A/N: And so the rush to keep the Seas from falling under Chalrus control is on. Also, Happy Birthday to me. :D

Annabeth sat in the shuttle as it descended beneath the waves. She could hear the currents and their frantic swirling and pacing.

The oceans were in a panic. The humans were calling it the greatest storm in the last two centuries, but Annabeth knew exactly why it was happening.

The Chalrus submarine fleet was pulverizing Poseidon's defenses, and they were probably laying siege to the Palace by now.

Steel sat across from her, tightening a clamp on his gun. He had his finger pressed to his ear, listening to a relay from Jen, who'd stayed behind to cover logistics.

"Alright you two, there's a small gap in the line down about twenty meters from where you are. If you keep emissions low, and chatter to a minimum, the Garfish aren't likely to detect you." She said to both of them over the communication system.

Annabeth twisted with her hat; she hadn't been anywhere near a body of water since Percy died. It bothered her too much.

"I'm guessing 'Garfish' is a submarine class?" she asked, looking out the pressurized window at the mass of submarines dropping bombs into underwater trenches.

"It's the designation for all Chalrus submarines." Steel answered, a scowl bearing across his face as he looked at them.

"I'm sure they're already inside the Palace right now." Steel muttered.

"This doesn't make sense to me." Annabeth commented. "How are they immune to the Gods? Poseidon should've swept them all away by now."

"The Chalrus have encountered beings similar to your 'Gods' before. They harvested them. Each time they did, it made their armies stronger. Olympus won't have much defense if they continue." Steel answered grimly.

While Steel and Annabeth talked as the shuttle descended, in the courtyard of Poseidon's underwater Palace, Percy was directing the assault against the front door.

"Order the Garfish to focus on the Forges, I don't want them firing on us once we're inside, understood?" Percy demanded over the radio, clutching his sword in his hand.

"It is understood and shall be as you wish." One of the officers responded, signaling the submarines to break off direct bombardment, and instead focus on the Palace.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers ran up to Percy, holding his gun at his side. "We've detected an unidentified shuttle approaching from the west!"

Percy walked over to the set-up, and could see the radar ping, and immediately had an idea of who was coming.

"Ignore it." Percy ordered. "We must follow up on the momentum of our bombardment. Order all Vanguard units to focus on Triton and his Cyclops line."

"Yes, sir!"

At the front of the Palace, Triton took it upon himself to lead the defense until his father arrived.

He was overwhelmed. The Chalrus were pressing on every front they could open. Their submarines were cutting off any form of escape, and their ground soldiers were pushing hard against the front line.

Triton clutched his weapon, and signaled for the Earth shaker's army to begin a controlled fall-back into the Palace, as depth charges from the Garfish fleet began to fall onto the defensive lines, shattering emplacements, and killing droves.

While the Chalrus armies advanced on the Palace itself, far above them, aboard the Ascension, Mobius sat back in his chair, lighting up another cigarette, as he narrowed his eyes at the view before him.

Displaying on his video communicator was an image of Lord Ares, the God of War. An evil grin was creeping onto his face as he clutched his sword.

"Everything is in place." He reported, as Mobius took a breath.

"Excellent. You and your men move when I give the signal. I've made sure you'll have help."

"This had better work, Mobius. If it doesn't, it's my ass on the line."

Mobius discarded his cigarette, eyeing Ares with contempt.

"My people will do their jobs. So long as you do yours, and deliver on your end of the bargain, we will have no issues." Mobius's tone was icy, and it contained a great deal of menace.

Mobius then cut the communication, only to be met with another. He pressed the button with a sigh, looking forward.

He was met with an image of a furious Chiron, his arms crossed.

"You people are monsters!" Chiron yelled, clenching his fist.

"We did what had to be done. Clarisse was leading an insurrection, so I ordered Jackson to put it down."

"…Jackson...You…you never mentioned…" Chiron trailed off, his voice riddled with shock.

"That I brought him back to life? That he's now working against you? I'm sorry; it must've slipped my mind."

"This won't be allowed to stand!"

"And who exactly is going to stop me?" Mobius smirked evilly.

"It doesn't matter. I was a fool to trust your word. I won't give you another sentence."

Mobius tilted his head a bit, lighting up another cigarette.

"The act of passing information to us…has left you in an interesting position. If you cut your ties with us…we can't protect you from the consequences."

"I'll gladly face death than to aid you any further."

Mobius sighed a bit, breathing in the scent from his cigarette.

"Very well. Have a good day, Chiron. I have a feeling we will be speaking again soon."

Back down below the waves, Annabeth and Steel were arriving in the mess the Chalrus soldiers had left behind as they advanced into Poseidon's Palace.

The pair knew things weren't good. They could hear gunfire coming from inside. Screaming, the clattering of swords, the marching of boots in the halls.

"Your Sea God doesn't have much time left." Steel said to Annabeth, who looked to him with an expression of desperation.

"Tell Jen to signal the force! It's our only chance!"

Steel nodded, pressing his finger to his ear, as the two moved through the disheveled courtyard.

"Jen, order the naval units to advance! We have to move now!"

He took his finger off his ear a moment later.

"They're en route. If we go in now, we might be able to help. You ready?"

Annabeth drew her sword, taking a second to watch as the Chalrus tore their way through the Palace of one of the most powerful beings in existence.

"Ready." She nodded. "This one's for Percy." She muttered under her breath.

As the two entered the Palace, further inside, Percy was becoming impatient with the advance of the Legions.

"What exactly is the hold up? We have to move on our momentum now!" he demanded, his finger pressed to his ear.

"It's Amphitrite and Triton, milord. They've organized the remaining defenders in the Main Hall." One of the officers answered.

"Bypass them. I need help breaching the door to the Throne Room."

"But sir, if we bypass them, they could strike from our rear!"

"You'll do as I say, lieutenant. Now, bypass them."

"Understood, Lord Jackson. Sending engineers up to your area now."

That was when Percy got another communication over his headset.

"My lord, some of our forces have spotted Steel and one of the Half-Bloods advancing through the secured zones."

Percy's eyes widened. He expected Steel, but he had no idea she would be with him. He knew exactly who the Half-Blood was.

A nefarious grin crossed Percy's face for a moment. He then pressed his fingers to his mic again.

"Allow them to advance to the Throne Room. We'll deal with them then. They are NOT to know that we are aware of their presence. Am I understood?"

"Understood, sire."

Percy's eyes glowed red as he envisioned Annabeth in his head. His fist clenched around Riptide, which had been vastly upgraded with Chalrus mods.

"You escaped me once, Annabeth. You won't get so lucky again." He said to himself, turning his attention back to the door.

About a level below them, Steel and Annabeth were moving through the Palace, and discovered the mess the Chalrus left in their wake.

Valuable art was destroyed, furniture overturned, and the corpses of the dead lay everywhere.

"Strange that they haven't found us yet." Annabeth commented.

"They're likely focused on Poseidon." Steel answered, peeking his head around a corner.

"Or maybe you scared them off." She smirked a bit.

"Hah. If only." Steel muttered.

Eventually, they came across the elevator that would lead them to the Throne Room. The Chalrus had placed their banner at the sides.

"The Chalrus have it locked down. Give me a second, and I'll override it." Steel said, rushing over to a hastily set-up computer console.

Annabeth took a second to look at the Chalrus banner. She didn't know what inspired their logo, but in these past few weeks, she'd come to despise it.

It was the organization that had taken Percy, her Seaweed Brain from her, it was the organization that now threatened to take away everything and everyone she'd ever known in her life.

The name 'Mobius' crept into her head at that moment. She'd never seen the reclusive tycoon that was, according to Steel, the mastermind of all of this, but she hated him. Hated him even more than she did Raptorius.

She was torn from her angry thoughts by Steel, who shook her lightly.

"Elevator's here, let's go."

While the two ascended, up above them, the Chalrus had broken through the Throne Room doors.

Percy pushed them open and strode into his father's demesne without a backward glance. With Riptide in-hand, and a small vanguard of the Chalrus Reservist Guard behind him, he looked at his father.

Poseidon was seated on his throne, his Trident in hand, staring in complete disbelief at the sight before him.

Percy smirked, turning to his men, turning away from Poseidon for a moment.

"Theta Squad, lock down the door. Except for our…guests, no one gets in or out."

The lead soldier nodded, and waved his men to their assigned posts, as Percy strode into the room further.

"Surprised, father?"

"Perseus Jackson…this…this must be some trick. You'd never…"

"I'd never what, father?" Percy demanded. "I'd never turn against my own? Turn against those who were more than willing to consign me to death when I no longer served their purposes?"

"This…all of this….is this your doing?" Poseidon demanded, rising from his throne.

"Of course not!" Percy snorted. "My Master sent me here to…deal with you. Just as Raptorius dealt with Hades."

Before either one of them could speak again, the Chalrus Reserve Guard stepped into attention, and formed ranks, just as Percy had ordered. That meant that Steel and Annabeth had arrived.

"This will have to wait." He breathed, before turning around to face the door.

Steel and Annabeth entered the room, completely confused as to why the Chalrus soldiers on their sides weren't attacking them.

And that was when she saw him. He was paler, there were more scars on his face, and his eyes were red, but she'd never mistake his face.

Percy Jackson was alive.

She tossed logic completely out the window, and rushed him, nearly tackling him with a hug, before kissing him fiercely. A kiss which he returned, smirking inwardly.

"Percy…is it…is it really you?" She asked him, in a hushed whisper.

That was when Percy gut punched her, and knocked her backward, causing Steel to draw his gun, and the Chalrus soldiers to draw theirs.

"In the flesh." Percy smirked.

When Annabeth came back to her senses, she then gave Percy a once-over. His face was pale, as was his hair. There were scars around his eye and his lip. And his sea-green eyes that she'd loved so much were a crimson red.

His clothing was different too. It was all black. Then, a piece connected in her mind. It was nearly identical to what Raptorius wore.

And that was when she spotted the Chalrus logo on his chest, and could see the corruption seething through Riptide.

"No…no…this…this can't be right…" she breathed, trying to control herself.

"Believe me, it is." He spoke. She noticed his voice no longer contained a silly bumbling to it, or any degree of mirth, for that matter. It was cold, direct, and blunt.

"Percy…you'd…you'd never betray us! What did they do to you?"

Percy smirked, stepping toward Poseidon again.

"Let me show you."

He reached his hand out, and a swirling mass of dark ribbon energy came circling through his wrists, and out of his palm.

The force immediately struck Poseidon, denying him the ability to fight back, and slowly choking the life out of him.

"Perseus…" he breathed, as the energy became more powerful, and more tendrils came forth to crush the life from him, and bleed him away. "You…were…my…favorite…son…"

It was then that the Sea God morphed into a blue mass, which was absorbed into Percy's wrist.

Annabeth was beyond horrified. Steel had seen it before, but to say that Annabeth was in shock would be a massive understatement.

Percy had just killed a God. Killed. A. God. And worse than that, it was his father.

"You…Percy…you just…" for once, she was at a loss for words. Even Luke at his worst was nothing like this.

Before Percy could answer, a beeping noise could be heard in the room, and Percy smirked.

"Perhaps you'd be interested in a…conversation." He smirked.

Steel breathed in, and decided to deal with the soldiers pointing guns at them. Annabeth needed to see what was behind the Chalrus, and they needed an escape route.

As Steel tangled with the guards, (Like beating up small children to him.) Percy brought up an image before Annabeth.

Annabeth saw a man in a fancy suit, with a cigarette in his hand, sitting back in a chair that reminded her of a director's chair on a movie set. A view of Earth filled the background behind him.

"Jackson." He spoke, breathing in his cigarette. "Excellent work. We'll add the harvested mass to what we already have."

Mobius then turned his attention to Annabeth, as she realized who this man was, and her expression of horror, turned to pure hate.

"You!" she nearly screamed. "You did this to Percy, didn't you?" she snarled.

Mobius smirked a bit, tapping his cigarette against his chair's ashtray.

"I made some adjustments, yes. The reconstruction process demanded it. Fascinating technology, really. You must be Annabeth Chase. I've learned quite a bit about you."

"Oh? Well, here's a new fact." She scowled, stepping closer to the hologram. "I'm going to tear you limb from limb for this. Do you hear me? Limb. From. Limb."

Mobius chuckled a bit, leaning forward slightly.

"You're angry. Anger often stems from ignorance." This made Annabeth even angrier. No one called a child of Athena ignorant and lasted long. No one.

"And just what am I 'ignorant' of?" she demanded. "You've turned Percy into your puppet, and you're trying to kill the Gods. What am I missing here?"

Mobius discarded his cigarette, quickly lighting up another in its place.

"Without me restoring Jackson to life, you'd be dead right now. His interest in you is enough to keep you alive."

"Interest?"

"For a child of Athena, you seem to take a while to catch on. Despite our…efforts, he retains attachment to you. Your safety is leverage."

Annabeth was disgusted by the casual tone this…monster took with using her as leverage against the love of her life.

"So, you brought him back to life, and brainwashed him. Why?" she demanded, unable to hide her rage, even if she'd wanted to.

"Perseus Jackson is many things. Most of them bad. But, you underestimated the worth of his mind. Locked away in his head is the key to something I want."

"That being?" Annabeth was becoming frustrated with this man's elusiveness to her questions.

"Hah, now that would be telling." Mobius then noticed Steel come back from thrashing the Chalrus guards.

"Ah, Julius. I should've known this operation would be your doing. But, you arrived too late."

"You're done, Mobius. You won't escape me again." Steel said calmly, his under-tone extremely angry.

"You've said that before. And you still failed. But, it doesn't matter."

Mobius then turned to face Percy, breathing from his cigarette for a moment.

"Perseus. Return to me at once. Deal with those two on your way out, would you?"

Mobius then cut the communication, and Percy stood with a smirk on his face.

"Gladly."

Annabeth stepped closer to him, praying to Zeus that there was still some part of his mind the Chalrus hadn't touched.

"Percy, it's me! Annabeth! Don't listen to whatever that…animal is feeding into your head!"

Percy drew Riptide, and for a brief moment, his eyes flashed to being green again.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth…" he breathed, the image he'd created shattered slightly.

However, before any of them could do anything, the dead God's Palace shook with explosions.

"Commander Steel!" a voice over Steel's radio spoke. "This is the 9th Sea Battalion! Engaging on your mark!"

The Palace couldn't endure another round. It began to collapse…