Parties were fun and all—until they were run by Zeus.

At that point, they were barely more than nightmare fuel. And when you added Percy Jackson to the mix . . . well, even Greek fire wasn't as explosive as the ensuing combo.

"Welcome, Perseus Jackson," Came the booming voice as the engraved throne room doors swung open. "We've all been waiting for you."

Percy strode past the doors confidently to meet all the stares, as if there wasn't a dangerous tone in Zeus' voice. He was clothed in a golden toga that showed off his muscles and turned him into a radiant star that attracted the stares of others—if they weren't looking his way already. 

"Sorry for the delay," Percy said sarcastically. "I was trying to recover from my broken ribs."

Zeus bristled on his throne. "You dare talk to your lord in that way?"

The people around him began slowly inching away. They didn't want to be caught up in the explosion of one of Zeus' tantrums. 

"Percy, apologize this instant," Apollo hissed in the demigod's ear as he entered with Artemis at his heels. (She'd changed into a new dress—blood spatters weren't fitting for a party.) 

Surprisingly, the son of the sea listened. He dropped into a bow and said, "I sincerely apologize, Lord Zeus . . ."

"Humph." Zeus looked satisfied. "I guess I can accept it just this once—"

But Percy wasn't done yet. ". . . I'm sorry that your ego can't handle an insult from a mere demigod."

He's done it now, Apollo groaned mentally.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" Zeus boomed.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out," the demigod said casually. He bore a glare straight through the god's eyes.

"It is a crime to insult a god in their domain—the king of gods, no less! And the punishment?" Zeus grinned cruelly. "Death."

"My Lord," Hera tried from her throne as Zeus pulled out his master bolt. "You'll ruin the environment of our celebration if you take your wrath on him now."

No matter how much she despised Percy, Hera couldn't ignore the tension in the room. Most of the people there had to choose between standing their ground, petrified, or fleeing—risking Zeus' wrath. As the seconds ticked by, each opinion, shared glance, and breath seemed to stack like floors in an unsteady building—threatening to collapse into chaos at any moment.

Hera knew that if her husband was ballistic at this moment, he'd be even worse if he had to call off the celebration. 

But Zeus wouldn't relent. "It is my duty to eliminate scum."

"The only scum I see is the guy on the throne," Percy replied.

"Do you hear this, Hera? Are you telling me that you could overlook his insults?"

Hera sighed and looked away as Zeus raised his master bolt—a cylinder made of brilliant electricity, capped with celestial bronze on each end. 

Percy didn't even try to move. He gazed straight into Zeus' eyes, even though his heart was pounding so hard it sounded like a jackhammer in his ears. The situation reminded him of what happened when he was fifteen years old—the vote for his death. 

No one had been on his side, and he only lived by sheer luck. But as he stared at Zeus' weapon, he knew.

He knew that his withdrawn life was over.

Almost immediately, an arm looped through his and pulled him behind a warm, soft body. "You're not going to hurt Percy," Artemis said.

The crowd paused in tandem with Zeus, and Percy understood their reaction. It wasn't every day that you saw the maiden goddess protect a man. But times had changed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zeus demanded. "Are you disobeying me? Your father?"

"You didn't raise me," Artemis said coldly, and Percy wondered if the drop in the temperature of the room was palpable. "It was all Mother."

"This does not concern your opinion. We'll talk about your insubordination later—"

"I didn't want to do this, but I guess I have no choice." Apollo stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder with Artemis. "Father, I have been a bystander to your punishments for millennia, but I have grown to like this demigod. You will not harm Percy without my permission."

"And they aren't alone," Hestia called out as she led Poseidon and Aphrodite toward the front of the room. The crowd parted obediently for them, intimidated by the powerful auras.

Poseidon's hands gripped his trident like it was in a vise. "Brother, do you mean to declare war by killing my son? Atlantis may be in ruins at the moment, but do know this: you touch one hair on Percy's head, and I will not stop in my revenge until one of us is in Tartarus."

Zeus looked conflicted, then looked to Aphrodite, who stood firmly. "You seldom take part in matters like these. What has riled you up to take the side of this blasphemous demigod?"

A pause. Then Aphrodite slowly said, "If I didn't protect my champion, I would be considered a sham." 

Gasps rang all around, bouncing off the marble walls into an echo. Zeus looked furious. "I thought the Council had agreed on a deal. The Olympians are not allowed to take up champions for fear of an ensuing war."

"You're threatening to start one right now," Aphrodite said icily. 

 "I may be neutral, but this is drawing a line, Brother," Hestia added, her eyes bursting into flames. Literally. "Percy has done so much for us."

"You still don't have a majority—" Zeus growled.

"Is my little brother trying to start a war between the gods?" 

The shadows congealed into a tall blob behind Zeus' throne. The next moment, the ruler of the Underworld strode forward casually, eerily reminding them of Percy's actions. He wore a pitch-black one-piece suit, a blood-red crown studded with rubies on his head. His bowtie shifted designs—one second illustrated with skulls, then weapons, and the occasional dog bone. Percy thought that he heard faint—but unmistakable—screams of pain.

"Hades," Zeus all but hissed out. "You are not welcome here."

"Oh?" Hades' arched eyebrow looked like a black recurve bow. "I thought I didn't need your permission to teleport to Olympus. After all, my throne is here." He stressed the word with special ecstasy, as if he'd been waiting for the moment to say that his entire life—which truthfully, he had. "Brother, no matter how deep you're in your delusion, you should recognize that you cannot afford a battle with Poseidon and me. Or, is it time for a new ruler of Olympus?" he asked threateningly.

Zeus had to mull this over. His ego prevented his haughty look from disappearing as he realized Hades was right. He could overpower each of the Big Three—but simultaneously making enemies out of both was a dangerous move.

The crowd couldn't cover their sighs of relief as Zeus lowered his weapons. "I'll spare the brat," Zeus said grudgingly. "But there will be no next time."

"A fair ruling. I expected nothing less from my lord." Hades winked at Percy, then moved toward his son, Nico, who was standing in front of the gathering, shaking his head in disbelief at what had just happened. 

Remind me to never make Hades into an enemy, Percy thought. Goosebumps formed on his skin. He remembered his first quest and how he'd barged into the death god's domain.

He'd been so close to indirectly ending his life back then, and he hadn't even known it—one misstep away from death.

Zeus clapped her hands for attention. "It's all over, everyone! Go back to your own business and enjoy my party!"

"What a narcissist," Poseidon said, shaking his head as people diffused past him like a tide, chattering excitedly. The news of the throne room confrontation would probably be known all over Olympus by the morning. "I can't believe that we're related by blood."

"Look who's talking," Artemis grumbled.

Demigods that Percy barely knew patted him on the back for surviving, while immortals that hated his guts glared from the sidelines. Percy ignored this and pushed past everyone. "Dad! Are you okay?"

"That Titan could never defeat me," Poseidon reassured Percy with bravado, then lowered his voice. "I heard everything from Triton. I can't believe you're healthy enough to go around dodging my brother's lightning bolts."

"Well . . . my most of my bones are still bruised, and I don't think I can move faster than a granny."

"What?" Artemis exploded the moment she heard this. "And you still risked your life? What if he actually tried to kill you?"

She shot Percy an accusatory glance—which, to be fair, was justified. Ever since his close sweep with death, she'd realized how precious the demigod really was for her sanity. But she couldn't keep him prisoner—especially when he still hated her. Thus, she decided that she would trust his judgment for the night.

Only, she was regretting it now.

"He wouldn't have hit me anyways," Percy said jokingly. "My face is too radiant for him to have a clear target."

Artemis didn't find it funny. "Apollo, heal him. Now. And if you can't heal him completely, we're leaving this instance."

Apollo dutifully moved toward Percy. He was in dire need of some ambrosia, but he knew that his sister wasn't in the mood to wait. Besides, as he observed Percy's movements, he grew concerned. Back at his palace, he'd used his powers until Percy had assured him that everything had been healed. But that didn't seem like the case now.

"You make doctors look like the ideal patient," Apollo muttered. "When you're in pain, you shouldn't lie. It makes everything worse."

"I don't think that's necessary, though," Percy insisted. He looked around for a change in subject. "Look—there's Serena!"

Serena was making her way toward Percy, a slight smile on her face. "What trouble did you get yourself into now?" Her smile disappeared when she saw Apollo, though. "Greetings, Father."

Apollo seemed hurt by the cold greeting. "It's nice to see you again," he told her, then quickly excused himself.

"Behave and stay right here," Artemis said, then chased after her brother, sensing that he needed someone to talk to.

"I'm not a child," Percy huffed. "You can't tell me what to do—"

"Behave," Hestia, Poseidon, and Aphrodite in unison before flashing away. 

Serena uncovered her eyes, and the grin appeared once again. "Looks like someone has befriended Artemis again."

"Nonsense," Percy said after a beat. "I still haven't forgiven her. And . . . I haven't forgiven you, either."

Serena's shoulders sagged as if she'd been dreading the topic. "I didn't want to talk about this during the party. I know it doesn't seem like it . . . but I'm sorry. I shouldn't have followed Xavier."

"I wasn't expecting such sincerity from an Apollo kid," Percy teased, but quickly dropped it. "It's fine. I can't keep a grudge against you young ones. I'm not that grumpy."

He was proud of the message he sent: that the past would have to work itself out—but he wasn't about to forget about it. But maybe he was too lenient.

Because the next moment Serena waved, and Percy was suddenly surrounded by hunters: Louisiana, who greeted Percy cheerfully; Alina, who didn't even give him a second glance and instead cased the room for someone to fight; Caroline, who Percy didn't realize was nearby until he stumbled into her; and a few . . . new faces?

"We're recruiting," Serena explained. "Turns out, four hunters aren't enough for mythological monster hunts."

There were nine new girls—seven demigods and two minor goddesses. The former seemed nice enough; most of them knew Percy from Camp. The latter, on the other hand, were very passionate about serving Lady Artemis. They'd turned their hair silver and glared at Percy like he was a disgusting cockroach.

Percy leaned in to whisper in Louisiana's ear. "I thought the man-hating requirement was over."

"It is," Lousiana told him. "But those two are special cases."

Percy immediately understood. The goddesses were strikingly beautiful—definitely Zeus' type. But the lightning god was only one corrupt male; Percy found himself feeling apprehension at the thought of the hunt adopting the man-hating thing again. I can respect their experiences with males, but if people with that mindset get close to Artemis, then she might . . .

He shook his head. Why was he concerned about Artemis? He had nothing to do with her. Not anymore. And besides, Serena was talking. He probably should be paying attention lest she punched him.

". . . train them later," Serena was saying. "There's too many of them for us to handle."

"Plus, we can't recreate the torture you put us through," Louisiana said.

"I'll be happy to train them." Percy's horrifying smirk made the demigod recruits shiver in fear. "But you should first probably ask Artemis for permission. I don't think she'd like a male interacting with her hunt."

Serena shared a glance with the other veterans, as if she knew something Percy didn't. "I . . . don't think that's gonna be a problem."

Percy hated it when people acted mysterious. Before he could demand and explanation, the talking surrounding him quietened down. He and the hunters spun around to face the southern part of the room opposite the thrones. 

A beautiful daughter of Athena in a blue dress stood atop of the grand piano. Apollo, who'd been utilizing it to woo a nymph with his musical talent, glared at the demigod in annoyance. He'd seemed to have gotten over Serena's greeting.

"Perseus Jackson!" Annabeth called out, and Percy's heart sunk. "You can't run away this time."