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Chapter Twenty-Five: Waking Up In the Funniest of Ways

Point of view: Perseus Jackson

"Perseus!" I wake up to Artemis screaming my name excitedly and someone jumping on my stomach. It is Artemis who is jumping on me.

"What?" I ask gorggily.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up! They are about to set free all the peaceful Titans! My mother!" She squeals in delight. "Doesn't this hurt?" She asks still jumping on me.

"Not really and yes I know. What time is it?" I look at her. She plops down into a cross-legged position, right on top of where she was jumping.

"Eight in the morning." She says in a sing song voice.

"Someone is happy. Did you get any sleep?" I say.

"Yep, just woke up." She flicks my nose.

"Wonderful. I suppose you won't leave until I get up." I say and she nods.

I sit up and she falls onto the bed, but expertly rolls off and lands on the floor. She is practically vibrating with energy. I walk into the bathroom and do all the humanly stuff. When I come back out dressed in my hoodie and skinny jeans, I see is dressed similar. I have a black hoodie and black pants, while she has a silver hoodie and light blue skinny jeans. Thalia and Phoebe bust in and start firing questions at me.

"What are we doing?" Thalia screams.

"Tell us. Where are we going?" Phoebe says and then their questions string together into one big bowl of, 'I can't understand gibberish.'

"Girls!" I say and they stop talking, but look at me expetantly. "First of all, Poseidon wants you back at Atlantis for a surprise Phoebe and Thalia has to accompany you so it makes you feel more at home. I believe you will like it. The rest of the Hunt gets to have fun in the Realm of the Moon today or come with Artemis and I to meet the returning Titans that remain peaceful all the time. I hope you both enjoy your time on Atlantis. There is an arcade down their by the way and I do believe you can play for free because of who you sare...so, have fun." I tell them.

They brighten and get evil grins on their faces. "Sweet." They say.

"Behave, but I won't blame you if you prank the merpeople mercilessly. Just don't torture the males too much and you should be fine." I say and they nod. "I believe you can handle the flashing in part. Oh, and Thalia, with my blessing you can enter the sea without any problem and he can't do anything even if you didn't because of the Guardian thing. Phoebe, just help her breathe until Poseidon grants her underwater breathing for the day."

"That all, mom?" Thalia teases.

"Almost." Artemis smiles and they both turn to her. "Don't let Poseidon talk you into anything that revolves around getting him closer to Percy. He needs to do it himself." They nod seriously and flash out.

"You didn't have to do that. I need to talk with Poseidon sometime anyways." I sigh. "I should do it soon." I rub my temples.

Artemis grabs my hands and holds them to her. "Do you want me to come with you when you do it?"

"No." I kiss her cheek. "But thank you for offering. I need to do it myself."

She nods. "Alright. The girls want to see you." Artemis leads me out of my room and down the hall all the way to the end. She opens the door and slips outside to make sure everybody is dressed.

I remember when a couple hunters burst into my tent one morning and were out of breath because of the helhound pack on their trail, they turned around and Artemis chewed me out. Then apologized when she realized it wasn't my fault. The two girls avoided me all day and apologized at night. I just shrugged it off. They were awkward for a while, but eventually got comfortable around me again.

Artemis opens the door after ten minutes and pulls me into the room. Lucy comes up to me and hops up and down. "What is there to do around here that is fun?" She asks and all attention turns to me.

"Well, it's your home. Why don't you find out." I tell her and poke her in the stomach, making her giggle.

"Sir Perseus?" An older voice comes from the door.

I turn to find a man of about 47 standing in the doorway. "Uh...yes?" I ask uncertainly.

"Who are you?" Artemis asks curiously.

"I am a servant in this castle. I am here to serve the needs of those who live here, Lady Artemis." He replies respectfully and stands at attention.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up one second." I wave my hands in front of me in a, 'Stop everything because I can't believe what I'm hearing.' "Since when do I have servants?" I ask seriously.

"Most gods and goddesses have them. I have to keepone in my palace to keep it clean, though I have tried many a time to relieve her of her duties. Father won't hear any of it." Artemis scowls.

"Lord Perseus, I-" The man starts.

"Oh no. None of that Lord crap. I don't like that title. Just call me Perseus if you must use my full name. Are you the only servant?" I interrupt him.

"Lord Perseus, I must address you as such because it is part of my job. Now I'll just do it to show my respect. There is only one other and she is the cook. A young woman of 32." The man replies.

I sigh in frustration. "Why is it always so much to ask that I not be called Lord?" I ask the ceiling. "Very well then. What are your names?" I ask the man.

He looks surprised then smiles at me. "I am Crichon and the lady is Naisha. She is trying to prepare breakfast for the Hunt. There are servants in all of your vallies ready to serve the residents."

"You're kidding." I deadpan and he shakes his head. "Olympus save me. I will pray to any deity just for them not to call me master. Just don't let it happen. This is bad, I like doing things myself, not being waited on." I groan.

"Lighten up." Atalanta elbows me in the side. "At least he's nice. You won't touch any of us will you?" Atalanta turns to the man.

"Of course not. It is against this household's moral code. Whatever Lord Perseus thinks is wrong, we do not do. It's in the entrance hall." Crichon points over his shoulder. "The only time I would ever lay a finger on you is to help you up or bind a wound if necessary. But Naisha will handle the majority of the injuries if the need arises. Or to catch you if you trip or something. That's the general idea. It's the same in all the households Lord Perseus has. I'm one of five male servants." I groan. "The other ten are women to assist the ladies of the areas. And each house has a servant of its own to serve the residents. From what I've heard overnight, all of us are being treated kindly. It's one of the rules." Crichon points over his shoulder again.

"A gossipchain. Lovely." I say and Crichon chuckles.

"Naisha heard from another cook over in the Valley of Guardians. Lord Jason is a lovely chap according to Martha, she is Piper's maid." Crichon says. A bell goes off. "That would be breakfast. Naisha is probably geting impatient already. Follow me." He says and we all come with him.

We enter the huge dining hall and all the girls fight over seats. A woman, I assume Naisha, comes out grinning at all the girls. She snaps her fingers and plates appear with food on them in front of all of us. I stand and walk over to Naisha and Crichon.

"Are you two eating with us?" I ask when I see four empty chairs.

They look taken aback. "We couldn't possibly-" Naisha starts.

"Don't be ridiculous. You can eat with us anytime." I smile at her. I offer my hand and she takes it shyly. I lead her over to one of the empty chairs and pull it out for her. She reluctantly sits down and I push her in. Crichon hesitantly sits down next to her. The girls jump on them with questions. I snap my fingers and two dishes of the same food appear in front of them. I smile at the interaction between them and the girls.

"Percy!" Nico yells from the doorway.

"What do you need?" I ask.

"Dude, I smell bacon. My room is awesome and I can't find Thals." He says and walks over.

"She left with Phoebe to Atlantis." I tell him.

"Oh, well I hope she doesn't drown and has fun." Nico grins. Then his lieutenant's band of silver appears on his head and he groans. "Why won't it stay off?" He complains.

"Because as my Guardian you are the lieutenant of all Guardians. If you take it off, it'll just apear again. It's like Thalia's for the Hunt. Like it or not, it's there to stay." I chuckle at his scowl.

"Seriously bro? I feel weird with it on." Nico asks.

"Not my problem. You are my eternal lieutenant." I ruffle his hair.

"Can I get some food?" He asks.

I snap my fingers and his food appears on the table next to Crichon. Nico sits down and starts talking with the man eagerly. I sit back down next to Artemis and start in on my food.

After we finish we all sit and talk. "Percy." Jade whines. "What can we do for fun?"

"Would you like me to show you to the game room? Or perhaps the training room?" Crichon asks politely.

"I can even take you around the valley or we could hang out in different parts of the castle." Naisha smiles.

"Can we go to see the Shrine of the Lost Huntresses? I wan't to see who all is there." A little girl asks, Susan, a daughter of Hermes.

"I can take you." A voice says. I turn to se Delilah. "Percy, Lycaon is so nice. You should talk to him more. You'd like him." She tells me grinning.

"I'll take your word for it friend. Maybe I will visit him and the pack a little bit. However, I am busy today. You hanging out with the girls today?" I smile at her.

"Totally." Delilah answers. "Shrine? It has all the dead hunter's pictures, old gear, and life-like holograms for you to look at. A description under each name and you can add to their memorials." She turns to the hunters.

"I call field trip to the Shrine and then hang out in the different rooms here!" Jade screams in her hyperactive way.

"While you girls have fun, Artemis and I are going to meetings all day." I tell them and some of the younger ones stick their tongues out at me. "Hey now, I'm still your big brother. Big brother status requires me to tell you that I can totally get you back in my mischievous pranking ways." I laugh at their mock horror faces and then they all grin evilly.

"We can just as easily prank you." Atalanta challenges.

"I do believe the score is Percy 106, hunters 0. Last time I checked. After three years, you still haven't gotten me." I laugh at their pouty faces.

"My mother! She is being released and summoned to the throne room in an hour. Come on!" Artemis exclaims and flashes us into the throne room.

All the gods are already there and Artemis and I walk to our thrones and sit.

"Nice of you to join us." Zeus smiles at the both of us.

"I see my father is absent in his festivities." I comment.

"Yes, so is- Wait, did you just call Poseidon your father?" Zeus looks at me.

"Yeah, it's about time I forgave him completely." I sigh and look at his throne. The power exuding from the seat is comforting once again.

"Good. As I was saying, Aphrodite and Ares are also absent in their celebrations. Hephaestus is in his forge of a palace on Olympus with his fiance and Hades is in much the same situation as Poseidon with his Guardian." Zeus tells me.

"Yes. I figured as much. I hope Raphael is okay. I notice Apollo too is not here." I look at my soon to be brother-in-law's throne.

"He is enjoying his bride's company in showing her around places." Zeus says and rolls his eyes. "Did you do it?" He asks and glances at Artemis.

Artemis smirks and holds up her hand with the ring on it. I gesture in her direction and Zeus looks at his daughter. His jaw drops and Hera is bouncing in her seat with excitement.

"My little boy is getting married!" Hera shrieks with joy and Artemis and Hera start chattering away.

Demeter is looking at me sadly and I look back at her. "What is wrong Lady Demeter? You are never sad." I ask her.

"Do I have a Guardian?" She asks with a hopeful expression.

I facepalm. "I am so sorry Lady Demeter. I lost track during yesterday's events. Yes, you do have a Guardian." I wave my hand and a boy of nineteen appears. "Martin Julios, son of Invidia, Roman aspect of Nemesis, goddess of Revenge, and Guardian of the Harvest and Sacred Law." She looks at me funny.

"Not many people still remember that I am the goddes of Sacred Law." Demeter smiles warmly at me..

"Yes, you also preside over the cycle of life and death. Just as the seasons cycle, so do the cycles of life and death." I smile back at her. She looks shocked. "In the old myths, you wielded your father's scythe and that is what made people even more scared of you. It is why it is your symbol. In modern society, mortals have coincide the scythe with death. I guess you're one of the reasons for that little popular belief." She grins and nods.

Demeter turns to Martin and he nods. They flash away and Artemis is smiling proudly at me. I wink and she giggles. She turns back to Hera and Zeus. Hestia and Crena are over at the hearth and are enjoying themselves immensely by the huge smiles they wear. Dionysus is talking with Malcolm about the various stages and their uses of insanity and sanity. Nico strolls in and sits on the cushion at my throne's feet. I shrink and sit next to him on another cushion I summon.

"How was the Shrine?" I ask.

"The older girls and the ones who knew a few of them started crying. But they were adding detailed stories with each huntress and how they received the news of their deaths. Max is hanging out with Mrs. O' Leary today." Nico informs me. Max is his Hellhound Companion. His human form resembles him, but a little taller until Nico fills out in his immortality. As of right now, he's sixteen. He is still growing. He almost had a heart attack when I summoned his Companion.

I have a wolf, he has a hellhound, Jason has a hellhound, Thalia has a white tiger, Phoebe has a panther that can breathe underwater, Piper's is an owl, Joslyn's is a snake, Kerra's is a falcon, Layla has a phoenix, Jade has a lion, Leo has a polar bear, Raphael's is a zebra, Frank's is a pachyderm, Hazel has a fox, Martin now has a leopard, Reyna has a cheetah, Nerina's is a pegasus, Jamison's is an armadillo, Malcolm's is a meerkat, Atalanta has a lynx, Kiara's is a chocolate colored bunny, Sarah has a chipmunk, Monique has a cockatoo, Lucy has a raven, a koala, and a squirrel, Clarisse has an otter, Crena's is a very hyper sloth, Jack's is a penguin, and Owen's is a kangaroo. Lucy has three because she is Guardian of Animals, but that's not my point or is it? Maybe it is. Most of the Companion's are exploring their areas in the valley they call home and can travel into different vallies for their Guardians.

"Were they happy to see them again though?" I ask.

"Yes, they even have the huntresses that were kicked out of the Hunt." Nico says sadly.

"I suppose the Shrine would. It keeps track of all of them." I tell him.

"And the ones who were released for other reasons." Nico tells me.

"Those ones are allowed in the Valley because they were once part of the Hunt. They can visit whenever they wish." I say.

"Your throne looks cool." Nico comments.

I chuckle. "Thanks." He nods.

"The girls said you can sing. Can you?" Nico asks.

"I can. You missed it when I first arrived in camp the other day." I reply.

"Darn, I'll have to pay closer attention then." Nico snickers.

"You'll probably hear me tonight. The girls like it when I sing to them to help them sleep. Since they all have their own rooms, I'll have to project my voice for all of them to hear." I sigh.

Artemis lands in my lap and I moan in complaint. She punches my shoulder playfully as I settle into campfire style. "Must you sit on me all the time?" I look at her incredulously.

"Yes. You are comfy." She declares. I roll my eyes and Nico is laughing.

I glance at Zeus and Hera to find Zeus eyeing the situation and Hera beaming at the interaction. "What is so funny, Guardian?" I turn to Nico while I wrap my arms around Artemis's waist.

"Your face when you were sat on." Nico starts laughing again.

"Whatever. It's not like I'm going to refute her sitting on me." I roll my eyes and Artemis giggles.

"Big vocabulary there Perseus." Athena comments from her throne, talking with Joslyn.

"Yes, Lady Athena. I have vast knowledge over the world of english. I blame my sisters and my curiosity over books I can actually read. I only act like an idiot, or did in my case. Dyslexia discourages you when you find out you have it." I tell her.

"Interesting. I can see you are a walking dictionary. Before you were only a fraction of that." She replies. "Insouciance?" She inquires.

"Nonchalant or indiferent." I answer without thinking.

"Malefactor?" Athena asks.

"One who commits an evil act." I reply.

"Zenith?" Athena presses.

"Highest point." I say.

"Loquacious?"

"Talkative."

"Susurrus?"

"Whispering."

"Acrasia?"

"Lack of self-control. We have established I have a wider range of words. Can we please not further my learning of things I already know about?" I say.

"Oh alright." Athena huffs annoyed and I roll my eyes while Joslyn is laughing under her breath.

~Half An Hour Later~

Calypso screams, "Percy!" and tackles me to the ground with a hug. I laugh as I drag us both to her feet after hugging her back.

"Hey Calypso. Sorry it took so long." I tell her sadly.

"No, I should have kept faith, I knew you were different. I'm sorry I misjudged you. And I heard about the girl, I am so sorry Percy." Calypso apologizes.

"Don't worry about it. What matters is you are out now. Leo is somewhere around here...there he is." I point to Leo, who is messing with his fire-proof polar bear, Nutball. I have no idea why, but I think he was excited and unsure of making a name and tht's what came out. The polar bear appears to like it, so no one argues, of course when he turns human, he looks a lot like Leo. Calypso kisses my cheek, thanks me, and runs over to Leo.

Leto walks up to me next and embraces me tightly before squealing like a schoolgirl and hugging her kids. "Thank you Perseus!" Leto says and starts talking to her kids.

All the other Titans hug me or shake my hand and thank me. Who comes last surprises me the most, I didn't think Zeus would imprison her. Themis, Titaness of Divine Law.

In fact, he imprisoned most of the Titanesses, but his mother, Rhea, is not here. According to Chiron when I first discovered my being a demigod, she keeps in touch. Speaking of the Titaness of Motherhood..."Has anybody seen Rhea?" Tethys asks and turns to Zeus.

"She resides somewhere on the Earth. She only talks to us every once in a great while. She might tell you now that you are free, we have no idea where exactly she is. She has never let us know." Zeus replies sadly. Most of the Titanesses and their children flash out to go get acquainted with the world they've been missing.

Calypso now wears an engagement ring and is smiling widely as she and Leo walk over to me. The ring is Celestial Bronze with an Imperial Gold dragon holding a fiery red ruby in it's maw. Diamonds are in the dragon's eyes and wings and a tail wrap around the band down to the last detail.

I smile at them. "Congratulations you two."

"Thanks Percy." Leo says seriously and I nod. Calypso starts speaking really fast to where not even Leo can tell what she is saying, then she hugs me, kisses Leo, and plays around with Nutball.

"You are going to have one hell of a time getting her readjusted to the world." I whisper to Leo and he gulps, but grins.

"At least I have her." Leo whispers back.

"True." I tell him. "I only caught, 'Oh my Othrys! You planted the moonlace I gave you!' before she started talking too quickly." I say.

"I only heard, 'I am so excited! What do I do first?! Your polar bear is so cute and fuzzy!'" Leo tells me.

"She's happy." Artemis smiles at the immortal nymph daughter of Atlas.

"Why are all of Atlas's kids nymphs or some immortal protector of nature?" I voice my thought and Artemis looks confused.

"I don't know..." Artemis says.

"And they are normally like groups of nymphs. I can only think of one son he has had. The rest are daughters." I tell her.

"Just don't think about it." Artemis rubs her forehead and I nod.

~Two Hours Later~

After telling the entire council about what happened with my captors before I came to Olympus yesterday, I head to a river bank in an unpopulated area. No civilization for about twenty miles. Further than many humans would walk. I come here at the request of the minor gods. I sit down on the riverbank and watch the water swirl around. Not polluted like so much of the Earth's water is. So sad. Now at least a few people fight for it and clean the water.

Someone sits next to me. I look over to see Morpheus. I become defensive immediately and he notices. He rolls his eyes. "I will not do anything to harm you." Morpheus speaks in an echoing voice.

"Right." I say and keep an eye on him.

"None of us will." A woman's voice comes from behind me.

I push up off the ground and turn to find many minor gods standing before me, but Nemesis is the one who spoke. "Fine. What did you all want to talk to me about?" I ask.

"We want to thank you and talk to you about you." Iris smiles at me and comes forward, laying a hand on my shoulder.

Rick Riordan owns PJO/HOO. Keep going my lovely readers.