νεκρός || Annabeth Chase x Fem!OC

Vol. 2-28: The Olympian Council is scawy

TEMPEST

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Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placement of the cabins at camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations- even the newest one, Zoe the Huntress, making her way across the heavens with her bow drawn.

All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall, and I'm telling you, if you've ever had a dozen all-powerful super-huge beings turn their eyes on you at once... Well, suddenly, facing monsters seemed like a picnic. And I don't even get scared most of the time.

"Welcome, heroes," Artemis said.

"Mooo!"

That's when I noticed Bessie and Grover.

A sphere of water was hovering in the center of the room, next to the hearth fire. Bessie was swimming happily around, swishing his serpent tail and poking his head out the sides and bottom of the sphere. He seemed to be enjoying the novelty of swimming in a magic bubble. Grover was kneeling at Zeus's throne, as if he'd just been giving a report, but when he saw us, he cried, "You made it!"

He started to run toward us, then remembered he was turning his back on Zeus, and looked for permission.

"Go on," Zeus said. But he wasn't really paying attention to Grover. The lord of the sky was staring intently at Thalia.

I'll admit I was just about shitting my pants. Twelve omnipotent beings in one room, as well as two children of the Big Three, a daughter of the wisdom goddess, and their undead buddy. It suddenly dawned on me that I didn't even know if I was supposed to exist or if Melinoe was seriously breaking some rules by doing this. Either way, they might make me go to the Fields of Punishment or something worse, like Florida.

Grover trotted over. None of the gods spoke. Every clop of Grover's hooves echoed on the marble floor. Bessie splashed in his bubble of water. The hearth fire crackled, almost tauntingly as it reminded me who I was looking at.

I glanced over at Aphrodite, and seeing her face just made me think of being in that car with her. It felt like the shell in my pocket was burning, suddenly. Her blond hair curled down her shoulders and she fixated on me with narrow eyes, and I glanced next to me, finding the demigod girl that also fit that description. Aphrodite smiled pleasantly at me, though almost knowingly; like she knew something I didn't.

Grover gave Annabeth, Thalia, and I big hugs, which shocked me to my very core. Then he grasped Percy's arms. "Percy, Bessie and I made it! But you have to convince them! They can't do it!"

"Do what?" Percy asked.

"Heroes," Artemis called.

The goddess slid down from her throne and turned to human size, a young auburn-haired girl, perfectly at ease in the midst of the giant Olympians. She walked toward us, her silver robes shimmering. There was no emotion in her face. She seemed to walk in a column of moonlight.

"The Council has been informed of your deeds," Artemis told us. "They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas's attempt for freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act."