Chapter Text
>| 110 Years Ago |<
"To thank you for your service to us," Zeus started, "We will be giving you the greatest gift of them all: immortality."
Percy took in a sharp intake of breath. He didn't want immortality. He didn't want eternal life. He wanted to die in peace of old age or something. He wanted to die. Sure, maybe that day wasn't today, but he would've never imagined himself stuck in a situation where he was being forced to become immortal. He didn't want this.
But the gods didn't care what he wanted.
"No thank-" Percy started.
Zeus cut him off. "This is not a choice. You will accept this gift with no arguments or struggle. Do you understand?"
Percy narrowed his eyes at the god. Oh, how he wished to wipe that... face off of Zeus's head. Or even the head off his body.
"Do you understand?" Zeus asked again, louder this time.
Percy scowled in response to the gods question. Next to him, Annabeth nodded numbly.
"Good," the king of the gods said. "Leo Valdez, please step forward."
Percy watched numbly as the son of Hephaestus walked towards Zeus.
Hephaestus walked towards his son, placing his hands on Leo's shoulders. "From now on, my son, Leo Valdez, is the minor god of fire and chicken nuggets."
Leo glowed a bright orange-red, which briefly made Percy think of Mt. Saint Helens. After the light faded, Leo stood there, looking no different than before. Except for the fading look of pain spread across his features.
Leo stepped back.
"Frank Zhang, please step forward."
Frank moved closer to the king of the gods.
Mars walked towards Frank, putting his hands on the legacy of Poseidon's shoulders like Hephaestus had done to Leo. "From now on, you, my son, Frank Zhang, are the minor god of change, lactose intolerance, and Timmy Horton's."
Frank glowed a dark red color. As the light faded, Frank stood there, looking at the ground.
He silently walked back over to Hazel.
"Annabeth Chase, please step forward."
Athena put her hands on Annabeth's shoulders. "My daughter, Annabeth Chase, is now the minor goddess of #2 pencils and books."
Percy bit his tongue to keep from laughing. About a week after they'd escaped Tartarus, 5 days after they'd broken up, Percy had found an overwhelming supply of #2 pencils in her room.
(Though most people might be sad at the breakup, Percy had seen it coming. Even before Tartarus, he'd noticed her sneaking longing glances to a certain daughter of Aphrodite every once and a while.)
Annabeth glowed a light grey-blue color.
She walked back over to her spot next to Percy.
"Jason Grace, please step forward."
There seemed to be no order in which they were choosing who to change.
Zeus became Jupiter. He put his hands on Jason's shoulders. "From this day forth, you, Jason Grace, shall be the god of thunder and staplers."
Percy silently wondered what his weird domain would be. All the others got one.
Jason glowed a striking blue color that looked like it came straight out of I Am Number Four (the movie, not the book. Percy had never read the book).
Jason moved back over to Piper.
"Hazel Levesque, please step forward."
Pluto walked towards his daughter, not daring to make eye contact with her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I pronounce you, my daughter, Hazel Levesque, the goddess of metal detectors and caves."
She glowed a color similar to that of her eyes.
Then, like all the others, went back to where she was originally standing.
"Piper McLean, please step forward."
Aphrodite walked up to her daughter and placed her hands on Piper's shoulders. "From this day forward, you, my daughter, Piper McLean, shall be known as the goddess of natural beauty, daggers, and karaoke."
3 domains, Percy mused. How many will I get? 2? 3? Maybe even 4?
"Perseus Jackson, step forward."
It's Percy, he mentally corrected. And not even a 'please'?
Poseidon walked towards his scowling son, giving him a look of pity while putting his hands on his shoulders. "From now on, my son, Perseus Jackson, shall be known and loved as the god of tides, rain, depression, and blue food."
The world went a blinding blue color. He could feel the blood within him start to shift, to burn. To change into ichor. A piece of him that had been locked away felt like it was going to explode- but instead it grew within him. He had no time to wonder if he could of reached the power of a god on his own, for it was over in a second, though it had felt like an eternity.
The world seemed to slow around him, though not in an unpleasant way. It was comforting.
But then the weight of his domains set in. He could feel the Fates smiling down on him, ready to make him suffer more.
His senses were expanded. Miles away, he could feel the tides rolling in and out, low and high. The moon pulled him in, pushed him out. He involuntarily looked up to Artemis, to see her gazing at him with a hint of wonder in the otherwise blank expression on her face.
He could feel rain poor down all around the world. Drip, drip, drop, its voice whispered. Drip, drip, drop.
His friends stared at him as he walked over to them. He found himself muttering, "Drip, drip, drop."
"You may go," Zeus dismissed them. Percy and his friends began to walk out.
Poseidon placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Not you. Stay."
As they walked out the door, Hazel looked back, sending him a questioning glance.
He shrugged and motioned for her to keep going.
Once they had left, Nico and Thalia walked into the room. They looked confused.
He waved awkwardly at them. "Hey."
They spotted him and ran over to him.
"Do you know what we're doing here?" Thalia asked Percy.
"No, but-"
Zeus cleared his throat, making the cousins turn to see him. Thalia scowled. Nico moved closer to Percy, as if hoping for some sort of protection. Zeus killed Nico's mom, he reminded himself.
He stood protectively in front of the son of Hades.
"There is no need for that," Zeus said, annoyed. "I would like to gift you full immortality."
Nico wearily looked up at Zeus. "Full immortality?"
"Not godhood." Percy thought this was a bit unfair, but didn't speak up. "But you cannot die."
"All right," Thalia said right away. "Then I can serve at Mi'lady's side for eternity."
Artemis smiled at her lieutenant.
"I-I guess I'll accept," Nico said. "I've got nothing to lose anyways."
Zeus gave them both a quick, obviously fake smile. "As you wish."
Thalia glowed a silvery color, and Nico a dark brown. After a moment, it stopped, and Percy knew that they were now immortal. Like him. But still, something didn't make sense...
"Why am I here?" Percy asked harshly. "I'm already immortal, so why am I here to watch my cousins suffer the same fate?"
Thalia and Nico stared at the son of Poseidon in shock.
"I was getting there," Zeus huffed angrily. He walked down and handed each one of the newly made immortals a bronze key. "Keep these safe. Do not lose them. They will only go away from you when the time is right. These are connected to you. Now go. Begone from my sight."
The three walked out of the throne room, but not because Zeus told them to- they left because they couldn't stand to be in his presence any longer.
"At least we can suffer together now," Thalia jokingly said, elbowing Percy in the ribs.
Nico snorted. "Yeah, right. You're always going to be with the hunters, and Percy's a god now, so we'll hardly ever see each other."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm not going to take regular breaks in order to come see you? I can go and visit you guys whenever I want now."
"Yeah, that's right," Thalia noted. "What are you the god of, Percy?"
"Rain and stuff," he answered as if it were nothing.
"Yikes," Nico said. "I have a feeling you wont be the most well-liked god out there."
"Why not?" Percy asked, honestly confused.
Then, shakily, Nico began to sing. "Rain, rain, go away, please don't come back another day..."
"Hm," Percy said. "I guess not. I'm the god of blue food and tides too, but my other domain is really fucked up."
"Blue food?" Thalia inquired.
"What's the other domain?" Nico asked.
"Depression."
"Holy..." Nico tried to find the right word. "Fuck. No one's ever going to like you again."
Percy snorted. "Way to cheer me up, Death Breath."
They continued their journey out of Olympus, talking about little, silly things the whole way.
And, as he walked out of Olympus, it dawned on him...
I'm the god of depression.
I'm the GOD of BLUE FOOD.
Holy shit...
I'm a god.