The Son of Kronos - Chapter 9 - Blood of the Titans

"What's in the book?" Vern asked for the third time as I carefully turned another dusty and crumbling page.

"It tells us how to bake a cake." I replied sourly, not looking up as I continued to walk forward, engrossed in my reading. Liz and Vern went back to talking in hushed tones and I absently noticed Raan turn round and the talking stop only to start again when he looked round.

"Wonder what's so interesting." Raan murmured.

"Well he's an idiot and, apparently, she's a genius. You know what they say." I said absently.

"Opposites attract." Raan finished, putting his head down as he entered deep thought. I was going to comment further but I had little interest in Raan's opinion on the possibility of Vern and Liz becoming more than friends. My interest was made even smaller by the information that was contained in the little book i'd worked so hard to obtain.

I carefully examined a few more pages before beginning to quickly scan each page, no longer interested in all the menial information that I wouldn't need anytime soon. I passed a few sketches of monsters, mainly the most powerful known to author, who i'd not yet identified. Eventually, I found the information i'd obviously been given the book to find. I read the page containing the three ingredients i'd need to resurrect my father multiple times, the smile on my face growing wider each time until I finally believed what I was reading. I slammed the book shut and ran my hand across the front, across the scythe of Kronos imprinted on the front, then had it disappear.

I turned to my comrades. Liz, who was whispering quickly to Vern stopped instantly, I didn't really care what it was about. I had my valuable secrets so I let them have their worthless ones.

"I know what we have to do." I announced. "Well, what I have to do."

"What do you mean?" Vern exclaimed. "You're leaving us?"

"Not as stupid as you look." I complimented Vern.

"You can't leave." Liz argued

"Watch me." I retorted as I drew my scythe.

"The prophecy states that there should be four of us." Raan reasoned

"The exact words were 'A quartet of Half-Bloods shall start the quest'." I quoted. "Nobody said anything about the four of us finishing it."

"You're not leaving." Vern growled, his hand slowly slipping to his bow.

I was shocked for a fraction of a second before regaining my senses. The shock was replaced by a quick chuckle. I looked into his eyes and then spun with my scythe, the hilt of my weapon striking him in the chest, not far below the neck. He hit the floor and the blade of my scythe was at his throat almost instantly.

"You don't get a say in the matter." I groaned, becoming slightly agitated.

"Ok then." Raan thought quickly, staying calm. "You need to go, I get it."

"About time somebody did." I said sourly.

"How about we meet you later." Raan suggested, ignoring my comment. "I take it you're leaving to get something we need, and you'll go faster by yourself. You go your path, get whatever it is you need and tell us what we can get, I imagine the Titan Lord's bane requires more than one item."

I thought a moment, Raan had surprised me with his knowledge, it seemed that Camp Half-Blood had taught him something.

"Fine." I agreed, sheathing my scythe and returning the book to my hand, flicking back to the page of ingredients. I found it easily enough and glanced at the three ingredients i'd need. The first i'd have no trouble acquiring, the second would be a problem and the third would be interesting. I decided to give my comrades the item I doubted i'd ever be able to get myself.

"Is anybody on particularly good terms with their godly parent?" I asked and the demigods all looked at each other.

"Not on particularly bad terms with my dad." Raan shrugged "Why?"

"We need Ichor." I said bluntly, looking up to the sky to check the time.

"As in the blood of a god?" Liz asked in disbelief.

"The very same." I replied.

I turned around and drew my scythe once more, ending the conversation there, silently stating that was all they needed to know. I turned round and threw an empty vial to the group, which Raan caught.

"Fill that with Ichor, then meet me in the underworld." I ordered them.

"Anyway particular?" Raan asked, still calm even with his new task.

"Hades' palace." I replied "Don't Iris message me under any circumstances and be quick." I walked round a corner and picked up the pace as I turned a few more corners before slowing down a little. I didn't like the idea of leaving those three to get Ichor, the blood of the gods, but no god was going to give me their blood, I had no doubt they could tell the difference between a demigod and a demititan easily. That was also why I didn't want to be Iris messaged. I didn't know what Iris got up to but if she happened to pay extra attention to a message between me and my comrades I didn't want the goddess of rainbows selling me out.

I looked behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed and then held my scythe in the air, above my head. I flowed my magic into my scythe and willed myself to teleport…nothing happened. I asked my father for a little help and, to my surprise, it worked. A flash of purple light erupted from my scythe and by the time i'd opened my eyes I wasn't anywhere near Camp Half-Blood anymore or even anywhere near my comrades. I was stood at the bottom of a steep mountain, a mountain I recognised well. I looked up to the top where, as usual, the black clouds swirled and grew narrower, until the top of the mountain obstructed my view of them, but I knew they'd grow narrower and thicker as they neared the top until they would hit the Earth…if something wasn't holding them back…if someone wasn't holding them back.

I started the long journey up the side of Mount Othrys - known more commonly, to the mortals, as Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco. As I scaled the mountain I remembered all the lessons i'd learnt at the top of the mountain. All Prometheus taught me and all Atlas had taught me - verbally, not physically since he was still trapped under the sky. As I thought about Atlas and his burden I remembered the toughest test i'd ever attempted. I'd been mere weeks into my training when I was sent to Mount Othrys, i'd been weak back then and overconfident, i'd believed I could hold the sky. Of course i'd failed in that challenge and Atlas rushed in to help me before I could be crushed under the weight of it, and was still grateful for the second or two he'd had free from his curse. Inevitably, I found myself wondering wether or not i'd be able to hold up the sky now. I was a lot stronger, a lot smarter and confident in my skills, no longer delusional, I knew I couldn't beat everybody.

I decided against trying to hold the sky again, it didn't seem like a smart idea considering I could be crushed under it within seconds, but that wasn't the true reason I didn't want to hold the sky. I didn't want to hold the sky because I didn't want to fail. I'd done so well in my duties since i'd left the Titan base at the top of this mountain, and holding up the sky seemed like certain failure, as much improved as I may have been. I picked up my pace and climbed the mountain as quickly as I could. About halfway up the mountain the path came to a turn, a turn that I knew led to a dragon with a fierce bite that I didn't have an intention to face. I looked forward, where the rocks jutted out from the otherwise smooth cliff and instantly made my decision. I drew my scythe and summoned the bigger and purple version of it nearby. I sliced the sharp edges of all the rocks I could see and then shouldered my weapon.

I rubbed my hands and jumped, gripping onto the, now blunt, end of the nearest large rock. I pulled myself up and then repeated the action all the way up the cliffside. Near the top I ripped my black cloak but ignored the damage, it was barely noticeable and there was nothing I could do about it but cope. I walked under what was left of the arch which once welcomed the glorious Titans to Mount Othrys and one day would again, if I succeeded in my quest. I looked around the ruins of the base of the Titans and, despite the rumble scattered carelessly along the floor, I felt at home. It was a relief to be back in this spot after being with Greeks for so long, I could feel their weakness around them, like an aura.

I walked forward, looking around for any Titans that were around, there were none to be found, I was alone…with Atlas. I approached the Titan who was on one knee, with his other foot planted firmly on the ground, giving him leverage from the Earth to keep the sky on his shoulders.

"Welcome." Atlas greeted me through gritted teeth, the way he always talked.

"I have a request of you." I told him bluntly.

"Why else would you be here?" Atlas turned to look at me. "What do you need?"

"Ichor." I stated

"Ah," Atlas's tone underwent a rare change, he was interested. "why would you need my blood?"

"To resurrect Kronos I need Titan and godly blood."

"How do you intend to get the blood of the Olympians?"

Before I replied I watch Atlas carefully switch the leg on which he was resting, then look back to me.

"Demigods are getting it for me." I told him

"Using the god's own children to get their blood, how did you get them to join you?"

"They think it'll destroy Kronos." Atlas chuckled before replying.

"Prometheus taught you well, Young One." I smiled as the strongest Titan to ever exist complimented me.

"Will you give me your blood then?"

"Prove you deserve it." A smirk spread across Atlas' face and I didn't like where the conversation was heading.

"What would you have me do?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Hold the sky." Atlas shifted legs again. "You're not strong enough to make me blade, even with your scythe, so i'll draw blood and then take back the sky."

I felt in that moment that any other person would decline the offer, the only reason i'd survived my last attempt at holding the sky was because of Atlas saving me, if he was drawing his own blood then he couldn't rush to my aid…i'd be alone. I wanted to walk away, or hit Atlas with everything I had until he bled, but my father had trained me better than that. My father, the Titan Lord, the reason I was stood here, I had to do everything in my power to bring him back to life. I summoned another vial to my hand, one of three i'd found tied to the back of the book after examining, presumably for many of the ingredients needed for various ceremonies explained within the book itself. I put the vial on the ground beside me and drew my scythe, laying it down as well, if I was going to be crushed then maybe somebody else could use my weapon to do what I couldn't.

Every part of me was screaming in protest, sending a thousand reasons to my head about why I shouldn't do this, the least of which was that i'd most likely die. I shook my head but the thoughts just came faster, I couldn't block them out. I cleared my mind as much as I could and tried to reach the Titan part of me, the blood of my father that ran through my veins. I believed i'd hit it as a surge of power, belief and confidence flowed through my body. I quickly bent down and knelt next to Atlas, nodded and pushed upwards until my shoulders hit the sky.

As my body hit the sky and my hands bore the weight alongside my shoulders Atlas rolled to his right, away from me. He got to his knees and observed me for a minute, making sure I wasn't going to crack. He nodded, as if he'd been testing me all along before looking at the fire behind my eyes, we both knew my survival time under the weight of the sky was limited. Pain rushed through my whole body. The wave of power that rushed through my body before lasted about half a second after I bore the weight alone, the clarity of my thoughts lasted about a tenth of that time. However, I was very proud to say that neither of those were the shortest statistics of my opinion of my time under the sky. The shortest statistic was my want to stay under the sky, which never actually existed, I reminded myself to have a dry chuckle about that later, but I lost the thought in the chaotic mess of my mind instantly.

I pushed all my energy upwards, against the sky but it wasn't nearly strong enough, I felt my strength fading. I looked to Atlas, who was now just a black silhouette, crumbling at the edges. He'd got himself a javelin out of nowhere and stabbed it into his hand, but it bounced off. He turned to me and chuckled.

"It's like stone." It took me a minute to figure out he was talking about his skin. He hastily hit his hand in the same spot again and again, trying to draw his blood as fast as he could and take back the sky. I later realised that Atlas had no desire to hold up the sky, but didn't want me dying under it. In a strange way it showed he cared, if I fell the sky would hit the Earth and everyone would probably die, not a problem for Atlas as he lived in a world of practical hell. Yet he was hurrying, to save me.

Any doubts I would ever have about Atlas' care for my safety were cleared up, he wanted me alive, even if it meant his reprieve was shortened. He looked at me as his javelin once again bounced off his hand. He picked up my scythe at his feet and smashed the end of his scythe into it, below the inscription and next to the symbol that gave my scythe the power to summon the bigger, purple version of it. He then slid it along the floor to me and I gazed down at it blankly, struggling to see clearly.

"New power." Atlas said as he went back to hitting his hand with his weapon. My vision cleared and I looked at my scythe. The dark purple squared spiral was still there but next to it was a dark orange symbol, in the shape of the Earth, a sphere. I figured it resembled Atlas' burden but didn't have time to dwell on it.

I lessened the push in one of my hands to try and reach my scythe but as I did my hand slipped, forcing me to remove my other hand or break it, I chose to remove it. I'd planned to slide the sky onto my back but it instead fell, the impact sent me straight to the floor. The sky had me pinned to the floor as I was lying on my chest, I tried to get to me knees but couldn't even move my legs.

"Channel it." I vaguely heard Atlas call to me. The thought quickly flashed in my head and I grabbed it before it disappeared, a lesson Atlas himself had taught me. Everything was a power source, especially pain. He wanted me to channel the pain, use it to give me energy, transform it. I felt a rib crack as the sky pushed my further into the ground, I would have cried it out i'd had the strength. As the pain flared I grabbed every ounce of willpower I had and sent the pain coursing through my veins.

My body felt terrible…but at least it had feeling. I tried to raise my hand to grip my scythe but couldn't gather the energy. Rather than wait for another rib to crack I edged forward a millimetre and head butted the new, dark orange sphere symbol on my scythe. Pain flared through my head but it didn't feel much worse than the rest of my body. The pain was tearing me apart as the symbol on my scythe glowed brighter and brighter, getting a lighter shade of orange, just like the purple colour whenever I used that ability from my scythe. The orange light completely surrounded the scythe and then spread in a stream, from the black bladed scythe to me. It flowed into me and I felt weightless for a second. The feeling passed and the orange light faded. I still felt terrible, but considerably better than I had ten seconds ago.

I smashed my fist into the floor and pushed myself up to my knees. My back still bore the sky as my hand gripped my scythe so hard I was surprised it didn't brake. Despite how powerless the sky made me feel I knew what the new symbol had given me…strength. As I thought rather clearly it made sense, Atlas was known for his strength and the power he'd added to my scythe gave me an extra burst of it. I looked to Atlas and made him out clearly. He finally broke the skin of his hand and the golden blood poured out as he grunted in pain, it was a long time since he'd bled. He filled the vial and then popped on the cork. He was about to magically seal the wound but first wiped a bit of blood on his javelin. I watched the wound seal then he took the ichor on his finger and moulded it into a solid square…ambrosia.

The javelin disappeared and he rushed over to me, bending next to me and taking the sky on his shoulders. He told me to go but I stayed under the sky with him, looking into his eyes.

"One day, you shall be freed from your curse." I vowed to him before letting go of the sky.

I rolled out from underneath the black spiral and laid on the ground, looking up at the black clouds that had very nearly killed me.

"I don't expect you to make good on your oath." Atlas said to my right and I struggled to lift my head to see him. "But you're strong, you have potential, and if you can one day make good on your word, i'd appreciate it." I looked at Atlas with nothing but respect. The Titan that had tricked Hercules into holding the sky and not wanted to take it back had given up his freedom for me. I owed it to him to make good on everything i'd said to him.

I couldn't power my legs to make myself stand up so I gripped my scythe and felt for the sphere embedded in it, under the inscription. I found the sphere and the orange energy flowed into my hand and around my body, I got to my feet. I picked up the vial and swallowed the ambrosia gratefully as my broken rib shifted back into place. It wouldn't heal fully for a while and I knew it'd feel saw for a very long time but i'd learn to deal with it, I had to. I walked to the arch under which i'd entered this sacred place and took a final look back to Atlas.

"I'll be back." I quietly promised him.

I shoved the vial in my pocket after travelling under the arch, too valuable to make disappear. I didn't know how long the new power of strength would last so I decided not to chance the rocks again. So, with only one route left, I began my decent of Mount Othrys and towards the dragon blocking my path.