TAW Productions
PJO series is for Rick Riordan and not for the TAW so please do not accuse any members of the TAW on Anything…thank you.
Showdown
"One bedroom please. The best one you have." Percy enunciated as he approached the clerk counter at the Hilton, also handing the clerk his credit card. Annabeth stood beside him, and both looked very raggedy to the clerks.
"Ask her where we can get clothes," Annabeth whispered to Percy as he got his credit card back from the clerk.
"Hey, do you know where we can get any clothes around here?" Percy asked the clerk.
"There's a Lacoste around the corner." The clerk replied.
"Ok. Thanks." The clerk handed Percy the card for the room and Percy turned around to face Annabeth. "I'll go get some clothes and you get up to the room. I just need to make sure everything is safe." He handed her the card and held her shoulder for a second, and then walked out of the hotel.
Annabeth headed for the elevator and glanced swiftly at the card she was given. It said 2021, which probably meant floor 20 room 21. She pressed the elevator button and waited. She wondered what and how much clothes Percy would get her this time. She felt like wearing short shorts this time, because they were doing a lot of running. The elevator opened and Annabeth entered. She pushed the floor 20 button as she started thinking about what would happen next.
Ares has no options. Percy knows this. So why is he still taking me to him? Annabeth thought. It was actually true. There wasn't much Ares can do against the Olympians. The lesser gods are rather cowardly and lazy so they would never side with him. The only thing he can do is bring back the Titans, which would be the stupidest thing that anyone can ever do.
She stopped thinking about it as the elevator stopped on floor 20. She made her way to room 21 and swiped the key at the handle, and there was a clicking sound, indicating that the door was indeed open. She entered the most exquisite, elegant and uselessly beautiful hotel room of her life. The bed was in the middle of the room, but the room was huge, and so was the bed. Instead of a wall the wall was a huge window where you can see all of Montreal. The shining lights were so bright, and it was clear that the city had a nice nightlife, and that Percy has probably been here before.
She sat down on the bed and took off her shoes and shirt and jumped on the bed. She almost immediately slept. But she knew she couldn't because she had to wait for Percy. But she didn't have to wait long. Not five minutes later, he was knocking on the door.
Annabeth got out of the bed and opened the door. He was holding three bags; one from Lacoste, one from Foot Locker, and one from American Eagle. He threw all the bags on the floor beside the bed and took off his shirt and jumped onto the bed, releasing a cry of satisfaction and relaxation.
"Ahhhhhhhhh that feels great." he moaned while on the bed. "You see they heat the sheets up a little bit so that when you sleep you feel like you're getting massaged."
"You should sleep. You haven't slept in a long time. Go ahead and sleep; I'll stay up." Annabeth said truthfully.
"You don't have to. This place is well protected. And I'll just put these cuffs on the door. If anything happens, we'd know." Percy informed, smiling at her. "Anyways, try out these clothes!"
He got up and walked towards the bags and flushed everything out. "We have short shorts, skirts, tank tops, bikinis, shirts," Percy started but was cut off.
"Why did you get bikinis?" Annabeth asked curiously.
"Well, so we can use the Jacuzzi." Percy pointed out.
"Where? Here?"
"Yes here." Percy walked opposite of the bed, where there was a little hallway to a king bathroom. Annabeth followed. Instead of taking a right and going into the bathroom he kept going forward and opened the door that lay ahead. In front of them was a medium sized pool and beside that was a nice, hot Jacuzzi.
"Seeing as we were really tired, I thought we'd relax in there. You know." Percy suggested.
Annabeth didn't reply as readily and with as much enthusiasm. "I think I'm just gonna take a shower and go to bed."
"Okay. If you need me I'll be in the pool."He watched her go back to the bedroom and entered the pool by diving in. Not long later he heard Annabeth getting in the shower. He would have to do something before he goes back to Long Island. I can't take her to Ares, Percy thought. It is folly. I'm just going to go to Olympus and face whatever I have to face.
But how was he going to do that? Would he just walk in? Well, there's no other way, Percy sheepishly thought. How the hell else can one get onto a mountain other than climbing it? Then, a thought stabbed his brain like Achilles would stab an enemy. Pegasus.
Percy got his head out of the water and took a deep breath. He would have to do this. Not just for Annabeth, but for him as well. He didn't want to know what the Olympians would do to him, not just for the apparent crime that he committed but also for getting it on with Artemis. In all honesty, he had no idea.
They can't just kill me. I saved them from Kronos, Percy wondered. Even as he said the name of the Titan in his head his whole body shivered. He could see him, with his waking eyes. His golden eyes burning into him like the sun's surface into his flesh. There was no veil between him and the golden fire. He heard his voice being whispered, saying something in Ancient Greek that Percy very much understood.
"The golden age shall come again…" Percy whispered, reiterating Kronos' words. He shuddered. He was glad it was over and done with. He wouldn't want to go through with something like that again.
For a moment he thought that his skin had run cold. In the blink of an eye, he had a vision, of Mount Olympus, it's great halls and thrones of the Olympians, shining in the sunlight, all the gods upon them, heroic, and legendary. And he was in front of the biggest throne in the room, which stood at the end of the hall. He was on his knees, and Artemis was beside him.
Percy fell back into the water and woke up suddenly. "Ahh!" he screamed, struggling to make it to the surface of the water, even though he can breathe there. He could hear the sound of the Jacuzzi motor heating it up. He didn't want to hear anything anymore. He just dipped his head underwater, closed his eyes, and let the dark wave of sleep drown him.
Annabeth woke up but Percy wasn't beside her.
Did she expect him to be beside her? Did she hope it? Did she wish it? Maybe all three, but he sure as hell wasn't there beside her at that moment.
She got up from bed wearing a pair of shorts that Percy got her yesterday and a white tank top. She looked outside the window. The sun was high in the top of the sky, and she assumed that it was noontime.
"Percy?" she called. Nothing. Then she remembered he went to the pool yesterday when she showered. She quickly walked down the hallway and opened the door that leads to the swimming pool.
She saw him alright. He was in the pool, or at the bottom of it, rather, and his eyes were closed, and his face looked very peaceful. It wasn't long until Annabeth jumped in.
"Percy!" Annabeth cried as she entered the pool. When she got to it halfway, she dived down and grabbed Percy's arm to lead him to the surface. He still didn't stir. Annabeth desperately swam to the stairs at the sides of the pool and laid him out violently on the floor.
"Percy! Percy wake up! Don't leave me alone. Don't go where I can't follow." Annabeth shook him desperately. She pumped his chest really hard but he wouldn't budge. She blew air into his lungs and he didn't wake up. For five minutes she was just hitting him, trying to make him wake up.
Not very long later, she just hugged him and started crying. I shouldn't have left him alone! Annabeth thought sadly. He can't be dead. He can't be dead, Annabeth kept repeating in her head. She can't believe it. He's dead. Now, he doesn't have to go to Mount Olympus, since he's in the Underworld now. Knowing how much the gods favored Percy, he would probably be in the darkest edge of Tartarus now.
Amidst all the crying and the screaming, Annabeth just started smacking his face. Just straight up slapping, as hard as she can. She remembered when they were going out about a few years ago that Percy loved being aggressive, whether it was lovemaking or just hanging out. She would just randomly slap him, and he would smile back so sweetly it was as if she had just let him violate her and not let her slap him across the face by the back of her hand.
"here. You. Go. You. Son. Of. . you. Leave. Me. For. The. Underworld. You. Jackass!" Each word had a slap corresponding to it. Once Annabeth starts, she definitely cannot stop.
It wasn't long later until Percy made a sound, but Annabeth didn't hear it. He was just starting to wake up, getting back into reality from wherever the hell he was when he was asleep. Opening his eyes slightly, he felt his vision distort quickly from left to right.
Unable to breathe, he focused all his energy on opening his mouth, and he did, taking a deep breath.
Annabeth stopped slapping him. She just realized that her hands hurt from the slapping and Percy's face was unscathed. Invincible bastard. Why can't he be normal like everyone else.
Percy then opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Annabeth's face. He couldn't make out what emotion it was portraying, but he hoped it wasn't something bad because he had just woken up from a long dream. She was still on top of him, and apparently did not intend to get off. Percy, gathering his breath again, opened his mouth to talk.
"Annabeth, why are you on me?" Percy said it and almost laughed because it was a sort of sexual phrase.
"Oh shut up, Percy!" Annabeth cried, almost in tears.
"What's wrong?" Percy's smile was wiped off his face.
"I thought you were dead! You were in the pool, and you wouldn't wake up, and…and," Annabeth replied but could not go on. She stood up and got out of the pool room. Percy jumped up and followed. As he closed the door he spotted Annabeth wearing the clothes that he got yesterday.
"Annabeth?" Percy called her from across the room, not daring to come any closer.
She put on the short shorts that he got her and a red tank top, contrasting with the jeansy short shorts. She looked good, but Percy was sure she didn't feel any good.
She tried to walk past him but Percy held her arm tightly. "I won't leave you." He dug deep into her eyes, and she looked back proudly. She wasn't talking to him as a half-blood but as a daughter of Athena, and for some reason Percy felt she was taller than him in that moment. Her head raised high, her shoulders wide and her attitude aggressive, she wasn't the girl that he had kidnapped from the camp.
"Come on. Let's go. I don't want to delay any longer." Annabeth replied, apparently all business.
Percy looked into her eyes for half a minute longer, searching for something he wanted, but when he didn't find it, he let go of her arm and she walked past. We go south now, to Olympus, Percy thought gently. He looked to the door and he saw the cuffs around the handle. And so do these cuffs.
He walked towards the door and grasped them. They were such a strange invention. Apparently invented to cuff a god, and not a demigod, nonetheless amazingly and strongly magical. Yet seeing as times had changed, Hephaestus put it into better use by supplying it to Camp Half-blood's chief, Chiron. If only Percy could clone this and put this around every Olympian's hands, he would have absolutely no problem.
But unfortunately, he cannot possibly attempt to do that. That has a smaller probability that Ares having a plan on what to do.
Olympus it is, Percy thought again. Who would have thought that a demigod would walk willingly into Olympus because he had the guts to do it? Percy then stuffed the cuffs in his pocket, close to Riptide. No one.
Annabeth walked back and walked past him again to open the door. She opened it and walked out. Percy followed, and even though it should be the other way around, he had trusted Annabeth to know the right direction to her birthplace.
Although it would take a normal human about 6 days to go from Montreal to the Empire State Building, half bloods are equipped with abnormal stamina and can make it there in about half the amount of days.
The first day they were quarter way though the almost 600 kilometer road. They arrived at Port Henry, which was on the border between Vermont and New York. When they arrived, they checked in to the local motel room. They didn't speak, they only did the usual: Percy was on guard, and Annabeth slept. Percy couldn't afford to take any chances. The next day they would have to move double the distance they went today and at speed.
And they did just that. The next day they covered more than double the distance that they did the other day. They kept running at a very steady pace of 20 kilometers per hour from 10 AM till 8 PM. They reached New City, NY and quickly found a motel and started to plan their next move. They were really close to the Empire State Building now. They would have to plan accordingly.
"I say we just walk in. It's not like we're gonna go in guns blazing, you know. We should just use the elevator like we did last time." Annabeth suggested, making a point.
"Yeah, you're right. It's not like we're going to go and kill anybody. Okay, let's have it your way this time. We march onto Olympus first thing tomorrow morning."
"Wake up, wake up!" Percy shook Annabeth out of her sleep. She wasn't very deep in sleep but she was still sleeping. The sun was just rising. Hope is kindled. Not if Apollo hates me as well, Percy thought darkly.
Annabeth did not waste any time getting up. Dressed in her attire from yesterday, she washed her face in the bathroom and so did Percy. Percy changed shirts because this one was ripping from the arms and the chest. I should've bought a XXXL one instead of a XXL one, Percy sighed.
Checking out of the motel, they started walking towards the Empire State Building. They did not talk, because they knew what was going to happen. They were going to go to the main entrance of the building and then they were going to go up the elevator the upmost floor, and meet the wrath of the Olympians.
And walk they did. Not long later, they arrived in front of the Empire State building. Crossing the street, they swerved around the whole building once to get to the main entrance. They drew strange looks from the crowd. Where the majority of the people beside the building were wearing suits, Percy and Annabeth dressed very casually. Going up a small flight of stairs to enter the building, they entered through an automatic door. Going to the clerk, Annabeth took charge and started conversation.
"Mount Olympus," she whispered. It was not common knowledge, however, that the peak of Mount Olympus was indeed the upmost floor in the Empire State Building. Yet, being a guardian of Olympus has its uses.
"Call me Dyphon, please. And you are?" the clerk replied casually.
"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. And this is Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon," she said, gesturing to Percy, who was behind her. With the mention of Percy's name, Dyphon's face lit up slightly, and then said,
"The King of the Gods is expecting you, I hear. You may pass. May the gods have mercy on your flesh." Dyphon bowed his head, not looking at either of them.
Percy then turned around from the counter and his eyes were met by a pair of blue eyes. Behind him Annabeth gasped. The blue eyes were kindly gazing at him, and at the person behind him. Percy didn't have to think twice. This was indeed, Ares, the god of War, in front of him.
"Well, well, Percy. We meet again!" Ares said jovially. He was wearing a business suit, like everyone else around him.
"Lord Ares." Percy replied curtly.
"Lord, god, what does it matter? I'm just Ares to you, dear friend. So, I see you have fulfilled my bargain? Why did you not send me an Iris message? Why, I ask, are you in Mount Olympus, of all places?" Ares asked seriously. His blue eyes were shimmering; Percy couldn't tell if they were changing color or if that was just the way he was. He never really paid attention to Ares' eyes.
"Ares, then. I have not come to fulfill your bargain. I have come-," Percy replied, but was cut off by Ares.
"You have not come to fulfill my bargain?" Ares asked. But Percy continued, pretending he didn't hear him.
"to present myself to Mount Olympus, with whatever punishments they may give." Percy finished firmly. Ares clearly didn't like this. Right under his nose, he was betrayed by his most faithful servant.
"Are you stupid, boy?" Ares spat. "Present yourself to Olympus? Do you think you are some vase or amulet to present yourself? You are their enemy. They will not give you a chance. They will strike you down the moment you enter!" Ares was almost shouting.
"It is not your choice what I do with my life, Ares." Percy said indifferently.
"But you owe me! You owe me for saving your life!" Ares' eyes were a mix between a blue and scarlet now.
"What I owe you will be repaid with my punishment, whatever it may be." Percy retorted. "You are not king of the gods, last I checked, Ares."
"I need not be. But I shall be. Whether by your help or not." Ares said aggressively. "Take your girl upstairs. See what my brothers think of her. She is nothing! A demigod! As useless as you were when you prayed to me!" Ares was baring his teeth now.
Percy inclined his head. "We are going to Olympus now. I beg you to move from my way."
Ares was fuming. His eyes were a dark shade of crimson. Against his will, he moved out of the way and Annabeth and Percy walked to the elevator. Entering, they looked back at Ares, who's aggression has not ceased. They push the button 'top floor'. Only demigods can see it, because of the Mist.
"Percy…Ares…" Annabeth said, choking.
"Don't worry about it. He's gone." Percy said. And just as he said so, the elevator started shaking. Annabeth glared at him alarmingly.
"It's nothing, probably just a problem with the -," but the elevator shook again, more violently. Then, not long later, it came to a stop abruptly. In a millisecond, Percy felt there was a force pushing him from the back and he felt himself propelled towards the elevator door. Breaking it, he fell outside, but not into an elevator rail, but into the air. Barely realizing where he was, he threw his hands out and opened his eyes. He was on the sloped of Olympus.
He grappled with a razor sharp rock and pulled himself to stand on it. He glanced up. He saw an elevator, moving upwards, through the heart of the mountain. He heard faint cries from it, assuming it was Annabeth and that Ares has taken her prisoner.
"No I haven't." Came Ares' voice from behind him. He was on a separate jagged rock, his eyes gleaming with the color of blood. He held a thick broadsword, colored gold and wore a Spartan helm, gold as well, with an emerald in the middle of the sword.
"Ares! Stop this at once!" Percy yelled.
"No, Perseus Jackson. You have provoked the God of War! Surrender or die!" Ares' voice boomed, echoing into the mountain and the clouds below.
Percy took Riptide out of his pocket and uncapped it. The ancient sword was dimly colored in the bright sunlight, yet it felt light and strong in his hands as he gripped the handle. "It was foolish to follow, Ares! The Olympians are on their way!"
"By which time I'll be long gone and you'll be dead!" Ares screamed. He jumped with his sword high above his head, prepared to lunge at Percy.
But Percy could not fight on such jagged grounds. He leaped upwards, and started climbing Olympus, searching for a flat rock or a surface which he can stand on properly.
Ares shrieked in reply and followed suit. They leaped unbelievably from rock to rock, and as Percy looked skywards, he saw the temple on the peak of Olympus. Looking back down, he stood, perfectly balanced, on the rock his legs were set on. It didn't take long for Ares to come and face him.
No words were exchanged, and a great duel followed. Ares' blows were fast and strong, and all Percy could do was parry them accordingly. He had not the chance to launch a counter attack, but he felt his skin getting warmer, despite the freezing weather. Not concentrating, Ares struck a hard blow that knocked Percy back to the edge of the rock. Percy had enough time to realize that, once again, his hands were literally on fire. The fire seemed eternal, and did not drain his energy or strength. As Ares came to strike the finishing blow, Percy slid off the rock, held on for a moment, and pulled back up with enormous strength to fly over Ares and strike his back with his palm.
Ares shrieked in agony and pain. Percy slashed with Riptide, ripping through his Spartan armor and, unblocked still, stabbed Ares through his heart and released his sword.
Ares fell to the floor, defeated.
