The Broken Hero

Chapter 6

Percy woke up his whole body burning again. He gasped, tears starting to fall down his face, he felt a warm hand run his hair. He looked up to see Apollo with an empathetic look in his eyes and a frown on his face. "Shh. I know..I know.." Apollo whispered, running his hand through his hair. "Lets try this again, okay?" Apollo asked, holding a syringe of Nectar. "Hold out your arm." He told him softly. Apollo put his hand on Percy's arm to keep it steady, but he barely felt it. Apollo inserted the Nectar a couple times. Percy gasped, the pain in his arms got worse after the second injection. His cries started to turn into sobs. His breathing quickening, "Percy...Percy...?" Apollo asked trying to get his attention. Percy looked up, "Hey." Apollo said with an encouraging smile.

Apollo held out a cracker with honey spread on it. Percy took it, taking a bite of it. After he took a bite, Poseidon walked in. "Dad?" Percy croaked, his cheeks bright red, from crying and the heat his body was letting off. "Oh...son." Poseidon said climbing on the bed. Poseidon grabbed Percy, holding him on his lap as Percy finished his cracker. Apollo then handed him another one. Percy took it, the pain his arm lessening. "Percy, I am going to give you the ambrosia in smaller cubes okay." Apollo told him, worried that if the spell wasn't active it would undo everything. Percy nodded, taking the last bite of the cracker. Apollo handed Percy a cup with nectar. It had a clear lid and a blue straw. Percy took a sip of it, leaning on his dad. "What does it taste like to you?" Poseidon asked his son. "Mom's blue cookies." Percy smiled. Taking more sips, bigger each time. Apollo took the empty cup for the boy and gave him half of a square of ambrosia.

Percy took and ate it, when he grimaced Apollo looked at him worryingly. "What?" Percy looked up at him, "These are freshly made." Percy said. Poseidon laughed, while Apollo looked him numbly. "Yeah?" Percy nodded taking another bite. Apollo looked Poseidon questioningly. "How did you know they were fresh?" Percy looked at him, "Cause at Camp when you had one it would be anywhere from a week to a month after they were made, and the cooks liked adding flavors. I once had a pumpkin spice one before." Percy explained, Apollo went wide eye. "A month!" Percy nodded laughing. "To keep it from having too much affect demigods are only allowed one square, and it can't be freshly baked, and you only get when injured, so..." Apollo nodded, he studied Percy's face, noticing the redness never went away.

He reached down and grabbed the thermometer. He turned it on and placed it Percy's ear. 101.7º F it flashed. "Okay...Poseidon come here." Apollo replaced the plastic than put the thermometer in his ear. 101.6º F it flashed. "Huh...it might not be a week...you must have been closer to ascension than we thought." Apollo said then left the room, leaving behind the feeling of a warm sun. Percy smiled feeling the warmness as if it brushed his face. Poseidon took note of this, his eye flashing for a second.

Apollo flashed into the throne room, "Apollo? How is Perseus? Is he alright?" Hestia asked. "In pain, but Poseidon is with him right now." Apollo answered heading to the center of the thrones. "Apollo?" Zeus asked, gaining everyone's attention. "He is closer than we thought. It took Dionysus weeks to match your body temperature even after the ceremony." Apollo started looking at his father. "His body temperature is already that of a Sea god, higher actually." Apollo explained. Artemis walked towards her brother. "Apollo, what do you mean?" Apollo looked at her, "I'm saying, Percy will be a full god in the span of 3 more days. The Nectar is hurting him less and less. His eyes are getting more gold in them, and don't get me on his presence. If you thought he had a powerful presence as a demi-god...its almost the same as an Olympian. I don't know what the fates planned with this boy...." Apollo said missing the looks Aphrodite and Hermes were giving him. "Well from the sounds of it he will either be a powerful minor god, or we are adding an Olympian." Ares answered. "No..There has to be 12 Olympians and Percy wouldn't do that." Artemis said. "She is right, it might be like with Hades, he is not an Olympian but he is also not a minor god." Athena said looking at Apollo. "So..Poseidon will have three powerful, fully immortal kids!" Zeus yelled. "Hey!" Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Ares, and Athena all yelled, offended. "I am not saying you guys aren't powerful." Zeus said, "No your just letting your paranoia get the best of you, again!" Artemis told her father. "Hey...I am working on it.." Zeus told his daughter. Apollo shook his head, "Why would Poseidon or any of his kids want to destroy Olympus when their powers and immorality will be gone if Olympus is gone?" Athena asked her father. Zeus looked away taking deep breathes.