Song: Power to the People by John Lennon

12 July 2024
New York City, New York
1700

In the last month our entire group has been separated and we've been steadily taking down BEAST bases throughout the world one by one.

Thunderpants has been quite active, and has already nuked another state. I have no idea why, but he decided to go with Kentucky and wound up destroying Fort Knox and Louisville. I've stopped doing the math about how many innocent people have died unnecessarily by now.

Currently, I am on a mission to take down a base that is a little too close to home. Intel says its somewhere underground in New York City.

The subway stopped running months ago because of the war, and the tunnels have been deserted for a while. It makes sense that monsters would want to hide underground. It must feel like home after all the times I've sent them back to Tartarus.

The last I heard from Sarina she had successfully taken out the base in North Korea with Piper. Hazel and Jason are somewhere in China working on the same thing.

Nico and Frank succeeded in taking down one of the bases in Russia, and Reyna and Thalia are currently working on the other known one. Apparently Clarisse has been all over the swamp that is the Middle East, taking out as many bases as possible with her SEAL Team.

I have an idea where this base might be, but right now I've slipped away from my group and have decided to confront some idiots that live in the Empire State Building.

The weather has been absolute shit lately, and clearly no one is taking charge and reigning in any of them and they're just doing as they please. I also haven't heard from my dad in a while, so I also hope to check on him. Or knock sense into him.

I mist/vapor travel into the building, and appear directly in front of the desk where the guard usually is.

They are nowhere to be found, so I rifle through the desk until I find the keycard.

The building is deserted anyway, most people are too afraid of dying to work and have run or locked themselves in their homes. It has been humbling to be on the receiving end of a war.

The last time I saw my city this quiet was when Morpheus put all the mortals to sleep way back in the Second Titan War.

As I ride the elevator I decide to make a note to yell at Apollo to change the elevator music while I'm here. I do NOT want to hear Darude Sandstorm every single time I ride this thing anymore.

I hate elevators enough as is.

As I walk through the halls of Olympus, I note that Annabeth's architecture is still in place. However, some of it is crumbling and looks like it has been lit on fire.

There is trash everywhere, and most residents are hiding in their homes as well. Many appear looted.

Just like downstairs.

I don't lose my shit until I see that the statues of the fallen heroes are all broken or knocked over.

Annabeth's statue's mouth is broken off, and Luke's is currently on fire. I put it out and any other fire I see along the way as my vision slowly turns red.

I feel my body beginning to glow again, but this time its my anger and the fact that I have become super overpowered. (🤭 👀 )

I don't even knock as I kick in the doors of the throne room, finding it in disrepair and the gods acting like toddlers high on sugar who all need a diaper change.

There is screaming and whining and I feel like I'm about to burst into flames right then and there.

Hestia looks downcast, and is quietly hiding in the Hearth. Its flames are quite small.

"ALL OF YOU SCUMBAGS SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yell in my commander voice while using my earth shaker powers to shake the throne room, and I make it storm to put out the fires. I also freeze them in place with my time abilities, and feel unbearable rage as they all stop and ogle at me.

"You are disrespectful and now I see why Zeus decided to leave you lot. Clearly you are incapable of being adults and taking charge of situations. I thought you were all powerful gods, but all I see here is children fighting over candy while they let their kids die and watch the world around them burn. And don't you dare try to retort by killing me- if it weren't for me you would all already be dead or enslaved."

I send a wolf glare to each god individually. Hades cannot meet it. Persephone looks away. Poseidon looks me in the eyes, a tear rolling down his cheek. Hera looks miffed, but also looks away from my gaze. Dionysis looks at me with a mild respect I have never seen in him before. Artemis looks down as well as Apollo, ashamed. Aphrodite looks defeated, and Hepheastus has two black eyes. Ares grunts at me, a healthy glow on him since currently the entire world is his domain. Demeter offers me a bowl of cereal with her eyes.

Hestia looks very tired.

I let them go from my time hold, and they have fallen silent.

"How... how long has it been that we've been wrapped up in our own childish banter Perseus?" Athena questions me.

"Nearly a month. I'd tell you to wish Annabeth a happy birthday, but she and Leo died fighting Kronos so that you idiots could stay in power. Instead you're letting us fight your battles again and have let Olympus turn into a trash heap."

"What?!" Athena gasped.

I had a feeling they haven't been paying attention.

"Did you even notice that the war is here?" I gesture outside, and to my uniform and the gun I have strapped to my back.

"No Percy, they didn't. Thank you for coming. They refused to listen to reason." Hestia appears behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Hope floods through me, and I suddenly have a wonderful idea.

"Alright, so which one of you is in charge now? Because I am not allowing Zeus to come back even if he crawls up from Tartarus after I rip him apart piece by piece."

Poseidon and Hades look at each other, as Ares goes to rise up and Athena also goes to stand.

I roll my eyes, already exhausted again. This must also be what they've been fighting over, as those four all have scratches and bruises.

"Fuck it. You know what, you never honored my wishes from the last two wars so I no longer care about what you say. You are going to fix this mess and you are going to do it now!"

"You presume you can order us around?" Ares asks dangerously.

I'm not sure if I was overcome by anger or stupidity, but what I did next was surely idiotic.

I just growl while mist traveling onto what was once Zeus's throne. It's currently falling apart, but when I sit down I feel a rush of power and electricity flow through me as it mends itself.

Suddenly, the Fates appear and they look annoyed.

"Come to rule Olympus godling?" They say together.

"Actually, I just hope to fix it. But they can't ignore a command and they won't listen to reason so" I shrug at the situation.

"Ever since Zeus abdicated his throne to accept that of the Titans and try and move the Western flame to gain more power none of these buffoons sat on the throne to take it. They've been too busy fighting over it to watch the world outside burn." Atropos says, as Clotho sighs and Lachesis rolls her eyes.

"So, with the power of Fate we turn Perseus Jackson into an Olympian god and declare him King of Olympus."

I groan in annoyance as I feel even more power rush through me. This was definitely not the plan.

"Your major domains are heroes, time, and tropical storms with a minor domain of espionage. You are essentially Kronos now. Your symbol is your sword Riptide, and your sacred animal is the Narwhal."

"I would be more mad about this if I wasn't already stuck being immortal, but okay. In that case I have a direct order for you all."

"What would that be?" Hera smirks at me, almost like she already knows my plan.

"First, Hades and Hestia's thrones will be restored. Next, every wish I made that you fools were too lazy to follow through with is to be granted today. I don't want any demigods or minor gods joining Thunder Thighs just because you lot wouldn't acknowledge them."

They begrudgingly agree as two thrones appear. One is warm and smells like cookies, the other is engrossed in jewels and skulls.

I watch the faces of the gods as they mass claim all of their unclaimed children, and will more cabins for the minor gods into existence. Leto appears, and hugs her twin daughter and son.

As the new Olympians settle into their thrones happily, I give out my next set of orders.

"Now, I order each of you to immediately clean up Olympus and fix the Garden of Heroes! If nothing else I hope you respect Annabeth enough to restore her designs on her birthday."

They look ashamed of themselves and each snap their fingers and the throne room, and I presume the rest of Olympus, goes back to normal.

"Next, Apollo! Update that stupid elevator music immediately!" He nods his head rapidly.

"Thank you! Finally, I abdicate the thrown and bestow it upon both Hestia and Poseidon. The two most influential and level headed gods here with the least biases."

As I say this, my throne is transported two seats over. Now its next to Artemis's and Hestia's. Poseidon sits next to her as they sit in the middle of the room.

"Thank you for coming Perseus. You have restored hope with the least amount of destruction possible." The Fates say.

"We hereby witness the abdication of the throne of Olympus by Perseus and decree it upon Hestia and Poseidon, co-rulers."

I smile, and get down from the throne I didn't want in the first place. "Um can I also abdicate from Olympian status my ladies?"

"Fine, but you are still a god."

"Ugh, alright whatever." I roll my eyes.

Immediately, my throne disappears and I watch as my father and Hestia set to work on fixing the council.

Poseidon says "I expect you all to watch over your children and immediately begin participating in this war in any way possible. I don't want to have to bury any more of our children, and way too many innocents have been murdered by Zeus and BEAST."

"I'm afraid if any more nuclear bombings happen there won't be a world left to rule." Hestia says somberly.

"Alright, now that you all have your heads screwed on properly again I'm going back to my mission before the military declares me AWOL. I am allowed to fight still right? My domain being heroes and all?"

"Perseus the world is being destroyed, do what you need to." Atropos replies.

Ares laughs at that. "Alright punk, we'll see you on the battlefield. Hoorah."

"Hoorah!" I respond, giving a two finger salute as I mist travel back to our hideout.

"Where the hell is Jackson?!"

"Right here Sarge, been here the whole time." I say, hoping the mist covers up my lies.

"Whatever Corporal, get over here. We need to get in those tunnels and rendezvous with another team. Intel thinks the nest we're infiltrating might be harboring Jupiter and a small army."

"On our own soil? Disgraceful!" Granger states while looking disgusted.

I look around at Sergeant Barnes and Lance Corporal Granger. Barnes is one of the bravest men I know, and Granger is incredibly intelligent and cunning.

Line Break
12 July 2024
Unknown Subway Tunnel, Manhattan
2100

It was dark when we went in, and it's very dark inside the tunnels as well.

We're a mile out from meeting up with the other team when Hermione puts up a hand, signaling us to freeze from her position in the lead. She whips around to face me.

"Percy, you got any powers that can tell us what's ahead of us?" She questions.

Shocked, I smartly reply "What?"

She quietly laughs "Percy you may be practically a god but you are so dense sometimes, I'm a daughter of Athena and Bucky is a son of Mars."

"Oh. In that case, hang on a sec." I spread out my senses by feeling the water vapor in the air. I haven't figured out what my espionage domain really means yet, but I know my footsteps are silent and I can hide in the shadows as well as Nico.

"There's a few monsters around the next corner, probably scouts. I can't tell how far out the base is. And I would like to point out that I am, in fact, a god thank you."

Bucky snickers, "Well, that's new. And honestly Jackson, did you really think there wouldn't be demigods all over this war? It's a godly affair after all."

"Let's go kick some monster ass." Hermione says.

"Language!" Bucky jokes.

"You have the mouth of a well educated pirate, shut it Barnes." Granger retorts.

She gets out a dagger, I pull out Riptide, and Buck turns his watch into a spear.

We round the corner and surprise two empousa and my long lost buddy the minotaur.

"Hey amigo, Tartarus is lovely this time of year. I can go ahead and give you a one way ticket back."

Hermione and Bucky each take an empousa as the minotaur roars at me, charging.

I decide to take him on without my powers, just like the good ol' days. It was relatively easy, I step to the side to avoid his horns and grab onto the right one. I jump on his back and pull at the horn, yanking it off his thick skull. I manage to stay on his back as he runs into a wall and am about to skewer him with Riptide when I hear a musical sound.

"Really Sharktopus? I didn't know bull riding was one of your specialties!"

Then, an arrow pierces the beast and it crumbles to dust underneath me.

"Hey! I had that handled Frank." I laugh, while pulling Sarina into a kiss.

"Sure ya did cuz. Who are your friends?" Nico retorts.

"This is Sgt Bucky Barnes and Lance Corporal Hermione Granger, son of Mars and daughter of Athena."

"Sweet, I have another brother." Frank fist bumps Bucky.

"Hi Hermione, I'm Piper, daughter of Aphrodite. Bucky's brother is Frank, Sarina-Percy's girlfriend- is a daughter of Hecate, and Nico is a son of Hades."

"Nice to meet you all, shall we go and take down the rest of this system now?"

"Hoorah." We all reply (except Nico, who gives an indignant "Hooah").

Did you find all the references?