𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 • 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

Truth

"Do what?" Percy asked. 

"Heroes," mum called. 

Mother slid down from her throne and turned to human size, a young auburn-haired girl, perfectly at ease amid the giant Olympians. She walked toward us, her silver robes shimmering. There was no emotion on her face, just like every time she saw me. She seemed to walk in a column of moonlight. 

"The Council has been informed of your deeds," Artemis told us. "They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas's attempt for freedom and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act." 

There was some mumbling and shuffling among the gods as if they weren't all happy with this plan, but nobody protested. 

"At my Lord Zeus's command," Artemis said, "my brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause. Lady Athena shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseidon has been permitted to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes..." 

She turned to face the other immortals. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?" 

She looked around at the assembled gods, meeting their faces individually. Zeus in his dark pin-striped suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparkling with energy. Next to him sat a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colours like peacock feathers. The Lady Hera. On Zeus's right, Poseidon. Next to him, was a huge lump of a man with a leg in a steel brace, a misshapen head, and a wild brown beard, fire flickering through his whiskers. The Lord of the Forges, Hephaestus. 

Hermes winked at me. He was wearing a business suit today, checking messages on his caduceus mobile phone. My uncle, Apollo leaned back on his golden throne with his shades on. He had iPod headphones on, so I wasn't sure he was even listening, but he gave me a thumbs-up. Dionysus looked bored, twirling a grapevine between his fingers. And Ares, well, he sat on his chrome-and-leather throne, glowering at me while he sharpened a knife. 

On the ladies' side of the throne room, a dark-haired goddess in green robes sat next to Hera on a throne woven of apple-tree branches. Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. Next to her sat a beautiful grey-eyed woman in an elegant white dress. She could only be Annabeth'smother, Athena. Then there was Aphrodite, who smiled at me knowingly and made me roll my eyes. All the Olympians in one place. So much power in this room it was a miracle the whole palace didn't blow apart. 

"I gotta say"—Apollo broke the silence—"these kids did okay." He cleared his throat and began to recite: "Heroes win laurels—" 

NO! PLEASE!

"Um, yes, first-class," Hermes interrupted like he was anxious to avoid Apollo's poetry."All in favour of not disintegrating them?" 

THANK YOU, HERMES!

A few tentative hands went up—Demeter, Aphrodite. 

"Wait just a minute," Ares growled. He pointed at Thalia, Percy, and me. "These three are dangerous. It'd be much safer, while we've got them here—" 

"Ares," Poseidon interrupted, "they are worthy heroes. We will not blast my son to bits."

"My daughter will not be blasted to bits either," mother told Ares.

"Nor my daughter," Zeus grumbled. "She has done well."

Thalia blushed. She studied the floor. I knew how she felt. I'd hardly ever talked to my mother, much less gotten a compliment.