Percy Jackson stood alone in the dimly lit chamber of Olympus, the weight of betrayal crushing his heart. Annabeth's confession echoed in his mind—their love, shattered by her infidelity, leaving him adrift in a sea of pain.
"You cheated on me," Percy's voice trembled with disbelief, the raw hurt evident in every word. "After everything we've been through..."
Annabeth stood before him, tears streaming down her face, her expression torn between remorse and desperation. "Percy, please," she pleaded, reaching out a trembling hand. "It was a mistake. I love you, you have to believe me."
But Percy couldn't bear to listen. The image of her betrayal burned in his mind, a wound that cut deeper than any physical injury. He turned away, unable to face the woman who had been his world.
Before he could process his emotions, the chamber doors burst open with a resounding boom. Zeus, flanked by a retinue of solemn gods and goddesses, entered with purpose in his stride. Among them was Athena, her usually composed visage marred by regret.
"Percy Jackson," Zeus' voice boomed with authority, cutting through the tension like a thunderclap, "we have reached a decision."
Percy looked up, his heart sinking as he realized what was about to happen. They were here to make him a god against his will—a sacrifice to maintain their cosmic balance.
"You will become the God of Time and Earth," Zeus continued, his tone brooking no argument. "It is necessary for the survival of Olympus."
Percy shook his head in defiance, his fists clenched at his sides. "No," he protested, his voice laced with anger and sorrow. "I won't be a pawn in your games. You can't force me—"
But before he could finish, Zeus raised his hand, and a surge of divine energy enveloped Percy. Agony tore through him as his mortal form was forcibly transformed, his body contorting and reshaping under the weight of godly power. Each agonizing second felt like an eternity of torment as his humanity was stripped away, replaced by the essence of time and earth merging with his being.
When the pain finally subsided, Percy stood as the newly ascended God of Time and Earth, his breath ragged and body trembling from the ordeal. Despite the physical anguish, a surge of divine power coursed through him, reshaping his form into one of breathtaking beauty—tall, muscular, with features carved from myth and legend.
Athena approached him tentatively, her gaze filled with sorrow and a hint of motherly concern. "Percy," she began softly, her voice cracking with emotion, "this was never our intention for you. But the threads of fate have woven us into this path, and now you must bear this burden."
Percy turned to her, his eyes reflecting a storm of emotions—betrayal, grief, and a newfound resentment towards the gods who had manipulated his fate.
"You think you can just manipulate me like this?" Percy's voice shook with restrained fury, his gaze piercing through Zeus and Athena. "You took everything from me—my love, my choice. And now I'm supposed to be grateful?"
Zeus' expression hardened, but Athena stepped forward, her voice gentle yet firm. "Percy, please understand," she implored, her hands reaching out in a futile gesture of comfort. "We had no other choice. The balance of Olympus—"
"Don't talk to me about balance!" Percy's voice thundered through the chamber, echoing off the marble walls. "You've made your choice, and now I have to live with it."
As he looked out over the celestial realm of Olympus, Percy Jackson, once a hero of prophecy and love, now stood as a reluctant deity bound by duty and destiny. His heart, shattered by love and transformed by divine power, burned with a determination to find a way to reclaim his lost humanity and confront the forces that had torn his world apart.