So, new update! Yay? This was definitely my favorite chapter when writing this story. You'll understand why by the end.
Unfortunately, this is also probably gonna be the last update for a little while. I'm about to go on vacation, and then after that classes start back up, so I'll probably be too distracted to continue editing, revising and updating. Sorry :(
Anyways, here's chapter 7. Hope you enjoy it! Remember, if you review you'll get a clip from the next chapter.
Percy Jackson and the Master of Magic
When Percy and Annabeth are asked to stop a monster by Reyna, they think it will be an easy last quest before retirement. But when the mission goes horribly wrong, Percy Jackson finds out just what kind of monster he could become.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or its characters, Rick Riordan does.
Reminder: This story is AU as of The Burning Maze. In this AU, it's been two years, and the defeat of Nero, Commodus and Caligula will remain mysterious save for the fact that Percy and Annabeth participated in the defense of Camp Jupiter. I kinda wanna stick away from Trials of Apollo for the most part, since this is my thing.
Chapter 7: Coming Back to Life
…
"Let's get this show on the road." Alabaster said, still holding Percy's hand mid-shake.
Percy smiled, despite the anger and guilt over the things he had done over the past couple of days. Those things were finally going to pay off. Annabeth was about to be back, and everything would go back to the way it was. Him and her.
This was the moment he had been waiting for. It was all finally over.
But there was something wrong. Something wrong with Alabaster's smile, and his eyes. There was no humor in it. Only cruel, sadistic joy.
"Alab- "Percy started warningly, before being interrupted by Alabaster yelling "STAGNO!"
Percy couldn't move. Every muscle in his boy was as heavy as cement. His jaw would barely open. Alabaster let go of his arm. He walked back to the couch and sat down, shuffling his papers and mixing the ingredients Percy had given everything to gather for Alabaster.
"Immobilization spell." Alabaster said. "Very useful."
"Wh-" Percy forced out.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that." Alabaster said, not looking up. "I couldn't really catch what you said."
"Wh-w-why?!" Percy growled out.
"Why?" Alabaster repeated, looking up at Percy with sick fascination. "Why he says. Oh man, that's funny."
Alabaster jumped to his feet and looked Percy in the eye. "You…took…EVERYTHING…from me!" He punched Percy in the gut. Percy couldn't move, but he groaned, his stomach churning.
"You fought against Kronos." Alabaster spit out. "You forced Kronos to fight back. I led my siblings to their DEATHS fighting YOU!"
"I…didn't…" Percy grunted.
"You didn't what?" Alabaster mocked. "You didn't mean for it to happen like that? Just like you didn't mean to piss off the Kanes? Like you didn't mean to kill that girl? Hah."
Percy felt a deep pang in his chest. What have I done? he thought miserably.
"And, you know, this little partnership of ours hasn't exactly been completely beneficial." Alabaster continued. "You aren't the most subtle tool in the shed. I imagine many of the other gods from other pantheons suspect what I'm about to do. But they can't stop me. They're all too late."
Alabaster kicked the carpet, revealing sigils spray painted on the floor. He looked at Percy and grinned. "I put the Wards there. Thing of it as a godly bug zapper. They can't get close, and since we're literally next door to Olympus, none of them are even suspicious. Why would they? They'd thing it's their own warding. Ever since they detected him talking to me, they'd been sending monsters after me. Even turned my own mother against me. My mother. Can you believe that? She was so angry that she even sent Lamia after me. Never thought Hecate would've been the one to help the Olympians whole heartedly. Guess you never really know anyone." Alabaster smiled at Percy. "But guess you knew that by now, didn't you?"
Percy felt a surge of anger. This kid had used him. Twisted him into a weapon and pointed him at his own enemies.
"Why…me?" Percy grunted.
"You?" Alabaster asked. "Hmm, interesting question. See, I wanted nothing to do with you. Even though I poured my soul into it, into pretending to be your friend. Well, I'll admit, I hated every damn second of it. But it's what my master needed from me. So, I did it. Without question. And now I can't kill you. He says you might still be useful. But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun before I do the real spell. And no, the spell is not going to bring back some blonde whore."
Percy growled. His pinkie moved. "Don't you dare say her name!" Percy yelled, menace in every word. Alabaster grinned, and punched Percy in the nose. Once, twice. Percy felt blood dripping down his face.
"Don't presume to tell me what to do." Alabaster told Percy sternly. Percy felt misery and rage drowning his mind. ANNABETH, he wanted to cry out.
"And," Alabaster continued, "since I can tell that you are so curious, I'll even loop you in as to what the spell is actually going to do. It's called the Last Resort Incantation. He wrote it, not long after you beat him some time ago. It's a precursor to a much greater spell, but we haven't gotten there yet. No, what this little incantation does is very, very important. Very special. It'll change the world."
Alabaster paused, and Percy prayed for him to keep talking. He was able to move his toes now. The immobilization spell was wearing off. Percy intended to snap Alabaster's neck once it wore off.
"The spell will kill the gods." Alabaster said dramatically.
For a second, Percy's thoughts strayed from vengeance. Kill the gods?
"The spell will strip every god of his or her immortality and force them to fall from heaven." Alabaster explained. "And not just the Olympians. Every god, from every pantheon. They'll become mere mortals, just like the rest of us. The Age of the Gods is over."
Percy was speechless, thoughtless. He had regained feeling in his ankles but escape and revenge were far from his thoughts. He had just destroyed the gods by giving this psychopath a Hodge podge of magical ingredients.
"Right now, Mr. Jackson," Alabaster said. "I'm sure you're feeling betrayed, angry, a little confused and outright miserable. But rest assured that your hard work will not be forgotten by either side. By now, all of the gods, all of your friends, they will know what the two of us have been conspiring to do, eh?"
Alabaster pulled out a pearl from his pocket. It was shining with a green light.
"You have done good work." Alabaster assured Percy. "You've seen to it that the Earth will usher in a new era, an era without gods, without magicks, without secrets!"
Percy glared at Alabaster, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. It was as if he were communicating with some one else, trying and holding two conversations at once.
"Because a little side effect of the Last Resort Incantation is that the Mist will have to be stripped from the world, permanently." Alabaster said, smiling sickly. "Mortals used to look into the skies and hope there was something out there. Now they'll look to the skies, and really see what's out there. They'll see Olympus, the Duat, Asgard, the Nine Realms, Ra, and they'll be afraid. Terrified. And humanity has always hated what it was afraid of."
"The gods who survive, they'll be picked off, one by one." Alabaster said. "Oh, I'm sure the gods will fight back. Humans will kill one of them, they'll kill an unsuspecting group of mortals here and there. But eventually, the gods will die. And all of it, all of this death, and this chaos, is all on you."
Alabaster, done with his speech, slammed the pearl against Percy's chest. A green glow started emanating from Percy.
"I'm sending you to the front seats, to watch the fireworks." Alabaster said. "Thank you for all of your invaluable help, Mr. Jackson. If we should be unfortunate to meet again, do tell me how beautiful the light show is. I'm sad, knowing I won't be able to see it. Good bye, Percy, and good luck!"
As Alabaster and the plaza hotel started to fade away, Percy regained his motor functions. "NOOOO!" He screamed at Alabaster as Alabaster began reading from his papers and stirring the mixture of the three ingredients.
…
Percy was back in the Poseidon cabin. Alarm klaxons were wailing throughout Camp. Percy never even knew that Camp Half-Blood had alarms.
Percy ran outside, headed towards the beach. He saw a huge crowd had gathered there. Thunder was crashing, but there were no clouds. No rain, just unnaturally red lightning and winds that pushed Percy all over the place.
Percy stood next to Chiron, who seemed unsurprised at Percy's presence. The other campers shot Percy suspicious looks.
Suddenly, the wind and lightning stopped. Then a large semi-visible bubble around the entire camp shattered like glass, and the winds started rising again. A few of the campers were screaming and ducking to the ground.
The skies flashed open, and entire worlds, closer than what mortal science said should be possible, appeared in the skies. Percy could see a red world that appeared to be on fire, another that looked a little like Earth, and one that seemed to be completely covered in a shining, golden city complete with a rainbow bridge connected to the Earth's surface.
"Oh, my…" Chiron started, then stopped in shock. There was complete silence as the campers watched what appeared to thousands of golden asteroids fall to the Earth's surface, several falling from the worlds above. Each one was glowing bronze, trailing streams of fire and lightning.
What have you done, Alabaster? Percy though angrily.
"What's happening, child?" Chiron angrily rounded onto Percy. "What have you done?"
Percy, shocked at his teacher's aggression, pointed to the skies, and said simply: "The gods, they're falling." One of the asteroids appeared to land in the waters farther down the shore.
The population of Camp Half-Blood watched as gods fell from the sky, signifying the end of the world as they knew it.
…
…
…To Be Continued?
