He Shall Return, The One That Lost It All, A Close Friend Of His Will Fall

Chapter Five (Percy's Point Of View)

It's been only two thousand years.

It's just a blink of an eye in the life of most immortals, but not for me. I had spent the last two thousand years trying to get over Annabeth's betrayal.

In truth, I hadn't really gotten over her, I'm just a very good actor.

But I had decided that today was the day that he would make a new beginning, that he would go to Olympus, and if Artemis still let him, I would join the hunt.

So I flashed in front of the Empire State Building and walked in.

The man at the front desk stared at me.

Then he smiled.

"You're back!" he shouted.

"Yes," I said, "I am. Now can I have the key please?"

So let me explain. They made the dude at the front desks immortal (partial immortality) so that he would always recognize the gods and goddesses when (and if) they entered the building.

"Yes, my lord," he said, fumbling for the key.

That trip was the first time I had heard elevator music in over ten thousand years.

I had forgotten how bad it was.

I jogged through the streets of Olympus. The minor gods gasped when they saw me.

I hated the attention.

Eh, whatever. What did I expect?

I quietly snook into the throne room. All the gods were in there.

They didn't notice me come in. I kept very quiet.

I snook behind Zeus, and. . .

"BOOO!" I yelled. Zeus jumped a mile into the air and screamed. I fell to the floor laughing.

Zeus was standing by his throne, his face red with anger.

I stood up a second later and walked out from behind his throne. Within seconds, half of the gods were laughing there heads off too, while Zeus just got redder and redder and he looked like he was going to explode.

All of a sudden, they all stopped. The gods stopped laughing and Zeus's face un-redified (a word I made up).

"Percy?" asked my father.

I smiled. "Yep."

"Percy?" Apollo asked.

"Yep."

"Percy?" Hermes asked.

"Yep."

"Zzzzz," Dionysus snored.

"Percy?" Hestia asked.

"Yep."

"Percy!" Artemis and Athena yelled. Athena ran over and hugged me. I hugged her back. We let go a second later.

I smirked at everyone.

"I couldn't find you anywhere!" exclaimed Hermes.

"Well, for the first five thousand years of my absence, I wasn't exactly anywhere. . . accessible."

I yawned.

"Anyway, I'm back now, so---"

I wasn't able to say anything else, because I was cut off by a group hug that included all of the gods.

Hmmm. I wonder when Dionysus woke up.

Even Ares and Zeus were part of it.

"Okay guys, okay," I muttered. When they all finally got off me, I looked at Artemis hopefully. "Now can I still take your offer?" I asked her.

"Wait --- what?" Zeus asked.

"Yes," Artemis replied.

"What?" Zeus asked.

"Then I accept," I said, smiling.

"I DEMAND YOU TO TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOU -----"

"Shush, Zeusey Pants," I cut him off, rolling my eyes. "I'm just becoming the Guardian of the Hunt." I crossed my arms and looked at him. All the gods stared at me besides Zeus.

"Oh, okay. . ." he said. "WAIT A SECOND! YOU DARE CALL ME ---"

"Yes I do, Mr. Drama Queen."

Zeus's face started turning red again.

"Bye you all," I said, waving. "I'll visit you soon, dad." I smiled at him.

"Wait," Dionysus said, "I sense high levels of hidden insani---" I cut him off by putting a finger over my lips.

"Are you insane?" Dionysus asked. "You have to tell them."

"Why would you ask that?" I asked him. "Isn't that what you were just going to tell them?" Dionysus blushed. I felt the insane gleam in my eyes appear for a split second before hiding it, but he saw it.

"Uh, bye!" I said.

Then Artemis and I disappeared in a bright flash of light.

We appeared right in front of all the hunters.

Then I doubled over laughing.

"Gods, gods!" I laughed. "Did you see Zeus's face?"

Artemis cracked a smile.

I had just recovered from laughing and stood up straight when I felt someone crash into me. I didn't even stumble, but I looked down to see Thalia.

She stepped back, then her face turned angry. I just looked at her with a blank expression.

She zapped me with lightning. Once again, I didn't even flinch --- or even really feel it for that matter. Thalia noticed it this time.

She looked at me questioningly, but I just raised an eyebrow. I walked around her and sat at the campfire.

When all the girls were there, I decided to tell a story.

"So, do you girls want to know why I was laughing when I got here?" I asked them.

"Yes," all the huntresses replied.

"Okay then. So I snook into the thrown room and behind Zeus's thrown and yelled 'BOOO!'" he jumped, like, a mile into the air and screamed like an Aphrodite girl who noticed someone had stolen their make-up! His face was soooo red. And then I called him Zeusey Pants! He was soooo mad!"

I fell off the bench (there have been some improvements in this Camp, I guess) in a fit of laughter. I barely noticed I hit the floor. There was suddenly a crowd of huntresses around me. A small gleam of the insanity that I had hidden showed itself.

I stopped laughing, and my expression turned back to stone.

"Are you insane?" one of the girls asked.

"Almost completely. I just hide it pretty
well. Now I'm going to sleep."

I was asleep within five seconds.

I didn't even go to bed.

That night, I didn't have a nightmare.

Instead, I was the one who gave the dream message.