Fall From Glory || A Percy Jackson story

Chapter 7: The Avenger

The next months were a blur. I'm sure I probably broke a couple of girls' hearts, but I couldn't make myself feel a connection. My friends were all worried and kept fussing over me, especially Piper, but I would just laugh them off. I had to wonder if my sudden resistance to Piper's charmspeak came from Aphrodite's blessing or the fact that I had no more emotion left for the magic to affect.

I know they didn't fall for my act. They had to have noticed the hours I spent wrecking my body in the training ring until Will had to drag me to the infirmary, or the wounds I got and ignored from building the camp. Surprisingly, Will was able to get me into the infirmary to treat those too, even though I always tried to resist. An amused smile flickered across my face as I reflected on the effect the blonde boy had on emotionally destroyed, self-destructive guys. I suddenly understood Nico's constant predicament.

The gods visited me, of course. Aphrodite was a pretty common one, but not for any of the reasons I'd suspected at first. Honestly, I was probably vulnerable enough that if she had tried to make a move, I likely would have let her. If anyone could make me feel something, after Annabeth, it would be the goddess of love, right?

But she never even hinted at it. She still looked like Annabeth, but I don't know if that was good or bad for my sanity. She talked with me, sometimes for hours on end, but I couldn't tell you exactly what about. About love, about relationships, about mourning. I never really let her in either, but the talks still affected me. I think she knew that.

Hestia visited. Not necessarily visiting me, per se, but she was tending the campfire more often and I liked to sit down with her. We never said much, but her aura was comforting and it helped me remember what hope felt like. Apollo came and, surprisingly, came the closest to getting me to have a heart to heart, but we never reached that point. The rest of the Olympians came as well, mostly offering their services if I ever needed anything. 

The only ones who never came were Athena and Poseidon. I don't think I was sad about it; I wasn't really sad about anything, really, or happy, or angry. I was a blank slate. A blank slate with a lot of power and an idea that had been tickling the back of my head for ages that was starting to take form.

After a few months, I got a summons up to Olympus. I had a vague curiosity about what the reason might be, but I didn't particularly care. I was running out of things to do in camp, so I desperately hoped it would be a quest.

I greeted the guy at the desk and got mobbed by minor gods and goddesses again, but of course they had heard what happened to Annabeth and most were trying to comfort me. I declined, I'm not sure how politely, and kept walking until I reached the doors to the throne room. I pushed them open and walked into the room, and every Olympian fell silent. The thrones of Poseidon and Athena were both empty. I waited in the center of the room for several uncomfortable seconds before Zeus spoke.

"Percy, you have grown powerful. More so than any of us anticipated," he said. I raised my eyebrows. Was my final battle going to be trying to fight my way out of the Olympian throne room? I prepared myself, ready to give it my all. I hadn't kept my promise yet; I still had some reason to live.

"On the day that the Fates killed Annabeth," he said tentatively, watching for a reaction, "we were trapped by their decree on Olympus. Poseidon and Athena both tried anyway, and they've been comatose ever since. I'm sure you were wondering why your father never visited."

I shrugged. I'd wondered, but I hadn't thought about it too much. Zeus took a breath. "Apollo tells us that their conditions are improving, so I believe they will recover to their full capabilities soon, but that is also why they are not here today. The fact is, Percy, you're too powerful for your own body to handle. During your fight, you moved faster than Hermes himself. Naturally my first reaction was to kill you, but I came to my senses before the battle was over. What you need is to become immortal, or your own powers will rip your body apart."