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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Again, I listened to them and did what I was told.

Poseidon stood from his throne and opened his arms. "Twice now has my son become a savior of Olympus. Twice now has he been subject of a great prophecy. Is there anyone who would deny that he is worthy of the greatest of gifts?"

No one dared to deny him. He turned to me. "Percy, I know you have already once rejected godhood. You stated your reasons why. Humble as they may be, even you can agree that your life; past, present, and future; are anything but normal."

I couldn't help but agree with him. My life and luck always had a way of twisting and turning. I steeled myself, preparing to reject godhood twice for the first time in history.

"Percy, you are equal with that of the gods. Many Olympians have yielded before your power long before you ever realized your full potential."

Ares' attention turned towards the leather of his jacket, paying no interest to the subtle jab.

Poseidon continued. "I know you do not want godhood, as it would leave your friends behind. Loyalty is indeed a fickle friend in that regard. As such, Zeus and I have talked and agreed to grant you a gift which has not been bestowed upon any mortal for millennia. We cannot make all of your friends gods with you, but we can offer eternal youth to you and those closest to you so long as a single condition is met."

This sparked my interest. The idea of becoming immortal had always held appeal, but I was not going to subject myself to outliving everyone that I knew and loved. The opportunity to bypass the drawback seemed too good to be true.

I looked to Annabeth, who still had her arms around a sullen and sniffling Piper. She gave me a look that said "At least hear them out."

I looked to my father. "What exactly is that condition? Do we have to become soldiers in the Olympian army or…?"

Zeus and Poseidon chuckled. The rest of the Olympians, minus Aphrodite, looked confused. I realized with a start that while my father may have talked with Zeus about my reward, he had yet to discuss this with any of the other Olympians. That worried me. Why would he need to keep my reward secret, and why was Aphrodite the only one besides those two who seemed unfazed?

"No, my son," Poseidon spoke. "You can be made immortal without becoming a god so long as you agree to host a new home as a harem."

If any time passed at all, I didn't realize it. I tried to clean out my ears to make sure I didn't imagine his words. "I'm sorry. Run that by me one more time."

"A harem. For you and your friends to become immortal, the female ones anyways. You can gain it through ancient law by owning them in a harem."

The casual manner that he spoke in was a slap in the face. "Owning them" he said. Like slaves. Like property. Not people. I balled my fists. How could he think that I would agree to this!? He himself mentioned loyalty a few moments ago!

"We know that it is a lot to process, and that our generosity has never extended to this degree. So in order to save you the brain power, we have already set this gift in motion."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

Zeus grinned. "You see? He is speechless! I knew this choice would play out well!"

Unnoticed, my shock remained, except by a select few. Images of Zeus's overinflated head on a stick simmered in my thoughts.

Zeus continued. "The details are simple. Every god must pledge one of their children or followers to your harem. If any god is incapable of doing so, another must pledge an additional one in their place. Your father already ordered the construction of your palace on the phantom island of Galínios, which was led by your brother, and has issued some nymphs as handmaidens for you." He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "While I am not exactly fond of doing this, you have shown above anyone else that you have earned it. I pledge my daughter Thalia Grace to your harem."

Artemis jumped from her chair. "WHAT?! You dare pledge one of my hunters to this?! Her oath cannot be broken!"

Zeus sighed. "Artemis please. The laws of the harem go back to the titans. Your vow of maidenhood holds little authority to these rites."

Artemis, despite her silvery eyes glowing with fury, slumped back into her throne in shock.

Zeus spoke once again. "Now let every god and goddess before us pledge one child or follower who is close to young Perseus to serve in his harem. They and he will be immortal."

The Olympians looked uneasy, each one daring the others to go first or speak out with nothing more than silent stares. To everyone's surprise, Demeter spoke first.

"I pledge my daughter, Katie Gardner, to your harem."

Katie stared back with her mouth open, but the look soon turned to indifference. She shrugged and sighed, accepting her place. I guess she wasn't going to challenge her mother.

I was about to, but I was cut off when Apollo went next.

"I know about your history with my oracle, so I suppose I can give her a freebie if it means protecting my children from this. I pledge my oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

Rachel was the one mortal to be here on Olympus, and she walked up to me without any surprise and acquainted my shoulder with her fist in a gentle manner. Her calm demeanor made me wonder if she had already foreseen this.

She gave me a once over before shrugging. "Guess things are going back to the way they were."

With that out of the way, Aphrodite went next.

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