"Should we wake them?"

"They look so cute... adorable, really." 

"We ought to wake them." 

"Can we take a picture first?"

Lila blinks as she slowly wakes up, her head resting on a soft, pillow, which beats steadily. "What's happening?"

"Shhh." 

There's a flash of a camera, which is enough to wake her up, back to her senses. In horror, she realises that her soft pillow is actually Percy's chest, and that Thalia and Grover standing over them, both looking mildly amused, though also concerned. She pushes herself into a seated position. "Guys?"

"Good sleep?" Thalia says with a smirk.

Lila ignores her blush, as Percy also wakes up, equally confused. He, like Lila, must have had some kind of nightmare. She shudders to think of that period in her life. She forgot how she used to depend on Luke. He manipulated them all so well. 

Thalia's grin fades. "Come on. It's late afternoon. We've got visitors."

"Visitors?" Percy says, confused?

Thalia nods. "A Titan wants to see you, under a flag of truce. He has a message from Kronos."

The white flag towers over all the surroundings, flapping in the gentle wind. It's huge, and it's carried by a giant who's even huger, with bright blue skin and grey hair. 

"A Hyperborean," Thalia explains. "The giants of the north. It's a bad sign that they sided with Kronos. They're usually peaceful."

"You've met them?" Percy asks.

"Mmm. There's a big colony in Alberta. You do not want to get into a snowball fight with those guys."

Lila decides not to ask for more details.

Beside the giant are three average sized human-things. One is a half-blood in armour, another is an empousa in a black funereal dress, and the third is a tall man in a tuxedo. It's an odd group.

"The tux dude is the Titan?" Percy checks.

Grover nods nervously. "He looks like a magician. I hate magicians. They usually have rabbits."

"You're scared of bunnies?"

"Blah-hah-hah! They're big bullies. Always stealing celery from defenseless satyrs!"

"Grover," Lila says, completely seriously. "You're the Chosen Satyr of the god Pan. You're the least defenseless satyr ever."

Thalia coughs.

"What?" Grover demands defensively.

"We'll have to work on your bunny phobia later," Percy decides. "Here they come."

The man in the tux steps forward first - he's definitely the leader, as the others seem to defer to him, in respect. He has long-ish black hair, tied back in a ponytail, and dark sunglasses cover his eyes. Around his face, the skin is covered in scratches, like he's been mauled by a tiny animal.

"Percy Jackson," he says smoothly. "It's a great honor."

The empousa hisses.

"My dear," he says. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?"

She releases his arm and drifts over to a park bench. Lila checks out the other demigod - it's Ethan. He's gotten a new helmet, but it doesn't disguise his nose, which seems completely broken from when Percy hit him. He's limping a little too, which Lila's sure is from her fight with him, which brings her a little satisfaction. After what he did to Annabeth, she has no love for him anymore. 

"Hey, Ethan," Percy says. "You're looking good."

Ethan glares at him. Lila glares back.

"To business." The Titan extends a hand. "I am Prometheus."

"The fire-stealer guy? The chained-to-the-rock-with-the-vultures guy?" Percy asks tactfully.

Prometheus winces, holding out a hand for Lila to shake instead, since Percy ignores his. Lila shakes it unwillingly, but as soon as he holds it, he bends down to kiss it. Thalia narrows her eyes.

 "Please, don't mention the vultures. But yes, I stole fire from the gods and gave it to your ancestors. In return, the ever merciful Zeus had me chained to a rock and tortured for all eternity."

"But—"

"How did I get free? Hercules did that, eons ago. So you see, I have a soft spot for heroes. Some of you can be quite civilized."

"Unlike the company you keep," Percy pointedly looks at Ethan, but Prometheus doesn't realise..

"Oh, demons aren't so bad," he says. "You just have to keep them well fed. Now, Percy Jackson, let us parley."

They sit at a picnic table - Percy and Lila facing Prometheus, Thalia and Grover behind them. Lila wasn't going to sit, but Prometheus insisted. He won't stop looking at her - actually, it's a little disconcerting.

Prometheus sits forward and laces his fingers together. "Percy, your position is weak. You know you can't stop another assault."

"We'll see."

"Percy, I'm the Titan of forethought. I know what's going to happen."

"Forethought isn't prophecy," Lila cuts in. "You're just good at planning."

"Also the Titan of crafty counsel," Grover adds. "Emphasis on crafty."

Prometheus shrugs. "True enough, both of you. But I supported the gods in the last war. I told Kronos: 'You don't have the strength. You'll lose.' And I was right. So you see, I know how to pick the winning side. This time, I'm backing Kronos."

"Because Zeus chained you to a rock," Percy guesses.

"Partly, yes. I won't deny I want revenge. But that's not the only reason I'm supporting Kronos. It's the wisest choice. I'm here because I thought you might listen to reason."

On the table, he draws a map. When he touches it, golden lines appear, the concrete glowing.  "This is Manhattan. We have armies here, here, here, and here. We know your numbers. We outnumber you twenty to one."

"Your spy has been keeping you posted," Percy says miserably.

Prometheus smiles. "At any rate, our forces are growing daily. Tonight, Kronos will attack. You will be overwhelmed. You've fought bravely, but there's just no way you can hold all of Manhattan. You'll be forced to retreat to the Empire State Building. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen."

"I won't let it happen," Percy says. To Prometheus, it may just be empty promising, but Lila wholeheartedly believes him. 

"Understand, Percy. You are refighting the Trojan War here. Patterns repeat themselves in history. They reappear just as monsters do. A great siege. Two armies. The only difference is, this time you are defending. You are Troy. And you know what happened to the Trojans, don't you?"

It's a point Lila's never really considered, but she supposes it's true, in a weird way. Percy is Achilles - blessed by his curse. Olympus is Troy, and they are reaching the last year of the Trojan War now, the last stand of both the Trojans and the Greeks. 

"So you're going to cram a wooden horse into the elevator at he Empire State Building?" Percy scoffs. "Good luck."

Prometheus smiles chillingly. "Troy was completely destroyed, Percy. It doesn't even exist on a map today. You don't want that to happen here. Stand down, and New York will be spared. Your forces will be granted amnesty. I will personally assure your safety. Let Kronos take Olympus. Who cares? Typhon will destroy the gods."

"Typhon will destroy all the demigods, too," Lila says. "Kronos wouldn't risk Titans to fight him."

"And I'm supposed to believe Kronos would spare the city?" Percy adds doubtfully.

"All he wants is Olympus," Prometheus promises, to them both. "The might of the gods is tied to their seats of power. You saw what happened to Poseidon once his undersea palace was attacked."

Whatever happened to Poseidon must've been bad, for Percy winces at the reminder, thinking of it. 

"Yes," Prometheus continues. "I know that was hard for you. When Kronos destroys Olympus, the gods will fade. They will become so weak they will be easily defeated. Kronos would rather do this while Typhon has the Olympians distracted in the west. Much easier. Fewer lives lost. But make no mistake, the best you can do is slow us down. The day after tomorrow, Typhon arrives in New York, and you will have no chance at all. The gods and Mount Olympus will still be destroyed, but it will be much messier. Much, much worse for you and your city. Either way, the Titans will rule."

Thalia pounds her fist on the table angrily. "I serve Artemis. The Hunters will fight to our last breath. Percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?"

Prometheus only smiles, his eye catching Lila's like she's privy to some inside joke - so secret, she doesn't know it. "Your courage does you credit, Thalia Grace."

Thalia stiffens. "That's my mother's surname. I don't use it."

"As you wish," Prometheus says, but beneath his fake casualness, he looks a little smug, happy to have gotten under her skin. 

"At any rate," the Titan says, "you need not be my enemy. I have always been a helper of mankind."

"That's a load of Minotaur dung," Thalia retorts. "When mankind first sacrificed to the gods, you tricked them into giving you the best portion. You gave us fire to annoy the gods, not because you cared about us."

"You don't understand. I helped shape your nature." In his hands, a lump of clay appears. His long fingers fashion it with a delicacy quite unheard of from gods, until it's a little doll with legs and arms. It stumbles over his fingers. "I have been whispering in man's ear since the beginning of your existence. I represent your curiosity, your sense of exploration, your inventiveness. Help me save you, Percy. Do this, and I will give mankind a new gift—a new revelation that will move you as far forward as fire did. You can't make that kind of advance under the gods. They would never allow it. But this could be a new golden age for you. Or . . ." He makes a fist and smashes the clay man into just a smudge of clay on the table. 

The empousa laughs.

"Percy, you know the Titans and their offspring are not all bad," Prometheus adds. "You've met Calypso."

Lila shifts in her seat awkwardly, wishing she could disappear.

Percy tenses beside her. "That's different."

"How? Much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was Atlas's daughter. We are not your enemies. Don't let the worst happen," he pleads. "We offer you peace."

Percy looks instead to Ethan. "You must hate this."

"I don't know what you mean."

"If we took this deal, you wouldn't get revenge. You wouldn't get to kill us all. Isn't that what you want?"

Lila, happy for this diversion in topic, nods. 

"All I want is respect, Jackson. The gods never gave me that. You wanted me to go to your stupid camp, spend my time crammed into the Hermes cabin because I'm not important? Not even recognized?"

"People don't respect you because you suck," Lila snaps. "It's nothing to do with your mom."

Ethan sneers. "You respected me." 

"Yeah, I used to. Now I know what a backstabbing little - " 

Thalia puts a hand on Lila's shoulder, squeezing slightly as if to tell her not to insult the truce party. From anyone else, it might have annoyed her, but from Thalia, it seems like she agrees with everything Lila's said, but just wants to warn her that this isn't the time and place. 

"Your mom's the goddess of revenge," Percy continues. "We should respect that?"

"Nemesis stands for balance! When people have too much good luck, she tears them down."

"Which is why she took your eye?"

"It was payment. In exchange, she swore to me that one day I would tip the balance of power. I would bring the minor gods respect. An eye was a small price to pay."

"Great mom."

"At least she keeps her word, unlike the Olympians. She always pays her debts—good or evil."

Lila scoffs.

"Yeah," Percy adds. "So I saved your life, and you repaid me by raising Kronos. That's fair."

Ethan grabs his sword, but Prometheus holds a hand out in front of him.

"Now, now, we're on a diplomatic mission." The Titan watches Percy, before nodding. "It bothers you what happened to Luke," he decided. "Hestia didn't show you the full story. Perhaps if you understood . . ." He reaches out - Thalia cries a warning, but Prometheus is faster, touching Percy's forehead.

A second later, he pulls his hand away. Lila watches Percy carefully - he's clammy with sweat, his breathing heavy.

"Percy?" Thalia asks. "What . . . what was that?"

Lila squeezes his fingers gently under the table.

"Appalling, isn't it? The gods know what is to come, and yet they do nothing, even for their children. How long did it take for them to tell you your prophecy, Percy Jackson? Don't you think your father knows what will happen to you?"

Percy doesn't answer.

"Perrrcy," Grover warns, "he's playing with your mind. Trying to make you angry."

It seems like he's succeeding.

"Do you really blame your friend Luke?" the Titan asks. "And what about you, Percy? Will you be controlled by your fate? Kronos offers you a much better deal."

Percy only grits his teeth. "I'll give you a deal. Tell Kronos to call off his attack, leave Luke Castellan's body, and return to the pits of Tartarus. Then maybe I won't have to destroy him."

The empousa snarls, baring sharp canines. 

"If you change your mind," Prometheus sighs, "I have a gift for you." 

On the table, a Greek vase appears. There's a certain name for it's type, but Lila can't quite remember it, only vaguely remembering Annabeth mentioning it at some point. It's about three foot high, glazed with black-and-white designs. Lila can only just make out that it seems to be the story of creation, from Chaos to Gaia and Uranus and all the other primordials. 

Grover whimpers when he sees it.

Thalia gasps. "That's not—"

"Yes," Prometheus says. "You recognize it."

Just it's presence seems to elicit some fear in Lila, for no rational reason. She just feels fear, at nothing and everything all at once. 

"This belonged to my sister-in-law," Prometheus explains. "Pandora."

"As in Pandora's box?"

Prometheus shakes his head. "I don't know how this box business got started. It was never a box. It was a pithos, a storage jar. I suppose Pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that. Yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind—fear, death, hunger, sickness."

"Don't forget me," the empousa purrs.

"Indeed," Prometheus agrees. "The first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by Pandora. But what I find curious about the story—Pandora always gets the blame. She is punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe that this is the lesson: mankind should not explore. They should not ask questions. They should do what they are told. In truth, Percy, this jar was a trap designed by Zeus and the other gods. It was revenge on me and my entire family—my poor simple brother Epimetheus and his wife Pandora. The gods knew she would open the jar. They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us."

Maybe he's right. How many times have the demigods paid the price for mistakes of Zeus, or Hera, or anyone else? Like when Percy was wrongfully accused of stealing the master bolt, or when Pan told Grover it was his responsibility to save the environment. When Hera and Persephone and Demeter let Lila wallow in self-loathing because of some secret Olympus is keeping, because she's lesser. 

But the Titans will never be any better than the gods. 

"Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it."

"Hope," Percy says.

"Very good, Percy. Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, would not abandon humanity. Hope does not leave without being given permission. She can only be released by a child of man."

He slides it across the table.

"I give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like," he says. "Keep Elpis, if you wish. But if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. Let Elpis go. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors.

"I don't want the thing," Percy says instantly.

"Too late, the gift is given. It cannot be taken back."

He stands. "Lila, I'd like to speak to you in private, before I take my leave." 

Lila's so taken aback by this that she only stares at him dumbly, confused. What could he want with her? "Why?"

"This secret the gods are keeping from you," he says kindly, though it sounds like a trap. "I'd like to enlighten you. Should you wish it. I think it's best I explain only to you, however." 

This seems like something from the Matrix. She can either choose to know - and this may be her only chance, or she can live in naivety forever. 

Even if she wasn't ridiculously curious, Lila knows she could never say no. What if the secret will give them some edge in the war effort? What if she could help people? 

Percy must know that she's already decided. "You shouldn't go with him alone." 

Ethan scoffs. "Why, what are we going to do to her, Jackson? If we wanted her dead we'd kill her right here." 

Lila ignores him. "Can Percy stay, at least?"

Prometheus smiles - suddenly, Lila feels like this is what he wanted all along. "Of course, my dear." 

The three of them walk a little way away from the group of demigods. Ethan wanders off toward the giant, staying a respectful distance away from Thalia, who's scowling. 

"So, tell me, Lila," Prometheus begins. "What do you know about your parents?"

Lila shivers, staring at the ground. "Uh, my mother's Persephone. I don't know my father. Is that what this is about?"

He smiles. "I think it would be good for you - all of you - to hear how the gods lie to you. You're all just pawns to them. They don't want children, they want playthings to amuse themselves for eternity. I spoke to your mother before you were born, you know. She came to me, desperate. She wanted a child, a demigod daughter of her own, but every time she had ever had one before, Hades had devised a way to remove the child before they could grow up." 

"That's horrible," Percy says. It also sounds like Hades. 

"Why would my mother come to you?" Lila questions, suspiciously. "You don't know each other." 

Prometheus shrugs. "She wanted a child - a child that would be hers and only hers. But she didn't want a godly child, she wanted a mortal one. This was her dilemma, you see. How can one have a mortal child without a mortal? She was quite desperate when she came to me. Lonely, I think. Or maybe just bored." 

"And what did you tell her?" Percy asks harshly. 

"I told her of this ancient story," Prometheus's shoulder's shake, like he's repressing some laughter. Lila must be the butt of some stupid immortal joke. "Have you heard the tale of Deucalion and Pyrrha?"

They both shake their heads. 

"Deucalion was my own demigod son. When I was first being punished, for giving mankind fire, Zeus gave Pandora her pithos, as I told you. When all those evils were released into the world, people forgot to pray to the gods." He laughs angrily. "I mean, can you blame them? Zeus was the cause of all their disease anyway. So, Zeus decided to wipe out all mankind, naturally - he planned a huge flood that would wash away everything humans had built, their livelihoods, their kingdoms, everything and everyone. I warned my son, and so he and his wife built a boat from which they could survive." 

"He just killed everybody?" Lila says, shocked. "Just - everyone, gone, just like that?"

"Just like that," Prometheus affirms. "Only Deucalion and Pyrrha survived, once the storms stopped. They were left with the earth all to themselves, a barren wasteland devoid of all life. The boat drifted for days until all the water had drained away, and it then rested on dry land, on Mount Parnassos, close to Delphi. They were the only humans left. They were both old by this point - too old to have any more children, but the task of repopulating the human race fell onto them. They went to Delphi, spoke to the Oracle, which told them to 'throw the bones of their mother over their shoulders'." 

"Bones of their mother?" Lila repeats, confused. "What?"

Prometheus chuckles slightly. "It was this story I told your mother when she visited me, Lila. I reminded her of what could happen. In Deucalion and Pyrrha's story, the "mother" was Earth, and the "bones" were rocks from deep in the ground. When they threw these rocks, the stones would turn into humans where they hit the earth, repopulating it." 

"Great story," Percy says, nodding. "What does that have to do with us?"

"You're not saying that my mother threw rocks over her shoulder to make me?" Lila recoils, disgusted. "I'm not a rock?"

"I don't know what your mother did," he says. "You're clearly not a mortal. You have godly blood and mortal blood. I imagine you probably have some influence over the earth, though you seem unaware of it. Perhaps you also understand the Ancient Speech, the way demigods understand Greek."

Something sinks in her heart. She remembers the earth calling to her, responding to her desires. She remembers understanding Briares when he spoke with that terrible dragon woman in a tongue only Tyson could understand. How she drowned, and came back to life, like she was never really alive at all.

"So what are you saying?" Percy demands, his green eyes narrowed in angry. Maybe he can see how the ground beneath her feet seems to be falling through. "You're trying to manipulate us." 

"I'm only saying that the Earth Mother is as much a parent to you as Persephone is," Prometheus smiles. "If you don't believe me, you can ask her. 

who saw this coming?

idk how i feel about this plot. honestly if i was writing this fic again i think i would make lila either rhea's daughter (i think that would be cool) or just gaia's daughter, not persephone's. but i wrote this like 2 years ago and came up with this plot and if i didn't go through with this idea, many things from earlier wouldn't make sense. 

yeah so this was a hard chapter to write. 10 more chapters! 

lyra