Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HO.
The Son of the Sea
Chapter 1
The void was a cold place. It was no wonder Tartarus had been made a prison. A prison fit for the Titans. As he descended, protected by Cronus' essence, collected from the wind with the help of Aeolus, his invisible form shuddered at the thought that some had been condemned to spend an eternity in this horrid pit. The light was very dim and seemed to be produced by scattered, sticks which had been lit across the raw, red surface. Far away in the distance, a lake, boiling with the searing heat of a thousand suns, was visible. The very air tasted of poison, rot and death.
Triton's feet embraced the top of the rocky hill. The desert into which he had descended was not populated, thankfully. It would be a nightmare having to deal with the monsters that plagued this land – the home of beasts.
"I did not think you would be here until much later," a voice spoke, cracked and ancient as the very desert in which it stood.
"And yet, coincidentally, I find you here," Triton turned. A sudden gust of wind swept his ebony hair to one side, the accompanying dust impairing his vision. Then the dust cleared slowly, blown away by the wind, leaving in its wake the figure that had haunted so many a nightmare. Echidna was called the Queen of Monsters, and there was no arguing the fact. Even as Triton watched he could not decide what she was. The form of a lovely maiden gave way to frighteningly long serpentine lower torso, green and shimmering like diamonds against the sunlight, ending in a chilling, curved dagger whose tip glinted with a thin moist coating. The wings protruding from her shoulders might have belonged to angels, the one white, the other black. Her hair was a mass of orange flames, eyes glowing like the lake boiling in the distance. When she spoke, razor-sharp teeth glinted.
"Courtesy is a virtue, son of Poseidon. But I am not here to exchange pleasantries. Tell me why you have come," she said in a businesslike tone, head titled to one side like a curious viper.
"I have come to you for a favour. Or rather," he hastily amended, "I have a proposition. Now that the Giants are out of the way, Gaea having failed once again to destroy the Olympians, it would seem Zeus and his . . . crew are unopposed, ruling the world for an eternity yet to come. Frustrating, isn't it?" Triton ended with a smile.
Echidna did not reply. She sized Triton up carefully, trying to surmise where he was going with this.
"For ages," Triton went on, "the Olympians have ruled, entrenched within the loins of power, while we . . . well, we're outcasts, aren't we?"
"Outcasts? We? You sink down here protected by that layer of Titan sorcery and you think you are an outcast? You dine within the castle of Poseidon with your mother, Amphitrite catering to your every –"
"It isn't a luxury, Echidna," Triton cut in firmly, his jaw outlined with emotion. "Zeus promotes his children, Ares, Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis to power among the pantheon while I, the son of Poseidon, am left with nothing! You think that's sweet? Watching your very birthright ripped from you while a non-concerned father looks on?"
"Why should I sympathise with you?" Echidna hissed more than sneered, chin slightly raised haughtily. "I have not forgotten that it was your father who defeated Typhon. He has not yet fully reformed in this desolate place."
"I am not my father. If you give me what I ask, you'll have more than your fair share of the world. Trust me," Triton's blue eyes bored into Echidna's, and for a moment she almost gasped at the intensity of the promise. Almost.
"What do you want?" she asked. But she knew the answer. What else could he want from the Queen of Monsters?
"I need an army. I will storm Olympus, overwhelm them with sheer force of numbers. It will be a swift uprising, impossible to counter. Virtually overnight, Olympus will belong to me," the sea god finished victoriously, fists clenched in a pre-celebratory manner.
"And what of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, the rest?" she quizzed, disappointed by his reckless foresight. Did he expect to take them down with a monster army?
"They are tired, weak. Their energy reserves are low. Fighting multiple personalities, the Giants, Gaea. It was too much for them."
"And the demigods?" Echidna hissed sceptically. "They brew trouble."
"Demigods are a small discomfort. Sincerely speaking I am surprised they're still alive. All it would take is a single flash of my divine form and they will fade into oblivion. Trust me, Echidna. This is the way. Once I rule the cosmos, I will bring back Typhon, all your monstrous offspring and brethren. The earth will be your buffet. You will be able to feed on humans and their fear, visit them and destroy their minds with nightmares. All you have to do is give me what I ask," Triton's voice dropped to a whisper. There was danger in his voice but beneath the desperation, the willingness to do anything to achieve his aim, the Queen sensed potential. He could succeed. And he did not look the dim sort, either.
"Fine," she decided. What did she have to lose, anyway? "Hand me your weapon," she commanded.
There was a flash of brilliant silver. A trident appeared within Triton's grip. It was two meters long, with rounded prongs that gave way to sharp tips. It hummed dully, seeming to radiate power. If Echidna was impressed, she did not show it. Methodically, she took the metal from him, studied it closely and whispered a few words. The trident shimmered, golden for a split second, and returned to its silver.
"You now have my power. Your trident now carries the ability to summon monsters."
"You will not regret this," Triton studied the weapon, holding it closely with both hands as if he could see the power circulating within the metal. "I promise."
"Don't disappoint me," Echidna warned, the tip of her tail, wagging.
"I won't," Triton replied with a smile. Floating with his prized weapon, he soon disappeared into Tartarus' blood-red sky.
Read and kindly review. Suggestions are allowed; flames are encouraged. Feel free to mention any characters you'd like me to add or whose involvement you think would contribute positively to the story's development.