1,094A/N: The Olympians will be finally breaking the news to Percy.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and related stories.
Chapter Two: Unexpected Engagement
Percy was busy preparing his breakfast while absently whistling to some melody when he received an unwelcome surprise in the form of a sudden bright flash originating directly from the center of his living room..
Responding to his instincts, the battle-hardened hero immediately dipped under a counter and uncapped the Riptide. Percy had made it a habit to carry the blade with him at all times, and he had never been more thankful for that than at that moment, without missing a beat, the demigod masterfully took a defensive stance and prepared for the worst.
He had no idea what was happening, his first thought had been to question how they even found him, but then he realised that reaching him wouldn't be possible without alerting his father...
But then the main questions became: Would his father get there in time to protect him? Could it be possible that they had lost the war and Zeus had won?
The demigod had so many concerns yet so little time to ponder on the explanations, right now he needed to face the problem before him and fight for his life if the visitor turned out to be hostile.
Percy held onto the Riptide in an unyielding grip, he had his back huddled against the counter, after making sure that there was no way the intruder could sneak onto him, he yelled out, "Who is it? Did Zeus send you to kill me?! Go away while you still can or I promise things will get ugly!" He cautioned.
"I am not here to harm you, Percy, your father sent me here." Percy heard a familiar voice answer his question. Now even though the demigod recognized the voice almost instantly, he didn't answer right away, he was, unfortunately, not in a position to take risks... So he did something that went against his very nature: he acted cautiously.
The demigod carefully peeked up from behind the counter that he was hiding under and asked, "Hermes? Is that you?"
The god in question stepped out of the shadows and extended his arms in the universal 'I am unarmed' gesture, "Yeah it's me Percy... And don't worry, I am not here to assassinate you or something." the messenger god tried to reassure him with one of his trademark smiles that instantly put him at ease.
"No offence Hermes, but that's exactly what an assassin would say. You must agree that I of all people need to be careful these days," he said, "Swear it on the Styx," he demanded, hoping that the god wouldn't get offended by his request and just do as he said, it would surely spare him from a lot of unnecessary paranoia...
While Percy liked Hermes and was reasonably certain that the god wouldn't harm him, he couldn't afford to forget whose son he was, he had to be careful because these days the alternative was getting scorched by a million-volt beam of lightning.
"Ah no problem at all Percy, I am not here to hurt you or kill you, I swear it on the Styx. See? There you go." the messenger god promised and thunder rumbled above them conveying the legitimacy of his claim.
Finally, Percy breathed in relief and shakily got up from his hiding spot, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and stood up straight. "Now that we have got the whole 'not killing me' part out of the way, what brings you here Hermes? I didn't expect to see you in my humble hideout today." he beamed at the messenger god, feeling enormously relieved with the knowledge that he would get to live another day.
Hermes really hoped that what he was about to say next did not spook the demigod, but he didn't think it was possible in the given situation…
The messenger god shook his head in frustration and braced for Percy's inevitable outburst, "Well, I have to be completely honest with you Percy, I've been ordered to bring you to Olympus and it's for something that cannot wait." he divulged, and unsurprisingly, Percy reacted just as strongly as he had predicted.
Almost Immediately after hearing his answer, the expression on the young demigod's face did a complete one-eighty and he blurted out his first question that came to his mind, "Let me guess, to be executed?"
"No!" Hermes cried out, of course, Percy Jackson would think of something like that, Zeus wasn't known for pulling his punches and recently he had been throwing a hell lot of punches on the poor demigod.
"Erm... Life Imprisonment then?" Percy suggested out of the blue.
"No!"
"Wait a minute... are you are going to strip me of my powers and cast me into Tartarus or something?" Percy asked in horror, it wasn't too far-fetched to believe that the gods were capable of doing something like that, after two great wars Percy understood very well that not everything was as black and white as they had been led to believe.
"Percy no... Your powers can't be taken, that's just not a thing—"
"ETERNAL Torture?!" Percy hissed dramatically, and by this point, the sassy demigod was only fooling around, he was pretty sure by now that he wasn't in any trouble, he had sort of overacted in the beginning but after hearing Hermes' reply, he knew it wasn't something too severe or life treating.
But instead of a reassuring 'no', this time the demigod was only met with silence.
"Um, Hermes... That's the part where you say 'no'." Percy chuckled nervously while gradually beginning to put some distance between himself and the suspiciously guilty-looking God of Thieves.
"Um... No? I mean..." Hermes tried to form a response.
Percy backed away even further from the god and clutched the Riptide tightly, "Hermes, 'No I mean' is not the sort of response you like to hear when you ask whether you're going to be tortured for eternity!" He cried, "Please just answer my question honestly, are you taking me to be tortured?"
"No no of course not Percy... I mean... Not directly at least... Oh dear I am making this worse aren't I?" Hermes struggled to answer because in his mind, being married to the greatest man-hater in the world would count as torture... And he was pretty sure she and her hunters wouldn't shy from literal torture either, but Percy didn't need to know that...
"Well, you aren't exactly boosting my confidence here Hermes, where the Hades are you TAKING me?" Percy cried in panic and armed himself to possibly defend against any advance.
"Look Percy... Please stop panicking, I will explain everything." the messager god begged and took a few steps forward only for Percy to take several steps backward.
"Stop panicking? You tell a guy that you are taking him to be 'indirectly tortured' and you expect him to stop panicking? Let me make one thing clear Hermes, I enjoy no forms of torture, so if you think I am letting you take me to Olympus voluntarily, then you have got the wrong idea..." Percy warned, after two great wars, he had enough experience to escape an Olympian if ever the need arose, especially when surrounded by the ocean he was pretty sure he could make an escape.
"Percy just listen to me for a minute bro, you are not going to be tortured, it's just that... You might not like what they have in store for you... But forget that, Lady Hestia approves of it, you trust Lady Hestia right?" He tried, it was common knowledge that Percy was rather close to his aunt. Hestia was always looking out for her favourite nephew and there was no way Percy would ever say no to something that she wanted.
"Really? Aunt Hestia is ok with this?" He asked skeptically... if there was one person that he trusted blindly, then it had to be her. Uttering his aunt's name alone, was always enough to rekindle the hope in Percy's heart, several times over the past years, she had played the role of a mother in his life when he couldn't be close to his real one. She was the only reason he didn't go mad from the effects of Tartarus, she even helped him move past all the losses he had experienced in the two wars.
"Yes Percy, I promise you that Hestia knows of this, and she doesn't oppose it.," Hermes assured him.
For the first time in a while, Percy smiled as he felt completely relieved, it was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders "You started with that, well it can't be so bad then, Aunt Hestia is like the kindest person in the entire universe, if she is ok with it then so am I!" he said brightly.
Hermes snorted at his claim and shook his head, "Well just a few hours ago she whacked your father in front of the entire council and almost made Zeus wet his toga... But yeah... She is super kind." he said sarcastically.
"What?!" Percy asked in disbelief, Hestia and Angry? That just didn't happen... like ever.
"You heard me right Percy, she had had enough of their petty rivalry and decided to pull the eldest sibling card." Hermes quipped while internally shivering at the memory of Hesta raging at her brothers, it was easy to forget that she was the eldest child of Rhea sometimes, but when she did remind everyone of that fact, she always did it in a big way.
"Huh... Well... Even seeing her disappointed in me would be enough to make me feel like the worst person in the world; can't imagine how being slapped by her must have felt." Percy grimaced in sympathy for his father, Hestia was really sweet and kind... To get slapped by her... It was just...
Hermes signed in agreement and replied, "He almost cried... And trust me, Percy, it wasn't good." he said sympathetically, while it was true that he did enjoy witnessing the two Eldest gods' humiliation to a certain extent, he wasn't too keen about seeing Heatia like that again, she was a lot less scary as a harmless 8-year-old girl than when she went nuclear and changed into the thirty-year-old elder sister of Zeus.
"Oh, I believe you..." Percy nodded, even though he was still having trouble imagining his aunt angry, his mind just couldn't process that image, in the end, he decided that his father must have done something worth being whacked because he just refused to believe that Hestia could be anything other than the kindest being in all of creation.
"Well Percy, you better get dressed up now, you don't want to go to Olympus like that," he said, gesturing at the worn-out clothes that he was wearing.
"Eh? What's wrong with these? These are some of the best clothes I have," he said uncomfortably, feeling slightly self-conscious about the pitiful state he was living in.
"Really? That's all you have got?" Hermes asked skeptically. Did his uncle not give his son some allowances or what?
"I would go and purchase new clothes if your father allowed me to walk up to a shop without being blasted by lightning..." Percy huffed in annoyance, it wasn't his fault that he was trapped in that apartment, the only people to blame for that were Zeus and his father.
"Ah... Yeah... Of course, you were essentially his number two enemy until now..." Hermes realized it was only due to the combined effort of the rest of the Olympians, that Zeus wasn't able to go all out on poor Percy, the demigod had gained considerable respect all across the divine world, and killing him would have had some serious repercussions.
"Was number two? Well, unless someone managed to annoy your father even more than I did, which is really unlikely, I am pretty sure he still hates me just as much." Percy said scornfully.
"Oh! I completely forgot to tell you, didn't I? Percy, we Olympians forced Zeus and your father to sign a peace treaty! So as of this morning, you are a free man!" Hermes said and immediately regretted adding the last part, it had been pretty insensitive of him, he shouldn't have lifted the demigod's sports like this only to see it be so ruthlessly crushed later.
Oblivious to what was waiting for him on Olympus, Percy was feeling like he was over the moon, he couldn't believe his ears, 'peace treaty? It was like a dream come true, he gave the god a million-watt smile and said, "Really? Well that's the best news I have heard in two damn years! I cannot believe this, finally! I am free, oh god I am free... I can go home now..." he said breathlessly, he couldn't believe this was happening, it was finally over, he would be able to meet his mother and his friends again, he would be able to return to Camp Half-Blood or even visit Camp Jupiter! Percy hadn't felt this happy in years.
He was so happy in fact, that he completely missed the guilty expression on Hermes's face, the Messenger god did not have the heart to tell the young man what fate awaited him in Olympus, he knew that it would completely break the hero and he did not want to be the one to do that.
"Hey... What are you thinking about?" Percy asked brightly as he noticed that the messenger god was standing mutely.
"Er... Nothing! Uh... Here, just try these clothes!" Hermes quickly covered up his expression and snapped his fingers, there was a warm glow before them and suddenly clothes appeared out of thin air and landed on the table in front of him.
Percy looked at the summoned clothes and shook his head, "Erm... Hermes... These are too flashy for my taste... honestly, these look like something I would wear at a wedding or something." he remarked, while he had nothing against fancy clothing in general, he did not want to wear them to Olympus just yet, especially when the situation in the city of gods had been so sombre and tense for the past couple of years.
Hermes choked at Percy's comment and thought about the demigods' words, 'You have no idea how right you are Percy...' he thought, but Instead of talking about it, the god shook his head and said, "Ah don't worry about that Percy, as you already know we Olympians are all about flashy and fancy things, trust me you will fit in just right, here lemme help you with it..." he said and snapped his finger again, like last time, there was a warm glow once again, only this time it ended up with Percy already dressed up in the clothes that Hermes had summoned, it looked like the god's magic had automatically taken care of dressing him up.
The young demigod looked at himself in the mirror that was placed in his living room and nodded appreciatively, Hermes was right, he did look good in the expensive-looking light blue shit and the plain black jeans, and all of the clothes fit him perfectly too as if magically adjusted to his exact size.
Hermes too, looked impressed by how well the young demigod had cleaned up, "Ah... You are going to break a lot of hearts today." he absently remarked.
"Eh? What? Why?" Percy asked, the poor demigod still just as clueless as before.
But Hermes shrugged his shoulders and said, "Never mind that you'll understand everything soon enough, now let's get you to Olympus, everyone must be waiting for you, and Percy… And yes, before we leave... Good luck my friend." He said and without explaining what he meant, he grabbed the demigod's shoulder and flashed out, soon, they reappeared thousands of miles away right in the center of the throne room on Olympus, Hermes gave the demigod a final reassuring smile and walked up to his throne, leaving Percy standing there all alone.
Left without an explanation, Percy looked around nervously and noticed his uncle (Zeus) looking at him hatefully, the sky god was glowering at him with so much hatred that it was a surprise that he hadn't dropped dead already, still, Percy was rather unfazed by his anger, it wasn't something new for him, and by now he had gotten pretty used to it.
Percy kept looking around and his gaze shifted towards his father... Seeing his dad immediately made Percy feel a whole lot more confident as he stood up straighter and took a few steps toward his dad's throne "Hey, Dad! Hermes said you wanted to see me here? Wait— Wait a minute— Um... Why is everyone looking at me so weirdly?" He blurted out in a typical Percy Jackson manner as he finally noticed the looks everyone was giving him, from the little he could make out, it was a blend of guilt, anticipation, and... Shame?
After carefully scrutinizing their expressions, Percy groaned in frustration and scowled at them, "What now? Do you want me to fight in another war or something?" He asked in an irritated tone.
"Um... No Percy, it's not... like that" his father started, suddenly not sounding like the confident god that he was supposed to sound like, "What I am about to say my son would... Well… It would come as a big surprise to you, and…" Poseidon stopped.
The god looked around helplessly, almost as if he was pleading for help. There was a sadness behind his eyes mixed with shame and guilt. He looked powerless.
Percy did not like seeing his father so weak and helpless, it made him feel sad. "Dad…" he said softly, "Is it something I did? What's wrong, please… Tell me."
When no one came up to help him, the sea god sighed and then took a deep breath, "There is no way to put this lightly so I would just say it as it is... Percy... My son, I have failed you… And now, for my crimes, you will have to marry Artemis," he finally revealed with his eyes firmly fixed to the base of his trident, Poseidon did not dare meet his son's gaze, he didn't think he was strong enough to look at the expression of betrayal his son's eyes would undoubtedly hold.
But Percy did not feel betrayed, no that was an emotion that would surface much later, he felt numb... He felt disoriented... And he felt lost.
The demigod stood there in silence as he felt the world around him turn uncontrollably, his thoughts felt muddled, it was as if someone was trying to pull him into the ground, he could no longer perceive what was happening outside the small bubble that he was confined in, he could feel the strength in his limbs giving away and the world rapidly dimming around him, "W-what?" He rasped, "I-I am... what?" Percy whispered in a faint voice, the demigod's face had become so pale, that at that moment, Hades could have mistaken him for one of the residents of his realm and claimed his soul, but unfortunately, he was not dead... No at this point even Death would be a kindness to him, his father had just told him that he was being married off to the greatest man-hater in the entire cosmos, this was worse than death.
"I wish I could tell you that one large farce Percy," Poseidon spoke, his own voice barely above a whisper, "But you have to marry her, my son... I am so sorry Percy, I really am so very sorry... But there is nothing I can do to help you now... I tried to stop it, I truly did, but this is the decree of the council... Even though you and her both are clearly against this decision, the council's will is the law and it cannot be disregarded... Not even by your father." the sea god said in a defeated tone.
"B-But this is absurd!", Declared the demigod, his voice gradually starting to regain its strength, "I am not going to do this— No no no, I am not doing this, she is Lady Artemis for god's sake! This is just perverse! I won't do this to anyone let alone a sworn maiden... NO! Just NO! I can't do this, this is unfair, unfair not just to her but also to her Hunters, how will I answer them huh? How will I answer Thalia? She will never forgive me for doing this to her patron! No! I will not agree with this!" Percy cried out, he couldn't believe this, he had no idea how the gods were thinking this was a good decision, forcing him to marry a maiden goddess who had sworn off the company of men. This was just cruel.
"Percy try to understand—" his father tried.
"Try to understand what dad?! Try to understand that I am being forced to marry someone against their wishes. Try to understand that I am being forced to betray my own cousin and the entire hunt?! How can you expect me to understand this Dad? You are making me go against everything I have ever stood for! I do not want to understand any of this, please just let me go..." He begged.
Percy was about to say something else when suddenly he felt a soothing presence wash over him, the demigod stopped speaking and looked around in confusion only to see his aunt Hestia in her thirty-year form, The Hearth goddess smiled at the demigod proudly and said, "Percy, my dear nephew... This is exactly why it has to be you... Don't you see what you are doing? You are already trying to do the honorable thing because that's who you are Percy, you are my loyal and kind nephew who always wants to do the right thing..."
The goddess then glided across the throne room and stopped before the young demigod, she laid a consoling hand on his shoulder she continued, "You have done a lot for this world Percy, you have already sacrificed far more than anyone should ever have to... And the truth is, we have no right to ask this of you... So perhaps, if you really try, then you might still be able to escape this marriage, in fact, if you say no to this, then I promise to help you get out of this position myself... But remember this Percy, I can help you... But I cannot do that without condemning Artemis to a bitter and angry life... If I help you now, then Artemis would be forced to marry your half-brother Triton instead... And..."
She paused for a few seconds before speaking "We both know that your brother is a terrible choice for her, don't we? He would never be faithful to her, he would never respect her as you would, or treat her with the honour she deserves, you my nephew, on the other hand, would never betray her... you would respect the bonds that tie you together and perhaps one day, even stand beside her with pride..." she finished with a small smile and gave his shoulder another comforting squeeze before turning towards Artemis and saying, "Artemis, I know you must be feeling betrayed seeing me agree to this arrangement, but trust me my sweet niece I never would have voted for this had it been any other man that you had to marry, I trust Percy with my life Artemis. I know the sort of person he is, he would never betray you, I will guarantee that myself... So please, try to give him a chance Artemis... Because I am sure that he would do the same for you... You would do that wouldn't you Perseus?"
"But why?" Percy asked in a pained voice, "Can't I have a normal life for once? Is it really so wrong that I want to be selfish just this one time? Haven't I done enough to deserve some peace?" He asked in a defeated cry because deep down, he already had his answer, he knew his aunt had got to him, he had to do this.
"Being a hero is not easy Percy, there is a reason you are who you are, you are not a hero because you always know what decision to take or because you possess some exceptional strength that helps you triumph over your enemies. No, you are a hero because have the strength to make difficult decisions so that others may live in peace," she said.
Looking towards the moon goddess she continued, "Your marriage to Artemis is the only way of preventing the world from dying Percy, Triton's behavior towards Artemis would only serve to make the relationship between your father and uncle worsen with time... You, on the other hand, are the kindest and most loyal person I have ever met... So tell me, my brave nephew, are you willing to make this sacrifice? Will you agree to marry Artemis?" Hestia asked softly, everyone present in the room was well aware of the possibility that Artemis might end up sending Triton to Tartarus if they ever got married, and it would be disastrous for everyone involved, there was no way Poseidon would hold back if someone sent his son to Tartarus.
Percy was feeling lost, he couldn't believe how far he had come, just years ago he used to be a 'normal' sixth-grader at the Yancy academy, and now he was standing in the most important place in the world and being engaged to one of the strongest beings in the universe.
The demigod took a few deep breaths before finally coming to a decision, he had to do this... Because it was the right thing to do. "Fine... I will do this... But only because you left me no other choice... And this is the last time I sacrifice anything for this council, I can't keep doing this... I just can't keep losing—" he broke off in the end as he felt tears choke his voice.
"We understand my son..." Poseidon assured with a melancholy smile; it tore his heart to see his son this way, the demigod was being forcibly married off to someone who would probably never love him back for the rest of eternity, but at the same time he also felt immensely proud of the man his son had become, he was truly the greatest hero to ever walk the Earth, of this he had no doubt.
Too tired to bother coming up with a reply, Percy nodded weakly before turning towards Zeus and speaking, "So do I have your permission to return home, or are you still going to try and kill me?" He asked bluntly.
The god in question just grunted in acknowledgment and looked away, Zeus was still feeling miserable about failing his daughter so spectacularly and he was in no mood to indulge in his usual flair for the dramatics.
While almost everyone in the room was sad with how the affair had turned out, one notable exception to this was Hera, the marriage goddess smiled at her success and summoned two almost identical silver rings in her palm, "I have decided that this wedding will take place a few months from now, and as for this moment, Perseus and Artemis would be exchanging these engagement rings as a gesture of peace between the two sides."
Hera's announcement made Percy freeze in place, this was happening way too fast, for as long as he had been aware of the divine world, he had feared the goddess Artemis above all others, after all, who wouldn't be frightened of the goddess who turned males into furry animals and shot them for fun? Yet here he was today, about to exchange rings with the very same goddess. He was so petrified in fear that he didn't even hear his father calling out his name.
"Percy? Percy? Perseus! Son!" The sea god called out.
"Um... yeah?" Percy shook his head and answered shakily as the world around him focused into view again.
"Take the ring son." The sea god who was suddenly standing beside the demigod instructed kindly.
"N-Now...?" Percy whispered in a small voice, the demigod had never felt this helpless before, not even against the Titan of Time in the very same room he was standing in now.
"Yes Perseus, now." It was Hera who answered this time, the demigod looked towards the goddess of marriage and once again froze in panic, Artemis was now standing beside Hera and looking like she had just been sentenced to death...
Ever since Percy had witnessed the goddess fighting against the giants in her grown-up form, he had, without a shadow of a doubt believed that Artemis was the prettiest woman in the entire world, heck he was pretty sure that everyone who had ever seen her thought the same thing, with her flowing auburn hair, piercing silver eyes, and dazzling good looks she appeared far too breathtaking to even be considered a part of their imperfect universe... But obviously, no one ever dared to voice their feelings, no one was allowed to think about the maiden goddess in that way unless they wished to die in the most horrible way possible.
Any man would have been dancing with joy at the prospect of being married to such a beautiful woman, but unfortunately in Percy's eyes, there was nothing joyous about his situation, yes, she was mind-numbingly pretty, but she was also the greatest man-hater in the world, this was a disastrous arrangement and he knew he was going to regret saying 'yes' later.
With shaky steps, Percy walked towards what felt like his doom and stopped on the other side of Hera. The goddess of marriage smiled at him warmly and pressed a silver ring into his hand, she then proceeded to give the other one to Artemis and stepped back before nodding at them encouragingly.
Percy looked at the ring in his hand to see a beautiful silver band that encased a diamond-shaped gem that glowed like the moon, engraved in Ancient Greek on the side of the ring was- 'Perseus Jackson' And that was it, there was his name printed on his death sentence.
Not daring to look into the eyes of the goddess before him, Percy kept his gaze fixed at her feet and shakily raised his hand to slip the ring into her perfect finger, he closed his eyes in defeat as the ring fit her perfectly and silently resigned to his fate, no one could help him now, every higher power that he could have prayed for help resided in that very room and none of them seemed interested in helping him.
They stood there in silence for one whole minute before Hera finally cleared her throat and prompted, "It's your turn Artemis..."
And this time Percy made the fatal mistake of peeping upwards, if looks could kill, then he was certain that Artemis's anger-filled eyes would have been enough to kill his mortal shell and then consume his soul when it reached the underworld.
She was not angry at him though, she was angry at the Olympians. Looking at her Percy was reminded again that she was being punished far more severely than he was.
After fighting against an enormous amount of resistance, somehow, Artemis finally managed to slip the ring into Percy's finger and thus sealed the deal that would bind the demigod to her for the rest of his life.
At that moment Percy found himself wishing that her glare could really kill him... But unfortunately, it was not his destiny to get an easy escape; both the rings shined brilliantly for a moment and the demigod felt something fundamental shift inside of him as Hera's magic made the engagement official and permanently bound him to the goddess before him for the rest of eternity.
With a lively smile adorning her ageless face, the goddess of marriage started clapping for them loudly and the rest of the hall followed suit as they officially ended the conflict between the two brothers and saved the world from their combined fury.
But unlike the gods, Percy did not feel like celebrating, in fact, he felt like rolling into a ball and crying for hours; he had seen dreams of asking Annabeth's hand in marriage while his friends cheered for him... Yet here he was, engaged to a goddess who hated men with all her heart, forced into a marriage that neither of them wanted. He felt miserable, the gods had just forced him to give up love for the rest of his life.
He felt a single tear roll down his face as he realized that none of his dreams would now come true, his right to choose his own family had been violently snatched away from him and there was no way he was getting it back.
Percy felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Hestia looking at him with a sad smile, the goddess wrapped her arms around the heartbroken demigod and pulled him into a consoling hug, "It's ok Percy... maybe one day you would learn to love each other." she said.
Percy pulled back from her embrace and met her gaze sorrowfully, "Thanks Aunt Hestia... But somehow I don't see that happening." he muttered in a hollow tone.
"Don't lose hope Percy, you do not know what the future holds for you, anything can happen, you have to keep pushing on to find your true destiny, and I have no doubt in my mind that you will find it, maybe not today, but someday you would, and perhaps that day you would look back to this incident and be happy that it happened.
Even though Percy showed no signs of feeling better, Hestia didn't let that stop her as she kept trying to lift his spirits until she was forced to stop when a few minutes later, Hera once again called the hall to attention, "First of all, I wanted to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Perseus and Artemis on their beautiful engagement, while I am well aware that neither of you wanted to be a part of this, as the goddess of marriage I still believe that you would find happiness in the end, despite what you might believe, I see this marriage as a blessing, a blessing not just for you, but also for the entire world who would now get the chance to sleep in their beds peacefully because of the sacrifices you made... I know I have no right to request something from you after everything I have done... But I would ask you to give each other a chance because I am certain that one day you will thank me for doing this. People often underestimate the power of marriage but I am one of those people who believe that a right match can even bring the most unlikely pair together…"
Feeling satisfied with what she had said, Hera picked up the other topic of discussion, "But moving on from that I would now like to address my husband Zeus and my brother Poseidon, what I would like to say is that I sincerely hope there won't be a repeat of the incidents that lead up to this... Remember that your children wouldn't be going through this pain if you both had acted responsibly... Let this be a lesson that your actions impact more than just yourselves... And finally, as I had said before, the wedding would take place a few months from now, until then I hope to give Perseus a chance to adjusting to living with the hunt... And now that I think of it, it would do their relationship a lot of good if Artemis too spent some time in any place that Perseus chooses to live in... Before ending this ceremony and moving to this celebration, I am once again clarifying that Aphrodite and I would be the ones responsible for making sure that the marriage goes on smoothly, the fate of the world rests in the success of this wedding and I am not willing to take any chances." she said.
Hera's speech was once again met with polite applause and when the clapping finally died down, Zeus decided to finally speak up as he cleared his throat and settled his gaze on Artemis, "Artemis my dear daughter...' he began, "I am truly sorry for what happened today, and while it's too late for me to take my actions back, what I can do is promise that from now on I would try to be a better father, I know it isn't much, especially compared to the price you are having to pay for my sins but at least it's a step towards the right direction, I think my wife is correct... I might be the king of the gods but I am also a father, and seeing my daughter get hurt is just as painful for me as it would be for any mortal father, I understand now how much pain and suffering my actions were causing to the humans. Perhaps I spent too much time nursing my wounded ego to see how much I was hurting the people close to me. The truth is that no matter how distant we act towards each other, you, Athena, my sisters, and even my brothers still mean a lot to me. Today, this council has opened my eyes. Never in all my immoral life had I imagined that they would work all together to stand against me in this manner, and yet here they are, doing their duty when I failed to do mine. Yes... it hurts me to see what they have done to you my precious daughter, yet at the same time, I am immensely proud of this council because they had the courage to do the right thing even if it went against the King's wishes... and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
All of the gods were left shell-shocked at their king's admission; it was really unlike Zeus to accept being wrong, and Zeus never apologized. But it looked like Hera had been right all along, seeing his daughter suffer the consequences of his mistakes had really shaken the god to his core. Like all parents, he too wanted to keep his children happy and now he realized how horribly he had failed.
Moved by his brother's words, Poseidon stood up from his throne and offered his hand to Zeus, "Then I think it's time we stopped failing our family brother..." he said.
Zeus looked at the outstretched hand of his brother thoughtfully before finally grabbing it and giving it a firm shake, thus marking the end of the two-year war and finally restoring peace to the world. "You are right Poseidon, I should never have tried to have you removed from your rightful place, my jealousy got the better of me, and for that, I apologize."
"And I should not have reacted so violently Zeus... for that, I too... apologize, I hope what happened today serves as a warning to both of us, I hope that we never forget that even though we have our own ambitions and aims, it should never come at the expenses of our own people, after all, at the end of the day we are only one big family and by hurting family we are only hurting ourselves." The sea god said.
Hestia who had been standing beside Percy ever since he had arrived, smiled at her younger brothers proudly and stepped forward "And be warned brothers, for the next time you do something this stupid, I will have to have to get Mother Rhea involved." Hestia humorously threatened.
But it looked like even though her threat had been made in jest, it still carried a lot of weight because Poseidon paled at the warning and shook his head resolutely, "That wouldn't be necessary my sister, I promise we would behave from now." he reassured making the goddess chuckle in mirth.
Hestia gave them a warm smile and pulled both gods into a warm hug, "Good..." she said before being engulfed by a pillar of flame and emerging transformed into her 8-year-old form, "Then my work here is done for now." she smiled sweetly.
During all of this, Percy stood in the heart of the throne room awkwardly, he felt very out of place among all the ancient gods, yes he might have done deeds that were the stuff of legends now, but even then he was still only a demigod and as such he wasn't used to being in the Olympian throne room for extended periods of time, so when the gods didn't show any indication of acknowledging him for another fifteen minutes, Percy finally cleared his throat to get their attention.
Thankfully the demigod didn't have to wait for too long as his father seemed to notice him immediately, "Yes Percy?" The sea god asked with a small smile, Poseidon might not be happy with how the gods had roped his son into this unwanted marriage, but he was still glad to see relationships improve within his family.
"Can I um... Go back now?" Percy asked rigidly, he was feeling really disoriented with everything that had happened in the span of the previous few hours and wanted nothing more than to lie down and think about his life.
"Of course Percy... Where do you want me to return you, son?" Poseidon asked softly, he knew very well how big of a toll the engagement must have taken on his son, the sea did not like being restrained, by trapping his son in this marriage the gods had taken away his free will and choice.
"Erm... Is camp half-blood possible?" Percy asked hopefully, it had been a long time since he had seen his friends, and especially at that moment, he felt like he could really use their company.
"Of course it is Percy, come step forward, I will drop you there personally." the god said.
"Wait!" A voice called out before Percy could leave, It was Apollo who had suddenly interrupted them.
On seeing who had stopped him, Percy groaned under his breath and cursed his luck, of course, Apollo interrupted, he was going to marry the god's darling sister after all. Percy took a deep breath and turned around to meet the sun god face to face, he was fully expecting threats and warnings so what came next really surprised him.
"Before you go, Percy... I just wanted to thank you for doing this." Well, that was unexpected, Percy thought to himself, but then again, Apollo had always been a good friend to him.
"I will always remember what you did for my sister today... Ever since the day you returned my father's bolt, I have always respected you for being the honorable person that I know you are... So please Percy, please don't forget who you are, my sister means a lot to me and you are the only person whom I can trust to treat her properly... I know this is a lot to ask, especially after you have done so much for us already, but as her brother, I still request that you be faithful—" But before Apollo could finish saying what he wanted to say, Percy interrupted him.
"Don't worry Apollo, That's not the kind of person I am, but if it eases your mind then I would say this in front of everyone. I will forever remain faithful to Artemis, I swear it on the Styx," the demigod vowed and a defending thunder echoed above them signaling the sealing of his oath.
After his declaration the entire council looked back at the demigod in shock, everyone was well aware that Percy had more than likely, just condemned himself to never experiencing romantic love again.
Artemis too stared at him in awe and for the first time that day she found herself addressing her new fiancée, "Why would you do that Perseus?" She asked in disbelief, it didn't make any sense to her, "I always knew you were an honorable man, that's why you were the only one I would have ever allowed myself to be married to... But... This? Why would you trap yourself to me in this manner? You deserve better than someone who is incapable of love!"
But Percy just shook his head and said, "Loyalty is everything to me Lady Artemis, how can one expect me to be loyal to anyone if I can't even be loyal to my own wife... No... I would never betray you. It does not matter how you treat me. You can order me to stay away and disappear until my life is over, and I will still remain faithful to you."
Zeus suddenly looked very uncomfortable on his throne as Hera glared at him hatefully, "Such wise words, wouldn't you agree dear husband of mine?" She asked the king of gods in a dangerously sweet tone, "Tell me, Zeus, are you willing to make a similar oath?" She asked him sweetly.
Zeus seemed to squirm under her glare as he laughed nervously, "Don't be silly Hera, I can't go around swearing on the Stryx like a minor god... I am the king of gods my dear... I should not be bound in any way." he tried to reason with his angry wife.
Her glare only seemed to gain more venom as she whispered, "I will deal with you later..." then she turned back towards the sole demigod in the room and her gaze softened.
"You have gained my respect today young hero, not many demigods can claim to have achieved this honor," she said, as the goddess of marriage she couldn't help but be impressed by the loyalty he showed to his fiancée even though he did not expect any love in return.
"I am honored Lady Hera.", Percy said, while he usually didn't bother showing much respect to the gods, he was in no mood for more trouble right now so he decided to not anger the queen unnecessarily.
"Ah and before you leave Perseus..." Finally, Zeus himself got around to addressing the hero, "I hope you understand that after your marriage you will have to properly join our ranks by becoming a god." the god said with a satisfied smirk, no doubt enjoying the demigod's plight.
As expected Percy protested almost immediately, "But–"
However, Zeus was having none of that because cut him off with a wave and said, "But nothing Perseus Jackson, my daughter would not be marrying a mere demigod! I am being generous by giving you some time to come to terms with this, but let it be clear that there is no way out of this! I am not going to settle for anything less than an Olympian for Artemis."
Hera who had been standing silently until then, nodded in agreement and said, "I agree with my husband, your ascension to godship is non-negotiable Perseus. You already deserve it for saving the world twice over, it's a grave injustice that you haven't been made an immortal already."
"It really isn't..." Percy complained, "You offered to make me a god, it was I who wanted something else." he tried to reason.
This time Hestia spoke up and said "And that's why it's an even greater injustice, both times you selflessly gave up your own reward for the betterment of the world and you did all this, without once thinking about yourself, you could have had anything you wanted in the world, yet you chose to be a hero, all of your rewards were for the good of Olympus... If anything, you deserve to be rewarded more for this heroism.".
"Come on Aunt Hestia, you know I don't want anything!" He complained, "Just have Zeus stop trying to kill me and I will be eternally grateful." Percy cried out desperately.
On seeing Percy's reluctance Poseidon shook his head and chuckled in amusement, "Only you Percy, only you would say no to being rewarded for something that you obviously deserve."
However the demigod just sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his hair, "You say that I was being selfless but you cannot possibly be further from the truth, I was not being selfless, I was being more selfish than I have ever been in my entire life, you think that my wishes were a sacrifice, well they weren't, there is nothing I want more than seeing my friends and family happy... My wishes allowed me to make sure that it happened so I made it happen... But forget it, that's not important right now, just send me to camp half-blood"
Percy didn't know it back then, but that day he gained even more respect in the eyes of the gods. Most mortals would have jumped at the chance of getting something from the Olympians but not Perseus, never Perseus, even Artemis couldn't help but admire the person her fiancé was.
"Very well Perseus, you may leave, and we will discuss your other rewards later, but before you go we will still need you to step towards the center of the throne room and say 'yes' to becoming an Olympian god". Hera said. It looked like his moving speech couldn't get him off the hook after all.
-End of Chapter-
A/N: That's it for this chapter, see ya in the next one.