Chapter 27: The Vision

I'm really sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I was writing other stuff. I've updated one story and written a oneshot since the last chapter, as well as began writing a short story which I'm not gonna post until it's complete. I got a few reviews wondering why Percy is so against Olympus, so I guess I'll kinda explain it in this chapter.

This one might seem a bit weird but that's because I'm trying to do it from Percy's perspective. We've had his P.O.V. really only for family stuff in recent chapters but now I want to show his thoughts on the war and his reasoning behind it.

Thanks for sticking around, sorry for taking so long.

Chapter 27: The Vision

Percy's P.O.V.

All warfare happens for a reason. Wars are never started because someone is bored, because they have nothing better to do with their life. Neither humanity nor the gods would sink low enough to cause such devastation on the world without reason.

No, there is always a reason for war. Conquest, revenge, hatred, jealousy, things like that. There is a reason for my war. There's a reason why I spontaneously gave up my life as an Olympian hero to go down this path. I have a mission, and if I fail I will no doubt face the consequences.

I know that I should not trust Typhon. He sits in my mind, messing with it day after day waiting for me to collapse. That's why I can't give up. If I fail, he wins. If I win, he wins, but he could still be defeated. Giving up this conquest would weaken me to the point where I would not be me. Typhon would be me. He can help me, but we all know that there will come a point where we can't be of any use to each other anymore. It's just a matter of who wins that fight.

It was a week after Artemis and Selena had arrived, and my family were all in the living room, on the more domestic side of the palace, watching some DVD Urion bought while in the mortal world. Yes, we still have a DVD player, get over it.

I did not join them, however. I had important matters to attend to. I did stand in the doorway for a moment smiling at the sight of Sapphire curled up in Artemis' embrace as they watched the hopefully family-friendly movie. I didn't check what it was. Anyway, I had work to do.

I walked down the hallways in silence, listening to the sound of my boots hitting the floor. After a few minutes, there was a very obvious change as it transitioned into the outer parts of the palace. We hardly ever came out here, unless we were leaving or on military business.

The temperature noticeably dropped, and there was now an absence in rugs and furniture. Now it was just cold stone halls, and at the end of one was a large wooden door that stood shut, the only signs that the inside was inhabited being the warm orange light of the fire shining through the crack at the bottom and the muffled sounds of talking from within.

I reached the door, and heaved it open after waiting a few seconds to see if I could hear what they were saying. You can never be too paranoid. Especially in the position I'm in.

Immediately, everyone shut up, and I looked around.

All my generals were crowded around a table, along with Nyx who stood off to the side with her arms folded looking at me. A space parted for me to stand in front of the table and I took it, Luke and Zoe on either side of me.

A map was laid out on the table, one which I came to recognise as the USA. Somehow they managed to get their hands on a Greek copy, which I didn't even know existed. There was a line drawn down it very bendy, not a clean straight line. It stretched from somewhere in Montana all the way down to Texas.

"What's going on?" I asked, not so much asking them how their day had been going as I was asking for a sitrep. Luke cleared his throat, pointing to the line. "This line is the border between the territories we control and the territories the gods control. Everything this side of the line is ours, including Olympus and Camp Half-Blood. We believe that the gods have fled to Camp Jupiter, though we aren't certain. We sent scouts to check the area but the Romans were already on guard, so it seems they know of Olympus' downfall." He explained.

I nodded. Of course the gods would go there, the place was pretty much a fort. Far harder to invade than camp half-blood considering all we had to do was take away the golden fleece for a few days and leave a replica so no one would notice. I doubt they've even figured out how the monsters got in yet.

Still, it'd been over a week since the attack on olympus, and we were just over halfway through the USA. "How have we not gone further? I thought we would've been at Camp Jupiter by now." I told them, and this time Ethan spoke. "We haven't been able to take Colorado yet because we were held back at Aeolus' palace. The stubborn Master of the Winds chose to side with Olympus and provide shelter to some surviving Greeks, including your sisters." He said, mocking Aeolus' petty title.

My eyebrow raised at the mention of my sisters. "How has the search for them gone? I need them alive, remember?" I asked, and Ethan avoided eye contact with me for a few seconds. "Like I said, they were holed up at Aelous' palace, along with four other guys. We tried sending unarmed monsters up there to negotiate for him to hand over the girls, but they were thrown by the wind. So we attacked the palace." He explained, standing up straighter.

We all stood in silence, knowing from the border on the map where this was going. "And?" I asked expectantly, and he gulped. "Aeolus blew them away, and the ones that remained on the mountain were killed by the demigods. I chose to flee inside of throwing away my life to make it 20 metres up the mountain. I figured we could just encircle him once we advance more westward." He said. "What happened to my sisters?" I asked irritatedly.

The son of Nemesis bowed his head. "I saw them being flown west by the wind. I can only assume they made it to the Romans." He admitted, ashamed. I patted my friend on the back and stood up. "There is another problem." Bob chipped in, making us all turn to him. He bent over, pointing to the water along the east coast.

"The Atlantic Ocean. Poseidon's domain. If they enter the war we'd be fighting on two fronts, and not as many monsters can swim as they can walk." He mentioned, making some of us pale. I felt anger tear through me, and my familiar flash of gold entered my vision. I slammed my fist hard on the table. "Fuck! How did I not think of that before?!" I asked rhetorically.

My generals all stood silently as I contemplated our Eastern Front. I wasn't willing to bet that our few seafaring monsters could successfully invade Atlantis like our entire army had taken Olympus. We really had only one choice. Maybe two if push comes to shove.

"We can't fight that war. We need to move fast on the West and capture the gods. The only way we can win is if we get Poseidon to surrender his troops. If desperate times call for desperate measures, we'll send someone to the Sea of Monsters. I don't want to get them involved though, they're too wild." I decided.

Zoe stood up, crossing her arms. "And what about our Western Front? What's our next move there?" She asked. I looked at the map. Three locations in particular stuck out to me. "I don't think the old tactic of walking forward and fighting every demigod we see will work for much longer. If the gods are in Camp Jupiter, they're likely gearing up, and may almost be ready to counterattack. We need to do this quick and fast." I thought out loud.

I pointed south, to Arizona. "The junkyard of the gods. Despite its name, many things in there could aid Olynpus in the war, we need to either seize it for ourselves or destroy it." I ordered, making Bianca shiver at the repressed memories of her death.

My finger moved north, to Washington. "Mount Saint Helens. If they hold that, we're done for. They'd use the same method they used to forge the new weapons of power and arm the demigods. After that, there'd be no hope. We need to capture it as soon as possible. March troops straight from Montana through Washington to the mountain." I looked at everyone, making sure they understood. All the generals nodded.

Finally, my finger rested on roughly where the Romans would be. "New Rome. The city of demigods. The new Olympus, I guess. No doubt it's become a refugee camp. With the Camp blocking it from outside attack, they'd end up cornered there if we managed to invade." I said, and Nyx cleared her throat from the back.

We all looked expectantly as she strutted over to the table. "How about we make use of our distant territories." She said, pointing to the bottom left, where Alaska and Hawaii had been moved into boxes for convenience's sake. "What do you suggest? That we take Hawaii?" I asked, kinda confused.

Nyx shook her head. "Alaska. Home of the monsters. AKA one big military camp for us. I'm suggesting we move some troops there and move south. That way the Olympians get cornered quicker, unless they made a break for Mexico." She explained, and I thought it over.

It honestly wasn't a bad idea. March troops from the north, outflank them. They probably forgot all about the danger of Alaska what with the army marching on them from the east. "That's good. We'll go with that. Anymore concerns?" I asked, and when no one answered, I excused myself.

I sighed, remembering just how hard it was to fight wars. I remember how exhausted I was after planning that attack on Erebus with Athena, and I'd come home ready to pass out. Thankfully, Artemis was there to catch me.

Speaking of Artemis, I entered the living room, needing to know something. "Artemis, can I speak with you for a minute?" I asked, noticing the little girl snuggled up into her side. She nodded, gently removing Sapphire from on top of her and getting up. I looked at the tv, and realised they changed the movie. Probably because the child was asleep. I saw Bruce Willis on screen so I guessed that it was one of the Die Hards or something like that.

We exited the living room and entered the hallway, and my wife smiled up at me. "What's up?" She asked, and I swallowed what little saliva I could conjure in my dry mouth. "I... I need to know something..." I hesitated, thinking my words over. Yes, I needed this.

She became worried very quickly. "Percy... what's wrong?" She asked, slightly panicked. I gulped. "I need to know where my parents are buried." I told her, hoping she knew where that was. Her eyes widened, but almost immediately after, her face hardened. "Is this about the war...?" She asked, on the verge of rage, and I very quickly shook my head. "No, it's personal." I assured her.

She sighed, rubbing her left arm with the other. "I was the one who took your sisters to their funeral. It seems so long ago, but it was only a few months." She reminisced, her thoughts drifting off for a bit. After a few moments, she turned back to me. "Okay, but please don't turn this into a war situation. They're your parents." She reminded me, before handing over the address.

I nodded, quietly thanking her before she left to retake her position on the couch. I thought about where she said and smiled. Of course it was there. Where else? I thought as I flashed out to the location. Our old cabin in Montauk Beach.

When I arrived, my breath hitched as I took it in. Two slight piles of dirt with wooden crosses behind them overlooked a cliff. A beautiful orange sunset rested over the calm glittering ocean, truly a glorious sight.

I approached the mounds and knelt down beside them. Here they were, my own parents... reduced to nothing but skeletons with two piles of dirt covering them. They didn't even have their own gravestones yet, since they'd only been buried for a couple of months.

A sigh escaped my lips as I fiddled with the plank of wood that read Sally Jackson. It was crooked, since it was only held on the other plank in a cross formation with one nail. Paul's had somehow stayed the same shape.

I growled under my breath. They had been taken from me by the very people I swore to destroy. They were the reason I fought this war. They were murdered by Olympus and their own children were taken in under lies.

Of course, they weren't the only reason. But it was the vision of their deaths that opened my eyes, that made me finally see all the wrong Olympus had done. I knew Arianna and Estelle would have been raised by agents of Olympus, and I knew I should have saved them. If I could've, I would've. I truly would've.

But I had no idea where they had been all these years. Not even Artemis had told me who they were raised by, where they lived. She avoided the topic of my sisters as best as she could. I knew why, though. She hated the thought of them getting hurt, of me hurting them. She never seemed convinced when I assured her that I wouldn't. They were my sisters.

"Mom... Paul... I'm so sorry..." I said, tears escaping my eyes as I held mom's grave. Flashbacks of Typhon's vision flew through my mind.

It was all planned, a conspiracy. Barely long after I 'died', Zeus ordered for the plan to go into effect. Mom was inflicted with an illness, one only the gods can give. Her cries of pain echoed in my ears as I watched her hand fall from Paul's grip to the side of the bed, limp.

Paul knew what was happening. He took the babies and tried to flee, driving his car to the airport. I watched as the infants were flashed out of their seats, distracting Paul from Ares coming up in front of him as the car sped on, and the vision faded as the sound of the brakes screeching and a crash sounded.

Then they were all in the throne room. Artemis and Hestia's thrones were empty, as they all knew neither of them would agree to it. This whole plan, all those deaths, was to secure the survival of Olympus. The find, raise and train the next 'Percy Jackson'. AKA my sister Arianna.

It was Zeus who first noticed Estelle in the other arm of Athena, but his cold demeanor did not falter. "Get rid of her." He ordered, which enraged me when I first saw this vision. Fortunately, the rest of the gods refused.

So that was the reason I started this war. Vengeance and justice.

If continued to weep over my parents for a few minutes, until I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I shot up, expecting one of the gods or at least an enemy of mine. What I saw shocked me, and chilled me to the bone.

My mom... my dead mother stood there, next to Paul, smiling down at me. I blinked once, then twice, before wiping my eyes free of tears. It was them, exactly as I remembered them. The only thing different was the light blue glow around them, illuminated in the darkness.

I hadn't even noticed the sun had gone down.

How was it so dark? How was it so fucking dark!? I felt my sanity slowly slipping further and further as I looked at them. It was pitch black. I couldn't even see the graves anymore. All I saw was them.

"M-mom? Paul?..." I asked slowly, still not believing any of this. Mom stepped closer, brushing a hand against my cheek. It was cold, so very cold. "Percy." She said with a wide smile on her face.

I gently grabbed her wrist, shakily removing it from my face. "How... How are you both here?" I asked, on the verge of crying again. Neither of them answered me, but mom stepped back to stand beside Paul. "You look different, Percy. There's a glow to your eyes." Mom noted, and I wiped the tears again.

I sniffled, embarrassed at crying in front of them. "You're dead. I watched you both die. I' standing next to your graves!" I shouted, staring off into the darkness where I thought the piles of dirt were.

Paul spoke next. "Where are the girls? Where are our daughters?" He asked, and I looked at him sadly. "They took them, the ones who murdered you.... They took them and they still have them..." I said, feeling ashamed that Arianna and Estelle weren't standing next to me, also mourning our parents.

Mom choked on a sob, and Paul held her close. "Those... Those monsters have them!?" She wailed, and I felt a lump in my throat as I nodded. All of a sudden, my knees felt weak, and I couldn't bear to stand anymore.

Mom's crying stopped, and she looked over at me, Paul let her go as she walked over and knelt down next to me, placing both hands on my slumped shoulders. "Percy... You have to save them. Please..." She begged, tear-stains still adorning her face.

I nodded, and tried to reach out to touch her, but she rippled. It was like touching water, with ripples flowing out of the spot I touched. Paul began to flicker too, and Mom stood up. The rippling had stopped, but I knew they could not be here forever.

"Mom... Paul... please don't leave..." I begged, crying again. Both of them smiled at me while mom began crying again. "Find our girls, Percy." Paul said, before his image completely faded. Mom looked over at where he previously stood sadly, knowing that she'd be next.

"Mom..." I begged, wishing that she could stay, that I wouldn't lose my mom again. All she did was smile, and quietly say. "I love you, Percy." Before she faded back into death again.

I was left there on the grass crying, realising that my parents were truly gone. All I had left was my family.

So there you have it. Percy hates Olympus because of a misunderstanding, because the vision lied. What? You think I'd actually make the gods and all of Percy's friends evil? As if, I wouldn't even know how to make people like Hermes and Jason evil and have it actually believable. Of course, the whole vision seems unlikely, especially considering Percy's previous friendship with the Olympians, but please keep in mind that Typhon is literally inside his mind now, like a parasite. Of course Percy's not himself, and he's gonna do some pretty evil things in this story. He's not just a loving husband and father, he's essentially a fucking warlord.

Do you guys have any questions about this story, because I read it back over like last decade (:D) and I realised there were lots of plot holes or things that probably need explaining but I can't remember them all. Do you guys have any suggestions for a Pertemis/family chapter?

Word Count: 3369 (lol nice)