Chapter Eleven
One month. That was how long Zoe was on the surface before the next news about Percy reached them. This time, Khaos asked them to come herself. They had no other choice, of course, but they were all present. Greeks, Romans, immortals, Hunters, Gods. All of them.
Zoe and Artemis were the last to enter, having talked privately about Tartarus in her temple for some time. Khaos clapped happily when they arrived.
"Wonderful!" She exclaimed, "you're all here. That's good. A Titan, Menoetius, is going to try to kill Percy. It's going to be entertaining."
A series of gaps escaped the crowds.
Zoe felt a moment of panic fill her at the thought of Percy being hurt, but she quickly squashed it, knowing the man could take care of himself. The screens that Khaos used fizzled to life, and they were greeted to Percy sitting in a throne room. He didn't look any older than the last time she had seen him, with the same beard, the same hair, the same build. It was his eyes that conveyed just how old he must have felt. Still a bright green, they did seem to carry a heavy sorrow in them.
"How long has it been for him?" The female Praetor of Rome asked, a frown marring her face. She must have reached the same realisation as Zoe had.
"He's been down there for close to…" Khaos trailed off, deep in thought, "a millennium now, I believe. Most of that has been dedicated to stabilising his rule, and strengthening his alliance, or rather overlordship, with Pallas."
"The Titan of Warcraft?" Lady Athena sounded surprised, "he never struck me as the type to allow himself to be subjugated."
"Who said anything about subjugation?" Khaos responded with a twinkle in her eyes, "now, onto the drama!"
The footage resumed, showing Percy reclining in his seat. He wore the steel-grey armour from his previous battle, but the helm was resting on the armrest, one of the wings broken of sharply, most likely from battle. The chamber he was in was filled with both Titans and monsters, some of whom Zoe assumed were guards, judging from the armour that bore a pentadent as heraldry, which matched the massive beast of a weapon which was resting next to Percy.
"Menoetius," Percy stated, his voice deep and powerful, despite not raising it, "you've been raiding my lands for the past four centuries. Out of respect to your father, I allowed you to come here and beg for forgiveness. That's more than I'd offer anyone else."
He certainly took to ruling well. Zoe had the privilege of living for thousands of years. She had seen hundreds upon hundreds of rulers, mortal or otherwise, and she always remembered those who had ruled strongly, whether it was for the right reasons or not.
"Out of respect to my father," Menoetius spat the words, which was the first sign that something would go wrong, "I didn't have you killed in your sleep. But I'm here now, and I won't let your tyranny continue any longer!"
With that, he struck, snatching a blade from one of his guards and cutting the monster down. At the same time, monsters spread throughout the hall began striking out, cutting down the others who had been present. Guards instantly lowered their spears, boxing in the entire audience. A particularly set of large Cyclopes barred Menoetius from proceeding. The Titan settled into a stance, preparing to attack them when Perseus rose from his throne.
"That's enough," again, he didn't raise his voice, but he was heard clearly, and all the action stopped. There was a cold rage to him, something Zoe hadn't thought to attribute to the demigod, "You've spilt blood in my home, Menoetius. That's unacceptable."
Percy grabbed his pentadent and strode forward. The two Cyclopes parted without a word, allowing their lord to pass unobstructed.
"Are you going to stop my blood?" Menoetius sneered, "stop me from fighting, like you did Hyperion?"
"No," Percy replied simply, "you're not nearly a large enough of a threat for me to expend the effort. I allowed you here because Iapetus is a dear friend of mine. But even my friendship with him will only go so far. He knows this and understands it. Don't you, Bob?"
"I do, my lord," The Titan responded with a nod of his head.
"So, while I originally planned to let you live, that is no longer the case," Percy continued, "of course, there are several ways I can kill you. I could have my guards cut you down. That wouldn't take any effort, they've trained with both Pallas and your father, so they know how to attack. You may kill a few of them, but you wouldn't last long."
"He's trying to provoke him," Athena murmured, "why?"
"I could put you down like the animal you are, a quick, efficient death, but I don't think that would balance out the insult you've dealt me," Percy said, leaning on his pentadent. Menoetius was looking around fearfully, and Zoe was beginning to see what Percy was doing, "that leaves my final choice, something I haven't had to do in close to six centuries now. Crucifixion. There's a particular spot where anyone in the city would be able to see you, nailed to that cross, slowly, slowly dying, your body betraying you, dealing indescribable pain."
Suddenly, Menoetius reached out and snatched a Titan from the crowd. Artemis shot to her feet at the same time as Apollo, rage evident in both their eyes. It was their mother, Leto, who looked terrified to be at sword point. The only indication that Percy was angered was the fact that his knuckles were nearly white from gripping his pentadent so hard.
"I'm trying to be polite here," he said quietly, "but so help me, if you move that sword an inch closer to her, I'll tear you to shreds, have you healed, and then do it again, and again, and again. You touch a single hair on her body, and you'll never know a moments peace for the rest of your life."
Clearly, Leto had some value to Percy, though Zoe couldn't figure out why. Menoetius clearly knew that he had an advantage now.
"Surrender your throne to me," he stated arrogantly, "and I'll release her."
There were quiet murmurs from the audience, trying to figure out what Percy would do.
"Leto," Percy suddenly said, looking the Titaness directly in the eyes, "do you remember the story I told you about the Doors of Death?"
"What are you talking about?" Menoetius demanded, but was ignored by Percy, who watched as Leto nodded slowly. Zoe saw something flash in her eyes. With a jerk, she flung her head to the side.
Percy's hand had already been moving, but a short, wicked Stygian Iron sword that she recognised materialised in the air, before catching Menoetius in the neck. The Titan of Anger and Rashness dropped to the ground, gurgling Ichor, Percy's short blade impaled in his neck. The demigod strolled over to him, kneeling at his side.
"I could let you die," he told the Titan, "but that would be a merciful death. I'm not feeling much mercy at the moment."
He yanked the blade from Menoetius, but instantly placed a hand on the wound. Water flowed from beyond the hall, travelling along the Titan's body, healing him slowly. He sucked in a shuddered breath, only for an armoured fist to slam into his head, the impact causing a crater on the black marble floor.
"Chain him up, stick him up in a cage," Percy ordered, before pausing, "upside down, too. And hamstring him, just for good measure."
Instead of Cyclopes, two Titans, Pallas and Lelantos, stepped forward, roughly dragging the unconscious Titan from the room. The monsters who had attacked suddenly all had their necks snapped, collapsing to the ground.
"Throw them in the dungeons. Let them spend some time with Gilles," Percy waved his hand nonchalantly, before moving over to Leto, "are you alright?"
His voice was surprisingly soft, and Zoe saw the way his eyes had softened when he looked at her. Was he—were they?
Her question was answered when Leto rose up on the balls of her feet and planted a soft kiss on Percy's mouth, before resting her head against his chest.
"Leave," he ordered suddenly, and the crowds reacted as one, clearing the room. Even the Titans who had remained left at the order. The guards didn't. Percy didn't seem overly bothered by it, "I'm sorry. If I knew he would have—"
"I know," Leto told him, a hand over his heart, "you're very protective of me, Percy, but I'm a Titan, and this is Tartarus. I'll always be a target."
"I'm trying to end that, you know," He told her, but there was a smile on his face.
"I know," Leto replied, before smiling coyly at him. "Now that I think about it, we've yet to christen your throne, have we?"
Percy's eyes widened for a moment, before he turned his head to the guards.
"Clear the room, now!" he barked, "make sure no one enters. No one, under any circumstance."
The guards, like the others, quickly cleared out, and the footage cut out. Zoe looked over to her mistress, who was nearly purple in rage. Even Apollo looked angrier than she could ever remember. She risked a glance at Lord Zeus, who seemed similarly angry. Poseidon, on the other hand, seemed proud.
"Oh, I love drama," Khaos sighed, "and those two are a power couple I never expected."
"How long have they…" Apollo drifted off, looking very uncomfortable.
"Close to nine hundred years now," Khaos replied happily, "it first started because Selene was trying to sleep with Perseus and he wanted to avoid her. That led to the first night. And the second. And the third, and the—well, you get the drift. About six centuries ago, it became serious. Oh, I was so happy! They take walks around Enotita, talking about the little things."
"Enotita?" Thalia muttered beside her, "unity?"
"Oh, yes, Percy's capital!" Khaos exclaimed, clapping her hands.
An image appeared of the city from above. It was huge, close to the size of New York, and was comprised of close to six districts, all of which were surrounded by walls, the smallest, and most well defended of which were on a hill in the centre of the city. In the city centre was a single, large compound, close to the size of Central Park. Tall buildings reached up into the sky, but none of them towered over the central compound.
The Romans seemed to agree, judging from the murmurs of approval from the leadership.
"Who designed the city?" Athena asked, eyeing it closely, and in what Zoe suspected was approval.
"Perseus did," Khaos responded, drawing surprised glances, "he often sends parties of monsters to the surface, tasked with retrieving books for him. The topics range dramatically, from treaties on war to architecture, to the book his mother wrote. He's assembled quite the library."
"Why are we ignoring the fact that my mother is sleeping with a demigod!" Apollo suddenly burst out, drawing glances.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Poseidon asked slowly, his eyes screwed shut. Zoe blinked. She had seen Percy do the same thing when he was worried that he would have an outburst around her.
"He's male," Artemis said, "and a mortal. What right does he have to our mother?"
"What right?" Aphrodite rose from her throne, eyes blazing, drawing shocked gazes. The goddess was never this upset, "how about a thousand years in Tartarus? Do you know what happened when he was sent down? I lost any control over his love. He's completely cut off from divine intervention. He's spent a thousand years in hell, and you're wondering what right he has to love?"
"What about Annabeth?" Artemis challenged, "Perseus loved her and look where he is now!"
"Look where she is now!" Aphrodite shot back, "I don't deny their love was the strongest I'd ever witnessed, but a thousand years, Artemis! How many of you have loved, truly loved someone for a thousand years? A hundred?"
None had the decency to answer. Aphrodite huffed and sat in her throne. Khaos looked incredibly pleased, before she squealed.
"Ooh!" She suddenly said, drawing gazes again, before waving her hand. The screen from before reappeared, and it came to life. Time in Tartarus had clearly passed, because Percy was standing in front of an army, his helm on, riding up and down the lines on a Gryphon, "oh, I love war. This will be the best one in years! All rules out the window, bloody, bloody conflict!"
The image turned, and Zoe saw the largest army she had ever seen before. Hundreds of thousands of monsters wore mismatched armour and carried crude weapons. Titans crowed for blood, while Giants stomped to war. When the image turned back to Percy's army, it was a wide shot. His army was by far smaller, maybe only ten thousand strong, but it was well armed, well armoured, and very clearly well trained. Zoe saw phalanxes of Cyclopes, cohorts of Telekhines, battalions of archers, and troops of cavalry. Khaos was right. This would be the bloodiest war in centuries.
MMXVIII
So, Khaos is different in this story than she was in Hail to the King. The reason for that is that I decided that she would better serve as a more apathetic immortal. She created the universe, after all. She is the universe. She doesn't care much for the people, mortal or otherwise, that live in it. She's in it for the entertainment. That's why Percy is in Tartarus.
Next Chapter will cover the battle between Percy's army and Perses and Krios' armies. The two Titans have joined forces to fight him. Also, I got quite a bit of feedback going for the Percy/Leto route, so I'm sticking with that. However, Zoe will still be on the table for a potential relationship, because I mean, come on, image how Artemis would react to Percy being with both her mother and best friend. It'd be amazing.
Cheers, CombatTombat
