Chapter 91: The Council

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Just a heads up, we're officially in the endgame now. There will be around 6 more chapters of this story before it ends I think.

-x-X-x-

"You really just… let him go off on his own like that?"

Artemis huffs at Hermes' incredulous tone.

"He was shockingly composed. I saw no reason to make an enemy of him by pushing the issue."

Hermes leans back, only for Ares to lean forward with a scoff and a sneer.

"Are you not an Olympian? If it were me, I would have dragged him before this Council kicking and screaming if I had to!"

Before Artemis can reply, Athena pipes up with a smirk.

"You would have certainly tried, Ares."

The God of War bristles at that.

"What are you implying, wench?!"

Which of course makes Athena bristle as well beneath her smirk.

"Only that which we all already know. Perseus Jackson bested you once before, Ares. And he wasn't even a god back then."

"He did not BEST me! Take back your slander now!"

"Or what?!"

As Ares starts to rise from his seat, Artemis claps her hands together, drawing both of their attention back to her.

"She's right, Ares. He'd just finished absorbing the Titan of Endurance's power… and that was after the Ophiotaurus sacrificed itself to imbue him with its own power. Percy might have been… newborn at the time, but I could tell he was like no nascent, barely ascended god that I had ever seen. If I had made a fight of things, he would have defeated me. He would have likely defeated any one of us."

Silence falls over the Hall of the Gods at that. Ever since Zeus'… departure, Mount Olympus had been ruled by a Council. This Council, as a matter of fact. Really, the only differences were Zeus' absence, Hades' presence, and the fact that instead of a King to silence their squabbles, it usually fell to the newly formed triumvirate of Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades to put their combined foot down instead.

It wasn't perfect, but it had been working for quite a while. Until now. Indeed, none of the triumvirate seemed to know what to do in this situation. Hestia looked distraught at what Percy had been forced to endure, Poseidon seemed lost in thought, and Hades was frowning.

This left the rest of them squabbling among themselves while Luke Castellan knelt between them all, forcibly silenced and awaiting their judgment. However, nobody was bothering to talk about the traitorous demigod in the room. Not even Hermes, Luke's godly parent, had spared more than a single glance towards the young man.

Instead, they were all focused on Percy and Artemis' 'decision' to let him go off on his own. As though she'd had a choice. Besides…

"Regardless, it wasn't like I let him leave without any sort of contingency. I sent my Lieutenant with him and she's still in perfect health. I would know if something had happened to her."

Technically it had been Zoe's choice to go with Percy, but Artemis wasn't above taking credit for the decision that, in hindsight, really was the best one they could have made. If Percy wasn't willing to follow Artemis to Mount Olympus so that the Council could see him, then keeping tabs on him through her most trusted confidante was really the next best thing.

In fact… Artemis smiles when she checks on Zoe and feels something has changed.

"Actually, this entire conversation has just become meaningless. They're on their way now."

Every god and goddess in the Hall reacts to that in their own way. Of course, the truth is… Artemis only knows for sure that Zoe is on her way. But at the same time, she doesn't believe her Lieutenant would be foolish enough to seek out the Hall of the Gods by her lonesome. This was not the sort of place that anyone aside from the Olympians themselves would lightly tread.

As such, when the doors to the Hall of the Gods open a moment later, Artemis is both pleased and unsurprised to see that Percy Jackson is leading the way while Zoe follows trails behind him alongside Bianca di Angelo and Thalia Grace.

There's a ripple through the Council as the others recognize the additional presences, but Artemis honestly only has eyes for Zoe… well, Zoe and Percy. For the briefest of moments, her Lieutenant flicks an almost guilty gaze in Artemis' direction… and she fears that she's lost her right hand to Percy's inescapable pull.

But… no. The connection between her and Zoe is still secure. Her Lieutenant has not broken her oaths or sworn her service to any other. That's good because after seeing how distraught the prophecy had left Zoe, Artemis hadn't been entirely sure if she would listen to her or not.

Meanwhile, Percy… Percy looks even more regal than he did before, especially as he arrives in the Hall of the Gods. From the very first moment that he steps foot atop Mount Olympus, he feels like he's right where he belongs. Artemis knows she's not the only one who feels it either, just based off of the smiles AND frowns on numerous divine faces around the room.

"Percy! You're alright!"

Hestia's happy cry has Percy blinking and then letting out a sheepish laugh as he rubs the back of his head in quite the ungodly manner.

"Yeah, I'm fine Hestia."

Most hold their tongues in the face of this exchange. But of course… Ares can't help himself.

"And what excuse do you have for your tardiness, brat?"

Percy isn't having it though. His golden glowing eyes sharpen as they turn to the God of War, his smile dropping as he stares Ares down.

"Tardiness? I wasn't aware I'd been summoned. You old goat fucker."

Artemis' eyes widen at that last part, and she knows she's not the only one. Ares comes up off of his seat then, roaring and ready for battle… only for an icy chill to fill the room that stops him dead in his tracks.

"Enough. Take your seat, Ares. We have too much to talk about for you to waste our time."

There was a time when Hades, Lord of the Underworld and God of the Dead, didn't even have a seat on Mount Olympus. His relationship with the other Olympians, and especially his brothers, had always been… strained. However, it was never a lack of strength that kept him from attending meetings like these over the millennia.

An involuntary shiver goes down Ares' back that makes his face twist into an expression of impotent rage even as he's forced to retake his seat. Meanwhile, Hades doesn't let up, pinning Percy with his gaze next.

"And you, Perseus Jackson… I see that godhood has not changed you in the slightest."

Percy though, unlike Ares… stands his ground. The fact that he's even able to sends a ripple of understanding through the Hall. Some of the others look to Artemis, as if only then recognizing and acknowledging her previous words.

Any one of them would have been defeated if they had made themselves Percy's enemy after he'd finished draining and killing Atlas. That was what Artemis had said… and that was what she believed, fully and utterly, even now.

Shrugging his broad shoulders, Percy sighs.

"I am who I am."

Of course, just because any one of them would lose to him did not mean ALL of them would lose to him. If they combined their power, then Artemis was confident a group of them could take him down. Certainly all of them together could suppress him with ease.

There was just one problem with that idea… there was no 'all of them together' where Percy Jackson was concerned. Before he'd even become a god, he'd already subverted half of this Council one way or another. And the truth was… Artemis herself might just be counted among that number…

Perhaps there was a general awareness of this, because nobody speaks for a long moment. Until finally, Poseidon breaks the silence with a gentle, fatherly tone.

"It is good to see you standing tall among us, Percy. But… what business did you have that was so important you had to send Artemis ahead with the prisoner?"

At the mention of 'the prisoner', Percy's eyes drop down to Luke for a moment before coming back up and sweeping across the lot of them. Finally, he shrugs again.

"Kronos."

That provokes another ripple through the room, with Hermes letting out a nervous laugh.

"A-Aha, you may wish to refrain from invoking his name, even here…"

But Percy shakes his head.

"I dealt with him. Hopefully for good this time, but even if he ever does come back, he won't be as strong."

This time, the general reaction is disbelief. Even those who are nominally on Percy's side are shocked to their cores. Artemis certainly is. He'd… dealt with Kronos for good? The Titan of Time? The Father of the Gods? What was Percy even saying?

As their incredulity radiates through the room, Thalia Grace suddenly steps forward.

"It's true. We were there. We saw it."

Ares growls and lashes out at the 'impudent' mortal for daring to speak out of turn. A burst of his divine power that would have done some damage, though nothing irreparable. 'Would have'… if it weren't for Percy. Without even hesitating, he bats Ares' power away with a bare hand. No, not just that, he sends it right back at the God of War, slamming him back into his seat with a gasp.

Silence falls over the Hall, but now the silence has another component to it… fear. The Ophiotaurus was one thing… no, it was actually very bad too, to be fair. Whosoever managed to sacrifice the Ophiotaurus' Entrails would be given the power to topple Olympus. That was the prophecy that had terrified the first generation Olympians during the Titanomachy. Percy might not have sacrificed them himself, but the Ophiotaurus had done it for him and the power coursed through him all the same.

On top of that, he'd gone and drained Atlas of his vitality, his divinity, and everything that made him… him. He'd taken the Titan of Endurance and claimed everything from him, making it his own. Another incredible boost to his power that couldn't be discounted if things came down to a fight.

But now Percy talked about dealing with Kronos himself. And the women behind him were backing him up. A quick glance at Zoe has her Lieutenant slightly nodding to her, letting Artemis know that it's true.

… What exactly had happened between Percy and Kronos? Had Percy absorbed the Titan-Father's power too? Because if he had… Artemis could no longer say for certain whether they could all defeat him anymore, even if they all did band together.

"Percy… please tell us what happened."

Of course, Hestia was there to defuse the building tension at least temporarily. And it seemed Percy was still very much weak to earnestness from one of his lovers.

Letting out a sigh, Percy nods… and begins to explain. Artemis can't speak for her fellow Olympians, but she knows she's riveted by the story he weaves of Kronos and a sarcophagus that was apparently built to bring him back to life. How Percy had managed to manipulate Luke Castellan into confessing where he should go next, something that the young demigod looks to be despairing over in the center of the Hall.

Finally, Percy describes how Kronos was forced to leave the sarcophagus too soon, in some horrified amalgamation of monster and human and Titan. How he hadn't been nearly at his full power when Percy had defeated him, cutting him apart piece by piece until he was finished off.

And then Percy describes how he used his new divine powers over the Domain of Kingship to strip Kronos of his own Innate Right to Rule. How he'd taken the title of 'King' of anything from the Titan-Father and diminished him greatly in the process.

If Percy was to be believed, then Kronos had been dealt with. Not by them or any of their plans, but him and him alone. Except… did he really just dissipate the Titan of Time? He wasn't even remotely tempted to take Kronos' power for himself as well?

"I'm sorry, but you expect us to believe that you found a way to… usurp the Domain of Endurance from Atlas, but then refrained from doing so to Kronos as well?"

Dionysus' incredulity is understandable as the God of Wine finally pipes up. Artemis can't help but wonder the same, even as others on the Council bristle at having Percy's word called into question. But Percy isn't offended. Instead, he just looks at Dionysus, nonplused.

"At this point, Kronos is parasitic. He's an infection given form. Taking his power would have only given him another vector by which to return with. Besides, I didn't need it… nor did I want it."

Then, he looks around at them all again.

"If you don't believe me, feel free to look."

Artemis' eyes widen as Percy does the divine equivalent of whipping it out and slapping it down on the table. He opens himself up to all of them in a display of such pure, raw confidence and utter vulnerability that she can't help but be even more amazed by him than she already was before.

If any of them had wanted to, they could have attacked him now at his most vulnerable. However, if any of them had… the others on the Council who backed Percy to the hilt would retaliate in kind.

Instead, they can only gaze on as the Truth of Perseus Jackson is unveiled to them all. Specifically, his Main Domains have settled by this point. Even if he might gain some extra minor ones as time goes on, the Major Ones have slotted into place. And… he has not one, not two… but FOUR of them, practically unheard of for a newborn god.

And yet, it's undeniable. Percy Jackson is the God of Kings, Endurance… and also Victory and Domination. Artemis swallows as her face grows a little red at seeing that. And yet… there's no sign of any of Kronos' Domains. None of the Titan of Time's power rests within Percy in the way that the Titan of Endurance's so obviously does.

He's telling the truth and as Percy pulls back and conceals his divinity once more, everyone is forced to accept that fact, even Percy's greatest detractors. As for his supporters…

"I move we name Perseus Jackson as our new King!"

You could hear a pin drop as all eyes turn towards a grinning Hera. The former Queen of the Gods' own eyes are wide and wild as she gazes at Percy with a hunger and obsession that frankly, scares Artemis just a little bit.

"We've been without one ever since… well, it seems to me that while this Council has served well as a temporary measure, we would be remiss to ignore the opportunity right in front of us. I suggest we simply all admit what we already know to be true… Perseus is the only one among us worthy of becoming the new King of the Gods!"

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[X] Percy himself shoots down that idea, he doesn't want it - 63%[ ] Percy stays quiet, letting them argue it out amongst themselves - 32%[ ] Percy backs Hera up, deciding he should be in charge - 6%

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