Percy's 16th

Percy looked around the tower and frowned. There were so few of them left. It would take only a miracle for them to survive this. Jason and Mathan began messaging the other legions to fall back to the tower. In a little less than an hour, all the remaining forces were standing in front of Percy. He looked them over and let out a small breath.

"We're about to fight the greatest battle this world has ever seen!" he called out to them. The soldiers eyed him gravely. "It won't be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But we can stand tall! We've pushed back waves of monsters, defeated a Titan, and proven to Kronos that we're not to be trifled with! The tide in this war has turned. Together we will fight for victory!" Percy stepped down from the steps of the tower to be level with his troops.

"I have full confidence in your courage, your devotion to duty, and your skills in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory! Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of the fates upon this great and noble undertaking!" The Greeks roared to life with bravado. They cheered and yelled their approval. Chiron stood behind Percy and felt a single tear roll down his cheek. This would be the greatest test Olympus would face. Today would be the day that the world would either end in ruin, or be free from tyranny.

The sound of distant marching called Percy's attention and he moved through the sea of his troops. They parted to let him through, Jason, Mathan, Clarisse, and Zoe following behind him. In the distance they saw the entire Titan host. They were outnumbered at least a hundred to one. Percy felt a bead of sweat trickle down his jaw bone, but he paid it no mind. At the head of the enemy's army stood an imposing figure, clad in golden armor, and wielding a golden scythe. Percy scowled and stepped forward, away from his troops.

"Who are you, demigod? That you dare defy the King of the Titans!" bellowed Kronos. Percy scowled and let his leather jacket morph into his classic hybrid armor. He pulled Isorropia from his wrist and held it to his side. Kronos' eyes widened in shock. "Impossible!"

Percy shook his head and pointed his sword at his adversary. "You will not pass."

Kronos growled in anger and stalked forward towards his son.

"You're supposed to be dead," he hissed out. Percy grinned.

"I seem to make people believe that a lot."

"This time it won't be a lie. I'll make you pay for sending me to Tartarus." Kronos' golden eyes blazed with fury, only to be met with equal rage in Percy's own golden eyes. Time froze around them.

Jason tried to move, but found that he couldn't. It was as if he were chained in place. He could, however, move his eyes. Before him Percy and Kronos were locked in battle. Jason was incredibly impressed by Percy's skill. Nobody had truly seen him fight until now. It all made sense why Percy had been the one to train their army. Beyond them Jason could make out the remaining Titan army. Despite the heavy losses they took, the enemy still outnumbered them by a lot. Come on Percy. Get him! Jason thought desperately.

To his chagrin Percy and Kronos fought their way past him, towards the tower. The clashing of swords still rang out, growing fainter and fainter as the combatants moved away from the Greek army. Soon all Jason could hear was the distant sound of broken glass, steel, and utter destruction. Jason tried to struggle and found that he could move ever so slightly. Percy must be gaining the upper hand, he thought with grim satisfaction. Suddenly he froze in place once more. Time seemed to be struggling to be set free as Percy and Kronos battled it out.

Just as Jason was growing infuriated at being stuck in place, time returned to normal. His struggling had gotten him off balance, and he fell to his knees. Mathan, too, fell to the ground. Jason looked up at the enemy army. None of the monsters or traitorous demigods moved. At a boy Percy, he thought victoriously. Jason rose to his feet and flipped his coin, a golden sword forming in his hand. He pointed it at the enemy and shouted out.

"Attack! Capture the demigods! Kill the monsters!"

The Greeks roared their battle cry and charged the enemy. Jason smirked triumphantly.

"Shouldn't Percy be back out here by now?" asked Thalia making her way beside her brother. Jason frowned and turned back to the tower.

"Maybe he's just fatigued. Battling the king of the Titans must be draining." Jason felt a tingle of doubt blossom in his gut. "Let's go check on him to make sure."

Jason waved Zoe and Mathan over, and the four of them headed into the tower, leaving Clarisse and Phoebe in charge of the campers and hunters. The doors to the tower were shattered, and so they stepped through the glass. Inside, it seemed as though nothing had been left untouched. Vases were shattered, dirt and plants scattered on the ground. Paintings and pictures that once hung on the walls were now cracked and broken. The tiled floor was cracked and trails of blood and ichor were splashed all over. Jason frowned and pointed at Mathan and at the trail of ichor. Mathan nodded and began following the Titan blood. Jason, Thalia, and Zoe followed Percy's blood over to where the elevator was. The door was jammed closed, so Jason pried it open with his blade. What they saw made them gasp and Zoe and Thalia choke back tears.

Percy sat with his back against the elevator wall. Isorropia lay beside his hand and a pool of blood spread out from underneath him, covering the entire elevator floor in a puddle of crimson. Jason paled and dropped his own sword. He rushed forward, not caring about stepping in the blood. He put two fingers up to Percy's neck, checking for a pulse.

"Come on, Perce! Come on! Don't you dare die on us!" He pressed his fingers hard into Percy's neck, but there was no pulse. Jason finally dropped his fingers and pressed his forehead against Percy's. Thalia burst into tears and hurried away from the sight. Zoe rubbed her eyes furiously, before steeling her nerves. Jason glanced down and saw the hole in Percy's chest where he had stabbed himself. He looked up at Zoe.

"Help me move him?"

Zoe didn't respond, she only hurried over and joined Jason in pulling Percy away from the elevator. They placed him on his side and eyed both the wound on his back and on his chest.

"How is that even possible?" asked Jason. "I thought his jacket was impenetrable."

Zoe eyed Percy closely just as Mathan returned.

"Kronos is dead," he said with glee, before his eyes fell on Percy. His smile died and he stumbled backwards. "P-Percy?"

Jason nodded grimly.

"It looks as if Kronos managed to get him before Percy killed him."

Mathan cocked his head.

"I couldn't find Kronos' weapon anywhere," he said hesitantly. "He couldn't have gotten to Percy." Jason's head snapped to him so quickly that Zoe and Mathan flinched at the crack.

"Impossible. That's the only explanation."

Zoe looked back down at Percy and peeled away the leather jacket that had caked to Percy's neck. Violet bruises were clearly visible on his neck. She felt sick to her stomach.

"I- I think I know what happened," she said. Thalia stumbled back in, wiping away at her mouth, obviously having thrown up. Her face was pale as she listened along with the Romans. "Kronos must have managed to get Percy into a choke hold." She pointed at the bruises. "I'm guessing that in a last attempt to defeat Kronos, Percy stabbed himself with his sword killing him and Kronos at the same time."

"How did he get to the elevator then?" asked Thalia, her voice barely a whisper.

"Maybe he didn't die right away and crawled over to the elevator where he pulled the sword out. That would explain all the blood in there," explained Mathan. Jason nodded but still didn't look entirely convinced.

"But that still doesn't explain how Percy's jacket didn't save him."

"Isorropia is a godly sword. It's not hindered by the Nemean Lion's skin," said Zoe sadly. "I remember long ago before Gabriel left when we hunted the Nemean Lion. Gabriel's sword could stab it as easily as if it were a sheet of paper."

A deadly silence settled upon the room. Jason moved over to comfort his sister. Zoe rolled Percy onto his back and moved his hands so that they were clasped over his stomach. Suddenly Clarisse burst into the tower.

"We got them!" she shouted out, oblivious. "We defeated the monsters and have rounded up the remaining dark demigods." Clarisse finally noticed the grim mood and looked down at the ground and felt the air leave her lungs. "P-Perce?" she whispered and stumbled towards him. She collapsed beside him and began weeping. "H-how did this happen?"

"He killed himself in order to defeat Kronos," said Jason from where he was hugging Thalia. Clarisse choked back a sob but nodded. "So the battle is over?"

"Yes," she mumbled. Jason nodded and let go of Thalia.

"Zoe, gather the campers and hunters. Have the prisoners locked up under guard of the satyrs and nymphs and bring the rest up to Olympus," commanded Jason. Zoe scowled at being ordered around by a male but complied. Thalia followed her lieutenant out of the tower to help her. Jason turned to Clarisse and Mathan. "Let's get Percy up to the Throne room. The gods need to know what happened."

Clarisse helped Jason pick Percy up and they walked over to the only other elevator still in operation.

"What should I do with Kronos' body?" asked Mathan. Jason paused and looked at him over his shoulder.

"Burn it."

[LINEBREAK]

Jason and Clarisse carried Percy's body into the Throne room. The room was completely empty, so they laid him down on the floor in the middle. By now the blood had stopped coming out of Percy's wounds. His skin was eerily white.

"What is this?" came a small voice from behind them. Jason whirled around only to find a small girl standing by the hearth. The girl's eyes widened with shock and she rushed forward.

"Gabriel!" she cried out. Tears ran down her cheeks and she clutched Percy's face in her small hands. "No!" her tears trickled onto Percy's cheeks giving his skin more color, but it wasn't enough. He was too cold. Hestia looked up at the demigods.

"How did this happen?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Clarisse looked away, not wanting to answer. Jason bowed his head.

"Percy died defeating Kronos. He sacrificed himself to save Olympus."

Hestia, despite her grief, couldn't help but smile fondly at her brother.

"He always was the hero," she murmured to herself. Suddenly, flashes of light burst into the room. The demigods immediately turned to the gods, bowing with their foreheads touching the ground.

"What is this?" asked Zeus. His voice was hoarse and thick with fatigue from the battle with Typhon. Artemis eyed the body on the floor and rushed forward.

"Percy!" She collapsed over Percy's body; the body of her best friend in the world. The body of the one she loved. Her body shook with hysteric gasps of grief. Hestia placed a calming hand on Artemis' shoulder. Slowly she stopped shaking. She lifted her head up to look at Clarisse. Her eyes were already bloodshot, and tear stains were smeared on her face along with small lines of Percy's blood.

"How?" was all she asked.

"He died saving us, my niece," whispered Hestia. Artemis turned to her aunt and felt her lower lip tremble. Hestia cupped Artemis' cheeks. "It is okay to cry. But you have to stay strong. For your hunters."

Artemis wiped her eyes angrily and nodded.

"For my hunters," she whispered. The rest of the Olympians watched the scene somberly. The ding of the elevator broke the tension in the room. The campers and hunters filed into the Throne room. When they noticed their leader lying on the ground they all burst into tears. Zeus watched the room with tremendous sadness. He cleared his throat, and when everyone's attention was on him, began to speak.

"Today marks a bittersweet day in history. Typhon has been defeated for good. Hyperion, Koios, Iapetus, Krios, Oceanus, and Prometheus have all been sent back to Tartarus, and Kronos has been killed." Zeus waved his hand and Percy's body was lifted onto a large marble slab. "Gabriel… Percy, paid the ultimate price. He defeated Kronos at the expense of his own life. His name shall forever be remembered as the Hero of Olympus. No longer will he be stricken from the history books. Let us remember Percy's valiant last stand for the rest of eternity!" The campers and hunters cheered, though it was subdued. "Many souls were lost during this war. May we remember those that stood firm and fought to rid the world of the Titans!" The gods and demigods all cheered, much more energetically. Zeus turned to the campers.

"Some of you have distinguished yourselves as leaders. As such you are deserving of a reward worthy of the children of Olympus. Clarisse LaRue daughter of Ares! Come forward!"

Clarisse hesitantly stepped forward, kneeling before her father.

"Clarisse, my daughter, I give you my blessing," said Ares. Clarisse's body glowed a blood red for a moment before dissipating.

"Mathan Foley!" called out Hephaestus, shifting into Vulcan. "I, too, give you my blessing." Mathan knelt down as his body glowed a fiery orange, the color of the furnace.

"Jason Grace!" called out Zeus, shifting into Jupiter. "Jason, I name you a General of Olympus. You will lead our armies should any threat ever arise." Jason smiled brightly at his father. Thalia gave her brother a thumbs up when her name was called out.

"Thalia Grace and Zoe Nightshade, come forward," said Artemis, her voice hoarse from her tears. "For the longest time, the Hunt has only had one lieutenant. However, the two of you have proven yourselves to be powerful allies. Together, I know you can lead this Hunt to glory. Thalia, I am promoting you to co-lieutenant alongside Zoe."

Thalia's eyes widened and she turned to Zoe who had a wide smile.

"I would be honored to lead alongside you," she said. Thalia smiled back and nodded to Artemis.

"Thank you milady," she murmured. Jupiter shifted back into Zeus.

"Tonight we feast! But first, let us honor Percy one last time," he said. The demigods thumped their arms against their chests in a sign of comradery. Artemis stepped forward and placed her hand on Percy's cheek. She began to chant quietly in Ancient Greek when a hand gripped her wrist. The Olympians gasped in shock and Artemis' eyes shot open.

"Don't let me spoil your fun," Percy said weakly, opening his eyes to reveal they were as brightly gold as Gabriel's had been so very long ago.

"Percy!" Artemis cried, pulling him up to embrace him. "How is this possible?"

"I am Gabriel," he said with a smile. "Upon turning 16, I became fully god once more. I should have been sent to the Void, but my blade severed the mortal soul from my spirit."

"This is no longer a feast of mourning!" Zeus thundered. "Tonight, we celebrate the return of the lost Olympian!"

Zeus hesitated and glanced at his eldest brother. "I am still King of the Gods am I not?"

Gabriel chuckled and nodded, moving to stand up. His body grew from the young boy to a man and he placed a hand on Zeus' shoulder. "I put you in charge when I left. You are still in charge when I am here."

The feast commenced immediately, and as the evening wore on, Artemis found Gabriel in the courtyard of Olympus among the rubble and destruction caused by the battle.

"You are not allowed to leave again," she said.

Gabriel looked up at the moon. "I have no plans to do so. This is my place. The world is at a balance as all things should be."

A/N: UPDATE September 2019 - This story was finished a long time ago, and I began a sequel entitled Civil War. However, I did not like that sequel one bit. It was frustrating to write and I lost all interest in it. So, I have deleted that story and added a new ending to Balancing Act. I hope this ending is better. Thanks for reading (also my writing so long ago was brutal to reread...might need to go back and polish this bad boy off).