First submission, woohoo

this short story was mostly just for fun. I hashed it out in about a day and a half after imagining how easily the Riordanverse could be metagamed with outsider knowledge. The fact that the Titan Iapetus was so easily brought down by a little memory magic shows just how much stronger mind magic is than the other kinds (not that the other kinds aren't fun too). Although he regains his memory later, the fact that he was deposed by it at all just blows my mind. Why didn't they just splash some of that sweet sweet Lethe on every other enemy? To make the story a little more fun I didn't have Annabeth do that to literally all of the gods, but honestly how hard would it really be, especially with equipment like the Helm of Darkness?

Also, re-reading the series as an adult made me realize that the gods really are dicks, and kind of don't deserve to rule for any reason besides the fact that they're the strongest entities on earth. Doesn't really mean Kronos was the better option, but it doesn't have to be a binary choice.

So, I thought I'd write a little short where our heroes do something about that :)

Annabeth scowled as she glared over the nearly-lifeless form before her, recovering from a recent encounter with a minotaur. The Minotaur. Who was this boy, that he could single-handedly defeat such a foe without so much as knowing who he really was?

Grover explained the situation earlier as best as he was able to in his shaken state. Another victim caught up in another foolish conflict between the masters of their world. The poor kid's mother was incinerated instantly by a lightning bolt meant for him. And they were so close to camp, too… although, that may be precisely why Zeus chose that moment to act. The sky and the sea have been quaking violently since that time. Inevitably, the mortals will suffer from this skirmish as well, a death toll the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades, since the last conflict between the gods.

More and more, Annabeth couldn't help but relate to the bitter remarks Luke passed to her in private. Why should the gods deserve any respect? What do they really contribute to the world? The only reason that they have the respect they do is because of the power they wield. Humanity had no say in how that power was divided up, and more often than not, it's humanity that ends up on the receiving end of that power, and not exactly in the form of blessings. She sighed and tipped more Nectar into the injured boy's mouth.

Annabeth stirred awake as she sensed movement from her patient. His eyes flickered open, and he bolted upright.

"Mom!" he yelled.

She put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Whoa there, tough guy. Take it slow. Here, eat this, it'll help you feel better." She extended an ambrosia square to the boy, but he was already falling back into unconsciousness. She sighed.

She heard clopping behind her and gave a greeting to Chiron, the camp activities director.

"Ho, Annabeth. You have my thanks for your vigil, but you may go now. I shall watch him myself for a time."

She stood and stretched, her back popping satisfyingly. She put her hands on her hips and stared Chiron right in the eyes. "He's the one, isn't he? The one the Oracle told me about?"

"I… do not confess to know."

"And if you did, you wouldn't be at liberty to say, would you?"

Chiron didn't respond.

Annabeth shrugged. "I'm just saying, no child of Aphrodite would've survived that encounter, not with raw strength anyway."

Chiron smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "Even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes, no?"

Annabeth gave a light laugh. "He's no brother of mine. He's missing the gray eyes part of the 'gray-eyed-one'. Besides, I've never seen a child of Athena drool in their sleep."

Chiron nodded solemnly.

Annabeth headed for the door, pausing for a moment. She turned to look at Chiron. "His mother. Is she…"

Chiron wouldn't meet her eyes. "Yes. I'm afraid so."

Annabeth felt a stab of sympathy before trudging off to her cabin, her emotions stewing beneath stormy gray eyes.

After giving the boy, Percy, a full tour of camp, she still couldn't quite put her finger on his parental identity. He had an incredible knack for sarcastic comments he probably thought were witty, but she didn't peg him as very Apollo-like. Despite his humorous remarks, he actually came across as pretty reserved. Then again, she could hardly blame him given his circumstances.

She was just wrapping up the tour at the camp communal bathrooms. She rolled her eyes as he asked which god they were for. As if on cue, Clarisse and her goons emerged from behind, eyes glinting with mirth and violence.

Percy muttered, "I guess they heard my prayers after all."

Annabeth stepped in front of him. "Clarisse, no. Leave him be. She whispered to the massive daughter of Ares, "C'mon, Clarisse, he just lost his mom."

Percy pushed her aside and said, "Annabeth, thanks, but it's fine. I can handle this."

He took a fighting stance and Clarisse shrugged. She immediately picked him up by his shirt and started dragging him off to the bathrooms.

Annabeth sighed and waited for the situation to solve itself. To her surprise, Clarisse's gang soon found themselves washed away in a torrent of toilet water. She peered inside the bathroom to find Percy completely dry.

He shrugged and said, "Maybe the toilet god is my father after all."

She scoffed, but inwardly she was astounded by his performance. Assuming, of course, that it was his doing. Such control over the plumbing- she shook her head. His stupidity was contagious. Such control over water pretty heavily narrowed the possibilities.

She approached him and gave him a hand up, careful not to slip on the still-wet floor.

He smiled and said, "Thanks."

She followed with a non-sequitur. "Percy, how did your parents meet?"

His smile vanished instantly, but he responded. "They met on the beach at Montauk. Mom never said, but I know that's why she liked visiting. She stayed with him 'til he got lost at sea, but she was pretty religious about visiting that place during the summers." His voice cracked a bit. "Guess… not anymore."

Annabeth stood there a bit awkwardly, pretending not to notice him wipe a tear away. Finally, she said, "Your father isn't lost at sea."

This seemed to confuse him out of his sadness, before giving way to skepticism. "Oh, sure, he's partying it up with the greek gods, right?"

She sighed. This talk again. "Percy, your father is one of the greek gods."

He spoke, "But-"

She raised an open palm. "Save it. I've had this talk a dozen times before. Let me guess, you moved around a lot? Caused mayhem at every school you visited? Dyslexia, probably ADHD?"

Percy stared at her in awe but nodded.

She returned the nod. "You're in the right company. We've all got the same story. The ADHD is your natural battle instincts, the dyslexia is your brain hard-wired for ancient greek. We're demigods, or half-bloods if you prefer. We draw trouble by nature."

Percy drank this in, before asking, "Why?"

That stumped her. "What?"

His eyes were almost pleading now. "Why do we draw trouble? I didn't do anything to get a giant bull-man chasing me!" He paused. "Did I?"

Annabeth looked at him, this clueless kid sucked into a world beyond his understanding. Already shaped by tragedy. Pretty typical for a greek hero, actually. "No, you didn't do anything, Percy. That's just… how the gods are, sometimes, whether we like it or not."

Percy's eyes glinted with anger, but he didn't respond immediately. Finally, he said, "So, who's your father?"

A jolt ran through her body. She looked away quickly. "He's, uh, a professor, at West Point…"

"Oh, okay. So uh, your…?"

"My mother is Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy. I've only seen her once, for my 12th birthday. She gave me this." She pulled out her old Yankees cap, and her body disappeared when she put it on.

"Whoa!" Percy's eyes were filled with wonder, and he was smiling again. She couldn't help but smile too, glad that it couldn't be seen. She took it back off.

"That was amazing! So, do I get a cool magic item like that too?"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe when you meet your father."

Percy's hands balled and he looked away. "Right…"

Whoops. Nice going, Annabeth.

He looked back at her. "That lightning bolt… was that…"

"Was it Zeus?" She exhaled roughly when he nodded. "Yes. Without a doubt. Even he wouldn't target you at camp, so for whatever reason he felt the need to… eliminate you… I guess he thought that was his only chance."

Percy's nostrils flared. "I guess my mother's life wasn't important to him?"

Annabeth shuddered at his anger. It sounded like Luke.

"The gods… can have a hard time giving mortal lives the same weight as we do. When you live for eons, they all run together…"

"Why target me at all, Zeus?!" he yelled.

The sky rumbled a bit and Annabeth glanced around nervously. "Careful of invoking names. It gives them awareness."

Percy was breathing heavily. Annabeth sighed, awkwardly putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It seemed to calm him some. "Let's get out of this bathroom."

They more or less dropped the conversation, so Annabeth showed Percy to his bunk with the Hermes kids, leaving him in the care of Luke. Luke smiled at her and she felt her cheeks run hot, so she kept the conversation short, booking it to archery practice.

At dinner Percy was getting along famously with her old friend. Malcolm seemed to notice her wandering eye and poked fun at her but she was hardly listening to him. Luke seemed more than willing to listen to Percy vent his anger, and though it looked like the discussion was spoken with a hush she could see the Hermes kids' attitudes were divided over it. Some of them seemed nervous or concerned, but just as many seemed sympathetic, or even angry themselves.

Annabeth went back to prodding her uneaten brisket.

Capture the flag went just as planned. Percy was the perfect bait for Clarisse, but she was amazed to see him single handedly take on her squadron and win. Luke sailed across the creek with the enemy flag, ending the game, but her eyes hadn't left Percy. She removed her hat, shimmering into view before him.

His jaw dropped. "Were you… were you there the WHOLE TIME?"

She smiled mischievously. "I was just keeping an eye on the fresh meat. Not that you needed it, apparently."

He glanced at the groaning bodies all around him. " I don't know how…"

She interrupted. "I do. Step out of the creek." He did so, almost immediately slumping under the weight of his weapons and armor. She pushed him back in, and his vitality returned.

The other campers had gathered around to see the commotion. Above Percy's head glowed a vibrant green trident. Annabeth smiled. I knew it.

Annabeth lurked at Cabin Three's door as Percy moved into his new home. He looked glum. "Alone again, huh?" he muttered.

She shrugged, leaning in the doorway. "Makes you unique, too."

He dropped what little he had on a bunk and flopped down on another. "I don't want to be unique. I wanted to feel normal!"

"You were never going to have that, not with your heritage."

"Yeah, well, 'my heritage' wasn't exactly at the top of my Christmas list. I don't want it."

"It's not something you can give back."

Percy laid there in silence, before replying, "Shouldn't you be in a class or something?"

Her cheeks went a little red, but she realized he probably didn't mean it as an insult.

She injected blatantly fake positivity into her voice. "I just wanted to spend time with my new chum, Percy Jackson, Camp Half-Blood's resident coolguy."

That got a chuckle out of him.

"I'm a counselor, so I'm sort of above the law. Speaking of which, so are you, Counselor Jackson."

He draped the silk sheets around himself like a robe. "Please, call me Sir Counselor Perseus, if you would." He gave a magnanimous bow. She entered the cabin and draped herself a robe of her own before returning the bow.

"Madame Counselor Chase, Regent of Athena, how do you do."

They both laughed before she realized Chiron was at the door and Annabeth died inside. She dropped the sheets. "Oh, Chiron! I was, uh, helping Percy move in."

He looked between them for a moment before shaking his head. "Percy, I would like for you to meet someone."

Percy replied, "Who?"

"Someone who can give insight to your situation."

They both left, leaving Annabeth alone in the faux sea-breeze of Cabin Three.

Annabeth lurked outside the Big House in the trees, waiting for Percy to finish his audience with the Oracle. She'd already been waiting for what felt like half an hour, but he still hadn't returned. Perhaps he died of fright.

She heard rustling behind her and promptly died of fright. The oracle stood before her, despite the fact that she was definitely invisible.

Annabeth Chase, a voice hissed. "Y-yes?" Normally, the Oracle didn't name people, it spoke in riddles…

There is no fate for me to ordain to you. I speak outside of the influence of Apollo, with the last of my mortal strength. You already know the path you must take, if you ever hope to change this world for the better. Humanity is in your hands. I have seen it.

The mummy collapsed before her.

She was still shivering as Percy finally emerged from the Big House, shrugging when Chiron started asking questions. Finally, she decided to head back to her cabin. The other Athena kids would be canoeing right now, so she had some alone time to mull the words over. Not that there was much to mull. It very much seemed that fate itself was telling her that the idle thoughts she'd been having were on the right track. It was time to act.

She sat down on her bunk and looked around the Athena Cabin. Armor gleamed on the walls, tables with warmaps and small construction projects were strewn about haphazardly. This was her home, without question. But it couldn't be for much longer. It was against camp rules to leave without a quest. This was mostly for the safety of the kids at camp, as the last thing they needed was monsters following their every move. But another part of her understood that it was also just another means of the gods controlling their pet heroes. She wiped away a tear and began packing.

She doubted that she could sway Grover to leave with her, as he was desperate to earn a license to search for Pan. She'd told him time and time again that he needed no such license, and that if it's important to him, he should just search anyways, but he wouldn't hear it. He was too afraid of defying the Council of Cloven Elders, and more importantly, Dionysus. Not that Mr. D would care whatsoever, but it mattered to Grover.

She approached Luke, practicing his swordplay in the arena. When she cleared her throat loudly, he turned to greet her. "Hey Annabeth."

She replied, "Hey yourself," but it came out as a squeak and she coughed harshly to clear her throat. Straight to business. "Luke, I'm leaving camp."

He frowned. "Without a quest?"

"Yes."

"I don't really understand."

"Luke, I know how you really feel about… the state of things." She glanced around with some paranoia but there was no noticeable increase in rumbling.

She continued. "The gods are about to go to war. Again. The Oracle is unwilling to provide a quest, but without our intervention, millions will die."

He stared at her.

She ignored the increase in her heartbeats. "There's only a few things that could tick… uh, Big Z off like that, and I intend to find out what. Then, I intend to stop it, whatever it takes."

Luke scratched his head with the hilt of his sword. He replied, "I know why he's mad. His Master Bolt has been taken."

Annabeth nodded, unsurprised. Still… "How do you know all this?"

Luke grinned mischievously. "I have my sources."

Suspicious, but she didn't press it. "Will you come with me? I could use the assistance. It'd be like old times."

He shook his head, eyes on the ground. "I, uh, have a prior obligation I need to see to. I wish you luck in your endeavours, though."

She tried to hide her crushing disappointment, with moderate success.

Her first two picks for companions wouldn't help. That just left Seaweed Brain.

Percy was more than willing to accompany her. After his attempted meeting with the Oracle, Chiron had outfitted him with a weapon of his own, Riptide. Percy had a very personal interest in going to the Underworld, which was unsurprising to Annabeth, all things considered. Luke seemed to think that Hades was the one who conspired to take the Bolt, and it made sense, as he'd always been bitter about his treatment by the other gods. Percy even managed to sway Grover into going to demonstrate his ability as Percy's "protector", although he was extremely nervous about the entire idea.

That night, the three of them snuck past the Harpy patrols, only to encounter Mr. D almost immediately. He seemed more bored than angry, but he did manage to come across as irritated. "And just where do my favorite three campers think they're going? Did you really think I wouldn't notice you leave this cursed camp without my say?"

Percy's brow was knitted with anger and Grover looked like he was about to cry.

Annabeth steeled herself, and said, "Mr. D, you know that if we don't do something, this war will tear the world apart. Maybe you don't care, but it matters to us, and we have to act."

Not her most compelling argument, but he didn't seem to need much convincing. "Maybe if I'm lucky all three of you will die. Good luck, then." He popped into mist, leaving the scent of grapes behind him.

Grover seemed permanently paralyzed in shock.

Percy punched her shoulder lightly. "Not bad, Wise Girl."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just keep moving."

Almost immediately after boarding a Greyhound to Los Angeles, three haggard old ladies boarded and caused Percy to squirm in his seat. "What is it?"

Grover was shuddering too. "All three Kindly Ones. All at once. I knew this was a bad idea."

She thought quickly. "Percy, they're here for you. Take my invisibility cap and we'll meet up later."

"Where?"

But she'd already put the hat on him and shoved him away.

The Kindly Ones strode up to her and grinned wickedly. The center fury asked, "Where is it? Where?"

She gave Grover a confused look from across the aisle. "Where is what?"

"Do not play games, girl."

"Do you mean the Bolt?"

"No, fool! Our Lord's symbol of power!" The Helm of Darkness was missing too?

She quickly said, "I swear on the River Styx that we did not steal the Helm, nor is it in our possession." The ground rumbled ominously, and the furies looked at each other in confusion.

"Did you steal the Bolt?"

"I swear on the River Styx that we did not steal the Bolt, nor is it currently in our possession." The ground rumbled ominously once more, although it sounded a little irritated this time, as if unhappy it was being used as a lie detector. The furies slapped their foreheads in unison.

The fury on the left said, "Come with us, demigods. Lord Hades will still want to speak to you, personally." She bared her teeth with glee. Annabeth's brow furrowed angrily. She had no love for the Lord of the Dead, nor the furies, considering they murdered her best friend on Hades' orders, but it was a bad idea to ignore the orders of a god. She tried not to feel too bitter about that last part.

"Percy, come on out if you're still here. He shimmered into view, to the surprise of the furies.

"Mrs. Dodds, you're looking well. How's your shoulder?"

She hissed angrily.

Annabeth smirked and said, "Percy, don't antagonize the nice monsters. They're only trying to help."

Grover grabbed her arm and asked, "Can we talk for a sec?" He seemed a bit manic.

She leaned in and he said, "This is crazy! We don't even have what they want, why should we go with them? Who's to say they don't just take us straight to the Fields of Punishment?"

"Relax goat boy. Athena always has a plan."

A shadow travel later and they stood in the Palace of Hades himself. The Lord of the Dead was as obstinate as his brothers, but he lapped up flattery like no other god she'd seen. It didn't take much to get on his good side, although he was still gruff and unfriendly, especially to Percy. Unfortunately, he was quick to deny Percy's pleas to rescue his mother, although he actually seemed somewhat sympathetic to the fact that Zeus had killed her. She was sure that he'd gone through similar experiences given how long he and Zeus have bickered.

"Even I cannot violate the laws of nature in such a way. Death must remain permanent, even when it is unjust."

Percy wasn't done yet, though. "Who wrote these 'laws of nature', anyways? If it's not your call, who's is it?"

Hades smiled with morbid amusement, his eyes flickering with malice. "They are the very rules that bind us as gods. We agreed to them and were bound when we began our reign, to limit our involvement with the mortal world, and ensure we did not overstep our roles."

So, their, uh, 'irresponsible' behavior wasn't voluntary, it was a part of their very nature. Annabeth wasn't sure which was worse, being capable of doing good and willingly choosing not to, or being literally incapable of changing for the good of… well, anything.

She cut Percy off, giving him a look that she hoped conveyed, "Later." She said, "Lord Hades, if I may. There's only one god I can think of that would want a war between the others. One god who, well, loves war."

Hades growled. "Ares! But even he must have had mortal help…"

Percy whispered, "Why?"

Annabeth replied, but to everyone. "Because as Hades just established, there are some things even the gods can't do. Stealing each other's symbols of power is one of them. Only heroes can challenge gods in such a way. Which leads me to my next point…"

Hades seemed to connect the dots. "You believe that I need your help?"

Annabeth corrected, "I believe that our help wouldn't hurt you, your Lordship. We can find your thief for you, in exchange for free passage through the Underworld."

"I'm not entirely comfortable giving you passage in and out of my domain at will."

"Feel free to send the furies to monitor us, if it eases your conscience."

Both Percy and Grover looked confused at that, but she had other things on her mind.

Hades thought for a moment. "Swear to me that you will recover my Helm of Darkness, and I will agree."

Annabeth took a deep breath and said, "I swear on the River Styx that we will do our best to recover your Helm." The ground rumbled once more.

Before they left the underworld for good, Annabeth insisted they make a few pit stops. First, to the River Lethe. She wasn't sure what the furies were thinking, if they really were watching. Perhaps they were bemused.

Grover prodded her in the ribs and said, "Annabeth, what are you planning? The River Lethe is dangerous… Maybe even the most dangerous river in the Underworld…"

She replied, "They say even a single drop can erase the mind of any being."

Grover nodded. "Even the immortals…"

Annabeth said, "They say it isn't permanent for immortal beings."

Percy cut in. "Wait, you're not getting in, are you?"

She resisted the urge to facepalm. "No, Seaweed Brain. It's not for us. It's a weapon mightier than even the Master Bolt. A weapon of subtlety."

Grover said, "This is wrong."

Annabeth sighed. "Grover, we haven't actually done anything yet. It's just in case."

Grover whispered, "It still feels wrong."

She ignored him. Now, how to collect the water without touching any herself? She tied some string to a bottle and was about to lay it in the water when Percy bumped her, shaking his head. "The string is going to soak up the water. You'll get touched."

She didn't even think of that. Foolish. "Thanks Percy. Maybe you're not as dim-witted as you seem."

"Hey!"

"Does anyone else have any bright ideas?" she said.

Percy replied, "The plumbing and the creek listened to my will. Maybe…"

He grabbed the bottle from her hand and approached the river. He willed the water into the bottle… but ended up splashing it all over himself. Annabeth and Grover leaped back out of fear. Percy glanced back at them, a wide look in his eye.

"Who… am I?" he said.

"Oh no," Grover moaned.

Then he cracked a grin. "I'm just kidding. Look, I'm perfectly dry!" he gripped his clothes and held up the filled bottle.

Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief, before pulling more bottles from her bag and grinning.

They came upon the River Styx next. Grover immediately complained. "Annabeth, no! Don't tell me you're thinking of-"

"We have to, if we want to stand a chance against you-know-who."

He bleated and crossed his arms, but he relented. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

Percy looked at her quizzically. She already knew what he was going to ask. "Percy, are you familiar with the story of Achilles?"

"I think so... who dies to an arrow in the heel?"

"His heel is the only place that an arrow could hit him. His mother held his heel as a child while she dipped him in the Styx. It made him invincible."

"Nearly," Grover muttered.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Sooooo, what? You're going to hold my heel and dip me in?" Percy asked.

"Of course not. That wasn't the part that mattered. What mattered was his anchor. His mother. We have to remember what anchors us to life… what drives us. Otherwise, it'll destroy you."

"I'm… I'm not sure I'm ready."

Annabeth was afraid of that, but she nodded. "It's a risk, for sure. You could lose everything."

Percy's eyes hardened. "I've already lost everything." He walked towards the river. "But maybe not forever." He stepped in, before tripping and plunging headfirst.

Seconds later he crawled out of the banks, his skin steaming. Literally steaming, as if it nearly boiled off of him. He was breathing heavily. She and Grover each grabbed an arm, hauling him out.

"Perrrrcy!" Grover bleated. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Percy laid on his back, wincing slightly. He huffed a few more times, and wheezed out, "I'm fine. I feel…" His stomach rumbled. "Hungry," he finished.

Annabeth and Grover laughed, easing some of the tension.

"What did you see?" Annabeth asked.

Percy blushed a bit. "Well, at first, I saw you and Grover. I saw some of my other friends at camp, but it was my mom that pulled me out of the river."

Grover wrapped his arms around Percy. "I'm glad you're okay."

Before her conviction failed her, Annabeth stood from her knees, and approached the river. She focused on a single point, around her upper right ribcage. Before either of the other two could say a word, she dove in.

The water felt more like fire than anything. She could feel it burning away more than just her body. It was washing away the idea of Annabeth. She saw flashes of her life, everything that she had- and hadn't- accomplished. She saw her mother, her father, Percy, Grover. She even saw Luke, but none of them were anchoring her to this world. She felt her spirit failing… A hand plunged in toward her. Another hand. Dozens and dozens of warm, welcoming hands reached out, offering her support, of all different races, roughness, sizes, gender. A strength filled her. She realized that what she sought to protect was more than an individual. It was the idea of humanity itself.

The hands gave her support as she emerged from the river, but when she left the water, she saw that it was actually Percy's hands, his eyes wide with concern. Grover's eyes were red.

"What's wrong?" she huffed through the pain of her throbbing skin.

"Annabeth, you were in there for nearly a minute. We thought you'd been washed away. What did you see?"

She winced with some pain, but she smiled. "Our future."

They stopped off at the forges of the underworld next. There were rows upon rows of weapons and arms, all midnight black.

Percy asked her, "What are we doing here? We all already have weapons."

Annabeth nodded, but said, "Not like this. Stygian Iron is a unique material. Celestial Bronze is capable of harming monsters, yes. When they die, their essence returns to Tartarus naturally. Stygian Iron absorbs their essence directly, serving as a channel straight to Tartarus. Not only that, but… it works on anything."

"Even mortals?" Grover asked, with some unease.

Annabeth gripped her chin, giving her best thinker pose. "Hmm. I suppose it does. But it works on more than mortals."

Percy finished her thought. "It works on… gods?"

She nodded.

Grover's lip was quivering. "Won't, uh, 'this place's master' take issue if we take from him?"

Annabeth smirked. "Not if it's from the scrap pile."

Charon very reluctantly gave them a ride across the Acheron, and upon returning to the land of the living, they had to decide how to track down Ares. He'd never been cunning, even in the myths, and was quick to rise to provocation. It might actually be as simple as invoking his name. They waited around by the beach at Santa Monica, de-stressing from their adventure thus far. When they were ready, Annabeth invoked Ares' name.

"So, God of War, huh Ares? Pretty obvious that the domain Wisdom was already taken, because this war was a pretty stupid move on your part."

Ares flamed into existence before her.

She continued. "How were you expecting this to end, Ares? The truth would've come out eventually. Subtlety was never your domain either. The others would've figured it out soon enough. Even you couldn't stand up to the wrath of the Big Three."

He grinned wickedly behind his stupid sunglasses, a fire raging beneath them. "It would be quite the slugfest, wouldn't it?"

Annabeth scoffed. "Maybe they'd demote you into a measly mortal. Or better yet, turn you into a newt."

Percy asked, "They can do that even to other gods?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Supposedly."

Ares looked between the two of them, before drawing the shotgun strapped to his back. "So, kids, sounds like I'm about to be challenged. You want to do this modern style, or classic style?"

Percy glanced at Annabeth. "Lately, I've been hearing really good things about this other style, what did you call it?"

Annabeth smiled. "Subtle style."

Ares looked at them confusedly, before his face slackened. An invisible Grover shimmered back into view as he removed the Yankees cap, dropping an empty bottle like it was radioactive. His face went from horrified to exhilarated to horrified. "I can't believe I just did that… I can't believe I just did that!"

"So much for needing the curse of Achilles," Annabeth grumbled.

Ares looked at them blankly. "Who… am I?"

Percy replied, "You're my friend, Bob."

After recovering the Helm and the Bolt, they told "Bob" to go check in to the Lotus Hotel and Casino for some rest and relaxation. This was a very special location Annabeth's mother had warned her about. Who knew it'd come in handy later? With any luck, it would keep Ares occupied for more than just a few years. They were all a little concerned about destabilizing the Olympian council, but the fact that it was Ares that was removed might honestly mean that they increased its stability. A god that thrives on the hateful and uncontrolled aspects of warfare was certainly one the world didn't need. Then again… they all seemed that way sometimes. Even… mother. Annabeth shuddered.

"We don't have much time until the deadline… uh, Big Z gave the thief to return the Bolt," Grover said. "So, now what?"

"We stop the war between the gods," Annabeth replied.

One 600th floor of the Empire State Building later, and the trio stood in Olympus. Annabeth was blown away by the city. She'd always wanted to see it, and she was sad it wasn't under better circumstances. As they entered the silver and gold palace of the gods, she saw that only Zeus was present. Even Poseidon was unwilling to come to this meeting. From what she'd heard, he was stewing over the murder of Sally Jackson.

Zeus' face was smoldering with anger, but he welcomed them to Olympus. Grover and Annabeth both bowed upon entry, but Percy just stared at the ground.

"Perseus, you would do wise to cease your insolence and join your friends."

"Did you really kill my mother?"

Zeus exhaled sharply. "Yes, an action that I heavily regret."

Percy stared up at him. "But you were targeting me."

"I perceived you as a threat at the time, and I still do, but I see that you have some use," Zeus rumbled.

Percy's voice had just a tinge of anger. "Is that really how you see us? Tools, to be used one way or another, only to be discarded?"

"Do you presume to criticize me, Perseus? Or should I strike you down this instant?" But his speech was in vain. Percy had already moved a single drop of the Lethe along the floor, unbeknownst to Zeus. By the time he finished his last sentence, he already began to forget who he was. He shrank from his giant form and fell to his knees before them, looking around at them confusedly. "What…? Who are you? Who am I?"

Annabeth recited the lines she rehearsed in her head, while Grover peered through the hands covering his eyes, and Percy stared on in anger.

"I'm Annabeth, your friend. Your name is Jim. You were just about to grant the three of us godhood."