"What it means, Fish Brain", Athena said, "is that he feels guilty."
Hera's POV
She had always been one of the most rigid goddesses on the council, even more so in the matter of demigods.
Being the goddess of marriage meant that she hated it when the gods, most of whom were married, felt the need to 'hook up' with mortal women, cheating on their spouses in the process. Thus, she had always disliked demigods, especially after Hercules. He and some other demigods led her to believe that the hubris of any and every demigod was too big for them to handle.
But then, Perseus Jackson, a son of Poseidon, who had a knack for doing the impossible came into the picture. At first, she thought that he would be like every other hero, proud and arrogant. It turned out to be quite the opposite.
He saved Olympus from its enemies not once, but twice, not once straying from the path of loyalty and modesty. This was enough to earn her respect, though he probably still hated her for his quest in the Labyrinth and the short trip to Camp Jupiter without his memories.
Now, the same demigod stood in front of her, albeit in a different body. Peeking into his soul, she saw nothing but guilt for those who sacrificed themselves so that he could survive another day. Now, she understood how he never considered himself a hero, and how he always managed to stay modest. "Why", she wanted to ask him. "Why do you give in so easily? This is just your fatal flaw acting up." But there was a reason for which it was called fatal. Something must have triggered it recently, and Hera thought she knew what it was.
She sighed. Athena had guessed right. He felt guilty.
"But why would my son feel guilty?" Poseidon asked. "He is innocent."
"His fatal flaw, Poseidon."
"What about it?"
"Gods, you are so dense. He regrets not being able to save all those heroes who gave their lives in any of his quests or either war", Athena said, as if explaining something to a child.
"But those happened so long ago", Poseidon whined, like a child not understanding the use of learning addition and subtraction.
Dionysus, who had, by some miracle, managed to stay quiet yet awake for the entire duration of the meeting, spoke up, "Something triggered it, evidently, probably during the time he was tortured."
Everyone stared at him as if he had grown another head except Ares, who perked up at hearing the word 'torture'.
"What? Is there something on my face?" he asked stupidly. Some things never changed.
Just as Artemis opened her mouth to answer, a mechanical whirring sound captured our attention. The metal body's eyes flashed sea blue for a moment.
"L-Lord Heph-hephaestus", it said as if it were choking. Then all was silent. Out of the blue (pun totally intended), the machine's eyes started glowing blue. Mykonos was not in control any longer.
{I am so tempted to leave it right here ;-), but I won't 'cause I'm not evil}
"No more memories", said a highly distorted voice. "I will not relive those memories again."
Hera cursed. She had unconsciously spread her control over Percy's mind and accidentally played his memories about when he was tortured. Unfortunately, he had also experienced them while her subconscious brain viewed them.
His sword arm started to transform, and soon, there was a rail gun attached to his shoulder. All the gods visibly tensed.
Suddenly, the blue glow faded, and he collapsed. "He used too much power just after experiencing emotional trauma and his soul taking over control. I wonder what this would lead to..." Hephaestus mused.
"Hephaestus?" Apollo asked nervously. "Now that he's a robot humanoid thingy, will he go to the mechanic when he gets injured, or will he go to the infirmary? 'Cause I don't want him wrecking my beautiful palace with that rail gun."
"Oh don't worry. He'll be back to normal by the time he wakes up. He was just a little disoriented after taking control which he refused to accept. Now all he needs to keep him going is a purpose", Hephaestus said.
" Oh, I can give him a purpose all right", Zeus said with a glint in his eyes.
"He will be the Guardian of the Hunt."
YOU ARE READING
Percy Jackson: The Man of Metal
Fanfiction"Perseus Jackson is dead!" Read the story as the Hero of Olympus is betrayed by his brethren, those whom he called friends. Watch as he is revived. Will he be able to become whole again?
