The death of a god is an incredibly devastating occurrence. When Artemis turned to dust, it sent a shockwave throughout the earth.

Animals of all shapes and sizes mourned, crying out in pain. Babies screamed, bows malfunctioned, tides shifted, and maidens felt crushing despair. And far, far away from the battlefield, a lone god knelt by a small sapling.

The lush forest surrounded him, full of the sounds of bugs and animals, all living out their life cycles. The god smiled at the sapling, softly patting the dirt beside it. His shaggy legs brushed the ground as the animals around him began to scream. He looked up from the sapling, recognizing the feeling. A feeling he hadn't felt in years.

He stood up and looked around the jungle. His sacred space, a small circle of preserved wild. He regretted leaving it, but he knew he needed to. A god had just died, and Olympus would need all hands on deck. The sound of hooves clopping against the ground echoed behind him as he ran, far away from his sacred space.

Perhaps, while he visited Olympus, he would tend to Pan's garden, as he liked calling it. The other gods just called it his.
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The Olympians stared at the large Iris message in various states of shock. The moment Artemis had entered the battle, Apollo had leaped off his throne, forcing Hermes to grab him and keep him in the room.

But now, they had just watched Artemis crumble to dust. Her aura, her power, her godly presence... it was all gone, signified by her throne, which turned grey. Apollo had stopped thrashing against Hermes a few moments before, watching the mirage in sorrow.

Zeus couldn't believe his eyes. An Olympian... was dead? No, this couldn't be happening. No way.

Apollo began to glow, and Hermes quickly backed up, relenting his grip and putting his arms up in an apologetic gesture. "I had to hold you down, I'm sorry," he said quickly.

In an instant, Apollo whirled around and fired a bright yellow arrow at Zeus's face with a scream of grief. Zeus's eye widened, and he leaped off his throne in the nick of time. The arrow clipped the top and blew chunks of it off. 

Zeus looked at Apollo. "You dare -!"

He dodged as another arrow narrowly passed his face, and then looked at his son in surprise. Apollo looked back at him with hate, completely unforgiving.

"My sister's dead because of your pride," he snarled, stringing another arrow.

Zeus stood up, and the room began to crackle. "My pride was not -!"

Another arrow fired toward his face, forcing him to move out of the way. As Apollo stringed another arrow, Zeus roared and chucked his master bolt. "DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HARM ME, BOY!"

The bolt hit Apollo and sent him sprawling, shaking with all the electricity shooting through him. Zeus glared at him and then brushed off his shoulders. "It will not end well."

After Apollo stopped shaking, he stood up, glaring at Zeus.

"I hate you," he spat. "It should've been you."

Zeus narrowed his eyes, and his beard sparked. "What was that?"

"You should've been the one to -"

A trident slammed in between the both of them, drawing their attention to Poseidon.

"Now is not the time," he said. "Please, return to your thrones."

The two gods did, albeit with some grumbling from Zeus. Something about a stuck-up brother.

Apollo watched the Iris message intently, trying to find Hyacinthus in the chaos and make sure he was okay. At one point, he made eye contact with Hermes and expressed silent forgiveness. He knew Hermes couldn't stand up to Zeus. Hell, even he failed when he tried.

But as he watched the screen, two things solidified in his mind. One, he was done with the council, and all of "their" rules. Two, the gods needed to begin helping. Screw what Zeus thinks.
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The Big House was silent. Around the ping pong table, head counselors sat with various injuries, physical or otherwise. Luke and Zoe stood in Percy's place. Estelle stood in the corner, still looking shell shocked.

After the battle had finished, the camp had sent out platoons to pick up fallen weapons and retrieve the bodies of the dead. The battle had led caused many demigod losses, but two of the most prominent were Malcolm Pace, a Son of Athena, and Nyssa Barrera, a daughter of Hephaestus.

The heavily injured were taken to the infirmary, which was chock full of doctors rushing around as fast as they could, working themselves to the bone. Soon after the battlefield had been scoured for bodies, a meeting had been called. But, of course, there were still scavengers combing the battlefield, just in case.

"So," Annabeth said, breaking the silence. "What now?"

"We prepare for Tartarus's assault," Luke answered. "Get everyone healed and continue training."

"And what of the losses?" Nico asked, his arm in a sling.

Annabeth stared at Luke. "Bring them back."

"Do you really think I can do that?" He asked.

"Your team is entirely constructed of dead people."

Luke shook his head. "We were a one-time fluke. No one else is exiting Hades' gates. And even if they could, I can't bring them back. A primordial like Hope would have to."

"Speaking of Hope..." Piper said.

Zoe held up a hand. "Don't you dare."

"He's Percy!" Piper protested. "Erebus said so! He's been lying to us for weeks!"

"For good reason!" Nico said, wishing Will were there with him and not working in the infirmary. "He had every reason not to tell you who he was!"

"We're his friends!" Piper said.

Clarisse snorted. "Please. He might've forgiven me, but he sure as hell isn't my friend. I lost that privilege."

"You knew?" Jason asked.

"Of course I knew," Clarisse answered. "It was obvious. And unlike you three, I at least feel terrible for what I did!"

Annabeth slammed a fist on the table. "We were tricked!"

"That doesn't give you the right to torture him!" Zoe said angrily.

"We thought he betrayed us!" Jason shouted.

"So you brutalized him for -"

"Shut up."

The two words echoed across the room, and everyone listened, turning to look at Thalia, who was glaring at them all furiously, massive tear tracks on her face. "Just shut up."

Annabeth gaped like a fish out of water. "Thalia, you can't seriously -"

"No. Shut up," Thalia interrupted. "You are in the wrong here. You all did horrible things to Percy, things he barely recovered from. Artemis was the only thing that got him through... and now she's gone. Forever. So shut up."

"Wait. She's gone?" Piper asked. "I thought she'd reform."

"No, she won't," Estelle said from the corner. "She's gone. Erebus made sure of that."

Annabeth covered her face with her hands. "So our enemy can kill immortals?"

"No. He put the device on me," Estelle said, glaring at her arm as she flexed it. "And he- he used me to kill her."

Tears began to stream down her face, and she slid to the ground, hiding her face. Zoe walked to her side and began softly talking to her, giving assurance.

"Is Erebus dead as well?" Jason asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. Well, no? The only way immortals can die is if they fade. Neither Artemis nor Erebus faded. To put the process simply, they were forced into not existing."

"How?" Piper asked.

"I can't say anything for Artemis, because I don't know how the device that killed her was constructed. As for Erebus..." He trailed off, staring into space.

"Hero?" Nico asked, startling him back into the moment.

"Right. Here's the thing. Primordials aren't supposed to be able to die, because they embody fundamental aspects of the universe. However, this slightly changed when the first primordial champion came into existence."

"And who were those?" Annabeth asked.

"The Fates. They are the champions of Ananke. But that's beside the point. The point is, when that happened, Chaos changed the rules a little bit. Champions also function as heirs, meaning that for the price of a small vulnerability, you get an incredibly powerful soldier that can lead your troops."

Estelle looked up. "No. Please, no."

Luke nodded solemnly. "Yes. When Percy killed Erebus, the universe took precautions to make sure it stayed in motion and wouldn't crumble."

He looked around the room, gesturing at Estelle. "Everyone, meet Erebus's champion and heir, the new primordial of the dark. Estelle Jackson."
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Hazel laughed as she walked side by side with Frank through the streets of New Rome. Their date had been amazing so far, and he had one last thing for her. They walked into the Field of Mars and found it empty, all except for a picnic basket and blanket in the middle.

They sat and began to eat and drink, enjoying their time together. As Hazel sat, though, something seemed to shift. Frank... was off. This wasn't right.. something was-

Then it all came rushing back to her. Camp Jupiter had burned down. Frank had died. She had been a puppet for a primordial. She stared down at her sandwich in realization. Everything seemed to be crumbling around her as she remembered more and more.

"Hazel?" Frank asked.

Hazel looked up at him. "You're not real. This is fake."

He looked around and shrugged. "Maybe. But it doesn't have to be."

"Don't taunt me, whatever you are," Hazel said. "Just let me out."

Frank took a bite of his sandwich. "I can't wake you up."

"Oh. I'm dreaming. That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Why you're being so civil with me," Hazel said. "The real Frank would hate me, and probably scream at me. I ruined him."

"No, I wouldn't," Frank said. "Maybe if I saw you a couple days ago, but now? No."

"W- you're the real Frank?" Hazel asked.

Frank sighed and set down his sandwich. "Yes, I am. O- Malcolm told me what happened."

Tears dotted Hazel's eyes. "Malcolm died?"

"Yeah. But he's in Elysium now," Frank said. "He's enjoying his time, trust me. But when I saw him, he told me about what happened on the battlefield. Hazel, you can't say actions you made while being controlled would cause me to hate you. That's not true. Besides, I should have- I should have been there with you."

"B- but, I hurt you!" Hazel said, beginning to cry. "You died because of me and the pain I put you through! I ruined your life!"

She began to cry, not understanding how Frank could be so calm. He smiled sadly and scooted over to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"It's okay," he said. "You'll see me again. And when you do, it'll be great."

Hazel wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt. "I don't deserve it..."

"Of course you do. But listen. Do. Not. Give. Up. No taking shortcuts to see me again faster. I won't let you."

Hazel looked up at him. "I -"

Frank leaned down and kissed her, shutting her up. Her eyes widened, and when he pulled away, he hugged her tighter.

"I never should have thought you hurt me," he said softly. "I know you would never do that."

"W- why did you..."

"Because I love you," he said. "You're waking up soon, but you need to remember that. I love you."

He pulled her close and clutched her as tight as he could. She did the same in return. Then her vision twisted...

And she bolted awake in the camp infirmary, eyes wide.
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Will sighed in relief as the last patient passed out. Him and the doctors had been working non-stop for the past while, rushing around as fast as they could, helping whoever, even if they didn't want to. (See Jonathan.) But, now it was just him working, double checking the inventory. Speaking of Jonathan, Will had checked everything on him and found nothing out of the ordinary. The son of Zeus seemed perfectly fine, just passed out. Which annoyed the hell out of Will. Even when passed out, the guy couldn't help but being a waste of space.

Hazel had left the infirmary a bit ago, and Percy had quickly followed, stumbling around but reassuring the doctors he was ok, despite the poison running through his veins. And they were in no position to debate against a primordial. Leo lay in another cot, shoulder and face bandaged. He had taken fairly severe damage, but he would make it through. In the cot next to him, Icarus lay, breathing with difficulty. Will smiled as he felt a familiar aura enter the infirmary.

"How was the meeting?" he asked.

"It was... interesting," Nico said. "That's the best way to describe it."

Will chuckled. "What happened?"

"Some yelling and- is that who I think it is?"

Nico was staring at Jonathan with a frown. Will nodded. "Yeah. His vitals and everything are perfectly normal. Hell, they're actually really good. He's just passed out."

"Ugh," Nico groaned. "He's just the worst, isn't he?"

"Yep," Will said as he started placing bottles of medicine in the cabinet. "But maybe that's just what happens when your name is Jonathan, you -"

Jonathan shot up with a yell, causing Nico to shriek and launch back, falling onto the ground. Jonathan looked around frantically.

"Where am I?" He asked.

Nico rubbed his head and stood up. "Gods, where do you think, idiot?"

Jonathan began to hyperventilate. "I- I'm not in the facility. I'm not- did we make it to camp?"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Nico asked as Will turned to watch his patient.

Jonathan looked at Nick and squinted. "You look..." His eyes shot up. "Are you Nico? Grover told me about-"

He put his head to his forehead. "Oh, shit. Grover!"

He leaped out of his bed. "Is Grover okay?"

"Woah, calm down Jonathan," Will said, stepping forward. "I think you got a head injury."

"I- I might have," Jonathan said. "But is Grover okay?"

Nico nodded and pursed his lips. "Yes."

Jonathan sighed in relief. "Thank gods. So Erebus got us to camp?"

Nico and Will froze. Nico's hand slowly moved to his sword as he narrowed his eyes.

"Elaborate."

"Ok," Jonathan said, gulping nervously. "I was in this facility with Grover. He said he was taking me to camp, which I guess is where I am, and he got separated from me. We were being chased by monsters, and we were stuck in the hallways of this place, and he stayed back to deal with them so I could escape. Then I got to the exit door, but it was locked."

"And then?" Will asked.

"It was locked. I tried to open it, but I think I accidentally used my powers and broke the handle. I thought I was doomed, but then this dude appeared behind me. He said his name was Erebus, and he could save both me and Grover as well as getting us to camp."

"What was the catch?" Nico asked.

"He said he wanted a puppet," Jonathan said. "So I shook his hand. I figured a sock puppet wouldn't be that hard to make, y'know? But then I blacked out. But he came through! Because this... this is camp, right?"

Will grabbed Nico for support, information racing through his brain. "Erebus was playing us from the start?"

Nico nodded. "We have to tell Percy."

"Percy's here?" Jonathan asked breathlessly. "Grover told me so much about him! Is he- is he as nice as he said?"

Nico swallowed. "Y- yeah, he- Jonathan, I think we have some serious news for you, but first we need to -"

The door to the infirmary bust open, revealing a panicked looking Thalia.

"Percy's gone!"
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Percy stumbled out of the infirmary, insisting to the doctors that he was fine, despite the massive amounts of poison coursing through him, tinting his vision green and red. They didn't need to to worry themselves about him. And, maybe the fact that he was going insane kept him from staying around them.

He stumbled through camp with darting eyes, noting how around every turn, in every corner, and hiding in every shadow was a different one of the five apparitions, all staring at him. He could feel his sanity slipping away as he walked off the beaten path, onto a grassy area.

He clutched the moon Artemis gave him in his hand, trying to use it to stay grounded. He wanted to scream, laugh, cry, and blow things up all at once. He knew he was volatile, he just didn't know how to deal with it. Then the counselor meeting got out.

The demigods streamed out of the building, and one specific one latched onto him. His vision went back to normal as he tried to back away, but he was too late. Annabeth was in front of him, staring.

"Hi, Percy," she said.

He took a step back. "No. Get away."

She stepped forward. "I missed you."

His third eye turned a deadly shade of bloody red. She stepped closer and then jabbed a finger into his chest, shocking him to his core.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were!?" She demanded.

Percy's eyes widened and he looked down at her finger touching his chest.

"Answer my question!" Annabeth yelled as Luke walked out of the Big House.

An unearthly growl emanated from Percy. His hand shot up and grabbed hers, pushing it off him and squeezing. She gasped in pain and tried to pull away, but Percy didn't let go.

"Why didn't I tell you?" He asked. "Maybe I should return just a little bit of what you did to me. You know, as an example."

He squeezed his hand harder, and Annabeth gritted her teeth in pain, refusing to scream. "Y- you w- were mine. I w- was yours... y- you can't h- hurt me."

All five apparitions were behind Percy, cheering him on. "Wanna bet?" He asked as he squeezed harder.

Then Luke was in front of him, breaking his grip on her hand. "Percy, stop it. Please. I know you're struggling, but you can't do that. She's not worth it."

Percy snarled. "She carved words into my skin."

Annabeth looked at her hand in shock before looking back up at him in anger. "You deserved it."

Luke clamped down on Percy's shoulders as he tried to jump at her, keeping him in place. "Percy, please, don't -"

Percy eyes turned black, and Luke's quickly followed suit. "Move," he ordered.

Silently, Luke let go of Percy and moved out of the way before crumbling onto the ground, violently coughing and staring at the ground in disbelief. Percy had promised. Never, ever would he control his team members. He had promised...

Annabeth looked terrified now that her meat shield was down. Percy stepped forward and smiled, thinking of all the ways to get back at her. And then a voice spoke through his head.

Stop.

He recognized the voice of Chaos. It froze him in place and forced him back into reality. What he had just done hit him in full force, and he looked around. Much of the camp was looking at him in fear, his team members were looking at him with betrayal, and Estelle...

His eyes widened as he looked at Estelle. Multiple emotions shot through him. Sorrow, rage, hate, sympathy, and mainly, regret. His grip tightened around the trinket in his hand and then, in an ear, he heard his own voice.

Slaughter them all.

He stumbled backward in horror and then jumped with full force, launching away from camp as far as he could. He sailed through the sky and when he landed, he began running as fast as he could, trying to outrun the voices telling him to kill.

He wasn't safe.

He passed cars like they were nothing, and as he started to tire, he changed directions. He slammed through the gate of a forest and quickly reached the middle, slamming into a tree and falling to the ground, staring up into the canopy and passing out.

Only one thing echoed through his mind as he blacked out.

He needed to get away.