The End of an Olympian

18 | Determined Eyes

No one knew how this prophecy would turn out, but one thing was for sure—everything would change.

1258 words

Lucius

Percy came back—aged up from when we last saw him—later that day. Fierce determination consumed his aura. The entire time he walked through the halls his head was high and he avoided looking at anyone in particular. Then his eyes met mine.

I immediately saw the guilt and regret and silent apology they held.

"Lucius, may I have a word in my office?"

"Of course,..." I hesitated on how to address him. I would've just said Percy, but now that he knew we belong to him, would he want me to address him as Lord or even Master?

Thankfully, before I could make a decision, Percy said, "Thank you." Then he walked off towards his office in a similar manner to how he walked into his palace.

Once we both were seated at a side table he started to explain what had happened after he left. It wasn't a long explanation, but it was shocking.

"First, I want to apologize for my inexcusable ignorance. I should have realized centuries ago. And I didn't handle the news all too well either. But I confronted Zeus about... the contract. The bastard refused to hand over the deeds to be destroyed or tell me how to release your people. I gave him two options: (1) free you or allow me free you or (2) I declare war on him. Recent events have led to the second option.

"You should know," Percy added on, "the Maris Astéria people are under my complete protection. And I hope you and your people will forgive me in time for any wrongs I've done to them. Once I win, and I do plan to win, I will free your people and make it so they can never be enslaved again. I swear it on the River Styx."

My mouth had slowly been dripping in disbelief. It was fully open as I heard the thunder roll. Out of all the possibilities, having a god go to war with the king of the gods in the name of my people's freedom was not one I considered. Percy didn't stop there, though.

"And that won't be all I'll do to help. I will not just free you and leave you all to fend for yourselves. I will set up programs and policies to bring the Maris Astérians to as much or more prosperity as my citizens now. I understand that you may not want to ever see my face again, but if you will allow me to try to right my wrongs, I will do my absolute best."

I didn't speak for a few beats. I didn't trust my voice. To be honest I was on the verge of tears. They were tears of relief and joy and hope and anything I had shoved deep down. Percy had misread the tears because he immediately tried to say sorry.

I stopped him by saying, "No, no. These are good tears. Thank you so much. You- you don't know how long my people have dreamt of this."

I saw Percy let out a breath he probably didn't know he was holding. He offered a small smile and let me compose myself.

Timidly, I said, "Can I ask? Why did you declare war? Why for us?"

The small smile was still on his face and his eyes reflected how steadfast he was with his decision as he spoke. "It's the right thing to do. Even with the outcome the prophecy claims, I know it's the right thing to do."

"Prophecy?" I questioned.

"Oh, yes. My bad. When I visited camp and got their support in the war, a prophecy was shared:

Split between tradition and friend,
Loyalty leads while Lightning defends.
If after the battle, a new king ascends,
The Age of Olympians shall come to an end.

"I'm 'Loyalty' leading Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hades, Hephaestus, Hestia, and Hermes. Zeus is 'Lightning' defending Olympus with Ares, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hera, and Poseidon."

"You'd go against your own father?"

Percy looked slightly pained, yet the intensity shining in his eyes never subsided. "My father, like the others supporting Zeus, is closed-minded. He is usually kind, but his views are misguided at best. I love him, but I cannot support his position on this matter. Unfortunately, he won't support mine either."

"And you'd willingly go to war, which could mean the end of the Olympians?" I had to be sure this wasn't an unstable promise that would fall through and cause any hopes built up shatter.

"If cruelty and slavery and oppression is what Olympus stands for, then I will happily bring it to an end. As long as I work to replace it with a better system." Percy's words were firm. They were impassioned. They were the start of a better future.

"Will you let my people fight alongside you?" I inquired. "We appreciate your help and know we can't do this without you leading the war. But we also want to fight back, fight for our freedom, stand up for ourselves."

"Of course," Percy agreed easily. "I'd be honored to fight with you and the other Maris Astérians. But I want to minimize as many casualties as possible. Which means you all should be trained."

"Wait, what?!" Allowing us to fight was one thing. Teaching us to fight was another. I suppose they'd have to teach us if they expected adequate fighters to help, but expectations from from zero to a hundred real fast.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea actually. I can take you all to camp instead of bringing the gods here. We will arm you and train you to defend yourselves. Do you think your people will agree?"

I wasn't sure about that. Leaving the palace was rare for any of us. Going on land was even rarer. Interacting with demigods was unheard of. Besides Abrax whose diary recounts a few tales of his adventures on land with Percy.

"I think we should maybe tell them about the war first. And then, uh, go from there." My suggestion lacked confidence but was taken seriously.

"You're right. One step at a time. Can you call a meeting with everyone? I need to update the gods and camp. And I hate to say this, but the throne room is the largest area, so it should probably be held there to fit everyone."

"That'll work. I'll have everyone there in half an hour or so."

"Ok. Good. Good. Thank you."

"I should be thanking you."

Percy shook his head. "No. I'm doing what ought to be done. I'm fixing my mistakes, and I'll beg for forgiveness and work for redemption."

Looking at the god, I knew he meant it. I knew he would stay true to his word. And it made me smile.

"Just so you know, Percy," I added as we stood to leave, "free or not, we are your people. And you have been kind to us. Our loyalty, as I'm sure you can tell, remains with you. Especially now that you're serious about granting our freedom. The Maris Astéria people may hate our history and circumstances, but I don't think we've ever truly hated you."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did," he said. "But I'm glad you don't."

Nothing more was said as I went off to round everyone up and Percy went off to organize whatever he needed to organize for the war effort. My people were in for a surprise. But this time, the surprise would be a welcomed one.