The First Son of Artemis Book Three: The Last Olympian
Jason Nicholson, Son of Artemis (16 years old)
Just like Koios had promised as soon as he blew up his army fled the field. I turned around with my bow drawn, 100% expecting the monsters and demi-gods that made up his army to charge and try to overrun Nikki and me. However, they didn't, the half-blood who was holding the banner of Kronos, held his arm up and gave the signal and all the monsters and demi-gods marched out of central park. I didn't lower my bow until the last member of his army was out of sight.
I sighed with relief and turned back to Nikki, who was still trying to catch her breath. She fell to her butt and sat down completely exasperated. I jogged over to where Koios's body was before it went boom. I saw picked up Nikki's golden sword from the ground. I cleaned off the blade as best I could and walked it back over to her.
I handed it to her. "Well, it looks like we won. You did it, you killed a Titan Nik." I said helping her up to her feet.
She moved the blonde hair out of her eyes. "No, WE killed a Titan Jay, it was far from just me."
I shook my head and smiled at her. "No Nik, it was you. It was my job in this fight, to overcome my fatal flaw and let you take him on. You did all the heavy lifting, I shot a few arrows nothing more. You were amazing, not many people I know can use a sword like that." I told her.
She looked like she wanted to argue further with me, but she was just way to tired to do it. I reached over and clicked the center of her necklace, and her armor confined itself back to the golden pendant around her neck.
"Come on, lets get back I'm sure everyone's worried. I'll do the heavy lifting now hop on." I said, having her climb onto my back.
In her orange camp shirt and black joggers, it was a lot easier to carry her without all the armor on.
She didn't protest's and climbed onto my back, wrapping her legs and arms around me. "Let's get going, we have a victory to report back to Percy."
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Nikki had fallen asleep after the first two minutes of us walking. When we finally got back to the plaza hotel, I was greeted by Thalia, who was out front guarding with a few hunters. They had their bow raised at first, but soon as they saw me they lowered them and ran to us.
"Jay! You're alive, thank the gods. Is Nikki okay?" She asked me.
"Yeah she's okay she just fell asleep she's completely drained. Can you girls get her to a bed?" I asked the other two hunters.
I helped Nikki down of my back, and she stirred barely opening her eyes. The two hunters helped her up the steps and into the hotel. After they were gone I looked back to Thalia.
"Where's Percy? I got to talk to him, and check on Annabeth." I told her.
She shuffled uneasily. "Annabeth it still recovering. Will said that she should be up again by tomorrow. Percy is in the lobby talking to Grover, we were about to move out now actually." She told me.
I tilted my head and looked at her. "Why? Kronos isn't attacking till the night." I asked her.
She was about to answer when I heard footsteps coming down the steps to the hotel. I turned, and Percy was dressed in his armor, pen in hand with Grover in tow. He saw me, and his eyes lit up.
"Jay!" he said hustling down the steps and giving me a fist bump. "Thank the gods you're okay man. I saw Nikki on a bed inside and was wondering where you were." He told me.
I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "It'll take a lot more than a Titan to take us down. I am happy to report that Koios is out of commission thanks to Nikki. She's okay, just really tired. So, where are you headed out too?" I asked him.
He looked to Thalia and Grover, then back to me. "A Titan came under a flag of truce. He said he wants to talk to us." He told me.
I never thought of Kronos as one to send messengers under flags of peace. Part of me was screaming that this was a trap, and we shouldn't go. However, if it wasn't a trap then it would be good to be able to gage how the enemy was feeling. We would be back up in fighting shape soon, Nikki and Apollo cabin would be back in action by tonight. The Hunters were ready to go at a moments notice, but we needed more time to prepare. I also would eventually have to sleep at some point as well. I may have needed sleep, but I wasn't going to not go to this meeting with Percy.
"Alright, that's not like Kronos. Let's get going though, it'll be good to gage where they're at compared to us." I told him.
He nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, me, you, Thalia, and Grover will go. I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting."
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I had heard tons of stories about Prometheus. They all said how he was a pretty good guy, gave fire to humanity, some stories say he even created us. However, when we met him I didn't exactly get that impression. He was calm and collected, spoke in a polite tone, however that was the same act I had gotten from Koios before he tried to blow Nikki and me into a million tiny pieces. I stood there behind Percy with my arms crossed, listening to him drabble on about how helpless out situation was. When he pressed his hand to Percy's head, I remembered pulling my bow off my shoulder, but before I could knock an arrow everything froze.
Everything froze for only a few seconds, before I knew it everything came back, and I almost fired an arrow at Percy's head.
Soon he gave Percy a box, Pandora's box containing hope. He started droning on again about how if he wanted to let hope go to just open the box. I had just fought a Titan about an hour earlier, and I seriously wasn't in the mood to listen to him talk anymore. I slammed my bow onto the table he and Percy were sitting on.
"Come ON! You seriously expected us to believe Kronos would show us any mercy!? I'll echo what Percy said. Tell KRONOS I have a message for him. He has one chance to hop out of Luke's body, and get his butt back down to Tartarus. If he doesn't him, and every single member of his army are going to have an arrow waiting for them from me! Every step him and his army take towards Olympus, will mean another arrow. And I never miss." I said in a deadly, exasperated voice.
Everyone at the table was silent. The empousi Prometheus's 'girlfriend' snarled, and all of my friends looked at me silently, all of them with their hands twitching ready to pull out weapons. I would have preferred Prometheus to stand up, scream something about how he was a Titan and I couldn't talk to him that way, but of course he didn't. He looked into my eyes, with his fingers pressed against each other.
I got tired of the staring. "Well!? Stop staring at me, that's the message you can take to Kronos from me." I yelled to him.
He cleared his throat. "Ah yes, now I remember. Young Jason Nicholson. I can see in your eyes, the full weight of the burden you carry is starting to take its toll." He said to me.
I scrunched my eyes at him. "What are you talking about burden? I'm just a demi-god who's trying to protect his mother's throne." I said to him, not taking my eyes off him.
He chuckled and kept his eyes on me. "Haha, you carry as big a burden as young Mr. Jackson here. The first ever child of Artemis, is pressure in its own right. Also, you're the first ever child born with the powers of two great pantheons. Tell me Jason, how does it feel to have that much power, and to have lost so much, so many people?" He asked me.
My blood turned to ice, but I was determined to keep my tough guy act. "You don't know me or anything about what I've had to do or lose! Stop trying to figure me out!" I demanded over to the Titan.
Prometheus simply chuckled and stood up. He looked at me with a condescending smile. "Oh, I know everything young Jason. Zoe Nightshade, Sadie and Carter Kane, Charles Beckendorf, Joshua Nicholson your father, are just a few who you've lost. I leave you with this question, could you have saved them? Haha, be ready for Kronos's surprise later young demi-gods." He said before turning to walk away from the table.
My blood began to boil again. I pulled my bow-string back, ready to fire an arrow and cause all kinds of trouble.
Percy grabbed my arm and forced me to lower it however. He gave me a calming look. "It's not worth it man. Let them go, we need to get back and be ready for the attack tonight, let's see what Kronos's surprise is."
The way back to the hotel base was silent. My stomach was in knots. I never would have guessed that just by saying the names of some of the people I've lost it'd make me feel like this. Maybe I just needed a nap. I never really needed much sleep, being Son-of-the-moon-goddess I actually found it somewhat harder to fall asleep at night since it was when I was normally most active.
When we got back, I knew it was time for me to finally get some sleep. Nikki was still out cold on a couch in the lobby. The poor girl probably would need to sleep for a decent amount of time before she was back into tip-top shape. Unfortunately, we didn't have a decent amount of time. Kronos would be launching some surprise on us tonight, and I needed to be ready. We had Hunters and most of Apollo cabin recovered, along with Grover and his nature spirits. That would be the bulk of the force. The problem was we had no idea where the attack would be coming from.
I decided to make my way up to the roof and take my nap there. The moon wasn't full, but it was out at about half and bright. I took of my armor and my place my breast-plate and helmet on a pool chair, along with my belt, and wolves head bracelet. It was the first time I had all my armor, and weapons off me in a while. I dangled my feet into the cool pool water and took in a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts. Somewhere out there my mother was in the fight of her life. All of my friends were downstairs either exhausted or wounded. And I could probably easily die at any moment now.
All in a day's work in the life of a demi-god.
I looked up into the sky, it was just starting to get dark and the stars were coming out. I looked up at my favorite constellation. The huntress, running across the stars. Zoe. I had been thinking about her a lot recently. I'm guessing that's what happens when you were this close to dying and you could do it at any time. You think about all the people that you'd ever lost. Zoe was near the top of the list. Every now and then I'd have a nightmare about that battle. Me fighting Atlas, my mother trapped under the sky, Zoe and me trying to hold him back. Then when his spear hit Zoe and sent her flying across the cavern. Percy getting my mom out from under the sky, and the way my mom fought of Atlas and sent him back under the sky! Then, when I almost burned myself to a crisp trying to heal Zoe before my mom had to stop me.
All of this came back to me as I watched the constellation slowly drift across the night sky. It all made my stomach, and heart curl up into a little ball.
Did I also mention that Zoe was the first girl I ever had a crush on, kissed, fell in love with? Well she was all that.
Thinking about her, brought my thoughts to Bianca. The feelings Bianca ended up having for me threw a whole wrench into my love life. I loved her still now but thinking about her nearly brought tears to my eyes. I regretted every day that she joined the Hunters. It's not like my mother's followers treated her badly, or she wasn't flourishing. It wasn't like I sent her to prison. However, the rules of the Hunters were clear no romantic relationships. The rules couldn't even be broken for Artemis's son.
I hoped that, maybe after everything was over she could leave the group. I know that Hunter's have left the group before after falling in love. However, would it be the same? Would our relationship ever be able to be like it was before she had to join them? It was enough to make my head spin. It wasn't a good thing to be thinking about during a war.
"You look like you could use some company." I heard, spinning my head around.
I turned around and smiled wide. "Owl head you're back on your feet!"
Annabeth was certainly back on her feet. She was wearing her camp half-blood shirt with jeans, and her camo bandanna and eye black were still on her face. I got up and gave her a big hug and she wrapped her arms around me too. I was seriously worried about her when she took that knife at the bridge.
She pulled back, her face was still a little pale but her grey eyes were still storming, analyzing every possible scenario she could.
"It's good to you're alright Silver Head. I was worried when you went of to fight Koios." She told me leaning down to sit on the edge of the pool with me.
We both dangled out feet in the cool water. "So, where's Percy?" I asked her.
She sighed, "He's getting some sleep in before the next attack happens." She said looking into the water.
I knew exactly what she was thinking about. I put a caring arm around her and she leaned a head on my shoulder.
I turned over and looked at her. "You know he's really into you right? Someone as smart as you HAS to know that?" I asked her.
She blinked a few times looking at the water and sighed again. "Well he has a real funny way of showing it. That Rachel girl. I understand she's his friend, but can't he see how it makes me feel?" She asked me, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.
I sighed and rubbed her back. "Hey, don't worry about him. One thing we both know about Percy is, he's pretty daft when it comes to this stuff."
She scoffed a laugh and nodded her head. "Ha, yeah you can say that again. I just wish he would realize how some of the things he does and says about her affects me. I've had this huge crush on him since we were 12, and he still can't see it."
I smiled. "Oh yeah I know that. I've known you were both into each other since you were twelve." I told her, trying to hold back a laugh.
She looked and analyzed my face with her eyes. "How could you-."
"Annabeth, you guys have been my best-friends since we were 12. I know you guys better then anyone. I would fall into Tartarus for you guys. I can tell when you guys have feelings for each other." I told her with a smile.
She managed to force a smile back at me. "You're a good friend Jay. One of the best I've ever had." She told me.
I felt all tingly inside, I actually felt good for once. "You guys are more important to me then you know. I… don't have much family left. You know the situation with my grandparents, my dad's gone, I have no siblings and my mom? Well she's a goddess, I love her, but I don't get to see her nearly as much as I would like." I said to her.
She smiled genuinely this time and hugged an arm around my shoulder. I glanced back up at Zoe's constellation, and Annabeth seemed to notice.
"Been thinking about her lately?" She asked me.
I sighed and nodded. "Yeah… do you remember that battle?" I asked her.
She nodded her head and splashed her feet in the water. "I do. Jay, you know there was nothing that you could do, right?" She told me.
I nodded. "I know, everyone tells me that. Maybe I really couldn't have saved her, maybe I could have. Either way, I wish she was here." I told her.
She nodded her head and slowly brought up her next question. "What about… Bianca do you have any word from her?" She asked me.
I shook my head. "I saw her in a dream, she's in the Underworld with Nico and her father. Other than that, I haven't heard anything from her." I told her reluctantly.
She nodded her head and looked back up into the sky, then back to me. "Do you have any idea what the two of you will do when-."
"JAY, ANNABETH!" A yell came from the terrace.
Annabeth and I were both on our feet in a second. Nikki had finally woken up and was running towards us, with her armor back on. She still was kinda pale, but her eyes were full of a fiery determination. I didn't even bother trying to tell her she should be back in bed, because he knew it would be a losing battle.
She jogged over to us, without looking like she broke a sweat. I smiled over at her. "Ready to jump back into the fight already huh?" I asked her.
She gave me a wicked smile. "You bet I am. Percy told me to come find you guys, they're the lake in Central Park, Thalia and some Hunters just came back with the report." She said.
Right away I grabbed my armor from the chair. I strapped on my silver breast-plate and slapped on my belt buckle and bracelet. Annabeth tightened her knife around her shoulder. I looked back over to Nikki.
"How many?" I asked her.
"A decent amount. They're led by this Titan in gold armor, it's like he's on fire." She said, her hand twitching above her sword.
I looked over at Annabeth for an explanation, while I strapped together the last strap on my armor.
She thought for a moment and perked up. "Hyperion! The Titan of Light, we need to get down there now, come on lets go!"
Another Titan. Just another day's work for the First Son of Artemis.
A:N) Here we go guys! We're nearing THE END OMG I'M SO EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT! I decoded that I would give you guys this nice little chapter, as sort of a calm between the storm. We're going to have five more updates on this story then it will all be over.
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I hope you guys are ready, the next five chapters are going to be fast-paced, action-packed, and I know I may cry writing some scenes. I hope you guys are ready!