Chapter Text
They stood in the hall, before them the gods. The demigods around them were each awarded, Roman, then Greek, then Roman, then Greek, and on and on. Percy leaned against Grover, the Lord of the Wild, who had led thousands of nature spirits in the war. Despite their victory, most of the demigods in the hall were not in fact celebrating.
Specifically for the two members of the original trio, they were grieving for Annabeth. It was her blood that had raised Gaia. She had been struck down with a spear through the chest by Ephialtes. Percy had cried and held her in his arms as she choked on her own blood and finally died.
He had been mad. Distracted. Someone had gotten him with a sword, slicing so deep across his abdomen that his organs should've fallen out, if not for his ability to manipulate fluids that kept them in. It had burned, white hot agony shooting throughout his body but he refused to stop, take a break, or pass out, even when Will shouted at him and threatened even more bodily harm. (how was that gonna help Will?)
Percy watched as Gaia rose from the Earth. He fought with all his might. He and what remained of the Seven and the rest of their troops. Then he and Jason, and Leo had struggled together to get Gaia into Festus's grip. They had managed to raise her above the Earth.
To storm or fire, the world must fall. He was determined it be him. With Annabeth gone and him already dying, he was ready. Leo and Festus had other plans. Percy had shouted and cursed (in Greek) as Festus dropped him into the ocean. He heard Jason curse as Festus's tail had slammed into him, smacking him into the ocean and into Percy.
Percy had made an air bubble around Jason so that the son of the sky god could breathe before the two of them swam to the surface and watched as Leo, his dragon, and Gaia exploded in a ball of Greek fire bright enough to match the sun. They had trudged out of the waves. While the water had healed most of his minor injuries, the cut across his abdomen had been too severe to heal.
Instead of going to the camp, the two of them had limped toward the Empire State Building. The elevator guy, who usually tried gaslighting them, paled at the sight of Percy's injury and let them through immediately. When they had arrived, Percy almost immediately collapsed into Grovers' arms, both of them sobbing uncontrollably until the other demigods arrived. Jason left to find Piper.
Then everyone had arrived, and the gods began handing out awards. The fallen were given places in Elysium. Many of the girls chose to join the Hunters of Artemis, who now barely had any members. "I wish to join the Hunt," Reyna spoke quietly as she knelt in front of Diana. "If you will take me."
The room fell silent, and Percy's head shot up from his seat in surprise. There was a murmur of displeasure from the Romans, mostly the centurions. When Reyna became Praetor, she had said Praetor for life. Now, she wanted to join the Hunt. meaning she would resign as Praetor. There was a sound of protest coming from the Roman side. Belladonna sighed in displeasure and disappointment at her daughter's declaration.
Percy stood up, wincing and almost toppling. Grover stood up, supporting him. The two showed their support for Reyna. She turned and looked in surprise. Then a quick nod of appreciation. Percy nodded back. Around them, the murmurs were rising. Then Frank stood, draped in his own purple Praetor cloak. Hazel stood next to him with a tired smile. Then Piper, and Jason, and Nico, and Will. To their surprise, Clarisse stood, and the rest of the Ares cabin joined her. They glared at the Romans as if daring them to say no.
Finally, from the Roman side, Gwen, the previous centurion of the Fifth Cohort, stood. Dakota followed her, and so did half the legion. Diana scanned the crowd and nodded. "The oath?"
Reyna nodded, "Before I do," she turned to the crowd, "May I address them one last time as Praetor?"
The goddess nodded.
"Twelfth Legion Fulminata!" she shouted. Her voice carried her tiredness and pain, but at the same time, it was commanding, every bit the leader she was.
"Ave!" they responded, some of them lacking quite a lot of the usual energy.
"I, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Daughter of Belladonna, formally resign as Praetor of and hand over leadership to Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto. It has been my honor to serve you." She kneeled, one foot in front of the other, knee to the floor and fist in front, her head bowed to the legion.
"Ave!" they responded again.
Reyna stood and walked over to Hazel, who stared at her in shock. Frank squeezed Hazel's hand in encouragement as Reyna unclasped her cloak and handed it to the daughter of Hades. Hazel whispered something quietly, and Reyna responded before turning back. The ex-Praetor knelt before Diana and spoke softly, "I, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, pledge myself to the goddess Diana. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the hunt."
Diana nodded, "I accept. Stand. Join your sisters."
Reyna stood and walked over to Thalia, who almost (keyword almost) squealed and enveloped her in a hug.
Then it was Jason's turn. He asked for shrines for all the minor gods and goddesses in Camp Jupiter. His request was quickly accepted by his father under the condition that he be the one to lead the effort.
"Perseus Jackson! Son of Poseidon. Slayer of the Minotaur. Slayer of Medusa. Slayer of the Furies, of Procustes, and of so much more. Come forth." Zeus’s commanding voice boomed across the area.
Percy wobbled forward from his seat, pushing Grover away when the satyr tried to help. Percy was rebellious. He had problems with authority. He had problems with his uncle. He had many problems with the gods. They expected him to scoff, the challenge, to mock the gods. Instead? He knelt.
He winced as the movement jostled his wound. He was hyperaware of the blood flowing freely from his wound and dripping against the white tiled floors. He was aware that he was on the brink of passing out or dying. He was okay with that.
Another shocked murmur ran through the crowd from both the demigods and the watching immortals. “Stand, Perseus Jackson,” said Zeus. He, too, wore a shocked look on his face. “You have done well, and for that, we name you the Hero of Olympus.”
Percy stood up slowly, holding back a wince. He bowed his head as he received the title, a title of no use to him. “And,” the king continued, “We offer you a second chance to become an immortal.”
And… there was another shocked murmur from the crowd, this time much louder than before. “SILENCE!” shouted Zeus. The half-bloods flinched and quieted. “Do you or do you not accept our generous offer. Never have we offered this to the same mortal twice.”
“I-” there was a crack in his voice, “I… am grateful for the offer, Lord Zeus, but I do not accept.”
Zeus narrowed his eyes, and Percy held his breath. Was he finally going to be vaporized by lightning? Then the king of the sky laughed. He freaking laughed. Percy frowned. “I thought as much,” said Zeus, “Tell me, Hero of Olympus, what is it that you want? I swear upon the River Styx to grant it as best I can.”
Percy nodded, “First, I want amnesty to all the demigods who fought with Gaia. They were misguided and manipulated by. They deserve a second chance. Secondly, I want you to pardon all the Titans who did not fight in this war, including Calypso. They’ve already been punished for thousands of years. Third, I want to create a safe house in major cities so that Half-blood around the world don’t have to rely on Camp as a safe space. So that they can go to school and stay close to their families instead of in the middle of nowhere. And lastly? I want peace.”
Zeus nodded, though slightly unhappy, “Very well, nephew. Your first wish is granted. Let it be heard by all of you here. No harm shall come to the demigods who fought on my mother's side. As for the Titans… I shall grant them amnesty, but if they are to step out of line again, you will be personally called upon to deal with them.” There was an unspoken, ‘kill them.’ Percy nodded, and Zeus continued. “Hephestus and Athena shall work on creating safehouses. Hectate will make sure the enchantments are correct. We will start with New York, where you live, and work from there. Under one condition, though. You will personally oversee this first workshop and retrieve the half-bloods yourself. As for your final wish… peace. That is one I cannot grant, son of the sea. Peace has come, but the peace will not be forever. When Olympus calls, I hope that you, the Hero, will answer. That is all.”
Percy nodded numbly and stepped back into the crowd to join Grover.
“Now.” Zeus said coldly, “Apollo.”
The god of the sun, who had been hiding behind his sister, slowly stepped forward. “Someone must be punished,” his father said, “You allowed this to happen. Your descendant, your mess. I hereby sentence you to-”
“Excuse me,” said a voice. Everyone turned to face Percy.
“Are you insane?” whispered Grover, who was again nudged aside by Percy.
“Perseus,” Zeus sighed.
“I understand that you feel Apollo is to blame,” said Percy slowly, “But he could not have stopped it. Neither could you. Gaia was going to rise regardless. She did, and we stopped her. Now we don’t have a problem. Plus, Apollo was also suffering from personality splits, and I think that all of us here,” he gestured to the demigods, “would prefer to have the God of Healing very much a god. Especially me,” he gestured to his very much falling out organs and to the blood on the floor.
Zeus visibly paled. “Very well,” he sighed, then motioned Apollo to go to the demigod.
Apollo ran over to Percy, happy to get away from his angry father. He muttered something and waved his arm over the crowd of half-bloods. There was a sigh that ran through the crowd as wounds stopped bleeding and minor injuries healed. He supported Percy and took him to a pillar away from the crowd. The son of Poseidon slid down the pillar, leaving a trail of blood, and collapsed into a seated position as the god fussed over him.
The half-bloods were dismissed. Some of the godly parents ‘kidnapped' their kids, grabbing them for quick chats or congratulations. “Perseus,” he looked up from his spot on the floor to see Athena.
He tried to stand and hissed as Apollo pushed him back down. “Not now, Athena.”
“I’ll be quick,” she said and knelt beside him. (the goddess freaking knelt.) “I was wrong about you,” she said (what the heck. Percy wondered if he was dead and this was some lucid dream he was having before he transitioned to the Underworld). “You are every bit the hero that my daughter said you were. Annabeth would be proud.”
Tears prickled in his eyes, and for once, he was grateful that no other demigods were around. “I-” he stopped.
“Thank you for everything you have done,” said Athena, “I will make sure the safe house plan of yours is successful.”
“Thank you,” was all he could manage.
She nodded and stepped back. Apollo let out an annoyed sigh as Poseidon came up. “Alright, alright,” Apollo said, “This is the best I can do. Rest for at least a week, maybe stay in your father's realm. No strenuous activities.”
“Thank you, nephew,” said Poseidon. Apollo walked away and toward his kids, who were staring at him from the corner.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Percy,” responded Poseidon, “How are you?”
“I’ve had better days,” he deadpanned.
His father sighed, “I know. I’m sorry. I-”
“Thanks, Dad,” Percy interjected, “What do you want?”
“I wanted to see if you’d like to stay in the palace while you rest.”
“No,” he responded almost immediately, “I’m planning to go back to Camp. There's a lot of damage and paperwork.”
“But…” his father trailed off, “You deserve a break.”
Percy let out a laugh, then winced, “Living there will be anything but a break. Your wife hates me. And by extension, so does Triton. And the naiads? It definitely would not be a break.”
They talked for a bit longer until Jason came over. Poseidon said his goodbyes and disappeared in a flash of light. The two didn’t speak the entire time. When they returned to camp, Percy threw himself into work, helping rebuild Camp and did a ton of paperwork for Chiron.
Then they had burned shrouds. Malcolm had woven a beautiful stormy grey shroud for his sister, covered in owls, feathers, and a symbol of Daedalus. Percy had burned her shroud. He didn’t cry when he burned it, didn’t cry after. He simply didn’t cry. Campers and his friends gave him worried looks, people apologized, tried to talk, but he just waved them off and buried himself in work.
Actually, he did cry. Only once, when he went to tell Annabeth’s family what had happened. Her father had collapsed to his knees and sobbed. Then Percy did too. He felt like shit afterward.
By the end of the week, his wound had mostly healed, leaving behind only a scar. Will had cleared him for action, not that he was going to fight, but still.
“When are you leaving?”
“In ‘bout an hour,” muttered Percy, looking up to see Jason, “Or after I finish this,” he patted the stack of papers next to him.
“Do you… Do you want me to go with you?” Jason asked, “Or all of us?”
Percy gave him a forced smile, “Nah, I’m good. Thalia already offered. And Nico.”
“You sure? ‘Cause we could-”
“Jason.” Jason stopped talking. “I want to go alone,” said Percy, “Thank you for the offer.” He went back to scribbling in Greek on the paper.
“Do you want to talk?” asked Jason quietly.
Percy shook his head.
“I miss them,” Jason sighed.
Percy froze. Then so quietly that Jason almost missed it, “Me too.”