Prologue
When Tartarus arrived I knew we had lost.
Even so, after Bob's speech, I managed to fool myself for a brief second into believing he could win. After all, his Titan brothers had been erased in a flash of dark, yet somehow he'd stood back up to challenge him. The Lord of the West, of Pain and Mortality, of Violent Death. I remember fighting him long ago, during a time that seemed to be so far away. I had been… fourteen? Fifteen? He'd just escaped the place we currently found ourselves in; and despite the fact that he couldn't have weighed more than a few hundred pounds (which sounds like a lot until you remember that's a little under the average for a ten foot tall man), I barely managed to hold my own. Bob had saved our lives countless times during this trek. A thought flashed through my mind. He was strong. Could he… could he really…?
I slowly gazed up at Tartarus' body, careful to avoid his massive ruby irises. I shivered despite myself, squeezing Annabeth's hand; the hope I'd felt quickly smothered in more fear.
That pure malevolence, that sheer power seeping from the Lord of the Abyss made Kronos look like a child throwing a temper tantrum. His massive body would've forced even the massive Gigantes to look up at his vortex of a face and despite the weight a body like that must've had; he moved as fast as the darkness he ruled.
I was sure Bob could eventually defeat a thousand of the monsters surrounding us. But tens of thousands? Hundreds? While keeping his finger held on the button for the Doors of Death? Along with fighting the very being whose body we trespassed on? For over ten minutes?
Regardless of Bob's strength I didn't believe he would last long against Tartarus, never mind actually defeating the God.
He jabbed harmlessly with his massive spear at Tartarus' armor; an impossibly solid boney mail that must've been the result of several monstrous genocides, several layers crafted from the bones of ogres and serpents and a hundred different demons I couldn't recognize. Bob brought his hands across his chest in an ancient clawed gesture that released beams of sunlight. It tore through a group of monsters, leaving behind only charred forms and the echoes of pain; only for Tartarus' to easily absorb it into the darkness of his face. I tried not to fall into despair but it felt hopeless.
Yet the Titan of Pain attacked relentlessly, through gaps in the impenetrable armor to pierce the thick purple skin, sending rays of light that charred unprotected flesh when his opponent least expected it. Bob didn't even give the Lord of all Monsters a single second to rest between attacks. But even like that... Within minutes Tartarus held an exhausted Titan in his hands like a broken plastic doll.
Fool, Tartarus' faceless void seemed to smile as his shallow wounds rapidly closed. His reverse words rattled the ground, Weakling. All that bravado and you accomplished nothing but a scratch.
He spread his massive arms wide enough to wrap around my apartment. Bob's silver eyes gleamed as he bellowed and pushed against his grasp with all the strength a Titan could muster; but he only managed to cause the Primordial's grip to harden. Tartarus roared, a sound not unlike that of a nuclear bomb as he brought his arm above his head and threw the Titan with such force that the entire realm seemed to shake. They were hundreds of yards away but I struggled to maintain my balance. When the smoke cleared I saw Bob laying motionless in a smoking crater as Tartarus laughed.
Perhaps I poured a little too much power in this body? He mused, inspecting his rippling purple flesh, It's a bit difficult to be accurate when forcing myself to such a low level of strength.
Smoke oozed from his body, vaporizing nearby monsters and he slowly shrank until he was only twice the size of the Titan. He stomped Bobs face, matching the steady pace of his massive beating heart.
There. Now I can see all the details of your agony.
Tens of thousands of monsters froze, gazing at the defeated Titan. The death of a Titan wasn't something a demon wanted to miss. The number of times an immortal was destroyed so completely was rare; even across all of history the events could only be counted on one hand. Beings of the dark reveled at such a thought, regardless of their loyalty.
Tartarus' black hole of a face rotated as bits and pieces of Bob slowly fell apart and were sucked in.
"Bob!" I cried out. I nearly ran towards him before remembering that all that kept the Doors of Death from leaving us behind was my foot keeping the doors open. "Annabeth hold them open, I have to help him!"
"No." She muttered, shaking her head, her curly blonde hair covered parts of her face. Her eyes were red, from anger, despair or exhaustion I couldn't tell. "Percy there's nothing we can do. Not against him."
I grit my teeth. Of course I knew that. Even this was only a sliver of a fraction of his power. Tartarus was a primordial being that could've brought the entirety of Olympus to its knees if he wanted. He could erase my very being without even twitching his fingers. The only reason our existence continued so far was because he was enjoying the novelty of a physical body, savoring the feeling of the vibrations as he crushed Bobs bones into powder. I knew that… I knew that but still…!
"Annabeth I-" The shaking grew even though Tartarus had stopped stomping our friend. It grew louder and faster, too fast for a heart beat until I realized what it was.
Tartarus the Faceless frowned, gazing across the field of monsters as a golden green scaled Drakon longer and wider than a train tore its way through the thick sea of monsters. An army of Ogres and Earthborn charged, eager to stop it in its tracks but it easily plowed through them.
It stopped atop a hill, its shining claws covered in dark gore, its maw chewing on a dozen Telkhines. Riding it was a small red Giant dressed in bright scales and hard flesh, wielding a bone spear nearly as tall as he was…
Damasen? Tartarus spat, the shockwave of his baritone voice blew a few winged demons back. I don't suppose you've come here to prove your worth as a warrior? To enter the Mortal realm to serve your mother?
Damasen didn't say anything as his gaze fell upon Bob's fallen form. He closed his eyes and smirked. "Sadly Father, I don't face you today for that reason. Leave the Titan be and perhaps I'll consider not tearing you apart."
The mass of monsters roared in fury but Tartarus raised a hand. Arrogant child. he laughed. Show me disgraced son of mine. Come, tear me apart!
Damasen stood still, quietly glancing at us as if saying, Leave now. Then he raised his spear and charged on his Drakon with a roar that drowned out even the field of monsters.
He fought like a demon. They were roughly the same height now, after Tartarus had shrunk down. Even at their small size of twenty feet and change, dark craters I could lay down in pitted the ground. Damasen somehow managed to avoid his lightning fast blows and whenever his vortex swirled at frightening speeds, Damasen would grapple him from behind and force his gaze upon the swathes of monsters. Nothing was left from the hundreds he'd sucked into the void.
Damasen fought viciously, more monstrously than one expected from a trained warrior but I realized what he was doing. He kept the fight close; close enough that all the monsters that were brave enough to try to attack me and Annabeth were quickly destroyed as the collateral damage of their clash. At the same time he kept it far enough away that we weren't killed on accident. It was a delicate balance and I knew he couldn't keep it up forever.
Tartarus roared and flailed but he was completely engrossed by the fight. He'd probably forgotten about us puny mortals as he battled his son. His moves were clumsy, even compared to Damasen's crude and wild fighting style, a consequence of him having never fought in the physical realm. The Maeonian Drakon would wrap around Tartarus whenever he seemed to gain an advantage, trapping him in a hundred foot vise while it sprayed him with viscous acid.
But Damasen couldn't hurt him. Even with the Drakons' help, the superficial wounds he carved across Tartarus' purple body disappeared after a few moments, leaving behind only black ichor. Even the acid covering his body was quickly sucked into his whirlpool of darkness.
It was a battle of attrition where one side had unending stamina and a bottomless pool of health. Damasen… despite what he'd said, he wasn't planning to win. He couldn't even pray for anything like that. Against the Lord of Monsters, a being who was holding back an ocean of power, he could only hope to hold him off temporarily.
As I watched, muscles tense, ready to join the fray at a moments notice; Annabeth turned back to face me, her gray eyes analyzing my face. "Percy. I have an idea."
xxx
She watched the expressions of his face change within a span of a few seconds.
Rage at Bob's brutal loss, confusion that there could be a way out despite everything, hope that after all these weeks they'd finally see the sun, guilt that he hadn't helped Bob and that to leave this place would mean to leave someone behind. And Trust. For her.
Annabeth knew he wouldn't agree. That's who he was. He probably hadn't even processed the idea. She would have to force him to break the promise he had made what seemed like an eternity ago. Together forever...
Small Bob leapt towards them, a large gash covered his left flank. He purred, his intelligent eyes watched them as if to say What are you waiting for?
I'm sorry Bob. She thought, Damasen… I won't be able to save you all but… please… help me protect Percy.
Annabeth looked behind her at the fighting and she couldn't help but cry. She was scared, more afraid then she'd ever been. She was scared of dying, of never being able to do any of the things she had wanted. She'd done a lot in her seventeen years of life, but there were still countless uncrossed items on her bucket list. Styx, she wasn't even sure if she'd have the proper right of passage to the afterlife, in this place below Hell. Would her soul be trapped here forever? She wondered, trembling. The thought horrified her.
But above all else? She was horrified of losing Percy again. After everything that happened she wanted to just collapse, to breakdown holding Percy, to end everything with that final comfort. But she couldn't, not now, not when he needed her most.
"Annabeth?" Percy said gently. "Don't worry we'll- we'll figure something out. We always do." He smiled his bright smile and his green eyes twinkled with confidence despite the uncertainty of his voice. "I promised remember? Never again. We'll always be together."
Annabeth hugged him, her entire body shaking. It was the best choice after all. Percy was one of the strongest Demigods ever born, and that included the legendary Heracles. They'd need his strength against the forces of Gaea. The others- Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, all of her friends. They'd need a strong leader after this mess.
Besides, she thought, trying and failing to blink away her tears. Dying to protect everyone didn't seem like the worst way to go. She shivered. But… most of all… it was because…
She loved him.
"Percy…" Annabeth forced a smile. She knew this simple phrase couldn't convey her feelings, but she still had to tell him. "I love you."
His eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Annabeth we'll be fine right? We can.. Uh…" He faltered, eyebrows scrunching as he thought of how to comfort her.
"You're cute when you're like that." She giggled with more joy than she felt. She inhaled and asked more seriously, "Percy you trust me right?" She continued when he nodded immediately, "I promise to keep you safe. So promise me this. Y- We'll protect everyone, right? Swear to me you'll keep everyone safe. When we get back." She paused smiling a little. "Then once we finish beating up Gaea we can go to college and you can finally get that surfing degree you always wanted."
He laughed at that but his eyes were wary. She knew if she let him analyze her own expressions any longer he would figure it out. The intelligence in that Seaweed Brain of his always surprised her. So instead she kissed him. A second passed. Two. She took that time to tear off her camp necklace, a leather cord which had nine beads for her years spent at Camp while Percy closed his eyes.
Annabeth slowly pushed herself away, looking down. "Just a souvenir to remember me for." She whispered, handing her sword and necklace to him. "Don't mess it up."
Then she shoved him through the Doors of Death before he could react, into the only place leading to the Mortal world. He didn't even have the time to yell in surprise before the elevator doors shut in a blur of motion, nearly tearing her hands off in the process. She rushed for the button. Time was precious and she didn't know how long Damasen could keep Tartarus occupied for.
"Small Bob!", she yelled over the stomping of the giants as she held the button, "Can you protect me from any monster that comes here?"
The giant saber tooth stared at her and roared, his striped fur quaking. Then he turned away, ready to face any horde of monsters.
Annabeth nodded. "I'll take that as a yes."
She thought about Percy as she held the button. She thought of dying, of her short life ending so abruptly, so helplessly, but mostly she thought about never seeing him ever again. He'd live and… That's all that mattered, right? He'd hate himself for not seeing through her plan, for not stopping her from forcing him to leave after promising they'd stay together, but he'd go on to save the world despite that.
She cried anyways.
A prophecy that seemed a lifetime away rang through her mind.
An oath to keep with a final breath…
"Twelve minutes Percy." The girl muttered, ignoring the roar of demonic battle behind her, "I can promise you that much."