A figure walked through the shadows of Tartarus, avoiding the watchful eyes of the monsters and other damned beings that roamed freely inside the pit. Things were amiss in Tartarus. Instead of torments, the damned souls and monsters in the pit were training, preparing for something that did not spell anything good for the world above. The figure was cloaked in white but every time he seemed to come into view, he would vanish. Several monsters did double takes at the blur of movement but brushed it off as their imagination.
The figure continued to search through the outskirts of Tartarus. His target would also be trying to remain hidden but the he would find his target, he had to; he promised his target he would.
A quick glimpse of blonde hair caught the figure's attention behind a group of boulders. The figure was about to approach until he looked in the other direction. Coming from the other direction was a group of Cyclops seemingly patrolling the pit as they skirted around the outer edges. The target also noticed the Cyclops and tried to slip back into the shadows but soon discovered he had little options for escape.
A look of defeat crossed his face as he slowly drew his celestial bronze sword. The figure shook his head. His target would most likely survive but would draw far more attention than he wanted his target to garner. Slipping out from his hiding spot, he snuck quietly toward his target as he prepared for the Cyclops to round the corner.
The figure rose from his position crouched behind his target and sent a quick blow to the back of his head, knocking him out silently.
The Cyclops rounded the corner and quickly shielded their eyes from the blinding light that appeared in front of them. When the light vanished, the monsters looked at the area to find it empty, something that confused them immensely.
Line Break
Jason Grace walked sadly through the streets of Elysium watching the happy people bustling around enjoying their afterlife. He sighed, he was proud he reached Elysium but sad that he was basically alone. He had friends who had also passed during the war but his heart ached for the one he loved. He was happy she had survived the war but he wished he had her at his side as well. He missed her kaleidoscope eyes that never stayed the same color for more than a few seconds and her tanned skin that showed the Native American heritage she proudly represented. Now she was most likely immortal and out of his grasp forever.
Jason walked for a while before settling down at bench overlooking a park. Children played in the fields which only made Jason's melancholy grow. He was feeling sorry for himself while they hardly even had a chance to live and were now stuck for eternity as children; never getting the chance to grow up or fall in love. Jason shook his head; at least he had had a good life and managed to fall in love before he fell in battle. He was proud of his death, battling the King of the Giants alongside his father for the fate of the world; a war they had won in the end.
Jason had searched through Elysium for days when he found out Percy Jackson had died in the battle. He heard about what had happened but he still held out some hope his friend had managed to escape Gaia and find his way to where he belonged, a place that was hardly worthy of a hero like Percy. Although he hadn't known Percy for long, he admired the man greatly. He personified everything Jason wanted and strived to be as a hero. Jason chuckled when he thought about the fact he had known Percy twice, as two different people. Both people he had liked and respected immensely. He still remembered their battle with Lycaon and his pack of mutts when they had attacked Lupa and her pack. Jason and Percy had fought together like they had done it their whole lives despite only knowing each other for a couple months. Something they picked back up almost five years later when they ravaged an army of a thousand monsters, just the two of them, delivering the most significant amount of deaths to the enemy.
As Jason sat deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice a hooded figure draped in a white cloak sit next to him on the bench.
"Thinking about the people still up there?" The figure, who was clearly male, asked casually.
Jason jumped a bit, startled when he noticed the figure next to him. He composed himself and shrugged, "Just thinking about friends both alive and dead, or basically dead."
The figure nodded, "It'd be awfully nice to have another chance up there again, huh?"
Jason nodded sadly, "Yea well they don't exactly offer those down here now do they?"
The figure chuckled, "Well today is your lucky day isn't it son of Jupiter?"
Jason stood up and eyed the man warily, "Who are you?" He growled annoyed with the fact this guy knew him but remained hooded.
"Just a friend Jason. Sit back down and let me talk to you." The figure ordered.
Jason's eyes widened but he surprisingly did what the man said.
"What do you want?" Jason asked.
"I want to offer you another chance up there." The man answered calmly.
"You don't get those down here. The only people who offer those are the ones who oppose the gods and I will never betray my family and friends." Jason spat as he stood up again.
The figure shook his head, "You sound like that clown Percy Jackson."
Jason's eyes widened at the mention of his friend and he grabbed the man by the cloak, pulling him to his feet. As he did, the man's hood slipped off his head for second making Jason release the man immediately.
"Percy!" Jason shouted. Percy lunged forward and clamped his hand over Jason's mouth, pulling his back onto the bench.
"Yes Jason, but I need you to shut up and listen for a minute. Don't say my name again." Percy said quietly.
Jason's eyes widened but he nodded. Percy pulled his hand back from Jason's mouth.
"I'm here to offer you a second chance up there Jason, but it doesn't come free." Percy said seriously.
Jason looked at him confused, "Okay but I thought you were in Tartarus?"
Percy shook his head, "Nope. After I stabbed Gaia, I was taken from the battlefield before Gaia could grab me or Styx could claim my life for breaking the oath I swore to Gaia. Another war is coming Jason, one that will be worse than the Giant War."
Jason's eyes widened and he was about to ask more but Percy held up his hand to stop him.
"It will be a war between Primordials with some fighting to take over the Earth while others try to protect it. I'm asking you to join me. I need a second in command and I want you. Will you join me in the Army of the Light?" Percy asked seriously.
Jason stared at Percy in shock. He found his voice a moment later, "I will bro."
Percy grinned.
"Will I really get another chance to live?" Jason asked hopefully.
Percy nodded, "You will but that is a ways away. First we train so we are ready to sway the fight in the favor of the Olympians. If we win, we get our lives back. If we lose, well there won't be anyone to go back to."
Jason eyes widened before they hardened, "I will join you Percy."
Percy smirked, "I knew that. I just liked drawing it out for dramatic effect."
Jason shook his head, he was about to speak but Percy grabbed his shoulder and they vanished into a blinding light.
Line Break
Clarisse La Rue was angry. Why? Well she didn't really have a reason. She willingly gave her life to save her boyfriend but now she was stuck in Elysium with the desire to maim anyone that was foolish enough to step into the arena with her. After forcing a few of her half-brothers to spar with her, Clarisse looked around for a new opponent.
"Come on people! This is the afterlife, it's not like we can die again. Someone has to be brave enough to fight me!" She bellowed out to the people in the stands watching Clarisse beat down anyone foolish enough to accept her challenge.
A hooded figure garbed in a white cloak stood from his seat in the front row.
"I'd like a go. It's been a while since I had a chance to knock around one of those weak children of Ares." The figure said casually.
Clarisse's eyes widened and her face turned red in anger, "Come get your beat down boy. I'll knock that arrogance out of you quickly."
The figure jumped down from his seat before calmly walking to the other end of the arena.
"What's wrong Clarisse? Do you miss your boyfriend?" The figure cruelly mocked.
Pain flashed across Clarisse's eyes before it changed to pure rage.
"Where's your weapon?" She growled.
The figure chuckled, "Against someone as weak as you, I'll use my bare hands."
Clarisse's face turned even redder before she charged at the figure. The man calmly stood there as she charged until she was only feet away with her spear aimed at his chest. The man spun as he swatted her spear slightly, just enough to direct it away from him. As he turned back toward her, he dropped his shoulder and flipped Clarisse over his back.
Clarisse shot to her feet and threw her spear to the ground, charging at the man bare handed. She swung a heavy blow at his face, but quick as a flash, he grabbed her arm and twisted it before he spun again, cracking her in the back of the head with his elbow.
Clarisse fell to the ground with a loud thud. Before she could move, the man pinned her down with a knee to her back. He leaned down next to her ear, "I'm sorry for my words but I want to offer you something better than Elysium, a chance to be with Chris again in the world above. Meet me in the woods outside the arena in an hour." The man whispered in her ear.
Before Clarisse could say a word, the man vanished from her back, gone from the arena completely. Clarisse looked around wildly as did everyone in the stands. Clarisse quickly darted out of the arena without a word to anyone.
Clarisse impatiently stood waiting in the woods for this man to show up. She assumed he was full of it but had to hear him out; he did offer the one thing she wanted more than anything.
As she waited, Clarisse was hit with a pine cone from the tree above. She ignored it. Another hit her and she growled to herself as her irritation grew. When a third hit her in the head, she looked up and saw the man sitting in a branch above her trying to contain his laughter.
"What the Hades do you think you're doing?" Clarisse snapped.
The man chuckled, "Pissing off an old friend."
Clarisse's eyes narrowed. Before he could speak, the man dropped out of the branch and stood next to her. She pulled out a dagger and grabbed the man roughly. As she grabbed him, his hood fell off his head, revealing jet black hair and sea green and brown eyes.
"Jackson?" Clarisse asked stunned.
Percy smirked, "The one and only."
Percy expected to be hit but Clarisse actually threw her arms around him and hugged him. When she let him go, she was smiling.
Percy looked at her confused, "Why so happy all of a sudden? I know you didn't miss me that much."
Clarisse rolled her eyes, "You might annoy the hell out of me Percy but if there is one thing I know about you, it's that I trust you. If you say there's a way to return to world of the living, I believe you."
Percy couldn't help but smile at her words.
"I am very serious about the offer but unfortunately, it's not free." Percy said seriously.
Clarisse nodded, "I assumed as much but let's hear it."
"Another war is coming in four or five years. The primordials Nyx and Erebus plan to make a move against the Olympians to take over. Aether and his army will be fighting to protect the Earth and the Olympians. I need generals in my army. I need people I can trust; I need people like you Clarisse." Percy said seriously.
Clarisse smiled happily, "So how are we getting out of the Underworld?"
Percy smirked, "Well if you're done getting all mushy on me, we can teleport to Lord Aether's palace up in the heavens."
Clarisse scowled, "I was caught up in the moment. It won't happen again Jackson."
Percy chuckled and held out his hand, "Now, there's the ruthless general I recruited."
Clarisse smiled proudly, "Damn right." She said as she took Percy's hand and the vanished into a blinding light.
Percy and Clarisse arrived in a flash of light in the throne room of Aether and Hemera. Clarisse immediately went to bow to the two primordial deities but was stopped by Percy.
"Relax; they are far more easy going than our parents." Percy explained.
Clarisse's eyes widened but she quickly nodded and stood back up.
"I will be right back; I need to grab the other general and my second in command." Percy said before darting out of the room.
Clarisse stood awkwardly in front of Aether and Hemera before Hemera smiled and summoned a chair for Clarisse to sit on.
A few minutes later, Percy came walking in with two guys. The first Clarisse remembered as the son of Jupiter from the prophecy that she had seen around Elysium. The other made Clarisse's blood boil.
Clarisse shot out her chair and pulled out her dagger, "What the Hades is that traitor doing here?" She yelled.
Percy calmly shook his head, "Relax Clarisse, he is on our side."
"How can you say that? He almost got us all killed. He got Silena killed as well as a ton of our friends." Clarisse snapped back.
"You're right, he did. But he also saved my life in Tartarus and then willingly stayed behind to seal the doors from the inside so Thalia and I could escape. He's redeemed himself in my eyes and since I am the commander here, that's good enough." Percy said seriously.
Clarisse's eyes widened and her face reddened in anger but she bit her tongue. Percy was the one person whose judgment she wouldn't question. She had learned better than to do that. She continued to glare a hole though Luke's head though.
Percy looked at Clarisse with sympathy; he knew she had every right to hate Luke.
"Clarisse, I asked Silena and Beckendorf in they wanted a chance to join our army but they declined. They are happy in Elysium with each other. You have every reason to hate Luke, I almost killed him right away when I saw him in Tartarus. But on our journey through the pit he proved himself trustworthy and worthy of a shot at redemption. I need to know if this is going to work because you three are my other commanders, and you need to be able to work together and trust each other." Percy said seriously.
Clarisse nodded her head slowly, "I trust your judgment Percy. I don't have to like him do I?"
Percy chuckled, "As long as it doesn't get in the way of our goal, then no."
Clarisse nodded, "Then I'm good to go then."
Aether cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "I assume Percy has explained why you are all here. Now I will explain what it is you will be doing for the next eight to ten years."
"I thought you said it was four or five?" Clarisse asked looking at Percy.
"Aether will explain, relax." Percy said dismissively, irritating Clarisse.
Aether chuckled before continuing, "Yes, the war will most likely begin in four to five years. But when you are up here, time will pass differently. What is four to five years on Earth will be eight to ten years for you. In that time you be training here with both my army, or should I say your army, and also training with myself and a few others. You will also have missions that will take you to Earth. When on Earth, you must keep your identities a secret. You cannot speak to your friends or family. If any of Nyx or Erebus' army were to find out you four are in our army, they might rush their attack before we are ready. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"Good, now we must prepare you all. You will all receive the blessing of both me and my wife just as Percy has." Aether explained.
Everyone's eyes widened and they looked at Percy who was smirking. Instead of saying anything, Percy leaned forward where pure white wings sprung from his back.
"Sweet." Jason and Luke said in unison.
Aether cleared his throat again, "You will also be made immortal as you will need it to fight the forces of Erebus and Nyx. Percy and Luke are already immortal while you two are actually still dead. Hold still, this might tingle a bit."
Jason and Clarisse's eyes widened before Aether and Hemera blasted them with a bright white blast of energy. The blasts hit the two demigods who froze in shock. A minute later they shook their heads confused, "That didn't hurt." Clarisse said surprised.
Aether chuckled, "I said tingle, not hurt."
Clarisse's face turned red in embarrassment while Percy, Jason and Luke tried to hold in their laughter.
"Now it's time for you three to be blessed….. This will be slightly more painful." Aether said seriously.
The three demigods look shocked. The all looked at Percy.
"Relax, the blessing itself doesn't hurt. Pushing these huge wings out of your back…. Well that stings a bit the first few times." Percy said grimacing before he smirked, "Stop being babies. I didn't recruit you to be pansies. Suck it up and take it like a man. Or woman in Clarisse's case."
The three turned back toward Aether and Hemera to find them quietly chanting.
Line Break
(Two years since the end of the Giant War and since anyone had seen Percy Jackson)
Zeus sat in his throne, deep in thought. After the Giant War, he assumed they would be heading into an era of peace where the Olympians and their children would have some time free of impending danger. If only he had known how wrong he was. None of the Olympians knew what was happening but monster activity was growing and becoming worrisome, similar to what happened before the second Titan War. Monster attacks had slowed significantly which normally would be a good thing but the monsters were grouping together, something that was never a good sign.
After the fall of Gaia, it was assumed that Hades would regain access to Tartarus but things actually got worse. Now the pit was cut-off from the world completely. Beings that usually had access were now blocked off, such as Styx or Thanatos. Whatever was going on down there was not good.
Zeus' thoughts drifted to his nephew, something his mind often wandered to over the past two years. His death tore a deep gash into his Olympian family. His wife, who had adopted the boy, had reverted to her old ways. Except now she was even colder to the people around her. Before Percy, she had been cold towards Zeus' children with other women but now she was simply bitter to the world in general. The only exception came in the form of Zeus' daughters Artemis and Thalia. They were the only people Hera acted somewhat friendly towards.
Artemis.
Zeus sighed; her change had been the worst. Her life now revolved around her hunting; something that had been true in the past but now it was too much. She rarely returned to Olympus unless absolutely necessary, instead focusing on finding the most dangerous and deadly monsters and hunting them mercilessly.
She had been in love with Percy.
If someone had had the audacity to catch his maiden daughter's heart ten years ago, Zeus would have struck them down in the most painful and agonizing way possible. But Percy was different. He had planned to give the boy his blessing to be with his daughter. If anyone was worthy of his little girl, it was Percy. Kind, caring and loyal to a fault; those were just a few of the words that could be used to describe the young man. He was someone who had sacrificed so much for his family and friends and never seemed to catch a break. The hero was worthy of his title of Savior of Olympus because that was exactly what he was.
Now, without its champion, Olympus was torn. Poseidon rarely left his domain and the seas had been restless for two years straight. Storms hit the country regularly causing much death and destruction. Normally Zeus would have ordered his brother to stop the destruction but he couldn't bring himself to order his older brother to do anything. His pride and joy was gone and no one could even locate his soul. He was most likely trapped in Tartarus, suffering constant torture at the hands of Gaia's children.
Zeus shook his head sadly, his family was a mess and he was helpless to fix them. The only person unfazed by the death of Percy was Apollo, who seemed rather pleased he didn't have to worry about Artemis falling in love with Percy. Zeus had contemplated blasting his brainless son himself for his selfish and stupid thoughts. Unfortunately, Hera, Artemis and Poseidon had done it before he could when Apollo had the brilliant suggestion that everyone move on after the death of "just a demigod".
It had taken half the council to finally restrain the three Olympians before they could actually kill the sun god. Despite being the god of medicine, it had taken Apollo months to heal from all his injuries. At least he had enough of a brain to keep his mouth shut on the subject since that day. Although Poseidon still felt the need to blast Apollo with ice cold sea water every time he opened his mouth during a council meeting, something no one else seemed to have a problem with. It was the also the only time Zeus had seen a smile on his daughter's face since the day Percy died.
Despite being his brother's son, Zeus was also still saddened about Percy's death. The hero had done more for Olympus than any of his own children had done. If Poseidon wasn't the boy's father, Zeus would have tried to adopt Percy himself. Zeus cursed himself for not listening to his wife and making Percy a god when she suggested it. No mortal had been more worthy of the honor and if he had, his nephew would still be here. His wife would be happy and his daughter could have had the man only man she ever loved by her side.
Zeus shook his head. Percy Jackson was gone and all they could do was try to pick up the pieces from the hole he left in their lives.
Zeus disappeared in a bolt of lightning to find his wife, feeling the sudden need to spend the time with the goddess he loved.