.” She mutters under her breath, but loud enough to where the demigods can hear. “I don't know where that came from.”
Zeus doesn't respond to the language change, but he does lower his hand. “It is alright.” He says in Greek. “You all are still on edge from your captivity. As much as we wish to know about your lives, we will wait until you all are willing to share it.”
Luke catches the other Gods glance at each other, questions swirling in their eyes. But out of fear (or respect?) from their King, they do not ask them.
“Then why did you bring us here?” Luke asks before he can stop himself. “Why did you take them from their homes?”
Zeus looks at him, puzzled. “We did not bring you here, Loukas.”
“It's Luke.” He mutters.
“Fate did.”
Behind him, he hears his brother gasp.
Zeus continues. “Fate is an old Domain, one that we have known for millennia. It recently gained a sentience of Its own, and upon realizing its sentience, we asked It for help in the fight against… against Time.”
‘Right. The curse. I wonder if the others know about it yet.
…the story, not the curse, they've seen the latter firsthand.
…What was in the mountain, anyway?’
“We could speak to It for you.” Zeus offers. “To see what It would say.”
“That's fine.” Thalia says. “We'll talk to Fate ourselves.”
‘WHAT.’
Luke whips his head around to stare at her, because what-
“-are you doing?!” He hisses.
“Panicking.” Thalia hisses back. “Because if their Fate is the one who brought us here, then their Fate is more than capable of taking us back.”
“And what's the plan if they refuse?” Luke whispers. “We don't belong here, Thalia-”
“I know!” Thalia shouts, her voice echoing in the room and startling baby Jason as she whirls around on him. “I know we don't belong here, Luke! We all want to go home, and no one knows how. So, we have to find and convince the only being that does know how, to let us go home and be with our families and friends again!”
‘Families.
Because demigods actually have those now.’
Luke sighs.
“Okay.” He says finally. “I'm with you.”
Thalia blinks in clear surprise.
He knows she's expecting a fight, she's been fighting the urge ever since she saw him again. But whether it's out of acknowledgement that he brought Jason back to her or that he's been protecting a young Percy and Annabeth all this time (or because she knows that it's Luke, her Luke, and not the monster in his head. The monster he knows he still is.), she keeps her mouth shut.
“Alright.” Thalia looks away from Luke and toward the copy of her father.
“Take us to Fate.”