Prologue

Ok, I'm going to give you some advice. If you're going to piss off the Olympians, don't do it before lunch. The last thing you need is to have Zeus glaring daggers at you while all you can think is, 'I wonder if I could ask for a 15 minutes lunch recess.'

My name is Percy Jackson, and as I'm sure you've guessed, this story begins with me in front of an angry Olympian council wishing I'd eaten a better breakfast.

Of course, you're no doubt wondering what in the world I did to infuriate 12 of the most powerful beings in existence. I'm still asking myself that. After all, I had recently saved their butts from utter destruction—not to mention the whole world—twice. How does someone who did that get on the bad side of Olympus?

Well, why don't we find out?

"All right! I hereby call this reward ceremony to order!!" Zeus thundered (snicker, snicker).

The Seven of the Great Prophecy (hey, that's me!) stood before the Council, minus Leo, along with Renya and Nico. Though Hades and Nico swore they had felt Leo die, his spirit had yet to come to the Underworld, which I found troubling, but we could do nothing for now.

We watched as the various side conversations eventually died down.

"We again find ourselves...er...indebted to these young heroes," Zeus grudgingly announced. "Are there any who would refute this?"

Silence reigned. Poseidon beamed at me, which was nice. Many of the other gods seemed either bored or indifferent. I glanced toward the hearth, where my favorite goddess tended to the coals. I was surprised to see her looking at me with...sorrow? Pity?

Before I could wonder at her expression, Zeus's voice drew my attention back to the proceedings.

"Renya Avila Ramírez-Arellano, step forward!"

I could see Renya wince at the use of her full name, but she nevertheless stepped forward. Zeus shifted into his Roman aspect of Jupiter before he spoke.

"Renya, you have gone far above the call of duty. You have served Rome with heart and..."

I kind of zoned out for the next little while as Zeus/Jupiter droned on about who knows what. To be fair, I could tell I wasn't the only one; Dionysus was reading a magazine, Hermes was texting someone (I saw George and Martha waving themselves at me and smiled), and Apollo was absent-mindedly listening to something on his iPod. I noted that Renya was given the office of consul, Nico was appointed as the immortal ambassador of Hades/Pluto, and Piper, Jason, Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth were offered partial immortality. All gifts were graciously accepted.

"Percy Jackson!" I heard Zeus call out.

Oh shoot. I hope I didn't miss anything important. Was all I could think before stepping forward. Fortunately, it appeared not.

"For your continued faithfulness and loyalty to Olympus in times of crisis, the Council of Olympus has decided to appoint you to the Council as the god of Loyalty, Friendship, and Devotion. The process of the change will—"

"Hold up," I interjected. "What do you mean, the Council has decided? I'm the one who makes this decision."

Silence prevailed as I watched Zeus turn several shades of red. The other Olympians and my friends stared at me with all kinds of emotions crossing their faces. I was shocked to see that the most common ones were anger and...hatred?

I again glanced at Hestia, who I noticed was looking away. But I could see the tears dripping from her cheeks.

"Perseus," Athena said, clearly trying to keep from freaking out, "your power is great. You cannot remain in the world, where you can be...influenced."

I gaped at the Council, looking for a friendly face. Nothing. Even my father wouldn't meet my gaze.

They want me as their attack dog. They want a puppet.

"No," I growled, "I will not join the Council. I am a demigod, and that is my identity. I stand for those of your children who have fallen and gone unnoticed, and I do it as one of them."

Zeus stared at me with rage filling his eyes. He was literally spitting sparks as he snarled, "then you leave us with no choice."

"I hereby find you guilty of insubordination against this Council, and sentence you to death. Those in favor?"

Right here is when I was thinking about how hungry I was. Damn ADHD.

I was shocked by the whole thing. But what truly horrified me is that every single hand went up. Even my dad's.

"What are you doing?" Hades shouted at his brother. "He has done nothing wrong. He has just saved your ass for the second time in as many years. How can you sentence him to death for nothing?!?"

"You can't do this!!" Renya screamed.

"This is worse than ridiculous," Nico growled.

I glanced around, sure my other friends would back me up. But all I saw were 5 people who were looking away.

Even my Wise Girl. Annabeth wouldn't stand up for me.

"SILENCE!!!" roared Zeus. "Hades, if you do not restrain yourself, we will remove you from the throne room."

Hades looked on in fury. "No need. You will not see my face in this room again until this Council has paid for its sins against Perseus Jackson." And he melted into shadow, taking Nico and Renya with him.

I was stunned. Did Hades just stand up for me?

Zeus cleared his throat, clearly disturbed by the turn of events. But he glared at me as he announced, "By a vote of 12-0, your sentence will be carried out immediately. Do you have any final words?"

I simply glared at the Olympians. "I gave everything for you. And this is what I get for my loyalty. Kronos was right. Gaea was right. Your council will fall. Because of your arrogance and stupidity, I will tear this council apart. I swear it on the Styx."

Thunder boomed as Zeus screamed, KILL HIM!!!!!"

But as I was about to be destroyed, Fate intervened. Literally.

"No," I heard three voices announce.

I opened my eyes and gaped at what I saw. The Three Fates were holding a glowing ball of energy—the energy that was about to kill me, I assumed. The gods looked equally stunned.

In creepy harmony, the Fates chanted, "We have watched your rule, and you have become corrupted. You are beyond redemption. This boy will be the tool that tears Olympus apart, just as he has sworn."

The gods looked horrified as the Fates then turned to look at me. I prepared for them to deliver some great wisdom. What came next was yet another surprise.

Just a single word.

"Run."

I didn't need to be told twice. I took off, away from the murderers I had once called friends and family.

Hello everyone, it's Jackson1984ever! I'd just like to start by saying this is my first fanfic, so I'm open to genuine criticism. If you want to rage at me,go ahead. Seeing people freak out over fiction always cracks me up.

That said, if someone feels they could help me step into the world of fanfiction writing, I'd welcome a Beta reader!

I probably won't start up the story until after New Years, so this is just a teaser. Rate and review, and above all, ENJOY!!!!