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It was very strange, having a new brother. I've only been at camp for a month, and I can already see how having another son of Poseidon around has changed the atmosphere around me.

Hercules Wilt. That was his name. First glance, you wouldn't assume he was a son of Poseidon. Sandy blonde hair, pool blue eyes, pale skin - he didn't seem to take after dad much. His build was similar to mine when I first arrived, and he didn't seem to excel in any of the activities. Unlike his namesake, Hercules was not strong and was a substandard fighter. Even though he While Hercules doesn't live up to the original's strength and skill, he is just as arrogant and egotistical, if not more. At first, I didn't mind; he was my brother, and I tried to be nice to him because family is family, after all.

Take note of how I said "tried."

I tried to be nice to Hercules, I really did, but he made it difficult. When Apollo informed me of what had happened while I was away, it became much harder to be nice.

Hercules came to camp a month after I left, escorted by my dad himself. Apparently being escorted by a god was all that was needed for someone to become a "hero," and the majority of the campers flocked to Hercules like flies to honey. Hercules liked to boast, so when he accidentally killed a monster in the forest, the word spread quickly and Hercule's was the "hero of Camp Half-Blood."

When I arrived, people mellowed out a bit and didn't fawn over him as openly as before. Hercules was to be listened to, for he was "the all powerful Son of Poseidon," and that was that. When Hercules started trying to order me around and started downplaying everything I did for Olympus, I opted to stay out of his way and tried to kept to my friends. Problem was: a number of my friends had swarmed to Hercules in the time I was away. Grover and Annabeth seemed particularly fond of him, while Travis and Connor thought he was a riot, and Clarisse always liked someone who was willing to hurt people to get what he wants. It didn't help that my dad visited frequently, but not to see me.

I was the leader of the camp and the sword instructor. My jobs became difficult as Hercules tried to question and belittle everything I said. Even after I defeated him in several duels as examples in my class, he continued with his smear campaign against me. With my former friends supporting him and with little support from the other campers, I soon disassociated myself from my peers and asked Chiron if I could complete my training by myself. I still taught my lessons, but all other camp activities par capture the flag and meals were isolated.

After some time, the Olympians started coming by to see how I was faring. Apparently Chiron expressed his concern to Dionysus, who passed the message on to some of the other Olympians. They usually came by to check on how I'm doing and to see my progress. Of course my dad hasn't come to check on me, even though he visits several times a week for Hercules.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the lunch bell clanging off in the distance. I heard the campers laughing and talking as they made their way to the dining pavilion, surrounded by friends and siblings. I sighed and stood up, wiping the sand off of myself, when a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Hello, Perseus," a familiar voice called from my right.

"Lady Artemis," I greeted, bowing my head. When I raised my eyes to hers, I noticed how tired she looked, and I immediately knew something was wrong. Surprisingly enough, Artemis was one of my favorite visitors. Though she did not visit as frequently as Hermes or Apollo, her visits did typically last longer, and I knew her quite well. "Forgive me for asking, My Lady, but is there anything wrong?" I questioned hesitantly.

"Percy, you may want to sit down for this. I'm not exactly the bearer of good news today."

I tensed up, staring at the goddess before me before slowly nodding my head.

"What happened?" I asked shakily, shoving my hands into my pockets and swallowing a lump stuck in my throat.

"I just returned from a meeting on Olympus. Not called by Zeus, but by the Fates." My eyebrows shot up in surprise. The fates very rarely call meetings, they do not usually have anything significant to share with the gods. Artemis steeled herself for a moment before continuing on. "Someone has tampered with Fate. Two chords were snapped, and not by them."

I froze. If Artemis was telling me this, it meant it was someone close to me. Which means…

"No," I whispered, looking at her imploringly. "Please, tell me it wasn't them," I begged, panic rising. It couldn't be my mom and Paul, there was no way possible.

"I'm sorry, Percy," Artemis whispered, looking me in the eyes for a moment before looking away. I let out a choked sob, tears spilling down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and tried to recompose myself.

"How did they die?" Artemis froze, and I took note of the dangerous glint in her eye. Uh oh.

"They drowned in the ocean."

I froze. No, there was no way he could do that. He loved her, he said she was a queen among women. I stood there for a moment, trying to convince myself it wasn't true, before the anger took over. No.

"Percy, wait!" Artemis called as I stormed towards the Dining Pavilion. He was visiting today. She raced up to me and tried to stop me from continuing, but I shook her off and continued on. I would pay for my disobedience later, but he had to face me right now.

"Tell me it isn't true," I called to him, walking until I stood right in front of my pathetic excuse for a father.

"What?" he asked, staring at me while everybody else remained silent. I shook with fury and resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

"Tell me you didn't murder my mother." I hissed, trying to keep my voice under control. I could faintly hear Artemis, Chiron, and Dionysus trying to calm me down, and see a flash outside as Artemis flashing to Olympus.

"I did no such thing, Percy," my dad denied, unable to look me in the eye. The same eyes I inherited from him.

"Do not lie to me! Tell me the truth!" I roared, losing my temper and seizing him by the next. He refused to look at me while I held him up by his neck. If it wasn't for the fact that had murdered my mother, I would be joking about how I was taller than him now.

"Put him down, wimp. He didn't kill your mommy," Hercules scoffed, but I could hear the fear, the doubt in his voice.

"Sit your ass down and shut up before I KILL you," I snarled, not even looking at him. Hercules immediately sat down and closed his mouth, for the first time choosing to do the wise thing. Poseidon stayed silent. "Answer me, dammit! Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth!" I spat in Poseidon's face as I finally gave in to my anger and punched him.

"I'm sorry," he deflated, finally looking me in the eyes. My grip tightened around his neck. He killed her, he killed my mom. He killed Paul. My hand shook, itching to hit him again, but I deflated and dropped him to the floor. I remained silent for a moment, staring at his crumpled form at my feet.

"You know, I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything when you shoved me aside, I didn't say anything when you started ignoring me, I didn't say anything when you abandoned me, your prized son. But this...this is too far. I cannot stay silent when you murder my family," I hissed, my whole body shaking with my anger and grief. "What were her last words?"

I was partially aware of the other Olympians and Chiron trying to talk to me and stop me from potentially hurting Poseidon again, but that there was a strange power around me stopping them from doing so.

"I love you," he whispered, letting out a choked sob. I stared at him for a minute, utterly disgusted, before taking a deep breath and letting out a weak laugh.

"You know what those words meant? Who they were for?" I asked, starting to pace where I stood. "They were for this whole damned world that she thought was so beautiful, even though there are so many terrible things. It was for everybody she cared for, because they meant the world to her. It was for everybody I cared for, because if I cared for them then she did too. It was for Paul, her mortal husband. It was for you, the man she once loved. It was for me, her only son. That's what was great about my mom, she saw all the good things. But if you want to know the truth, the world isn't beautiful. The grass isn't green, the sky isn't blue, it's all grey. There is no such thing as a happy ending, and dreams don't come true. The world is an empty place where people live in an illusion until they see the truth, until they realize the beauty wasn't real. The world is full of pain, of suffering, of hate, of betrayal, but no beauty."

Poseidon tried to say something, but I held up a hand to silence him and snapped my eyes towards a silent Athena.

"I finally understand why loyalty is a fatal flaw. It's not because one would be willing destroy the world to save somebody they care for; but because when the very people they are loyal to betray them, it destroys them on the inside. When loyalty is your flaw, when someone betrays you, it kills you. It's as if someone is stabbing you over and over again and you can feel yourself dying but you can't, so you just continue to suffer. That is why loyalty is a fatal flaw."

The silence in the room was deafening.

"Percy Jackson is dead, do you hear me? He died along with his mother. This is goodbye," I said and walked through the door. I stormed up the hill, the naiads and nymphs nodding at me on my way. When I reached the peak of the hill, I turned back to see Camp one last time. Everybody was frozen in shock in the dining pavilion, unable to move. Well, all except one person.

"Percy!" Artemis called, sprinting towards the hill and catching up to me quickly. She stood in front of me and stared for a moment before nodding her head slowly. I nodded slightly in return, not even trying for a smile before I disappeared in a sea breeze.

Hello everyone! If this is your first time reading my story: welcome! If you have read this before, as you can see it is quite different. That is because Look is the first in a long line of revisions. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading my story! ~Hopeless Dove