CHAPTER 1

AN:

This story is an AU that starts prior to the rebellions. Enjoy.

All rights to the franchises and characters belong to their their respective authors.

Percy Jackson strolled down the street between the houses of the booming city. It was another typical morning in Elysium. People were up and about attending their own duties much like they did before they died and were sent here. Percy found it astounding that they knew so little about Elysium and its rules. Yes, it is where the souls who were deemed worthy went but there was so much more to it than that.

For an example, the camp and the rest of the world taught that they could choose rebirth after getting into Elysium. But the truth was that they had t choose it right after they were deemed worthy by the three judges. If not, you would enter Elysium and live your life as you normally would. The only difference was that life being an awfully long one. After finishing your 'term' in Elysium you would be kicked out and enter rebirth automatically. The downside was that the Isles of Blest would be closed to you unless you go through the process again and choose rebirth at the judging stand. And you have to do this thrice, consecutively. It wasn't surprising that the Isles were so sparsely populated.

Percy didn't want to go through the process again. He lived a life dictated by others and he was sick of it. From the day he was born he was the 'victim' of a great prophecy. His life had been planned for him before even he began to form coherent thought. For the first time in his life he was at peace. After two harrowing wars and giving the gods everything he had, he deserved this.

Percy walked the paved streets towards the largest marble building in this sector of the Field of Elysium. It was the Great Library. Generation upon generations of knowledge was stored here. Even the knowledge that was lost throughout the ages was written down within the large tomes of this place. It helped that the greatest minds throughout the history had been here and helped to catalogue their knowledge.

Elysium was divided into different sectors. Most of them were by eras. And then they were further divided into areas by deeds they had done while they were alive. It is very difficult for one to find somebody they knew while they were alive once they entered Elysium. Percy wasn't a fan of this separation as he was a relatively open and outgoing guy. But this was a system that was created during the birth of ages and there was nothing that he, a lone demigod could do. He counted himself as lucky because he found three of his close friends after arriving in this world of afterlife. Here, many others may go through their entire lives and still be alone without a soul to speak to.

Charles Bekendorf, Silena Beauguard and Zoe Nightshade. He couldn't say he was really tight with the three while he was alive, but since coming here, he really got to know them. True he had gone on a few missions with Chares and he finally perished on one, but he was never close to him like Grover or Tyson. Charles had been here since the explosion of Princess Andromeda that claimed his life. He waited for the love of his life, Silena and he didn't have to wait long for her. The two were reunited and they had a courtyard for themselves and built a world for themselves that they envisioned. Still they had no children because childbirth in Elysium was a big no-no. Not the ideal future they had in mind… but who could complain. Children were one thing that would never happen whilst they were here.

Charles was bigger than he was when he was alive. The buff African-American stood almost seven feet with muscles that would give a pro wrestler a scare. But like when he was alive he was still soft spoken and silent around he wasn't familiar with. Then only thing that had changed in his personality was the awe inspiring presence he extruded.

Since then he had engaged in activities that attracted him like the others. Charles was a master smith. He was one of the greatest smiths in the Hephaestus cabin while he was alive, but down here he had learnt so much more. His skills were not limited to smiting. He had expanded his repertoire to other fields such as rune inscriptions. Percy too had tried his hand in that particular subject and boy was he surprised. He couldn't understand why this knowledge was considered lost considering it dealt with the rules of the natural world.

The only times he had seen it up top was the inscriptions on the godly weapons and abodes. Iris and Hecate too had used them when he had the pleasure of meeting the two goddesses. Funny enough, children of Hecate didn't have any knowledge on the matter. They depended on rituals as the base of their power. Had they or any other demigod had access to these runes, they would have climbed on top of the ladder of hierarchy due to the power and versatility it granted.

Silena was just as beautiful and kind as he remembered her. He wasn't there when she died because he had gone on a ride on top of a big ass flying pig that had little to none spatial orientation, seeing that it bumped into several key structures in New York. But he learnt that it was an honorable death. Luke had been using her to get information using blackmail. But all that ended when Charles died. Her death brought the Ares cabin into fold and changed the flow of the war and tipped it into their favor.

Silena was not the one for violence. But after her death she too had changed much like her boyfriend. Now she was wicked with her spear and decent with a sword. If Percy had to bet on money on a match between Silena and Clarisse now, he would go with Silena. She hadn't just improved her combat ability; she had also invested time on herbology and agriculture among other things. Silena was quite the green thumb when it came to plants. While she lacked the natural grace the children of Demeter had, she made it up using skills and perseverance.

She was the first to find Percy aimlessly walking the streets on the day he arrived here. She crushed him in a hug and dragged him off to her home where he got to meet Charles. The two filled Percy on the details pertaining Elysium as the residents had to find out the details on their own. If they didn't have someone to guide them, they would spend months upon months trying to figure out what is going on and get a hold of themselves.

In Elysium you could only communicate with people you once knew. So, most of the people down here spent their lifetimes without speaking to another soul. It was a rule that was imposed to promote self-reflection. It didn't matter if you didn't choose to go for rebirth because sooner or later you would be kicked out of here. The more you reflected upon your life, the better the personality and attitude you would have in your next life. Sadly the rule didn't work most of the time as most people down here would spend their lives wallowing on what could have been. This explained the diversity of personalities in the mortal world. Most that spent crying and spending their times miserably undoubtedly does the same in their rebirth.

Elysium was created for a reason. The main reason was the improvement of the human society as a whole. Ever wonder why some people were so gifted that they could instinctively master a craft? Why some were gifted in one field but not the other? Why some were called the 'heaven's gifted' due to their awe-inspiring abilities? The reason for that laid in Elysium. If one were to spend their time here mastering a craft, that skill would carry on as muscle memory to the next life making it easier for them to master it. For an example, the better you trained in a weapon, the better skilled you will be should you try to wield the weapon in your next life.

But since there were no guides you have to learn about this on your own. This caused the diversity in the skilled and unskilled on the living world. Elysium was like a forge for your soul. Instead of another molding it, you mould it with your own effort. That was why each area in Elysium had a library that could rival the one they had in Olympus.

Charles was one of the lucky ones to find out about this in one of his rounds inside the library. Since then he had dedicated his life to learn all he can on the fields that drew him. After Silena joined him, she accompanied Charles in this crusade for knowledge. But not all knowledge panned out. Some esoteric subjects like runes would forever be a secret due to the fact of its secrecy in the living world. It didn't matter if you mastered the subject down here; you still needed to be introduced to the field on topside. It was like a skill you had but never knew it existed.

The first few weeks Percy was down here he was quite reclusive. Silena and Charles respected that since he had just died and he needed to come to terms with it. Little by little Silena drew out what happened to him and helped him get over it. Percy was very grateful to her for it. After explaining the rules in Elysium, he too joined the duo to learn what he could and hone his skills. He may be the greatest swordsman in the recent few centuries, but that didn't give him the license to be lax. He wanted to perfect his craft and the library gave him the opportunity as there were so many documented sword plays from all around the world.

Few months into his new life, he met Zoe. It was a pleasant surprise. Turns out the constellation 'huntress,' which Artemis created was just a memory of her. Her soul like any other was judged and sent here. She had been down here longer than Charles but hadn't found out the rules because she like any other was unable to communicate seeing that she didn't know them personally while being alive. Percy, on the other hand she knew. Quite fondly in fact. Through mutual friendship she was able to get to know Charles and Silena. The four had found a courtyard for themselves and lived there ever since. It was easy to move around in Elysium because there as so much space and very little people to occupy them. Especially in a sector like theirs'.

Silena and Zoe were best friends. But they often fought due to difference in opinions. Silena was the daughter of Aphrodite. So she was a love fanatic much like her siblings even though she had toned it down to learn the other aspects in life. Zoe on the other hand had spent more than a thousand years disliking males because of her misadventure with the world's greatest douche Heracles. Yes, she wasn't a fanatic man-hater like the rest of the hunters, but she found it really hard to trust males after her experiences. Most of their fights in the early days were due to Zoe blatantly cursing Charles. But that had gotten much better and nowadays Zoe had the same respect for Charles like she had for him. In fact they were close to each other like siblings.

Percy entered the marble structure and went straight down the aisles crisscrossing until he arrived at a particularly large bookshelf. This section in the library was dedicated to the knowledge gathered by the various sons of Poseidon throughout the ages. It was not overtly large like the Athena's section but it still was quite substantial when comparing to the progeny of other gods such as Zeus.

From what Percy could gather by reading through these journals, children of Poseidon operated in two extremes. Some were base born idiots who used muscles to plough through their lives. An example would be Orion. His idiot half brother had tried to outwit the Goddess of the Hunt and paid for it with his life. Sure, he had been charismatic and sneaky, but it was his baser instincts that controlled him. The others were the hard intellectuals like Theseus. The man was a prodigy. One on the same caliber as Deadalus. Too bad he let his emotions get the best of him and caused his life to dive into a downwards spiral.

Every single child of Poseidon fit this scale. But not everybody adhered to it. Many were fine just half-assing in their lives and wasted their talents. Percy himself found out that his skills lay in the various fields associated with maritime technology and geology amongst many others. Initially he spent his time on the two subjects but later he broadened his scope to cover more ground. It was hard. But there was no harvest without any effort.

The particular bookshelf he stood in front of was dedicated to prospecting and surveying. Mostly it was on ways on how to use his powers he obtained from his father to successfully map and find mineral deposits. Say what you want, Poseidon was the god with the widest scope in abilities. His domains often crisscrossed with that of both his brothers. While he was the god of the sea, he had power over air due to his storm-bringer abilities and earth due to his earth-shaker abilities. It was not surprising to see a child of Poseidon being the most powerful in his generation even though Zeus tries to overshadow him by publicizing his children's feats due to his insatiable ego and jealousy.

Percy picked a tome as thick as his palm and went outside to find a nice quite place to read. Charles and Silena had already left when he had woken up. He wasn't a morning person. He was more like an owl. The four got together each afternoon and enjoyed each other's company before heading to bed. It was the same routine each day with sparring between each other being the only time they saw the others during the daytime.

Charles was mostly seen in one of the many forges in the area and Silena was mostly seen with the horses and pegasi. Zoe usually skulked around in the forests and he enjoyed sitting by a tree next to the lake. These were like their designated spaces when they were doing their own thing.

It had been around two years since the giant war. Of course, with the time being different in the underworld he had already spent more than twenty five years in his stint at Elysium. He had heard that the war was successful without further casualties in the core group. They were sure to win seeing that he did a massive number on Mother Earth before dying.

He remembered the line of the prophesy that hinted of his death. 'To fire or storm the world should fall.' He should have guessed it back then. Sure there was similar lines in the first prophesy too, but he had gotten out fine in the end hadn't he? Percy wasn't sure what prompted him to make that particular decision. Maybe he was lax and it caused his downfall. Or maybe he subconsciously wanted to die to get away from the pain. Either way his fate had already been decided by the Fates since both reasons came down to the fatal flaw they bestowed upon him. He saw Leo about to die from his suicide attack and jumped into action sacrificing him and giving Leo the chance to finish the fight once and for all.

'Damn, personal loyalty… why couldn't it be something like explosive gas after eating greens? Can't even imagine how pissed mom would be. With blue food and gassy greens, it might have given Smelly Gabe the much needed heart attack.'

Children of the sea were notorious for having the fatal flaws that led to their doom at a tender age. His flaw? He blamed his father for that. His father too was utterly loyal to the ones he cared about. He had the power to take control of Olympus and stand as its ruler. But due to his gratefulness for saving him from Kronos' cesspit of a stomach, he protected his younger brother even when his older brother had the best claim for the throne. He may have rebelled once or twice, but that was for the betterment of his family. And Zeus knew of this. Despite the fact that it was mostly his children on the council, his position was only secure because his brother backed him up.

'If dad wasn't there, the first thing Ares would have speared is Zeus' ass itself and Hera would have gelded the mighty lord of the sky millennia ago,' Percy snorted.

Percy redirected his attention to the tome. He had gotten used to the change in the speed of time between the two worlds over the span of a couple of months. In the beginning his body would just shut down after about twelve hours of the normal time. Elysium was like your personal vacation for the rest of your life. Anybody could do whatever they wanted. There was only a few that tried to improve themselves for their next lives. Parties lasted for weeks. Food and drinks were abundant and so much varieties were there that they could go their entire term here without tasting the same food twice.

While reading the book, he found himself drifting into various thoughts. Today was the anniversary of his death. It was the main reason why he distanced himself from his friends and decided to spend it alone. And the others respect his need for self-reflection.

'God… how long has it been? Two years huh? I wonder what mom is doing today.'

The only source of information he had from topside was Nico. The son of Hades often popped by when he was visiting his father to deliver news and check up on him. Much had happened in the past two years. Some of it was bad while some of it was good… not that it mattered to him anymore.

They won the war. His kamikaze attack distracted and harmed Gaea that the others could seal her back. Once he saw his son die, Poseidon had unleashed his mighty fury upon the opposing forces. It could be said that Poseidon bulldozed through the swathes of Earthborn and monsters like cutting wheat. Even the Giants didn't escape his wrath. Nico mentioned about how his father unleashed a concentrated blast of divine might that tore through the enemy ranks like a shockwave after the detonation of a high explosive bomb. Not even his allies were saved from this blast which threw everyone on site down to the ground. The hunters being the best at agile combat capitalized on this and ended quite a few giants.

Not just his father, his Cyclops brother Tyson unleashed his fury too. He had gotten hold of Gaea's feet and smashed her on the floor continuously like a ragdoll. Nico broke down giggling while mentioning that particular detail. Even he had to crack a grin while imagining his kind, big boned Cyclops brother for manhandling Gaea like that. The gods, heroes and the enemies all had watched dumbfounded as one of the most powerful entities, the Mother Earth itself being treated like yesterday's trash. After that a Gaea who was void of any energy was promptly sealed by the three elder gods and the demigods.

The king of the Giants soon fell seeing his mother's brutal downfall at the hands of Nico, Thalia, Hazel, Artemis and Apollo. Zeus had been seen ashen faced after his nemesis being brought down by another. Nico mentioned that he didn't speak with his twin children for quite a while. The war ended with minimum casualties on their side with only Octavion and a few of his cronies, about five hunters and twelve campers from both camps perishing. Funnily enough none of them were sent to the quadrant he was in. Bodies of the perished heroes were recovered and were given an Olympian sendoff. His body? Well… they couldn't find it because he was atomized in his kamikaze stunt. So his shroud was burnt, his mother being the person to light it.

In the awarding ceremony the main questers were given the choice of immortality which surprisingly all of them took. He was sure that some of them would turn down the offer and try to gain something for the betterment of their lives like he did when he was offered. It had hurt him badly when he heard his then girlfriend taking up the choice. He was so sure that she would honor him memory and then join him after a long wonderful life… but guess not.

'You think you know a person,' he thought sadly. Annabeth was everything to him. From the first time he laid his delirious eyes on her when he entered camp he had been attracted to her. He even took the knife for her quite a few times even when she was in love with Luke. It was the best day in his life when she finally kissed him and admitted that she was in love with him. But all those memories were like huge boulders pressing down on his already sinking ship.

'Children of Poseidon and Athena don't mix."

This was something Annabeth said to him during their first quest. Well, she was right.

Regarding the others, most of them were made minor gods in their respective domain. Nico was named his father's lieutenant and the Herald of the Dead. His duties included patrolling the underground domain once in a while and guiding lost souls back to where they belonged. Honestly Percy was glad Nico found something he enjoyed. The little kid had lost many things in life including his mother and loving sister. It was gladdening to think that his father looked out for him. Seeing that there was no heir to the Throne of Bones, Nico might be able to seat his pasty white hiney on it someday. His duties came with the added benefit of locating and communicating with the departed which helped him to keep in touch with Percy.

Jason… it wasn't surprising him going for immortality. He too had his father's ego and thirst for attention. There were multiple occasions where Percy and Jason locked horns because of this. Jason wanted everything to go his way. He meticulously planned every aspect in detail before committing an action while Percy tended to just wing it. Jason wanted to be in position with power unlike Percy who was thrust into that position by others. Even so they were friends, great friends in fact. But with their personalities laying in the two extremes on the spectrum it wasn't surprising he chose immortality.

Piper must have just followed Jason. She was the kind who followed the strong and with Jason being her significant other and all, her choice wasn't surprising.

The only thing that could have gotten Frank to choose this path was his 'stick of life'. It had nearly finished combusting while he, Hazel and Percy were freeing Thanatos' frozen hiney in Alaska and there was only a sliver left after his confrontation with the bane of Hephaestus. Percy didn't blame him. He was a good kid that wanted to live. And Hazel who was like his little sister had followed Frank because she was once stuck down in the underworld and returned to life with her memories intact. Nobody wanted to be reborn with their memories intact if their life was as hellish as it had been for Hazel. Hazel often spoke with Percy when she came to visit her father.

Leo Valdez… Percy couldn't find it in himself to blame the boy. He had nearly given his life and had it not been for his interference, he would have done so. The main reason why he was alright with Leo taking the path to immortality was because he righted Percy's wrong. Percy should never have believed Zeus would keep to his word after the Titan war. Sure, things like cabins were built for the minor gods but that was all that he and the rest of the demigods could see. Things like Zeus' promise to free peaceful Titans like Calypso was forgotten. Percy found out about that the hard way while he was trekking the sulfuric plains of Tatarus with his now immortal ex-girlfriend.

He didn't want to think of her. He should have heeded his father's warning on having a relationship with a child of Athena. Many children of Poseidon had gone down that path but none of them had a good ending. Either the couple died or one betrayed the other. History continued to repeat itself much like when Athena herself betrayed his brother Theseus and ruined the once glorious king's life.

The rest of the campers of both armies got their rewards too. The dead were honored and life continued to move on for the demigods like nothing had happened. It was the curse of the lives that they were thrust into from the day they were born. Sure they were the symbol of their parents' love, but it was not a life for a child. They had seen and done things that would make an army veteran cringe.

On the bright side he got to speak with his dad once when he came to visit him after gaining permission from Hades. They caught up on what's going on in the world now that the war had ended. It took a while but his father eventually broke down with tears streaming down his face after Percy said that he was at peace finally. He apologized to his son profusely for thrusting him to a life he never wanted. Poseidon also promised to never sire any more demigods but Percy was sure he would eventually break it. No matter how loyal the elder god was, he was still a little childish and their entire family was built on lies and broken oaths. Poseidon also promised to watch out for him when he eventually goes for rebirth, something he had not done for any of his previous children and keep an eye on his mother and her family.

The matters of the sea were as usual. His father had handed most of the duties of ruing Atlantis to his brother, Triton and stepped down to further explore his domain, something he had postponed for several millennia. Say what you will, the ocean was a place of mystery and even the gods knew little about its limits. Poseidon also said that his wife Amphitrite was about to give birth to another child and if it was a boy they would honor him by naming the newborn after him. The couple had revisited their vows and rekindled their attraction after the war seeing that everything could come to an end at a moments' notice. The wheel of Fate was not kind to anyone.

His father was yet to return to Olympus after his demise which had Zeus on his toes because he didn't know what was going on with his brother since all access to the watery domain was cut off. Athena was mostly afraid for her new immortal daughter because if Poseidon was to focus his anger on her, Annabeth wouldn't be able to handle it even with the help of her mother. Poseidon winked at him and told him that he would most likely keep the duo on their toes for a few decades before he left.

Things on Olympus were as usual. The only highlight was Apollo losing his powers. Now that would have been a sight to see. The usually cocky Sun God was now at Camp Half-Blood trying to regain his powers by kissing asses of demigods to help him on his quest.

Whenever Nico wanted to say something about Annabeth, Percy cut him off. He didn't want to learn anything about her since she had already chosen her path. Even the apologies she sent with Nico went unheard. Percy cut himself off from the rest of the world and for the first time in his life he focused only on himself and his family in Elysium. Being selfish was a new experience to him and it opened many new paths to him. He had been naïve and childish during the time he was alive. He had many opportunities that would have made those harrowing quests much easier and almost casualty free, but he had ignored them.

To a certain degree he could see why Annabeth and Jason liked to adhere to plans. Knowing the battlefield was half of the battle. Overwhelming power helped, but not always. Because of these musing he had begun to use his earlier forgotten mental capabilities. He had a lifetime worth of experiences and creating multiple strategies for them and it 'decreased his denseness' according to Zoe. It had also caused a shift in his attitude and personality.

Bekendorf once said that the Percy he once knew and the Percy he now was were two completely different people. For one he was usually quiet now unlike the upbeat sunny Percy that roamed the beaches of Camp Half-Blood. He kept his thoughts to himself only opening up to people he trusted impeccably. He was the epitome of a general. His father too stated that Percy reminded him of Theseus the Unbeaten more than anybody else. Percy wasn't just brawn anymore… he also had a devious brain to back it up.

Another thing his friends noticed that changed gradually was his name. To his closest friends he was still 'Percy'. But to others he was 'Perseus'. They first noticed when Nico brought his partner Michael Conner to meet them. Percy and Michael went way back, to when Percy started camp. But to see him changed so much… Nico said that Percy's gaze was enough to send shivers down Michael's spine. He also relayed that Michael was just glad he wasn't on Percy's bad side because 'Perseus' seemed to never forgive or forget.

One thing that Percy was happy about was the addition of the little flower to his mother's life. His sister Astoria had been born about six months after his demise, something which surprised him greatly because his mother never mentioned anything about a sibling to him. Nico had gone to visit her in many occasions and brought pictures and stories with him to share with Percy. The little angel looked just like his mother with Paul's eyes and nose. He was positive she was going to turn into a great beauty, one that would cause Paul to stand guard on her all the time. If he was there, Percy too would have taken turns in his sister's guard detail.

His mother missed him. That much was sure. Even today she was seen forlorn close to his birthday and the day of his departure. The only respite she had from tumbling down to depression was Astoria. That is why he called his little sister an angel. She was his mother's anchor much like Annabeth had been for him once. Astoria was a bundle of joy for everybody. He knew his sister will one day learn about her big brother who was not there for her. He wasn't sure whether she would love or hate him. Hopefully she would understand why he wasn't there to see her grow up. His father had gone to visit her too and blessed her for a long happy life away from the dangers her brother face much to the chagrin of Zeus.

Ancient laws prevented his mother from contacting him directly, but she sent messages with Nico every time he visited her. He was glad his mom was doing ok after all this time. She had a rough time in her life because the fates chose to deal a pretty shitty hand to her. Now that she had found happiness, he was glad and he truly wished for her small family to expand and never look back to his world which was filled with horrors.

Other than his immediate family, Percy cared not for the news of the world above now. He was happy with his life and wished his tenure at Elysium could last for an eternity away from the machinations of the Fates.

"What have you got there?" a feminine voice broke him out of his musings.

Percy glanced up and smirked.

"What can I do for the great Zoe Nightshade?" he asked with a mock hand gesture which caused Zoe to break out into laughter.

He and Zoe were very close. She was like the elder sister he never had. She poked into his affairs against his will and was there to cheer him up when he was down. His new outlook on life was partly due to her. When he once questioned why the Fates liked toying with him so much after he heard about Annabeth's apparent engagement with some minor god of the skies, she replied that the Fates always dealt a bad hand to those who could go against their will. It was to keep them in line according to their plans. But it was the duty of those who were treated like that to break from these shackles placed on them and live their lives on their own terms. It was a duty they had to perform for their own sake. She had done it. She was meant to be raped and abandoned to die at the hands of Hercules but she rose up from her despair and lived and died on her terms. She was at peace when the Fates 'made' and 'forced' her die at the hands of her father by changing the word around her.

Her advice on living without regrets was the spark that started to change him. And he was grateful towards her for sticking it him in his times of turmoil. The millennia old daughter of Atlas was a well of knowledge to him. Initially he was just the little boy, who got her appreciation but now he was her little brother and she made every effort to make it so.

"It's the same tome I've been reading the past few days," he said eventually as she had kept her eyebrow raised in order to get to know what her 'little brother' was up to.

"Have you finished it?"

"Yeah, the last couple of pages are full of crap. Just speculations without concrete proof," he said frowning at the book. Through his efforts he had gained a lot of knowledge. It was a surprise to him that he was rather smart. With his Dyslexia gone he could read anything without spending much effort and his days as the 'kelp-for-brains' was a thing in the past. Percy always had an attraction to the sea. Maybe it was due to his dad, but during the time here he had gained a whole new appreciation for the watery domain.

"Even if it's just speculation, you should not discard it so readily. Everything we know was once a speculation. It took time and effort to prove them. Maybe you will be the one to prove these little brother," she stated calmly.

"I guess you are right," Percy sighed. "What about you, sister? How was your day? I hope you didn't just loiter around in the woods."

Not long after Percy and Zoe got close, she demanded that he call her his sister. Percy was reluctant in the beginning, but after some painful experiences that involved hunting knives, pointy ends of arrows and a lot of threats that may or may not have been about castration, he yielded. Silena always said that Zoe could play him like a fiddle and had him wrapped around her pinky waiting to do her bidding. Percy had to concede to that statement rather reluctantly because Zoe was still waiting for him to disagree and prove him wrong. But he had come to love her like a real sister, much like the one he had but will never meet.

"Come again?" she asked dangerously.

"I mean what you were up to today, sweet sister?" he squeaked.

Zoe smiled. She always found it funny to see the most dangerous man in Elysium to wither at her tone. She and Silena had made it their duty to keep his head below the clouds.

"Well since you asked so kindly 'little brother', I've been learning how to communicate with the beasts that roam the forests." At his questioning looks she started to elaborate further. "Much like those runes you always go on about, there are other arts that have been lost to the ages. One such is the ability to communicate with the animals like when you speak to horses and their sub-species. Gods can do this instinctively. But ancient Americans had an art form to do so. It was why they had dangerous animals for their companions."

"Can I learn?"

"I don't see why you can't, but why do you want to learn it?"

….