thegoldraven: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Hyperion exploded? Was it Kronos' doing? / Into flames. In anger. You'll see.
Matt: So what I got from your reply to my post and what Kronos said in this chapter is that Percy will be evil, right? / Nothing is ever so black and white.
Lucinda Hindle: Sooooo, where is the part two of the present?
I was kind of disappointed to hear that Tartarus was just kick starting the Prophecy, kind of actually very sad, I had liked a friendly Tartarus.
Anyway, thanks for updating! I actually don't care about what happened to Annabeth. Who cares about her.
I have been absolutely shaking with anticipation about Percy coming back, and waiting for the war to get over so that they can focus on the mre important part, that is Erebus. (I am pretty sure the spelling is wrong.)
Merry Christmas! And I hope you upload soon! / Here. I had to entertain my grandparents and family and then drive everyone home in the torrential rain. Tartarus is very manipulative.
Demigodreader: Ahhhhhh! Thank you! I've missed reading this story! / You're welcome.
ShadowsClaw: Wait... She be dead? Son of a-... Anyway... Yay for double update! :) :) Merry Christmas. / No. She's not.
Jaylene Olebar: Update soon please!?
I can't wait to read what happens next
You know when to do a good cliff hanger / Thanks.
PjoHpThgFangirl101: Ohhhhh! Wow! That was a perfect Christmas present! Will Annabeth be alright? How on earth and Olympus does Kronos not know she's immortal? Anywayyy it looks like Kronos still loves Percy. Atleast something is right in the world. I can't wait for the double update! This is why I love holidays.
Btw, Merry Christmas! / Kronos does know she's immortal. I never said he doesn't. Yup, Kronos still loves him.
Chapter 6 - Desiccation
When Annabeth came to, the first thing she saw was the burnt husk of a small bird.
Its little wings were nothing more than smouldering bones, faint wisps of smoke curling from the carcass.
The remains of the Titan camp were almost unrecognisable, nothing more than incinerated bodies and animals scattered over the once lush landscape.
Crackling flames still stretched skyward, having obliterated the majority of the area and moved on through the night.
Horror dawned in Annabeth's eyes as she realised the scale of utter devastation.
"Annabeth."
Annabeth didn't turn to face her mother as she stood, instead keeping her gaze fixed on the little bird at her feet, and then the burnt remains of a demigod a dozen or so feet from her. "What did we do?" she demanded, unable to keep the despair from her voice. "Oh gods, Thalia was right."
"Annabeth."
Annabeth whipped around to glare at Athena. "How can you not care about this?" she snapped. "What happened last night?"
Athena avoided her gaze, instead turning to survey the area around them with sad eyes. "Apollo's healing the others," the goddess said. "You should see him."
"What happened?"
"A battle between immortals, Annabeth," Athena said tiredly. "Full, unbridled power let loose in attacks of pure destruction."
Annabeth swallowed, horror still mounting in her stomach. She felt sick at the stench of burnt flesh as she followed her mother. "Was it worth it?"
Athena was silent for several long moments. "We destroyed their camp. And Kronos will be out of action for a few weeks."
"And Yellowstone was obliterated in the crossfire," Annabeth snapped back.
"We destroyed their camp. We almost took out their best archer. Due to our assault Kronos will be unable to participate for several weeks."
"We're supposed to be the ones protecting everything," Annabeth ground out. "We're supposed to be the good side. If this is the collateral damage we cause then we're no better than the Titans."
"Don't say that," Athena said sharply. "Never say that. At least we are doing our best to provide shrouds for even their demigods. They merely left, didn't even care for the destruction we caused together."
Annabeth stopped when she saw Poseidon hunched over a burnt body. "Is that…"
"Darren." Athena nodded stiffly. She pressed her lips together. "We found Abiron and Zoe too."
"They're all dead?"
"Yes."
Annabeth shut her eyes.
"They were traitors, Annabeth. They turned on us for the Titans. They should consider themselves lucky they are getting a shroud."
Athena was right, Annabeth knew that. The goddess of wisdom was always right. But that didn't mean it was best. Despite Darren turning his back on Olympus, Poseidon obviously still loved his son. Just like he still loved Percy.
Annabeth tried to ignore the crunching under her feet, knowing it was little remains that she was crushing. Zeus turned slightly to scowl at them from the corner of his eyes, busy scanning the area. Annabeth didn't know what he was looking at – the only thing she could see was the burnt remains of animals and trees, ash covering the once-green landscape.
"What have we done?" Annabeth whispered, disgusted at herself, even though she hadn't really taken part in the battle.
"What was necessary," Zeus rumbled, thunder overhead echoing the sound.
Annabeth swallowed. "May I go, Lord Zeus?"
Zeus inclined his head. "You may."
Annabeth disappeared with no ceremony other than a flash, transporting herself to Camp Half-Blood's Big House. Or, at least the part that had been rebuilt. She pushed the door open, hating how it was barely hanging onto the doorframe, and made her way to the war room.
And she froze when she saw the TV – which Hephaestus had replaced for them – showing the ruins of Yellowstone National Park.
"- still on the scene. There are fears of the wildfire reaching some of the towns in Yellowstone, which have since been evacuated. Officials are not yet sure if the fire was started from the lightning strikes or if foul play was involved. So far, fatalities number in the twenties, however due to the unnatural speed of the spread some towns were cut off before evacuation. The number of fatalities is likely to continue rising-" the TV was cut off as it exploded into static.
Thalia turned to face Annabeth, eyes angry as static flickered across her hands. "Please," she said flatly, "tell me this was worth it. Tell me we have something to show for this suffering. Tell me we took down at least one of the Titans!"
Annabeth just shook her head. "We destroyed their camp."
"And the entirety of Yellowstone!" Thalia exploded. "Mortals have died, Annabeth!" She cried. "What don't you get about that? I know that to you mortals may just be these cockroaches scurrying around for food, but they aren't to me."
"That's not what I think of mortals, Thalia," Annabeth snapped back. "I was a mortal until not long ago. I know what it's like. I tried to tell the other gods to stop, before it went too far. But then the wolves came, the Titans were all there – it was a trap. I didn't take part, Thalia."
"You were there," Thalia retorted angrily.
"I was knocked out!" Annabeth exclaimed. "I don't know how, I don't even remember what happened. By the time I came to, everything was burning, Thalia."
The other Counsellors avoided the goddess' gaze, but Annabeth didn't need to see the disgust on their faces to know it was there.
She ground her teeth, about to snap out a retort, when there was another brilliant flash beside her and Artemis stepped forth. "Thalia," the Huntress said, "I need the Hunters ready to move out. We have a hunt."
Thalia blinked. "What hunt, Milady?"
Artemis hadn't changed from the silver garb she was wearing the night before, and in the dim light of the temporary lamps erected around the room Annabeth could clearly see the rips and tears in the tough fabric. The Olympian's silver eyes glowed. "We have reason to believe that several Titans fled on foot. Kronos among them."
"How do you know?" Thalia asked.
"He's injured," Artemis said with a satisfied smile. "
"Don't you think that's suspicious?" Annabeth questioned.
Artemis nodded. "Yes. Very. Which is why Zeus has decreed that all Olympians will be joining the hunt."
"Look!" Hyperion exploded. "Just stay still!"
Kronos ground his teeth, shoving his overprotective brother away. "We need to move," he snapped, eyes flicking over Hyperion's shoulder and eying the steadily approaching conflagration.
"You're not moving anywhere very fast like that," Iapetus said rather pointedly, jerking his head towards the spearhead buried in Kronos' thigh. The King had cut a large section of the shaft off the head, but there were still a dozen or so inches emerging from his thigh.
Kronos sneered at his brothers. "You didn't have to join me."
"And leave you to the mercy of the gods?" Iapetus snorted, gripping Kronos' shoulder. "We wouldn't."
The King grunted, forcing himself back to his feet. Dawn had broken and the gods would no doubt have realised that some of the Titans had left on foot. Kronos didn't want to be caught lying down – he'd prefer to be on the move.
And he despised fire.
Hyperion had always loved it, but Kronos had never been able to stop himself freezing when faced with a conflagration the likes of which bore down on them in that instead. The sky above them was tinted a brilliant orange from the flames, trees incinerated around them as fire danced over their heads. There was a shrub a few feet from Kronos that was steadily burning.
Kronos may have intended to back up on foot after the confrontation, but he hadn't factored the fire into his calculations.
Hyperion looked thoroughly angered by Kronos' stubbornness and insistence in moving, but he held his tongue. "Fine," he relented, waving a hand to clear a path through the flames. "Come on. And don't complain."
Kronos ignored him, shoving past to start down the path his brother had cleared. "We haven't gone as far as I would have liked." They couldn't, not when Kronos had been injured so. The spearhead grated against his thigh bone with every step, leaving a trail of ichor in their wake.
Not exactly what Kronos had wanted, but Artemis would be able to follow them even without the trail, so he didn't worry about that.
No, his concern was the tongues of fire above them.
Hyperion glanced towards him and grinned, no doubt knowing what his lord brother was thinking.
Behind them, over the crackling flames, Kronos heard the baying of wolves.
"And so it begins," Iapetus muttered.
Kronos nodded to Hyperion, but continued limping down the path cleared for them. The flames on either side reached an impenetrable barrier, relentlessly climbing higher until the area was burnt and no fuel remained. Hyperion, following Kronos' silent order, waved a hand and flames swallowed the path behind them.
Kronos smiled to himself, even as he gazed with despair at the National Park around them. This was not his intention. But when it was over, Kronos could regrow everything with a snap of his fingers. Yellowstone was being decimated around them, but he'd put it right.
Hyperion and Iapetus were nervous, and rightly so. They were kept at a slow pace due to Kronos' injury, and would likely find themselves surrounded within an hour with the wolves of the hunt snapping at their heels.
But Kronos' brothers were loyal. They trusted him, and he them in return.
And Kronos had promised that he had a plan.
Part two of my christmas present!