Return of the Disgraced Archangel

Ithaca

A/N. reviews!

"ooooo, I like the ending of this chapter lol" -allisonj1008

Glad you did. It's pretty important, as it marks a shift in Percy's demeanor.

Onto the chapter!

     Percy missed his wings. He really did. But he also knew that he didn't deserve them. This was his penance. So he continued to climb the mountain. Every step got him closer to the top. His feet seemed to miss every patch of gravel, every plant root, basically anything that would send him tumbling down. The sun beat down on him, but even in his dark red and black suit, he didn't break a single sweat.

     A large explosion rattled the mountain. Percy crouched quickly, gaining his balance. When the earthquake stopped, Percy stood back up and resumed his hike.

     He was nearing the top. As he reached the summit, the ruins began to come into view. The ruins were unimpressive: a few stone walls, a weed choked central courtyard, a dead-end stairwell chiseled into the rock. Some plywood sheets covered a pit and a metal scaffold supported a cracked archway.

     But layered over the ruins was another layer of reality—a spectral image of the palace as it was in its heyday. Whitewashed stucco walls lined with balconies rose three stories high. Columned porticos faced the central atrium, which had a huge fountain and bronze braziers. At a dozen banquet tables, ghouls laughed and ate and pushed each other around.

     They milled around, chasing after ghostly serving maids, smashing plates and cups, and basically acting like a bunch of frat guys.

     Most looked like Lares from Camp Jupiter—transparent purple wraiths in tunics and sandals. A few revelers had decayed bodies with gray flesh, matted clumps of hair, and nasty wounds. Others seemed to be regular living mortals—some in togas, some in modern business suits or army fatigues. He even spotted one guy in a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and Roman legionnaire armor.

     In the center of the atrium, a gray-skinned ghoul in a tattered Greek tunic paraded through the crowd, holding a marble bust over his head like a sports trophy. The other ghosts cheered and slapped him on the back as he made his way through everyone. As he got closer, he noticed that an arrow sprouted from his throat, right in his Adam's apple. The bust he was holding was of a god Percy would recognize anywhere. He held a statue of Zeus, beard and all, in his arms.

     "Our next offering!" The ghoul shouted, his voice buzzing. Presumably from the arrow in his throat that would vibrate whenever he spoke. "Let us feed the Earth Mother!"

     The frat boys yelled and pounded their cups. The ghoul made his way to the central fountain. The crowd parted, and Percy could see that the fountain wean't filled with water, but with sand. From the three-foot-tall pedestal, a geyser of sand spewed upward, arcing into an umbrella-shaped curtain of white particles before spilling into the circular basin.

     The ghoul heaved the marble bust into the fountain. As soon as Zeus's head passed through the shower of sand, the marble disintegrated like it was going through a wood chipper. The sand glittered gold, like the statue had been filled with ichor. Then the entire mountain rumbled with an earthquake, just as it had earlier.

     The dead frat boys roared in approval.

     "Any more statues?" The ghoul roared to the crowd. "No? Then I guess we'll just have to wait for some real gods to sacrifice."

     His comrades laughed and applauded as the ghoul plopped himself down as the nearest feast table.

     Percy recognized the ghoul. Antinous was one of the suitors that tried to marry Penelope. In fact, he was one of the leaders. When Odysseus came back, he shot him through the neck with a bow.