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Bleeding wounds - Chapter 23

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Garreth’s POV


We walked on in silence, the only sounds we could hear was the noise of city-life around us as we passed through Olympus. None of us felt like saying anything and after what had just happened, Achilles certainly didn’t want to talk about much! He just led the way ahead of us with his head tilted downwards slightly, his eyes glazed over as he watched his feet.

The road ahead of us began to incline upwards, at the top, I saw it. A bloody great big greek temple perched on top of the hill, which put me in the mind of Athens; I suppose old habits die hard when it came to the god’s idea of architecture. Once we reached the top of the hill, Achilles walked with us to the base of the temple, outside two huge, celestial bronze doors with carvings of battles on them. As we stopped I looked around at the view, the buzzing metropolis of Olympus shone brilliantly below us, just watching it was almost mesmerising. All across the sky, we were surrounded by stars without a single cloud to block out the view, I suspected this is what it looked all the time, as the gods could have the view be whatever they damn well liked.

“I’ll take you no further, you’ll find the gods inside” Said Achilles, watching the city, not even turning to look at any of us, I gestured for Claire and Roland to wait for me while I walked up to him and stood at his side. He didn’t object to me standing there, just let out a long and heavy sigh.

“You alright, mate?” I asked him

“It’s not right” He eventually said, not breaking his gaze away from the city

“The gods get to live in this paradise, all while putting mortals through...everything” He went on, I just nodded gravely in reply

“Why don’t you stop? Just stop worshipping them, stop obeying them?” I asked, he then turned his head towards me, he didn’t look angry or shocked, just miserable

“It’s all we’ve ever done, what else are we to do?...We’re Greek heroes, obeying the gods is what we’re supposed to DO!” He answered, I stayed silent as I went over what he said

“It’s funny, that” I said, eventually. He turned to look at me, clearly listening, so I carried on

“All this heroing business...you wouldn’t think a GOD would need a hero. People on the other hand, well, I’ve helped loads of PEOPLE who have needed a hero at some point or another...in my mind, a god who wants a hero to do their work for them is a pretty crap god”

“But why? Why do they keep doing it? Why do the gods let heroes exist to help mortals if they’re just going to mistreat mortals at the same time?” He asked

“Well..” I said, scratching my chin

“Gods are just human ideas, aren’t they? People saw natural forces of nature like earthquakes, tidal waves, volcanoes and hurricanes...they were scared, they wanted explanations. So they thought up gods, great big being with enough power to control these events who created terrible storms when they were angry. Belief is where it all starts...and people are much easier to control when they’re scared, aren’t they?” I went on, Achilles didn’t interrupt and let me keep talking.

“Even if the faith changes country, the gods stay Greek and still make storms. They can’t change, because that’s not how they were imagined, we imagined them how they are and they’re stuck with it. Now heroes, well, people wanted other’s to look up to...they wanted someone to believe in and wanted the idea there was someone to stand up for them and protect them. That’s why there are no REAL Greek heroes anymore, just kids fetching laurels...a REAL Greek hero would have put a stop to them, you see” I finished, Achilles said nothing in reply and slowly turned his head back to the view of the city

“I’m in debt to you for helping, so I’ll try and return the favour...you companion, Roland...he’s different, isn’t he?” He said, making me pull a puzzled expression

“How do you mean?” I asked

“Doesn’t remember his past, doesn’t remember where he came from, very mysterious...and you’ve seen his power, haven’t you? He wields lightning?” At this point, I started to get suspicious

“Okay, now how do you know…” I started, only to be interrupted

“You’ve seen him make his own storm, haven’t you?...Just remember this, he won’t be welcome among the gods. It’s like you said, the gods hate it when someone stands up to them” He said, I then turned to look at Roland, who couldn’t hear us talking. Slowly, a few wheels began to turn in my head

“...What are you saying?” I asked

“Not all of the gods are bad you know, though that doesn’t excuse what they’ve done...then again...I for one believe there IS such thing as redemption, even for them” He said, as he turned to look at Roland as well, smiling slightly. The gears in my head were now starting to grind as I flickered in and out of the verge of figuring something out.

“The gods will be waiting for you, you shouldn’t keep them waiting” Said Achilles, before turning and walking away. I then went back up to Claire and Roland, still puzzled

“What did you talk about?” Asked Claire

“...Philosophy, I suppose...not much else…” I replied, still looking at Roland, who was now getting a little weirded out and was giving me a funny look

“...What?” He asked

“Just...when we go in, how’s about you stick to the back of the group?” I asked him

“...Er...okay, sure” He said, uncertainly.


Back to work, we pushed open the large, celestial bronze doors, which swung open easily and soundlessly, despite their size. Before we stepped inside, Claire grabbed my shoulder

“Garreth, the gods are going to be pretty pissed off about you bringing me back to life...so...if anything happens, don’t get in the way” She said

“I’m not going to LET anything happen” I replied, to which she nodded

“Yeah, but if it DOES…” She said, only to be interrupted by me

“Then they’d better bloody well be prepared for what they’re getting themselves into!” She pursed her lips irritably when she realized there was no winning and did a gesture with her hands that looked like she was struggling to decide whether to hit or strangle me

“Just...just PLEASE don’t do anything stupid, okay?”



Claire’s POV


The doors had opened into a large, brightly lit hallway with polished marble floors, walls and ceilings. At the far end of it, there was another set of doors, like the ones at the front. As we walked towards them, to doors behind us gently closed, the room was filled with the sound of our footsteps echoing down the hall with each step. We stopped once we reached the second pair of doors...this was it, now or never, I still wasn’t sure what to expect. Garreth got ready to push open the doors, when they opened by themselves. They revealed a high-ceilinged circular room with all the thrones of the gods arranged in a semi-circle. stood directly across from us, with Hera at his side, was Zeus...he didn’t look happy. I recognised all the gods from their carvings back at camp, Ares, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Aphrodite...a lot of them were watching Garreth with expressions that weren’t overly-friendly. I took a gulp as we stopped at the centre of the room, Garreth looked up at Zeus, who returned his gaze, glaring.

“Hello” Said Garreth, simply

“Excuse me?” Said Zeus, raising an eyebrow

“...Hello Zeus?” He tried

“It’s customary to kneel before the king of the gods” He said, stating it as a fact

“Shan’t” Said Garreth, crossing his arms and looking him in the eye, making me want the smack the back of his head. Zeus expression instantly became more angry

“...What!?” He demanded as he leaned forwards, his eyes flaring up like a clash of lightning in a storm

“Bad knee, can’t bend bend it well” He replied simply, not breaking his gaze

“Garreth!” I hissed from behind his back, luckily, Zeus leant back in his chair instead of blowing us up.

“You have completed your quest, son of Asclepius?” Asked Athena, haughtily from a throne made of gold and bronze as she turned her nose up at him

“Yes”

“...Well?”

“Asclepius was hostile. He’d risen up an army of demigods and was planning to march on Olympus to overthrow you” Said Roland, before Garreth could be sarcastic, a couple of the gods seemed shocked

“Hmm, never thought he had it in him. What was his motive?” Asked Ares, lounging on his throne lazily

“He was convinced mankind was better off without you, I can’t imagine why though, I couldn’t get him to explain it properly” Replied Garreth

“And you took care of him?” Asked Zeus

“We blew him up, if that’s any good?” He said, said, stiffly, we then heard Dionysus let out a laugh

“You see? What did I tell you? Even the healer will spill blood if we ask him to! You owe me ten drachma, Hermes!” That one got to Garreth, I saw him clench his fists to the point they were trembling and his breathing got a lot heavier. I leaned up towards his ear and whispered to him

“Just calm down, we don’t have to be here much longer!”

“What about the demigods in his army? We didn’t take care of them, most of them just fled” Said Roland

“What about them?” Asked Ares, dismissively

“...Well, they’re probably lost, scared, they’re still out there, what are you going to do about them?”

“Who cares? They’re traitors! Good riddance to them, I hope they run into plenty of monsters” Said Dionysus, waving the idea aside

“They’re just children!” Said Garreth angrily, in a voice that was loud, but not quite a yell

“I know, I see far too many of the brats back at camp!” He replied, making Garreth fume even more

“So you’re just going to leave them? A bunch of kids, running and scared, until they trip up and get eaten? The blood of a few hundred children on your hands, wouldn’t mean much to you at this point, would it?” Spat Garreth, glaring at them with murder in his eyes, I held his arm protectively, ready to drag him back if he got carried away.

“Garreth, please!” I hissed, in a panicked voice

“What do mean by that, boy?” Asked Athena, reproachfully, as she leaned forwards

“Well, a hurricane here, an earthquake there, a few wars in Afghanistan, eh? Doesn’t matter at this point, does it? With you slaughtering people by the thousands as it is!” I was about to clamp my hand over his mouth and drag him away back down the hall...but then Ares said something that I REALLY wished he hadn’t, something that me and Roland instantly knew was going to set Garreth off

“Who cares?” He said, shrugging in his throne

“They’re just mortals”


The room suddenly felt several degrees colder as a few moments of precious silence hung in the air. Garreth had been getting angrier and angrier by the second and had now finally been pushed over the edge. Me and Roland dived for him, trying to hold him back, but for a skinny guy who’s not that tall, he was surprisingly strong. His eyes grew wide, he opened his mouth and bellowed with rage as he charged towards him, screaming angrily. Ares was taken by surprise and for a split second, looked a whole lot smaller until Garreth collided into him, throwing him to the floor. Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed with their mouths hanging open in shock. Garreth was leaning over the god of war with his hands wrapped tightly around his neck, while furiously smashing his head against the floor. It didn’t look like it was hurting Ares, but the sheer surprise of what was happening had him stunned

“YOU UTTER, FUCKING, GREASY LITTLE SHIT-EATING BASTARD!” Garreth screamed furiously, he look so angry it was scary, he was seeing red and a murderous in his eyes. I was the first to come to my senses

“GARRETH, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF HIM!” I yelled, more out fear than anger. Ares finally recovered and kicked Garreth in the chest with the heel of his boot, sending him flying, he hit the floor heavily and had all the air knocked out of him. Ares got up, snarling

“YOU DARE ATTACK A GOD? You’re NOTHING compared to us! You’re barely any better than a mortal!” He spat. I ran over to Garreth and tried to help him up, he was in a coughing fit and had managed to get up to his hands and knees. He looked up at Ares and glared

“You’re one to talk, all the people you’ve massacred in the past, how many other wars have the gods started, eh? Look at you all, nobody even believes in you anymore, and what use is a god that nobody believes in? The only people who still worship you are at camp half-blood and even THEY’VE got questions about it!”

“HA! It’s ironic that you talk about nobody believing in us, little demigod!” Laughed Artemis

“You yourself prayed to us before your fight with Asclepius!”

“That’s because I thought I was about to die! I was scared, I…” Garreth froze in mid sentence. His eyes grew wide with shock and had a faraway look in them

“Garreth, what’s wrong?” I asked, but it was as if he hadn’t even heard me . He dragged himself up to his feet and just stared at the floor, I then heard him say something as he brought his hand up to his face in shock.

“Oh my god…” he whispered

“What?...What is it?” Asked Roland, running up to him

“That’s what he was talking about...it was right in front of me and I didn’t see it...before I went to fight him, it was right there in front me! Oh my god..” Garreth went on, sounding horrified, as if he’d just realised something terrible

“Calm down buddy, what’s wrong?” Asked Roland, resting his hands on his shoulders trying to get some sense out of him. Garreth then grabbed his arms and stared into his eyes madly

“That thing Asclepius said, what do people do when they’re scared?”

“...What?”

“He explained it to me! I just didn’t see it! I even did it, right before I killed him! What do people do when they’re scared?”

“Garreth, you’re not making any sense!” I yelled, making him turn to face me

“When someone gets caught in a tidal wave, earthquake, hurricane, warzone or whatever...when they’ve got nothing left, when everything around them is crumbling and they’re absolutely certain that they’re about to die, what’s the last thing people do?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” I yelled, angrily

“They pray! Out of sheer blind panic for their lives, they pray! It doesn’t matter who answers them, they’ll take anyone! Asclepius said it himself, gods need belief in order to keep existing, if nobody believes in them, they fade away and die! Camp half-blood still believes in them but it’s not enough! That’s why they do it! All the wars and natural disasters, all the people who get killed and have their lives destroyed. They pray!” He gibbered madly, this was only barely making sense to me, but I could see the gods start to shift uncomfortably and exchange glances with each-other, something definitely didn’t feel right...I listened to Garreth as he carried on speaking

“They don’t pray to them directly, but it’s enough! The gods are there listening and they...they FEED off their prayers! They use it to sustain themselves! That’s why they keep doing it! They torture mortals like this so they can stay powerful!” I was silent. I didn’t how to react or respond, it felt like my entire world was crumbling into nothing all around me. Back at camp, for the past seven years, all I’d ever done was train to be a hero. Ever since I was just ten years old, I wanted to next great Greek hero, just as everyone else did! I’d work and train each day until my hands bled and I was drenched in sweat, waiting for the day I’d get a quest to prove myself...it was all a sham. Me, Roland and every other demigod and camp, we were just chess pieces! I didn’t want to believe it, but...it was true...it all made so much sense, everything that had happened, everything he’d said. I sank to my knees and stared at the floor, dumbfounded, my mouth hanging open, but no words came out.

“But...no...it...it can’t be right! If they need mortals to suffer, then why do they still let heroes exist to save them?” I asked, looking up at Garreth, half hoping there was a flaw in what he was saying

“THEY DON’T SAVE ANYONE! They’re all just kids for Christ’s sake! Not a single quest in centuries has been about saving a town or someone’s life, it’s all just going to fetch a laurel or some crap!” Babbled Garreth. I turned to Roland, who was coming to the same realization I was.

“He’s right...and people need heroes anyway! They need to know that they’re out there, even if it’s just in mythology; otherwise, what else do they pray for?” He said. Garreth got up and walked to the centre of the room, he looked as though his entire reality was changing shape right in front of him.

“Asclepius said he was going to bring a new era for the mortals...he was going to save them! He was going to get rid of the gods and save mortals from them!...Oh my god...I chose the wrong side!” He then spun round to look at all the gods.

“You’re not even gods, are you? You’re just...parasites! You’re a tumor hanging off mankind, feeding of it’s belief!” He yelled, angrily.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Yelled Athena, but even through her angry expression, I saw a flicker of fear

“Mortals need us, we..”

“HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU? HOW MANY HAVE BEEN KILLED JUST SO YOU CAN STAY ON TOP?” Screamed Garreth

“The mortals need us to keep the titans at bay!” Bellowed Ares

“Half of them have been banished to Tartarus and the rest have been trapped forever!” Yelled Roland

“Besides, barely anyone believes in the titans anymore either, nobody even worships them! I’d be surprised if they haven’t faded ALREADY!” Yelled Roland. All the gods stood up, glaring at us. Each and every one of them took out their weapon, the room as suddenly filled with swords, tridents and bows. Zeus stepped forwards, his lightning bolt crackling angrily in his hand as he towered over everyone.

“Mortals are nothing! They are below us, they’re servants that exist to serve us! We use them to sustain ourselves!” He said, darkly, making us all back up against the wall

“Yes, we punish mortals to sustain our own belief, as it’s supposed to be! Mortals with their fragile bodies, short lives and arrogant minds. You think they can stop us? You think YOU can stop us? They’re just pieces on a chessboard, we use them to achieve our own goals” He said, as all the their gods gathered around us, cutting off our exits. Roland stepped forwards, glaring him in the eye

“You think killing us will help? We’re not the first to realise this. Luke, Asclepius, Garreth...more people will realise what you are!” He yelled, out of sheer defiance of them

“And we’ll be ready for them! We are GODS! We are all-powerful, we can’t be overthrown!” Yelled Zeus, his voice boomed like a thunderclap, making the entire room around us shake furiously.

“Funny, the Giants thought the same thing before they were overthrown by their kids! Then the Titans were overthrown by THEIR kids! You think you can run forever?” Replied Roland, smiling slyly

“ENOUGH!” Yelled Zeus, raising his bolt over his head. I gripped onto Garreth and shut my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

“THIS ENDS NOW!”

*BOOM* ...I didn’t feel anything...like, anything at all...I opened my eyes and looks around. I wasn’t dead yet, in fact, none of us were!

*BOOM* We heard the noise again, we looked around before our eyes rested on the doors, which were starting to buckle...as if something was trying to break in.

*BOOM* The doors were thrown open and a small army burst in. I recognised the three people at the front...Achilles, Jason and Theseus. They were followed by a long stream of other demigods, way more than just the ones in the bar! Every single one of them was holding a weapon...every single one of them was looking at the gods...every single one of them looked angry and was charging in from the hallway with their weapons held out in front of them.

“BACKSTABBING TRAITORS! YOU SOLD ME OUT TO PARIS, DIDN’T YOU? YOU TOLD HIM MY WEAK SPOT!” Yelled Achilles, leading them

“IT WAS JUST A GAME TO YOU, WASN’T IT? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE KILLED TRYING TO GET THAT FLEECE? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY GOOD MEN DIED BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU BASTARDS?” Screamed Jason, waving a large sword over his head.

“THEY HAD TO SACRIFICE THEIR CHILDREN TO THAT MINOTAUR! YOU LET STREAMS OF CHILDREN GET EATEN FOR YEARS ON END, ALL BECAUSE YOU HELD A GRUDGE?” Yelled Theseus, followed by every other demigod behind him, the entire hallway was packed and went too far back for me to even see. They spilled into the main room, the gods stared at them, struggling to comprehend what they were seeing. Athena was the first to come to her senses, she stepped away from us and held her spear at the oncoming horde.

“BATTLE FORMATIONS!” She yelled, snapping the others back into focus, all the gods stepped to the front, ready to crash against the wave of demigods charging towards them. The small army spread out. encircling the edges of the circular room until they came round to us. I heard loads of other demigods yelling, things about their towns being destroyed, having their family members killed or being betrayed. All the greatest, strongest and most powerful demigods throughout history were coming into the room, all of them angry with the gods for something, all of them after revenge. As more demigods filled the outskirts of the room, they began to press forwards, slowly forcing the gods to the centre of the room, herding them like sheep. Some of the hot-headed ones like Ares held fast, brandishing their weapons and yelling threats. The smarter ones, like Athena and Hephaestus began to back away slowly. There were several gods in the room, all packed together with their backs to each-other. But they were surrounded by hundreds of demigods, all of them the best of the best, the ones who’d made it to Olympus. Each and every one of them had the powers of their godly parent, the gods were faced by their own power, multiplied a hundred times over.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Yelled Zeus angrily, as spears and swords were thrust at him.

“THE SON OF ASCLEPIUS TOLD US EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US! WE’VE HAD ENOUGH!” I heard someone yell. Zeus raised his lightning bolt over his head, ready to throw it at the crowd of demigods, blowing them into atoms. Several ropes with hooks on the end were thrown at his arms and pulled taught, making Zeus stagger slightly as his arm was pulled back.

“BACK DOWN! NOW!” Yelled Zeus, angrily. Nobody listened

“LEAVE THIS PLACE, NOW!” He screamed. Nobody listened

“YOU WILL OBEY US!” I then saw something that I’d never expect to see from a god. It was etched on every single one of their faces, even on Zeus as he tried to shout orders at them. Fear, all the gods had expressions of fear on their faces. A few of the other gods tried to attack, Ares swiped with his sword, but only had one weapon and was surrounded. As soon as there was even the smallest opening in his defense, he was rushed, as hundreds of demigods all charged at him, waiting to be the first to slash at his legs. I heard him let out a cry of pain as he fell to his knees and was pulled to the floor, several demigods beating him and tying him with rope as soon as his face hit the ground. The twin gods Artemis and Apollo were armed with bows and arrows, you could tell just by looking at them that they knew they were done for, one arrow wasn’t going to do much here and after firing, it’d take too long to reload again. I saw Apollo try his luck and fire, the crowd leap aside and parted ways to make way for his arrow, which let out a loud, metallic ‘PANG’ as it ricocheted off the cold marble floor. He desperately reached over his back to try and grab another arrow, but it was already too late, a band of demigods charged him, bellowing triumphantly as they crashed into him, throwing him to the floor, Apollo let out a scream as he was overwhelmed. Artemis saw how futile her brother’s attack was, she threw aside her bow and pulled out a silver dagger, she slashed and hacked at the crowd, but could nothing to stop them from closing in around her on all sides. Her swings became more wild and desperate, before she was finally set upon and sent down to the ground. Zeus was straining with all his might against the ropes, which were now being thrown on him from all side, his screams of rage eventually became screams of fear as he was pulled down to his knees. A loud cheer rang out through the room as the king of the gods was wrestled to the floor and bound. The rest of the gods, realizing that Zeus was finished, either threw down their weapons in surrender, or kept fighting until they were eventually worn down and overwhelmed.

Me, Garreth and Roland, still pressed against the wall, just stood and stared. We didn’t even have to do anything, we watched as the gods were overpowered and defeated right in front of us. We came into Olympus and spoke to just a few heroes, we told them about everything the gods had done..we’d sparked a revolution...the reign of the gods was over. When the last god fell and was tied up, another cheer rang out as all the heroes thrust their weapons in the air in triumph, the floor was a mess of golden ichor from the gods and blood, from where a few heroes had been wounded in the fight. As I looked around, I saw that each and every single one of the gods had several blades pressed up against their neck, the owners of those blades were all poised, as if waiting for an order. Achilles, Jason and Theseus walked up to us, all three of them grinning.

“What the bloody hell just happened?” Asked Garreth, only just recovering from everything

“After you left we started thinking about what you told us” Said Jason

“We spread the word and the other’s weren’t happy about it either...we then decided that today was the day it would end, it was time to set humanity free. We put together a militia and stormed the palace” Explained Theseus, helping Garreth to his feet

“You...You just conquered the gods!” Said Roland, gazing across the room with wide, astonished eyes.

“You said that heroes aren’t the link between gods and mortals anymore…” Said Achilles, leading Garreth to the front

“It seems as though you’ve put that right, son of Asclepius. Olympus has sickness, a sickness that runs right to it’s very core...I think it’s time to put it right” He said solemnly, putting his sword in his hand, as he was led up to Zeus. Tied up, pinned down to the floor with a rope around his neck...the king of the gods looked pretty pathetic. He then looked up at Garreth, holding Achilles’s sword...you could see it in his eyes...he was terrified. Garreth looked down at him and met his gaze, I couldn’t see his expression, as he had his back to me.

“As a healer, I assumed you’d want the honour of curing that sickness” Said Achilles, stepping back. The entire room fell silent and all eyes, both god and demigod were watching Garreth

“Ha! See? Exactly as I said!” Laughed Dionysus, pinned down and drenched in sweat

“Even the healer will spill blood when suits him! Go on, little medic! Administer your medicine, heal us!” He laughed, before having a blade pressed harder against his throat, making him shut up. Garreth looked down at Zeus, who returned his gaze with wide, terrified eyes.

“...I’ve lost a lot of people because of you” Said Garreth, quietly

“I Watched my own friend get shot in the head, I had to bury a few day ago because of you...All that time in Afghanistan, I saw pain and suffering everywhere I went, soldiers and civilians screaming, begging me for help, all because of you...I never turned my back on them you know, I went up to every single one of them who needed me and helped them however I could...of course those numbers are nothing compared to the lives you’ve already taken, are they?” Everyone held their breath

“Achilles is right you know, today it ends” It went on

“But it’s ending on MY terms” He then reached out and let go of the sword, letting it crash to the floor. He then turned around and faced the room of confused faces

“No more killing” He said loudly

“The gods have done plenty of that already, if we’re going to change things, we start with that much, at least” He went on

“You’re going to let them live? After everything they’ve done, you’re not going to make them pay for it?” Asked Jason, in an astounded voice

“Oh, I never said that…” Replied Garreth, turning back to Zeus

“For a start, you can clear my name back in the mortal world, I’m a bit sick of being a convict, thank you” Said garreth, to which Zues nodded in reply.

“And no more interfering with mortal affairs. No more starting or influencing war, that’s the first thing to stop? Okay?” Zeus nodded in reply

“No leaving young demigods behind, there’s a lot of them out there who are running and scared for their lives. From now on, EVERY demigod get’s to camp, got it?” Zeus nodded in reply

“Come to that, quests are changing too! Going after laurels and getting golden apples, that crap stops! Quests are gonna be about going out to save people, to help them, trying to make the world better” Zeus nodded

“And stop sending them out when they’re just kids! No more children are gonna get killed running bloody errands, got it?” Zeus nodded, Garreth then leaned in close to his face and sneered

“And as for natural disasters, well...being gods, you’ve got the power to make them happen whenever you like, of course, but you’re not going to do that anymore...but if you leave them alone, they’ll just happen normally. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tidal waves, they’re all just caused by air pressure and tectonic plates. Gods are just personifications that mortals made up in order to explain them...but ideas can be forgotten, can’t they? Natural events are going to stay just that, natural, the gods won’t be influencing them anymore, understand?” Zeus nodded. garreth then got back up and faced the room.

“The gods are going to be working a lot differently now. For a start, they’re going to run it the way it SHOULD be, no more holding power over innocent mortals. Speaking of which, I’ve got one last term...whenever a mortal IS desperate enough to pray for help...when they’re convinced they’re about to die and are praying desperately for someone to save them, you answer those prayers! THAT’S how gods stay alive, not by invoking wrath, or fear...by doing what they’re supposed to...by being something that’s actually worth placing faith in” The room stayed silence, but the atmosphere seemed to relax slightly after Garreth finished stating his demands.

“But what about when we leave? How do we know the gods won’t go back on their word and blow us up?” Asked Roland

“Oh don’t worry about that!” Said a demigod merrily, who was currently holding a sword against Athena’s neck

“If any of them go against their word, we’ll just cut them into little chunks and begin throwing them into tartarus! It’s a bit of family tradition in their case” He said, smiling. I heard Athena let out what sounded like a petrified whimper from underneath him.

“Rest assured, we’ll make sure that no harm comes to you from the gods, you have our word” Said Theseus

“Well...what happens now? What about camp half-blood?” I asked

“What do you mean?” Asked Roland, raising an eyebrow

“What happens to camp? If the gods aren’t in charge anymore, then...I mean, do we tell them what’s happened? Is there any POINT to demigods anymore?”

“Oh the world will still need heroes I suspect, people always have. As for what’s happened...I doubt the gods will be willing to enlighten them...and I doubt any of them would believe you if you told them” Answered Theseus, scratching his chin thoughtfully

“It’s probably better off that way. You’re right about the world still needing heroes, quite a few demigods are pretty set on becoming heroes as well...if you tell them what’s happened and what’s been going on, well...it wouldn’t seem as real then, would it? You’d be...stealing some of their thunder, as it were” Said Garreth. Everything still seemed surreal, as if everything hadn’t even happened

“But...when we go back, what will happen?” I asked, still needing more answers

“They’ll probably think you completed the quest as normal, there’ll be cheering, celebrating, lifting you onto their shoulders and other general acts of saying ‘well done’...everything will go on as normal” Answered Jason, who heard my question as he walked up to us. There was a silence that fell over us, broken only by the sounds of the other demigods chatting and of gods, yelling defiantly from their bounds

“So that’s it?” Asked Roland

“For you three, maybe. Though for us...it seems there is still much work to do” replied Theseus, glancing over his shoulder at the gods behind him. He was right, there was nothing left for us here, all we had to do was go back to camp. It didn’t seem right, almost...after everything that had just transpired, we were supposed to just head back to camp and pretend none of it ever happened. The gods had been overthrown! We’d just watch the power of the entire planet switch sides, we’d just improved life for every human on Earth!...And we had to act like it never even happened. We were thanked by several other demigods, some of them wanted to shake our hands, a couple wanted us to sins their armour or weapons. A few of them wanted to speak with Garreth, ask questions about him, I don’t know...it was as if I wasn’t all there, as if I was still shell-shocked. We turned our backs and left, just like that; the lights and sounds of Olympus didn’t even faze me anymore, I just wanted to go home. We re-traced our steps back to the elevator and stepped inside, as the doors closed, I looked out at the glorious city of Olympus one last time, before I was shut off from the, the doors cutting off any sounds, leaving us with just cheesy elevator music. We all slumped against the wall and ak down to the floor as the elevator moved down.

“Okay...what just happened?” Asked Roland

“We killed Asclepius, completed our quest, started a revolution, uncovered the most dangerous conspiracy in the world and made life for humanity a little bit better” Summarised Garreth, sounding as though he was surprised by everything as well.

“It’s not fair” I eventually said, making them both turn to me

“What do you mean?” Asked Roland

“We’ve just saved the world! We helped to overthrow the gods!...Now we just go home and act as though nothing happened? We’ve probably just become some of the greatest heroes in all of Greek history, and now...we don’t even get recognised for it!” I huffed. I’ve wanted to become the next big Greek hero for almost a decade and had finally got to live my dream; only nobody would know about it.

“Why do you WANT to become a hero?” Asked Garreth

“What?”

“Why do you think ANYONE wants to become a hero? To get a ‘thank you’? In the air force, I didn’t go out into warzones and let people to safety so they could thank me for it. I didn’t stop to pull people out of the rubble while getting shot at shot at to be recognised for it and I didn’t constantly stay up for several hours on end  at night, giving first aid to wounded soldiers in planes while they were being taken back home so they could thank me for it, either!” He lectured, I just sat there and listened

“You want to be a hero?” He asked, I nodded in reply

“Dead easy. Do the right thing, not so you can get praised for it, but because it’s the right thing to do. People THINK that a hero is someone with shiny armour, nice teeth and clean hair, but that’s bull. A knight in shining armour has never had his metal tested, someone who’s been doing REAL hero work is gonna look like he’s just hand-glided over hell! If you want to be hero, you do what needs to be done...speaking of which, you’ve just helped save mankind from several thousand years of cruel tyranny...sounds like a step in the right direction if you ask me” He finished, before slumping back against the wall. I turned away and thought about what he’d said...it made me feel a little better, or least, gave me a chance to re-think things.

The Greek gods have existed for thousands of years and are still here to this day. They’ve ruled mankind for all that time, using their belief to sustain themselves, after all, people are easier to control when they’re scared. The gods had been abusing, tormenting and killing mortals for centuries, even going so far as to make them tea each-other apart. Today, mankind had decide that it didn’t need the gods anymore. Mankind cast them off their shoulders and said ‘Today, it ends’.
And so, the great big plot twist happens, as it were. I wanted to ask a philosophical question as I wrote this story and to be honest, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! I've even had a few people saying I should write it as a proper book and get it published...I'd have to tweak it so it doesn't take place in the PJ universe of course, but a book with Greek mythology in it wouldn't be anything new.

I doubt I'd have time for it, really...but just in case...

All characters that appear in the Percy Jackson books belong to Rick Riordan, Roland belongs to :icondragonrider364: but Garreth, Claire, the story and the ideas behind it are mine
:pokerface: 


The next chapter of Bleeding wounds shall be the last, I've really enjoyed writing it! ^_^
© 2015 - 2024 PhycoToad
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dragonrider364's avatar
I imagine hades is actually a good god, just disliked for his role, like van helsing (the Steven simmers version). I mean people have always been scared of death, so no need for that. Thanks to all the other gods he's already overswamped with work. Plus, it's a simple fact: people NEED to be able to die.