Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 78: Aftermath

The death of a god is an incredibly devastating occurrence. When Artemis turned to dust, it sent a shockwave throughout the earth.

Animals of all shapes and sizes mourned, crying out in pain. Babies screamed, bows malfunctioned, tides shifted, and maidens felt crushing despair. And far, far away from the battlefield, a lone god knelt by a small sapling.

The lush forest surrounded him, full of the sounds of bugs and animals, all living out their life cycles. The god smiled at the sapling, softly patting the dirt beside it. His shaggy legs brushed the ground as the animals around him began to scream. He looked up from the sapling, recognizing the feeling. A feeling he hadn't felt in years.

He stood up and looked around the jungle. His sacred space, a small circle of preserved wild. He regretted leaving it, but he knew he needed to. A god had just died, and Olympus would need all hands on deck. The sound of hooves clopping against the ground echoed behind him as he ran, far away from his sacred space.

Perhaps, while he visited Olympus, he would tend to Pan's garden, as he liked calling it. The other gods just called it his.
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The Olympians stared at the large Iris message in various states of shock. The moment Artemis had entered the battle, Apollo had leaped off his throne, forcing Hermes to grab him and keep him in the room.

But now, they had just watched Artemis crumble to dust. Her aura, her power, her godly presence... it was all gone, signified by her throne, which turned grey. Apollo had stopped thrashing against Hermes a few moments before, watching the mirage in sorrow.

Zeus couldn't believe his eyes. An Olympian... was dead? No, this couldn't be happening. No way.

Apollo began to glow, and Hermes quickly backed up, relenting his grip and putting his arms up in an apologetic gesture. "I had to hold you down, I'm sorry," he said quickly.

In an instant, Apollo whirled around and fired a bright yellow arrow at Zeus's face with a scream of grief. Zeus's eye widened, and he leaped off his throne in the nick of time. The arrow clipped the top and blew chunks of it off. 

Zeus looked at Apollo. "You dare -!"

He dodged as another arrow narrowly passed his face, and then looked at his son in surprise. Apollo looked back at him with hate, completely unforgiving.

"My sister's dead because of your pride," he snarled, stringing another arrow.

Zeus stood up, and the room began to crackle. "My pride was not -!"

Another arrow fired toward his face, forcing him to move out of the way. As Apollo stringed another arrow, Zeus roared and chucked his master bolt. "DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HARM ME, BOY!"

The bolt hit Apollo and sent him sprawling, shaking with all the electricity shooting through him. Zeus glared at him and then brushed off his shoulders. "It will not end well."

After Apollo stopped shaking, he stood up, glaring at Zeus.

"I hate you," he spat. "It should've been you."

Zeus narrowed his eyes, and his beard sparked. "What was that?"

"You should've been the one to -"

A trident slammed in between the both of them, drawing their attention to Poseidon.

"Now is not the time," he said. "Please, return to your thrones."

The two gods did, albeit with some grumbling from Zeus. Something about a stuck-up brother.

Apollo watched the Iris message intently, trying to find Hyacinthus in the chaos and make sure he was okay. At one point, he made eye contact with Hermes and expressed silent forgiveness. He knew Hermes couldn't stand up to Zeus. Hell, even he failed when he tried.