The duo appeared in the back of one of Hephaestus's many forages. Beckendorf was there, a coincidence that fate had organized.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I think we're supposed to attack Zeus, now, if not soon," Percy explained.
"We got a prophecy from the fates themselves," Nico added almost childishly.
"How much do you have ready?" Percy piped in, not really giving Beckendorf a chance to say anything between the two children of the big three.
"Do both of you still have your swords?" Beckendorf said.
"I do," they said in unison.
"Then there's a weapon for everyone," Beckendorf stated.
"Anything else?" Percy asked hopefully.
"No, I haven't had enough time," Beckendorf said, "As is, I'm already pulling out two swords that I've already made for my father and borrowing a spear from Nyssa."
"It'll do," Percy reassured.
"Who do we get next," Nico asked once Beckendorf had gotten out the arms.
"Clarisse."
oO0Oo
It had been decided that Nico would go inside to fetch Clarisse. Ares distaste in Percy would put the mission at stake, and the weapons that Beckendorf carried made a little more noise when he walked than he would like when sneaking around.
Ares armory was bigger than Nico expected. Sure, he had seen it from the outside, but the outward appearance did not quite give tribute to how much space there was on the inside. So far, he had been looking for Clarisse for about twenty minutes.
"You know, I don't like trespassers," said a deep, nasty voice right next to Nico's ear.
Nico jumped and turned around to come face to face with a tall man wearing sunglasses. "What do you want?" the preteen asked.
"To know why some pesky child of Hades is snooping around my palace," the god said.
"I was just looking for Clarisse, Lord Ares," Nico said wide-eyed.
"Then take, your going to need some muscle for the fight you're getting yourself into," Ares said.
"How…"
"God of war. I can tell when a good fight is about to get down. I might not be able to join you, but that doesn't mean I have to stop you. Give my father a good run for his money, he hasn't let me live it down that he was the one who shot the final strike at Typhon. Now go get Clarisse," Ares encouraged.
Nico ran off, surprised.
oO0Oo
Hermes let the quartet in with little question.
"Luke," Clarisse said, "it has started. Are you joining us?"
"Of course," the man said.
"Then get ready," Beckendorf handed him a sword, "It's time to answer the call."
oO0Oo
Annabeth joined the group as they left Hermes palace. They didn't know how she knew to join them, and they didn't ask her.
The march up to the throne room was quick. It was quiet though. They didn't speak among each other on the walk up, they did not offer each other words of encouragement or comfort, a notable contrast to the last time they had been of the warpath.
oO0Oo
"What are you doing? I told you nectar, not ambrosia, you idiot!" Zeus yelled at Thalia.
"I…don't know," Thalia stammered. She hated when her father got into a mood like this. He would yell and threaten for any amount time: it could be a minute, it could be an hour. It didn't really matter. His point was that he was always right, and she was always wrong, no matter how closely she followed his instructions. For a while, she had fought back, but now she just bowed her head in shame.
She heard the door to the throne room (that always seemed to be where Zeus hung out) and lifted her head to see six figures standing in the doorway. Her friends, her comrades, they might even play the role of secret saviors to her.
"What are you doing?" Zeus said to them.
"You can either step down from your position of king willingly, or you can be forced down," the voice of Percy cried out. Thalia grinned slightly.
"You really want to play this game, son of Poseidon?" Zeus said back.
"Then forced down you will be," it was Annabeth's turn to speak. The little girl Thalia had rescued was making her proud. Thalia's hand reached out and grabbed the spear hilt that was flying towards her. She turned it around and stabbed Zeus in the groin with it.
His legs seemed to weaken slightly, his faced winced. He took out a coin and flipped it, a golden sword growing out of it. "Really, daughter?" he said. He took the blade and sent it through the girl's chest.
"Not…father," she managed to gurgled out before she went fully limp. Zeus adjusted his sword slightly, and allowed the now dead body of his daughter slide off and fall onto the ground in a heap.
"Who's next?" He stated.
oO0Oo
Nico stared in shock for a fraction of a moment. He could hear his cousin's death ringing in his ears, so fresh that he barely realized that he was hearing it. How could Zeus be so cruel? He's supposed to be her father! the still childish part of his mind wondered. He became angry at Zeus. He was angry at removing the finer points of his freedom that he had already lost for so many years, and for being a cranky old man, but he was angriest about him killing his friend.
He raised his sword and ran forward. "Ahhh!" he heard himself grunt as he brought it down to slice the god king's flesh. Somehow, Zeus's sword was there to meet his, and it was a strain for him to hold his ground.
Percy was right next to him though, flashing his sword, trying to get close enough to do more than scratch him. He could make out Clarisse trying to get at him with her spear.
Zeus raised his sword, releasing Nico, to deal with someone else, and sent him stammering backwards. NO! he thought to un unyielding body, Forward! There's a fight I need to finish! He had gone twenty feet backwards before he managed to catch his bearings and rush forward.
He saw Annabeth, dancing among Zeus's feet, holding a knife in one hand and Thalia's fallen spear in the other. Luke was fighting alongside Percy, and Beckendorf was holding what looked like a hammer.
They all seemed to be tiring, except for Zeus who appeared livelier than ever. One option, Nico thought, Got to get Zeus out of his own territory.
He rushed forward next to Percy. "Change," Nico grunted out to Percy, "Not sky."
Percy at first didn't seem to hear him. Then Nico heard the thundering sound. A thousand gallons of salty water fell into the throne room, darkening it. He saw everyone dashed about the room, and Zeus dissolving into dust as he went unconscious.
