Chapter 11: Hecate's Master Plan

Well, this is the chapter you have all been waiting for. The one pulling the strings behind the time travels, the real master mind of the Time Chronicles, will finally explain her motives. Brace yourself, for this is an impacting chapter.

I don't own any of this except for the plotline.

Read, enjoy, and review!

Percy's POV

The amazon queen took us to the temple of Hecate. It was the biggest structure of the city. It looked like the old greek temples. I mean it has the big and tall columns, the engravings and the statutes but, the marble was glowing with multicolored bright lights. Percy assumed it was because of a decoration spell.

Eventually we entered the open gates. Hecate was there in the same form she had when I meet her in San Francisco. She smiled when she saw us.

"You have finally come," She said. "Took you long enough."

Then she looked at the rest of the group.

"I am sorry but this audience is only for Percy and Rachel," The goddess of magic said. "Penthesilea, take the others outside."

Instant uproar.

"We came all this way and we want to know what you have to say!" Thalia shouted.

"Why can Rachel stay and we can't?" Annabeth asked narrowing her storm grey eyes.

"Because she is part of my plans because of the time travel and because she will eventually find out what I will tell Percy anyway," Hecate answered. "That mind link wasn't designed for privacy."

Annabeth looked sored and so did the others.

"Percy, for all we know she could have been lying to you this whole time," Bianca said. "We can't leave you alone."

"You can and you will," I said. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself and so can Rachel now for that matter," I added before they could protest. "Besides, even if Hecate is plotting to kill me, I just have to know the truth before it drives me insane."

The others nodded reluctantly. Penthesilea laid them out. Then Hecate muttered a spell in the old tongue.

"Now no one can hear us outside this room or scry us," Hecate explained. "Oh, and I swear on the River Styx that everything I will tell you today is true," She added.

I nodded as she looked at us.

"I have been waiting for this moment for thousands of years," She said.

"Since the Trojan War?" Rachel asked.

"No, since before the first titan war," She declared.

I glance at Rachel. I wasn't expecting that.

"Hecate, what do you really want?" I asked.

"To answer that question, first I have to explain more about the souls of magic," She replied.

"Then explain," I urged.

She took a deep breath.

"Back in the beginnings of the universe, Gaia created the world out of chaos," Hecate started. "I was one of the first goddess that descend from her and that means I am thousands of years older than the Olympians," She informed. "Now, Gaia predicted that Kronos will lose in the first Titan War 3,000 years ago. However, she also predicated the fact that the Titans will escape their prisons and threaten her world once more. So, she gave me a mission: She wanted me to create the souls of magic."

"What for?" Rachel asked.

"In order to preserve the balance of nature," Hecate answered. "Like Alice told you, if you have those 7 weapons you can become stronger than any god aside from Gaia. However, she didn't tell you that if you combine the weapons the right way you can do what is thought to be impossible."

"What?" I asked.

She locked eyes with me.

"To kill Titans," She whispered.

I was stunned when she said that and I could tell Rachel was too.

"Wait, by killing them you mean…?"

"I mean a true death," Hecate clarified. "No imprisonment or injury. They die, go to the underworld like mortal souls and can't get out or be reborn."

"Why would Gaia want something like that?" Rachel asked her.

"Like I said, because of the balance of nature," Hecate repeated. "Everything alive must have a weakness, even immortals," She sentenced. "If not, it will upset the balance of nature since they could keep killing and affecting the order of the world."

Hecate paused while looking thoughtful and then continued.

"Gaia is like Nemesis in that sense; they both stand for balance," Hecate continued. "However, whereas Nemesis stands for the balance of luck between people, Gaia stands for the balance of life in the planet. She doesn't want the titans to live forever because she knows they will eventually destroy her world and sever the cycle of life. So, she ordered me to forge the souls of magic to stop them one day," Hecate explained.

"And where do I come in all of this millenarian master plan?" I asked.

"Well, you see, no immortal can use the souls to kill any titan," Hecate started. "It has to be a demigod. Not any demigod, though; it has to be a demigod very powerful with magic so that he can control the immense power of the weapons, and what is better than a demigod that can use the most powerful and multifunctional branch of magic?" She asked smiling.

Then it hit me.

"That why you forced me to kept time traveling," I realized. "So that my magic will grow stronger and I could wield the weapons."

Hecate nodded.

"Percy, I can't think of anyone better than you to accomplish this task, especially considering that a prophecy states that the end of the titans could come by a demigod's hand," Hecate said.

"You want me to gather the souls of magic and kill them all?" I asked surprised. "I mean Kronos is one thing but all the evil titans? You really think I can do all of that?" I asked.

"I do," Hecate said. "Besides, if you don't go along with this plan, think of what could happen," She told me. "What will you do with the titans if you win and don't kill them? Imprison them again so they can just escape one day?" She asked. "If you really want to live in peace knowing that the titans will never threaten the world again you have to do this Percy. If you want to stop the titans, this is how," She declared.

I took a deep breath.

"You are right," I said. "Where are the souls of magic?" I asked.

"I have been looking for them for several millennia since the titans found out about them and hide them across the world," Hecate continued. "It took a while but I have 3 souls of magic in my possession and you have one," She pointed out.

I blinked.

"Come again?" I asked confused.

"Your Grimoire is the soul of magic from your branch, Percy," She confessed. "It is the only one of its kind and when the other 6 souls are in the same place a new page will materialize at the end of the book and it will say how to fuse the weapons," She explained.

I nodded slowly. So that is why there was a page missing.

"Where are the other three?" I asked.

"One of them is Tartarus," She said making me flinch. "Another one is in your father's realm under the protection of the Cyclopes that made Zeus lightning bolt and Daedalus has the last one."

"Daedalus has a soul of magic?" I asked surprised that the inventor had interest in magic.

Hecate nodded.

"Tell me, do you remember what his nephew said when he told Daedalus that there has to be a way to cheat death?" She asked me.

I had to think back to remember that dream I had a long time ago. Then I remembered clearly.

"He said that he could combine magic with science to cheat death," I answered.

"True enough," Hecate said. "The soul of magic that Daedalus possesses is from the branch of healing magic and he uses its powers to heal the decay of his soul and prolong its existence in his mechanical body," She explained.

Then she paused before continuing.

"Daedalus is supposed to die soon to prevent Kronos forces from using the Labyrinth to their advantage," She pointed out. "Once he is dead you need to obtain his weapon. As for the safety of this city, I already have it covered," She assured.

"Then after that, I will have to return to the future and find the other two weapons before I turn sixteen, right?" I asked thinking I got it.

She nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I controlled the time and place of each time travel you made so that you will become as strong as I need and change history for the better if you could," She revealed.

"You have been pulling the strings all along quite well," Rachel said.

"I don't disagree," I said.

"One more thing," Hecate said. "Even if you get all the souls of magic, you will need to activate their power," She added. "For that, we will need the energy of a comet that only circulates around this planet every 3,000 years and it will happen to show up 5 days before your birthday in your rightful place in time," She explained. "So, when you time travel again, I will arrange that you get a week before the day Kronos send you to the Trojan War so that you have time to get the last 2 weapons."

"All right," I said in agreement.

Then I smiled.

"Hecate, I knew you would never betray me," I claimed. "Deep down, I always knew you were a double agent and that the one you were betraying was Kronos."

She smiled back.

"Good to know you never lost your faith in me," The goddess said.

Okay, the truth finally came out in this chapter, eh? I want to get something clear. I hadn't read the Lost Hero and I don't know if Gaia plays an important role in the new saga but if she does, know that in my saga she will play an original role. not tied by the personality and plans she might have in the Lost Hero. Well, I am afraid that this is the last chapter for a while. I am sorry but over the last few days I have been focusing too much in fanfiction and too little in school and I have a lot of material to catch up. I hope you understand. Well, let me know what you think of this chapter.