Previously:

"Wait, Percy. Thank you for this." Annabeth said to him and kissed him on the cheek even though Percy desperately wished it had been on his lips.

The last thing Percy saw before getting out of sight was Annabeth jumping into Kirk's arms with a look of happiness that she had never shown when she was with Percy.

The Offer of A Lifetime

3rd Person POV

The next two weeks were a blur for Percy. He would just go through the motions of the day: Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, learn Greek with Annabeth (they were still good friends), climb the rock wall, eat lunch, archery practice (he actually managed to hit the target...the target 20 feet to his left), lead sword practice, swim in the lake, dinner, campfire, shower, go to bed.

Even though he put up an excellent facade, acting as if everything was okay; on the inside he felt like he was holding up the sky all over again. Everyday, he would see Annabeth and Kirk love each other tenderly, and each time hurt more than the last. He didn't know how much longer he could handle this before he would just break down in tears.

Every day, he wished that all this was just a bad dream and he would wake up with Annabeth pounding on the door yelling at him that it was time for breakfast. Or maybe the entire camp was just playing a horrible prank on him, but no, what was happening was real life. But for Annabeth's sake, he carried on with life. He still loved her even if she no longer felt the same way.

Though it seemed that the only person who noticed was Chiron. He had known and taught Percy for a long time, so he knew when something was wrong. Multiple times he had talked to Percy, offering him time off from camp activities, so that he can get his emotions in order. But each time, Percy refused Chiron's offer. It began happening so often, Percy was starting to get annoyed. He knew that Chiron was only looking out for his well-being, but why can't Chiron let him be. He could handle it himself; he didn't need want any pity from anybody.

He opened his cabin door, exhausted. Apparently the Ares and Hermes cabin decided to gang up on him during Capture the Flag and relentlessly surround him. On the bright side, it gave Kirk an opportunity to capture their flag and win the game. But even with his team winning, Percy was pretty beaten up.

He got undressed and stepped into the shower, letting the water heal his wounds. He leaned against the wall and thought what could have possibly gone wrong. He pondered what he could've done for Annabeth to betray him like she did. Yet, Percy knew that Annabeth's heart now belonged to another. He didn't resent or hate her, far from it in fact. He still cared deeply for her; he wanted her to be happy, and if being with Kirk made her happy, then he would allow it.

Speaking of Kirk, he seemed to be a genuinely nice and likeable guy. When he found out Percy was the leader and strongest in the camp, he immediately aspired to become as strong as him. He was slowly getting accustomed to camp life. After a lot of training and bruises, he slowly began to handle his own with a sword. Percy had also begun teaching Kirk how to talk to sea creatures and how to use water to his advantage. He taught him how to heal others with water and how to shape and control water. Although he was still a beginner at it, Percy saw the potential Kirk possessed.

Percy exited the shower and dressed in his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It was nearly dinner time, and he prepared himself to once again see Kirk and Annabeth together. As if on cue, the conch sounded and Percy headed towards the dining pavilion. Before he reached it though, Chiron stopped him.

"Hello Percy, how are doing on this fine day?"

"Oh you know Chiron, same old, same old. Just making it through each day one step at a time."

Percy thought he saw Chiron look worried for a second, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"I see...", Chiron trailed off.

"Seriously Chiron, I'm perfectly fine. Nothing's bothering me"

"I may nor be the god of truth, but I can tell a lie see one, Peter Jackson." A voice from behind Percy commented.

"Hey Mr. D. I see you're your cheery self." Percy responded.

"Oh, I try my best, it's just difficult being stuck down here with a bunch of brats." Mr. D responded nonchalantly, "That reminds me, we need to speak with you after dinner."

"Who's we?" Percy asked curiously.

"Who do you think? The gods of course, maybe you should use your brain more often." Mr. D said sardonically.

Percy wondered what the gods could possibly talk to him about. Maybe they were offering him godhood again, or better yet, they were going to let him work with Tyson and his father underwater. Percy ate his dinner in peace, ignoring the worried and concerned looks from some of the campers. He finished his dinner and walked towards the Big House. He still remembered going up to the attic for the first time and how creepy the Oracle was. He could still hear it's raspy voice echoing in his head.

Once he reached the Big House, he saw Mr. D and Chiron waiting for him.

"Well Mr. Johnson, are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."

"Let's go, sir" Mr. D said annoyingly, "After all this time, you still can't treat me with respect."

"I'd treat you with respect if you did the same" Percy mumbled under his breath.

"Whatever," Mr. D said, waving his hand dismissingly. "You know the drill by now, I take it? Or do you need a refresher course?"

"I remember perfectly fine, sir" Percy responded, grabbing Mr. D's shirt.

Chiron grabbed Percy's shoulder, and Percy saw the same caring look he had seen for many years from his mentor.

"Percy, I just want you to know, when you get there, when you hear what they have to say, I want you to seriously think about it. It's going to be a life-changing decision."

Percy didn't know what Chiron was going on about, but he was a little bit worried now knowing what he was in for.

"I promise that I'll seriously think about it Chiron," Percy told his long time mentor and friend.

Chiron nodded and backed away from the two and with a flash, Percy was no longer in Camp Half-Blood, but outside the throne room.

"Wait here" Mr. D said sternly, as he entered the throne room, closing the door behind him. There, Percy waited there for sometime, waiting to be called in. He overheard the gods arguing about something, but he wasn't sure about what. The most vocal one seemed to be Artemis, from what he could tell. After a few more minutes of arguing, he heard thunder and lightning roar across the sky, and the arguing ceased.

"You may enter now, Percy." He heard Hestia call out to him.

Percy entered warily and looked around the throne room, looking for any hint of what was the cause of the arguing. Dionysus was indifferent and playing with one of the grape vines on his throne. Hestia seemed to have a look of pity, which piqued Percy's curiosity. He looked at Artemis and immediately regretted it. The look the goddess of the moon was giving him was enough to bore holes through Percy's skull. Poseidon looked sympathetic towards Percy, which comforted him, knowing his father still cared about him. The other gods looked indifferent. He bowed to each God and goddess before standing.

"Percy Jackson," Zeus bellowed, "You have been called before us because of your recent behavior."

"What do you mean?"

"Son, ever since you found out about Annabeth two weeks ago, you haven't been your usual self." Poseidon explained

"You've been distant and it has come to our attention that being at Camp Half-Blood is causing you more harm than good." Hestia added.

"No way, Camp Half-Blood is my home, no matter has happened. I'm doing just fine."

"Then why has your swordplay been subpar lately? Why have you been avoiding my daughter and your step-brother as much as you can? Why is it that everyday, it seems to be a chore for you to get through the day?" Athena questioned Percy.

Percy opened his mouth to retort, but then realized that what Athena had said was true. He had been slacking in his fights, he had been avoiding them at all costs, and it WAS a chore to get through the day.

Percy sighed reluctantly, "Alright, I'll bite, what's this proposition you have for me?" He asked Zeus.

Zeus cleared his throat and said something Percy would've never expected to hear:

"We want you to become Guardian of the Hunters of Artemis."