Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 79: What comes after. (Mourning)

Needless to say, Olympus was unused to holding funerals. Gods are meant to be immortal, and faded beings are simply mourned. But Artemis...

The night sky shined above Olympus as its population slowly moved through it, dressed in black clothes and mourning the fallen goddess. Women wept, and men stayed silent out of respect.

Apollo walked silently next to Hermes, the hood of his black funeral cloak covering his wet eyes. Zeus walked alongside Hera, hoping she would be able to keep him grounded. She stayed by his side, holding onto his arm with an iron grip.

The rest of the Olympians walked behind them in silence, and behind them followed the minor gods and nature spirits of the city. The procession moved throughout the city quietly, as if scared a noise would make the goddess's loss permanent.

Slowly, they funneled into a large field and sat down on the grass, watching the podium in the front of the clearing. Once everyone was settled, the sound of clopping footsteps reverberated through the clearing. The Nature God walked up to the podium and faced the crowd nervously.

"Today, we are here to honor and remember Artemis," Grover said from the podium. "I felt that Apollo would have been a better choice for the announcement, but..."

Grover looked at Apollo, who was staring at the bitterly ground. "But he's not currently in the state to do that, so it falls to me as Pan's successor and the God of Nature."

Grover took a deep breath. "Artemis was someone I didn't often interact with, as I am both a male and slight recluse, much preferring my sections of surviving Wild over interaction with others. However, the meetings I had with her were positive. After my ascension, she came and talked to me. We talked for hours about Humans and their impact on forests. It was... it was nice."

He swallowed. "But... now she's gone. We don't know if she's simply trapped somewhere or actually... dead, but from the sparse information we have, it seems to be the latter."

A small sunflower grew on the back of Grover's head. "She was lost in the fight against Erebus. She sacrificed herself to save her Hunters from a primordial."

The crowd quietly murmured, and Grover nodded. "That is right. Erebus himself recently attacked Camp Half-Blood and was defeated. However, Tartarus is still a final obstacle before we can rest."

The sound of the crowd picked up at his proclamation. Tartarus? The Pit? The Demigods would have to fight him?

"But," Grover said. "Do not worry. I have been reassured by Apollo that the Olympians will be fighting alongside the demigods until Tartarus is defeated."

The crowd collectively sighed in relief. Zeus shot his head up and looked at the Sun God, who had begun to smile at the ground.

"And," Grover said. "I will also be returning. Until Tartarus is defeated, I will stop my exile. Now, I believe it is time for someone else, someone who knew Artemis better than me, to speak."

Hera elbowed Zeus, who stopped glaring at Apollo and stood up, walking to the podium. Once the funeral was over, there would need to be a meeting. But for now...

He looked over the mourning crowd. How was he going to do this? Artemis, his little hunter, the girl who had wrapped him around her finger the moment he met her, his favorite daughter... was gone.

He opened his mouth to speak.
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Far below, Camp Half-Blood held its funeral for the recent fallen as well. 

Nico stood at the head, addressing the mourning demigods, Will stood next to him and gripped his hand, and Hazel sat in her seat with a mixture of sadness and new determination on her face.