Percy 

I stood on the roof of one of the buildings after I had jumped off Olympus, the wind whistling around me. My wings fluttered gently in the breeze as I gazed down at the tiny specks below me that were the mortals. 

My heart ached as I imagined Zoe standing beside me with her arms around my waist, her lips brushing against my ear as she told me how much she loved me.

I curled my fingers into a fist as I felt my powers acting up in response to my anger. I knew I should've killed Phoebe when she started to have thoughts about betraying me. 

But I didn't, and that mistake led to Zoe's death. 

I sighed before I heard a familiar voice say "My Lord, what's troubling you?" 

I glanced back to see Alex, one of the twin sons of Hyperion, standing behind me, a frown on his face. He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, and a sword was strapped to his side. 

"Nothing." I answered, and Alex rolled his eyes. "I've been at your side for years, My King. I can say that I know you well enough to tell when you're lying to me." 

I scowled at him, annoyed. He was right, he could tell when I was lying to him. 

"Are you still thinking about Zoe?" Alex questioned as he walked over to the edge of the roof. He sat down, dangling his legs over the side of the building. 

"Yes." I said, moving over to sit next to him. Alex clicked his tongue and gave me a sympathetic look. 

"I see. It's been a month, My Lord. Zoe wouldn't have wanted to see you like this." 

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you trying to say?" 

"You know what I'm trying to say. I mean no disrespect at all, but Zoe would have wanted you to move on." 

I thought about kicking Alex off of the roof for that comment but sadly, my brain told me that my subordinate was, once again, right. 

"It's not that easy." I muttered, leaning forward slightly. "She-She meant the world to me. She stuck by me while I took the throne from Zeus, and she was always there for me when I needed her." 

Alex reached out to put his hand on my shoulder. "I know she meant the world to you, My King. But she's gone now, and you have no choice but to move on. The army needs you to be at your absolute best."

I looked up at the bright blue sky before sighing and saying "I know. Thank you." 

The son of Hyperion smiled and lifted his hand off of my shoulder. "No problem. I'll always be at your side, Percy." 

I returned the smile before getting to my feet, my wings unfurling as I did so. Alex glanced up at me with a questioning look, and I said "I'm going to stay out here for a bit longer. You can return to Olympus." 

Alex nodded and he vanished in a burst of flames. I placed one foot at the edge of the roof before jumping off, the wind whistling around me. 

My wings snapped open and I glided through the air, keeping my eyes on the mortals below me. I thought about the conversation I had with Alex, and the smile returned to my face. 

I probably should listen to him more.

Nico

I stood in the corner of the training arena with a scowl on my face. Clarisse was beside me, and she was using a rag to wipe down the blade of a sword. 

Luckily, none of the demigods or demi-titans from Percy's army were in the training arena at the moment, and that gave us time to rest. 

"To think that it's only been a month since we were assigned here. This fucking sucks." I growled as I stepped back to lean against the wall. 

Clarisse put the sword and the rag down and turned to face me. "I know. But we can't get out of here, it's impossible." 

"No shit." I grumbled as I glared down at the bracelet I had around my right wrist. Percy had forced me to wear it, and Hestia and Ares had told me that the bracelet prevents me from using my powers. 

Wonderful. 

"We could've had it worse if you think about it." Ares said, walking towards Clarisse and I with Hestia at his side. 

"I know." I said, shuddering as I remembered seeing the condition Annabeth was in. I really wanted to help her, but how could I help her if I couldn't even help myself?

Hestia smiled gently at me as she sat down on a wooden chair. "Ares is right. My brothers are suffering way more than we are. I truly wish I could check up on them." 

I winced as my mind flashed back to when I had talked to Zeus on top of Mount Othrys. The former King of the Gods obviously wasn't doing too well. 

"I wonder how Will is doing." Clarisse muttered, and I frowned at that. The last time I had seen Will was when Percy had taken him to a cell to recover after being stabbed. 

"Same. Percy hasn't given him a job yet. Will is still in the cell." 

"That's odd. Percy should've put him to work already. I mean, the only reason we're still alive is because Percy wants us as slaves." Ares grumbled. 

I looked down at the bracelet on my wrist again and knew Ares was right. Percy could've easily killed us all when he had defeated us. But he chose to keep us alive so that we could serve him and his army.

"I did tell him I would rather die." A familiar voice said suddenly. I glanced up to see Jason step into the training room with a broom clutched in his hand. 

"Huh. The others got the easy way out." Ares mused. "Well, the other Olympians did at least. Can't say the same for the demigods who had died." 

"Right. Thank you for realizing that we're not Gods, and that we don't reform." Clarisse sighed. 

Jason scoffed at that and he propped his broom against the wall. "After that failed rescue attempt, I had to spend almost a week in the dungeons. I don't know why Reyna and Frank got off easy." 

"Percy hates you more." I said bluntly.

Jason raised an eyebrow as Clarisse inhaled sharply. Even Ares and Hestia were staring at me with curious looks. 

"You're right, I can't deny that." Jason said with a strained smile. "I'm honestly surprised that Percy didn't keep me in the dungeons permanently with Annabeth. Instead, he gave me the job of being a janitor with Frank." 

I shrugged and ran a hand through my hair. "Trust me, I've been wondering about that as well. But just be glad he didn't do it." 

"I am." Jason grabbed the handle of his broom, his eyes scanning the training arena. He sighed when he saw how dirty the floor was. "This is going to be a pain." 

"Where's Frank?" Hestia asked. Jason looked at her and said "I don't know. One of Percy's subordinates told me to come and clean up in here." 

"Have fun with that." Clarisse snorted. "I think you're going to need a lot more than just a broom to clean the floor." 

Jason put a hand to his forehead and wrinkled his nose at the bloodstains. "Jeez, you think?"

"We can help you." I offered, but Jason shook his head. "No. I was given this task, so I need to be the one to do it. If anyone offers me assistance, they'll be punished." 

"Really? How do you know that?" Ares demanded. 

Jason tightened his grip on the handle of the broom. "Because Frank tried to help me when he had a break, and he was punished for it." 

I frowned, and Clarisse looked downright murderous. "That piece of shit, I'm going to strangle that pompous demi-primordial!" 

"When did you have the vocabulary for such big words?" I asked with a smirk. Clarisse sent me a death glare but didn't say anything in response to my insult. 

That was a first. I was sure she was going to beat me into a bloody pulp. 

"Okay, well, anyways, I'll be back. I need to grab a mop with some water." Jason said. He waved at us before turning and leaving the room. 

"We should make it look like we're actually doing something in case anyone else walks in here to train." I picked up the sword Clarisse had been cleaning and stared at my reflection in the blade. 

Is this really my life now?

Word count: 1458

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