DISCLAIMER: I don't own PERCY JACKSON AND THE i do own the plot.
A/N:This story is a sequel to FIRE IN THE VOID. It is your choice if you wish to read the prequel or not. I personally believe that this story can be read with out reading the first in the series. Nevertheless if you read it, Pandemonium WILL BE EASIER to follow and more fun.
Enjoy Reading and Review.
A Tryst with Death
There are many who speak of death in the manner of a glorious afterlife however a blessed afterlife is written in the destiny of only a handful of mortals. The others sadly, have to spend a lifetime in the fields of asphodel or in the fields of punishment for atonement of their wrong-doings. The underworld is not a happy place. Death isn't meant to be celebrated, it is meant to be grieved and then forgotten. What is death? It is the transference of immortal energy from one living vessel to another but only after the memories of the previous life is forgotten. Washed in the waters of Lethe, every soul rises anew. The fates writing their destiny, as it should be.
I sighed, gathered around me were those with who I had served with earlier in battles. They were my fellow councillors, comrades and friends. I looked to Percy, who stood right be. Confident, his sea green eyes gleamed with excitement. I turned my gaze away from his to look at the others. Annabeth was inspecting her weapons while Thalia fastened her bracelet which when tapped released the shield, Aegis.
They scared me, the both of them. Battle hardened, they were always prepared for a fight but then that's how Greeks were. They fought on an impulse. It was their very basic nature. We, the Romans on the other hand took strategy and skill into account. Even on the battle field we used our brains along with our brawn. More disciplined, we believed in organized was not in random mêlées.
My eyes found Jason who stood beside Piper, Leo and Frank engaging in a silent conversation. There was no doubt that they were going through their plans again. On my other side stood Clarisse La Rue and Chris Rodriguez, they too had a strategy up their sleeves. Knowing them and their parents, I was pretty sure that it'd be damn good.
"Are you ready Hazel?" Percy asked, sounding oddly cheerful. He hadn't been in a battle for years and now seemed to be itching to get his hands dirty. Annabeth scorned at him from behind but she restrained herself from jabbing him in the gut with the hilt of her dagger.
I breathed deeply and after saying a silent prayer to my father, I looked at him, mirroring his enthusiasm, "Ready when you are?" I said.
"Fine then, everyone come and gather around Hazel." He said looking at each and every demigod around us. All of them nodded and cut short their conversations, sheathing their weapons and double checking everything they came and stood around me in a circle.
We were all supposed to travel to the shadow realm. According to Nico and Alec's last reports they had both felt a strong disturbance in the shadow region. Even her father had felt a powerful presence but had decided against investigating it. Deducing, that's where they may find their mysterious demigod killer the Councillors had decided to explore the shadow region and the only way to get there was shadow travel.
Hazel closed her eyes and breathed deeply, shadow traveling was relatively easier for her and in the last few years she had taken several people along with her. However, she had never taken a group as large as this one. It had always been maximum two to three people but I knew that I could take more people. After all, Nico was known to take entire cohorts with him on diplomatic missions to the existing empires. He believed that the organised cohorts created a lasting impression.
But that was him, and this was me and I knew I could pull it off and with that last thought I let the cool wind take over me.
As the shadows engulfed me into the nothingness of their void I felt the cold shivers running down my spine with the sensation of my life force being drained drop by drop from my body. As I whirled on the spot I could sense the presence of all those around me, It felt as if I was their sun and they the planets revolving around me. I could individually sense each and every one of them, their cores shining bright but the radiance of each was different, varying in terms of power and strength.
Swirling in the shadows I could feel the different dimensions I passed through. Every dimension had a different touch to it and there were six of them between the mortal world and Tartarus. With the underworld lying somewhere in the middle I instantly knew when I crossed it. It was the only dimension where I felt comfortable in. It also warned me to increase my defenses as I proceeded to the next dimension, that of Erebus, God of Darkness and Shadows. It wasn't that Erebus didn't allow demigods to enter his domain, no quite the contrary he enjoyed our presence however the creatures that he kept as pets didn't and would randomly attack at any moment.
I drew on the cores of the others to strengthen my shields. Had I been passing alone I wouldn't have had to as a single demigod goes virtually un-noticed. A group of them was a completely different matter, we probably shined like a beacon of light inviting them to come and get their meal. Drawing on their strengths, I not only increased our shields but also the speed with which we were passing through.
The passage through Erebus went safely enough, with no attacks but I felt a few creatures glide right past us, creatures that could gobble us up without even being affected by our defenses. I was glad when I reached the thin border that separated it from the shadow realm.
I passed through the thin plane that separated the shadow realm from Erebus, but what I was encountered by I was not prepared for. A sudden flash of light blinded me followed by a high pitched scream that caused a severe pain in my head. So sharp was the pain that I lost complete control over my body and my power. The shadows around me dissipated and I fell into well of harsh blinding light with a scream echoing in my ears. I knew they were mine because I could feel my throat going hoarse from screaming.
I don't know how I passed out, whether it was due to the sheer intensity of the Shadow realm, the screaming or the drain from shadow traveling. All I knew was I could no longer keep awake and so my eyes rolled into my head and I didn't even realise that I had lost consciousness.
I could feel my heart pounding at a pace that I knew would cause any mortal a heart attack. With a dull ache in the back of my head, I could still hear the echo of screams in my head. The screams however sounded more like shouts and loud grunts. I tried to open my eyes, but couldn't, it seemed that the blinding light had affected my vision and the fall on the head had probably not helped.
The grunts and shouts however started to get louder as if the battle was coming to me or maybe it was because I was coming to my senses quickly. Unable to open my eyes, I tried to move my arms both of which were working. I quickly moved my hands to my sides; their strapped on my thigh was a dagger which I slowly pulled out from its invisible sheath. My other hand closed on the hilt of my sword.
I felt my core, there wasn't much left in it. I need to recuperate and it didn't seem that I had been unconscious for long. Drawing on my powers, I tried to heal the damage done to my eyes. A cool wave spread throughout my body, my eyes that till now had been burning instantly cooled. I knew I could open them now.
With my eyes healed and energy running through my veins I knew I had to be agile. I couldn't take my time to get to my feet. It all had to be done in one swift move. Drawing on all my strength I kept both my hands palm down on the surface and raised my legs. Applying strength through my hands, I jumped up on to the ground, coming on to stand in a crouching position. Not wasting even a single moment I jumped off the ground, opening my eyes to see the battle going around me. High in the air, my eyes widened with shock at what I saw.
Around me, on the ground each and every councillor was fighting for their life trying to protect themselves against what seemed to be a never ending army of Spartans robed in black and gold armour. Slashing through the enemy and cutting through their shields the group of ten demigods tried to hold their line of defence. A circle, which they seemed to have formed around me, to protect me but so involved were they in their battle that they hadn't even realised that I was up on my feet. It also explained my thoughts of the battle coming to me because in fact it was coming to me.
High up in the air I hovered above the battleground, quiet and silent I observed the enemy warriors. It seemed that they had taken no notice of me even those who were standing behind and weren't directly fighting. It was almost as they were ignoring me. I decided to take advantage of the situation but how could I, I was still weak. I couldn't fight.
There was no way that I could prove to be of any help to my comrades. I looked at all of them individually. They were all fighting with their weapons and those who had lost theirs were fighting with bare hands, Clarisse for example. Having lost her spear, mace, sword and shield; she charged at the warriors, punching through the shield of one of the Spartan warrior that came her way, she broke through his shield she then used her brute strength to grasp his arm and throw him at the other warriors. Snatching a fallen sword, she bared her teeth at the advancing warriors and growling like a lioness she charged into them ploughing her way through, slashing and hacking. Typical Clarisse, it was good that Chris had her back. He stuck to her like a shadow, bringing death to those who were left behind.
It wasn't long before they disappeared in the sea of Spartans; I had completely lost sight of them. My attention however was gained by a blood curdling shriek of defiance.
Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus fought the oncoming warriors with a sword in each hand. In her right hand she held a double-edged celestial bronze sword while in her left she held a piercing, single edged imperial-gold pike sword. It was similar to the sword Jas… my heart skipped a beat. I frantically looked all around me but I couldn't see him. I searched for Piper instead, knowing that he'd be fighting right beside the daughter of Aphrodite but when my gaze found her it wasn't so.
Piper was surrounded on all sides by the enemy and she fought with them two-three at a time barely keeping up with their onslaughts and attacks. She tried her best; the determination on her face was one that I had never seen before but there was something else there as well, fear. The fear in her eyes was paramount but she wasn't giving in. She wouldn't break so easily… but there was nothing that I could do, except for one thing.
I inhaled sharply and closed my arms. With all my strength, I concentrated on my core. I concentrated upon the energy that was whirling in it, like a dark cloud of energy. I let that energy flow through me. I let it rejuvenate each and every cell in my body, making them vibrate with pure divine ichor. Long ago, I had put a stopper on my core. I didn't want to succumb to my power. No, I was happy with the amount of power I had. But it seemed that desperate times called for desperate actions to take place. Broadening my senses, I tapped into the energy core that sustained the shadow region. If there was any way that I could help my comrades it was by tapping into this source of pure, manic, ultimate dark energy.
I felt the shadow core pulse with destructive energy and for a moment I hesitated but then came to my mind the frightened faces of my comrades who were staring death in their face. Yes, I'd do it for them and before it was too late I tapped into the vast and never ending reservoir of energy.
Percy's POV
The warriors marched towards us in prefect co-ordination. With their swords drawn and shields raised they marched to kill or be killed.
It hadn't been long since I got on my own two feet. Last I remember I was swirling in a cloud of dark shadows and then suddenly I had been flung out of the cloud, like an invisible force had yanked at me. Before I knew it, I along with the others was diving towards the ground with the world spinning around us. We were very much conscious when we were falling but we lost it sometime after the blinding flash of light and the freaky sound that continued to echo through our heads.
When we woke up, it didn't seem that we had been unconscious for very long. Rather, when I got up the light had only just begun to dissipate. Using my sword as support, I got up on my own two feet and helped Annabeth do the same. All around us the other demigods were getting up, all except for Hazel who was still lying on the ground unconscious. It seemed that she had been drained of all her strength, trying to ferry us across five dimensions.
With one glance at Annabeth I made my way to her while Annabeth called for everyone to build a defensive parameter. There was something that she had observed which we hadn't and she shouted at us to get in line and form a circular line around Hazel, as she was our ticket home.
Obeying her command, I got up from beside Hazel and joined her. I looked at her with irritation, questioning her antics. She on the other hand just pointed forwards with her dagger. Shrugging, I followed her sword's line of sight and that's when I saw them coming.
Legions upon legion of men marched towards us. They were garbed in Greek Armour resembling those of Golden-age Spartans. Now I knew what all the hue and cry was about. All around me I heard the familiar sounds of weapons being drawn from their sheaths and bracers transforming into shields and other weapons.
I pulled out riptide and felt an instant tug in my gut. We had to fight this one out, no questions asked even if it was the last thing that we did. Pulling the helmet over my face, my vision was restricted to the warriors charging right at me and with that last thought I raised my shield to block a direct thrust at my hard. Throwing the attack back my assailant, I swung my sword and cut through his neck. Whirling on the spot, I used my momentum to swing and cut through two other warriors who had tried to sneak upon me from behind. The swing however left me open on the left, exposing my left leg to attack. However, none of the other warriors seemed to be bright enough to use it against me and thus allowing me to regain my footing and continue to defend myself and slash through those who raised their swords to kill me.
I slashed widely, never remaining at the same spot for more than once. I used my agility to its maximum potential. To anyone else it'd seem as if I was morphing from one place to another but the truth was that I was running and jumping at lightning speeds, this was something that I had learnt from Jason. Jason, the image of the son of Jupiter came to my mind. How different he was from his father?
Lost in thought, I barely noticed when a sword scraped across my helmet. Had it been even an inch closer, it'd have run right through my head. I cursed loudly, parrying away the enemy's thrust with my own sword and then throwing him back with the help of my shield.
I looked around to see plenty of bodies lying piled up atop each other around me. The warriors now seemed hesitant to attack me, but attack they did. It seemed that they were trying to strategize their next move while I cut through their cannon fodder. Which I unfortunately had to, I had no choice. I would hate to admit it, but this was worse than fighting Kronos or Gaea and I was already tiring, physically of course. I needed time to recuperate. It was now time to release my divine self upon these warriors and without wasting a moment, I pulled out a couple of dead shells from my utility belt and threw them all round me. With the warriors advancing, I closed my eyes and felt the familiar sensation of the tug in my gut. Before I knew it, the sea shells had given rise to several salt water springs.
With a smirk on my face, I extended my arm and the water from the springs shot up towards the sky, forming a wall of water around me and with an another wave of my hands the water shout outwards drowning the advancing warriors in an immense tidal wave.
That did it; I had been able to steal a few moments of rest. I took the time to observe the battle area. Annabeth was still beside me, slashing through her assailants like a maniac. Leo on the other hand used pyro kinesis to burn his attackers to cinder. Jake was doing the same; however he occasionally using his mace to blow the skulls and thoraxes of the warriors attacking him, spraying him with blood.
Clarisse and Chris were nowhere to be seen but I could hear Clarisse shout from behind a wall of enemy warriors and it sounded she was doing fine, still fighting that is. What was peculiar was Thalia fighting with two swords, one of which belonged to… Jason. I could feel Thalia's agony as she hacked and scythed through each person, her viciousness directly proportional to her agony at the loss of her brother. Piper too was hidden from my eyes; I'd have to find her.
My eyes then turned to the ground where Hazel was laying a few minutes back, strangely enough she wasn't there, probably joined the fight. I had only begun to wonder where she was when I heard a blade being swung behind me. Out of instinct I spun on the spot, meeting my enemy's blade with mine. I then thrust my dagger in his heart, where it stayed while I dealt with the other warriors. My Time-out seemed to have finished although I still hadn't recovered as yet. I was tiring, and fast.
When Grover told me that demigods are strongest in their teenage years he wasn't kidding. I now realise that he was talking about endurance and not strength. Nevertheless, demigods can draw on their divine core that helps them to fight even though they are out of strength. That's one reason we are called demigods, because like gods we don't run out of strength.
It seemed that the warriors were all amateurs. They relied on brute strength and didn't seem to know anything about fighting with weapons. When it came to using their sword, all they knew was swing their sword, put up their shield to block an attack and on occasion, use their sword to parry an attack. Although it made the battle easy for us, it seemed as if they were learning while they fought. I found the idea quite absurd as I ran my mind over it again but what I couldn't deny was the fact that they were getting better. Each warrior that I faced seemed to take an extra strike or two before I cut through him. I wanted to rest, to take a moment to breathe but it didn't seem I'd be able to for a while.
Parrying an attack and raising my shield to defend myself against another, I fleeting realised that I had left myself completely open. An opportunity the warriors didn't miss this time, as a third warrior thrust his sword into my abdomen. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming aloud. There were two things that were going on in my mind, the pain in my abdomen and the thought that I wasn't going to die so easily. Swinging my sword, I un-balanced the person who had my sword in a lock and used my shield to shove the other warrior. His footing lost, I plunged riptide through his heart and drew it in one swift motion.
I then used my sword to break my assailant's sword which was still nestled in my stomach. Catching him off-guard, I used the moment of surprise and cut across his neck, killing him. With more armoured Spartans coming my way, I didn't waste time and pulled the blade still lunged in my stomach. I drew it out carefully to prevent injury to any of my other organs. Who the hell was I kidding? Of course I was going to die and there was shit that I could do about it. Blood was running through my wound like water through a tap. From what I could make out my intestines had been severed through, possibly a kidney as well and I was pretty sure that the sword had grazed my spine as well. All in all, unless I got a healer to help me out and pour potions down my gullet I was going to end up dead. The one thing I could do was stand my ground but before that I looked for Annabeth. I couldn't see her anymore but I could sense her aura, the grey aura of a warrior designed to kill. It was true, compassion wasn't in her veins.
Smiling, I returned my attention to the line of warriors closing in on me. With one last thought, negating the presence of pain from my mind I raised my shield to cover my body and held riptide tight.
I was losing faith, and quickly. If there was something I knew for sure, it was that I was headed to Elysium and with that thought, as the warriors charged at me with their swords held high. My eyes closed involuntarily and I felt myself on the dirt ground that I had fallen on before, my senses betraying me and the battle cries lulling me into a dreamless sleep.
Annabeth's POV
Like wind I ran through the formation of the warriors. Unlike the others I didn't wait for my enemy to being the battle to me. I took the battle to the enemy. Not how a typical child of Athena should act, I however plead guilty of the fact that Percy has had a lot of influence over me. Nevertheless, strategy was still my forte and even if I was running through enemy ranks, I didn't do so while I stayed in their view. Long ago I had traded my cap of invisibility for a cape which could render its wearer completely invisible.
Swift and silent, I ran through the enemy lines, slitting a throat here, disembowelling there. It wasn't what I professed at but it was something I was surely getting better. It was while I masqueraded among the enemy that I felt Percy's presence disappearing. Not sure, what to make out of it I left everything else and ran to the place where I last saw him.
It was then that I realised what a great mistake I had made. I was wedged so deep within the enemy ranks that I was having trouble finding my way out. If I wasn't careful enough, I'd set off a complete panic attack among them but at the same time I had to hurry. I had to get to Percy to see if he was fine. Not thinking upon the consequences if what I was about to do, I summoned power from my divine core to teleport myself to Percy's side.
Teleportation was extremely dangerous for demigods, reason being that a demigod had to temporarily empty his reservoirs of power to produce enough energy to take the form of light and then travel to the destination. Using so much power could end up killing the demigod, especially if teleportation used during a battle but there was no time to waste on pros and cons. There wouldn't be a reason to live with Percy anyways.
Willing all her strength and power to each and every cell of her body, Annabeth could feel the heat building up. Burning her from within, Annabeth screamed as the fire completely took over her and she was blinded by a sudden burst of light. After a moment however she found herself on the hard stone floor, drained of life but her resolve was still strong. She opened her eyes, her vision still blurred by the after effects of the blinding flash but somehow, she knew he was there. Next to her, and her vision improved she could feel him around her. Black hair, luminous silver armour, tanned skin; she could sense and feel it all but as her vision cleared, tears started streaming down her eyes. Her stormy grey eyes met his sea green. Eyes that were once aflame with joy and excitement now stared back at her, dead.
She tried to move her hand to touch him one last time, too late she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and before she could do anything else she too slipped into unconsciousness…
And so did all the other demigods. Leo and Jake although fighting bravely were finally overwhelmed by the sheer number of the on-coming warriors. Thalia too had been unable to defend herself against multiple attacks and fell to a sword that cut through her back. Piper McLean, although scared fought the longest but she too fell to the ground due to exhaustion. It wasn't much after that Clarisse and Chris fell as well, Chris trying to protect Clarisse from a wayward sword. He took the attack to save her but there was only one sword that he could take on her behalf, as another quickly claimed her life to.
Hazel however didn't see her friends die. She knew what she had to do. With enough strength restored she shadow travelled back to Fort Olympus, they needed help and hopefully there would be enough cohorts and shadow travellers to bring an army down here to help the councillors… and with the sound of a gunshot she ricocheted across the seven dimensions all the way to the City of Demigods, Fort Olympus.
A/N:First chapter of Pandemonium. Very excited about the feedback. I know that some of you still prefer the canon characters but at the moment there is only space for a few of them. It seems as if war has been declared.
On another note, every Author and I'm speaking on behalf of every author on fanfiction appreciates feedbacks and review. Even if they are flames, they know that people are reading their story and at the end of the day it helps them improve.
So, do all of us an honour and don't forget to press the Highlighted REVIEW BUTTON. There is a reason why it has been highlighted now. :)