Zeus, the Lord of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marbled gray and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim, his eyes rainy gray.
I wondered how I looked in comparison. A little ant, covered in blood and sweat. A few tense moments passed. I debated saying something, but I figured I probably shouldn't speak unless spoken to. I held out the lightning bolt, pointing the metallic cylinder toward the Lord of the Skies. Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it. As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity, until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on my scalp rise. Hades kicked Ares to the ground in front of Zeus. "Little brother."
Zeus looked at Hades. "Brother, what have you done to my son?"
"Your son," Hades spat, kicking Ares in the stomach. A small groan escaped the War God's lips, alongside a spittle of blood and what looked like a tooth. "Stole your bolt and my helm with the help of a demigod named Luke Castellan. As for what happened to him, I can't take the credit for that."
"You can't?" Zeus echoed, leaning forward on his throne. His gray eyes flashed blue for a moment, and the bolt crackled loudly, almost as if it was getting excited to be fired. "Then who can?"
"Percy can," Hades said confidently, nodding toward me. "Your son is in the state he is in because of him." Silence. Pure silence. Look, I'll be the first to tell you my uncle is a clever guy. A smart one, even. He manufactured a deal to get everyone what they want. He played Ares like a fiddle, engineering a plan that would allow him to beat down on him with the wrath of the Underworld. Hell, he even convinced the guy at the front desk to let us in—that guy's had it out for me ever since I stole a pen from here during a school field trip. Exposing me like that in front of everyone, though? If we weren't in the presence of other gods at the moment, I would've blurted out a quick what the fuck and bolted.
"Lord Hades," A voice spoke up from the left side of the room. My eye rested on a woman sitting rigidly on a straight-backed throne that was built to look like a simple wooden chair.
Hah, as if.
I could see the rivulets of mana swirling in and out of the ornately carved designs. It flowed all around the base of the throne and around the armrests, concentrating into the side, where there was a bronze shield lying face down. Annabeth's gray eyes regarded me coldly. I wasn't used to seeing that much vitriol in them—they were usually sharp and calculating, sure, but this was different.
This was raw, unfiltered anger.
She was looking at me like I'd done something unforgivable. Like my very existence was offensive. "You mean to tell us that this…boy caught Ares and incapacitated him?"
"My dear niece," Hades swept his hand, and black wisps of smoke unfurled from his fingertips, twisting and curling like living shadows. The tendrils coiled together, merging into a dense, ominous cloud that drifted to the center of the room. It hovered above the hearth, pulsing faintly with an eerie, unnatural glow, as though it were alive. For a heartbeat, nothing happened, and then, slowly, an image began to take shape within the dark mist. The blurred outlines sharpened, revealing the scene of my fight with Ares. "I can prove it."
A few minutes passed as the Olympians watched my fight with Ares. See, I wouldn't say I like seeing videos of myself even when I'm alone. I can't stand it. My voice, my face, it all just makes me feel all kinds of weird. Having a video of myself shown in front of the most powerful beings on the planet? Yeah, this was not shaping up to be a fun night so far. "Yo, you rocked his shit!" A bright voice said, next to Athena.
I craned my neck a little and saw an extremely handsome god. I'll be the first to tell you I'm straight—well, maybe. I don't know, with the reaction I had to Ganymede, and now with this god, who could only be Apollo, I really don't know. I mean, I could be bi, because I sure love women, but men? I never considered it. Okay, I don't think it's the right moment to have an existential crisis—focus, brain.
Apolon was tall and muscular—bronzed, even, like a Baywatch lifeguard, with long golden hair tied back in a man bun and eyes that shone like the sun. "It's about time, too. He's been a straight bitch to be around for the last century."
"Apollo," Zeus warned.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, dad," Apollo said, discreetly winking at me. Gee. For some reason, I felt like he wasn't that sorry at all.
"That fire," Athena said, tapping her chin in thought. She turned her gaze back to me. "It belongs to Lady Hestia, does it not? Where did you come to acquire it?"
"Perseus is my champion," Hestia replied, still tending to the hearth. She was in her adult form now, and her eyes were peacefully orange, but I knew better. I could see her hand, still smoldering inside the hearth. I knew the second someone tried to hurt me, she'd whip her hand out and toast them into the next century. I relaxed a little. Honestly, I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but half of the throne room gasped loudly.
"Sister," Zeus leaned forward on his throne. His face was slightly sour, twisting and contorting as if he'd just licked a lemon. "Do you mean to tell me—to tell us—that you gave this Sea Spawn power over your domain? You knowingly allowed him the power of two of the Elder Gods?"
"I did," Hestia answered calmly. I wasn't sure if she was using [Serenity Inducement] or not, but I was starting to feel warm, comfortable, even. "His loyalty to his loved ones is unyielding. He didn't embark on this quest for glory or reward—he did it to save his mother. To risk everything for someone you love, without hesitation? That is a strength far greater than any skill with a sword or mastery of magic. I see no other demigod as deserving of this power. Not one who could wield it with the same heart, determination, and sense of purpose. His flaws only make him human, and yet, his courage makes him extraordinary."
My cheeks were burning. It felt like I was at a family reunion with a bunch of people I'd never met and my aunt and uncle were hyping me up after too much wine or something. Now, all Hades had to do was scream and get into a fistfight with my other uncle and it would be like that one time I was forced to go to a Christmas party with Smelly Gabe. I shuddered.
"His mother?" Echoed the woman sitting next to Zeus. She had long, licorice-black hair and large, soft brown eyes that made me feel right at home for some reason. Her face, though, was slightly cold and unfeeling. Regal and pretty, sure, but sort of in an unapproachable type of way, like an ancient statue with a bunch of velvet turnstiles around it. "Why was his mother involved in this situation at all? Is she a demigod as well?"
"No, sister, she's a simple mortal. Your darling son saw reason in threatening the boy's family and friends," Hades piped up, glaring balefully at Ares, who was still curled into a ball on the ground, twitching occasionally. Hades really did a number on him. "You let him run around unchecked for centuries! Letting him take what he wanted, allowing his ego to inflate, and inflate, and inflate! A twelve-year-old demigod had to have his mother snatched from him for anything to be done about it!"
"I am critical of this fact as well. The council failed with respect to curbing Ares' ego," The goddess Athena cleared her throat and sat forward. She had a look on her face that I understood all too well. It was that critical look all teachers got before telling your parents exactly how much of a troublemaker you were. That looked that promised a stern-talking-to the second you got home. I was all too accustomed to that look. Athena dropped the bomb, "Be that as it may, it is undeniable that there is a security risk here with the boy."
"Sister!" Apollo said indignantly. "How can you—"
Athena cut him off with a calm but firm look. "It is unfortunate that my father, Zeus, and my uncle, Poseidon, chose to break their oath not to have more children. As we know from the war, children of the three Elder Gods are incredibly dangerous. While the daughter of Zeus is no longer eligible to be the one of prophecy, this boy has shown he's much more powerful than the average demigod."
"She's got a point," Zeus grumbled, looking down at me. The bolt crackled again. "A fresh demigod should not be able to duel Ares to a standstill." It was sort of weird, to be honest. I felt like I was at an interview or something, and Zeus was the guy in charge who just found out I was lying about my experience. Except, instead of telling me to go somewhere else for a job, he was thinking about killing me for it.
"Well, my lord," Another woman interjected. Auburn hair, a silver parka? Artemis shifted in her seat. Her fingers fiddled with the string of a silver bow that was currently resting on her lap. "The boy did not duel Ares to a standstill. A more appropriate assessment of the situation would be that the boy withstood Ares' onslaught long enough for Lord Hades to arrive. Rather than penalize the boy for his potential, I would rather commend him for achieving such a feat in battle at such a young age. If we continue to discourage strength, the caliber of heroes available to us will quickly trend downward."
"Which is only natural," Hera added, nodding at me. Her cold façade cracked. She gave me a small smile. "I can feel the boy's love for his mother without actively trying to. I get the feeling that the boy would fight all of us at once for her safety, even at the certainty of his own ruin. I will not allow such loyalty to be punished."
Maybe it was a good thing Piper didn't come up with us. I was expecting, like, a pat on the back and maybe a high five from my dad. I could deal with that, and I think Piper could, too. I wasn't expecting the council to try to kill me.
"I'm with Arty," Apollo said, smiling for a moment. "Little cuz is too interesting to kill off right now! Perce, if you're ever tryna get some archery—"
"Apollo," Zeus warned again. I got the vibe that this was a common occurrence during council meetings. "Speak with the boy on your own time. Since it appears we've reached an impasse, I'll leave it up to the council. All those for the boy to live?" I exhaled slowly as a bunch of hands shot straight up. I did a quick scan around the room. Hera, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, my dad, Hestia, Hades, and even Demeter voted for me. I understood most of those, but Demeter? She just got on my good side for that one.
"Those against?" No one raised their hand. I felt like smacking my forehead. I knew Zeus couldn't vote because he was the king or whatever, but really, Athena? What was the point of spouting off about how I was a 'security risk' if she wasn't going to do anything about it? Was she just playing devil's advocate, or was she just trying to get me killed? And hey, I got my eyes on you, too, Hephaestus. I'll keep you in mind in case you ever want my help. Mr. D, eh, that was expected. It'd be one less demigod for him to worry about.
"It's settled, then. The boy lives," Zeus boomed. I was starting to think this guy just liked to show off. He rose and looked at me. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree. "You have done me a service, boy. Few heroes could have accomplished as much."
"Of course, Lord Zeus," I replied, still kneeling somehow. Have you ever tried kneeling after fighting a god? I felt like my legs were going to snap off!
"For your deeds to me, I will grant you one gift," Zeus said, stunning the room. He stretched his right arm towards me. "Speak."
One gift? From the king of all gods? Man, there was so much I wanted, if I'm being honest. I could get Gabe taken care of, maybe get a million bucks or a lifetime supply of blue food. Did I really want that? Could I even accept such a gift? Well, I could. I'm not going to lie, I'd accept any one of those gifts in a heartbeat. Honestly, though, I knew there was only one thing I wanted to do. "I would like for Hestia and Hades to get thrones on the council," I said seriously, my body tensing. I was expecting Zeus to hurl the bolt at me and disintegrate my body into a million tiny pieces. "They're both Elder Gods and without them, I would have never been able to stick up to Ares and retrieve your bolt. They deserve to be here."
Now, I know what you're probably wondering. Why didn't I take the million dollars? I'll tell you firsthand, it wasn't out of some noble cause or some feelgood Hallmark moment. I just remembered that I could make money off of one of the quest rewards I got a few hours ago. That, and, I really couldn't have achieved any of this without my aunt and uncle. If it weren't for them, my mom would've died. They gave me the greatest gift in the whole world by keeping her safe. No amount of money could've ever brought her back from the dead. To my surprise, Zeus just nodded, sighing. "You are correct. Brother, sister, talk to the lump and give him your throne ideas. Now, then. I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal." Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.