The Mist is an incredible thing, you know? No matter how many times I witness its effects, it never ceases to amaze me. Well, that combined with mortals' ability to twist and weave the most elaborate and bizarre stories just so everything makes sense in their version of reality. A prime example of this was the aftermath of Percy's battle with Ares.
You see, apparently, teenage delinquent Percy Jackson wasn't a criminal after all. The one responsible for blowing up the Greyhound bus and the St Louis Arch was in fact his captor, Ares.
Percy Jackson was innocent after all, and had instead been trying to escape from Ares the whole time, as he dragged the poor boy on a hellish trip across the country. It all culminated in a final battle on Santa Monica Beach after Percy managed to steal a gun, and it was during that battle that a stray shot from Ares had hit a gas main which caused the explosion near the police vehicles. Still, Percy had managed to beat him and save his three scared friends, though Ares escaped in the wake of the explosion. Honestly, you could make a movie out of this.
The reporters told us the story. All we had to do was play the part of the victimized children and look teary eyed at the camera's. Percy pulled off a phenomenal performance.
"All I want is to see my loving stepfather again." he said while holding back tears.
"Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew... somehow... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number."
The reporters were so moved, that they began passing around a hat and by some miracle managed to gather enough money for four plane tickets back to New York.
Now, I had never been on a plane before, but given that my dad was Apollo, son of Zeus who also drove a sun chariot through the sky, I wasn't particularly fazed by it. The same could not be said for Percy. The poor boy looked the most afraid I had ever seen him, with his skin a pale white from fright and his hands gripping the armrests so tight it looked like either his arms or the armrests would snap, whichever came first.
When we arrived, there was an army of reporters waiting for us, probably looking to bombard us with questions. The sheer size of the crowd almost made me just want to stay hidden on the plane. Fortunately, Annabeth managed to lead them away with her invisibility cap, eventually meeting us back at the baggage claim.
From there, Percy and I split paths with Annabeth and Grover. Someone needed to go back to Camp and report back to Chiron. And besides, they weren't the ones that had been accused of theft. This was something Percy and I had to do by ourselves. Besides, if somehow Zeus still didn't believe us, we didn't want them to get caught in the crossfire. So we hopped in a taxi and set out for Manhattan.
Thirty minutes later, we were finally in the entry hall of the Empire State Building. Not exactly sure what to do, we walked up to a guard sitting behind a receptionist counter.
"Six hundredth floor." Percy requested.
The guard was reading a book, and it must've been good because it took him a bit to actually lift his gaze and look at us.
"That floor doesn't exist, kid." he said.
"We request an audience with Zeus." I added.
He gave me a confused smile.
"What?"
"You heard me."
For a few terrifying seconds, I was afraid that he was just a regular mortal and was about to call the nearest madhouse to come pick us up. But then he spoke again.
"If you don't have an appointment, you don't get an audience. Lord Zeus doesn't take anyone without prior notice."
"Oh, I think he'll make an exception." Percy said, taking off the backpack and opening it.
The guard leaned forward to inspect its contents. For a few moments he didn't seem to understand what it was he was looking at. But then his face went pale.
"Is that..."
"Yes, it is." Percy confirmed.
"Do you want me to take it out and..."
"No! No!" the guard exclaimed, getting up from his chair and frantically looking for a keycard he then handed to me.
"Stick it in the security slot. Make sure there's no one else with you on the elevator."
We nodded and headed towards the elevator, doing as he had instructed. When he stuck the card in, it disappeared and revealed a new button with the number 600. We pressed it and waited.
Eventually, the doors opened and my heart nearly stopped. We were standing on a narrow stone pathway hovering in the sky. Below was a bird's eye view of Manhattan. And in front of us was a set of marble steps that spiraled upwards. And at the end of them was something that took me close to fifteen minutes to fully process.
Floating above the clouds was the top of a mountain with a snow covered peak. And on its slope was an Ancient Greek City. Only this one wasn't in ruins. There were several palaces and villas spread across all levels of the city. Precariously built but beautiful gardens with all sorts of plants. There was a market, an amphitheater, a colosseum. Several braziers and torches lit up the streets. And right at the end of the road that wound through the city, at very top of it, was the largest palace of all.
"You're seeing it too, right? I haven't just gone crazy?" I asked Percy, just to make sure this wasn't a hallucination due to the lack of sleep.
"If you're crazy, then so am I." he answered, his gaze fixed on the sight in front of him as well.
As we walked through Olympus, we attracted the attention of quite a few of its residents. A couple of nymphs giggled and threw olives at us, some of the merchants in the market tried to haggle with us, one even tried selling us a replica of the Golden Fleece. I also saw several satyrs and naiads gathered around a group of good looking teenagers, minor gods and goddesses I imagined. I even saw the nine muses hurrying past with their instruments in tow. In general, nobody seemed that concerned with the possibility of a civil war.
As we walked to the gates of the highest palace, most likely the one belonging to the gods, I realized something that was kind of sad: this looked like an exact replica of Hades's palace in the Underworld. The only difference was the colors. Where in the Underworld it had been colored in black and bronze, this one was colored in white and silver. I realized that since Hades wasn't allowed on Olympus except during the winter solstice, he must have decided to build his own version of Olympus down in the Underworld. Looking at the palace of the Olympians now, I could understand why someone would be angry at being kicked out of this place.
We walked in and continued into the throne room. Though I suppose 'room' wasn't the best word for it. The place made the Grand Central Station look like a broom cupboard. Massive columns rose up to a domed ceiling decorated with actual moving constellations. Twelve thrones the same size of Hades's were spread around in an inverted U formation with a large fire in the center, like an upscaled version of the cabin arrangement back at Camp Half-Blood. All the thrones were empty except for two on the far end, where two gods in giant form, like Hades had been, were waiting for us.
Sat on the right, in a throne made of solid platinum, was Zeus himself. He was dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit. He had a trimmed beard with a mixture of black and grey that made it look like a storm cloud. His face, while handsome, carried with it an aura of power and authority that left very clear who was in charge.
To his left was a much more humble throne. It looked like the chair of a fisherman, with a black leather seat and a holster for a fishing rod. Only instead of a fishing rod, it was a trident. Sat on it was a god dressed much differently than Zeus. Poseidon was clothed in leather sandals, khaki shorts and a shirt with coconuts and parrots printed on it. He looked more like a man ready to enjoy a day on the beach and less like the ruler of all of the Earth's oceans. His hair was black and his sea green eyes resembled Percy's so much it was uncanny. The more I looked at him, the more convinced I was that he was Percy's father without a shadow of a doubt.
Both gods were quiet, neither of them saying a word. But there was a tension in the air that suggested they had been arguing recently. Percy walked and kneeled before them, with me following right after.
"Father." he simply said.
"Shouldn't you have addressed the lord of this house first, boy?" Zeus said.
"Peace, brother. The boy submits to his father. That is not wrong." Poseidon said.
His voice was calm, much calmer than Zeus. It reminded me of the waves gently reaching the shoreline in the evening.
"So, you still claim him as your own?" Zeus inquired.
"You recognize this child you bore against our secret oath?"
"I have already admitted to my transgression. Now I want to hear what he and his friend have to say." Poseidon replied.
"I've already spared him once." Zeus grumbled.
"Daring to fly through my domain... Bah! I should have struck him down for his imprudence."
"And run the risk of destroying your own master bolt? Besides, I doubt Apollo would take kindly to you killing his daughter that you have falsely accused, or Athena to you killing hers." Poseidon calmly pointed out.
"Let us hear them out, brother."
"Let's hear them then. And afterwards, I'll decide whether or not to throw them off of Olympus." Zeus decided.
"Perseus. Look at me." Poseidon requested.
Percy raised his gaze to meet Poseidon's. For a few moments, they seemed to be having a silent conversation. Then Poseidon spoke again.
"Address Lord Zeus, boy. Tell him your story."
And tell it we did, just as it had happened to the best of our ability. Once we finished, Percy took the master bolt out of the backpack and placed it at Zeus's feet. There was a long silence. Then Zeus opened his hand and the weapon flew into his grip. When he closed his fist around it, the metallic tips crackled with electricity until he was holding what looked like an actual lightning bolt taken from a passing storm cloud.
"I feel they tell the truth." Zeus muttered.
"But that Ares could do such a thing... it's not like him."
"He's proud and impulsive. It runs in the family." Poseidon said.
"My lord?" I spoke up.
"Yes?" they both replied.
"Ares didn't act alone. Someone else, something else, had the idea."
I proceeded to tell them about mine and Percy's dreams and the presence on the beach, occasionally looking over at him to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
"In Percy's dreams, the voice told him to take the bolt to the Underworld." I explained.
"And Ares made it clear that he had dreams too. We believe he was being used to start a war, just like us.
"So you are accusing Hades?" Zeus inquired.
"Not at all, my lord." I immediately corrected.
"Hades had nothing to do with it. He was as much of a victim as you. That presence on the beach was the same as the one in the abyss, the entrance to Tartarus. It was older, much older than any god."
Zeus and Poseidon shared a glance. They had a quick exchange in Ancient Greek, out of which I only caught one word: father. Eventually, Zeus raised his hand, effectively shutting the argument down.
"We will not speak of this matter anymore." he declared.
"I must go purify this bolt in the waters of Lemnos, to cleanse the human stain from the metal."
He stood up and looked at Percy and I. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed his expression softened a bit.
"You have done me a service, you two. Few heroes would have managed as much."
"We had help." Percy said.
"Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase..."
"To show my gratitude, I will spare your life. I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But in the name of family peace, I will let you live."
"Uhm... thank you, sir."
"Do not dare to fly again. And don't let me find you here when I return. Otherwise, you will experience the power of this bolt, and it will be the last thing you feel."
As he finished speaking, a crack of thunder shook the palace and Zeus vanished in a blinding flash.
"My brother has always had an inclination towards drama. I think he would have been quite successful as the god of theater." Poseidon commented, before he turned to me.
"Penelope."
"Yes, my lord?" I asked, unsure of what he wanted of me.
"You are a brave soul. One of the bravest I've seen." he told me with a smile.
"Thank you for being such a loyal friend to my son."
I returned the smile.
"Thank you for creating such a kind son."
"I hardly deserve any credit for that." he replied with a slight laugh, though I could tell there was some guilt behind it.
"Anyway, I believe my nephew Apollo would like to speak to you."
I felt my heart skip a beat.
"Apollo. You mean..."
"Yes, your father is here on Olympus." Poseidon confirmed.
"He should be in the gardens."
"I... thank you, lord Poseidon." I stammered, struggling to find words.
He simply gave me another smile.
As quickly as I could without tripping over my own feet, I made my way out of the throne room and towards the gardens. As I got closer, I began to hear music. It was a particular pop song that I had found particularly catchy when I was younger. But something about it was off, though I couldn't exactly tell what.
When I entered the gardens I saw the nine muses with their instruments and a blond man with his back towards me.
"No. Come on, ladies! From a G you go to a C, not a D minor." he told them.
"Dad?" I spoke up, making an effort to actually get the words out.
The man turned to me, revealing his face. He seemed to be in his early thirties, with tanned skin and wavy blond hair that seemed to almost glow. He was dressed in a shirt that read 'keep your guitar, I'm the lyre hero!' and a pair of jeans. Everything about him gave off an aura of light and happiness and he seemed to emanate a comforting sort of heat.
"Oh, Penny." he said, before turning to the muses.
"Excuse me, ladies. Could you give us a moment?"
The muses nodded and walked away, one of them giving me a kind smile. And just like that I was left alone with a father I had never met.
"Sorry about that." he apologized.
"We've got a big concert tonight and I thought I could get a small rehearsal in before you arrived. Misjudged the time though. God of prophecy, not time."
I just stood there, not knowing how to answer. I had a million things I wanted to do and say, like yell at him for abandoning me, or finally hug him like I wished I could, or share stories about my life. But no words came out and my limbs were frozen.
"Uhm... did I say something wrong?" he asked.
"Sorry, sir. I just..."
"Okay, no 'sir', alright? It makes me feel old." he interrupted with a smile.
"Sorry... dad." I said tentatively.
"I'm not really used to this."
"I imagined you wouldn't. Even after millennia this never gets easier." he admitted.
"Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of questions."
I did. One of them being 'why did you leave me alone in that orphanage?'. But I didn't think that would go over very well. And there was another one that also quickly jumped to the forefront of my mind.
"In the Underworld, Hades said Eliza Ranger, my mom, was still alive. Is that true?"
He sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"So we're opening that can of worms. Alright. Yes, she is alive. But the situation is very complicated." he answered.
"Do you know where she is?" I asked hopefully.
However, any thoughts I had of finally reuniting with my mother were shattered by the sad look my dad gave me.
"I'm sorry, Penny, but I don't." he told me as he began explaining.
"When I met your mother, she was a student in medical school. She was a prodigy, top of her class, and she wanted to save lives more than anything. And when she had you, it was the happiest moment of her life. I'll never forget her smile. It was brighter than the sun chariot."
He stopped for a bit, as if he were remembering that very moment.
"But the harsh reality of a demigod's life caught up with you. Her house was attacked by a monster and was reduced to rubble. She barely escaped alive. When she woke up, they told her there were no survivors, that you were gone. She was devastated, and she blamed me for what happened. I tried to comfort her, but she was too angry, too heartbroken. She made me swear on the River Styx that I would disappear from her life, that I would never try to find her again." he told me with an expression of pure sorrow.
"I later found out that you had been rescued by one of my sister's hunters. But by then it was too late, and I had no idea where Eliza was. The best I could do was to put you in an orphanage in New York and hope her path would one day cross with yours."
I didn't know which was worse, believing my mom was dead or this: knowing she was alive, that she had cared for me, that she loved me, but that she was completely out of my reach, that even my dad, the god of the sun, couldn't find her. Even if I had tried, I wouldn't have been able to stop the tears streaming from my eyes. I felt my father's arms wrap around me and I latched onto him, seeking any kind of comfort. I felt like a little girl who needed to get reassurance from her parents that it was alright, that everything would be okay.
Eventually we pulled away, me wiping the tears out of my face.
"I'm proud of you, Penny. And I'm sure your mother would be too." my dad said, before he pulled a photograph out of his pocket.
"Here. I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do."
I took the photograph and looked at it. It showed a woman with blond hair and warm brown eyes like mine, dressed in jeans and a red flannel shirt. She was smiling amusedly at the camera, her eyes seeming to say 'you big dork' or something like that. Without even having to ask, I knew it was my mother.
"T-thank you, dad. Thank you so much." I told him, trying not to get choked up or start crying again.
"You deserve to have that." he said with a smile.
He then reached down and picked up a folder at his feet that I hadn't noticed earlier.
"Here." he said, giving me the folder.
"A few of my musical compositions. Something for you to go through with the rest of your brothers and sisters. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with it."
I glanced down at the folder and smiled. I knew for a fact that the entirety of cabin seven would have a field day with it.
"I'm sure we will." I told him.
"Goodbye, dad."
"Shine bright Penny. Show the world what it means to be a daughter of Apollo."