Percy sat at the end of a long wooden table, head resting heavily in his left hand, and bounced his twentieth grape down the table.
As soon as Percy had approached the Giants and Forterae had declared his allegiance, she ordered Hectamedes to lead Percy over to a large conference room, the doors to which were located on the right edge of the courtyard. The big green giant had swung open one of the wooden double doors, shoved Percy inside, grumbled, "Wait here," and slammed it shut without another word. The long, rectangular room was fairly empty, except for the long wooden table in the middle by which Percy now sat. The maroon walls absorbed the faint light of the torches, making it feel like evening rather than early morning, but Percy didn't mind. He was too distracted by the buffet of fruit and vegetables that had been laid out along the center of the table. Percy tugged out the chair at the head of the table and happily snacked for a good ten minutes before boredom hit.
And what better way to handle ADHD than to play with the grapes provided?
"Rainbow in the sky, Rainbow in the sea. Swim and count along with me," Percy mumbled absentmindedly as he picked up Grape #21 and bounced it, counting each bounce under his breath. "One…two…three…"
"Rainbow, Rainbow," was a game Percy had created earlier that summer in Camp Half-Blood to entertain the toddlers. He had promised a few of them a ride on Rainbow, the hippocampi, and while they waited for the mythical seahorse to arrive, Percy taught them how to skip stones. In a matter of minutes, Percy had fabricated the short rhyme and sung it with the kids as they counted their stones' skips.
Percy shot straight up in his seat when he heard a squeak. "Hello?" he called out, and was both relieved and disappointed to spot a tiny grey mouse running across the floor a few feet away from him.
"What's up, Mickey Mouse?" Percy grinned, leaning back in his chair. The mouse, of course, did not answer. Instead, it scampered along the wall towards the door without glancing at Percy.
"Trying to escape, huh, buddy?" Percy sighed, watching the tiny rodent try to wriggle under the door. He sighed. "Me too."
Suddenly, the door slammed open with enough power to fling the mouse all the way down the room. In the looming archway stood a tall, angry Giant- Forterae. She trained her single silver eye on Percy, grimaced, and pulled the door shut behind her.
"Perseus Jackson," was all she said as she crossed over to the opposite end of the table.
"Commander Forterae," Percy replied, scooting back his chair and standing in order to bow. "I'd like to take this moment to say that I am honored to-"
"Do you take us for a gaggle of idiots?" she thundered, stopping at her end of the table but refusing to take a seat. Percy remained standing.
"Do I- no, of course not!" Percy responded, dumbfounded. This was the same Giant who just saved his lying butt out in the field, and now she'd turned on him?
Forterae didn't say anything; she just continued to glare at the son of Poseidon from 20 yards away.
"I'm sorry," Percy began, shaking his head, "Did I miss something? I thought-"
"You thought we would immediately buy your excuses?" Forterae finished for him.
"Excuses?"
"Perseus, I am old enough to know not to trust a demigod- especially one claiming he has had a sudden change of heart."
"Ma'am- or, um, your Highness?- I assure you, I speak only the truth." Sweat beaded on Percy's forehead. This is going to be harder than I thought. "My time here has really shown me-"
"BE QUIET!" yelled Forterae, slamming her massive indigo hands on the table, shaking the food and sending tremors throughout the room.
Percy's jaw snapped shut.
Forterae took a deep breath, wiped her hands on her gleaming armor, and reclaimed her composure. "Listen to me. I do not trust you. I doubt that you trust me, no matter what you claim. The blood on your bronze blade is indeed demigod blood, but I do not know how that fight went or if your friends are even dead. Even with Dr. Derideo's potion, I only know that I can rely on you in battle- without another demigod to fight, you are your regular self- and, as I told you yesterday, I hate your regular self." She paused, searching Percy's face for a reaction.
I doubt she could notice anything useful from that far away, Percy mused to himself. Even from this distance, Forterae was an intimidating presence. She had a regal attitude, one that reminded Percy of Reyna- you know, if Reyna was over 20 feet tall and had muscles as big as Cabin Three.
"Can I speak?" Percy asked, struggling to suppress his urge to make a sarcastic comment.
"Yes," Forterae answered, finally taking a seat. Percy stood still.
"If you don't trust me, then why did you tell the entire army that you do?"
Forterae delicately picked up an apple from the table's buffet, which she held between her thumb and forefinger as if it were a crumb. "I need them to believe that you will help us. You are vital to our victory, but so is unity. If my army is divided, it cannot succeed. Besides," she continued, popping the apple into her mouth and swallowing it without chewing, "I do believe that you understand our cause. You understand the strife your kind has put us through, how difficult the life of a monster is. You've also received more Hyde, which will incline you to follow us."
"You're right," Percy agreed, ready to launch into another loyalty monologue. Forterae glanced down the table at him from the corner of her eye. "I do understand your struggles. In fact, I was just talking to my friends- uh, you know, right before I killed them- about how we treat you no different than you treat us. We aren't that different, you and I."
Percy could tell that he had Forterae's attention, something he couldn't afford to lose. He needed her to trust him. As Percy talked, he realized that the scary thing wasn't the concept anymore, no. It was that Percy felt excited. The more he talked, the more he was convinced that he was right. What right did the demigods have to slaughter every monster they came across? Everyone is always trying to protect themselves, and with a mutual truce, there would be so many- so many- lives saved. Silena wouldn't have had to fight the Drakon. Beckendorf wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself to destroy the Princess Andromeda. His own mother wouldn't have been squeezed to dust by the Minotaur.
Percy knew that what he was asking for was impossible, but what if…what if…
"I want to help you," Percy finished. "I support your cause, and if Camp Half-Blood can't see the reasoning in it, then it's time we teach them the true meaning of power." He was breathing hard. He didn't remember pacing the room, but he found himself a few feet away from the table. He coughed awkwardly and took a seat.
"I believe you," Forterae conceded, and Percy let out a sigh of relief and sunk in his seat.
"…for now."
"For now?"
Forterae rose. "I don't have much of a choice. I need your allegiance, and I don't have much time to lose. We leave for Camp Half-Blood tonight."
Percy choked on his own spit. "What?"
Forterae slowly walked towards Percy. "Is that a problem?"
Percy hurriedly got to his feet, scrambling to meet Forterae at the doors. "No, no, of course not. In fact, it's great news! The sooner the better!" Percy lied through his teeth. How was he going to contact Camp beforehand and warn them? Their mission was to stop the army before it left the headquarters, and now Percy wasn't so sure it was going to happen.
Forterae held her hand in front of Percy to block him from exiting first. "Two last things. First, let me do all the talking during the Opening. Stand still and do what we say. Understood?"
Percy nodded.
"Second, any attempts at mutiny will result in your imprisonment and the death of any and every human we come across on the journey. Don't call in any demigods or Olympians for help. I am taking a large risk in trusting you; don't let me down."
Forterae pushed open the doors, and Percy left right behind her. A wave of anxiety washed over Percy as she led him through the crowd of monsters that seemed to have grown even thicker since the last time Percy'd been out there. The monsters parted automatically for their Commander, so Percy had a clear view of their resentful glances as he passed right behind.
Don't call in any gods, she had said. The death of any and every human we come across, she had threatened.
Percy didn't know what to do. He could pray to Athena in a desperate plea of aborting the plan, but the demigods needed her help. Where's Annabeth when you need her? Percy thought. She's usually the one coming up with the plans.
A long scaly tail swiped out after Forterae walked by, nearly tripping Percy. Percy glared at the monster, who shrugged comically as if to say, Whoops, my bad. As they passed monster after monster, Percy looked to see if he could spot his friends in their disguises. The farther they walked, the more he worried. He saw no signs of any monsters acting stranger than the rest. I guess that's a good thing, he thought. That means their disguises are working.
Forterae led Percy straight to the wooden circle in the middle of the field, but the stage was no longer empty. Two giant torches stood guard on each side, and in the center was a large golden spear with a golden, roaring lion's head on top. It reminded Percy of the Twelfth Legion's eagle standard, except more…unnerving.
Aralus, Hectamedes, and the white, blue, and orange giants stood on the stage already. Percy quickly realized that were no stairs on the stage- the giants had simply stepped up onto it. He was about to bring this up when Forterae grabbed Percy in her fist, squeezing the air out of him. She carried him up and on to the stage and stood next to Hectamedes. Percy gasped for air as she released him and set him on the wood.
Thousands of eyes stared at Percy from below, and Percy stared right back. He wanted to flee. He wanted to fight. He wanted to do something.
But he couldn't.
"MONSTERS!" Aralus roared, quieting the remaining chatter between the troops. All fell silent and still.
"As you are all aware, we have gathered here today in order to finally get revenge on the wicked beings that have terrorized us for centuries. They have slaughtered our families, destroyed our homes, and annihilated our world. These horrid little terrors are none other than… the demigods."
Every monster's voice rose to the heavens, echoing around the headquarters with screams and shrieks of outrage and fury. Each shout felt like a burn on Percy's skin, as if he was standing in front of a blazing furnace. It was miracle that a riot hadn't broken out and killed Percy right there and then. In fact, Percy wouldn't have been surprised if Aralus just stabbed him out of spite. Forterae better make my case sound convincing, Percy gulped, or else I'm a goner.
"The Great Vinomi is allowing us to return the favor," Aralus continued once the raging crowd had died down. Who's Vinomi? Percy wondered. From the sound of it, Vinomi was probably the leader of the operation, the man to whom even the Giants served. "We will slaughter their families and destroy their homes. We will kill and kill again. "
"However," Forterae interrupted, "the only way to win is with a secret weapon. We need a way into Camp Half-Blood and a way to ensure our victory- and what better way to drag them through the mud than to turn their beloved hero against them?"
She shoved Percy forward so that he stood near the front edge of the stage. Once again, the monsters cheered bloody murder, scaly fists pumping and fanged mouths calling for revenge. A few monsters were even pushing their way closer to the stage. He could hear talons scraping the wood at the base of the stage, and Percy was doing everything in his power to not draw Riptide. He felt exposed, completely vulnerable. The armor he wore could do nothing against the pure hate filling the sky and choking Percy.
"Perseus Jackson is here to help us kill the demigods. He has sworn his allegiance to us, and to ensure his support, Dr. Derideo has administered to him a potion that forces him to kill every demigod he sets eyes on."
A chorus of Oohs and Aahs followed. "Bonoas," Forterae said to the blue giant, pointing towards the floor of the stage. Bonoas tapped his tightly sandal-clad foot on a loose-looking section of panels, and they sunk down in response like a trapdoor. Out from underneath the stage rose a new group panels, this time with someone bound sitting on it.
It was a demigod.
Percy's heart skipped a beat, and he whipped around to look at the Giants. Forterae raised her an eyebrow as a challenge. She was testing him.
Percy turned to look back at the poor demigod tied with course ropes. It was a boy of about 16 years, with red hair that looked suspiciously redder and sticky in some areas. A mass of freckles were splashed all over his face, and he turned to look back at Percy with tired, vacant brown eyes. He really believed that Percy was going to kill him.
"Um," was all Percy could think to say. Come on! his brain yelled at him. Don't let them suspect anything is wrong! Percy unsheathed Riptide and crowd went wild. Even from this distance, Percy noticed the boy's eyes watering, and Percy felt a pang in his heart. Shaking his head, Percy sprinted towards the demigod, sliding across the paneling until he was in front of the boy. He grabbed the demigod by collar of his sweaty shirt and pulled him close enough so that he could whisper in his ear.
"Play dead," Percy growled.
"Wh-What?" the boy whimpered.
"Just do it!"
Percy swung Riptide dramatically out to his right before slicing the boy's throat ever so slightly. Riptide drew blood, but it was merely a scratch. The demigod yelped and promptly fainted, which was more than Percy had asked for but worked all the same.
Percy turned towards the audience and hefted his sword high above his head. The monsters cheered, whooping and clapping at the murder. This is wrong, Percy thought, but he kept a smug smile plastered on his face.
Aralus reached down and plucked the "dead" body off the stage and held it up high above his head. "FEAST ON THE FIRST BLOOD OF WAR!" he screamed; he threw the unconscious boy into the crowd.
"Wait!" Percy yelled, hand flying to his mouth as soon as the word left it. The ginger's body flew into the crowd, slamming heavily on top of a very surprised draconae.
Then everything went wrong.
The draconae's body started to flicker, the green scales disappearing for milliseconds before flashing back to life. Percy walked towards the edge of the stage to get a closer look. Three of the surrounding monsters looked on in worry- one even tried to grab the fallen draconae. Suddenly, the draconae's body disappeared completely, and in its place lay a second unconscious demigod- Hazel Levesque.
"Oh no," Percy whispered. The three concerned monsters' bodies flickered as well, revealing a very nervous Piper, Nico, and Jason in their place. And if everyone was back to normal, that mean that Percy's eyes were no longer orange.
"What is the meaning of this?" yelled Hectamedes, wielding his axe. He pointed it towards Percy, who turned to see the blade a foot from his chest. Big mistake. The Giants gasped when they saw his green eyes- eyes that didn't glow with a hunger for demigod blood.
"Liar!" Hectamedes screamed, and just as he lifted his weapon to slice Percy in half, a blinding flash of light appeared farther away in the crowd. Percy shielded his eyes, and when he looked again, he saw Athena standing there in full battle armor.
"You've got to be kidding me," Percy groaned, dragging his hands down his face in frustration. "Out of all the times to show up, you wait until now?"
Percy stole a glance at Forterae. The purple giant glowered at him and raised a finger to drag across her throat. Percy had broken her trust, and she would make him pay.
"You and your weak forces will never diminish the might of the Olympians!" Athena announced, raising her golden shield. Percy made eye contact with Piper in the crowd, and together they nodded. It was now or never.
"For Olympus!" Percy called, raising Riptide in response to Athena's declaration of war.
"For Olympus!" Piper yelled, and all hell broke loose.
Athena swung her sword through the masses, leaving a trail of monster dust in its path. Empousai climbed over laistrogonians and draconae fought manticores to get closer to their new attackers. The cacophony of noise drowned out all reasoning in Percy's mind. He had to fight, and even though it looked like a suicide mission, he had to try. Hectamedes' axe slammed down just as Percy vaulted off of the stage and into the crowd. He rolled to a stop in front of Nico and Jason.
"What's up?" he asked casually, taking Jason's hand and standing up.
"That was an impressive fake-out up there," Nico told Percy, referencing the ginger demigod's fake death.
"Yeah, well, now we need to protect both him and Hazel," Percy replied, gesturing towards the two unconscious demigods laying in tangled pile. "Jason, fly them to safety. We'll fight here."
Jason grabbed the demigods and shot off into the air, dodging the arrows that chased him. Piper, Percy, and Nico stood back to back, and together they fought harder than they'd ever fought before. Claws, blades, and armor glinted blindingly in the sun as clashes and clangs rang out among the cries of war. Monster after monster scratched and punched to kill the demigods, but the three half-bloods held their ground.
"We can't keep this up forever," Nico panted as he beheaded another monster. Piper stabbed one through the heart before replying, "We need a plan- and fast."
Percy had an idea, but he wasn't sure if he should risk it. The power it'd recquire… he'd only done it once before, and that was on accident. What if he passed out, like Nico did after shadow traveling? Percy cut through a stymphalian bird.
"Guys, I have a plan, but I need some room. Cover me." Piper and Nico cut an arch through the crowd, temporarily clearing the area in front of them. Percy twirled Riptide, ran forward, and plunged the sword into the ground. At first, nothing happened, and Percy was going to cry in desperation. Then, the ground began to shake. What was at first a slight tremor grew to a violent shake, knocking monsters off their feet and toppling the troops.
"Percy!" Piper yelled in astonishment. "How did you-"
"Poseidon's the god of earthquakes as well as the ocean," Percy answered, yanking Riptide out of the ground. He felt drained, but he wasn't going to pass out- thank the gods. "Nico, call the skeleton army."
Nico nodded and held out his hand towards the ground. The already shaken ground cracked easily and split open with enough force to knock Piper, Percy, and Nico over. The trenches widened and raced down the field, splitting the grass and gulping down any monster unfortunate enough to stand in its way.
An eerie cry sounded from the bottom of the crevice, and it wasn't long before a spooky scary skeleton hand clasped on to the rim of the crack and heaved its bony self out and into battle. Dozens of skeletons poured out and attacked everything around them.
"For Olympus!" Nico cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
While the demigods were busy calling in the dead soldiers, Athena had problems of her own to deal with. Aralus, Hectamedes, and Forterae had her surrounded, and she was battling all three simultaneously. She blocked a swipe from Hectamedes' axe and stabbed out to the side, cutting Aralus's forearm. Forterae managed to land a blow on Athena's shoulder, which the goddess responded to with a blast of bright light, briefly blinding the giant. The stomping of those skyscraper beings forced a ring of space among the monsters. Anyone trying to join in the fight would get trampled in seconds.
Piper's dagger was flying as fast as a hawk, slicing and cutting in a blur of destruction.
"You don't want to kill me," Piper told them, laying on the Charmspeak. A few monsters slowed, lowering their weapons, and Piper took the opportunity to stab each through the heart. Unfortunately, she could only affect a few at a time. Her voice needed to be louder. Much louder.
Bonoas, the blue giant, was stomping his way over to the demigods, kicking skeletons and monsters alike out of his way. Piper smirked; she had a plan. Sprinting away from Percy and Nico, she raced towards Bonoas, surprising him. Why was this puny demigod coming towards him and not fleeing in terror? Piper jumped up on to his foot and drove her dagger into his shin.
Howling, Bonoas smacked down by his ankle, trying to squash the daughter of Aphrodite. Piper jumped out of the way just in time and latched on to his hand. When he pulled away, he carried her with him. Piper clung on for dear life as the wind from the speed of his movement rustled her hair and blocked her vision. It reminded her of the time she had ridden Superman at Six Flags- the g-force was incredible. Bonoas hadn't noticed his rider, and as soon as his arm stilled, she climbed quickly up it, using the armor and leather straps as footholds. She made it all the way up to his shoulder, where she grabbed on to a black dreadlock as if it was a vine. Piper shimmied up so that she hung right next to his ear.
"Tell your army to stop," Piper ordered, but Bonoas just swatted by his ear, barely missing Piper. She leaned to try again- and this time it had to work.
"Tell your army to STOP!" Piper demanded, pouring everything she had into her command.
Bonoas froze and promptly yelled, "STOP!" The monsters all hesitated, rightly confused by their Commander's orders.
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Piper yelled, and Bonoas echoed her words. A few monsters did so, but many just looked even more confused.
"Bonoas, what are you doing?" Hectamedes yelled from across the field, looking away from his personal swordfight with Athena.
Piper was grinning from ear to ear. She hadn't expected her plan to work this well.
"RETREAT!" Piper yelled jovially. She was having so much fun that she almost ordered them to do the chicken dance.
"Shut up, Bononas!" Aralus thundered, fists clenched.
"RETR-" Bonoas began, but he cut himself off. Bonoas had never told anybody, but Aralus scared him silly, and his fellow Commander's words were more convincing than a measly charmspeaker's. "You little trickster!" he bellowed, and he shook his head to try and shake Piper off.
Piper screamed, digging her hands into the mess of hair to prevent being thrown up into the air. Bonoas reached into his mess of dreadlocks and combed through roughly. To anybody watching, it looked like he was violently trying to swat off a bee.
A wall of blue slammed into Piper, and she was launched into the air with no means of landing safely.
"Piper!" Percy and Nico called in shock, completely helpless.
"HELP ME!" she shrieked, plummeting towards the ground with her arms flailing. Suddenly, a blonde blur sped through the air and collided with Piper mid-fall, saving her from being a Piper pancake.
Jason Grace smiled at Piper, who he had cradled in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. "Oh my gods," she breathed, "I thought I was going to die."
"I'll always be here to catch you," Jason assured her, and he kissed her on the head. "Let's go join the others." He landed next to Percy and Nico, who were plenty busy. Percy was battling a Hydra and trying not to cut off the heads. He'd duck under and aim for the heart, but each time one of its head snapped down in front of him. Nico was fighting off a very skilled Cyclops wielding a mace. Nico had a scrape on his arm already, and just as he lunged, the mace connecting with his chestplate, sending him flying backwards into Percy.
In the distance, the white and orange giants were swarmed with skeletons, and no matter how many they brushed off, more kept coming. Bonoas was wading his way through the army towards Athena, who was still fighting Aralus and Forterae. Hectamedes was looking for the demigods, scanning the multitudes of monsters by his feet.
Suddenly, Athena materialized next to the demigods, stabbing her giant sword through the hydra's back and exploding it into dust. She had golden ichor dripping down her left arm and stains of it on her white dress. Her piercing eyes locked with Percy's, who was untangling himself from a red-faced Nico.
"We need to kill the Giants first," Athena explained. "The rest of the monsters can wait." She knelt down and held out her left hand. "I cannot kill them without a demigod." Percy climbed onto her hand, followed by Piper and Nico. Athena lifted them up closer to her face; Jason flew.
"I will place each of you on a Giant, and we will stab together. Got it?"
The demigods nodded, and Athena ran across the field towards the orange and white giants. She plucked Piper from the bunch and lightly tossed her on to the ugly orange giant. He yelled and banged his fist against his armor as Piper collided with the metal and slid down until she hung from the edge of his chestplate. A strip of orange skin was visible just below her.
"Now!" Athena commanded, and together Piper stabbed his stomach and Athena sliced his throat. The giant screamed and crumbled before their eyes, turning into a pile of sand and armor. Piper crawled out from the remains and gave Athena a thumbs up. The goddess proceeded to grab and Nico and throw him towards the white giant. This giant raised his sword to cut Athena, but Nico latched on to his leg and simultaneously stabbed as Athena blocked the swing and cut his arm. The white giant didn't have time to say anything before he crumbled as well.
Athena brought Jason and Percy with her as she sprinted across the field, crushing monsters underfoot, and skidded to a halt next to the four remaining giants. Jason zoomed towards Hectamedes, where he landed on the giant's green nose and drove his imperial gold sword into Hectamedes' forehead. Hectamedes roared and grabbed Jason off of his face- just as Athena cut his arm clean off and stabbed him through the side.
Jason was pulled into the pile of sand as the hand grasping him dissolved, but he managed to climb out before drowning in it.
"Your turn," Athena said to Percy, and just as she prepared to throw him to Aralus, Forterae came up from behind Athena and snatched Percy out of her hand.
"We are not losing you," she growled, crushing the air from Percy's lungs. Percy wanted to call out, maybe make a snarky remark, but there was no air to carry his words. "You may have betrayed us, but we can still control you. You are our weapon of mass destruction, Perseus."
Percy bit her hand.
Forterae scowled and turned towards Athena. "Leave now, and I will spare these few demigods."
"I fight till the end," Athena grimaced, wielding her sword and shield. "Drop him so we can do this right."
Forterae stepped closer to Athena so that the goddess's eyes were solely trained on the giant. Percy wriggled in her hand, but his arms were clamped to his side and he couldn't reach Riptide. He couldn't kill Forterae. He did, however, notice movement behind Athena. Aralus was approaching the goddess from behind, sword poised to strike.
"Athena!" Percy yelled, and Aralus ran his sword through the goddess's gut. Athena gasped, eyes widening. She glanced down at the metal point sticking out of her abdomen, which was quickly yanked back and out of her body. Ichor ran down her body, turning her dress a creepily beautiful golden color as if she'd been touched by Midas.
"Impossible," she muttered. "I couldn't have…according to the…how did I…"
Athena glanced at Percy solemnly. She wouldn't die, of course, but she couldn't go on fighting. Her body began to glow, and Percy looked away as she revealed her true form and disappeared. As a parting gift, the light incinerated every monster within a twenty-yard radius- except for the giants and demigods, who knew better than to look at an Olympian's true form.
Forterae scanned the field, taking in what was left of her army. All was quiet. Many monsters were panting, and many more had injuries. Even with all the demigods' and Athena's hard work, only a quarter of the army had been killed. Half of the giants were left, as well. A thin layer of dust coated the grass, the only real sign that there had been so much death. Forterae brought Percy up to her eyes, and she growled, "This changes nothing."
She turned to look at her tired and bedraggled forces. "We must avenge our fallen brothers," she announced with passion, gesturing at the dusty field around her. "We go to Camp Half-Blood now. First aid will be offered on the ships and in front of the Headquarters. Grab the weapons of the dead, and use them to kill twice as many demigods! Soldiers, today we fight for blood!"
As worn out as they were, the monsters cheered and stampeded out of the arena, crowding the halls of Headquarters. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the four demigods left in the field.
Aralus and Bonoas stormed across the grass and snatched up Nico, Piper, and Jason, all of whom were exhausted. Together, the giants gathered at the wooden stage, where Forterae dropped Percy and the others. Percy collapsed as soon as he was let go, breathing hard and shaking from the lack of oxygen.
Piper, Nico, and Jason were set down on the other end of stage, and before they could move, Bonoas threw a weighted net over them.
"There will be no more tricks," the blue giant grumbled, stepping away so that Aralus could approach the demigods.
"I admire your effort, but it will earn you nothing." He turned to face Percy, who had gathered enough energy to stand up. "You are a traitor and a scoundrel, Perseus Jackson. We do not trust you, but unfortunately, we do need you."
Forterae stood next to Aralus and gently pushed him out of the way. "On the journey to Camp Half-Blood, we will be giving you more of the Hyde…" She paused. "…but I'm not taking any chances." She reached under the net and grabbed Nico by the legs, dragging him out. She plopped him center stage and drew her sword, thrusting it under his chin.
"Swear on the River Styx that you will kill a demigod during the battle, or I will kill your friend right now."
"What?" Percy yelled incredulously.
"Swear that you will kill a demigod!"
"No!"
"Swear it!" Forterae pressed the blade closer to Nico's neck.
"No!" Percy's heart was pounding in his chest.
She drew blood. Piper and Jason looked on in horror.
"Swear you will kill a demigod!"
"No!" Percy was frozen. He didn't know what to do.
Nico gulped, legs shaking in fear.
"SWEAR IT!"
Forterae braced to slice Nico's head clean off his body. Her muscles tightened, and the blade backed up to give her room to make a clean swipe.
"SWEAR IT!" The blade swung back.
"SWEAR-"
"I swear on the River Styx!" Percy screamed desperately, stopping the blade an inch from Nico's bleeding throat. As soon as the words sounded, Percy's hands clapped over his mouth. What have I done? he whimpered in his head. Oh gods, what have I done?
Forterae shoved Nico back under the net, where Piper and Jason hugged him close.
"Aralus, take these three and drown them in the river."
"With pleasure," the red giant grinned maliciously, and he scooped up the bag of half-blood and sauntered out of the field.
Percy glared at Forterae, tears streaming down his face. "I hate you," was all he could say.
"The feeling's mutual," she shrugged. "But now I can count on at least one death from you." Percy sank to his knees. There was nothing he could have done. There was no way he would let Nico die- but now he was going to kill someone anyway. There's got to be a way out, Percy thought. But he knew there wasn't. A swear on the Styx was binding.
"I can't risk anymore treachery today," Forterae said, and she motioned to Bonoas. The blue giant cracked his knuckles, made a fist, and bonked Percy on the head, knocking him unconscious. As his eyes closed, he heard Forterae add, "When he wakes up, he'll be on a boat sailing home." The thought of it made Percy sick.
Guess who's back? Happy holidays, everyone! As a late Christmas gift, here's an extra long chapter! Nearly 6,000 words! It means the world to me that so many of you stayed, and I hope you all liked the chapter!