Percy Jackson: An Age Gone By is a Percy Jackson and the Olympians Alternate Universe Fic by author iJustASimpleWriter1, it starts around the same time as The Lightning Thief and featuring the goddess Artemis as the main character. After thousands of years, and at the urging of her sister Athena, Artemis reveals to her hunters that during the time of Alexander the Great, she was banished from Olympus for threatening Zeus's power, and as a mortal she would join Alexander's expedition to conquer the Persian Empire. In the process, she meets and falls in love with a mortal man names Perseus...who may or may not be connected with the Percy from the books we all know and love. She is also approached by Athena to aid in finding Zeus's missing lightning bolt. Each chapter is divided into two parts (one set in the modern day, and one told in flashbacks by Artemis to her hunters about her time in the expedition with Perseus).
It can be read on FanFiction.Net here.
Tropes contained in "An Age Gone By" include:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Artemis, in the main series while still one of the nicer gods she wasn't above cruelty. For instance, it's mentioned that she would turn men who encounter her hunt into animals. Though, it's unclear if she does that to all men or just those who displease her. While here she doesn't do it at all and regrets many of the cruel acts she committed in the past.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Implied. In the main series by book three Percy and Annabeth had already begun to have feeling for each other. With Percy being very distress when he learned that Annabeth was thinking of joining the hunters. Well we don't get to see it since the story isn't told from their point of view. It's implied to no longer be the case here. When Zeus offers to turn Percy into a god Artemis assumed Percy would turn him down to be with Annabeth. This doesn't happen and instead Percy accepted and Annabeth is happy for him. Implying something happen to change their relationship, so they're only friends.
- Amazon Brigade: Like the main series An Age Gone By also includes many female warriors just as deadly as the men. Although not allowed to fight other mortals while with the expedition, Artemis does train many of Alexander's soldiers as part of an elite unit. She also fights again monster they encounter while still only mortal. Alongside her hunters, she continues to hunt monsters like the hydra in the modern age.
- All Myths Are True: Like in canon multiple pantheons of gods are confirmed to exist, with Artemis meeting multiple Mesopotamian and Persian deities and monsters.
- Action Girl: Artemis is the warrior goddess of hunting. Even as a mortal, she fights Middle Eastern deities and monsters, and continues to do so in the present day alongside her hunters.
- The Atoner:
- Thanks to her time as a mortal, Artemis has grown as a person, expressing remorse for cruel acts she committed in the past like the murder of Niobe's children.
- Athena promises to help Artemis however she can make up for hiding the truth about Perseus from her.
- Big "NO!":Artemis initial reaction to Percy becoming a god. As doing so would mean he would live forever leaving himself as a constant reminder of her lost love. She calms down once becoming a god causes Percy to regain his memories.
- Battle Couple: Artemis and Perseus fight alongside each other often against many of the monsters they encounter in the east.
- The Big Damn Kiss: Happens a few times. Notably after a battle in which Perseus and Artemis admit their love. And when they reunite after he is reincarnated.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Although most of the Olympians besides Artemis, Athena, and Poseidon don't show up from what we see they certainly have some major issues Zeus banishes Artemis for several years as a mortal for the crime of being more worshiped than him, and most of her family either votes to banish her, or abstains. This affects her relationship with her family to the present day, with the only Olympians she seems to be close to being her brother Apollo, and half sister Athena. To the rest she is either cordial but not too close, or openly hostile like with Zeus.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Perseus and Artemis. They constantly bicker, Artemis threatens him more than once, and they even physically fight occasionally during sparing sessions.
- Chastity Couple: Artemis even after falling in love with Perseus remains committed to her vows of chastity. Perseus is fine with this and makes no attempt to convince her otherwise, and Artemis eventually becomes comfortable enough around Perseus to be find kissing and sleeping in the same bed as him.
- Cool Sword: Perseus sword. It's made of half bronze and half celestial bronze and capable of harming monsters and mortals.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Artemis is put though this after being captured by Atlas. Being reputably stung a manticore.
- Chick Magnet: Perseus although he only ever has eyes for Artemis. He is repeatedly described as being very handsome and charming, with even multiple goddesses mentioning this.
- Darkerand Edgier: Well the main series had its moments, it was still at the end of the day a book that was written to be read primarily by pre-teens. Well An age gone by certainly isn't grim dark it is noticeably more mature and darker then the main series. There are fairley graphic description of violence and deaths, topics like sexual assault which of course aren't mentioned in the original series also happen. The main series also tended to brush off the trauma that would come with being a hero. Percy and his friends go thought the entire series with seemingly no PSTD or any other permentat issues despite having to fight for there lives since they where children. Well An age gone by even after thousands of years Artemis still isn't over the trauma caused by the expedition and the death of Perseus.
- Does Not Like Men: Artemis used to dislike most males, though she obviously grew past that. In the main series, it's mentioned that she would frequently turn mortal men who ran into her hunt into animals. And it's not clear if those men did anything wrong. Well, here there is no mention of her doing any such thing. Her time training males as part of the expedition and time with Perseus is implied to be the reason for this. Though most of her hunters still hate men.
- Deathofthe Old Gods: Not all the pantheons that were around in the past are still around. In fact, it seems the majority have faded, with Artemis mentioning that she has not seen the gods that she met during the expedition since then. Sadly her mother the titan Leto also faded in between the events of the expedition and the modern day.
- Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: Perseus is married at the start of the fic to a woman named Medeia. This causes some tension between him and Artemis. But they get over it and decide to start a relationship anyway. With Perseus planning to divorce Medeia when they get back to Greece. It's revealed that Medeia had also started an affair while he was gone. Artemis, still grieving for his death, takes this as well as you would expect. And kill both Medeia and her lover at the request of Perseus's mother. It's mentioned that Perseus's mother had a bruise on her face when she meets. Implying that she was being abused either by Medeia by a lover. Which makes Artemis killing them more sympathetic.
- Jerkass Gods: Most gods Zeus, but also to lesser extent Aphrodite and of course Anahita who try to kill Artemis several times and is responsible for the death of thousands.
- Momma's Boy: Although we never get to see them interact Perseus was clearly close to his mother. He frequently talks about his mother and says the first thing he plans to do when he gets back home is divorce his wife and kiss his mother.
- Parental Substitute: Artemis for her hunters. She thinks of them as her daughters, and they in turn love and think of her as a parent.
- Reincarnation: We learn that somehow Perseus was reincarnated as Perseus. Its implied Anubis might have had something to do with it.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Anubis, compare to most gods Artemis meets he comes off as kind and reasonable. Even going so far as to help the spirits of Greek dead find their way to the Greek afterlife.
- Trauma Button: For years after his death Artemis could not bring herself to think or especially say his name. as the memory would be to painful. She gets better as she tells her story.
