The Hunter

Chapter 10: The Destroyer

Perseus

"Why.. Would I ev- Ever make a deal… With you!" I struggled to speak. He laughed, "You will make it. I know it. Look at them, they will die out there." He pointed out mother, Zoe, Thalia, and the others. I knew he was right.

"What do you want," I said in defeat.

"I will hold the sky up, but you must remember something for me." He then turned me around to face him and looked into my eyes. His glowed yellow and pulsed as images flooded my head.

A woman, she looked oddly familiar

The Minotaur

And the same woman limp on the road

Then finally, mother.

He held up his end of the bargain by lifting the burden from my shoulders with only 1 hand. It was child's play to him. Whatever his suit of armor was it seemed to give him unparalleled strength.

"Now go, young hunter." He said and I turned to help out Thalia with Luke first. I rushed into the cloud of smoke and quickly found the center. Luke stood on guard for Thalia and therefore wasn't expecting me so I clicked my pen to transform it into Velos. Luke tried to parry, but I slid low to slice his calf. He howled in pain as his body fell to its knees. Then out of nowhere from the smoke around us, a blue lightning bolt came surging at the traitorous son of Hermes.

He flew back, out of the smoke and tumbled in the dirt. It kind of made me flinch watching him take that bolt. Luke tried to stand to no avail. He trusted his blade into the ground and of all things started to laugh. It sounded like a man anymore, it was the laughter of a savage. "Killing you 2 will have to wait. Good luck handling the Titan. Bye" Luke opened a portal for escape and I summoned my bow. He fell through the gate and as it was closing I fired 1 arrow into the portal. Hopefully, I hit my mark.

I heard Thalia's ragged breathing behind me. "Thanks, Percy, I'll go help Grover and the siblings. You help Lady Artemis." She said and ran to help the others with the monsters. I turned to see the current battle. Mom and Zoe fought the Titan of strength together. Mother was up close with her knives while Zoe shot at Atlas from a distance. I jumped to join mother in combat, slashing at Atlas with my sword.

He might be strong, but he sure is slow. Mom and I took advantage of this. The slashes I made didn't seem to faze him at all. "Is this all you have?" He mocked us and punched the ground. I felt the earth shake as his fist cracked the ground and sent both mom and me flying.

Atlas bellowed as he turned to mom as she was recovering. "You gods shall pay. You won't be imprisoned as we were, but you will return to ashes!" Atlas raised his fist and prepared to strike. I got up as fast as I could to sprint toward mother. I couldn't let this happen, I wouldn't.

But thankfully, before I could get to Atlas an arrow came flying through the air and penetrating the Titan's head and blood flowed from his eye socket. She blinded him in his left eye.

He shouted to the sky and turned to his attacker, Zoe. "My own fucking daughter! How dare you!" He yelled as he charged her. Zoe evaded his attacks well at first, but then he finally grabbed her. He squeezed her and I froze in horror. Unable to move because of my own fear.

I heard her screams and bones snap. He finally threw her limp body toward the ruins of Mount Orthys. "Sister!" Is all I yelled as I ran to the former Titan stronghold. Mom looked furious and once again attacked Atlas.

Line Break

"Zoe!" I shouted as I saw her bloodied body. She had landed in the ruins and I still heard her breathing. "Sister just hold on!" I couldn't stop my tears from falling. I looked to see a sharp stone piercing her stomach. The smell of metal filled the air as her blood flowed continuously. "Zoe, stay with me!" I screamed and her eyes slowly opened. Her breathing started to become quicker. "P- P- Per- P- Percy… I do- don't wa- wa- want to die." She started to cry as I applied pressure to her wound. "You're not gonna die. Come on stay with me, Zoe!"

I saw her expression change as if she knew something. "Percy… Live a good life."

"Stop, you need to conserve your breath," I told her as tears rolled down.

"I'm so glad… To have you… In mine."

"Don't Zoe," I begged

"I- I love you… Brother..." Were the last words she spoke as she touched Velos and it glowed as I saw my own sister's eyes dim. Gone. Lifeless. Dead.

Then I heard him in my head. The one currently holding the sky. "Do you know what your name means." He asked and I replied. "The Destroyer."

"Then live up to that name." He told me and that's when I sunk. I was a passenger in my own body.

Artemis

Perseus had run after Zoe after Atlas had thrown her. As much as I wanted to run to Zoe as well I needed to face Atlas. That's when I heard it, a chilling scream coming from the obsidian castle. The ground began to shake and I looked to Atlas who was just as confused as I was. This quake was more powerful than the one the Titan caused. Mount Orthys began to crumble as I saw a figure walk out from the ruin.

It was Perseus. His eyes glowed white as he approached Atlas. "Atlas, you have made your final mistake." His voice sounded like a god's and it made my hairs stand up. "And you believe you can defeat me, boy? Ha! Kill him." Atlas commanded his monster and I looked in terror as all the monsters stop their current fights to charge at my son. But before they could strike they all froze. Perseus rose his arms and the beasts floated in the air. He then closed his hand into a fist and I watched as each monster exploded into a cloud of blood.

Perseus controlled the blood to launch at the Titan. It surrounded him and I heard Atlas laugh, "So that's how it is." He was then encased completely in a sphere of blood. Perseus then froze the sphere and transported it to where I once held the burden of the sky. It was being held by someone I didn't know. A hulking machine man that looked like it was made of ice.

The sphere melted away and the burden of Atlas was left on his knees. What happened? Was this really my boy?

Atlas was bent to the will of Perseus as he controlled the Titan to hold the sky once again. But he wasn't done yet, Perseus stabbed the Titan's stomach with his sword before raising his hand toward him. Atlas screamed in utter pain over whatever Perseus was doing.

I saw my son's eyes turn back to normal and he dropped to his knees. "I never thought I would ever see a sea spawn again." I heard the Titan say and I froze.

He was going to tell Perseus.

"You killed her!" Perseus screamed, "MY SISTER!"

"No," Atlas replied. "My daughter was no sister of yours. Just as that woman over there is no mother of yours."

Percy looked at me and back to Atlas, "You lie!" He shouted. "I may be many things, but I am no liar. I can smell Poseidon on you. Artemis is no mother of yours, boy." Atlas laughed as Perseus looked at me. His face said one thing only, Why?

Perseus turned back to Atlas and his eyes glowed once again. He forced the Titan's jaw open and grabbed his tongue. I saw the helpless Titan's tongue freeze in Perseus' hand.

"Never speak again." Perseus' voice had a terrifying feel to it as he crushed Atlas' tongue into a million shards.

"Percy!" Thalia ran to him only to stop once she saw the state of my son.

Line Break

Perseus stood still in the middle of the battlefield as his mother and companions watched him. Thoughts raced through his mind: the words of Atlas, the death of Zoe, but most prominently the voice of the masked behemoth.

Who are you? Why didn't she tell you? Zoe would be alive if she did! She's a liar! You can't trust someone like that! Zoe is dead because of her! Some goddess! You defeated a Titan on your own, you are more powerful than the gods! SHE IS NOT YOUR MOTHER! SHE WAS NOT YOUR SISTER!

THEY WERE NOT YOUR FAMILY!

The demigod let out a scream so heavy even the gods up in Olympus felt it. Its force was so strong it sent the five observers flying back. Perseus' eyes lit up and his hair lost its jet black color. It turned white as snow as the land atop the mountain started to freeze. The child clutched his head in pain as the ruins of Mount Orthys were completely destroyed and the ground began to quake like the world was being split in half.

"Perseus!" The moon goddess tried to call out to her "son" But it was futile, he couldn't hear her. It was a blizzard atop the mountain and it seemed that the whole planet would become an icy grave. But then it all suddenly stopped and the one who caused it was gone.

Days Later

"Artemis, you have put us in an extremely dangerous. Perseus' rage has even caught the attention of mortals." Athena said first and the moon goddess stayed silent. She was slumped over and you could see tears fall from her face. "What have I done? My boy, my baby boy. I failed you." She muttered in a delirious state. "Apollo, treat your sister, but your brother must answer my questions!" Zeus pointed at Poseidon whose expression was the most serious it had been in years. Poseidon nodded, to the surprise of Zeus.

"I didn't know he was alive until 3 years ago," Poseidon spoke truthfully and continued. He didn't need Zeus to ask he knew what to say already. "I thought he died alongside his mother."

The sea god's voice faltered when he said that last sentence. "I don't know how he controls ice to such a level, even I can't." He admitted and Athena butted in, "What was your lover's name uncle? It may have something to do with her."

"Sally Jackson." He said in sorrow and Athena nodded in respect. Although she and her uncle had a feud, she had never seen him or her sister like this. "We must find young Percy if he is the child of the prophecy we may have turned him against us," Zeus said to the whole council.

Line Break

Perseus

Everything was sore. I knew I was in a bed and I heard a television in the background. Quickly, I opened my eyes to see I was in a quaint little room. Looking to my side, I saw a warm cup of hot chocolate. The thing that really caught my eye was the TV.

Freak blizzard leaves 37 dead in its wake

Was what the news channel said and I heard a voice behind me, "Terrible isn't it? Something so unnatural." I heard a man come into the room and into view. "I found you on the roadside, you looked pretty beat up. Lucky for you, I know a doctor who knows how to keep quiet." He said and raised his hand to shake mine. "Paul. Paul Blofis."

I shook his hand and replied, "Perseus. Silvers."