Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hera leaned against the wall of her private rooms and looked at her arm. 

Hades

Swallowing back her bile, she tried to think. Hurriedly, she slipped from her rooms and walked down the backstreets, only to run into Hades himself.

They shared a glance. “Do you…?” She swallowed as he nodded slowly and showed her his arm.

Her name was upon it. 

Hera

“What do we do?” Hera looked at him worriedly. “You are married to Persephone! I cannot break up your union.” She shook her head. “And to become the other woman would go against my very nature!”

He stepped closer to her and cupped her jaw. “And yet, it was your magic that revealed to everyone who they would best be with.”

Swallowing, Hera forced herself to look away, cursing their meeting in such a secluded place. The temptations were…far too much.

“I only wished to know who you were matched with.”

“Mated with.” He slid his hand down her neck lightly and then along her shoulder and stopping upon her arm. She shivered at his touch. “And to be honest, it was your likeness with Persephone that caught my attention in the first place. She was young and available, but my true target? Zeus beat me to it.” His dark eyes darkened with anger. “Like he always does.”

Shaking her head in denial, Hera looked up at him. “I can’t do this, Hades! I can’t-” His lips were soft and strangely heated, like ice that burns. She gasped when they parted. “We should not-” He kissed her again, sliding his hands around her hips and pulling her closer to him than she thought possible. She gasped in pleasure and found her hands in his hair. “Hades…”

Kissing along her neck, he smiled as he nipped her skin making her breathing hitch. “Poor neglected one. How long has it been since your body has been worshipped?” His eyes were dark and smoldering. Hera’s eyes widened in shock when he pressed her against a temple’s outer wall and slid his knee between her legs.

“No! Not in the open! Hades- ah!”

“Why not? This place is isolated and lonely. No one prays to Helos anymore. And I know you revel in this debauchery.” He smiled and whispered, “the lure of sin is much harder to resist after you’ve tasted the fruit.” 

Hera gasped as pleasure shot through her. “Hades!” 

Chuckling now, Hades slid his free hand up to her breast and pleasured her nipple. Hera closed her eyes and let her mouth part open.

“Ah...ah…”

He bent lower and kissed her neck, suckling the flesh until it colored with his mark. Perfect. “Hera, come with me.” 

She inhaled shakily and then stiffened and stared at him with wide eyes. “No. I am married! As are you! This is wrong!” With that, she vanished. Hades cursed and slammed his fist into the wall. 

Panting, he cupped his erection and hissed out a breath before returning to his own private rooms and dealing with his issue in teeth gritting silence, mind filling with her sounds and soft moans.

Persephone, the goddess, frowned at the name on her arm. 

Hephaestus

She looked up from her bed, thankful that it was still spring. Her priestess entered the room. “My lady, Lord Hephaestus is here at your request.”

“Thank you.” She rose and checked her appearance in the mirror before exiting and smiling at Hephaestus. “You may leave us, Illia.”

“Yes, my lady.” The girl bowed and left quickly.

“What is your mark?” She looked at the god in front of her. He snorted.

“As if you didn’t already know. Don’t play coy. I get enough of that with Aphrodite.”

“Your name is on my flesh.” She showed it to him and then looked at him. “Turnabout is fair play.”

Hephaestus smirked and then showed her his arm, rolling up his sleeve to do so. She stared at her name.

Persephone

Her breath hitched. There was something beautiful about seeing proof of their equality with her own eyes. She looked at Hephaestus and swallowed. “I do not love Hades. I never have.”

“I do not love Aphrodite.” He snorted. “When I am with her, it is impossible not to feel adoration, but it’s fake. A farce.” She nodded slowly and then stepped closer to him. 

“And what do you feel for me?”

“Unease and longing.” He stared at her hard. “I am ugly.”

“Your beauty is in your gentleness and talent.” She softly kissed his hands.

“I am gruff.”

“You just need practice interacting with other beings, and no one can top Hades in unsocial.”

They shared a smirk. Hephaestus coughed slightly and looked away. “I lock myself away weeks at a time in my forge.”

She hummed and then slipped her outer robe off her body, leaving only her underthings on, which left little to the imagination. “Aphrodite may be beautiful, but I feel that I can tempt you out of your cave.” Her eyes glittered.

“Why?”

Stepping closer to him, she slipped her hand along his jaw and then around his neck, breathing lightly against his cheek as she spoke softly, “Because I want you when she only wants herself.”

He seized her and pulled her fully against him. She laughed and let him guide the kiss. 

Artemis stared at the grey name on her arm. 

Orion

A sob caught in her throat, and she hid away from her hunters.

Poseidon paced his study, currently dry for his brother and Eros, waiting for his son to arrive with news of Percy. 

“Both of you are her soulmates. What does Hera say?” Amphitrite twisted her hands around.

The doors opened, and Hera entered. She did not look at Zeus. “Not many people are dealing with double soulmates. There are about seventeen thousand in this entire world who have double soulmates. Some have come up with a phrase of ‘platonic’ soulmate.” She smiled. “A partner of the heart but not romantic love. Best friends, confidants, comrades, anything that can be truly close but not romantic.” She looked at Eros and then at Zeus. “To call the bond platonic has to be done by all three mates. You and Zeus do not have a shared bond. Your only link is Persephone. She will be the deciding factor in this situation. Which one of you is willing to claim a platonic bond?”

Zeus gave Eros a pointed glare. The young god gritted his teeth. “I have not even met Persephone yet. I must see her before I make a judgement that could affect the rest of our lives.”

“Wise.” Hera adjusted the scarf around her head and neck, glancing at Zeus as she did so. “Zeus. Sign this.” In his hands appeared a parchment. “There is a quill on Poseidon’s desk.”

He glanced over it and saw that it was a legal form of divorce. Nodding, he picked up the quill and signed it. It flared golden and then turned black. Hera shuddered. “We are divorced.”

That caused a stir. Looking up, Hera’s eyes glistened. “I do not regret accepting your marriage, Zeus.”

He stared at her and then nodded. “I truly loved you.”

They swallowed, and then Hera exhaled. “I believe that I should remain and be an arbiter in this…slightly volatile situation.”

Poseidon nodded, relaxing slightly. “I thank you, Lady Hera.”

She smiled at him softly and then looked up when Triton entered, this time on two legs. He glanced at Eros and then snorted. “I didn’t know you were her mate too.” He looked at his father. “I found her. She does not wish to be brought back just yet. But she gave me a message.” He steeled himself for the inevitable explosion. “Persephone Jackson has told me this: ‘Inform Lord Zeus that he does not have my love, nor does he have my trust. He and Eros both will compete for my hand. The one who gains my trust honestly within three hundred and sixty-five days from this day, will be my chosen soulmate.’” 

Zeus’ eyes flashed with rage before he physically calmed himself. Poseidon snorted. “She has a point. You tried to get her killed when she was twelve, repeatedly attempting to end her life. You then tried to get her executed, having the council vote on it. You haven’t-”

“I know!” He exhaled slowly, attempting to relax himself. “I am aware.”

“And what does she say of me? Why does she reject me?”

Triton looked at Eros calmly. “She did not say, but I have a suspicion that it had to do with your treatment of Jason Grace and Nico di’Angelo.” Eros snarled quietly.

“The boy was ignoring my advice.”

“Usually that means you should let him sleep in the bed he’s made, not fire arrows, while invisible, at his friends.” Triton’s voice was level, but Poseidon stepped between them, giving his son a strange look. 

“Enough. That is beside the point. Let us get back to the topic at hand. According to Percy’s wishes, whoever wins this contest will become the romantic soulmate and whoever loses will become the platonic by default.” He looked at both Zeus and Eros. “With her stipulation of ‘honestly’ she clearly means that there are to be no arrows, kidnapping, or coercion used. You are to leave her family and friends alone. If you hurt her loved ones, then you will never gain her trust or her affection, know that.” 

They nodded grudgingly. Hera beamed and then nodded to Poseidon. “Call upon me if you need my help. Good luck.” With that, she copied the document, left the original with Zeus, and left. Eros turned and looked at Triton and Poseidon. 

“How am I to impress her? What should I do?”

Poseidon looked at him quietly. “You ask me like I know.” His eyes were sad. “I do not know my own daughter.”

Straightening up, Zeus stared at him and then nodded to everyone in the room, even Eros, and left without a word.

When he appeared, he was in a dark and hardly used temple. Exhaling, he knelt upon the floor of the cave, in the center of the circle drawn upon the stone floor, and pulled out a blade of Celestial Bronze.

“With the Fates as my witnesses, I plead a gathering be made between myself and themselves.” The Old Divine Greek, the language that was spoken by Ouranos and Gaea, rolled off his tongue easily, even though he hadn’t spoken in that language for a few thousand years. Three figures appeared in the mist rising off the floor of the cave that Zeus had been raised in as a babe.

“We heard and listened and heeded your plea. What do you want of us, godling?”

Shuddering, Zeus swallowed. “I beg that an Ancient Law be made undone.”

“Those laws were ones you made with us in a pact of blood and oaths. To unmake one is to unmake all.”

“Then let them be unmade and reformed with fresh blood and vows. Let them be improved and made anew.” He dared look up at them. They stared at his still kneeling form.

“What law do you would to unmake?”

“The law of separation of divine parent and child.” Zeus swallowed.

The Fates stared at him with tired eyes and silence. “So be it. Phrase it how you desire it to be imprinted.”

“I phrase it thus: In honor and respect to the authority of Lord Zeus, king of Olympus, children and divine parent may speak freely and interact freely for as long as they desire. The divine parent may be allowed to choose whomever they interact with without fear of retaliation by the laws, and the children of the divine parent may be free to request to the divine parent an audience in public or in private with said divine parent.”

“So mote it be.” 

Zeus took this cue and slit his wrists, letting his golden blood fall into the grooves of the cave floor. 

When he had bled enough for the floor to be filled, he had a light sheen of sweat covering his face. He wasn’t done yet though. Swallowing, he reinstated all the other laws that detailed the positions of the gods and the powers and the domains and the protections of the symbols of power. Everything else was as it used to be. When he was done, he was nearly out of blood. Panting harshly, he flexed his arm to drain himself of the last of the blood in his body. This was the price to set the Ancient Laws. Only blood of the crowned King of Olympus could set them. 

The Fates stared at him. “The task is finished. It is sealed. The changes you have wrought have been brought into existence. Go and rest.” They vanished.

He remained kneeling even after he was left alone. He was way too weak to try and move. Darkness swam around his vision. Gasping, he tried to speed his healing, but it was slow going for his body to replenish the blood. Groaning, his strength in his arms left him, and the mighty king fell into the pool of his own blood, unmoving and unconscious. His last thought was that this change in law should put a smile on his soulmate’s face.

~meanwhile~

Everyone felt the shift inside them. Everyone felt the hissed whisper of the changed law. Poseidon stared at Hera and Demeter and Hades and Hestia in horror. They knew the price for changing the Ancient Laws. 

“Zeus!” Hera’s voice was stricken. “No!” 

The younger gods didn’t understand their fear. “What’s happened?” Apollo yelped when Poseidon grabbed him.

“We’ll need you. Hurry!” They vanished, ignoring Artemis’ shouts for them to unhand her brother.

They appeared at the mouth of Zeus’ cave. Apollo cursed and rushed forward. He began singing incantations to speed the replenishment of the blood. 

Soon there was color in Zeus’ cheeks. Hera’s breathing became easier. “Why did he do this?”

Poseidon looked at his brother even as Hestia went to aid Apollo with her own magic. He spoke quietly, “He wished for Percy to get to know her family. He heard Eros’ question and my answer. He wanted to impress her.”

Hera stared down at her unconscious brother in shock. “He would go so far to see her smile?”

“She is his mate.” Hades looked at Hera. “A person would do anything for their soulmate.” 

The goddess flushed and looked away like a frightened colt. Poseidon narrowed his eyes at the exchange and then turned to his brother when Zeus groaned. 

“I’m quite well. Enough. Stop your fussing Hestia.” He grunted and sat up. “Blast, now I’m covered in blood.” It was his second favorite suit too.

Apollo gave his father a look. “Your blood. Father, seeking help doesn’t mean weakness. I’m sure Dionysus will gladly help you with your depression.”

Giving Apollo an incredulous stare, Zeus brushed him off. “I am not suicidal!”

Snickering, despite the severity of the situation, Poseidon gave a grinning Demeter a smirk. “Apollo, your father was performing an ancient ceremony that had a price of life blood. In order for the ceremony to work, he was called to bleed himself dry. Being a god makes this only slightly dangerous.” He looked at his still pale brother. “But it was still dangerous to do alone, Zeus. You are vulnerable in this state. During this time, even a low level monster could make you fade !”

“Bah, I do what I want.”

“You have made that sentiment very clear.” Demeter huffed and then crossed her arms. “Well, I’m going-”

“Wait.” Hades waved his hand and a squawking Apollo was vanished back to Olympus. “Now that we, the Elder gods, are all here alone-”

“Hades!” 

“I have something to say.” He smiled at Demeter and ignored Hera. “Have Persephone eat these seeds and her binding to the Underworld will cease. I have seen my soulmate, and I have desires to pursue her.”

Demeter stared at the seeds in her hand in shock. “Truly?”

“Truly. Persephone has her own soulmate. Hephaestus, I believe, or so she told me. I have my own also. What little love we had is now gone in light of this. I formally divorce her and apologize for keeping her all these years. I will give you and Persephone each, three favors to ask of me. I will grant them within my power.”

Demeter’s eyes widened at the rare offer. “I accept on behalf of my daughter and accept your formal divorce. I’m sure Lady Hera will carry out the paperwork. The signing will occur tomorrow.”

“Agreed.” Hades smiled, nodded to his brothers, and then left silently, eyes on Hera before dissolving into shadow. 

Hestia helped her brother up and then faltered when Hera looked at her. “Who are you mated with?”

She coughed and clutched at her wrist. “Ah, um, that is a personal question.”

All her siblings stared at her intently. Demeter crossed her arms. “You are a virgin but even that can change.”

Flushing deeply, Hestia swallowed and slowly revealed her soulmate’s name.

Demeter

“We could be platonic.”

Demeter stared at her sister and then smiled. “We have grown apart since the first war.” Wrapping her arm around her sister’s shoulders, she smiled. “I would love to be sisters with you again, Hestia.” Hestia beamed.

Zeus smiled to himself. “We have all grown apart. It would do well for all of us to become a family again.” 

The elder gods hummed softly and then each slowly nodded in agreement.

Hermes stepped quietly into the library and narrowed his eyes upon the sleeping figure of Athena. She was in the library. Huffing a soft laugh, he shook his head and moved swiftly closer to her. 

“You have slept through everything, oh Wisdom Goddess.” She stirred and grunted slightly before straightening. He smirked. “You have a little drool.” He gestured vaguely to his chin.

Flushing bright red, she wiped her face repeatedly and then turned half away. “What do you want?”

“You’ve slept through this entire mess. Look at your arm.”

“Hermes! You’ve written your name on my arm. Of all the stupid pranks!” She rubbed at it and then frowned. “It won’t come off. What did you do?”

“Nothing. This was Hera’s doing. She and Zeus got into a fight.” His eyes narrowed. “They’ve divorced.” Athena’s breathing halted for a moment. Her wide eyes met his narrowed ones.

“What?!”

“Indeed. Names have appeared on every being’s arm. They show the person who would most match your soul. Hera calls them soulmarks. They help identify who your soulmate is.”

“Impossible.”

That hurt. Hermes donned a careless smile. “My thoughts exactly. How could I get stuck with a bookworm?” Standing from his perch on the table, he nodded her farewell and walked quickly out.

“Hermes!” Light footsteps alerted him that she was running towards him. “Who’s name is on your arm?” Her grey eyes were wide.

He turned and stared down at her. “Yours. Pretty Bookworm.” A bitter smile curled his lips. “Impossible isn’t it?”

“No. Not impossible.” She swallowed. “It is impossible that my fears and dreams alike have been seen to on this day.” Wetting her lips, Athena swallowed and looked down. “I am a virgin goddess.”

“Like the Ancient Laws, that can change.”

“The laws cannot change! What are you talking about?”

“Like I said, you’ve slept through a lot.” Hermes chuckled and linked her arm with his. “Walk with me.”

She followed him into the library’s side garden.

Percy crept out of the water and into her cabin to shower and change. She had felt the shift and heard the whisper. She had felt a stinging pain along her arm underneath the mark of Zeus’ name on her skin. She instinctively knew something had happened to him. Shuddering, she washed quickly and tried to keep her worry at bay. The mark was still black, so that meant he was alive. He hadn’t faded.

Exhaling, she shook her head and frowned. “I don’t care anyways.”  That was a lie, and she knew it. Shaking herself out of it, she dressed and then paced her room. She looked at her fixed fountain and then swallowed. Grabbing a drachma, she worried her lip. Exhaling, she spoke to the mist. “Oh Fleecy, do me a solid, speak to me.”

The girl’s face appeared. “Percy you aren’t gonna believe it! Zeus repealed the law! The Ancient Law that states no god may interact with their child! He took it away! Some people are saying that it was to impress his new soulmate. Oh! Hera made everyone have soulmates now! I’ve got a nice minor god of prosperity and marriage! Nice right!” She giggled and then looked a stunned Percy. “You okay, Perce?”

“Yeah…” Percy smiled shakily. “Thanks. I’m fine. I just wanted to know what was going on. I felt the ripple.”

“ Ooh! That’s right! You would feel it! You’re a powerful one.” Fleecy grinned and then waved her hand. “Good luck!” With that, she was gone.

Percy slumped onto her cot and tried to think. Zeus did that for her? Swallowing, she tried to sort everything through.

“It’s hard to compete against something like that, isn’t it?”

Jumping, Percy stared at Eros. “Hey.” Her hand slid slowly into her pocket. He looked at her and then shook her head.

“Do you honestly think that I would threaten my soulmate?”

“Um, honestly? I don’t know what to believe about you, Eros. I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories about how you treat your lovers and…demigods.”

“Ah, Nico and Jason have been talking about how unfair I was and cruel.”

“Well. I’d say shooting someone while invisible is a pretty dick move.” Percy shrugged and then leaned against the wall and studied him. “What exactly are you hoping to gain?”

“I want to know who you are. I want to know if we can call this platonic or romantic. Essentially, I want to know if we can be friends.” He shoved his hands into his own jeans and cocked his head at her. “Will that be alright?”

“I guess so. I can’t really argue with that. Zeus won’t stand for anything less than romantic, and I can already tell you-”

“He won’t share. Yes. I got that memo.” Eros scoffed a laugh and then shrugged lazily. “Whatever. In the end, the choice is yours. Do you want to meet up for some coffee.” He smiled. “I’ll even give myself blue eyes.”

Percy found herself laughing. “Right…” She shrugged. “Alright. The first weekend after summer camp is over. We can meet up at Starbucks. There’s one just two blocks away from my home.”

“I know it.” Eros smiled and then suddenly pulled her closer and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for giving me a chance. Stay safe.” He vanished silently. Percy exhaled and shook her head.

“Wow. I’m in over my head.” 

She stepped out of her cabin and went looking for Annabeth. She found her arguing with what looked like Apollo. Percy inhaled sharply when she remembered that Annabeth and Apollo were mostly mated. Annabeth was a blank but she was Apollo’s soulmate. This made the already insecure god even more paranoid, because there was nothing binding Annabeth to him. 

Stepping up, Percy smiled. “Problem?” Annabeth exhaled.

“Percy, I’m glad you’re here. Can you please tell Apollo that quite a lot of gods will be allowing their demigod soulmates to go on quests!”

“Erm, actually, there aren’t a lot of demigod and godly pairings.” Percy shoved her hands into her pockets, “But I don’t think a soulmark has changed your skills and abilities, Annabeth. I won’t stop you from going on missions, and if Apollo really doesn’t like it then he can take it to a vote with Chiron and the camp counselors.” She looked at Apollo calmly.

He gritted his teeth but nodded. “How do I go about doing that?”

“State your request and complaint to Chiron, and he’ll do the rest. Also, you need to clearly back up your complaint with evidence and reason, explaining why you feel this way and what you think should be done to fix it.”

Apollo faltered and then nodded resolutely before vanishing. Annabeth stomped her foot. “Damn it!”

“Relax. Chiron will take the heat when the campers vote against him. Can you imagine Clarisse voting yes to keeping soulmates off quests?” Percy smirked and shook her head. “Won’t work out.”

“Well, if Apollo brings Triton and Zeus and Eros in on this, then you’ll have problems too!” Annabeth started walking back to her cabin. Percy faltered and then exhaled. 

“The gods need me too much to bench me. It won’t come to that.”

Annabeth didn’t look too sure, but she didn’t make another comment.