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Okay, here comes YET ANOTHER story. NO STORY WILL BE DISCONTINUED!
This one is about Kronos taking over the world… blah blah blah read the summary.
Storytime! (Yes, I'm still doing that)
Percy's Pov
From our base camp, I watched my world in ruins. Out of my friends, all but few dead. All who were dead were tortured in various and gruesome ways before being released to spend eternity in The Fields of Punishment. Hades was overthrown, his crown given to minions of Kronos with enough brains to understand how to not be tricked and how to make dead demigods feel pain. The rest of us hid out in abandoned areas, spending a nightmarish life avoiding monsters and finding the lost. America was collapsing. The other countries claim that we have been bombed by North Korea, creating a nuclear radiation that was deathly to all mortals. The truth was not that we were bombed. Four words describe our situation perfectly, expressing the overwhelming sorrow, grief, chaos, and benevolent dictatorship.
Kronos had taken over.
I, Percy Jackson, am one of the few alive. Along with me stand Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace, Jason Grace, Reyna daughter of Bellona, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and Nico di Angelo.
We are the last of the demigod race, save the few kept alive as servants for Kronos.
Hot tears sprang to my eyes. I quickly wiped them away. Not yet. Today, survival. Tomorrow, grief. The fires were still burning, the screams still sounding, echoing off of the mutilated landscape. The monsters were hunting us. Roars joined the chorus of defiant yelling, crumbling towers, and cries of fear and pain.
Thalia glided up behind me and set a hand on my shoulder. "I know."
Those two words spoke the truth, the agony, the heartbreak between us. She had also lost those close to her in the war. And it was all my fault.
"Hey," She said, recognizing my expression. "Don't blame yourself. Blame him. He's the real villain." She was talking about Kronos. "I swear on the Styx, if somebody doesn't-"
"He owns the Styx." I deadpanned.
"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" She said thoughtfully. "Guess we'll add that to the list of things we'll burn when we take back the world, huh?"
She grinned, and I managed to lift the corners of my mouth. I instantly regretted it though. How could I be even remotely happy when others were suffering for me?
"Oh, come on!" She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "How am I supposed to lift the mood when you never listen? Hey." She spun me so that I faced her. "Listen. They died. We survived. I know it sounds heartless, but I know a thing or two about surviving. It was either them… or us." She stopped, and I noticed tears glittering in her eyes. She took a shaky breath.
"I know." I looked up at her. "We can survive."
"Why do you think I said all that stuff, Kelp Head?" She gulped.
"There's a reason they call me Seaweed Brain," I commented.
"Let's get back inside. They've probably spotted us by now."
"Yeah," I reluctantly left with her to join the others.
"How is it?" Annabeth stood as soon as we stepped foot inside the crumbling office.
We had taken refuge today in the ruins of a toppled skyscraper. The bottom two floors had survived, the top blown apart by Kronos's scythe, along with every other building in New York. The cubicles were torn and ruined, the sides shoved aside. Kronos's monsters had raided each and every building, this one included, in search for us. Chairs and desks were smashed, opening an obvious path that led to the crashed-down door. We sat near the side of the building, staying hidden and out of sight of anything that lumbers in sight of the door. If we wanted to visit the balcony, we climbed the rickety concrete steps hanging onto their original formation by a few wires. Everyone looked depressed, and I understood exactly how they felt.
"As good as allowing Kronos to rule goes." Thalia shot an accusing glance at the balcony.
"We should leave soon." Reyna commented. "They will find us soon."
"Yeah," Jason got up with Annabeth.
"Everyone's dead," Nico was fingering his skeleton ring, his dark eyes haunted by ghosts that couldn't bother the rest of us. "I feel it. We're the only demigods left, except for the ones who work for Kronos."
"Everyone?" Piper asked.
In response, Nico nodded gravely.
"Good," Leo laughed nervously. "I didn't need my Aunt Rosie, anyway." His joke didn't cheer us up.
"Guess we should get going." Frank suggested. "I'll scout again."
"Be careful." Hazel told him.
Just like that, Frank changed into an eagle and flew out of the balcony window.
"Don't worry, Hazel." Nico assured. "I'm focusing on him now. If he gets hurt, I'll know."
"Thank you, Nico."
"It's time to say goodbye to this building."
Dead silence followed my statement. That's all it was. A statement.
As we wallowed in self-pity (and pity for fallen friends, of course), Nico suddenly stood. "Frank was shot. By an arrow."
"Oh, no."
"That means-"
"They know where we are."
As Thalia finished my sentence, we all broke out our weapons. Just in time. Fifteen ugly brutes with spiked clubs covered in green acid blocked our only exits.
"Should've thought of the 'multiple exits' perk when shopping for a building." Thalia muttered under her breath. Jason snickered.
One of the Cyclopes, the big one in the middle, had a red eye that glittered with malice. "Get the children of the Big Three. Kill the others." He growled.
We were swarmed. Between the nine of us, fifteen would've been easy to take on any other day. As it was, we were in a cramped environment with virtually no strength or stamina. After all, we had been awake for the past three days. It's a wonder we hadn't already collapsed from exhaustion. Together, we brought down eight of them, but Piper was knocked out (I hope) and seized and Jason was brought to his knees, club at throat. Leo hung upside down, ankles held by the knotted hands of the overgrown mutant of a Cyclops. The rest of us were held at bay, stopped by the risk that the others would be killed.
"Boss," a younger, shorter Cyclops asked, "Can we save the non-Big-Three ones for later? They would taste better, and they would last longer."
"No!" The big one snapped.
"But the meat would go to waste if we just leave it!"
Oh, please, please, please listen to that idiot! I thought.
"He's got a point," I dropped my shoulders like I had been defeated, and dropped Riptide. I would return to my pocket later. "You got us anyway. No need to leave around… meat… for the others." I hesitated on the word meat, but I hoped it didn't give me away.
"…the others?" The big Cyclops asked.
"Yeah. That big guy you hate… what was his name… you know. Big guy. Green hair, bulging stomach?"
"Jimmy! He would get them, wouldn't he?" He pondered this option.
"Yeah, totally!" I went along with it.
"…okay, we'll bring them along."
Yes!
"Now, move you weaklings!" We were forced to trudge out of the office, two Cyclopes on each side. We walked in twos, and I was next to Thalia.
"Honestly, Kelp Head, I thought you were a goner back there." She whispered.
"Hah. You should listen to my plans more often."
"Yeah, right, and Nico's actually the son of Aphrodite."
I gave her a look saying 'it could happen'. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Keep moving! No talking!" El Grande yelled.
Of course, Thalia has to provoke her enemy. Meaning the hu-mungo Cyclops towering over us.
"Whatever you say, red-eye." She said sweetly.
"What?! What did you call me?!" He roared, storming over to her place in line. We all stopped and stood still.
"I called you red-eye, you know, because you have one eye and its red." She said very slowly, nodding her head along with every word as if talking to a small child.
He hefted his club and swung it over her head menacingly. Thalia didn't move an inch, except to fold her arms.
"If you had wanted to intimidate me, you should've left out the fact that you can't kill us." She rolled her eyes.
"You!" was the only insult he could come up with. "I! You!" He pointed (very threateningly *hence the sarcasm*) at her with a knotted finger.
"Oh!" She put on a mask of surprise and shock, making the Cyclops grin with triumph. "I've never seen a finger so gnarled! How do you make it look so fake?"
The triumphant look turned into rage. I think Thalia had finally gone over the line.
The big oaf snatched the front of her leather jacket, lifting her up in front of his ugly mug as easily as picking up a doll. He growled, and a flicker of fear crossed Thalia's face.
"You will learn to not cross me, child." With that, he dropped her from about ten feet in the air. She landed hard.
"Watch it." Jason warned, helping her to her feet.
He barred his teeth and threw his head back in some sort of a laugh. It consisted of a roar, a cruel chuckle, and a sound you make when you start to choke on that piece of meat you didn't chew well enough.
Annabeth noticed the disorganization before the rest of us. Thankfully, the Cyclopes forgot to cuff us. Annabeth slipped on her cap of invisibility, created pandemonium. If she got away, at least she would be alive.
Unfortunately, the plan didn't work. As Annabeth disappeared, the Cyclopes did not stumble into disarray as we had originally thought they would. Instead, they grouped tighter.
"Do not let them trick you!" ordered Un Grande. "If one gets away, so what? She is not important, the daughter of Athena. Be wary of the others."
Piper groaned in one of the Cyclops's arms, slowly regaining consciousness.
"Drop her once she wakes."
Of course, at that very moment, Piper's eyes fluttered open and the Cyclops dropped her like a hot potato.
"Piper!" Jason rushed to her side, Leo quickly following.
"If she can walk, she'd better!" barked the one in charge.
"What the-"
"Its okay, Pipes. We're gonna be okay."
"Yeah, eaten by ogres, but alright." Leo added sarcastically.
As Jason and Leo help Piper stand, one Cyclops took offense at Leo's statement. "We aren't ogres! We are Cyclopes!"
"Sorry, is there a difference? 'Cuz I've battled both of you before, and I didn't notice any difference."
The offended Cyclops roared in frustration. "Of course there's a difference! We are smarter! Better! Faster! Stronger!"
"Yes, I can-"
"No time for arguing! Leonard! Go back to your silence!"
"Yeah, Leonard!"
"And you, boy!" The Cyclops swiveled around to face Leo. "You need to stop your egging! I can, and will, eat you with one bite!"
Leo, defeated for a change, dropped his shoulders and shrugged.
"Back it off, Warty!" I yelled.
"Perseus Jackson. You I was told, would be trouble. I will not stoop to your name-calling level." And with that, all of the fight went out of our bodies. Fatigue had plagued us too long. It was honestly a wonder that we hadn't passed out yet. Three days straight is a long time to stay awake. Not to mention fighting and running virtually the whole time. So, Jason and Leo each draped an arm around Piper, and we started the ten mile walk to Kronos's palace.
Line Break
Thalia's Pov
Okay, I tried being nice. Sort of. I mean, I stopped the provocation soon. But these Cyclopes were getting on my nerves. Not like I could do anything about it. It had been so long without sleep that I almost forgot what it was like.
But the thing I was most worried about right now wasn't when I would get some rest. It also wasn't about where Annabeth was, though I was concerned about her as well. I was really worried about facing Kronos.
As Percy gave Kronos the knife, he noticed the usual blue eyes, not golden, of Luke Castellan. Hope filled Percy, until what would've been his last hit taken smashed down upon his temple, if not for Percy's invincibility. Luke Castellan's eyes were plagued with madness, his eyes rapidly changing from blue to gold, and back again as Kronos and Luke tried to take control of the fragile body. The knife dropped shakily out of the hands of the blond boy, a war raging within his own mind. Luke/Kronos crumpled to their knees. Percy Jackson watched as Annabeth and Grover watched him make a final decision, their eyes pleading. He looked over at the spot where Ethan Nacaruma was sucked into a void of blackness. Percy Jackson fell to his knees and watched the golden eyes of Kronos change back into the blue eyes that symbolized a hope for all: Luke Castellan. As Luke and Percy held each others' gaze, Percy picked up the fallen knife and carefully set it into the hands of Luke. As soon as the knife was placed into the hands of the blue-eyed boy, the regretful eyes changed for the last time into the malicious gold that symbolized the chaotic force of Kronos. With an evil grin on Luke's face, Kronos spun and threw the knife, landing a bulls-eye into the chest of Grover Underwood.
That was the story Percy had told me. He was extremely vague when it came to their escape, but that was understandable. He had just lost his best- and first- friend. However, he did explain that Kronos would never be able to get rid of Luke's form. Because of the last fight Luke put up, he hit some sort of switch that allowed his form to live on, making sure that Kronos couldn't vaporize people when in the same vicinity. Kronos would have to work hard to kill his victims, which I'm sure he doesn't mind.
And if Kronos has access to Luke's thoughts and memories… well, he's definitely got a lot of leverage on me. When we were on the run, I basically told Luke everything about me, except Jason, and the same went for him. But Kronos is different.
I noticed that the monsters seem smarter than they used to be. Kronos used to have the monsters as stupid as possible, but now it's almost like they're being trained. The big one didn't even fall for Percy's taunt, and was barely thrown off by mine. He also knew just how to threaten me. Lifting me up? Kronos would know that was my ultimate fear.
I was both surprised and exhausted when we finally reached the entrance to Kronos's headquarters. The castle was modeled after castles in the old days. Stone (but probably with magical barriers), large, and old-looking (but probably built with the newest substances possible). We entered the dark brown double-doors, at least four times our height, and were cuffed (took them long enough).
It was then that the reality of the fact that we could actually die, or have something worse happen, going into this started to dawn on me. This would not be fun.
End of chapter one! How'd you like it? I loved the idea! (Not saying I'm a good writer, but I liked the idea and thought it'd be fun to make a story out of this.)
Descriptive? What should there be more of? Please review! I'd really love it!