A/N: Hey, people of the internet. I have a gift for you... A FREE STORY! No, you can't have it, but you can read it. Now, this doesn't mean I'm giving up on any other stories I have going(aka that one), but I feel like taking a break from Naruto and going to a series I enjoyed around the same time period as Naruto... kinda. This beginning is gonna take place after Jason and the other's are "slapped" back to Long Island by Zeus, though some past events are gonna get changed. That's about it. Oh, I don't really like the general dialogue format with the new lines for each person, so unless people have a problem with it, I probably won't use it. Seriously, it annoys me at times.

As Percy watched Jason go up into the sky, he had a VERY bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. In his mind, he asked himself, 'He's... he's gonna die up there, isn't he?' His own voice responded to him. 'Either him or Leo. Or you. Storm doesn't have to be him, you know. Storms can't form without water. Water is everywhere, even in the air, and especially in you. Besides, you've made pretty big storms before haven't you.' He only had a few more seconds to deliberate, but as he stared at Jason, Piper in his arms, he couldn't let him do it. In that instant, something snapped for him. He could feel all the thoughts that flew around in his head get... focused. All the sounds of battle seemed to fade away, the general hyperactivity that came with being a demigod just seemed to become... muted. Even the voice in his head seemed to go away, and that was his own voice.

Acting in this trance-like state, he raised his hand, and Jason was grabbed by a hand of water. Water burst forth from within him, and brought him upward, in a similar fashion as Jason with his wind. "I can't let you Jason. You and Piper have so much left. So much to live for. So much living to DO. Your life was stolen from you, your love was fabricated, and if you do this, you may never get to validate it for yourselves. You don't have to be the storm. I'll do it." He didn't even know that he knew how to use validate in a sentence, but the words just seemed to flow from within him.

As Jason was about to protest, trying to tell him that Hera had stolen much of his life as well, he saw Percy's eyes, and for once, they weren't sparkling. They weren't gleaming with mirth. They weren't happy. They showed grim conviction. "Are... are you sure." Giving him a wry smile that seemed out of place on him, he responded, "Tell Annabeth not to hit me too hard in Elysium... or if I come back... Gods, she's gonna murder me." Shooting up, he pulled together a hurricane around him, going for the strongest one he could. Unfortunately for him, said hurricane made him unable to hear Piper telling him to take the Physician's cure. Catching up to Leo, he just said "Sup!" before sending a pressurized jet of water at Gaea, forcefully eroding half of her face.

Leo, even in the hurricane swirling around him, through the winds and rain, was still burning like the sun, forcing all the water that came too close to him to evaporate instantly. Grinning in his own crazy fashion, he shouted over the wind, "Glad you could join the party, Aqua Lad! Was expecting Superman, but I'll take what I can get, ya know. You're making it a bit harder to burn her face off though." As he said this, he threw some flames at the aforementioned face which was in the process of reforming.

Gaea attempted to dissolve into sand, but Percy just surrounded her in water, dragged her back together, and molded her into a humanoid shape, forcing her to reform. As she did so, her movements were sluggish and sloppy. Well, as sloppy as you can be called when thrashing around in a giant mechanical dragon's claw. Every shard of earth she'd throw to attack them, which was little more than mud by that point, moved so slow that Percy could just blast through it, hitting her in the process.

Festus himself was blasting her with fire, following Leo's example, all the while climbing higher and higher, his wings straining so hard you could hear it over the hurricane. Gaea was so far out of her domain, for the first time in just about forever, that she just felt... weak. No other words could describe it. As they were heating her to extreme temperatures before cooling her down with pressurized water, she eventually just came to a stop, only being able to throw an occasional ball of mud.

Leo wasn't looking to good at that point. He may have been unable to sweat with his body surrounded in flames, but the strain was plain on his face... or what could be made out on his face. It looked like flames under his skin were about to burst out, consuming him and everything around him in an accurate imitation of the sun. At that point, Leo shouted to Percy, "Get out of here Percy! I can't contain the flames much longer! I'll just vaporize her in the explosion."

That was what Percy was expecting, and that was what he wanted to prevent. "NO!" he shouted over his own hurricane. "I can make it! I survived Mt. St. Helens. Hades, I CAUSED it. Actually, let me take her off planet, into space. I don't think she'll be able to return at all from that. With my water, I MIGHT be able to survive long enough to get back before the vacuum kills me. Your flames can't burn in a vacuum, though." Never before had Percy been as thankful for listening to at least a little bit of science class than today. Unfortunately, he didn't know that a protogenoi couldn't really die.

Leo just shook his head vigorously, which would be rather amusing, if not for the situation, with his face looking like liquid flames covered by actual flames. "Screw that, man! I WILL survive! I have a plan, I just need you to trust me!" Percy just looked into his flaming eyes, which were beginning to fade a bit from lack of oxygen to burn, and, with a reluctant sigh, nodded. He let himself descend to the point where he'd probably be safe from whatever Leo was doing and watched, visibly worried and ready to step in and stop him if need be.

Leo, on the other hand, just yelled, "THIS IS FOR MY MOTHER, ESPERANZA VALDEZ!" With that, both he and Festus became an increasingly brighter ball of flames in the sky, and Percy realized that whatever was about to happen would be an a completely different scale from Mt. St. Helens' eruption. He tried to rocket back towards the ground, using his water as a propulsion system, but as he was attempting it, something, or someone, screaming in a very girly manner flew by him, on a crash course with Leo. He didn't have a chance to look back, because he was hit with the force of an explosion from behind, making his entire world go black. The last thing he was able to process was a resounding 'OW!' coming from every bit of his body.

Unknown amount of time later-

The world slowly came back into focus for Percy, though everything seemed... different. Slowly, he realized that he was underwater. Good thing he was Poseidon's kid. As everything that had recently happened came back to him, he could only wonder, 'How hard will Annabeth kill me when I get back?' Shaking his head, he felt that he was a few miles off the coast of Long Island, making his journey a rather simple one. Willing the sea around him to push him where he knew camp was, he rocketed away.

After a few minutes of high-speed swimming, and the occasional slowing/stop to greet Hippocampi, Mer-people, and even a few Ichthyocentaurs on a trip, he arrived at camp half-blood. Climbing onto the shore, he saw that they were burning shrouds. Despite not being the most stealthy person, he hid in a tree, kinda wanting to see what kind of shroud they'd give him. As names and shrouds went by, he became rather sad, feeling the weight of every one of the deaths on his shoulders. Shaking his head, he remembered what Annabeth had once told him. 'They fought and died of their own accord to protect their home. Don't try and take anything away from that sacrifice!' He just bowed his head in respect until they reached him.

Putting on a smile, he jumped out, landing in front of the fire, before seemingly inspecting the shroud. "Hmmm... I would've thought I'd get a more bad-ass shroud, but beggar's can't be choosers." On it, there was a sheet of sea green that shimmered as it moved through the air and and a trident crossed with a replica of his sword, Riptide. The whole things smelled like the sea, which was a smell he would always love. Looking away, he observed the faces of everyone present before he said, "So, did you guy's miss me?" His only answer was silence until Annabeth tackled him, knocking the air out of him and sending them flying.

As he regained his vision, wondering how many trucks decided to use his body as the road, he saw Annabeth crying into his shirt without restraint. He lost his smile as he looked at her, feeling extremely guilty. All he could do was hug her back and whisper, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." After about a minute of this, with the Aphrodite girls tearing up from the reunion, they got up, and she punched him in the stomach. Hard. He fell to one knee, holding his stomach in pain. "That," she began, after wiping her eyes, "was for making me, us, worry." Leaning down, she kissed him on the forehead. "And that is for coming back." Percy eventually straightened himself out and stretched.

Looking over at Nico, he asked, "How many?" When all he got in response was a shake of the head, he knew the answer. Too many. Integrating himself into the group of demigods, he allowed the ceremonies to continue unhindered, the mood becoming somber once more as the shock and happiness from his reappearance faded back into their memory. As everything continued, they eventually reached the last shroud, Leo's. At this one, Percy couldn't keep his mouth shut. "What? I don't think he's dead. I had backed up because he'd said he had a plan, and while him nor Festus were falling down to Earth after the explosion like I was, though they may have just been out of my sight, I'm sure neither of them are gone." Annabeth gave him an odd look, finding his change of speech rather odd, as did many demigods who knew him well enough. Percy either ignored them or didn't notice them, because his eyes were glued on Nico.

All he got in response was hopeful looks from everyone. Everyone but Nico. He shook his head and spoke, drawing everyone else's attention to him. "He died. I felt him die." As Nico looked around, he saw faces fall at his confirmation. This spurred him on to give another piece of information he'd learned. "But," he continued, regaining everyone's attention. "His death felt... different. There was something off about it, something not... not right. It's not just because he's a demigod, or because he's powerful. I already felt multiple demigods fall, and even Luke's fell into a category of types of possible death. There is a chance, however slim, that he is out there."

With their hope rekindled, all the demigods, Roman and Greek alike, moved off to enjoy the rest of the day as best they could.

Next Day- Midday

Percy was sitting on the bottom of the camp lake, his favorite place to relax and process life. He'd found out, from Annabeth, that he'd been gone for a while, a week and a half to be exact. During that time, the feud with the Roman's had been sorted out, and most all of them had been able to stop fighting. Those that weren't were dealt with by the gods directly, apparently. 'I guess they really meant their promise...' Feeling a tug on the back of his shirt, he turned to see a naiad behind him, though she blushed a bit when he turned to her.

Giving her a small smile, he nodded to show that he was listening. Clearing her throat, though it sounded a bit odd to him underwater, she began. "Your father wishes to speak with you, My Lo- Percy." She corrected herself at the look he gave, not enjoying being referred to as above anyone else in the slightest. Nodding, Percy smiled. "Sure thing. Haven't seen dad in a while." Thanking her once more, he shot off once more, flying out of the lake.

He went to find Chiron to let him know that he had to go. Thankfully, Annabeth was with him, relieving him of the need to find her. "Sneaking up behind her, he draped an arm around her shoulder, making her jump. Laughing, which alerted Chiron to his presence, he said, "Hey." Getting a punch from Annabeth as his own greeting, he grinned at them both. Chiron greeted him in return before saying something. "Ah, hello Percy. I was just looking for you. Could you please oversee the next sword fighting class. The camper that was supposed to is... still getting over somethings."

Percy's grin fell at that, remembering the war that just took place. Sadly, he had to decline. "Sorry, but dad wants to speak with me. If it wasn't really important, he'd tell me in a dream or next time he saw me. I should probably go. Sorry." Chiron's sigh made Percy feel all the worse, but Annabeth saved him. "I said I could take the class, Chiron." "I'm aware, but we both know you have other duties and need rest every so often. I'd rather not stress you unnecessarily."

Percy just left as they argued, knowing that Chiron wouldn't win anyway. Walking over to the beach, greeting people as he went, he made his way into the water. Allowing himself so get pulled in, he felt it pull him towards something, presumably his father's palace. Letting himself get guided to his destination, he resumed thinking about everything that had gone on recently. 'I know Leo's still out there. He had the actual cure, so he could've...' Deciding not to give himself false hope, as he'd been gone for a while, and he had his own element to heal him. 'If he is out there, I hope he's happy.' Percy's thoughts were interrupted, again, when he saw his dad's palace and felt an increase in his godly presence.

Using his own control over water, he propelled himself down to the sea floor, landing in front of the palace. Making his way to where he felt his father's presence, he found him in the throne room, though he was currently arguing with Amphitrite and Triton. Respecting their privacy, he stood outside the throne room, waiting on them to finish. To stop himself from eavesdropping on them due to boredom, he returned to his thoughts, doing his best to stay focused in the state of random thought that normally accompanied his boredom. 'If anyone could've survived, I'd say Leo could've, but...' Another part of him chimed in. 'Don't let other people's doubts bring you down, man. You, WE, believed in him when we let him do it. He's fine.' Oddly, hearing a voice in his head comfort him didn't freak him out. Then again, he's been having it since the first war ended, so it probably grew on him.

A crash from behind him, though he wasn't sure how things crashed underwater, brought him out of his thoughts, though they were beginning to stray anyway. The doors swung open, and Percy was sent flying forwards. Thankfully, he was underwater, so he just floated there after righting himself. Amphitrite didn't even acknowledge his presence, storming down through the hallway that lead to the room. Triton at least gave him a nod of respect, but didn't seem in the mood for a meet and greet either, as he kept going, exuding just as much displeasure as his mother.

Peaking into the throne room, he say Poseidon on his throne, rubbing his temples with his hands. He heard a mumble of, "Why didn't I take Thanatos' example and become a virgin god?" before Poseidon looked up and saw him. Gesturing for him to come in, Poseidon put his trident across his lap, a small smile on his face. "Ah, Percy! Good to see you. Now, I'd love to just talk with you, but there are important things we must discuss." His smile dropped as he gained a more serious aura.

Percy stood straighter and looked his father in the eye. "We have a problem Percy. Every time Gaea awakens, Zeus punishes someone for it. It's only happened a couple times, but still. Last time, it was Apollo, the time before that, it was Hera, the time before that, it was himself, as he'd brought her rage with the defeat of Kronos. Well, now, someone ELSE has to be punished. HAS TO be punished. It's part of the cycle we must uphold. If we don't choose, the fates will. And, well..." Poseidon was not liking the look of understanding coming over his son's face; it was just making this harder to say.

Deciding to go in like taking off a bandage, all in one go. Taking a deep breath of... water, he just said it all, going rather fast so Percy couldn't stop him. "You're the most likely to get some, if not all of the blame. I know it wasn't your fault, we all do, but we don't have much choice here. You'll also be offered your gift for service, so, when they offer immortality... again, accept it, or you'll likely be cast into Tartarus, and you won't make it this time. You'll be bound there for a century of torment, if not more, and you won't be able to leave for ever, even if you get out. That is, if you don't die." As he finished speaking, the room was silent, but that alone spoke volumes.

Percy was stuck in place, wide-eyed in his shock. 'They're gonna make me go back...' He wouldn't accept immortality, not until he had nothing left in the world, and he still had a lot. His other voice chimed in, giving his two cents. 'Well, going back wouldn't be so bad. I could give you help.' Percy, in his not very pleased state, snapped at the voice in his head, not even considering how crazy that made him. 'And WHAT can you do!? Huh!? Absolutely nothing!' The voice seemed amused at his anger. 'If you end up down there, you'll see exactly how I can help. You just gotta let me.' Percy was about to respond when he remembered his dad was in front of him, waiting for a response.

Composing himself, he just asked, "Can I stay here until it's time? I- I need some time to think..." His father nodded, but commented, "You only have until tomorrow. I'm sorry, but if it isn't you, it'l likely be Annabeth. Zeus won't let Jason take the blame, Leo isn't reachable at the moment, Piper is with Jason, and Hazel and Frank weren't as big in this as you, Jason, and Annabeth. Think carefully, Percy, and, again, I'm sorry." With that, he disappeared to give his son some time alone.

Percy, having made up his mind the moment he learned it was him or Annabeth, called out to the voice in his head, ready to make plans for Tartarus. 'Who are you? WHAT are you?' Even though the voice didn't have any face, he could feel a smile. 'I'm a part of you that you've earned but never claimed. And I'm a lot bigger than you think. I've actually been here since you went on your first quest, growing with each victory. You haven't claimed so much that you've earned the right to, but don't worry, my offer never expires. Just make sure you're in the pit before we do anything. Zeus wouldn't trust a thing about you if you did it up here...'

Percy was back to being wide-eyed at the magnitude of the revelation. 'Okay, so you're saying that I'm NOT totally screwed, right?' His answer made him almost jump for joy. 'Exactly.'

Next Day- In front of Olympian Council with Roman and Greek Campers

"SILENCE!" The shout for calm came from Zeus, quieting down the chatting children and gods present. "We are here today to recognize the efforts and success of our comrades who traveled to Greece. Unfortunately, we are not in the presence of one of our... saviors, but we shall honor those that we can, and remember the actions of those we can't show our thanks to." Despite his recent attitude adjustments, he still found it rather hard to call them his saviors, but everyone understood the level of pride he had.

Piper, Jason, Nico, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, and Percy were lined up in front of the assembly. The "coach" was already satisfied, so he didn't want anything, and Leo was the one of the seven that wasn't present, though, with Nico, they demigods still totaled seven. Piper was called up first, her mother looking ever so proud. "Piper, my daughter, you have shown great bravery in these times, and kept your honor as one of my children. You've shown the power your love can draw, and for this, we offer you one of the greatest gifts we can. Piper McLean, will you shed your mortality and join the ranks of the immortals." Despite how formal she was being, everyone could see how badly she wanted the squeeze her daughter in a bear hug.

Piper was about to shake her head before she remembered that she wasn't alone. The pause for thought made all the gods think, 'Percy's made everyone change so much.' Most demigods of the past wouldn't think twice about immortality, even if they had families and friends who wouldn't be able to follow them. Ever since Percy first refused immortality, the news spread like wildfire and made people think of what they'd do, who they'd hurt, if they ever got the offer. Thankfully for Piper, as she looked back at Jason when she couldn't decide on her own, she got a thumbs up. You could see the urge to jump for joy in her eyes, but she hid it really well.

Her mother beckoned her forward, a silver platter with a glowing serving of nectar and ambrosia sitting on it appearing in her other hand. Shrinking to a human for, the platter shrinking with her, she held it out to her daughter, saying to her, "Eat from the hands on high and shed your mortality. Join us in our eternal reign over the Earth." Once she ate of the food, she began to glow in the telltale signs of an immortal revealing their true forms, causing all the other demigods to shield their eyes, though Percy and Jason both managed to catch a glimpse without any actual damage.

When the glow faded, Piper stood there, wearing an ornately trimmed, creamy white chiton. (A/N: Google things you are unaware of or ask about it. Your choice people.) It looked as though actual gold was going along its edges, and the cloth looked as though it put the finest of silk to shame. The natural beauty she exuded before, naturally seeming beautiful despite efforts to look otherwise, looked and FELT like it was multiplied tenfold. At least half the guys in the room were about to grovel at her feet, though most of them had a girlfriend who was currently giving them the stink eye. Those that weren't were just drooling a bit. Hell, even some of the girls were ogling her.

Percy looked over to Jason to find him openly staring at her. 'I guess he gets to do that, though. Hope everyone else snaps out of it before he does...My hair looks really bad after a few bolts of lightning.' When Annabeth saw that he wasn't even resisting the urge to ogle her, as he wasn't affected by the aura she produced, couldn't help but smile. Giving her a sad smile in return, confusing her, he gave his attention back to the ceremonies which were resuming.

Piper, now that the ceremony was done, was tackled by her mother in a bear hug, everyone hearing, "I'm so proud of you!" through Aphrodite's super squeal of joy. After they were done, Piper took her place besides her mother's throne, waiting for the awards ceremony to continue. Next up was Jason, his father puffing out his chest as he made the obvious offer. His son accepted, wanting to go with Piper. He gave his friends a look that said, "Hope you guys get the same offer, 'cause I'm gone." As he ascended, he appeared in a sky blue toga, trimmed in gold as well. After experiencing a shockingly tender moment from Zeus in which he got a godly hug and an "I'm so proud of you, son. More than you'll ever know.", he took his place by his father.

Nico went next, receiving a position serving his father in the underworld. His robe was black, but shared the same outline. Then went Hazel, both gaining minor godhood and a pardon from death... again. Frank followed, losing his weakness(The stupid stick.) and gaining minor godhood.

Next up was Annabeth, who was called up by her mother. "Annabeth Chase. You have shown yourself to be more than worthy to be called a child of Athena and have shown enough worth to stand amongst the immortals. Do you accept? You will be put to work on the new project we have planned for everyone, a joined camp for all demigods, with complete control." The look her mother gave her, despite being proud, told her to accept, which she didn't even notice as she said, "Yes, mother." with as much control as she could when trying not to scream.

Everyone's eyes widened, though it made sense to them after they thought about it. This was her dream: to build such a monument that every demigod would see for the rest of eternity, or at least the rest of the god's reign. Percy, on the other hand, was frozen in shock. Everyone turned to him after a few moments of silence, so he put on a smile and forced back his tears. He didn't think to use his control over water to stop them, so his lack of emotional control allowed a few to slip by. Everyone turned away from him the moment they realized he was hurting, giving him some privacy. Still, he kept on his smile, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes as the dam began to burst. 'Oh, man up! If she would leave you this easily, she ins't worth all this grief.' He didn't even respond to the resident voice in his head.

Annabeth seemed to realize what she did a bit too late, as she'd already gone through the process of becoming an immortal. She looked over to Percy, seeing the horribly faked smile on his face, and tears going down his face. She knew she couldn't take back immortality, so she looked down, shame faced. Her mother's comforting hand did nothing to abate her guilt.

Percy felt a mental slap from his voice, waking him from his trance. 'Get your act together, man! You'll get over her eventually. Sweet protogenoi, you're sentimental.' His face became blank after that, not wanting to dwell on his thoughts or his shattered dreams for the future. 'I get it, fates. I can't just have nice things, huh? Well, fuck you.' Even if it was mental, for Percy to curse meant that he was done messing around. Percy was then offered immortality, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon all looking on with an untold amount of hope, though the other Olympians didn't seem to understand the magnitude of his decision. 'They don't know? Well, that or they can't be bothered to give a shit.' Percy, as expected, declined. He asked for a boon, this one being a throne for both Hestia and Hades.

"Well," began Artemis, cutting through the silence that settled after they were finished receiving their thrones, Hades' being made of obsidian with skull inlays and bejeweled carvings and Hestia's looking like a rather plain living room chair but gave of the most comforting feeling possible. The other gods looked at her curiously, wondering why she, of all of them, spoke up. "That's a nice request and all, but we still haven't rewarded you." Despite questioning why she, of all of them, brought it up, the other Olympians agreed. Hades spoke up. "You have done far too much for all of us for it to sit right with any of us to let you go without reward. You deserve SOMETHING." Another of the least likely gods to speak in his favor speaking up solidified the Olympians in their decision to reward him in some way, though Hades mainly felt bad for what was to come.

Percy sighed, not in the mood for this. "Fine. Can I get... a new sword to work in tandem with Riptide... and maybe a bow and the ability to actually USE it. I know the last one is a bit of a tall order, but I guess it fits the magnitude." Managing to crack a joke in the face of the Olympian council gave everyone hope that Percy was actually fine and not just acting. Still, his vocabulary was more advanced than usual, giving that feeling of something being... off. Shrugging it off, Zeus, and most of the council along with him, looked at both Artemis and Apollo.

After a few seconds of neither of them doing anything, Artemis snapped. "Oh fine!" Hopping down, Artemis shrunk down to her human size and held out her hand. A silver glow appeared and began to take shape, forming into an ornate black bow. "This bow is made of specially treated wood covered in specially treated, flexible Stygian iron. I had Hephaestus make this for me a while ago, but I got a better one now."

As she held out the bow, she continued to explain about the bow, causing many people to widen their eyes at the magnitude of the gift. "Arrows will appear whenever you draw the string and will it to. The arrows themselves can be just about any type, but if you can't visualize it, it likely won't work." When she said this, she was handing him the bow, the intricate silver carvings along the bow glowing sea green as it changed hands, before the bow itself turned to a black bracelet with a silver bow plate in its center. "It turns into a bracelet, as you can see. It responds to your will now, so just think about it; it's yours now. Now, THIS should help with your archery problem." As this was said, she snapped her fingers and he was covered in a silver glow, similar to a hunter when they are inducted into the hunt. She looked over at Apollo who was looking at her dumbstruck. "Get down here and give him yours, too. I'm not confident that mine alone will be enough to fix what he calls his archery skills." Apollo came out of his surprised state and smirked. "So you DO need me? Wait, I already knew that."

Artemis just rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Apollo gave him an archery blessing as well, but gave him a warning. "You still need to practice, Percy. These just mean it'll be easier for you to learn. You have to fix the negative progress you managed to make, so, uh... good luck with that." Artemis agreed with him with a grimace, showing their unity on the opinion.

When they returned to their thrones, Zeus began to speak, his booming voice silencing all chatter from their audience. "Each of you has received the gift of your choice-" He was cut off by Percy here. "So I'm not getting the sword? Oh, come on!" Zeus glanced at Hephaestus, who asked Percy for riptide for a moment. As it was tossed to him, everyone heard him murmur under his breath for a while, before tossing it back to Percy with another following it, one of them silver with the other gold. "It's pretty much the same, but it can actually be used as a pen now, because that was annoying me. I'll let you discover the other changes on your own." His gruff voice was approving of his on changes, but his words confirmed something for Percy. 'They really don't know? Maybe only the big three know right now...' His inner voice just gave the equivalent of a shrug. 'It' doesn't matter who knows. You're going down there. Hope we don't meet the actual Tartarus again too soon. That guy was scary as all Hades.' Despite his upcoming situation, he couldn't help but agree.

Zeus, after waiting a few moments so any other interruptions could make themselves known before he began again, resumed his speech, which Percy tuned out in favor of contemplating the worth of both his previous relationship and what he was gonna do to survive what was coming.

30 Minutes Later

Percy was falling towards the bottom of Tartarus, trying to map out what he saw as he flew by. "I'll get out of here, eventually," he muttered to himself, trying to guide himself down to the river Lethe in the distance. "And when I do, I'll have the Olympians on my ass."

When he reached the bottom, he managed to land in the river Lethe, stopping the stuff from touching him so he could just use it as a cushion. Climbing out, he saw a band of cyclopes sitting around a small fire on the perverse beach in what was sure to be his personal hell. They seemed to be playing a card game of sorts. One of them seemingly won, because he began cheering and gathering his winnings, those being some drachmas, clothes, and other things that he couldn't identify.

They apparently saw him and recognized him, because their eyes showed complete and utter shock. They then began to laugh. Hard. Percy came up to them and, leaning against his sword which he took out as a precaution, asked, "What's so funny?" One of them managed to gain enough control to answer him. "Y-your down here w-with u-us. A-and you can't leave a-anymore than w-we can. The great P-Percy Jackson was t-tossed down with t-the m-monster he faces! Oh, this is too good." Percy managed to catch another say, "Lord Tartarus said he'd come, but, sweet protogenoi, I thought he was crazy."

Percy rolled his eyes, obviously not finding it anywhere near as funny. Pulling his sword out of the ground, he called out to his voice. 'Now that we're down here, you have some answers with my name on them. Gimme.' Despite his attempt at humor, just to cheer himself up, he was dead serious.

He'd been walking along the beach of the river Lethe the whole time, so he'd covered a rather large distance. There were rather large rocks around the river now, blocking the view for a while, providing perfect cover. The voice just said, 'Go sit by the beach, but make sure you're hidden. I don't think anything is around, but stay near a water source for now.'

Once he sat down, the voice began again. 'Lemme start at the top. Every demigod has one of me, as I'm that little feeling that tells you not to go into a room, even if you don't know why. I guess you could say that I'm your instinct. Well, I WAS just your instincts. Ya see, after beating Ares, you opened the path to becoming more than just a demigod through your own strength instead of through the gods blessing.

'If a demigod defeats a god, they may claim their domain. Once you beat a god, the next level is a titan, then a primordial deity. It's, from the knowledge granted to me, only ever happened once. The guy didn't know about it, so he couldn't claim it. The fates fixed that by creating my equivalent in every demigod, just so they wouldn't need to intervene directly to let them know about their options. I'm your... guide, I guess, along with your power. You already used a bit of my, well, your power when you went up to face Gaea. Didn't you feel the calm come over you? That was the domain of war, making you feel right at home in the midst of battle, letting you relax yet fight to your fullest. That's just a taste of what you have, though.

'You, Percy are the first to do this since the gods were in Greece. You had to best a god in both Roman and Greek forms, which you did, the first on your first quest when you fought Ares and then against Mars in Camp Jupiter. It's a bit confusing how it works, but the moment you beat Ares, you've been accumulating power with each victory, and the moment you beat Mars, it became usable. You got Ares, then you got Iapetus, Hyperion, and Kronos, then you beat Mars when he gave Frank his quest, then you ended up beating the giant, which means you have MORE water powers to claim, then you beat Hyperion and Kronos again when you came here after taking Annabeth's place, along with Perses that time, then fought back Tartarus with Iapetus', sorry, "Bob's" help, and, oddly enough, it counted. You have SO much to claim, though the powers themselves might not be THAT strong, as you're still demigod. I don't know all the details; I just have a general idea from the information granted by the fates.

'Unfortunately, it's not a discreet process, so I waited until you could do this without damaging anyone or alerting anything you were hiding from. As such, we're here, so it's the perfect place for you to finally get a fucking prize. It may hurt, though, because this is A LOT of power. Doubt it's worse than the than that time in the Styx, so you'll be fine. All you have to do is accept my, no, YOUR power.' Percy, trying to process what he just learned, was sitting there, completely unresponsive, and one can't blame him with how major what he just learned was.

Slowly coming out of his mental reboot, he thought about it for a while. 'I DO need all the help I can get down here... but that feels like cheating. Not like I have a lot of options, though...' After a few moments of deliberation, he asked, 'How likely is it that I'll meet Tartarus down here?' His inner voice just responded, 'You've already met him. You're in him right now, actually. You do realize that he IS the pit, right?'

That was enough for Percy; Tartarus was the scariest... thing he'd ever fought. By far. If he had to get away from his grasp, though he could forget escaping his view or beating him, he'd need everything he could get. 'I'll take my prize in full, please. I don't wanna die when Tartarus decides he's watched me struggle in his grasp long enough.' The voice, once more, had to remind him of something. 'You'll have some control over the pit as well, man. Use your brain. Well, it'll be easier after this, I guess. Brace yourself.'

Percy didn't even get to say "Wait" before the pain hit him like a freight train. After that, he didn't know about anything BUT pain for a long time.

Unknown Time Later

Waking up, having passed out from the pain at some point or another, Percy groaned at the phantom pain he was feeling. Getting up, he mumbled, "I can't tell if my limbs are coated in hell-fire or not." Then, a stroke of genius hit him, and he looked at his arms to check. He found no hell fire, but he did see chains running along them, both tattooed ones along his arm and real ones on his wrist. "Well, fuck me." A voice that shook him to his core responded, making him want to curl up in a corner and die just from the memories it brought back. "I won't, but an empusa or one of the lamia might just find you irresistible. For your sake, I hope you consider the offer I'll be making you."

After the voice was done talking, Percy slowly brought his head up to face it's owner, finding exactly who he expected: Tartarus. "F-fuck..." was all he could get out in his presence again. The endless pit that seemed to be his face was as intimidating as the last time he saw it, and he was in no mood to experience whatever Tartarus had prepared for him.

Gathering hos courage, which he found oddly easy, considering how scared he was, he asked, "W-what offer? I'm all ears,... Lord Tartarus." He wouldn't bother normally, but he was no dumbass, despite everything he's done in his life so far. Tartarus seemed to smile, though it was rather hard to tell. "Well," he began, "I speak on behalf of most other primordial deities in this offer. We are aware that the gods cast you away just because they wish to keep tradition, so we have an offer for you. You see, we have absolutely no followers right now; not one person gives a rats ass about us. While this is generally okay, we've grown very weak, all of us. So, we need someone to represent us in the mortal world, someone to provide power so we may leave our own domains and explore the world again without slowly "dying". Many of us are depressed, lacking a will to live as we're confined to a domain we know all about with nothing to do until something interesting happens, which is never for some of us. Uranus doesn't even have the power to get a body again!"

Percy thought he knew where things were going, but he didn't trust it. "So, in plain terms, you want me to be your collective follower? Forgive me if I'm not jumping at the chance. But, I'll do it on one condition: I have to be able to leave Tartarus." If Tartarus could look offended, he would. "I know it isn't the happiest place here, but it isn't THAT bad, you know. Well, whatever; you can do that whenever, if you pick me."

Percy just looked confused, causing Tartarus to sigh. "Did you really think you'd get all that power?" Percy just blinked in confusion. "What power?" His purplish hand collided with the black hole that was his face with a resounding smack... somehow. "You thought you wouldn't be getting anything from us? Well, you'll get watered down versions of our abilities, so we can't let you have all of them." Percy just shook his head. "I'll represent all of you without the powers, then. You guys sound miserable."

The two lights on his face that represented his eyes seemed to widen. "You'd do that for us?" Percy nodded. "I was satisfied with my power over water, then I gained a shit ton other recently. I'm gonna assume you know about that, and if you didn't, then you know now. Still, no one deserves that. So, tell your friends that I'll do it for free."

A female voice that seemed to have no source said, "Such chivalry. Rare among you demigods, though I know you are more than that." Tartarus seemed to stiffen slightly before addressing the voice. "Khaos. Pleasant surprise, but why do you intervene." Percy made his opinion known at that point, getting rather fed up. "I'm getting real tired of hearing voices I can't see the source of. Been hearing one for years, don't need another." Tartarus was about to reprimand him for being so rude, but Khaos cut him off. "I am right in front of you. And behind you. And next to you. And-" she was cut off by Percy. "All around me. I get it. You are in the empty space, embodiment of the void." Despite saying that with such confidence, his only thought was, 'When did I learn the word embodiment?'

Khaos laughed, on odd sound as it seemed to encompass him completely. "Yes, yes. I suppose that could get a bit annoying, but I haven't been able to speak to anyone new in many millennia, so I couldn't help it. Now, let me state my purpose. You are fit to hold such power, young one. I see no evil in you, no greed, no wish to do harm, and a strong sense of justice, and such quality is as rare as life in the void of space. One such as yourself, who wishes for no more, if not less, power, is fit to possess it." Tartarus just asked, trying to hold back his shock, "You wish to allow this demigod to have such power!?" He couldn't believe anyone was trustworthy enough to be allowed to gain such power, but if Khaos believed so, then it must have some merit.

Percy felt Khaos nod, another odd feeling as he could tell it was happening yet he had nothing physical to tie the action to. "I don't care if you wish to abstain from this process, because he already has your power, but my blessing is up for grabs to anyone who I can trust to save me from my torment. This is the first time I've risked expending enough energy to contact someone in so long that I don't remember the last time I had a conversation. My solitude is far more total that everyone else's, Tartarus. You have the monsters, Pontus has Thalassa and all the ocean's inhabitants, Cronus has Ananke along with what he is able to discern from the flow of time, Gaea has most of the animals, Eros has the birds, Aether has Hemera, Nyx has Erebus, and so on. I have absolutely nothing, so if I can give more to get more, I will do so. And if he has our powers and actively uses them, we'll return far faster. My mind has been made up already, and the others already wish to return. Either do it, or move and let me. I have enough energy." Her desperation to escape her prison within the void, her own domain, made itself apparent during her rant, and only served to make Percy all the more sure of his choice.

Percy made his opinion known at that moment. "Well, the faster you do it, the faster you come back. I haven't eaten since I passed out the first time, so I'm kinda hungry; speeding this up would be very much appreciated." Khaos nodded, making Percy feel weird again, and Tartarus just sighed before nodding as well. He snapped his fingers and the shackles on Percy's limbs fell. A surge of power traveled through Percy, and he felt what he expected to when he got the other powers.

An burning anger inside of him that wasn't there before, though it was easily doused by the new water powers he felt.(A/N: See what I did there.) He knew the exact time in Tartarus to the millisecond, and was aware of the differing passage of time from the world above. His need to eat was obliterated by the surge of power, satisfying his body's need for refueling, at least for the time being. He opened his hand on pure instinct and a harsh, bright light began to shine. Closing his hand, he looked to Tartarus and said, "Never mind about the food part; I'm good. Let's just do this so I can get to practicing with my new toys." How giddy he was when he said it showed that he very likely viewed them that way, but neither Khaos not Tartarus could really tell.

A burning pain passed through Percy, causing him to fall to the ground, holding his right arm as if it was being bathed in drakon venom. Slowly, an anchor became visible on his palm, pointing towards his elbow. As he sat there, panting, Khaos began to talk. "Sorry, I haven't had a champion before, so I didn't think it'd hurt that much." Despite saying sorry, she sounded giddy, already feeling a small flow of energy coming from him.

He recovered enough to stand a few moments later, though he did give Tartarus a glare for giving what he assumed was a smirk. Sighing, he asked, "When do you think you'll have enough power?" Khaos, sounding very happy, answered. "If you don't even use our power, I'll be done in a year or two, but two years down here is half a year on the surface, so, since I'm just about everywhere, it's going rather quickly. How about you stay down here for a few years, training those powers, of course, and I'll be able to help you by the second year. The others have more energy than I do, and they want it to stay that way, so they'll probably stop by down here to show you how to use their abilities better, if only so you can power them better, before I do."

Tartarus could only groan. "Why am I the meet and greet area, huh!?" Khaos, if she had a body would be giving him a deadpan stare. As it was, they could feel it. "How do you propose we meet and train without the gods getting their panties in a giant knot?" Tartarus scoffed. "Why should I care what they think? They are weak compared to us right now, and we're about to go back to full power." Khaos responded in the type of voice one would use when explaining something to a toddler. "Because, Tartarus, they are still the rulers of the planet. Our time has passed; the world doesn't need rulers of our magnitude anymore. If the gods fight, the country, if not the world, goes to war. If we fight, existence will be fighting itself." Tartarus sighed, knowing she was right.

Percy just intervened before Tartarus could argue further. "Um, not to be a bother, but could you please tell me what happened to Iapetus? I can't seem to locate him." Despite gaining a full on domain from Tartarus, he couldn't sense Iapetus, which was worrying him. Tartarus just snapped his fingers and Iapetus appeared on the floor, in a pile. Percy was about to go to help his friend, but decided to ask Khaos something first. "Lady Khaos? Am I immortal?" Her yes made him sigh in grim acceptance. "Well, I guess I don't get to choose whether or not I deal with the world for eternity." He then went on to tend to Iapetus.

As he was trying to figure out what Iapetus did to heal him before, his voice made a comeback. 'You got over Annabeth rather quickly, didn't you?' He didn't even jump, expecting the voice to stay anyway. 'Well, she so willingly believed that I was guilty, despite being with almost the whole time. The ONLY time she wasn't there was in Tartarus, and I came out looking like shit. If she, no, if any of them ACTUALLY believed that I could betray them, then they aren't worth feeling bad over.' Despite what he told the voice, a deep ache in his heart was ever present.

200 Years In Tartarus Later- 50 Years on Earth

Kronos, Iapetus, Koios, Hyperion, and Krios were all facing off against a shirtless, black haired, black clad figure, and losing, if only barely. None of them were seemingly using powers, as Kronos was moving at a normal speed and Hyperion wasn't glowing as he normally would. Two swords, one gold and the other silver, flashed as the figure slashed and hacked at the defending titans. "C'mon Kronos!" the figure called, going for a swing at Kronos' legs and connecting slightly, leaving a long thin line down his leg. None of them were wearing armor for the fight, so any connection would make contact and do damage.

Scampering away and swinging his scythe to push the figure back, Kronos glanced at his leg, shifting his weight on and off of it to check how damaged it was. He was pulled out of his maintenance check up as he had to block two swords that would've decapitated him. He kicked his enemy back, sending flying towards Krios who was ready with a spear, poised to impale him, yet the figure was able to maneuver their way out of the spears path and land a foot squarely in his gut, sending him down for the count.

Koios came up behind him, bringing a sword down on his neck, but the figure crossed both swords above his head and blocked. Not giving Koios the chance to overpower him or kick him in the back, he dashed to the side, putting Koios off balance. He was about to kick him behind the leg when he felt Kronos' scythe come flying at him. Jumping out of the way, he allowed the scythe to hit Koios, though it was the butt of the scythe and only knocked him out. He felt Kronos bury his fist in his stomach as he turned to the source of the scythe throw.

The titan's punch was enough to send him flying back, hitting a pure black wall and sending cracks through it. In the process, his swords were dropped behind Kronos, so, as the titan ran at him, his scythe flying back to his hand, he held out his own hand, calling his swords to him from the ground behind Kronos, but he had to roll out of the way as Iapetus' spear impacted the ground he was in. The titan, with speed befitting one of his status, rushed him, pulling his spear from the ground in front of him and punching the figure in the face, sending him to the ground.

The figures swords were still on the ground, as his call was interrupted, so he called them again, making them come as fast as possible and cut Kronos in his Achilles tendon. The sudden injury sent him to the ground, allowing his sole focus to be on Iapetus, which was a good thing as said titan's foot came down from where just rolled from, swords in hand. Getting to his feet, he dashed at Iapetus, matching the titan's speed and surprising him by completely bypassing his spear and speeding past him. When the titan turned around, he was met with the cold touch of gold and silver crossed over his neck. "Checkmate. Percy-14, Titans-4. Wanna make it best out of 31?"

Kronos got up, eating a square of ambrosia to speed up his immortal healing factor, and said, "I've received enough of a beating today. I'd rather watch you get your ass handed to you by Khaos, Tartarus, Uranus, and Gaea at the same damn time. See how well you do against them, you cocky little-" He was cut off by Krios, who managed to regain consciousness, Koios right behind him. "Stop your ranting, brother, and hand me some of that. His feet are like blocks of steel, and I took it to the stomach. You know what, I don't think I can stomach that right now."

Percy laughed, brushing off his discomfort. "You're a titan. Act like one." He tossed him an ambrosia square that he conjured up from nothing. Walking up to one of the black walls in the perpetually lit room, he tapped it and all the walls seemed to collapse in on themselves before disappearing into the shadows they once cast. Once the walls were gone, they were shown to be in an arena of sorts, monsters and other immortals in the stands. Percy just bowed to them in an overly theatrical manner, making the titans he just fought roll their eyes in exasperation.

Walking out of the arena, he conversed with his previous opponents. "You guys need to practice more WITHOUT your powers. You outclass me in age and experience, yet I can kick your ass. Alone." Kronos hit him upside the head with the butt of his scythe before giving his response. "You trained with Lady Khaos, Tartarus, and about a million other fighters. I trained myself, with a LITTLE help from Cronus. Shut up." Percy couldn't really fault him on the logic, so he just stuck his tongue out. He then proceeded to put on headphones that seemed to come from nothing, attaching it to a phone in his pocket and hitting the play button.

They made their way to where Tartarus, who was sitting in a balcony overlooking the arena itself. He laughed as he saw Percy walk in with his tongue still out. Krios just growled at both him and Percy before sighing. Tartarus chuckled a moment more before addressing them. "You just broke the bank with bets again, Percy. Loving this income." Percy just stared at him before sighing. "At least I own some of this place." Tartarus scoffed at him. "Yeah, like 20 percent. You didn't even deserve the power from that bullshit victory." Percy gave him the same taunt he gave Kronos, but they both stiffened for a moment.

The titan's looked impatient as they waited for the two to return to a more normal state and inform then of what happened. As Percy came relaxed, he said, "The gods want their hero back." He said that as he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving them to look to Tartarus. He just sighed. "Well, be prepared to make an entrance; we MAY be needed. I trust Percy to handle it, but..."

Olympian Throne Room

Percy appeared in a flash of light in front of the Olympians, though they weren't too sure if it was him. The differing eye colors didn't make their job any easier. They were constantly changing, cycling through the whole rainbow plus the entire grayscale, though they lingered on green much longer than any other color. His hair falling in front of them managed to cast a shadow on his face, causing a glowing effect, though it looked more beautiful than scary. His body, compared to his frame before, was jacked. Not overly so, but you you couldn't see a strip of fat on him; he looked so hard it was like he was chiseled from marble. His abdominal region looked as though he'd spent the last 200 years doing sit-ups, though they thought it was only 50. Every muscle on his body looked defined to the point of perfection, not one of them becoming too big to be appealing. Oddly, despite how defined his muscles were, he looked rather lithe, like he was remodeled for speed in the past half century.

He folded his arms in front of his chest, snapping the Olympians from their shock. "What do you want? You interrupted something... more important." Zeus got quite a bit angered at that remark; 50 years away from his source of humility weren't good for him. "Insolent child. Your... escapades are of no importance when you are called before the almighty." Even though that was his response, the other gods thought it was something else. Poseidon had a look of pride on his face, thinking his son had... moved past Annabeth. Apollo and Hermes looked at each other before nodding and giving Percy a thumbs up, and both Hera and Ares had a similar looks of approval, Hera more so on the thought that he settled down. Aphrodite looked jealous, Hephaestus seemed neutral on the matter, as did Demeter, Dionysus was half asleep, Artemis had an odd look of embarrassment and annoyance on her face, Hestia and Athena just looked plain embarrassed, though Athena's was far less noticeable, and Hades looked uncaring of that, though he was visibly annoyed with his brother's outburst.

Hades, being the most level headed one of the big three, coughed into his hand, breaking his brother from his oncoming attempt to kill Percy for his "insolence". "What my brother meant to say," began Hades, "is that we're sorry for interrupting your... activities, but we have a proposition for you." Zeus, slightly blushing at his words, got up and pointed his master bolt at Hades, making him roll his eyes before twitching his fingers and causing shadows to grab Zeus, pull and lock him into his seat with shadow shackles, and cover his mouth.

Hades sighed in relief. "Now that the child is on time out..." at this, Zeus began to struggle harder in his binds, managing to break free a moment later. "Why you little-" He was cut off by a powerful voice telling him two things. "Sit down. Shut up." His body didn't even get a chance to process his own choice as it followed the command in its totality. All of the gods, who were beginning to enjoy the little show, turned to the source of the voice to find Percy glowing silver. "I did not come here to see a clown do what he does best, I came because I was called by the current rulers of my planet. Now, hurry the FUCK UP! I was in the middle of a conversation with... a business associate when you called, so don't start with your bullshit."

Zeus began shaking, but he powered through his fear, surprisingly, and spoke, admirably without a stutter. "We offer you your place within our ranks once more. We've informed the other gods of the truth of the situation, including your friends, and wish for you to return. We even have a position that you could fill: sword fighting instructor." The way he said this was completely serious, which made him all the more confused when Percy began laughing. After a bit of laughter, though it got a bit dark towards the end, Percy explained to the confused deities what he found so funny. "Why would I go back there!? They were so quick to turn their backs on me, it was like I hadn't just fought in ANOTHER war for them! Besides, I have people who I can trust won't betray me, even if only for the fact that they can't."

When he said this, Athena, being the ever smart one, asked the most obvious question. "And who would these people be? There aren't many friendly faces in Tartarus." A voice coming from Percy's shadow answered them for him. "I'd be his main benefactor, as he shares certain... abilities with me. Why we can't betray him is confidential, but don't worry; we have no interest in taking the right to rule for ourselves, because we could've done so a while ago. All of us primordials are free, by the way, so watch out for that." By the time the first sentence was finished, Tartarus finished forming from the shadow he was coming out of. All the Olympians recognized him, if not by his face or voice, then by the feeling they got by just being around him. Tartarus, on the other hand, was just thankful he didn't need to bring in any of the titans, as that wouldn't make the best impression.

Zeus cleared his throat before he said something, finding it somewhat hard to talk in Tartarus' presence. "Well, that is quite alright, then. We have another position for you to fill, this one actually important and probably only temporary." The fact that he was willing to tell Percy that it was important, at least to him, was enough for Percy to raise an eyebrow and allow him to speak. As he got a go on from Percy, he continued. "Artemis' hunt was sent to investigate a recent surge in monsters and, unfortunately, were discovered and overwhelmed by a horde. As of right now, there are only 12 hunters alive, including Artemis, out of the near 100 they had before. Don't worry, Thalia is alive, but it's rather dangerous for them right now, yet we still need them to perform their duties. If you could guard them, if only until their numbers recover to at least 30, we would be forever grateful."

Percy gave Tartarus a hard look for a moment, making the primordial sweat a little, if a primordial could sweat, that is. Sighing, Percy asked, "Why me? I'd rather just go back to Tartarus, if I'm honest with you. The residents are fun, if only to a degree, the fights are plentiful, and I own the place... partially. I make money by just doing what I do best, fighting, and I can come up here or stay down there and spend it however I wish. I can visit my friends regardless of what you say, so I have no real reason to even listen to you, let alone work for you."

Artemis' face fell at this, but Zeus sighed, not quite ready to give up the argument. "Well, it's either you or Heracles, and as much as I trust he can protect them, I doubt he can preserve himself if he's in their presence. Not much choice past you two." Percy could only sigh mentally and ask himself, 'Why can't I turn off my morals?' His guide replied, 'Because you'd go power mad otherwise. I'd totally say fuck them, but you'll feel like shit if you leave that asshole with them. He'll either rape one of them then get a slap on the wrist or get mutilated by them, probably causing the hunters to get disbanded.' Percy couldn't think of any flaw in the logic, only worse things Heracles could do, so he sighed before accepting. "Fine, but I won't do this for free. We can discuss my terms later, but first, I have priorities, such as visiting my mom for the first time in 200 years without the chance of being discovered." The Olympians looked confused, but he explained before any of them could ask the obvious question. "I stayed in a place where time passed at one fourth the speed of up here so I could train."

He began walking to the exit in the throne room, telling Tartarus to follow him so he could get introduced to his mother, but then stopped and turned around. "What did you tell my mom about me being in Tartarus?" Poseidon answered, "Everything. She knows the truth, Percy, so don't worry about that." Percy went slack-jawed at the news. "She knew and you still did it!?" Poseidon squirmed in his seat for a moment. "Well, I told her after it had been done, and she kicked my ass for it." Percy nodded, liking the image in his head. 'Heh, imagine the news on Olympus,' his guide said. '"Mortal woman kills Lord of the Sea". Ha!' Percy couldn't help but smirk in agreement. He then remembered something important.

Looking to Artemis, he pointed at her and said, "I owe you for the bow." With that, he snapped his fingers and his shadow grew in front of him before coming up and forming a portal. He cupped his hands and called, "Zoe! Get over here! You can go back to your mistress now." With that, a silver blur came out f the portal, stopping a foot or two away from it. Zoe turned to Percy and said, "Thou had best not jest on such a matter, Perseus. If thou art-" She was cut off by Percy pointing behind her to the Olympian council. The moment she turned, she was slammed into by another silver blur, this one being Artemis.

As they embraced, Percy said, "We're even, now." before resuming his exit of the throne room, leaving a confused Olympian council in his wake.

Two Days Later

Percy appeared in the throne room in a swirl of water, knowing they'd be assembled to discuss the terms of his service. They greeted him, and Percy decided to give a polite tip of the head in response, making Zeus a bit pissed he wouldn't bow in the face of his "superiors", though he had little choice but to let it slide. Zeus began the talk with the dumbest thing he could've asked. "What do you want for your services, Perseus? If it is within my power, I shall grant it." Percy face palmed. "You really shouldn't give me the option of whatever I want. If anything, you should start at a base point of what you wish to pay me then work from there, but since you're incompetent in this, I'll go easy on you. I want 200 drachmas monthly, a $1700 minimum wired to an account I have already set up weekly, and complete secrecy from the demigods and minor gods until I say otherwise. That's only about $200 above the average weekly pay of today in America, so it shouldn't be much to you guys.(A/N: I did a rough estimate of the average pay in America 50 years after this month(May), in 2015.) If my responsibilities jump enough to require a pay raise, well, we'll burn that bridge when we get there, won't we." The gods were shocked at how easily they were manhandled, but could find no point to dispute him on. Not even Athena could find a GOOD reason to pay him any less, and Zeus didn't wanna look like too much of an ass at the moment.

Coughing into his hand, Zeus asked, "All in favor?" All the hands went up, except Hades, who said, "One question, brother. Who, exactly, is going to be PAYING him?" He got deadpan looks from the other Olympians, even Hestia. "I thought as much." With a sigh of resignation, he slipped his hand into the air. Percy smiled. "Good, then we have a deal. I can begin at any time, though you" he said this whilst pointing at Artemis, "had better warn them of my arrival. I don't enjoy deflecting arrows." Artemis thought of it for a moment before responding. "Fine. But YOU better put on a shirt. Appearing in front of my hunters like that is-" She was cut off by Aphrodite, "Is COMPLETELY fine. Please don't put on a shirt." The look of pleading she gave Percy made everyone think it was actually going to hurt her to see him put on a shirt.

Percy sighed. "I don't wanna put on a shirt anymore than you want me to, Aphrodite, but I'm doing a job, and if my boss says I can't go to work like this, well, I can't. I'm well aware of how I look, and I doubt I'd leave without killing them all... in self-defense." Artemis looked horrified at the thought of him killing all her hunters and Aphrodite looked horrified of the prospect of him wearing a shirt, but neither could really go against what he just said without seeming childish.

He thought for a moment, before finally thinking of something. His sleeves seemed to flow up his arms, going to his chest and covering it in a liquid layer of black before it reformed into a solid again. It covered the bottom part of his face as well, hiding his identity, as his hair already covered much of his upper face. It revealed the chain tattoos along his arm, making the Olympians raise a few eyebrows. Ares whistled in appreciation, though. "Nice tats, boy. Maybe I was wrong about you; already a fucking badass." Aphrodite was practically drooling too, as the shirt was form fitting enough to just be his skin with a recolor.

Ignoring the looks he was getting, he asked Artemis, "Better? I don't actually have a shirt anymore; this is as close as I can come. Best I can do past this is to TRY and make it a little less form fitting, but I don't enjoy shirts and don't plan on getting one." Artemis sighed, ignoring the hints he dropped that the shirt was alive, and responded. "Do what you can. I can't promise they won't attack if you show up like that though. Oh, and be prepared to work. We have to focus more on training the newer recruits, so you may be taking on some other jobs." He shrugged. "Whatever. You're already being nicer than I expected; maybe the hunters won't be as mean as last time."

She shook her head. "That's because I know you, Perseus-" Percy cut her off there. "I guy can hope, can't he? Now, why don't we just get this over with? I'd much rather get this over with. Oh, and for the record, you KNEW me. Things have changed, Artemis. Don't forget that. I'm still a nice person, but I'm nowhere near as tolerant as before. Make sure your hunters are made aware not to push me TOO far. They can do their little feminist thing as much as the please, though." Artemis' eyes twitched a bit, but she bit back a response, not wanting to anger her best chance at restoring her hunters' numbers. Zeus then decided that the rest of the Olympians were no longer needed, so he dismissed them and left Artemis and Percy to sort things out on their own.

Resigning herself to her choice, she told him, "Meet me at Deer River State Park in... 30 minutes." With that, she disappeared, leaving a slightly pissed Percy. Aphrodite appeared before Percy could go anywhere, though. "So, Percy, how's it been." She got uncomfortably close to him at that point, but he just began walking towards the exit, answering calmly. "Oh, fine. I got out of Tartarus, got offered a job, visited my mom, got thrashed by my mom, then came here and dealt with this. Sorry, but I have half an hour to cover around 300-350 miles." Aphrodite latched onto his arm, though, as he walked towards the edge of Olympus. "Oh, Artemis is being silly, and you know it. Besides, you know she doesn't expect you to actually do it. Even shadow travel isn't instant, you know." She tried to look as seductive as possible at this point, pulling his arm into her cleavage, practically smothering it. "Why don't you show her she can't order you around and just have some fun with me? I can make it worth your while, Percy." She even put some charm-speak in there to make sure to "persuade" him.

Now, Percy had part of Eros' blessing mixed in with his gift from the primordials for his service, so her charm-speak was ineffective. "Nah. Maybe another day, but I'm not too keen on being part of your cheating on Hephaestus. He's a nice guy, really." He could've played along and got a free "ride", but he wasn't feeling it. He really didn't want to betray Hephaestus like that either. "Well, I'd love to talk, but the longer I take to get going, the more sore I'll be later." As he said this he extracted himself from her hold, making her pout, though she didn't look like she gave up. Walking up to the edge, he hopped over the edge, enjoying the shocked look that overcame Aphrodite's face, and the awestruck one when he came flying back, silver wings on his back. "Later Aphrodite! You know where to find me when you need anything, even if you just wanna talk." Percy had encountered Aphrodite a couple times during his sentence when he went above ground, so talking with her wasn't too uncommon anyway.

Regardless, he pumped his wings, gaining speed at a frightening rate, yet he kept perfect track of it and stayed in control. '28 minutes left. If I wanna reach by the 25 minute mark, like I intended, I need to go a little more than 600 miles per hour. Fuckin' hell... I'll be sore as all hell tomorrow, won't I?' Pumping his wings even faster, he accelerated up to the needed speed, coming close to Mach 1. Uranus popped up next to him, easily matching his flying speed. "Hey Percy. Heard you were working for Artemis for now. Good Luck with that." Percy nodded, keeping up what was, for him, a blistering flying speed. "Thanks. I feel like I'm gonna need it, especially if the hunters are anywhere near as bad as they used to be." Uranus laughed at him, enjoying the thought. "I'll be watching, Percy." One of the wings hit him in mid air, knocking him into the ground, though they were above a more rural area, so building were hit. "Stop being a stalker, Uranus."

With that, Percy increased his speed further, trying to break the sound barrier. He accomplished this rather easily, surprising himself. Looking at the sun, he saw that it was still rising. "I keep forgetting that I'm stronger at this time of day." Pushing himself to the limit, he neared mach 2, easily getting to the hunter's location in time. "Huh. Maybe I should've spent some time with Aphrodite?... Nah, she would've tried to rape me again." His voice told him, 'You do know that shouldn't be such a minor occurrence, right?' Percy just responded, 'Shut up, Purge.' before touching down in the middle of the hunters' camp site, all of them drawing their bows the moment he landed.

He raised his hands in a placating manner. "Didn't Artemis tell you I'd be coming!?" Artemis herself walked up to him, answering his question. "Well, you should've taken a while to cross about 300 miles, even by flight." She added the last part, noticing his wings. He shrugged, not really caring what she thought was possible. "Well, when flying, I can almost reach mach 2 at this point. Now, hows about you tell your hunters to lower their bows, huh? I don't enjoy pointy objects in the hands of murderous, hardcore-feminist girl-scouts." Bristling at the slight insult, one of the hunters let an arrow fly.

Percy caught it easily, not even looking in her direction. "I am your guardian, not your target for target practice. I thought you explained this to them, Artemis?" She shook her head, before turning to her hunters. "Lower your weapons and assemble over here," she ordered, watching as they did so reluctantly. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but it has been decided that we'd be getting a guardian." At they outburst of dissent, she gave them a hard look, quieting them down before she continued. "I know you girls aren't happy with that, nor are you happy that your guardian is a male; I'm not happy either, but our number are too low to risk doing the more dangerous jobs. If another horde of monster arises like that, you will die."

The hunters got rather quiet at that, knowing there was truth to their words. Even Zoe, who'd been training in Tartarus, was aware of the magnitude of the previous monster attack. "Now, guardian, would you like to introduce yourself to the hunt." Percy inclined his head, showing his assent. Stepping towards them, he began. "I am Purgatory, though you may just call me Purge for short." In his head, he heard the actual Purge/Purgatory shout, 'Hey! THAT'S MY NAME, YOU ASS!' Ignoring him, though a smirk came over his face that no one could see, he continued. "I will be your guardian, and apparently a bit more, for as long as needed. If you wish for anything from me, and aren't a total androphobe(A/N: A person who is afraid of men, for those who didn't know), you may ask. I will not interfere with the goings on of the hunt, and you will only see me when I can't help but be seen. Try not to "accidentally" kill me. It won't end well for you." With that said, he stepped back, letting Artemis address her girls again as they tried to burn holes into him. With their eyes.

Artemis sighed before actually addressing any of them. "Girls, please don't antagonize him too much. He may be male, but he has no intention of hurting any of you, or anyone, for that matter. He's here to do a job, nothing more, nothing less. Now, pack up camp! We've spent too much time in one area, and we have a mission over in Utah, so we need to move now to make good time." Turning to Percy, she said, "You'll be carrying our stuff there, since you can move so fast on those wings of yours."

He rolled his shoulder as he said, "No problem.", surprising her with his lack of resistance to the command. Each of the hunters went into a tent, two hunters going into the same one, except for Artemis, Thalia, and Zoe who seemed to get their own, before they came out and the tents became carry bags, folding in on themselves neatly. At least three girls were required to carry each bag over to him before they dropped them in front of him, except Artemis' tent, which she carried herself to his feet.

As he brushed off their display as theatrics, only put on to intimidate him, he tried to life one of the bags, only to find it decently heavy. Not too heavy to lift but heavy. "Damn." he said calmly, shocking all the girls except Zoe, as they were previously smirking with anticipation of his inability to life them. Putting it down, he lined up the bags, making sure he could grab each of the four on each side. Gathering them into his hands, he brought back out his wings, but as he began to fly, keeping himself in place, he asked Artemis, "Shouldn't you just travel at night, now that you have such a small group? You could easily fit them into it, because, IF my memory serves, you can change your chariot into something more spacious." Artemis thought for a moment then decided he was right. "Good point, Per- ahem, Purge. I'd grown accustomed to having too large a hunt to fit inside."

As she said that, Zoe and Thalia had a simultaneous face palm, not believing they missed that fact. Percy smirked, though none of them could tell, and lowered himself to the ground. Phoebe, one of the hunters, blamed him for the extra work they had to do. "Why didn't you say something earlier, boy!?" Some other hunters rallied behind her, grumpy about having to unpack again. He rolled his eyes, putting the bags down, before answering them. "I didn't know she HADN'T thought of it before. You should be mad at Artemis, not me. But fine, if it'll untie the knot your panties have become, I'll set 'em back up for you."

That seemed to placate the girls, as they went back to their camp sites to wait for Percy. He moved speedily along, reaching each girl and allowing them to point at their bag. After a minute, they were all set back up, and the girls were milling around once more, some training, some talking, some going for a walk. Artemis turned to him, asking, "I hope you know how to cook, "Purge", because they'll be judging you harshly in a few hours." He sighed but nodded, having no problems cooking, as he picked up the skill, but not really wanting criticism on it today. As she pointed to the food tent, he made his way there with slow steps, regretting the job slightly. 'Well, I was warned.'

A/N: And that's a wrap, folks. Tell me what you think so far. Oh, and if you think he's a bit too chummy with the people that betrayed him, I have two things to tell you. 1. He is neutral with them as he got WAY too much out of it to be mad at all the gods, especially since they were lied to. 2. He's a nice person naturally. Oh, what the hell, I'll give you a third for free: It's my story. Give any suggestions in the reviews and tell me what you think! I'll be glad to get them, and, if they aren't too hard to implement into the the general flow of the story I have planned(kinda), I'll add them. R&R! Have a great day!... unless you'd rather not. I don't own you.