She's not sure why- No. She knows exactly why she struck back this time and why. She. kept. On. Striking.
She could take any abuse he threw at her, had taken it for thousands of years without comment.
She had been a good and Loyal wife.
He never should have brought up Dio.
Her Baby.
Persedione had thought the sun god was smarter than that. Thousands of years worth of Marriage and for all he had come close to saying something regrettable in his more wrathful moments, not once had he ever been foolish enough to out right threaten her child.
Until now.
Persedione had been a good and loyal wife, but she was a mother before all else and no one threatened her children.
She isn't sure how long she sits in her temple beside his cooling corpse before someone finds her. It can't be too long, not when the ichor coating her skin and staining her clothes is still wet to the touch.
Sturdy hands grip her shoulders and she flinches away before realising the goddess holding her is Athena.
Persedione crumples into her mothers protective embrace, form shifting to match her emotional state as the goddess bawls her eyes out and cries like she hasn't allowed herself to since Apollo first consummated their marriage.
In that moment she is not a goddess or protector but a daughter seeking the comfort only a mother could provide.
Athena holds her for as long as she is able but not as long as she wishes to.
As much as it pains her, the Wisdom Goddess knows they cannot afford to stall.
It is a miracle Apollo's absence has not already been noticed and with sunrise fast approaching it is only a matter of time before Artemis comes calling.
Her daughter cannot be on Olympus when that happens.
The whimper Persedione lets out as Athena pulls away is heart breaking but she cannot falter, not when her babies freedom is at stake.
It would be one thing if Apollo was just a mortal or even a minor god, Zeus has overlooked far worse in the past and Persedione is his favourite grandchild and mother to his favourite son.
But Apollo is an Olympian and worst still, Zeus Heir.
As the God of Justice and Ruler of Olympus her father will have no choice but to act unless they give him an excuse not to.
The plan is simple, Athena will stall for time and Persedione will head to the Underworld where she will beg Hades for Sanctuary within the Court of Erebus.
Zeus will not risk war over Apollo, not when the worship his least favoured son receives is great enough that the god will not remain dead.
Apollo will reform in no more than a few decades if that.
Unfortunately.
If Poseidon was a half decent father Athena would have directed her daughter to seek out his protection, his wrath when his family is harmed is legendary in the mortals myths. But Myths rarely tell the whole story and the ocean deities lack of action when it comes to their child has left the Wisdom goddess uncertain if he will step up to protect their daughter now when she needs it most.
Poseidon has never cared to in the past, why would it be any different this time?
No, better to risk their luck with Hades whom Athena knows cares for her daughter and holds no love for Apollo given his appalling behaviour to the chthonic gods these past few centuries.
Apollo is banned from the Underworld for a reason.
Persedione hugs her mother tightly, fearful that they might never get to do this again regardless of whether Athena's plotting succeeds or fails (Most Olympians cannot enter Erebus after all), before flashing to the Underworld's entrance.
Charon's delight at seeing the Psychopomp quickly turns to horror once he realises the state she's in and the panic only lessens slightly upon learning that the ichor staining the sweet goddess is not her own.
Were it not for Thanatos sensing Persedione's presence and appearing to offer himself as a guide to the Throne room for an audience, Charon would have readily abandoned his post to see the Goddess often referred to by the dead as 'Gentle One' to wherever she needed to go.
As it is, only his trust in his brother to do right by Loyalty prevents Charon from follow them both down into the realm bellow regardless.
Hade's is waiting for them when they reach the throne room, as is most of the Court. A god had died, violently, and any with Chthonic ties within their pantheon had felt it.
Were it not the height of Spring, Persephone would be sat beside her Husband. As it is, the goddess had bullied her older brother into going in her stead and reporting back.
Hermes isn't sure what he expected when his sister sent him down bellow but when the psychopomp see's Persedione's state from his position within the crowd he panics and tries to leave.
Fortunately, Hekate and Lady Styx notice as he turns to flee and bind him.
No one will ever know what he might have done once he reached the surface once more.
The messenger may be an Olympian but he came to the Underworld in his role as a Psychopomp and he will not leave without the permission of the Ruler of the Dead.
Hades heart breaks at the sight of his niece, his is not the only one to do so.
Persedione is dearly loved within the Underworld.
The entire court listens on in glee as she recounts the sun gods inglorious end and delights when they realise just why Persedione is here.
Hade's pretends to consider for a moment, but there is not a god or titan present that does not know what their Kings answer will be.
The Oceans may be the most infamous for their possessive tendencies but the Underworld is no less covetous of those they consider their own. They have wished to steal Persedione away from the lecherous god of healing for centuries and now he is no longer around to stop them.
better still the delightful goddess came to them willingly.
Hermes tries to reason with those present pointing out that Persedione is tied to both the Olympian and Atlantean courts through ichor and marriage.
Only to have his remarks cut down by Lady Styx who makes it clear that Persedione's oath to Apollo was only until death, meaning their marriage dissolved the moment he choked to death on his own blood. And as for the Ocean dwellers, so long as Persedione is tied to Erebus through a formal Oath before Poseidon has a chance to reclaim her, there is nothing the negligent king can do.
Formal oaths of service to the court can only take place when both the King and Queen are present but there are other ways to tie a goddess to their realm.
Hekate glides forward to stand beside her Lover and the one they both desire. As one, the Titan of Magic and the god of death offer the goddess of Loyalty a Pomegranate.
On the surface they throw apples, but down bellow they offer Pomegranates in honour of their love that blossomed between their beloved king and queen.
Persedione accepts it gladly, a golden flush to her cheeks that complements the ichor staining her chiton.
Given that I recently have dove into the Trials of Apollo fandom (despite not yet having managed to a) read the books or b) finish the Heroes of Olympus series), I am adding a little bit onto the original storyline.
Apollo definitely knows that Athena’s been hiding her baby brother since the day she emerged from Zeus’s head.
Apollo told Artemis and the two have been discretely watching and nudging things to train the boy for his future as their king for the last 12 years—and covering for Athena.
Zeus, as is shown in the Trials of Apollo series (and the parallels made between Zeus and Nero) is a horrible parent and not a good king.
Which leads me to the forth thing: Apollo, who given that he has some hope for things to finally change is able to admit that his father is awful, is (along with Artemis) definitely planning a coup to replace Zeus with Perseus once he is ready.
I’ve also posted this on my AO3 account under the same story name!
Summary: Somebody breaks into Buck’s apartment late at night, and instead of calling 9-1-1, Buck calls Bobby and Athena. Athena goes into Momma Bear Mode, because no-one messes with any of her kids and gets away with it!
The sound of the apartment door hitting the wall downstairs wakes him. He’s still half asleep as he glances over at the clock on the night stand next to his bed. The red numbers read 2:58am. The only thing he can think is that Eddie has stopped by for some reason. At least that’s what he thinks before his half asleep mind registers the voices coming from downstairs.
“Man keep quiet. We don’t need the neighbors calling the cops,” A voice he didn’t recognize stated.
Now he was fully awake. Someone has just broken into his apartment, and his first thought is, ‘Oh boy did you just break into the wrong apartment. Don’t you know who my mum is?’ Then his second thought is to figure out just how many people have broken in. So he quietly and gently got up out of bed, snatching his phone of the night stand before walking towards the loft railing.
He peered over the edge of the railing and noticed two people standing in his kitchen. He can just barely make them out in the darkness of his apartment. They both appear to be wearing black clothing, and both have flash lights in their hands. And then he spots the glint of a gun in one of the men’s hands.
He quickly ducks away from the railing and silently makes his way into the second floor bathroom. He gently shuts the door and locks it, then slides down onto the floor in front of the door and takes a deep breath. His adrenaline is flowing, and his heart is pounding. He unlocks his phone and without even thinking about it he calls Bobby. The phone rings several times before the line connects and he hears Bobby’s voice.
“Buck, you know we love you, but it’s three in the morning, what the hell do you want?” Bobby questioned, sounding half asleep.
“Bobby, two people just broke into my apartment. One of them’s got a gun. I’m hiding in my bathroom,” Buck whispered into the phone.
“And you called us? Buck, call the police. Now, and whatever you do, DO NOT confront them!” Bobby shouts, wide awake now.
Buck can hear Athena ask Bobby what’s wrong, and he hears Bobby tell her what Buck told him. He can hear the sound of her moving on the other end of the line, and he just knows she’s getting dressed.
“Buck, Athena will be there soon. You need to hang up and call 9-1-1,” Bobby ordered.
“No! I don’t wanna hang up! Bobby please,” He whispered, fear racing through him.
Bobby and Athena have been the closest thing he’s had to decent parents his whole life. And hiding in the bathroom like this is giving him major flash backs to his childhood. To nights when he and Maddie would hide in the bathroom while their father would scream and shout and beat his mom. And the only thing keeping him grounded in the here and now is Bobby’s voice.
“Buck, it’s gonna be okay. We’re on our way, just stay in the bathroom and don’t open the door. Athena’s calling for backup now,” Bobby stated.
Buck hears the sound of a car starting on the other end of the line and he feels relieved slightly to know that both of them are on their way. But then he hears the sound of someone moving around in his bedroom just outside the door. And he’s glad that he hadn’t turned the bathroom light on otherwise the person outside the door would have know he was in there. He quietly shifts across the floor and climbs into the bath tub so he’s as far away from the door as he can get.
“One of them’s outside the bathroom, I can hear him moving around,” He whispers.
He’s having serious flash backs to the night his dad beat the crap out of his mom then came looking for him and Maddie. How he came to the bathroom and broke down the door and beat him and Maddie. How his dad broke his arm that night. How he broke Maddie’s nose. How his mom didn’t wake up for hours after their father had knocked her out.
“Buck! Buck I need you to stay calm okay. We’re almost there,” Bobby exclaims.
“Buck, everything’s going to be okay!” Athena states.
Bobby must have put him on speaker, and he feels himself relax slightly at the sound of her voice. Then suddenly the door knob rattles as the person on the other side tries to open the door, and Buck stops breathing for a moment.
“Shit, I think someone’s in there,” A voice exclaims.
“What? Why?” Another voice questions.
“The doors locked, and these doors only lock from the inside,” The first voice states.
“Fuck! Get it open,” The second voice orders.
The door shakes as the person on the other side throws their weight against the door.
“Bobby, they know I’m in here. They’re trying to break the door down,” He whispers, panic lacing his voice.
“It’s gonna be okay Buck, just hold on!” Bobby states, panic in his own voice.
The door shakes once more as the person tries to force the door open once more.
“Freeze! Hands in the air. Drop the gun, now!”
Buck sags against the back of the tub at the sound of Athena’s voice outside the bathroom. There’s some shuffling outside the bathroom, then everything’s quiet for a moment.
“Buck, sweetie it’s okay, you can come out now,” Athena’s voice floats through the bathroom door.
It takes him a moment to be able to get his feet under him. And then he shakily unlocks the door. The second the doors open he’s glancing around his bedroom frantically. The two burglars are sitting on their knees at the other end of the room facing the wall with their hands cuffed behind them. Athena glances over at him for a moment, looking him over for any injuries.
“You okay Buckaroo?” She questions.
He nods his head in response, not trusting his voice right now. She’s gives him a small smile before moving towards the stairs, all the while keeping an eye on the two burglars.
“You can come in now Bobby,” She shouts down the stairs.
And then Bobby is racing up the stairs and pulling Buck into a hug. He sags into Bobby’s chest as his surrogate dad holds him tightly. Bobby pulls away for a moment to look him over for injuries.
“You okay? They didn’t hurt you did they?” Bobby asks.
“N-no, I’m fine. A little shaken up, but fine,” Buck replies after a moment.
Bobby nods his head and pulls him back into a hug once more. It doesn’t take long for the police to show up and take the two burglars away. Once they’re gone, Athena pulls him into a hug. He can feel her shaking, and he knows she was terrified for his safety. And then Bobby has pulled the two of them into a group hug. He squished in between his surrogate parents, and he couldn’t feel safer.
Warning: implied Marital Rape and reference to repeated spousal abuse - nothing explicit or detailed
Its only 2 centuries into her marriage and Persedione is drowning.
Hera and her mother Athena do what they can but even as Olympians and Council members there is little they can do to protect her from her husband.
They had tried ofcourse but Zeus had made it clear that marital disputes were not the Councils problem.
Though, if the concerned looks her grandfather had begun to send her were anything to go by, the man was beginning to regret that decree.
As it stood only her father had the right to make demands on her behalf to her husband and Poseidon is... busy.
Rhodes marriage had fallen apart not long after hers began.
Helios had outed his Mother In Law to her husband at the Wedding Celebration and been cursed by Aphrodite for it.
Not even a few days later their once happy marriage had been in ruins as Helios galavanted off to follow an arrogant mortal around like a lost puppy.
Hephestus had divorced Aphrodite for her infidelity but not before embarising her and Ares before the whole Pantheon and making them both a laughing stock.
Two marriages destroyed. One joyous, the other already on the rocks.
Two centuries later and Rhodes was still furious over the situation.
The enchantment had eventually broken but Helios refusal to cast asside the children and grandchildren he had sired during his infidelity had Rhodes roth with rage.
Her Temper was egged on by their Father and his Lady Wife, both of whom were furious over their daughters treatment at the hands of her husband.
The seas themselves responded to their rulers rage. Even two centuries later, ship wrecks and drownings at an all time high
With so much death and horror taking place within the Seas currents, Perse had been at first unable and later unwilling to draw her Oceanic parents attention to her own predicament.
There was little her father could do and his intervention would not be worth the innocent lives it cost.
And if a part of her cried over her Fathers indifference and negligence towards her well being, she never voiced it. After all, better to suffer in silence then risk discovering that Poseidon had known and simply hadn't cared.
Apollo's behaviour hadn't been too terrible at first, the sun god content to ignore his new Wife's existance for the first decade of their marriage.
They hadn't even consumated the union!
Persedione had tentatively begun to accept the idea that she should treat their relationship as a rather odd vow of chastity that came with a absent boss when Apollo came barelling back into her life.
The god had been consumed by wrath, convinced that she had somehow betrayed her marital vows to sleep with another.
Her desperate pleas of innocence had fallen on death ears and it hadn't been until the god felt her virginity shatter under his own ministrations that he believed her.
Her Lord Husband had been apologetic in the aftermath, tending to her every injury with gentle hands and gentler words but the damage was done.
Intentionally or not Apollo had set the tone for their relationship with his jealous rage and need to own every part of her.
Noone who knew what he had done would be suprised by what followed, for as much as Apollo was lauded as the god of Healing and Poetry he was also the god of Plagues and Curses.
Divine retribution was an artform that he had perfected.
Apollo began taking an interest in his wife but where once Sweet Persedione of the Tranquil Waters would have tentatively encouraged and welcomed her Husband's presence, now she dreaded every interaction.
Every moment between them was marred by violence as Apollo's jealousy and need for control took root and grew into something ugly and cruel.
The Sea did not like to be restrained and Apollo wanted a wife who would submit, not a Riptide that would buck and fight every command.
In the aftermath of that first night Perse had fled to Hera. The goddess had held her as she broke apart before piecing her back together into something presentable that could face her mother without shame.
Athena may be a virgin goddess but her primary Domain was Wisdom for a reason, all it had taken was one look at her daughter to understand what had occured.
Athena had raged, cursed and fumed. Only the knowledge that her daughter needed her more than vengeance had kept her from enacting violence upon her half brother in that moment. - that and the knowledge that if her brother chose to punish her daughter for her mothers behaviour there would be nothing Athena could do to stop him.
Once her little dove slumbered in her Stepmothers embrace Athena had attempted to hunt down her daughters no good father to no avail.
Poseidon refused to answer her calls, most likely believing she was there to 'talk sense' into him over his bastard and her jilted husband. Fool.
With the men proving to be less than useless Athena and Hera worked together to come up with reasons for Perse to leave Olympus and when all else failed, spirited her away to places where Apollo couldn't find her.
By the end of their first century of marriage all of the Olympian Council save her Father were aware of the tragedy her marriage had become.
Apollo had grown sloppy about healing his wifes bruises and it become near impossible to justify how her father had remained ignorant.
Persedione told herself that this was a good thing, her fathers wrath could drown whole continents and she could not bear to carry so many deaths upon her conscience. But the part of her that would always crave her parents love could not help but question why her suffering was so easily dismissed by her sea born kin.
Eventually even Zeus became concerned for the petite goddess, partnering with Hades to grant her a Chthonic domain.
He claimed that it was so she could help clean up after her fathers tantrums but the all saw the satisfied glint in his eyes as he ignored Apollo's silent fuming to softly explain to his granddaughter that the domain allowed her to guide drowned souls and any who died without proper buriel rites to the Underworld for judgement.
It would be alot of extra work, far away from Olympus.
Perse was exstatic, forgetting decorumn for a moment to hug her grandfather tightly as she professed her thanks. No one commented on the tears that spilled from sea green eyes, just as noone had commented on the burnt bronze band of bruising still visoble on her wrists.
It was not just the escape from her hisband that had the Sea goddess so excited, but the fact that these new duties allowed her to help her poor sister Kymopoleia who had been terribly overworked these last century as the only Chthonic god able to gather drowned souls.
The 2 had always gotten along but quickly became close working togethwr as thwy realised how kuch they had in common. Kym's feelings of isolation from the family were a mirror to her own and the storm goddess's position as an outcast from the atlantean court placed her firmly within Perse domains and made her easy to relate to and love.
Kym brought out the rebellious part of her and never shied away from the more wild parts of her nature.
In the long hours thet worked side by side it was easy to admit to her troubles and worries.
Kym was the only member of hwr Sea born kin to realise the state of her marriage and often caused storms to batter Delos as retribution for Apollos brutish behaviour.
The realisation of her younger sisters state and how their parents had failed to pick up on it due to their focus still being on Rhodes furthered the divide between Poseidon and the eldest of his children.
Kym had never quite forgiven him for dismissing her anger over her forced marriage so readily. The fact he was indulging Rhodes as she shrieked about her husband but had little time for Kyms concerns over her own marriage had hurt. Learning that his continued indulgence of her least favourite sibling was not only causing her more work but had left Perse ignored and vulnerable to a husband who had turned violent turned that pain into seeds of hate, not that their father had noticed.
By the end of Perse's second century of marriage Rhode final began to calm and their parents were able to look away from their middle child long enough to realise that it had been almost 70 years since either their youngest or oldest daughter had visited atlantis
Of all the PJO AU’s where Percy Jackson is born a god, I’ve never seen one like this. And I really, really want to read one. Therefore, here’s the cliff notes version of a god!Percy AU I’ve had going for a while.
(Note: Since posting I have slightly edited points 1&8 and the last paragraph. And figured out how to get the title in the title spot.)
1. When Métis (who is days away from giving birth to Athena) is swallowed by Zeus (to prevent the prophesy of her having a son who will overthrow him and take his place), she has already gotten pregnant with a second child. Trapped in Zeus’s head, Athena is born. Athena, as all gods do, grows quickly. But once she is grown, she uses her power to magically transfer her unborn brother from her mother’s womb and into her own.
2. Athena is brought up by Métis with knowledge of the prophecy, and the reason they are trapped. She is also warned that should Zeus learn of Metis’s son’s existence, he will be destroyed. This creates in Athena a deep distrust and near hatred of Zeus and the Olympians as she believes them to be liars and hypocrites who do not realize that some prophecies are self-fulfilling. Athena and her brother have an unusual mental link, whereby Athena is able to teach her brother all she knows while he is trapped in her womb.
3. When Athena is freed from Zeus’s head and accepted, she swears to remain a virgin. Not because she’s got anything particularly against men, but because she has to protect the brother she hides within her, and getting physically involved with anyone would cause her secret to be revealed.
(Note: according to Apollo in the ToA series, a goddess can choose when to give birth. I figure this also means that they can also choose whether or not they actually look pregnant during the pregnancy)
4. Athena ends up carrying her brother for 4,000 years until about 60 years after a great prophecy that prompted the Big Three to swear off siring demigods. In the upheaval after the discovery of Thalia Grace’s existence, Athena makes a deal with a mortal, Sally Jackson. In exchange for Sally passing Athena’s brother off as her son, Athena will bless Sally so that she can fulfill her dream of going to college and becoming a successful writer.
5. The child is finally born in August, grey-eyed and black haired like his sister, just a few months after Athena’s newest daughter Annabeth is born. Athena names her brother Perseus, as it means “Destroyer”, and she hopes he will bring about the destruction of the corrupt Olympians and Titans.
6. Twelve years, a few monster attacks, introduction to camp, “learning about the gods” and a strange friendship with his mortal niece later finds the young god known as Percy Jackson having practically turned “pretending to be a human child and growing at a snail’s pace” into an art form. That is, until a hellhound attacks him and he bleeds ichor.
7. Athena learns of what has happened through the mental link, and appears in her full armor, brandishing Aegis to shield Perseus from Zeus’s wrath (the lighting strike isn’t as powerful, due to the lack of his master bolt. But it is still frightening and painful).
8. Zeus forces the entire camp to come to Olympus, and it is revealed there that Percy Jackson is...not who everyone thought he was. Zeus is enraged and threatens to hurl Athena’s brother into Tartarus and make her watch as punishment for her betrayal.
9. Athena snaps that she never betrayed him. Betrayal would mean she was ever loyal to him in the first place. The only ones she’s loyal to are herself, her mother and brother (she does not dare say that she is loyal to her children. She cannot bring Zeus’s attention to them. They will not survive his wrath).
10. Zeus, realizing that while he may be king, Athena is a master strategist, and has likely taught her brother all she knows, attempts to strip them of their immortality. It doesn’t work. So instead, he binds the majority of their godly powers and locks them into the forms of a fourteen year old girl, and six year old boy (they are unable to change back to their preferred ages) and orders Chiron to take them back to Camp.
I’m thinking that the series would go on mostly the same, except that Zeus forces Percy and Athena to go on the majority of the quests in hopes of impressing on them that if they step a toe out of line he will throw them into Tartarus. Athena is desperately trying to find a way to unbind their powers. Percy gets nightmares after their trip to the Underworld and their brush with Tartarus. He plasters himself to Athena’s side at night in Cabin Six.
Athena has an awkward conversation with her children about what happened on Olympus. It ends in a massive group hug and tears.
Annabeth considers her miniature friend/uncle to be totally adorable. He does not agree (Athena does though).
