The Heroes of Olympus: The Other End of the Pit

by Surprise Pie


Chapter 8 - Changeling politics, and the Titan ally. -Annabeth

Jetstream's arrival continued to confuse me. Of all the possible times she could've showed up, she chose this one. Not that I'm complaining, quite the contrary actually. Jetstream seemed to be a very noble pony. She had the air of a ruler around her, the way she carried herself, kept her head held high, and the way she addressed all of us, in a friendly but serious tone. What had me the most confused was how she seemed to know Percy and I. The other thing that tickled my mind was the fact that despite the apparent fact that she'd been hiding for the past two millennia, both Twilight and her sister-in-law seemed to know her well enough. Speaking of Twilight, I never knew she had a daughter. I saw photos back at the library of Twilight with a black Alicorn filly, but it never crossed my mind to ask her about it.

Twilight had given me directions to the Canterlot Archives, said to be the biggest library in Equestria. I knew that the Archives wouldn't have many books on Jetstream, but I had a feeling I'd still learn what I needed to know about her if I went there. Jetstream wasn't the only thing buzzing in my mind though. The Changeling Queen, Chrysalis, had apparently been among the most enthusiastic of the six Queens at the idea of the Treaty, according to Queen Dianthia and Jetstream as well. If that was the case, why had she been the one to attack Equestria? Why not Queen Akara, who was the most reluctant to join in?

As I arrived at the Archives, my horn immediately alerted me to an intense magical entity in the vast anti-chamber. It didn't take long for me to find the source: Discord. The Draconnequs was in the middle of a quiet argument with somepony. Twilight had told me that Discord rarely showed any emotions besides amusement, only once had she seen him actually depressed: when Fluttershy threatened to end their friendship if he didn't end the chaos he'd been causing. And yet, the look on the Lord of Chaos' face was that of pure sadness and remorse. I could've sworn I saw tears made of orange juice running down his cheeks.

I recognized the pony he was talking to as Jetstream, who was in her default form, which I now recognized as being part Draconnequs, along with the holes in her hind legs, which resembled those of the Changeling Queens.

"...All-in-all, I'm sorry, dear. I've caused you so much pain because of my carelessness. I really hope we could pick up where we left off. I'm eager to meet Screwball and become an important part of her life." he said.

Wow, sappy. Did Discord and Jetstream have a thing going two thousand years ago?

"No, Discord. It is I who should be sorry. It was my well-being that had you so distracted. Had I reminded you to keep an eye on your own mind, or even tried to care for you as you did for me, none of this would've happened. We'd be happily ruling alongside Luna and Celestia, not trapped in stone or in a cave for two millennia." Jetstream replied, sadness weighed heavily in her voice.

Discord shook his head, regaining high spirits.

"It appears we are at an impasse once again. We both believe that we are solely to blame for the misfortune that befell both of us." A smile crept to his face. "Just like old times." he added.

"Indeed it is. And as usual, I have the solution. We accept partial blame, for we each had a part to play in that ordeal, and we leave it at that. As for our daughter, she's in Ponyville making herself some friends. Don't disturb her yet, there is still much to do here anyway."

"Agreed. And Jetstream? You have no idea how good it is to have you back. Even as a sleeping subconscious in the broken mind of a statue, you were the only thing I could think about. It was a miracle to what was left of my sanity to feel your mind aiding it in recovering for the past eight years. To see you again, face to face, is truly a dream come true." Discord said.

The joy he was expressing was genuine. Piper had told me about how you could tell if the one you loved was telling the truth in three ways: The expression on their face, the sound of their voice, and the look in their eyes. Body language never lied, and even if Discord was way different from a human, it was still easy to read him.

"Oh come here, you." Jetstream said in a playfully annoyed tone. A silver aura surrounded the Draconnequs' head and pulled him down towards the Princess of Lightning, who closed the gap between their faces in what looked like a soft, but meaningful kiss. Upon letting go, Discord reared his head and let out a cry for joy, before disappearing. Jetstream's attention, however, turned to the books on the nearest shelf.

My face felt hot from the romantic scene I had just witnessed, but I pressed forward anyway, intent on having answers to the questions that were boiling in my head.

Without turning around, Jetstream said:

"I was but a teenager when they started making bound books like this, before that, books were written in the form of scrolls. As a matter of fact scrolls are still used to this day, which puzzles me. At least they had the good sense to continue using papyrus, rather than diverting to more extravagant methods like mass deforestation or worse, animal skin."

The last two words came out like she'd eaten something very bitter. I thought she was talking by herself, until she added:

"What about your world, Annabeth Chase? How did humans adapt to change?" she turned to face me, a soft look in her asymmetrical eyes.

“How did you know I was there?” I asked.

“I sensed your power. You have a lot of untapped magic for a simple unicorn, Annabeth. Truth be told, was it not for your demigod heritage I’d say you were hiding something. I take it you witnessed some of that rather… emotional scene?”

I lowered my head shamefully. It wasn’t in my nature to eavesdrop on others, and I felt bad about it.

“Do not look so down on yourself, Annabeth. What you saw was the rekindling of a love that was shared two millennia ago.” said Jetstream, trying to comfort me.

“You guys were together back then?” I asked, curious.

“Indeed we were. To the point, might I add, that Luna and Celestia had been teasing us with questions like “So when’s the wedding?”. Yes, Discord and I had been romantically involved for nearly two years before the troubles happened. You probably overheard what happened that caused us to split up as well.”

I nodded. Discord grew selfless as he spent time with Jetstream and he forgot about his own chaotic mind. That chaos got the better of him and drove him insane, which is when he attacked Equestria, and that attack was what made Jetstream go into hiding in the first place.

“I sense that you have other things to ask me, Annabeth. Go ahead, spit it out.” Jetstream pressed.

“Well, you see I… Oh screw it, why not? The first thing I wanted to ask you was: Why did you choose to appear now, of all times?”

“A simple yet complex question, with a simple yet complex answer.” Jetstream commented. “Actually I was debating on attending this council for months now, ever since I got wind of it. On one hoof, I would be able to finish what I started and bring justice and peace to Equestria, as I had vowed to do so long ago, but on the other hoof, I still feared Luna’s reaction to my return. Celestia’s reaction didn’t worry me, but Luna’s was one I did not want to see again.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.

“The initial circumstances of Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon were a large buildup of resentment and grief that had accumulated over the years. A large part of that was my own disappearance. Luna and I had been the closest of friends, even before my ascension to Alicornhood. When I failed to come back to her after the troubles with Discord had ended, she had obviously feared the worst: that I had died in the troubles.”

I took a minute to think about it, and understanding was quick to show itself.

“You were afraid that she’d turn back into Nightmare Moon if you simply returned like it just so happens that you did?”

“Precisely. However the council wasn’t supposed to take place until a few weeks from now. I believe that the arrival of Percy and yourself to Equestria has somewhat accelerated the process. As it did with my decision making, for that matter. The presence of demigods from a world so vastly different from ours was something I simply could not resist passing up, so I readied myself to accept my role as Princess of Lightning once again.”

“I’m glad I kept my regalia, which was perfectly preserved over the past two millennia.” she added with a wink.

I smiled. Obviously, royalty in Equestria is a lot more laid back compared to royalty that lived centuries ago back home.

“Surely there was something else you wanted to ask me, Annabeth?” Jetstream asked.

“Well, yeah. It was said at the meeting that Queen Chrysalis had been one of the most enthusiastic of the Queens at the idea of becoming allies with Equestria. If that was the case, then why did she attack it?”

“An excellent question, Annabeth. And one that I’m afraid I cannot answer to a full extent. Let me make this very clear: though I’ve been watching over Equestria for the past eighteen hundred years, I thoroughly neglected to oversee Canterda. It is in the Rocky Mountain ranges of Canterda that the Changeling Nation is established, and because I’ve paid them little to no attention over the past two millennia, I can only speculate what may have happened. If I were to guess, I’d say that Chrysalis attacked Equestria out of desperation and spite. If I recall correctly, Chrysalis’ hive was situated the deepest in the Great Cantadian North, far from Equestria, and from almost any civilization for that matter, save the Crystal Empire that had also vanished for a thousand years.”

“In all honest truth, I can only speculate on what happened among the Changelings that caused Chrysalis to snap and turn on Equestria the way she did. By all means her people may have been starving, due to the obvious lack of pony communities near her Hive, and perhaps she also resented Celestia and Luna for failing to uphold the treaty after I disappeared.”

She paused for a few minutes, apparently thinking of what she wanted to say next.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you more than that, Annabeth.”

Another voice, older and wiser, came from behind us:

“But I believe I can clarify a few things.”

We both turn to see the Changeling High-Queen Dianthia, in her default form, standing by the entrance to the Archive.

I lower my head in respect, and Jetstream simply said:

“High-Queen Dianthia. What can we do for you?”

“It is not what you can do for me, Princess Jetstream, but rather I for you.” Dianthia walked up to us, and continued:

“I’m afraid that I, along with the four other Queens, all have a part to play behind Chrysalis attacking Equestria. Jetstream’s guess was correct: Chrysalis did it out of desperation and resentment. After your… exile, Jetstream, we Queens grew rather distant from one another, as did the Regal Sisters with us, and us with them. As High-Queen, I neglected my duties to watch over all Changelings, and the result was the northernmost hives suffering from famine and isolation. Chrysalis had on numerous occasions attempted to make the treaty go on, by organizing summits with the Regal Sisters and the other Queens, and even the Cantadian Prime Minister, but to no avail. It’s obvious she grew desperate, as her hives were situated in the Arctic North, at the very edge of the Cantadian Rockies. We all respected the Treaty to a minimum, allowing those of our subjects who wanted to live elsewhere to do so, but nothing more. For two thousand years this went on, until Chrysalis finally snapped and attacked Equestria.”

Wow. That practically answered all my questions regarding Chrysalis. Other, less important questions buzzed in my head, but they could wait. It was Luna, who had just walked into the Archive, who broke the silence that had been hanging heavy on us for the past few minutes.

“I knew I’d find you here, dearest friend.”

Jetstream raised her head and looked at the Princess of the Moon, and said:

“It’s been two thousand years, and still this place brings me solace. I assume you were looking for me, Luna?”

“That I was. If you are not too busy, would you care to take a walk through the Lunar Gardens with me, for old times’ sake?”

“I definitely would. It’s been so long since we’ve spoken, and I owe you some explanation, and apology.” Jetstream replied, before the two Alicorns walked out of the Archive, leaving me alone with the Changeling High-Queen.

“I can sense your mind, Annabeth, and I know there are many other questions plaguing it, many of which I can certainly answer. Speak your mind, and be free of them.” she said.

I thought about it for a second, and asked:

“Could you tell me more about Changelings? Like how your society works and your political system functions?”

“An excellent question indeed. There is much to tell, so we’d best get comfortable.” Dianthia approached a set of furniture arranged around a reading table and took a seat, gesturing towards the seat opposite her. I sat down and sighed in relief. My leg may have been healed, but it was still sore from being immobilized the way it was for the past few days.

The High-Queen began her long speech, explaining how Changelings divided their society in ranks, Drones and Workers at the bottom, Soldiers and Elites at the top, and the Queens and High-Queen above all else. Their structuring reminded me a lot of insects back home, primarily ants and bees. Dianthia then told me how the Hivemind worked.

“It is a special mental link established between a Queen and her subjects, so that she may communicate orders and messages to them instantly. On the flipside, Soldiers can report any unusual occurrences to their Queen in the same way. The lesser Queens are linked in the same fashion to the High-Queen, who, through the lesser Queens, can tune into any Hive at any time. Chrysalis altered the Hivemind of her subjects to force them to fight for her when she invaded, a crime that makes her life forfeit. She has no more power to the Changeling political system than an outsider does now.”

She then explained how their Queens were selected:

“Though it is a little hazy in my mind, the selection of a new Queen is made at the death of the previous one. In this way, our politics closely resemble those of the Cantadian Government, who elect a Prime Minister and a Cabinet to lead the country. We take among the most worthy candidates of the late Queen’s hive, and allow the remaining subjects to elect the one they prefer.”

A little something buzzed in my head, and I asked:

“Would it be possible for there to be a King? Not all of those candidates would have to be female, right?”

Dianthia chuckled, and said:

“We Changelings are gender-neutral. We refer to ourselves as Queens out of tradition, a tradition of which the origin is long-forgotten. As I mentioned before, the practice of electing a new Queen is rare, as we Queens, upon being crowned, gain a longevity identical to an Alicorn’s. As such, we live forever so long as we are not killed by sickness or weapon. The other Queens and I, and Chrysalis as well, have been in power for the past three millennia.”

I was going to ask whether she personally knew Jetstream before the Princess of Lightning’s coronation, until I was interrupted by somepony calling for me from the hallway just outside the Archive.

“Annabeth? Are you here?” called Twilight.

I stepped out from between the shelves, Dianthia close behind and reply:

“Over here Twilight. Looking for me?”

“Yeah, I was just looking for you to tell you that we’ll be staying here overnight, Celestia’s treat. She wants us all to be there for the little party she and Pinkie are throwing to celebrate not only our new alliance with the Changelings,” she nodded respectfully towards Dianthia, “but also to commemorate Jetstream’s return to the Lightning Throne.”

“Alright, thanks, Twilight.” I said, a little giddy at the thought of a party.
Twilight’s happy expression faded as she realized something.

“Oh, did I interrupt you two? I’m sorry, Queen Dianthia, I didn’t mean…”

“Worry not, Princess of Magic, Annabeth and I were simply discussing the workings of Changeling society. A subject which, if I recall correctly, you spent a few weeks studying for yourself after you were crowned."

Twilight nodded. “It’s true. After my coronation Queens Narvath and Formora approached me and offered me congratulations. They wanted me to know that not all Changelings were like Chrysalis, and that I was welcome to visit their hives if ever I wanted to know more about them. I set out on a little campaign after spending a couple weeks in Queen Formora’s hive, and began holding seminars in towns all over Equestria to teach ponies about Changelings, and how what they saw with Chrysalis was not what Changelings really were.”

Twilight closed her eyes and smiled.

“It was in the small town of Whitetail Meadows, not far from Mt. Crystal, where Jetstream lives, that I met a Changeling from Chrysalis’ hive. His name was Zevan, and he had participated in the siege on Canterlot. Zevan had explained to me how he had a happy life living in Cloudsdale, and when his Queen called him to battle, he felt like he had no other alternative. He also told me how he ended up in Whitetail Meadows. Cadence and Shining Armor’s love blast knocked him all the way to the flower fields near the town, and badly injured him on landing. He had just enough time to assume his pony persona, a pegasus named Whirring Cogs, when a unicorn mare came by and saw his distress.”

“At first Zevan feared me, because I was a Princess, but I made a deal with him. If he helped me in my seminars, as a live example, I’d help him and his new wife. He’d actually fallen in love and gotten married in the year that he spent in Whitetail Meadows. And to the very same unicorn mare that had found him, broken and battered, no less. Her name was Lavender Dreams. Where Cogs’ wing suffered from nerve damage, Lavender’s horn was broken because of a stunt she tried pulling as a teenager.”

“I offered to heal them both, though it cost me a lot of energy. I also helped them go through the same channels as Jetstream’s parents, for them to have foals of their own. The last time I saw Cogs and Lavender, they had only just welcomed the arrival of their first foal.”

I D’awwed in my head at the thought of a baby pony.

Dianthia walked towards the entrance, and said:

“There are matters with my own people that I must attend to. I’m sorry I couldn’t prolong this conversation with you, Annabeth, for I quite enjoyed it.”
I nodded as the High-Queen left the Archive, and turned to Twilight.

“Where’s your daughter?” I asked.

“Nyx is in Ponyville with Screwball, who is Jetstream’s daughter, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Jetstream and I gave our daughters the task of discovering the magic of friendship for themselves.” she replied, a satisfied smirk on her face. Her expression grew serious as she added:

“On the other hoof, Percy mentioned Kronos back at the Council. He also said something about Kronos being here, in Equestria. For the safety of us and everypony, could you tell me more about him?”

Oh gods. Here come the bad memories. Luke, Silena, Beckendorf, Bianca, all the other demigods who died in the Titan War.

"It's... something I don't like to talk about." I said. "A lot of demigods that I cared about died in the Titan War, all because of Kronos. But I'll tell you what I can."

I took a deep breath and started talking.

"The Titans were the youngest of the three races born to Gaea the Earth and Ouranos the Sky, after the Hekatonkheires and the Cyclopes. All were detested by their father, but he both feared and hated the elder children so much that he imprisoned them in the abyss of Tartarus, which was itself deep within the Earth. Enraged, Gaea got pregnant and told her remaining children to avenge their brothers and overthrow their draconian parent. Kronos was the boldest of the siblings and, initially, only he would agree to help his mother. Using a scythe fashioned by Gaea, he sliced Ouranos into a thousand pieces and claimed his supremacy over the universe."

"During his reign, Kronos would usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the Titans, and took his sister Rhea as his bride and queen. His rule would also see the genesis of mankind and be called their 'Golden Age'. However, Kronos abandoned his imprisoned siblings to their fates out of the belief that they would only pose a threat to his authority. "

Twilight's eyes widened.

"Wow, you only just started talking, and I can already tell how cruel of a monster Kronos was."

I nodded and continued:

"At the height of his power, Kronos was warned by Gaea that he would be supplanted by his own child just as he had usurped his father long before. Determined to avoid this fate, he decided to swallow his children alive so that they could never overthrow him. Rhea pleaded with Kronos to spare their children but with no success. Kronos' wife eventually gave birth to a sixth and, of their union, final child on Mount Ida, and deceived her husband into devouring a stone swaddled in cloths instead, after getting him drunk. This sixth son would be called Zeus."

"Kronos had only a single, brief affair, which resulted in the birth of Chiron. When Zeus grew to adulthood, he infiltrated his father's palace on Mount Othrys and slipped an emetic into the Titan Lord's drink which forced him to disgorge Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, who had been growing undigested in Kronos' stomach, being gods. Kronos' children quickly declared war against him and eventually triumphed. Kronos was dismembered into thousands of pieces by Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades who used the very weapon that Kronos had used on Ouranos. His pieces were cast into Tartarus, where they stayed for thousands of years."

I started shaking a little as I got to the part my friends and I had been involved in.

"Knowing of the resentment between demigods and their godly parents, Kronos decided to use this to his advantage and find a follower willing to oppose the gods. Kronos found this follower in Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes, who had begun questioning the Olympians ever since his father "abandoned" both him and his mother. After seeing our friend Thalia being turned into a tree, this questioning turned to resentment and hatred, which made him a perfect ally for Kronos. The evil Titan King contacted Luke in his dreams and manipulated him to his cause, ordering him to steal the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness, the legendary weapons of Zeus and Hades respectively, which would start a civil war amongst the gods as both Zeus and Hades would blame Poseidon because his son, Percy, was living in New York."

Twilight's expression shifted from horror, to sympathy, to confusion.

"I know you told me a bit about your world, but a lot of your terms still confuse me, Annabeth. Some of your cities sound like ours, and yet they're different." she commented.

"Funny, I thought exactly the same thing when you told me about Equestria." I poked back. "Anyway, long story short, Kronos used Luke to raise an army of demigods and monsters to overtake Olympus. With every demigod recruited, Kronos and the other Titans would become stronger. After a few years, Luke finally brought over enough demigods to revive Kronos, but at a price: Kronos would have to inhabit Luke's body for a while, until his strength became complete. At that point, Kronos would burn Luke away and rise again at his full power. Luckily, Percy and I were able to stop him and allow Luke to regain control long enough to kill himself, and cause Kronos to scatter. At first, we thought that would be the end for him, but apparently what we thought was Kronos being spread so thin, was because most of him was actually crossing the portal into the Equestrian Tartarus. If what my mom told me is true, and history really does have a habit of repeating itself, then we'll be fighting the Titan War all over again, only this time, Percy and I are the only ones who know Kronos, and we're both ponies now."

Just as I finished talking, light footsteps could be heard coming our way, followed by a familiar voice calling:

"There you are, Twilight! Thought I'd find you here, and Annabeth too!"

We both turned to the source of the voice, only to find Spike standing by the doorway. The little dragon looked a little tired, but altogether happy to see us.

"Let me guess, you slept in?" said Twilight.

Spike lowered his head and mumbled: "Yeah..."

"What time?"

"9:30..."

My eyes widened.

"What? 9:30? You call that sleeping in? I always got up around that time when I didn't have school! Sleeping in would be more like, I don't know, eleven?"

Spike looked at me with a grateful look, but Twilight was just scandalized.

"Eleven o'clock?! That's crazy! That would involve so much schedule work just to get everything done in a day!"

"Typical Twilight. I'm a fan of being organized too, you know, but you take being organized to the next level."

"That she does." Spike agreed. "Triple-checking the checklists, which means re-double checking them as well. It's almost like a paradox, only after we reach five or six extra checks, we run short on time and move onto the next thing we have to do."

"Oh, hush Spike. You're exaggerating."

"I doubt that. Even as a filly you were like that, Twily. I bet you got it from Mom too." said Shining Armor, who had just walked in.

"Shiny! What brings you to the Archive? I thought you hated this place."

"Still do. Bad memories, Spike, bad memories." he replied, raising his hoof so it was level with Spike's head.

"Hey, I feel ya." the little dragon said, pounding the stallion's hoof with a clawed fist.

"And before I forget, Princess Celestia and Cady are waiting for you at the private audience chamber. Percy also told me to tell Annabeth that he was gonna go fly with Rainbow for a while, and that he'd be back by dinner."

Twilight and I both nodded. I guess it was back to business for us.