Chapter One

Percy had given his life to the gods. He had accepted after the Titan War that things would never be fully normal for him, not with the power and reputation he had accumulated. It simply wasn't possible. But he had thought, he had hoped, that the gods would respect all the sacrifices he made, all the sacrifices others made. He didn't know why he was surprised that they didn't.

"Perseus Jackson!" Zeus boomed, a malicious look in his eyes.

"Lord Zeus," Percy replied with a bow of his head.

"Gaea awoke from your blood, boy, and for that, you must be punished," Zeus continued on. Percy eyes snapped open at that moment. He had been close to falling asleep on Annabeth, who likewise jerked awake.

Percy and Annabeth weren't the only ones who reacted. Poseidon rose from his throne in a flash, and Jason and Piper began yelling.

"If you think there is any way in—" Poseidon began, only for Zeus to cut him off.

"The Giants rose from Perseus' blood, brother!" He snapped, "for that, he needs to be punished. There is no doubt about that. I have conversed with the Fates. They have decreed it to be so."

Poseidon opened his mouth, and then closed it. Even the other gods, those who had risen in his defence seemed speechless.

"What?" Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing, "that's ridiculous!"

"Shut your mouth, boy," Zeus barked at him, "the Fates also declared his punishment. He will spend a decade in Tartarus. If he lives, he will be freed, and allowed to return to the mortal realm."

Percy had stopped listening after Tartarus was mentioned.

"Swear it on the Styx, Zeus," Poseidon said quietly, "that all you have said is true."

Zeus' eyes flashed with lightning for a moment, but Hera placed a hand on his arm. He grunted.

"I swear on the River Styx that all I have told you is true," he declared, "the Fates sentenced Perseus to Tartarus. I was content to let him be. I was informed otherwise."

Hermes snorted, but didn't say anything. Poseidon gripped his trident tightly, while Annabeth was shaking in his grasp. Percy was too deep in his thoughts, remembering Tartarus, the horrors he and Annabeth had suffered in the Pit. He shuddered at the thought of going through it alone.

"I want to speak with my son, alone," Poseidon stated. Zeus opened his mouth to argue, but Poseidon slammed his trident into the floor, cratering it around the butt, and sending cracks throughout the chamber, "I was not asking, little brother, I was telling you what was going to happen. I will not argue the Fates, but if you believe for one moment I'll allow you to do this without allowing my son to speak with me, and his mother, then you are sorely mistaken."

Percy flinched when his dad called Zeus 'little brother', because not only was it incredibly rude, it was dangerous as well. But there was something in Poseidon's eyes, in his stance, that led to Zeus relenting.

"You have an hour," he told them, "if you are not back by then, you will both be declared traitors to Olympus."

"We will return," Poseidon stated simply, before turning to Athena, "your girl is coming with us."

Once more, his tone brokered no argument, and he strode towards Percy, placing a hand on both his and Annabeth's shoulders. They both instinctively closed their eyes. When they opened them, they were outside his apartment. Percy looked around to make sure that no mortal had been incinerated. Once he was certain that none had, he knocked on the door.

It cracked open, an eye peering out, before the door flung wide, and Percy felt his mother collide into him, arms wrapping around him tightly.

His mom clearly noticed something was wrong, judging from the tears on Annabeth's face, and the fact that Poseidon was present.

"It's, ah, it's probably best we go inside, Mom," said Percy, ushering her in gently.

"Percy?" She asked, voice quiet.

"Is Paul home?" He asked, and she shook her head, "you should have him come home as fast as possible."

"I will retrieve the Blowfish," his Dad stated, rising from his seat, "and I shall bring him here safely."

The afterthought almost made Percy chuckle. Almost. Less than five minutes later, Poseidon was back, with Paul in tow, who looked immensely confused, until he saw Percy sitting on the couch.

"Percy!" His step-father exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. And like his Mom, he then saw the look on Annabeth's, and now Sally's, faces, "what's wrong?"

"Have a seat, Paul. Please," Percy said softly. Paul did as Percy instructed, "I'm not going to draw this out. I've been blamed for Gaea rising. I'm going to be punished for it. They're sending me to Tartarus for ten years."

Paul clenched his jaw tightly, but Sally let out a sob, leading him to wrap his arms around her, pulling her in tightly. His dad had an odd look on his face, but Percy filed it away for later. Annabeth likewise began crying again, and Percy pulled her in, a mirror of Paul and his mother.

"I barely survived two weeks down there with Annabeth," he said simply, "I don't think I'll last a month there alone."

"Percy!" His mom sobbed out, but he kept his face schooled blank, hard as it was.

"This is a death sentence, there's no doubt about that," he continued on, "so I don't want any of you to have expectations of me returning. You'll need to move on."

"How can you say that?" Annabeth choked out, and his heart nearly shattered.

"Because I need to, Wise Girl," he replied, wiping away her tears, "I'm going to try my hardest to survive, I swear, I am. I'm going to fight to get back to you, but I don't want you to have any preconceptions. I want you to live your life. Mom, Paul, I know you were trying for a kid. If I get a younger sibling, I don't want them to know about Dad's side of the family, not unless it's absolutely necessary. Promise me?"

Sally said nothing, just sobbing harder, but Paul, amidst tears streaking his face, nodded. It was a solemn vow to ask of them, but they would. Percy kneeled in front of Annabeth, who was looking down at the ground.

"Hey," he said gently, "you're going to go to college, Annabeth, and you're going to become a professional architect. You'll keep rebuilding Olympus, and one day, maybe soon, you can look at something permanent that you built, and you'll remember me. Maybe one day, we'll get the chance to build something together, yeah?"

Annabeth let out a choked sob, but nodded.

"But if I come back and you have a boyfriend, I'll have to challenge him to a duel for your hand, you know that, right?" He told her, and she let out a weak laugh, smiling at him.

"Seaweed Brain…" she trailed off fondly, before erupting in tears once more.

They sat there for what felt like hours, Percy holding his mother and Annabeth. Finally, Poseidon tapped his shoulder.

"Percy, my boy, it is time," he said simply. Percy nodded at him and pulled himself to his feet. Annabeth rose to join him.

"No," he told her, causing her to flinch, "I don't want you to see this, Wise Girl, not this. Stay here, please?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out, so she settled for a nod, instead. A single nod, before she rushed to his room. Percy sighed, before enveloping his Mom in another hug.

"I love you," he told her. Don't forget that, ever."

"Oh, my brave boy," Sally replied, cupping his face in her hands, "I won't ever."

"Percy—" Poseidon began.

"Just a moment," he replied, making his way to his room, before slipping in. Annabeth was on his bed, one of his hoodies shrugged over her head.

"Hey now, don't go stealing my clothes just yet," he said softly, causing her to burrow deeper into his bed. He kneeled at it's side, and tracked down one of her hands, placing a gentle kiss on it, "I love you, Annabeth Chase. If you remember anything about me, remember that."

And then he rose, and re-joined his father, who led them onto the fire escape. A hand on his shoulder, and he shut his eyes. There was a brief feeling of weightlessness, and then he could feel the godly aura of the other eleven—thirteen—Olympians. He opened his eyes once more. Zeus was sitting impatiently in his seat.

"Are you done, now?" He asked, his tone evidently bored.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was saying goodbye to my mother and girlfriend too inconvenient for you?" Percy snapped, causing the gods to recoil in surprise, "was letting my family know I was being sentenced to Tartarus not important enough for a single gods damned hour? No, then keep it to yourself, Zeus."

"You little—"

"Enough!" Poseidon boomed, "you are sending my son to Tartarus, which he has already had to escape once, Zeus! You will remember that when he addresses you."

"Zeus is still King of the Gods," Hera stated, "and deserves the respect that brings."

"And I am King of the Seas. I control a much more powerful domain than Zeus, and like Hades, I am much more powerful," Poseidon snapped back, "that means my son can address his uncle however he pleases."

"Are you threatening war, Poseidon?" Athena asked, a genuine look of concern on her face.

"As long as my son is in Tartarus, I'll threaten whatever I feel is necessary," Poseidon replied, "until he is out, I will batter camp with storms every day, and every quest that leaves will be followed by ill weather. I will—"

"No!" Percy yelled, cutting his father off, "Dad, I love you, but no. The campers haven't done anything wrong. Throne, even Zeus hasn't done anything wrong, technically. I'm going to Tartarus, Dad. Don't make me go there worried for my friends."

"Percy is wise," Hestia stated, smiling at him sadly from her throne, "but it is time, Percy."

"Well then," he stated, opening his arms out, "how am I going back down?"

"Quickly," a new voice suddenly said, and Percy found himself surrounded by blackness.

"Am I there yet?" He asked petulantly. It was his only weapon he had left at the moment. Even Riptide was gone. He could feel it.

"Not quite," the same voice replied, "at the moment, we are in between the realms, between life and death. Light and Darkness."

"That's all rather cliché," Percy responded, "who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

A loud, echoing chuckle rang out, and a sharp dressed man emerged from the shadows. He was tall, Asian, and looked like he could knock Percy out with his pinky.

"I am Ophion, the Protogenos of Life," the man greeted with a small bow, "my siblings have said much about you, Perseus Jackson."

"All good things, I hope," he muttered. Ophion laughed again.

"No, truthfully, most of it was curses. Except for Tartarus himself. He was filled with an odd amount of praise for you," Ophion told him.

"So, uh, what can I do for you?" Percy asked.

"More so what I can do for you, young man," Ophion replied, "time is erratic in Tartarus. Ten years for them could be a week for you. Alternatively, it could be ten million years. I wish for you to survive the passing of time, if nothing else."

"And, ah, how do you plan on doing that, exactly?" Percy questioned, intrigued.

"I am life, young Perseus," Ophion informed him gently, "and so, I am bestowing upon you the same immortality that Artemis gives her hunters, with a twist. You will age each year for ten years, and then your aging will halt. You cannot be killed by disease, or by time, but death in battle is most certainly possible."

"That's… neat," Percy settled on. Ophion chuckled once more.

"It is indeed. If you make it out, I will remove the blessing, allowing you to age once more," he told him, "now, Tartarus awaits. Good luck, young Perseus."

MMXVIII

AN: This is the rewrite of Hail to the King. I hope for the story to go much slower. Now, onto my regular author's note.

I feel like a massive douche, because the endgame is still Perzoe, and I actually got emotional writing the Percy/Annabeth scene. I am an evil, evil man. As always, leave a review or PM me, I'm always happy to answer any questions, within reason, of course.

Cheers, CombatTombat