Diamond Eyes

Chapter 8

Third Person Point of View

Location: Throne room of Olympus

Everyone had seemingly been talking about a number of things but Apollo and Zeus were in a furious conversation. Apollo rushed back to his golden throne and the powerful booming voice of Zeus shouted out,

"I understand that many of you are all here to discuss the topic of Perseus Jackson!" He paused as everyone watched confused. "But it has come to my attention that we are once again bounded by yet another prophecy. Apollo, do share."

"I was in my library of scrolls alongside Rachel and she had gone completely frozen, I was panicking and was suddenly clouded by a green fog. A number of my scrolls flew out from the shelves and certain words glowed in order and I wrote it down, word by word, until it resulted in a prophecy as follows:

'Find the child of a broken oath.'
'Born with a legacy to uphold.'

'Ancient enemies begin their rise.'
'And the entirety of earth reaches demise.'

'Without this child of Ocean and Pine.'
'The land of Olympus shall fall to Time.'

'Death shall come to reap a Soul.'
'Son of Poseidon; Hunter of Gold.'

The words had ominously echoed around the halls, ringing in every being's ears. All who were gathered had been confused at the twisted words of fate. At hearing the word of Artemis began to anxiously stare at the ground understanding the gravity of the prophecy at hand. A sense of worry and fear flooded her veins and her mind turned to her daughter, Zoe, and Percy. Silence remained prevalent for several before Athena spoke out in a calm tone.

"So once again we have another world ending prophecy weighing on our shoulders."

"The prophecy is eight lines long composed of four couplets that are two lines long. Therefore we can assume that each couplet is self contained in meaning. The first couplet seems to be a bit obvious. It refers to a forbidden child who has a 'legacy to uphold. "Thus we can reasonably expect that the prophecy child is from a rich family tree filled with famous people." Athena rationalised.

"So a demigod then." Hades snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Not exactly-" Athena started but was interrupted.

"But what family tree holds a greater legacy than one of the Olympians?" Hera queried.

"What I am trying to say is take Frank Zhang for example. Now, yes he is a demigod and therefore bears a great legacy from that, but he is also a member of an ancient family line stretching all the way to Ancient Greece and one Poseidon's oldest children. So we can't say our prophesied child is definitely a demigod, the foretold child could be the remnant of a grand family line stretching to the ancients." Athena answered quickly and several gods widened their eyes in shock realising how much people that statistically was.

"As for the second couplet ancient enemies can refer to anyone, and with this vagueness it is unnerving." Apollo spoke in a mature and knowledgeable tone that was unusual for him. "Therefore the enemy can be anyone. It could be rogue titans, a new monster army, straggler giants, or even primordials." Apollo said worriedly.

"So every person Olympus has pissed off then?" Nico muttered and several demigods next to him stifled laughs.

Athena ignored the statement from the son of Hades and continued along hers and Apollo's trail of thought. "The third couplet provides answers to the first two couplets. The child is seemingly related to the domains of pine and ocean, so this a child of nature and the ocean so we need list of every god or goddess with domains that breach those areas and begin finding out what oaths those beings held." Athena paused.

"The land of Olympus shall fall to time. Time is Kronos' domain." Demeter spoke up with the nods of her brothers and sisters showing agreement.

"Therefore we need to find out how he is rising so soon." Hestia reasoned.

"The final couplet?" Hades asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That is the toughest one." Apollo answered.

"Son of Poseidon that hunts gold? That must be Chrysaor, he is a pirate after all." Aphrodite asked.

"I'll teleport him here-" Poseidon started but Hermes was the one to interrupt.

"I don't think it is him uncle. After Bacchus sunk his ship in the Mediterranean he made his way to the isles of Scotland where he's been living relatively peacefully since."

"That leaves us with two other sons of Poseidon." Athena spoke out,

"Triton, and -" Apollo started but was interrupted.

"Percy." Thalia breathed out. "But nobody knows where he is." Thalia rushed.

"It always falls to Percy's shoulders." Nico muttered to himself sadly.

Artemis and Chiron remained silent, watching everything go down. Artemis knew exactly who the prophecy referred to and simultaneously knew that Percy was now fated to die. It was a strange thought to Artemis, that the most powerful demigod to exist, who had fought everything under the skies from titans to Primordials, could die. It was as if he had been with the power of an immortal when he fought, where he could slaughter any enemy before him. As Artemis got ready to speak and admit what happened all those years ago, Aphrodite's preppy voice coughed for attention.

"So it seems like we have to find young Perseus then." Aphrodite spoke out lightly, giving a slight grin to Artemis that hadn't gone unnoticed to a few people who watched carefully.

"Yes we do Aphrodite. And if you're not going to help I believe it would be best for you to remain silent." Athena replied with a glare.

"Actually I believe I know someone who could help." Aphrodite retorted. "After the Titan war I recommended Percy to get in touch with a daughter in mine who specialised in therapy. She helped him handle the guilt and depression that weighed on his shoulders. Even after the giant war and his time in Tartarus. I can only assume that she must have an idea or clue on where he went." Aphrodite reasoned,

"You've had this knowledge for over fifteen years now and you didn't share this earlier?!" Poseidon shouted out in anger.

"Because it wasn't my right to." Aphrodite spat. "I wouldn't expect a man to realise what Percy was going through but you are his father and you should have noticed it. His eyes showed how damaged he was that day in the throne room when Kronos fell. A ball of unbridled heartbreak, guilt, and depression was eating at him. He blamed himself for so much and I know my daughter helped him through that. After the giant war and Tartarus that pain rolled off him in waves so trust me, my daughter knows something. Argue and curse me all you want Poseidon, but it was never my place to reveal that." Aphrodite retorted angrily.

"Then please teleport her here so we may question her." Poseidon asked with dangerous eyes.

A pale flash filled the room and everyone's attention was focused on the demigoddess in front of them. She was 36 years of age with long, wavy, flowing brunette hair and emerald green eyes that stared in confusion. She quickly bowed down to the Olympians and was quick to speak. "Lords, Ladies. May I ask why am I here?"

"It has come to our attention Sylvia, that you were Perseus' therapist after the war?" Athena started.

"I was indeed, but all information is protected by confidentiality agreements." Sylvia replied carefully.

"We understand the rough edges of what the sessions were about thanks to Aphrodite, however that is not what we are asking about-" Athena started but Sylvia interrupted.

"You want to know where he is then?"

"Yes we do, Daughter." Aphrodite replied.

"Why? What is it the Olympians need of him now?" Sylvia replied dangerously.

"Several matters have come up and we require his assistance." Zeus replied angrily.

"And what are those matters, Lord Zeus?" Sylvia replied just as angrily, her voice slowly being raised.

"There is another prophecy, another 'Great prophecy'. We believe Perseus would be the best person to guide the next hero on the right path for Olympus and we need to know where he is." Apollo replied this time.

"And who says this prophecy has begun now? For all we know it could be another eon before it starts and all of you are jumping the gun." Sylvia retorted.

"Because as the God of Prophecies, I can sense when the words of the oracle are soon to begin. Yet despite that this prophecy somehow started nearly sixteen years ago. We've only just been given the lines themselves so who knows where the fates stand on all of this." Apollo replied worriedly.

"Why Percy?" Sylvia asked as she pushed several stray hairs away from her face.

"The prophecy calls for a son of Poseidon, and a descendent of ocean. I believe Percy may be tied into this." Athena replied.

"Even if he isn't the one in the prophecy, the kid is tough. He'll be a warrior, we need him for definite." Ares muttered.

"What's the prophecy then?" Sylvia inquired.

To everyone's surprise, it was the usually quiet Hestia who spoke this time, and she recited the prophecy word for word and watched as Sylvia slowly grew pale.

"Percy is a part of the prophecy." Sylvia sighed. "Hell he's the ribbon that wraps the whole thing up." Sylvia replied quietly.

"What do you mean?" Hades, Nico, Thalia, and Aphrodite questioned at the same time.

"First? Son of Poseidon, hunter of gold. That's him."

"How is that possible, the only hunter of gold is-" Athena started but once again had been interrupted by Sylvia.

"Chrysaor? Understandable but nope. Percy is exactly that however, he works as a prospector. So whilst he may not hunt with a bow or sword, he hunts it with science and geology. Searching mountains and rivers for it, and he's good at it. The last line is quite literally him, and that means this prophecy is about someone close to Percy."

"How about you give us a straight answer, Sylvia." Apollo asked growing tired of the tiptoeing.

"I would, I honestly would. But I'm prolonging this explanation because I am trying to give someone in this room a chance to reconcile with Percy and 'Z' by letting them explain." Sylvia replied with her voice being tinged with a venomous tone.

"Daughter of Aphrodite. I am giving you one single chance to explain yourself or I will smite you-"

"Don't father!" Artemis shouted much to everyone's surprise.

"Daughter what do you-"

"I can explain. Everything." Artemis sighed out.

"Please do, Lady Artemis?" Sylvia asked.

"The prophecy requires a child of a broken oath. Over fifteen years ago something occurred between me and Perseus Jackson." Artemis started and the throne room raptured in gasps and people speaking erratically to each other.

"SILENCE!" Zeus roared. "Now daughter, explain, everything."

"I don't know how it happened. But I do know that Aphrodite has always been close to finding it out, and I wouldn't be surprised if she knows exactly what I'm going to say." Artemis started and Aphrodite gave a venomous grin.

"Fifteen years ago, on Percy's eighteenth birthday party at the celebrations in this grand hall, we had somehow gotten drunk to the point where we lost our memories that night. Things lead to other things, and I had broken my virgin oath." Artemis paused, and her hunters looked disappointed whilst others gasped.

"The next morning, I nearly killed him, but he swore on the Styx that he had not taken advantage of me. We made a promise that if the broken oath ever came back to haunt us, that we both would both admit to what happened. Several months later, my domain over child birth strengthened slightly, but as it is a domain that I have never interacted with everything I experienced was the same as that if a mortal. I had to go for the mortal way to find out whether or not I was pregnant. I was, so I stayed with Percy for six months to stay away from the Olympians as to not endanger my child or Percy." Artemis paused, warily looking around to gauge the reactions of her fellow Olympians.

"To make it reasonable that I would have to be away for six months, Percy strong armed Triton into releasing the Cetus." Artemis paused and let loose a sigh.

"The day, the Cetus had been killed by Percy, our daughter Zoe Dianna Jackson had been born. I remained close to the two for six months but once I realised that Aphrodite was onto me, I completely shut them out of my life. At Zoe's first birthday, I met up with Perseus, and that night, I ended up kissing him." Artemis paused and her mind flashed to her being on the couch cuddled up to Percy, and her slowly raising her head to kiss him on the lips. Aphrodite squealed.

"A child of a broken oath is yours-" Athena started but Artemis continued.

"When she was seven, I visited Sylvia to talk about Percy. And I ran into him, and I promised I would be there at her thirteenth birthday."

"But..." Sylvia hinted at angrily.

"You didn't appear." Chiron spoke out this time.

"You knew it as well!" Nico and Thalia questioned angrily.

"Before you shout at me, at least allow me to explain myself, you two." Chiron replied carefully. "I was alerted by a Satyr in Alaska to the presence of a Demigod in Seward two years ago in the early winter. I worked in the local school under the guise of Mr Brunner and met young Zoe. After teaching for several months, the day after her thirteenth birthday was a parent - teacher night where I finally met her father, who is of course Percy. He was bound to an oath but due to whatever happened between you two, he was able to tell Zoe. She explained everything and it's a shame to say but it was evident that she harbours resentment to you. I swore an oath and checked on them every now and then but I do not know where he is." Chiron finished glumly.

"Neither do I..." Artemis sighed sadly.

Sylvia snorted and rolled her eyes. "He's in Iceland, prospecting land for the government, so they can open up a mine for job creation." Sylvia replied knowingly. "And before you ask Artemis how I know that, I have been the only friend that Percy talked to for the last fifteen years and even moved my practice and possessions to Alaska as to help him train ." Sylvia spat.

"Sylvia..." Artemis started but paused when Sylvia abruptly interrupted.

"Don't bother, Artemis." She retorted exasperatedly. "Save it for your daughter. Do you even know what she looks like, do you even know what she's capable of?"

Artemis looked down in disappointment and sadness flashed in her silver eyes.

"Lady Iris."

"Yes Sylvia?" Iris questioned carefully.

"Is it possible for you to put several videos from my phone onto a rainbow, please?"

"And why should I do that?" Iris replied.

"Because I believe it would be best for everyone to see how Percy and his daughter are doing and this is the easiest way to do it at this moment." Sylvia replied respectfully.

The first clip appeared and everyone was glued to the screen, it was Percy and who everyone assumed to be Zoe in a sort of gym. Percy was older, with salt and pepper hair combed to the back where it hung over the side of his head, a rough shaven beard, and his sea green eyes were a poisonous green. In front of him was Zoe, she looked 13, with black hair like her father's which was pulled back in a french braid, and her eyes were a silvery blue like Artemis'. Her body was poised and lithe, ready to fight her father.

They stared at each other, exerting their auras until Percy eventually spoke, his voice sounding mature and powerful. "Now Zoe, you have near enough mastered the karambits quicker than I expected. But to prove your skill we are going to one on one. Are you prepared?"

"Bring it, old man." Zoe replied, and those who knew Percy grinned at the fact that his sarcasm had been inherited.

"Be quick." Percy replied before unleashing a flurry of attacks with what seemed to be a staff.

Much to their amazement, Zoe was also impressively quick. In her hands were two silver karambits and she attacked with just as much might, blocking her father's downward slash with the two blades, stopping the wooden pole from moving any further. She had somehow moved from the standing position to having one knee on the ground; a smirk graced her face and she used her right leg to sweep her father's. Percy had dived backwards and rolled but to his surprise, his daughter had began attacking him with the karambits and he was barely able to keep up with a wooden pole alone.

He changed his fighting style and when Zoe dived, he ducked and had attacked her left hand with the butt end of the pole causing her blade to fly out of her hand. She turned to grab the missing blade but saw her father dive and roll grabbing the blade before her. Zoe glared and attacked the centre of the staff cutting it in half, and before her father could react, she grabbed one of the broken halves.

"Come on Dad, let's keep the fight fair." Zoe spoke out with a smirk before mirroring her fathers boxing position. Karambit in the right hand with the tip of the blade at eye level, and in her left the broken half of the bow staff in an ice grip position.

She stared at her father waiting for any sign of movement but understood that he was unlikely to do anything. She moved her left arm forward, spinning the bow staff upright before slamming it into the nook of her father's right knee, as the staff made contact, Percy's staff had spun quickly inches away from a knockout blow on to Zoe's neck, barely blocked by her karambit. She threw her entire weight into her knife arcing it above her head. Percy's staff was forced upwards and as he began its descent downwards, Zoe did a spin flip kicking her heel into Percy's face. She continued her onslaught, slash, jab, block, jab, block, slash, kick, a complicated dance of death between the two. Their manoeuvres blurred until they both ended up with a knife at each other's throats.

"It seems to be a draw Zoe-"

"Your wrong pops, I've drawn blood. I win."

Percy has seemed to pause, before a glint of pride had appeared in his eyes. "I can sense that, so you have won. Four wins, and Nineteen loses. You're getting better, Diamond eyes." Percy proudly spoke.

"What's next, dad?" Zoe asked, excitement reaching her voice.

"You're going to learn how to use a sword. " Percy said with similar excitement.

"Play the clip titled Zoe's fourteenth birthday." Sylvia spoke out, smiling at what she saw. Everyone else watched carefully, analysing every little thing they could. Artemis watched with a sad smile at how much her daughter had grown up.

The clip began playing and it had started with Percy training in the same gym, but instead of using Anaklusmos, he had twin scimitars. Surrounding him, a number of automatons that had numerous weapons prepared for a fight. They watched as Percy smirked before attacking like a demon. His speeds rivalled Hermes', his power rivalled Ares, and his skill was outmatched. He never kept his blades in a single position, constantly twirling them around in his hand, dispatching the robots one by one with a blend of sword fighting, martial arts, and causing the automatons themselves to kill each other. Once, he noticed that he wasn't alone, he stopped fighting, and the automatons paused.

"You know Sylvia, I usually prefer it when you announce yourself when you come in." He spoke out with a smirk.

"Shut it, Jackson and get your ass upstairs, your daughter's back from school." Sylvia's voice spoke out from behind the camera.

The camera panned its way upstairs and the voice of Zoe shouting out could be heard. "Sylvia, Dad, there you are. Wait. You weren't doing anything downstairs were you?" Zoe asked with a cheeky grin.

"Get your mind out the gutter, Zo. Now this, is your big gift." Percy spoke out as he handed a fountain pen to his daughter. Nobody on Olympus other than Chiron had recognised it and were shocked when Zoe spoke out the name.

"Anaklusmos." Zoe gasped.

"It is indeed Zoe." Percy replied warmly. "The blade that was gifted to your namesake from her mother, imbued with a sliver of the immortal will of the sea. You mastered the broadsword so quick that it's only right for you to carry the two immortal weapons of Zoë Nightshade. You already have Phos, so it's time for you to accept Anaklusmos." Percy finished with pride strong in his voice.

"Dad I can't, been by your side since you were 12. It's a gift from your dad, you were blessed by Zoe-" His daughter began to reply quickly with wide eyes.

"And Zoe, who I am sure watches from above would be honoured to see her sword in the hands of her namesake, destined to be a true heroine." Percy interrupted with a grin.

"Dad." Zoe whispered quietly as she gingerly grabbed the pen out of her father's hand. With a light flash the pen changed into his renowned form as a sword and Zoe looked at with amazement.

"The blade has accepted you Zoe, all that's left is to think of the form it shall take in your hands." Percy said with a smile gracing his face.

Zoe held the blade on her two palms and concentrated on the sword. A brilliant blue glow filled the room and the great blade was replaced by a white gold bracelet with a gorgeous tanzanite gemstone in the centre.

"I know who I want to use this on." Zoe muttered angrily and Percy looked at his daughter with sad eyes.

"Don't let anger and heartbreak dictate you Zoe, allow reasoning and rationality to guide you." Percy said.

"That's wise." Athena spoke out and was backed by the nods of many in the room.

"I'll try. Now what's for dinner I'm starving." Zoe replied with a sad look.

"Well I was thinking, we order a Chinese and watch movies all night." Sylvia spoke out with a smile.

"Zoe?" Percy spoke out.

"I think that's a brilliant idea, Auntie Sylvia." Zoe spoke out with a smile.

"Let's see the phone." Zoe laughed out attempting to grab the phone from Sylvia's hand. The camera went black and white for several seconds but Zoe had somehow gotten it in her own hands. "Ugh you smudged my makeup, Pops." Zoe spoke out with a roll of her eyes as she checked herself in the screen of the phone.

"Pause it, please?" Sylvia spoke out, and the mist left an image of Zoe for all to see.

"That's your daughter, Artemis. And you may think that she wants you dead but I know more than anything that she actually wants you in her life. She wants you to show up and apologise to her, apologise to her father, and explain why you were never there." Sylvia paused. "And I don't know about Percy. He's closed himself off on any emotions about you and not even my inherited senses could tell you what he feels."

"Thank you Sylvia." Artemis replied with a sad nod and looked guilty with what she had done.

She alongside everyone else looked at the remaining image of Zoe. The similarities between mother and daughter were massive. Similar jawline, sleek hair, and blue-silver eyes, whilst she got her dark, jet black hair and high cheekbones from her father. Artemis was distraught and even Athena could tell that the goddess of the hunt had some kind of love for her daughter and possibly even Percy. Zeus was unsure, while he wanted to berate Artemis for breaking an oath but she had only done so once in an eon whereas he had broken countless oaths. She also certainly had no choice in the matter at hand. The hunters too were unsure, they were shocked at what happened to their leader but also understood that the circumstances changed everything. Some were focused on the daughter's features and began thinking of how she would possibly join the hunt, whilst one was incredibly jealous of Zoe. Others remained analytical of what could happen whilst others began to plan for the events that could unfold.

"Who's going on the quest to retrieve Perseus and Zoe." Zeus spoke out calmly. "And Artemis, I swear on the Styx not to harm your daughter, as her birth was out of your control."

"I'll go." Thalia, Nico, and Artemis spoke out at once.

"Artemis you can't go. The ancient laws-" Hera started but Artemis interrupted.

"I'm going. You heard Sylvia, I need to go see my daughter and I will not wait another moment. I messed up, and unlike you I'm willing to own up to my mistakes." Artemis replied venomously. "Anyone else wishing to object can face my bow."

"I know Percy and Zoe so I'll join." Sylvia rushed.

Zeus began to weigh the pros and cons of the quest. Unsurprisingly having Percy Jackson and his daughter Zoe even at the possibility of the sea spawn and Artemis getting together, outweighed the possible destruction of Earth. Zeus sighed in annoyance before speaking in a booming voice. "Thalia, Nico, Sylvia, and Artemis you shall head to Iceland and convince Perseus and Zoe to go to Camp Half Blood until further notice."

"Now, Athena research what possible threats we could be facing. Apollo and Hermes check the Titans' cages, Kronos' essence may have been scattered but there are others that still remain so find them. Chiron and the remaining immortal demigods, prepare Camp Olympus for an attack, train the best campers to an elite level so they can be ready to fight the toughest of monsters and even Titans. Hunters, teach them your methods of fighting so they are prepared. We will have another meeting once the son of Poseidon and his daughter have appeared. Until then, you're dismissed." With that a number of gods flashed away; Zeus and Hera to their temple to discuss the events that occurred, Hermes, Apollo, Athena went off to do their jobs and before Artemis could move herself to talk to Sylvia. Thalia appeared right in front of her.

"A word, milady." Thalia asked dangerously.

"What would you like to discuss, Thalia?" Artemis asked on edge.

"I'm not going to berate you, just ask a few questions."

"Go on."

"When you kissed Percy, did you mean it and enjoy it?" Thalia started.

"I did Thalia, and I shouldn't have."

"When you promised him that you would be there for Zoe's birthday did you mean it?"

"I did, I've wanted to be there for Zoe her whole life. But I couldn't put the two in danger, and though they won't accept it, I know something clouded my mind that day."

"-And are you prepared to see her?" Thalia questioned.

"I don't know Thalia, but I have to try." Artemis replied calmly.

Before Thalia could reply, Sylvia and Nico materialised from the shadows at their sides surprising the two immortal huntresses. "Right, Artemis you are going to flash us to Iceland where Percy's campsite is, I don't know if he is going to be there or not." Sylvia spoke out.

"Well, where is his camp then?" Artemis asked with a slightly jealous tone.

"He is at the Vonarskard geothermal region. Here is my geophone it should have specific coordinates." Sylvia replied offhandedly as she handed a phone to the moon goddess.

"Well then, let's go see the old aqua boy and kick his ass." Nico spoke out with a smirk before all of them had been encapsulated in a silver flash, not noticing the person who grabbed at the last second.