Hey Guys! I have an extremely long update for you!! Ready ... 12300 words!! Pretty long huh ;) This chapter I actually co-wrote with a wonderful writer, Adventures_girl_99. So if you really love this chapter make sure you message her too thanking her for her effort. I want to make it clear however that this was a onetime thing. I'm still okay if you guys want to send in ideas for the story though. Anyway, I should stop talking and let you continue on with the story!

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She replied through choked sobs, "A ... great love ... was just ... broken. ... A love ... that could outlast time ... just broke." The Olympians were now curious about who this was but before they could ask her she flashed out leaving only the smell of overdue perfume behind.

~~~

As soon as Aphrodite flashed to her temple she broke down in a fit of sobs. Most of the gods didn't know but every broken heart, every lost love was like a physical blow to her. She may have acted like broken hearts didn't affect her as to not worry her family but the truth was that her domain was killing her bit by bit and she took it all in silence.

She was sick of it. She was sick of having to suffer the pain of every broken heart. She was sick of the obliviousness of her family at the pain she was in, although, she'd never admit it.

She had been surviving for eternity with that pain without ever showing it. No one ever knew except for the most observant of the gods, Hestia. She always seemed to have a way of knowing things and had the ability to console any wound Aphrodite couldn't handle and was too much to bear. Hestia was always there for her and Aphrodite didn't know where she would be without her. For that, she was forever grateful.

However, this blow was the last straw. She was unable to tuck the pain away and decided it was time to show her true self. The pain was unbearable, the heartbreak too strong. Hestia wouldn't be able to help her this time, at least, enough to hide it.

Soon her sobs lessened to occasional sniffles. Though the pain was still fresh, she managed to gather herself and push the pain to the back of her head. She needed to find out what happened to cause this massive heartbreak.

The first thing that came to the forefront of her mind was Hestia's words during the council. She called the gods fools for badmouthing Percy. Or ... was it because they were fools for believing Percy did those acts? However, Hestia staunchly supported Percy for always respecting her even though she wasn't as popular as the other gods.

The love goddess was still angry, no, seething at Percy for the amount of disrespect he showed her and her children when she 'remembered' seeing him talking about Piper. Saying they were useless and weak, that Aphrodite wasn't worthy of her throne on Olympus. Her throne was the one thing that showed she wasn't some pushover love goddess. Being on the Olympian Council showed power and status and anybody who said she didn't deserve it deserved her wrath.

On the other hand, Hestia's anger filled eyes, containing only coldness and disgust instead of her usually warm and comforting eyes left her doubting what Aphrodite thought she saw.

Her doubt only grew bigger as she thought about the times Percy supported the Olympians, when he fought in the wars for them, the amount of pride and of course the embarrassment shining in his eyes as they praised him after the wars.

She remembered the amount of respect he showed them despite the times he tended to be disrespectful, but of course she knew that he was only joking just like she usually tends to be laid back unless someone crossed the line with her even though the other more temperamental gods tend to miss that line like *cough* Zeus *ahem* Athena ...

Chuckling at that thought seemed to lighten Aphrodite's mood slightly, but her smile vanished as soon as it came, leaving only a sense of dread and horror as she ran through possibilities.

She was positive that Percy wasn't responsible for any of the crimes he was accused of after her previous thoughts.

Prideful beings wouldn't refuse godhood just for the improvement of Olympus. And the demigods' camp, such selfless act definitely wouldn't even cross their mind. In fact, anyone, especially the power thirsty ones, wouldn't have thought about it for more than a second before they accepted.

Her dread and horror magnified as one of the only possibilities left ran through her head.

Someone must have been influencing them. Disbelief soon replaced that thought. How could someone have been manipulating them? When would they have done it? They should have felt another's power being worked on them. There was no way that there was a being powerful enough to manipulate a god without their notice, much less 12 Olympian gods.

If possible her sense of dread and horror returned and increased ten times. Someone was manipulating them into hating their hero. Possibly even a primordial or titan. Fighting and leading two wars, armed with nothing but a sword and a fiery determination do tend to gather many enemies.

Her dread only increased as she thought about it more. Without Perseus' help, Olympus would have been razed to the ground. The gods' reign would have ended. However, Percy was able to stop them. And if enemies wanted to destroy Olympus and end the gods' reign, then they must destroy the one with the ability to stop them and take away the hope of the people that that figure held.

After the last war, the remains of Gaea's army made feeble efforts to carry out their mistress' plans. Luckily these forces were mediocre at best and the gods and demigods were able to wipe them out.

Then, she recalled something she accidentally heard during a council meeting. She was too busy fixing her makeup to listen but she did manage to overhear a few things. She recalled Hermes reporting about the suspicious activities that the monsters seemed to be getting more coordinated in their attacks.

A solemn mood casted its shadow on the love goddess as her fears were confirmed. All of these circumstance can't be coincidences. As much as she wished they were, in the mythological world, there was no such thing as a coincidence.

The sense of dread and fear soon accompanied her solemn mood to be soon replaced by a fiery determination. No, it wasn't too late to fix what had been done. It was not too late to turn the tides and at least get back the winning card that would help them in the apparently approaching war.

It wasn't too late to fix what had been done and heal young Percy's heart.

She got up, not realizing that she had collapsed on the floor. Her arms were chilly from the coldness of the floor and she was shaking violently. Because of her temperature, fear, or determination she would never know. She hugged herself to try stop the shaking, then she wiped her eyes and her tear smudged face, staining her fingers with her ruined mascara.

As she was walking towards the bathroom to wash her face, something that glinted under the sofa caught her attention. Curious, Aphrodite slowly made her way to the sofa, kneeling down to pick up the glinting object.

As soon as her fingers touched the object, a shock went through her fingers that slowly and painfully made its way through her body, affecting her brain and heart in the process. Soon a bright golden light filled her vision, making her eyes shut at the sheer brightness of it.

When her vision cleared, she stared in confusion at her surroundings till she heard a cheering in the distance that caught her attention. She noticed a crowd near a strawberry field ...wait! Strawberry fields! Greek styled cabins! The Big House?! CAMP HALF-BLOOD!!!

Her shock only increased as a demigod passed right through her, walking straight towards the crowd. She felt the now familiar sense of dread as she recognized the familiar, unruly, jet black hair.

She tried jogging as to catch up with him but was slightly hindered because of her form fitting red satin dress and high heels. She kept cursing in ancient Greek as she somehow managed to catch up with the boy. She never really liked those ridiculous outfits she chose; they were always just a part of her act to cover up the pain.

To hide behind flashy clothes and makeup, to keep up her act, to not worry her family. She took all these measures so her family would think her happy and not worry about her.

Shaking herself to get back on topic, she began walking at the same pace as the boy beside her. She dared to steal a glance at the boy to see if it was who she thought it was and her fears were confirmed.

Because she caught sight of the familiar sea green eyes. However, what shocked her most was that they lost their usual sparkle, their mirth, their mischievous glint. They seemed ... heartbroken.

Aphrodite felt the all too familiar pain ... the heartbreak ... the bitterness. But the worst part? The fear and confusion his eyes held as he avoided the hostile glares the campers kept giving him. She felt all what he felt and it was worse than she imagined. She only seemed to feel a fraction of what he felt back in the council and it was still too much. This pain nearly made her collapse!

She quickly collected her wits though, and staggered after Percy, trying her best to clear her disoriented vision. She was mentally screaming at him to turn away and run from that crowd, already guessing what they were gathered near.

But the past was the past and the fates already decided the future of the Savior of Olympus.

But the worst part? She knew she couldn't get out of this blackout and she could only watch, helpless to do anything. The fates were cruel. She didn't need another example as to why every demigod that had ever lived hated them.

Her attention was brought back to the campers as Percy walked to his doom. They praised him after the wars. She remembered the amount of respect they showed him as he still worked his hardest to make the camp the best it could be.

As she watched Percy's face when he discovered the two people inside the crowd, she knew he wasn't responsible for the 'crimes' he committed.

A long time ago when the heartbreak started to hurt her, she managed to decrease the curse she was born with. She used to feel the every smidgen of pain of every broken love and if she hadn't of blocked it to the best of her ability, she would have had probably faded. Even with the block, she still felt a fraction of that pain.

She was brought out of her thoughts and silent pleas for Percy to stop when she noticed that they reached the crowd. Her sense of dread magnified till the point it being actually painful. And as she noticed what the campers were crowding around, her thoughts and fears were confirmed.

Because in the middle of that crowd was Annabeth Chase and a random camper she recognized as one of Morpheus' children in a heated love scene.

She felt a sharp stab of pain even with her blocks at full power and snapped her head to look at Percy. However, she was not prepared for the look in his eyes. His eyes, if possible, seemed to have darkened even more and looked nothing like his previous bright sea green color. Now they seemed more like the color of dead seaweed, full of confusion and heartbreak. She knew the floodgates would open soon but was still surprised at what she felt when the rest of his heart shattered.

She watched as he then took something from his pocket. A velvet box? It only took a second before Aphrodite took in a sharp breath, knowing what was in that box and proving why his heartbreak felt so absolute.

He slowly opened the lid and Aphrodite let out another involuntary gasp at the beauty of the ring. Inside the box was a wedding ring fit for the gods, a bright silver band that glinted more than a normal metal should with gems adorning the ring, one whitish grey and two sea green gems of smaller size on each side.

She already had suspicions on who made that ring but her mind couldn't focus enough through the pain. He stared at it for a few moments before dropping it and walking away.

Before she could follow however, the floodgates finally opened and a colorful stream of ancient Greek curses showered from her mouth. She wasn't prepared for another wave of pain and wasn't too surprised that she couldn't monitor her mouth through the pain. Some of her words were so intense that they could have made Ares blush. Heck! If Hera was present she'd have probably washed Aphrodite's mouth with a truck load of soap for centuries.

But her mind couldn't focus on any topic other than the pain she felt because it was unbearable. She tugged at her hair so furiously that she nearly pulled it out. She didn't even notice that she collapsed to her knees until she felt the soft grass brush against them.

Tears streamed down her already tear stained face. There were no words to describe the pain. She wanted to scream in agony but fought the urge. Instead, she clenched her jaw, hissing through her teeth with an occasional groan.

Then the flashbacks. She saw Poseidon disowning his only child with a look of fury while said child looked confused and extremely heartbroken.

She saw Percy getting assaulted by a bunch of aggressive campers and taking it all in silence, obviously not wishing to harm his fellow campers.

She saw all of the campers, his best friends, and all of the council except Hestia and Hades leaving him one by one, accusing him of things she now knew he didn't do. She only had to look at the truth written on his saddened and heartbroken face or the desperate and confused look in his eyes that could not be faked. She could feel the cloud of confusion that clouded her head disperse revealing the true horrors of what she and her fellow Olympians did to the most loyal demigod in the history of Olympus.

However, the last few flashbacks were the worst:

She saw Percy as a 6 year old child being abused by bald headed fat walrus of a man.

She saw his mother and step-father telling him they didn't want him anywhere near their family.

She saw Annabeth consoling Percy, telling him she'll always love him even if everyone else hated him and she somehow knew it was the day before that little scene with the Morpheus Camper.

But then there was one more flashback that gave her some hope. She saw Hestia consoling young Perseus, adopting him and telling him she'd always love him.

Aphrodite sighed in relief knowing that there was at least some sort of connection to Perseus and the world. She knew that as long as he had someone, he wouldn't abandon them.

She fell back against the cool grass as the flashbacks ended. The pain slowly leaving behind a numb body and mind.

Before the world went dark, the last thing she saw was the ring shimmering slightly in its box then disappearing with a familiar glint.

~~~

Aphrodite woke up with a start. She didn't even realize that silent tears, fresh and old carved their way on her cheeks. She hugged her knees, resting her forehead on them and rocked herself back and forth weeping silently. She felt like a toddler who just woke up from terrible nightmare and wanted his parents' reassurance that it was only a nightmare and it wasn't real.

But unfortunately for Aphrodite, she was having a living nightmare, one that she couldn't wake up from.

The heartbreak of Percy Jackson was the strongest she had ever felt since she was born. No other heartbreak even came close to rivaling it. The pain, the bitterness ... all in all it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

'No more' she thought. She couldn't do this anymore.

She was tired of pretending to be someone she's not.

She was tired of being ridiculed, joked at and underestimated by others.

She was tired of the pain, the heartbreak, the everlasting sadness.

The pain of someone who was in love, when they were living a beautiful dream only to wake up and find themselves living in a cold, cruel world.

If they found out that their loved ones were dead, if they found out that they were only living a fairytale, if their loved ones stabbed them in the back with betrayal.

The pain Percy Jackson felt as his loved ones left him one by one with cold hearts and no regret or remorse left her thinking.

The cloudiness she'd been feeling left her 100% sure that she'd been influenced. She, the Olympians, the minor gods, the campers, everyone Percy knew with the exception of Hestia and Hades left him.

She also remembered noticing that their eyes were slightly glazed over and they looked uncertain and confused before their eyes hardened and attacked Percy. And if the campers were also affected, then they probably have a spy at camp.

Her mind started churning different ideas on the possibilities. The gods might've gotten affected during their visits to the camp which was confirmed when she thought about Hestia and Hades and their lack of or infrequent visits.

They were the only ones unaffected and they rarely visited camp. It was pretty much confirmed. They had a traitor at Camp Half-Blood.

Her kaleidoscope eyes darkened. They were so dark that they were almost black and there were small specks of red crimson color representing her fury.

Whoever was that traitorous demigod was going to suffer her wrath. Even if she had to turn the Earth upside down to find him.

"No more," she decided. She would not allow this to go on anymore.

She would not see any more love break and stand there without any intervention. It was her domain after all and she was supposed to take care of it.

She would not stand ideally by and see young demigods burn in the fire of war. They were after all just children hiding behind armor. They didn't deserve this life any more than another.

She would not allow anyone of them to die alone without love. Not if there was anything she could do about it.

She would not be controlled anymore, not by other Olympians, not by the fates, not by the ancient laws ...

Damn the ancient laws! They were the reason their children used to hate them. What kind of laws don't allow a child to see their parent. What kind of laws prevent a parent from helping their child and only watch helplessly as they struggle through life and get hurt or die.

And for that she despised the ancient laws. She would not follow them anymore for they were the reason of the gods' disgrace. Whoever said that disobeying them brought disgrace must have been a little over the top!

Well they were wrong, everyone who followed those laws were wrong for they had already brought disgrace to themselves by making the young demigods think that they were cold, heartless bastards that didn't care about them.

She was so engrossed in her musings that she only noticed after a while that her fist were clenched with such force that her knuckles were white and small, red curves formed on her palms.

She could feel the object she picked up earlier in her sweating hand. She already knew what it was due to her blackout. Opening her hand, she was unsurprised when her suspicions were once again confirmed. Because sitting on her palm in all its glory was the silver band she saw in her earlier blackout, another spoil of a broken love. She was sure that the Styx gained another item that day.

She had many of these such symbols hidden away deep in the bowels of her house. The causes of her blackouts and constant reminders of her failures. A cruel joke whenever she looked upon them.

She clenched her fist again, the amount of crimson specks in her eyes increasing as her fury increased.

She didn't know what overcame the Athena spawn, but she surely would pay the price for her crimes. She frowned, the specks in her eyes decreasing slightly and she briefly wondered.

Why did Annabeth do what she did? Usually she tended to be wise and guarded and study all her options before making her choices before coming to a conclusion with solid evidence.

Just then Aphrodite remembered having a terrible migraine some time ago but brushed it off as nothing. After that moment, she remembered that the next time she saw Percy she looked at him with disgust remembering what he did to her. But before that migraine, she didn't remember Percy ever doing anything to her or even after the migraine. It was like a memory just popped its way into her head.

Maybe it was like that for the rest of the gods and campers. They just found themselves hating Percy one day with these false memories. But who had the power to create false memories?!

She didn't know the answer to that question but by Chaos she was going to find that answer. A plan started weaving itself inside Aphrodite's brain.

She got up, fiery determination shining in her kaleidoscope eyes, quickly washed her face and changed into something more comfortable and casual. The first thing she managed to get out of her large walk through wardrobe was dark blue skinny jeans ripped slightly at the knees, a black T-shirt with a pink heart design, a black leather jacket and hiking boots.

Her blonde hair that was previously in perfectly styled ringlets was now tied up into a ponytail. She didn't even bother with any accessories or makeup for she was done acting! She was not the ditzy blonde that fell in love with every man she met.

After finishing getting ready in five minutes flat, she decided that walking to her destination would be better than flashing herself there as some fresh air might help clear her head.

And so the love goddess exited her residence, head held high and natural beauty shining. With confident footsteps she headed to the targeted Goddess.

As she made her way through the open market she got many odd looks and stares from the minor gods, Nymphs and naiads and decided walking wasn't her best idea. However, she did notice that the men had different looks than usual. Instead of the drooling that she usually got, she got more appreciative looks and a couple of full body scans instead of a body scan that stopped at her chest.

She just rolled her eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh before glaring back at everyone, daring them to comment. They immediately flinched from the harsh stare of her now dark black and red speckled eyes, already feeling that the love goddess had a really bad day.

Her entire walk to the throne room was basically composed of glaring at the nosy passersby and avoiding the flabbergasted stares until she couldn't take it anymore and flashed herself the rest of the way to the doors of the throne room.

She stood in front of the doors for a moment trying to detect any voices or sounds of movement, for signs of the presence of other Olympians.

It was eerily quiet and there were no signs of energy auras except for one. The only sound was the crackle of the flames in the hearth and the familiar comforting warm aura. Though now it seemed a little colder than usual.

She pushed open the doors and went inside and like she suspected, her target was inside. Hestia sat tending to the hearth, too engrossed in her task to notice the arrival of Aphrodite. The fire of the hearth casting an eerie glow on her face which didn't help with the faraway look in her eyes.

Aphrodite then cleared her throat which resulted in Hestia numbly raising her head. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sight of Aphrodite, probably from both the unexpected visit and new style.

"Lady Hestia," Aphrodite nodded curtly and smiled a soft smile.

Hestia got over her surprise and mirrored her smile.

"Lady Aphrodite, I hope you are feeling alright," her tone sounded both worried and curious, mirrored by her eyes.

Aphrodite's smile slid off her face and her eyes turned sad again. She looked Hestia in the eyes and managed to whisper out one word. "...No..."

Aphrodite couldn't hold back her emotions anymore. Her eyes turned from crimson speckled, dark black to dull grey with specks of brown. She was hoping to grasp what little shred of hope she had left wanting some sort of comfort.

Hestia's smile slid off her face and her expression sobered immediately upon seeing Aphrodite in such a vulnerable state. She got up from her spot in front of the hearth and opened her arms for a hug. Aphrodite gladly rushed forward to embrace her, happy that there was someone who was willing to take the pain away.

They stayed like that for a while with Hestia whispering words of comfort in Aphrodite's ear, injecting the power of hope in her and repairing her broken aura with her own.

After Aphrodite managed to collect herself enough to speak, she slowly pulled herself from their embrace and wiped her eyes, giving Hestia a small smile of gratitude.

Hestia smiled softly at her in return, though she was slightly worried about her. She had a solid guess as to what heartbreak she felt and wasn't too surprised at how much it affected her, even though it broke her heart watching it.

They both sat on a small wooden bench in front of the hearth and stayed silent for a while just observing the brazier in front of them.

The love goddess' eyes were glued to the flames in front of her: gold, red, white and orange, all dancing in harmony. They were so mesmerizing that they were almost hypnotizing.

Finally, Hestia broke them out of their silence. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

Aphrodite's eyes darkened slightly remembering the topic she wanted to talk to Hestia about, then they gained an intimidating light to them. They almost seemed like Athena's eyes, if not more intimidating.

Their previous dull grey color seemed more vibrant due to the determination she was feeling. There were specks of different colors of brown, black and red representing her emotions of hope, bitterness, sadness and fury though the brown specks were more dominant than the others.

Hestia's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the display of emotions in her eyes, such turmoil even after injecting her with so much hope.

"It's about Percy..." Aphrodite spoke up.

Hestia felt shocked, but her shock was quickly replaced with anger. She clenched the iron rod she used to tend the hearth with so much force that her knuckles turned completely white. The hearth responded to its mistress' feelings by flaring slightly, nearly causing Aphrodite's eyebrows to be seared off.

Aphrodite shuffled uncomfortably next to her already sensing her fury and briefly wondered if Hestia would stab her with the rod she was clenching in her fist. Her eyes shifted to the end that was poking the hearth and she couldn't repress the shudder when her eyes rested on the white hot point.

Hestia sensing her anxiousness took deep breathes to calm herself. Once she was calm enough she asked Aphrodite a question in a poorly disguised non-interested tone.

"What about Perseus?" The monotone voice sent shivers down Aphrodite's back. She took a deep breath and mustered enough courage to reply. "I believe you."

Hestia's head snapped to look at Aphrodite, her expression had complete and utter shock written all over it. She noticed Aphrodite fiddling with something in her hands but before she could speak, Aphrodite told her of the events that took place with her after she flashed to her temple. She showed her the spoil of love that caused her blackout (to say that Hestia was livid would be the understatement of the eon) and told Hestia of her suspicions. She even told Hestia about her watching Percy being adopted by her which had Hestia blushing. Aphrodite could practically feel the motherly love coming off Hestia in waves.

After she finished explaining everything, the hearth's flames had died down to a small flicker and Hestia's lips were pressed together in a thin line, expression grim.

"That explains everything" she said bitterly.

Aphrodite titled her head and looked at Hestia curiously. Hestia sighed, "It's all clear now. The amount of sadness I saw in his eyes," she explained. "Never in my existence have I felt so little hope in such a great hero." She whispered mostly to herself but Aphrodite managed to hear her soft spoken voice.

She mirrored Hestia's look and nodded her head in agreement. "Too much heartbreak".

They stayed silent for a second before Hestia broke it again. "I agree with you that someone must have had a hand in this but your assumptions are dangerous, are you sure?" Hestia kept her eyes trained on the hearth but looked at her fellow Olympian when she asked her question.

"It's the only explanation that could match up with the recent events. "It's better being cautious than regretful."

Hestia sighed like her biggest fear had come true and looked like the weight of the world was placed on her shoulders.

"I have a plan though," Hestia looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Aphrodite took a deep breath and told her what she planned to do.

Hestia eyebrows' rose slowly with every word and every step of the plan. To say that she was stunned would be an understatement. She knew Aphrodite was not who she pretended to be but even Hestia didn't know that she was such a strategist.

By the time Aphrodite finished explaining her plan, she looked at Hestia expectantly waiting for her reply but Hestia was too busy gaping at her.

Once she snapped out of it, she gave Aphrodite a nod of approval and smiled. "Well planned Aphrodite. I'm impressed."

Aphrodite blushed slightly and said 'it was nothing' before getting serious again. "I will need your help. I can't be at that many places at the same time."

Hestia mirrored her look. "I vowed I'll always love my son and I can at least do this."

Aphrodite was about to comment when a deep voice interrupted them.

"I'd like to participate as well."

Hestia tensed for a moment, her expression alarmed before visibly relaxing. Aphrodite on the other hand was up on her feet in a second, whirling around with startling speed automatically reaching to her boots pulling out her imperial gold daggers. They soon left her hands lightning fast at the intruder before anyone could even blink.

Her eyes widened when she saw the face of the god that interrupted them.

The mentioned god stood frozen as the daggers embedded themselves in the wall behind him and outlined his shoulders and head. One of them left a small graze on his neck and the other sliced some of his black hair. Other than that, there was no further damage.

His eyes were as round as drachmas with his mouth forming a small 'O.'

All three Olympians stood in stunned silence. Two of them staring at Aphrodite, whose mouth was opening and closing thinking of an apology, while the other two looked shell-shocked that Aphrodite threw daggers at someone. That wasn't even including the speed and accuracy of the shot.

Hestia was the first to recover. She pressed her lips in a thin line with her hands firmly on her hips and raised a disapproving eyebrow at the god in front of them.

"May I ask why have you not announced your presence earlier, little brother?" She asked in a tone that a mother would use to scold her child.

The lord of the dead snapped out of his state and flinched at the look his sister was giving him.

"My apologies," he started with an apologetic bow of his head. "I came here to talk to you, sister about an important topic, Perseus to be more specific, but apparently Aphrodite had had the same idea." He raised an eyebrow at Aphrodite then looked at his sister expectantly.

Hestia sighed and ran a hand on her face tiredly. She exchanged a look with Aphrodite and then looked at Hades and said, "How long have you been standing there, Hades?"

The ruler of the underworld shrugged and replied, "Long enough to know everything." He hesitated and glanced at Aphrodite, then gave them both a look that said 'you both have a lot of explaining to do' while Hestia gave him a stern look that said 'you'll know everything in time.'

Hades sighed in defeat knowing there would be no way to convince his sister to spill if she gave him that look and tried to get back onto the previous topic at hand.

"I wish to aid you in your plan to clean young Jackson's reputation."

Hades had been seething in his palace after the meeting. The other Olympians providing false accusations at young Perseus was too much. He was left speechless at some of the accusations thrown Percy's way before his shock was replaced with pure fury. He remembered that meeting quite clearly.

~~~

Hades listened to the accusations being thrown at Percy and was about to stand up and tell them that Percy couldn't even think about doing any of those things, let alone do them. However, just before he was about to speak up, Hestia beat him to it.

Hestia straightened her posture and looked in the eyes of every god and said four words that stunned the Olympians into silence, "You are all fools."

He had to admit that his sister was downright terrifying when angry, even more than him.

But before any of them could ask her anything, Aphrodite doubled over in her throne and fell out of it although she seemed fine since the beginning of the meeting.

While Zeus and Apollo were trying to calm her erratic aura, she flashed out leaving behind very confused gods.

After the gods got over their shock, they asked Hestia why they were all fools but soon regretted it when Hestia got started.

While she was berating them for accusing Percy of those crimes, his eyes didn't fail to notice that his fellow gods' eyes were slightly unfocused like they were trying a little too hard to remember something and it occurred to him that they might have been influenced and judging by the look on his sister's face, she didn't fail to notice it either.

Then his brother Zeus, being the prideful, ignorant king he was bragged about how it was impossible to influence them without their notice.

It took all of Hades' willpower not to strangle him for his idiocy.

Then before she could do any permanent damage to them, Hestia excused herself and unapologetically apologized for interrupting the meeting and flashed out.

Hades felt like following her example but it would've raised a lot of eyebrows. In the end, he stayed quiet and seethed in silence until the meeting was over. He immediately flashed back to his realm to control or release his anger; he didn't even know which one yet. He took deep breathes and paced the throne room of the underworld to keep his anger at bay as to not destroy the mortal city above.

The Olympians were being influenced, any fool could tell. However, the question was why? What were their motives? Was this one of Percy's enemies getting revenge?

He got his answer sooner than he wished.

He wanted to talk to Hestia about what happened and what he saw but someone else beat him to it. Just when he thought he could not get any more surprised, the fates had other plans.

He flashed to the throne room doors where he beheld the strangest sight in all of his immortal life, and that was saying something.

Hestia was hugging a black haired goddess, comforting her and injecting the power of the hope in her as her aura slowly repaired. While it wasn't that strange of a sight to see Hestia comforting someone, he was completely taken off guard when the black haired goddess' aura healed and her identity was revealed.

Her appearance did a complete 180, not that he was complaining. That flashy and colorful clothes was quite irritating to the eyes.

He considered whether revealing himself was a good idea or not but his curiosity eventually got the best of him and made sure to conceal his aura as to not alert the other two Olympians of his presence, although he still felt a little guilty for spying on them.

What he heard and witnessed next left him struggling with many emotions: confusion, shock, disgust, hate, sympathy, anger, fear and lastly determination to fix the situation or at least clear the air.

When he thought it was the right time to speak, he should've cleared his throat. He knew after the fact that speaking so suddenly could cause unexpected reactions from clearly changed people but no one, including the attacker, was prepared for what happened next.

In a flash, he had a scrape against his neck and a lock of hair falling to the floor with two knives embedded into the wall. He froze stock still and let out a silent gasp in shock at the surprised goddesses.

~~~

Snapping out of his reverie and back to the present, he stared at the weird duo in front of him, waiting for them to respond.

Aphrodite finally sighed and nodded, "We'll need all the help we can get."

She told him of his part of the plan and he simply nodded in understanding. It was the least he could do for young Perseus for everything he did for him.

"Are you sure that's the best idea, Aphrodite?" Hestia asked her curiously.

"Yes, he'll give us valuable help as there's probably no one that'll suspect him."

After that, the two children of Kronos and the daughter of Ouranos flashed out to their assigned destinations, leaving the throne room eerily silent.

~~~

Aphrodite made sure to disguise herself well. Unfortunately, she had to wear flashy clothes and makeup again if she wanted her plan to work. She also made sure to manipulate the mist as to not raise any suspicions about her. After all, no one had seen her before.

Anyways, she disguised herself as a 12 year-old daughter of Aphrodite named Liliana with auburn hair and green eyes. She walked around Camp Half-Blood trying to detect any source of strange energy activity or suspicious auras.

Hestia, Hades, and herself divided tasks between them. Aphrodite would investigate if there was anything suspicious at Camp Half-Blood, Hestia would do the same at Camp Jupiter and Hades would keep an eye on the gods as to not let them discover what they were up to.

The process might take weeks, months even but it was all they had.

~~~

One day, Aphrodite was walking into the big house making sure that no one was in there before continuing her task.

Right when she walked in the rec-room, she let out a little squeal and nearly had a heart attack.

Chiron was sitting in his wheel chair looking weary and tired, like he aged many years in the last few days. There were bags under his eyes which were bloodshot.

Aphrodite felt sympathy for him. He came back from Camp Jupiter a day after Percy left and when he discovered what happened to his favorite student ... let's just say it was not pleasant.

He lifted his head when he noticed her and offered her a small weary smile.

"Good afternoon, Liliana. How may I help you?"

Aphrodite thought of a lame excuse a little too quickly. "I was looking for my friend but apparently she's not here. Sorry for disturbing you Chiron." She turned, more like whirled, around and marched to the door chanting in her head 'please buy the lie, please buy the lie.'

Of course, right when her hand was inches away from the door knob, Chiron sighed and said, "Lady Aphrodite."

Aphrodite froze, her mind went blank and only one thought filled it. Busted

How did he recognize her?! She made sure to manipulate the mist well!

"I don't know what you are up to, but if you are doing what I think you are doing, then you have my aid. I'll maintain the mist identity while you are gone," he told her kindly.

Aphrodite let out a small breath she didn't even know she was holding. She didn't know how Chiron figured it out but she guessed it was his thousand years of wisdom helping him.

She turned her head slightly and offered Chiron a small smile of gratitude.

"Thank you, Chiron." Chiron nodded at her and mirrored her smile. She turned her head back to the door, grabbed the knob, twisted it, yanked the door open and exited the room, wanting to find the culprit even sooner.

~~~

The Olympians were really worried about Aphrodite. Since that one meeting she was rarely seen on Olympus and when they did see her, she kept shutting out anyone who tried to talk to her.

Also, when anyone asked her what was wrong, she'd just look at them coldly and reply in an icy tone that they would understand everything in due time then she'd simply flash out, leaving behind a group of bewildered gods.

They were even more shocked about her new attire. She was wearing more dark clothes and no makeup or accessories at all. No fancy clothes or overdue perfume. Just tom-boy and slightly gothic styled clothes. Sometimes she wore the same outfit TWICE! No killer high heels, just hiking or combat boots. NO fancy hair styles, just braids or pony tails and the only time she had something close to a fancy hairstyle was a simple French braid with an eagle's feather.

Another strange occurrence was during a council meeting when Ares tried to push her to spill. She snapped at him and used a really intense curse as her eyes turned into a pure crimson red.

Hera gave her a real disapproving look that said 'you and I will have a long talk.' Aphrodite's anger dissipated and she shuddered, knowing that the long talk would last for probably a few centuries and it would include soap, lots and lots of soap.

That was also when more of the gods became suspicious, specifically Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Hermes.

Well, Hermes and Apollo were not exactly suspicious, just curious. They decided to team up against the unsuspecting Olympian. They would prod and push and more importantly prank her to get her to spill the beans ... it did not end well.

On several occasions Apollo and Hermes would be seen moping around on Olympus covered in scratches, claw marks, and dove's feathers. One time they even were seen tied up with an apple in their mouths.

Artemis was suspicious of her behavior because she thought she was up to something twisted that might harm an innocent maiden knowing Aphrodite.

Athena, well she was the goddess of Wisdom and she hated not knowing things but was wise enough to stay away until Aphrodite cooled down.

The campers also noticed the change during the visits, although none of them were complaining. The Aphrodite cabin were flabbergasted to say the least, of course, with the exception of Piper who was looking at her mother with shinning eyes and a whole new light.

~~~ One Month Later ~~~

Apollo was nearly finished driving his chariot across the sky as Aphrodite was walking on the beach at Camp Half-blood. She was grumbling about how long it was taking as she kicked a few shells into the water. She sensed old energy signatures mainly around the cabins but they were too old to identify and there weren't any new ones. Hestia reported that she had sensed some similar energy signatures at Camp Jupiter but she thought they seemed too small to really do anything. It became clearer once Hades said that he sensed faint energy like that from the gods but he could tell that they were affected somewhere else and just brought the signature along when they came to Olympus. That brought them to the conclusion that it started at Camp Half-Blood.

They couldn't tell if the signature was from a higher being or not. They also didn't know if they were suspected by the perpetrator. The oddly peaceful camp was too peaceful. Usually that meant a bad omen was upon them and it reminded them of the calm before a storm.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she sensed that strange aura again and without thinking she sprinted in the direction it was coming from.

She halted to a stop when she noticed two teenagers, a boy and a girl sitting next to each other on the soft sand, chatting happily, holding hands and laughing.

She sighed as she recognized the blonde princess curls and the Morpheus camper. Annabeth and Nathan.

She sighed again. It became a daily routine to keep an eye on those two. She could tell that both of them at least slightly loved each other but neither was truly in it or trying to make more out of it. Annabeth couldn't stop thinking about Percy and went between mournful and angry when thinking about him. Nathan acted more like a friend to her than loving her even though they were dating

She hid behind a boulder to not disturb them and to see what they were talking about.

Annabeth let out a little laugh and said, "Funny Nathan but I don't think that was how it went. I'm pretty sure Clarisse wiped the floor with you." Nathan gave her a mock hurt look and said, "Well I never! I can't believe that my own girlfriend doesn't believe that little ole me could beat the big brute that wipes the floor with everyone. The story isn't cool unless it has an unexpected ending."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and stared out across the sea, getting lost in its beauty as waves lapped the shore. Her expression changed to angry, confused and pained but the anger was the most dominant. The same look she had whenever the topic of Percy was brought up.

Aphrodite thought she felt a flicker of something but her thoughts were interrupted when Nathan spoke up. Nathan waved his hand in front of Annabeth's face, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?" He asked her worriedly. Annabeth forced a smile and nodded, "Yeah, just thinking."

Nathan sighed and said quietly, "He doesn't deserve you for what he did, you know?" Annabeth snapped her head and looked at him a little incredulously.

"Am I really that obvious?"

He just chuckled, held her hand and looked deeply in her eyes. "He doesn't deserve a second for you to think about him. He made his decision and he was on the losing side." Even though he had a smile on his face, it looked like he wanted to grimace a little. Why would he want to do that when saying Percy didn't deserve her?

She was about to go back to camp as Annabeth turned back to the sea until she felt that flicker again. She whipped her head around and focused in on Annabeth. It looked like she was thinking about Percy again like the last time she felt the flicker. She focused on it even more trying to decipher it and was left dumbfounded when she made the connection.

Nathan must have did something to her memories that made her feel like Percy betrayed her. Maybe that was why he looked like he wanted to grimace! He could possibly regret what he did. Whenever she saw him in camp, he was usually training or even helping another camper ... just like Percy.

It clicked in her mind. He must have been jealous of what Percy had since he was from a minor god and couldn't ever come close to competing with him. So, he got rid of him. But, now he was dealing with the guilt of breaking the Hero of Olympus.

Even though it all made sense to her now, she couldn't stop the anger that boiled inside her. While she highly doubted he had a patron or anything, he still ruined Percy's life and deserved punishment.

She silently got up from her hiding spot by the boulder and slipped away, unnoticed by the couple.

Once she was a good distance away from them, she walked into the woods until she reached Zeus' fist and flashed out, mentally screaming at Hestia and Hades to meet her.

~~~

"Are you sure?" Hades asked for the one hundredth time ever since they arrived.

They decided to meet up in his palace, with Hades' permission of course, as to make sure no one would spy on them.

Aphrodite had been pacing agitatedly, running a hand through her hair that was for once let down.

Aphrodite sighed in frustration as she ran her hands across her face and replied impatiently.

"Yes I'm sure. It's the same energy signature the three of us had sensed since the beginning of this month." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair for probably the 1974th time that night. "Can't you see? Can't you see the connections?! It all makes sense now. He's the one who influenced Annabeth into thinking that Percy was cheating on her.

"He's the one who made her think that he'll be there for her and at the same time he's the one who turned everyone against Percy after he arrived at camp." She finished her rant and took a deep breath. She looked him dead in the eye and said in a solemn tone, "We can't allow this to continue without punishment. While I suspect he regrets it, he still did the act. We must bring him in and allow judgment to be passed."

"Yes, but how do we know whether there is a true enemy or not and if so is it just toying with us?" Hestia asked trying to reason with them and the other two Olympians jumped when she spoke, momentarily forgetting the presence of the eldest daughter of Kronos as she had been quiet ever since they arrived.

Aphrodite had a thoughtful expression and rubbed her chin with her pointer finger and thumb thoughtfully. Hestia and Hades could almost see the gears turning. However, Aphrodite just sighed and said, "We won't be able to figure out if he has a patron or not without asking. I honestly don't think he does. I think the best course of action is to gather the gods and hold a trial for him after breaking the news to them. Then we'd collect him from camp. Unless you guys have a better idea?"

They thought for a second but couldn't come up with anything. They agreed to meet at Olympus and call the other Olympians together to find out his punishment. Hestia flashed out and Aphrodite was about to follow her example when Hades started talking to her.

"Aphrodite ..."

Said goddess titled her head to side curiously. "Yes?"

"Whenever you need someone to talk to feel free to visit the underworld any time," he told her gently and sincerely. Aphrodite gave him a smile of gratitude in return then nodded.

~~~

After the three gods finished their little conference, they teleported onto Olympus to call the gods. Since Hestia came first, she waved her hands over the hearth which sent out a blast of fire into the sky, signaling an emergency council meeting.

It only took three minutes for all the gods to pop in and take a seat.

Zeus spoke first, "Hestia, why have you called this meeting?"

Hestia took a deep breath preparing for the initial shouts of protest. "I have called this meeting to decide the fate of a demigod." Most gods looked at her curiously wondering why the whole council needed to get involved for one demigod.

She continued, "This demigod used his abilities to manipulate others into believing what he wanted which resulted in the exile of a camper. I wish to try him for his crimes and come up with a fitting punishment for him before retrieving him."

Some gods showed open confusion but a few started showing comprehension. Zeus asked with slightly narrowed eyes, "And who is this demigod and who was exiled?"

She took a deep breath, "Nathan son of Morpheus exiled Percy Jackson." It really killed her not to say son of Poseidon and she definitely wasn't going to give away her adoption. Like she suspected, Zeus blew up at the mention of Percy and didn't even seem to connect that someone was being accused of manipulating the gods.

"WHAT! If Nathan helped exile that traitor than we should be giving him a medal! Not giving him a punishment!" Zeus was about to keep going but Aphrodite interrupted him, surprising most everyone in the room.

"It is true Zeus. Nathan used his abilities to manipulate both campers and gods to hate Percy. Didn't you think it was strange how the kindest and loyalist demigod ever known somehow became the jackass of the camp. That just doesn't happen especially with Percy. Think about the memories of Percy supposedly doing whatever he did to you. Did anything seem off? Or did Percy treat you any differently after he did these acts? No, he didn't.

"Did any of you see his heartbroken expression after you told him off? I know I did and I completely regret it. When I look at my memory, I feel like I have to concentrate to find it unless someone specifically mentions Percy. Then it was like anger filled me because it was one of the worst things he could do to me. How could he have even known what would affect me the most? No, Percy didn't do any of these things. Memories were implanted in our heads so we would drive him out of camp leaving the leader position open for takers."

All of the gods sat numb in their seats. They tried to find reason to deny her statements but when they looked, they saw it was true. It did take a little more concentration to bring up the memory but when Aphrodite said Percy it was like the memory suddenly became available. Once that was concluded, they thought about Percy's face when they yelled at him for betraying them. He looked so lost and confused and extremely hurt.

As the gods slowly came back to themselves, even though some like Poseidon couldn't quite yet wrap their head around what they did, anger replaced thinking and angry mumbles started to be heard.

Zeus yelled out, "QUIET!" The gods quickly became silent. Zeus continued, "While this might explain how we came to hate Percy even though it is likely impossible, why would you blame Nathan for this?"

Aphrodite spoke up again, "I have been at Camp Half-Blood trying to figure out who committed these atrocious acts against Percy and thought how it could be possible to make someone hate Percy. After months of investigation I concluded that it was Nathan because of his abilities and the faces he made when Percy was mentioned. In the beginning, he was angry like the rest of them but I started seeing guilt as time passed. He was also the first to hate Percy ever since the camp didn't believe him with the hellhounds. I at first thought he was being influenced by a higher being but I think he was just jealous of Percy's position and status at camp."

There was still anger in the air but now it was more contemplative than just fury. Hermes spoke up, "And what ability does he have? I didn't think Morpheus could implant memories."

Aphrodite nodded but said, "That is true but he didn't implant memories but he does have the ability to manipulate dreams. It is my belief that he manipulated the campers dreams while they were asleep and manipulated us much slower for us not to notice and then have the small tid-bits combine at one time into a memory. They probably combined during one of our resting periods."

Most of the gods were nodding along as the idea sunk it. It made perfect sense to them when they thought about it like that. Zeus nodded sharply and said, "That would seem the most likely case but we need to make sure before detaining Nathan. We shall summon Morpheus and see what he has to say."

Zeus shot a lightning bolt into the sky and ten seconds later a short god with bone-white skin and black hair walked through the doors. He came into the middle of the throne room and bowed to Zeus. "You called, my King?"

Zeus nodded and said, "We have a question about the abilities of your children. Can they manipulate dreams like yourself and essentially create memories of events?"

Morpheus looked slightly shocked at the question but said, "Yes it is possible but quite rare. It takes a lot of power to be able to manipulate dreams. Most can only watch other dreams and sometimes interact with them but not really make a difference. May I ask what this is about?"

Zeus' face got tighter as the evidence was confirmed and said, "We believe your son, Nathan, was responsible for the disappearance of Percy Jackson and making all the campers and gods hate him. We wanted to make sure he did indeed he have this ability since all other evidence pointed towards him."

Morpheus looked even more shocked at the accusation and said, "What? You really think he could do that? I do admit that he is one of my more powerful children but I didn't think he was that powerful. Am I correct in assuming that he implanted dreams of Percy doing acts to make you hate him?"

Aphrodite spoke up with anger lacing her voice. "Yes, all evidence points towards him and his abilities matches perfectly with the circumstances. We need to apprehend him and discuss a punishment for the demigod."

Morpheus nodded his head along with them even though he had more of a melancholy look. "While it saddens me that one of my children did such a despicable act, I would like to be included when you decide a punishment."

Zeus agreed that it was acceptable and they started debating on a punishment. Almost immediately, the death sentence came up and Morpheus frowned before speaking. "I believe that my son deserves a severe punishment but he is not the only one at fault."

He got many scandalized and inquisitive looks before he explained. "While he has the ability to manipulate dreams, he is not powerful enough to make the person's subconscious hate Percy. Only someone who truly believed that he didn't commit those acts would disregard the memory and assume it was a dream. Since everyone believed Percy did those acts, then no one really thought that it was impossible for Percy."

All of the gods' faces took on one of horror. If what Morpheus was saying was true, then they really believed it was possible for Percy to commit those acts. Somewhere they doubted their hero who saved them all so many times. Aphrodite started crying again now that she knew that she was partly to blame. Most of the other gods just looked depressed.

Zeus spoke up, "In light of this new revelation, I believe I have a suggestion for punishment." He looked around at all the gods before continuing. "I believe that we should first make him swear loyalty to Olympus and to never betray us again." He looked around and got all nods in return. "Next, since we were planning on making immortal camp counselors during the Summer Solstice, we should also make him one and require him to swear 100 years of service to the Olympian Council."

It took slightly longer but all the gods agreed that it was a fair punishment. They agreed to meet in one week's time to collect Nathan. They all left in silence lost in their own thoughts. Many had depressed looks and some had tears in their eyes. However, they started to pull themselves together because they knew that while what they did was unforgivable, they believed Percy still wouldn't want for them to beat themselves up over it. They were going to bring justice upon the perpetrator and make sure nothing like Percy's exile ever happened again. They failed their hero but they were going to fix their mess and improve what needed to be improved.

They all left the room leaving only still silence and a crackling hearth in the room. The next time they entered would be to punish the wrongdoer and start over with a new slate. They would never make the same mistake again.

~~~

All the gods gathered in the throne room except for Hermes who was retrieving Nathan. The silence still permeated the air and wouldn't be broken until two more entered the room. Each god was lost in thought or misery. Some like Poseidon looked broken and couldn't understand how they acted against Percy. Others tried for a stoic look but if someone looked closely was clearly forced.

The silence was broken with a flash revealing a god and a demigod. Hermes quickly walked to his throne while Nathan stood in the center of the room. Some of the gods glared balefully at him but were surprised to see that Nathan looked slightly worn out with his head held low and slight bags under his eyes. The gods wondered what was wrong with him but quickly focused and became angry again.

Zeus spoke up, "Do you know why you were called her today?"

Nathan slowly looked up and pulled himself together and said, "No, sir." He looked slightly better. Maybe he woke up not too long ago but when they thought about the time they knew it was only mid-afternoon which wasn't nap time for demigods. However, he was Morpheus' son.

Zeus broke them out of their thoughts and said, "You are on trial for the exile on Percy Jackson. What do you plead?" Most gods were glaring at the now bent head and they wished he would look up so they could see the fear on his face. However, what Nathan said next shocked them all to the core.

"Guilty." That one simple word let the silence once again descend amongst the gods. They thought he would deny it but then they thought about what Aphrodite said earlier about how he started feeling guilty over time and then add his appearance to the mix ... it stated to make sense to the gods. Nathan truly regretted his decision and it was hitting him hard because he couldn't fix it.

Zeus cleared his throat to bring everybody, including himself, back on topic. "Well if that is the case then you know that you will be punished severely for your actions." Nathan slowly nodded his head and raised it to lock eyes with Zeus. "I know what I did and I honestly regret it. I would gladly go back in time and fix what I did in my jealousy and anger but I know I can't do that. That is why I will accept whatever punishment is given to me and complete it to the best of my ability whether it is a job or even death."

The gods silently regarded the demigod and they truly did believe him. They could hear the conviction in his voice as he spoke about his deed and how he knew he deserved to be punished. He was a strong demigod that made a wrong choice and now he wanted to atone for it.

Zeus nodded his head and said, "Good. Your punishment is that you will swear an oath on the River Styx to never betray Olympus or the Demigod Camps ever again and also serve the Olympian Council for 100 years. You will be given immortality with some of the other campers on the Summer Solstice to complete this goal. You may never gain back the trust you once had but it is up to you what you do from here on out. I would recommend fixing the bridges you tore down before even being integrated into the camp. Do you accept your punishment?"

Nathan nodded his head and said, "I, Nathan Garrow, Son of Morpheus, swear on the River Styx to never betray Olympus or the Demigod Camps and to serve the Olympian council for 100 years." Thunder boomed outside the throne room signifying the legitimacy of the vow. The gods slowly relaxed now that they were sure Nathan was sincere and wasn't trying to trick them.

Zeus nodded and looked towards Morpheus who had been quiet so far. "Is there any way to destroy the memories your son has created without harming the bearer?"

Morpheus nodded and said, "I can destroy the ones in your head now and the demigods' when they fall asleep as to not cause harm." All the gods looked relieved and gave their permission for Morpheus to remove the memory like dream.

Morpheus closed his eyes and took on a look of deep concentration as his power spread out through the room. Soon, wisps of grey energy spread out from him and starting searching the room. Whenever a wisp neared a god it would wind around their head and sink into it. Nothing outwardly happened but when the gods tried to remember the dream they found that they couldn't.

As the last wisps sunk into Zeus' head, peaceful silence filled the room. Each god was relieved that the false memory was out of their minds. Zeus spoke up to declare the next step. "Now we need to let the demigods know about what has occurred. I believe this would be best to wait until tomorrow so they can attend without the memories. Agreed?" The gods nodded their heads in unison and the meeting was ended with a meeting time at noon tomorrow.

Nathan was flashed back to camp by Hermes and Hermes could tell that Nathan really regretted what he had done. However, he could also see determination to fix what he did to the best of his ability. Nathan would give it his all to atone for the sins he committed and would take his punishment well. As he dropped Nathan back at Camp Half-Blood, he couldn't help but think how much the camp had changed and how much it would still change after tomorrow. There was no telling how the meeting would end.

~~~

As night fell and the demigods fell asleep, Morpheus flashed down to camp and dug down deep into his well of power. He would need to send out a great amount of energy but also not enough to wake the campers. Subtly was key because if one of the more experienced campers sensed his energy then the alarm would most definitely go off. He really didn't want that to happen.

So, he gathered his energy and pushed it away from him before managing the strength of the wisps. He lowered their intensity as they moved further away from him until they were small little grey lines in the air. They made their way into the many different cabins and settled around the individual heads before disappearing inside their heads just like with the gods.

Morpheus finished and did the same for anyone at the other camp before flashing back to his temple to prepare for the coming day and the revelations soon to be revealed.

~~~

The demigods were surprised to hear from Chiron that the gods wanted to meet with the entire camp. There wasn't any urgency in his tone so they weren't necessarily worried but, of course, meeting with the entire Olympian Council would make anyone nervous.

The gods gathered in front of the demigods as they waited for the demigods to quiet down. Many noticed that Nathan was up on stage with the gods and suspected that he was someone involved in whatever this meeting was about. Whether it was good or bad had yet to be decided. Zeus stepped forward to speak. "Demigods, we have gathered you here to enlighten you about the deeds of another demigod." Here he motioned to Nathan who looked slightly above the crowd with almost a blank face but anyone who looked closely could tell that he looked a little down. "Nathan."

Nathan nodded his head and walked up front. He knew this was also part of his punishment. Speaking to the demigods about betraying them and their hero and hearing their angry cries that were sure to come would hit him hard.

Nathan firmed his resolve and spoke about what he did to the other demigods to get Percy exiled. He explained how he was jealous of him and honestly wanted to be like him and have his respect. He told them that he now understood what Percy did to gain that respect and how much he deserved to still lead this camp and it was wrong for him to try to take over by deceiving them. He made sure to state that he didn't expect or want instant forgiveness and didn't know whether anybody could ever come to give him another chance. He wanted to work for his forgiveness and show through his actions that he truly regretted his actions.

The demigods were at first struck silent as they processed what Nathan did. Then it morphed into anger and sadness at the loss of their hero. Surprisingly, many saw the true anguish and regret on Nathan's face and were surprised that they didn't feel that angry at him. They thought it might be because they knew Percy wouldn't have wanted them to hate Nathan even though he may deserve it.

As Nathan finished, the demigods descended into silence. Nathan stepped back and Zeus stepped forward again. "One thing he failed to add is that he is not totally to blame." A deeper silence settled in the crowd and they wondered who else was part of the plan. "While Nathan did provide the memories, it was our choice to accept those memories and believe that Percy committed these crimes." Horror spread across the crowd with that one statement.

Even though Zeus just dropped that severe statement, he kept going to bring up their spirits so they wouldn't wallow in self-pity. "Nathan has accepted his punishment and sworn an oath to never betray Olympus or the camps ever again. Now! Our hero is out there in this world thinking we betrayed and still scorn him. We will find him and bring him back home! The Hunters of Artemis will start the hunt for him while both camps send out several groups to search the country. Anyone who wants to participate in the search should meet with Chiron. Others will keep their eyes and ears open for hints of his location while on their other quests. Let's find our camp leader!"

Cheers rang out through the crowd as they slowly went along their way to either talk to Chiron or train extra hard while the motivation was with them. However, one child of Athena was left on her knees and was slightly hugging herself.

All the gods except one had already flashed and the one remaining god walked up to Annabeth and looked down upon her with a neutral expression. Annabeth slowly looked up with a tear-stained expression when the looming shadow came over her.

"You should've known better than to accuse Perseus of disloyalty." Aphrodite said in a tone that matched her expression and continued. "Have you not considered the fact that his fatal flaw is loyalty? Or the fact that he risked his life and jumped to the depths of Tartarus, just to protect you? We all fell for the memory but he was different for you. He gave you his all and even shared with you his weakness. He gave you every part of himself." Aphrodite paused as she looked at the girl.

Aphrodite spoke up again. "He wanted to give you this." Aphrodite grabbed her hand and placed a small item in her palm before walking away.

Annabeth's eyes widened as she examined the ring. Once her eyes rested on the inscription inside, she looked like a dagger stabbed her and was yanked out of her heart before being replaced with a white hot branding iron rod as the floodgates reopened.

Sobs racked her body as she clutched the ring close to her heart. Aphrodite glanced over her shoulder and she didn't know whether to be horrified or not.

Because for the first time in her existence, she didn't feel the usual pain that accompanied a broken heart.

For the first time in her lifetime, she actually enjoyed breaking a heart.

Aphrodite then looked ahead of her and flashed out, leaving the lingering smell of jasmine and roses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How did you like it!! Once again I would like to thank Adventures_girl_99 for the help in writing this chapter.

For all the people who keep on asking me when he'll meet Chaos or go back to Earth, Omega has two more adventures before meeting Chaos again and Omega returning to Earth is still pretty far off.

Also, I have been writing other fan fictions slowly but surely whenever I feel like writing something else. Would you guys like me to post these stories even though the updates would be extremely slow? Like maybe months for these other stories to update. If I get enough people saying yes then I'll post some up.

Well, hope you guys are lovin the story so far and stick with it! Some of your comments make me laugh at the most random of times and I love reading what you come up with while you read the story. Also, if you have any questions there is a questions chapter for you to post your questions on. Remember to look at the other questions before adding yours to the pot. Most have already been answered and it gets annoying answering them over and over again.

Alright so I'm done with this commentary for now and I'll see you at the next chapter!

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