Raising Cain

Let the sky fall

This one goes out to my cousins. They were seriously pissed when I killed off Annabeth and I'm still impressed that they didn't kill me for it. So Anam, Eman, this one's for you.
So this one is basically a what if Annabeth was taken by Hera instead of Percy. Hope you guys enjoy! Read and review please! Reviews make my day! Also, who else died watching the civil war trailer? The line "so was I" gets me every time. #Team Iron Man

To set the record straight, Zeus was the king of the gods. He did not feel fear, he inspired it in his enemies. Ok, maybe that was Hades' job, but the point remained! He was a god and no one should forget that or he would find a new target for his master bolt. Capiche?

The point was, he was never afraid. Except when Hera found out about his latest *ahem* interest, but that was another matter entirely. And he kind of lost track of wherever he was going with this. Oh yes! There it was!

So being faced down by the most powerful demigod of the twenty-first century was a walk in the park for him. When you're not in fear for immortal life that may actually be true, his mind whispered traitorously. He promptly told it to shut up. Denial had worked well for him so far, it should continue to do so. Besides, he blamed his wife for this mess. Hera and her blasted schemes were at fault. All he wanted to do was go down to England for a good Shakespearean play. Was that really so bad?

Looking at the enraged demigod in front of him he decided it may be safer to spend the next few years in England or something. Italy was very nice this time of year, wasn't it? He'd have to ask Demeter. Drat, and he had gotten so good at avoiding her.

~line break~

To say Percy was pissed was an understatement of epic proportions. The only reason he had yet to rip someone's head off was because he was saving his energy. He had a few gods to yell at.

It was the winter solstice and Annabeth had gone missing a week ago. Mr. D wasn't answering him and neither was Chiron. So he figured he should go after the source of the problem.

He reached the empire state building by noon, the Christmas lights and trees only furthering his bad mood. After all, Christmas was a time for family and his girlfriend was missing. Yep, someone better have answers or more than a few heads would roll.

He figured he was radiating anger when he wasn't even stopped at the elevator and simply given a pass. For once there wasn't any music playing and he was grateful for it. He didn't want any distractions right now and the music would only make him more angry with how awful it was.

The route to the palace, he barely registered, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise he had reached till he was up against the front door. He didn't hesitate before throwing open the doors, the sight of fourteen super-powered beings doing absolutely nothing to deter him.

"Where is she?" He asked, his voice low and hard as he stalked to the middle of the throne room. Most were unconcerned, they had other things on their minds besides the problems of a demigod, no matter who that demigod may be. Hera straightened a little, keeping a nonchalant air about her. A few were confused, like Hades, who opened his mouth to ask who Percy was even talking about before he was cut off by Aphrodite who squealed loudly.

"Oh it's Annabeth isn't it? This will be absolutely wonderful! Your lives are honestly so much better than half the trashy novels these days! Young love, isn't it adorable?" She rambled on, unaware of, or perhaps ignoring Percy's darkening features.

"It's great to know we are nothing more than entertainment for your sick pleasures. On your list of priorities, we humans are clearly ranked pretty low unless you need our help. Well, I am so glad we are able to fulfill our purpose in life." His voice was bitter, dripping with sarcasm as his hands clenched. Pity that Poseidon only noticed his tone and not the tension that should have been evident in the set of his shoulders and balled up hands.

His father spoke, useless platitudes falling from his lips that Percy payed no attention to as he interrupted the god of the sea, his voice dark and still so low, yet heard clearly by everyone present. "I didn't ask for excuses. I asked what you've done with her and I'm not asking anymore."

"Or what punk?" Ares spoke up, scornful as always, constantly ready for a fight. Percy smiled a small dark smile, his sea green eyes normally so full of happiness, glittering with suppressed rage as he spoke a soft promise.

"Or I'll bring this place down upon you. I will bury you under the very bricks that I stopped Kronos from destroying and I will happily fulfill his promise of taking down this place brick by brick." The ground rumbled slightly as he spoke, power in his every movement. This was not a demigod to mess with, his oath was as serious as one on the river Styx and every one of the gods there knew he would most certainly go through with it if he had to.

Zeus cleared his throat nervously before seeming to realise who he was and his position before booming out about how Percy dared to speak to them like that.

"Oh, I dare." He replied darkly. "I dare because after all that we have done for you, this what you do?" The enraged demigod finally raised his voice and for the first time the gods truly saw why so many were so afraid of this one demigod. They could see the twelve year old who was willing to go to the underworld to save his mom, the boy who had won the respect of Artemis herself, and the boy who faced Kronos for his friends and came out on the other side each and every time and it was not someone they wanted to see angry at them.

Hera finally spoke up, "we needed Annabeth for what is to come. The next great prophecy-"

"I don't care about the prophecy! I am tired of all the times you've told us to do insane things because you either can't or don't want to. I'm tired of having to always fix your mistakes because you either can't bother to, or don't care enough to. You will give her back to me because I will not help you until you do. You do not exist to me, your problems don't matter to me until I get her back. I'm calling bullshit on you and whatever you've planned. Good luck fighting your next problem without demigods because neither I, nor any other demigod at Camp Half-blood will help you until she comes back. This I swear on the Styx."

He left the throne room as thunder echoed through the clouds, a storm brewing in his wake. He would find her with or without the gods' help. Until then, he was sure there was some new monster to kill. There always was.

Four months later, he was killing aliens with a vengeance. He had stayed true to his word, demigods refused to help the gods any longer. Hera stayed trapped with Porphirion much longer than she would have had they actually cared what happened to her. Any way, Percy didn't like aliens invading his city. They were fun to destroy and seeing a god from another pantheon encroach on the Greeks territory so much so that he actually called down lightning from the Empire State Building was always amusing.