Chapter 10: Paths

Previously

Percy still had his grin on his face as he looked over the other two as if just noticing them for the first time. His gaze rested on Jason.

"So your the next one? Gods need someone to do their work for them." Percy said his grin morphing into a much more grim expression.

"Look...I don't want to hurt any Demigods. So go ahead. Take a dip in the river. I hope you make it out okay. But then I want you and every other Demigod to stay out my way. I'm coming for the gods and anyone who stands with them." Percy said with fire in his eyes. Then he and Zoe were both engulfed in black flames. Nico fell to one knee as he recovered his breathing. Jason and Piper were both looking at him hesitantly. Nico decided he needed to provide the push to get them back on track.

"Well I suppose we should get this over with."

Banks of the River Styx

Jason was pissed. At himself for the most part. Percy Jackson was right in front of him! He could have ended the war right here. But he had been afraid, and with good reason a small part of his brain told him. Jason wasn't afraid of much but Nico Di Angelo at the least creeped Jason out. To see Nico trembling in fear had shaken Jason. And Percy had moved so fast! Two seconds out of the river Styx and he was ready for a fight. Jason reassured himself that fighting would have been suicide. He shook his head in a attempt to clear it. This was not the mindset to have right before a dip in the Styx. Jason felt someone squeeze his hand and looked over at Piper. Nico had complained when Jason had said he needed a rest before he jumped in the river. One look from Piper and Nico shut up and went and sat well away from the couple. Gods he loved her and he knew that she was his best chance of surviving the coming ordeal. Looking into her ever shifting eyes he steeled himself and found a new determination to do what had to be done. A small part of him whispered that he was simply following in Percy's footsteps but he squashed it quickly. He leaned in and gently kissed Piper. After a few seconds he stood up.

"Nico, lets get this over with." Jason yelled. Nico shot up and covered the distance to Jason quickly.

"Took you long enough Grace." Nico said with a hint of annoyance. Nico grabbed Jason and dragged Jason over to the very edge of the river. For a second Jason thought Nico was going to throw him in but the son of Hades just came to a stop and waited. After a minute Jason was starting to get impatient.

"What exactly are we waiting for?" Jason asked. Nico frowned.

"As far as I know before you bathe in the river, Achilles tries to talk you out of it and if you still want to go through with it, he gives some advice on surviving the process. He should be here..." Nico trailed off then his eyes grew wide. Nico quickly recovered but Jason saw the panic that had been in Nico's eyes. Before Jason could ask about it Nico spoke.

"Ready Grace?" he asked. Jason looked at the midnight black river flowing in front of him and nodded once. Nico stepped back and Jason launched himself towards the river. He heard Piper say something right before he lost the ability to think.

"I'm here for you."

Tartarus, Throne Room

Percy saw he was in the massive room Tartarus called home when the fire cleared. Traveling by fire was weird as shit still but Percy had a feeling he would need to get used to it. Realizing he was still holding Riptide he sheathed the blade and tucked into his pocket. He grinned a bit as he remembered the confrontation on the banks of the river. He felt in control, good as new, much better actually. He had seen his replacement and felt that he could handle it. Percy brought himself back to the present and saw Tartarus staring at him. Percy looked into the huge red 'eyes' and took a deep breath.

"One Percy Jackson with a fresh curse of Achilles at your service." He said retaining his earlier grin. Tartarus didn't move or make any indication he had heard Percy. Percy stood there uncomfortably and looked around. He realized Zoe wasn't in the room. He turned to face Tartarus again and had time to see the gout of black flame right before it consumed him. Percy screamed in pain as he fell to his knees underneath the Primodel's assault. Percy thought he heard Zoe call his name but she wasn't even in the room. Then the fire intensified and Percy could only focus on not passing out. After what seemed like an age the fire stopped. Percy had fallen to his knees and had his hands on the floor, panting hard. As he tried to stand up he heard a genuine laugh from the god of the pit.

"I see you boast true boy. To survive the Styx twice is no small feat." Tartarus said knowingly. Percy stiffened from his position on the floor. Tartarus couldn't know so quickly. Percy hadn't even had time to tell anyone. He looked up and met Tartarus' eyes. A mouth had formed on the face while Percy had been in agony and the face of the god showed he knew exactly what Percy feared.

"But that is matter for another time. You have done as I asked and I have proven in my own way that you speak the truth. I suppose that given time, you could be turned into something useful for the coming war." Tartarus said. Percy felt oddly pleased at the insult/compliment.

"Thank you my lord." Percy answered with as much politeness. Tartarus seemed to be amused by this.

"Please boy, no need for formalities here. The next five years would be awfully tedious if I made you address me as one of those high ad mighty Olympians." Tartarus said watching Percy carefully. Percy for his part did a double tale as realized exactly what Tartarus had said.

"Five years?" Percy asked sheepishly. Tartarus' wolfish grin almost made Percy shiver.

"Oh yes. I control my domain completely due to it being made of...well me. Even so time is a fickle mistress. I can only give us a year here for each month on the earth. You have much to learn." Tartarus said. Percy wasn't sure how to feel about it but he figured there wasn't much chance of it being changed, so he figured he'd go with it. Tartarus waved his hand and Zoe appeared next to Percy. She looked at him with concern clear in her eyes. Percy had a feeling she knew about Tartarus' unique way of testing the curse of Achilles. Percy smiled and nodded which seemed to satisfy Zoe.

"Zoe Nightshade step forward." Tartarus commanded. Zoe looked up surprised before an encouraging smile from Percy urged her forward. She took a few steps forward and looked up at Tartarus.

"You are to be young Perseus' companion and I would see you given some advantages to keep you alive and help him with his duties as a General. I give you my blessing. It shall bestow upon you the same immortality you enjoyed as a huntress. It also will give you the innate control over the creatures of my domain that Perseus will have, though his control will be more powerful of course." Tartarus said and raised his hand. Black energy flowed from his hands in a mist like form and wrapped around Zoe and she disappeared from sight for a few moments. Then the black mist pulled back as quickly as it had enveloped Zoe, leaving Zoe standing there with a slight black aura barley visible around her. Zoe bowed to Tartarus and stepped back.

"Perseus Jackson." Tartarus' voice boomed through the hall. Percy stepped forward and looked up into Tartarus' eyes with a cheeky grin. This earned a laugh from the Primodel.

"You have been chosen to lead my armies. You have endured countless hardships in the name of Olympus and have little to show for it except lost loved ones and the gratitude of a council of gods who still haven't completely ruled out killing you once in these past years. Now I offer you the chance to take the shackles the gods have forged to hold you and wrap it around their damned throats as you watch the life leave their eyes. There is much to teach you but you first, you must want this wholeheartedly. I will have no have half measures. Only full devotion to your training will give you the power to lead against Olympus. Are you sure this is what you want?" Tartarus stated, holding up a hand to show he wasn't finished as he saw Percy ready to speak.

"There is one...issue. in order to impart the most power onto you there are two things that need to be done. One was bathe in the river Styx which you have most certainly done. The next is more awkward. What I gave miss Nightshade was my blessing but you must receive something more. To fulfill this role you must become my son." Tartarus finished somewhat quietly. Percy's eyes widened in surprise and the grin fell from his face. He wasn't sure how he felt about it honestly. He had thought he had a father, if a somewhat distant one, in Poseidon but the more he thought about the more he realized that he never really considered Poseidon a father. He had always been looking for someone to fill the role. But Tartarus the Primodel god of the pit was on Percy's shortlist for that role. But as Percy looked at Tartarus he saw something the glowing red eyes were gone and in their place were normal eyes with a bright red iris. In those eyes Percy saw a honesty he hadn't thought possible from any immortal, much less the god of the pit. It was in that moment something clicked inside Percy, and that father figure role he had searched for was filled by the least likely of candidates. Percy steeled his nerves.

"That...could work." Percy said as the grin returned to his face. Tartarus relaxed almost imperceptibly and stood from his throne. He walked towards Percy and as he did so he started to shrink until he stood in front of Percy, nine feet tall. The Primodel summoned a wicked curved dagger in one hand and a obsidian chalice in the other. Letting go of the chalice, it floated gently resting in front of Percy. Tartarus brought his hand over the chalice and gripped the blade of the knife before pulling it swiftly out. Sliver blood leaked from the hand and into the chalice filling it up to the brim. The blood instantly stopped and Tartarus pulled back his hand as the knife disappeared from the other one.

"In accordance with the old laws I ask Perseus Jackson if he wishes to become my son and share my blood." Tartarus said seriously and Percy could tell those words were more then just words. Tartarus leaned forward a bit.

"All you need to say is 'I accept' and then drink the blood." he said. Percy nodded and took a deep breath. He looked at the chalice in front of him and realized that this would set him down one path with no deviation allowed. This path was that of the General and it was one he wanted to walk more then anything else he could think of.

"I accept." Percy said and grasped the chalice, bringing it to his lips and drinking the whole thing. Falling to his knees Percy grasped his head in pain as it spread like wildfire. His whole body seemed to stretch shift as the pain grew. He heard Tartarus reassure Zoe to let the blood run it's course. Percy winced as he thought that of course the blood of the first immortals might be a little of a power overdose. After a minute Percy's head cleared and he sensed his body return to normal. It was strange though because he felt as though he had grown. A lot. In fact he felt great! It was about damn time to because he had had way to many mind-blowingly painful experiences in the past twenty four hours with just a massive hangover like feel. Getting to his feet he realized he was taller. He had always had some height on Zoe but now it was much more obvious. Zoe was looking at him with her mouth slightly open and her eyes filled with shock and...lust. Tartarus chuckled and suddenly a mirror appeared in front of Percy and he got a look at the new him. He was around six foot five and he seemed to have packed on about twenty pounds of pure muscle. His skin had lost some of it's tan but still retained enough so that it was more visible then average. His hair also seemed to have gotten longer as it cover more of his face then it used to but the thing that Percy noticed the most was the eyes. The deep sea-green they used to have now only made a ring around the edge of the main color of his pitch black iris' with flecks of red that were constantly in motion. He grinned at the new look glad to have so little of the eye color that marked him as the birth son of the man who murdered his mother. He had thought he was going to have to carry that around all his life. The mirror disappeared and Tartarus stood there smirking along with Zoe who seemed to have recovered but her eyes told a different story. Percy didn't even fight it as stepped forward and grabbed her pulling her into a heated kiss which she returned without a second's hesitation. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist as his arms went to support her. As their tongues just met and started to fight for dominance they heard a laugh and they reluctantly pulled back a few inches though Zoe stayed in her position wrapped around Percy. Tartarus was sitting in his throne and he looked amused.

"I was going to give you leave to go... celebrate but you didn't even give me the chance. Enjoy your quarters, your going to be living there for a while." Tartarus said and with a wave of his hand the two were transported out of the throne room. They registered they were in a living room of sorts. Percy fell back onto a massive black leather couch and Zoe easily shifted so that she was straddling him now. They looked at each other and faster then either of them could notice their eyes flashed red. Percy grinned devilishly and Zoe returned it. The two renewed what they had started in the throne room with renewed vigor as they enjoyed finally being able to enjoy this without any thing to stop them.

Olympus, Temple of Athena

Athena was following one of the oldest rules in warfare. Know not your enemy or yourself and you will lose every battle, Know your enemy or yourself and you will win a third of every battle, but know yourself and your enemy and you shall never know defeat. The only problem was that information on this particular enemy was hard to come by. Not many people felt the need to keep any information on the God of the pit so finding information, even in Athena's own library was proving problematic. What little she did have confirmed three things. One he was insanely powerful, two he had never been even close to awake since the dawn of creation, and lastly there was a lot of doubt about what exactly his domains were. The pit was the only thing ever defined as Tartarus' domain but Athena felt there was more to it. As she sat there she also wondered how exactly they would get Perseus to become some ruthless killing machine. The boy had a wild side yes but not one that could be turned into someone that could sack a city and put it's citizens to the sword. It couldn't happen...unless...Athena jumped up. In Chaos' name how could she have been so blind. She flashed to the throne room and found it empty save for the ever present Hestia. She ran up to the Goddess of the hearth.

"Hestia we must assemble the council! I know how their going to do it! It makes so much sense!" Athena said rapidly as Hestia just looked at her strangely.

"What are you talking about niece?" Hestia asked kindly. Athena just looked at her.

"Tartarus. The pit is such a specific domain right? No! It's the broadest of any domain but ultimately it is corruption. It's said that Tartarus, the realm, is Poisonous to anything that is not a monster. It makes sense that to lead monsters Perseus is going to need a blessing or something from Tartarus. But that's the problem. The more Perseus gives into the things Tartarus represents anger, lust, hate, strife, chaos, the deeper he will fall into the pit." Athena met Hestia's eyes and the eldest Olympian could see the small bit of fear in the Goddess of wisdom's eyes.

"Percy will become the worst of them all. It's the only way he can lead the hoard of the pit against Olympus." Athena finished and Hestia brought her hand to her mouth as she let out a small choking sound. a single tear rolled down her face as she realized how completely Perseus would be changed.

A/N

Wow. You guys frickin rock! 110 follows is more then I ever thought this story would get. Your support is super appreciated. Thank you so much for reading!