If I owned Percy Jackson, I'd have enough money for a 3DS, but considering I still haven't played Pokémon X/Y, I don't think I own Percy Jackson.


Chapter Twelve: The Choices Taken

Percy and Grover walked out onto the dark and deserted Los Angeles street. Two pairs of narrowed eyes glanced around, searching for the danger they had been warned of. The demigod spun around, making sure that he wouldn't miss anything, while his satyr partner wrinkled his nose in an attempt to sniff out any unusual smells. After a couple of minutes, both quest members blinked in confusion.

"Uh, Percy?" Grover asked, scratching his budding beard. "Where's the bad guy?"

Percy held his hands behind his head. "I dunno," he told his friend. "I guess... it was just a bluff?"

"So, no bad guy?"

With a relieved sigh, Percy answered, "No bad guy. C'mon, let's get going."

As they began their trek back home, a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Not so fast, brats!"

Frozen in place, Percy and Grover cranked back their necks to see the intimidating sight of Ares, who was standing just across the street. The war god was obviously amused, though Percy didn't know if it was because of the situation he had caught them in or the annihilation that would follow.

Grover groaned, though it sounded more like a helpless sob. "Ares? Really? Why, man?"

Percy gulped, turning to his friend. "Y'know, I'm honestly not that surprised. Still sucks, just not that surprising." He took out Riptide, uncapping the pen and tightening his grip on the leather handle.

Grover silently gasped. "Wha- Percy, what are you doing!? We can't beat him!"

Percy shrugged, his face set on grudging acceptance. "Yeah, I know, but I think it's pretty obvious he won't just let us run." Pointing the tip of his blade at Ares, he added, "Plus, I've wanted to punch him in the nose for a while now, so it'll totally be worth it."

Ares chuckled, a sound that brought shivers to their spines. "Whatever kid," the god said, summoning his own sword with a flash of red light. When the spectacle cleared, Percy and Grover had to fight hard to keep their jaws from dropping to the floor at the sight of it.

The blade was at least as long as Percy was tall, and flat where its tip should've been, making it look like a big rectangular hunk of celestial bronze attached to a hilt. Only one of its sides was sharpened, and while the black handle was more than long enough to hold with two hands, Ares was lightly carrying it with one.

Ares smirked at their reactions. "Usually I'd ask you if you'd prefer this modern or classic, but seeing as you don't have any guns on you, I think that would be a bit redundant." He skimmed his finger along the edge of his sword, red eyes roaming it behind his black sunglasses. "So how do you like it? Not a bad blade at all, if I do say so myself. It could probably chop both your heads off in one swing, and it's sharp enough that it would just cut through all the blood and come out the other end glistening!"

The war god laughed at that, a malicious laugh that boomed throughout the empty city. Forcing down his growing fear, Percy called out to his opponent.

"I don't get it," began the demigod, making Ares' laugh die out prematurely. "You're the one who stuck Zeus' bolt in the bag you gave us, and I'm betting that you also know where Hades' helm is, but why? Why would you want a war between those two?"

Even as he said it, Percy knew the answer to his own question, and it was only confirmed when Ares responded.

"Why do you think, pipsqueak? I'm the war god for a reason! There's no better fight than one between family, especially my family!" He laughed again, though it was much shorter than the one from before. "Plus, I didn't actually steal it! You should know by now that a god can't steal another god's symbol of power!"

Anger surged through Percy. 'Damn it,' he thought. 'That means that a demigod really did steal them, just like Kronos said. Someone from camp, but who?' He shook his head, deciding that such a mystery could be solved in less life threatening circumstances. "So how'd you get the bolt?" he asked.

Ares chuckled, though it sounded strangely forced. "You see, kid, my dear dad threw a fit when he found out his little joy buzzer was missing, so he sent his children to find it. Obviously, the thief couldn't run away from us gods, and I was lucky enough to find him first. I was ready to vaporize him right then and there, but he gives me the idea of using the bolt to start a war." He breathed in, as if he could already smell the blood such a war would spill. "Brother against brother, copious amounts of death, how could I say no?"

Grover took a step forward, surprising Percy when it wasn't too shaky to stand on. "If y-you already had the bolt, why give it to us?" The satyr asked. "Why get us to b-bring it to the Underworld?"

Ares hesitated, not much, but it was enough for Percy to notice. "Well, duh," the god said, his voice slightly tainted with uncertainty. "I needed Hades to have it if I wanted my father to fight him."

Percy narrowed his eyes. 'There's something going on here,' he mused. 'Annabeth could probably figure it out, but...' He clenched his teeth, a sudden righteous fury taking over his mind. 'This guy... He's the one who gave us the bolt, the reason we got locked up in the first place!'

His rage must've shown on his face, because Ares' smirk returned. "What's wrong kid?" the god asked. "Need some laxatives?"

Percy glared at his opponent. His enemy. "Shut the hell up!" he screamed, getting on his stance. "No more talking! I'm gonna destroy you right now!"

Ares' smirk widened, and the god merely rested his ridiculously large blade on his shoulder. "As if. You know what? I'll let you get a free hit, right here." The god tapped his chin with his free hand and closed his eyes. "Since you're so angry at me, I figure I can at least let you get a good one in before I end it and take back the bolt. War's great and all, but I'm starting to think that whatever reward my father gives me will be better. I can always just rile up the Middle East again if I really feel like it."

Percy narrowed his eyes. As much as he wanted to beat Ares to unconsciousness, he knew that he wouldn't survive against him. "If I give you the Master Bolt so that you can take it back to Zeus, will you give Hades back his helmet? I know you have it."

Ares opened his eyes, the cocky smirk on his face widening. "Oh, you mean this old thing?" he asked, reaching behind his back and pulling out a helmet made of bones.

The Helm of Darkness pulsed with an invisible power, one that almost brought Percy to his knees. Just the sight of it increased the demigod's fear about his dilemma exponentially, to the point that his sight unfocused and his arms became covered in goosebumps. Shaking, Percy saw that Grover seemed to be doing much worse. The satyr's legs were wobbling almost as fast as his lips were quivering, and a low groan could be heard from his throat.

The god of war shook his head, stashing the helmet back to wherever he kept it. "Nah, I'll keep it. From what I can see, it has quite an effect on you mortals." He leaned forward, closing his eyes again. "As I was saying, feel free to break your hand on my jaw, or your sword on my neck. Really, it makes no difference to me."

The feeling of hopeless fear alleviated with the helm's disappearance, Percy tensed up, his tightened fist cocking back. However, before he could take his first step forward, a small blur launched at Ares out of nowhere. Just as it was about to stab into the war god, he reached up and grabbed it out of the air. The blur was revealed to be an arrow, its tip not one centimeter away from the god's forehead.

Ares grunted, his eyes narrowed in slight annoyance. "It'll take more than some pansy-ass archer to take me by surprise," he said, snapping the arrow in half by the shaft and letting the pieces fall on the concrete ground.

Percy and Grover turned around to see the culprit, both unsurprised to find Orion standing on the low roof of the DOA Recording Studios, another arrow already notched on his bow. The young demigod huffed, his frustration at the situation growing exponentially. 'As if Ares wasn't bad enough, now we've got Robin Hood to worry about too,' he thought. Knowing the outcome of a three-way fight, that being his utter defeat, Percy tried to think of any possible way out of it that, for once, didn't involve violence...

... and came up with nothing. With a sigh, the young demigod widened his stance. 'It's official. My luck sucks.'

Ignoring Ares entirely, Orion turned his green eyes on Percy's. Pulling back the arrow, its tip pointed at the god's head, the legendary hero addressed his demigod enemy with a slurred voice. "Child, do not pretend like you stand a chance. Hand over the bolt."

Glaring at the new arrival, Percy's eyes widened when he took in his hunter's appearance. The man had thick dark rings around his bloodshot eyes, and his skin looked pale enough to rival that of Hades. With a start, the young demigod realized how little sleep Orion must've gotten. Legendary hunter or not, chasing a speeding giant crab across the country must've been a strenuous task. 'No wonder our last fight seemed easier than the first one,' Percy thought. 'The guy probably hasn't slept in a week, and who knows how much food he's been able to get. He's way weaker than he should be.'

"Don't take your chances with me, brats," Ares told them. "Pedo-Churchill over there could turn you into a pincushion, but I can turn you into dust, and then turn your dust into smaller dust."

Percy groaned. "Damn it, we're stuck between a rock and a sharp place!"

Grover palmed his face. "Seriously, Percy?" Turning to Ares, the satyr gulped. "Wh-What do you want us to do!? Either way we die! This isn't fair at all!"

Ares shrugged, leaning against the hilt of his sword. "Meh. That's life, kid."

Orion pulled back even further on the string of his bow. "As long as I get the bolt, I do not care."

Percy and Grover positioned themselves so that they were back to back, each facing one of their opponents. Looking behind his shoulder, the demigod nodded to his partner.

"It's been real, G-man," he said, putting on his shield.

Grover took out his reed pipes, bringing them up to his lips. "It s-sure has, Percy."

Just as the fight was about to get underway, a wild scream pierced the air, and without any other warning, the ground next to the two heroes exploded. They jumped away, wary eyes set on the cloud of dust that covered a shadowy figure. Ares and Orion merely looked on, the former irritated that he wasn't bashing in skulls yet and the latter desperately trying to keep his heavy eyes open.

When the dust settled, everyone was surprised to see white bed sheets clinging onto the frail figure of Christian Peters, his gigantic sword resting on his shoulder. "Hoo-weee!" the old man shouted. He quickly spotted Percy and Grover's shocked faces, and waved at them enthusiastically. "Oh, hey guys! How've ya been!?"

Percy groaned, his shoulders slumping. "Oh god, not this guy again..."

Ares raised an eyebrow at the Doom Breaker. "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere?" He scratched his head in thought before snapping his finger. "Oh! You're that Doom Breaker guy!" The god frowned. "I thought you were dead. Shame."

Christian smiled widely. "Of course I ain't dead, I'm alive and kickin'!" He paused. "Well, maybe not kickin', but still alive!"

Orion adjusted his aim on the new threat. "Who are you? Another minion of the gods?"

Christian twisted on his heel to face the legendary archer. "As if!" he exclaimed. "Quite the contrary, I don't like those guys at all! My hand doesn't have enough fingers to count the number of times I've gotten kicked outta my cave. Speaking of which..." He turned to Percy and Grover, who both gulped simultaneously. "You two kicked me out of my cave a few days ago with that blonde girl!" The Doom Breaker raised his sword, ready to chop the heroes in half.

Percy waved his hands in front of his face. "Wait a minute, I thought you were cool with that!" "

The old man stopped short before he could bring his blade down. "Really?" he asked, running his fingers down his long beard. "Oh yeah... Right!" Christian repositioned his sword on his shoulder with a sheepish smile. "Heh, sorry 'bout that."

Grover still looked baffled at the powerful elder's appearance. "How did you even get here? There's a Zeused up lightning cloud covering the entire city! In fact..." The satyr turned to Orion, who still had his aim fixed on the grinning senior. "How did you get here too!? Why is it so easy to get inside L.A. all of a sudden!? We needed another god for that!"

Both legendary heroes looked at each other before shrugging.

"Guess we're just that great," Christian said.

"He appears to be delusional, but I have to agree," Orion stated in a monotone. "I am great."

"Hey, that's my line!" Percy shouted.

Orion looked at Christian, ignoring a fuming Percy. "You are obviously not pleased with the Olympians, and you are obviously strong. If we joined forces, we could defeat Ares and take the bolt to my master. After all these centuries, we could bring about the end of the gods!"

Percy and Grover froze. If Christian and Orion teamed up, they would stand absolutely no chance. Not that they did before, but Percy knew that at least if Ares won Kronos wouldn't get his greasy mitts on the two powerful weapons.

Christian looked inquisitively at the legendary archer. "Hmmm... The end of the gods..." Nodding to himself, Christian walked to Percy's side. "Sounds great and all, but I don't know ya, skipper. At least I know that these two are the good guys, and that's good enough for me."

The quest-mates had to force themselves not to jump in joy. In moments, their luck had changed, and now it looked like they actually had a chance to come out of the confrontation alive. In his weary state, Percy and Grover could beat Orion, and as powerful as Ares was, Christian Peters had defeated a god before.

"Kid," said Christian, and Percy looked up at his savior. "Hand me the bag, I'll keep it safe."

Without a question, Percy took off the backpack and gave it to the Doom Breaker, who promptly cocked back his arm and threw it with all his strength. It soared over all the buildings and landed several miles away on the tallest one.

Percy stared, unblinking, and Grover's mouth hung open. "That... You..." The satyr's eyelid twitched. "That's the U.S. Bank Tower! It's seventy-three stories tall! Why in the Hades did you do that!?"

"Well to keep it off enemy hands, of course!" Christian responded, his face smug. "A building that tall, why there's no way any of 'em can get to it!" The manic old man looked around, but instead of the impressed faces he expected, he only found expressions ranging from Ares' deadpan stare to Grover's outraged scowl. As he turned to the DOA Recording Studios, his missing eyebrow rose when he saw that his fellow legendary hero wasn't there. "Hold it, where's that other feller, the one with the sleepy eyes?"

Ares shouldered his sword, which, as it turned out, was about the same size as Christian's, only more rectangle-shaped. "He ran after the bag the moment you threw it," said the war god as he checked out his reflection on the celestial bronze blade.

Percy's eyes widened. "Crap!" he shouted before running off after the son of Poseidon.

"Wait, Percy!" Grover said, but before he could follow his friend, Christian held his arm out to stop the satyr. "What? He might need my help!"

Christian kept his eyes on Ares, who had just finished checking himself out and was now gazing back at the Doom Breaker. "Never mind that, sonny," he told Grover. "I'm gonna need ya here more."

Grover looked up in confusion. "What do you mean? I can't help you against a god."

Christian shook his head. "I know that, but ya see, I ain't what I used to be." The old man sighed. "Years ago, I coulda driven 'im off to somewhere safer, but these weary bones won't match a god like they could back in the day."

The Doom Breaker looked down at Grover in complete seriousness. "I'm gonna lose here, kid. The most I could do was make it so your friend only had to fight one of the bad guys instead of two, and then hold off the other one for as long as I can. This'll be a dangerous fight, and I'm gonna need someone to make sure these mortals here don't get caught in the middle. Think you can do that?"

"So... protection?" Grover asked silently. He thought back to his stay at Yancy Academy and how Andrew, a kid who didn't even know about monsters or gods, had defended him when he was supposed to be the one doing the defending. He remembered Thalia's resolve, her acceptance to die for the good of her friends as he cowered at the sight of the monsters chasing after them. His job was to protect people, and he'd failed at it for as long as he could remember.

But this time, after facing down a raving dog that couldn't be eluded, fighting a giant crab that destroyed several city blocks, walking across an ice bridge as thin as a pencil, and going to the Underworld, a place no satyr had ever entered before, only to escape it on the back of Cerberus while being chased by a veritable continent of undead forces, Grover held something he had been searching for all his life. Maybe it had been inside him all along, or maybe it was something that grew as he traveled across the country on this crazy quest, but it was definitely there, and for the first time the satyr could touch it, use it.

Resolute eyes stared back up at Christian Peters. "I'll keep them safe, no matter what."

The old man smiled. It might've been his imagination, but from what he could see, the satyr was glowing. "They're in good hands," he said. Turning to face the god of war, who was staring at him in anticipation, Christian tightened the grip on his weapon. "Well, time to cut lose!"

With that, the Doom Breaker charged.


It didn't take long for Percy to reach Orion. In fact, the legendary archer seemed to be going slow just so that he could catch up. They met in the middle of an empty street, running side by side to the U.S. Bank Tower.

"You are just wasting your time and effort," Orion said, turning his head to his right. "We both know that I am leagues ahead of you. Even if you were to reach the tower before me, I would just kill you and take the bolt."

Percy scoffed, easily keeping up with the older demigod's pace. "We both know that's a bluff. You'll pass out on the street before you make it another block." He wrinkled his nose at the immortal demigod's ragged appearance. "Y'know, we don't have to fight," he said, his voice low. "That day... I saw it on my dream. You got framed, not by Artemis or Apollo or any of the gods, but by one of the hunters."

If he was expecting some sort of reaction from Orion, Percy was sorely disappointed. The legendary hero's expression barely changed, and the only evidence that he even heard what was said to him was the slight tightening of his jaw.

"That is... unfortunate," he said. "Regardless, this changes nothing. We are still enemies." With a light grunt, Orion sped up.

"But why!?" Percy shouted, increasing his speed so that he could stay next to his fellow demigod. "It wasn't Artemis' fault, and it wasn't Apollo's! What's your problem!?"

"You couldn't understand," Orion stated with a shake of his head. "Retrieving the Master Bolt... Following my master's orders... This is my fate. My hatred for the gods runs too deep, become part of my essence. It is all I have now."

Percy growled. "That's so stupid! You're gonna kill millions of people for no reason!?"

Orion fixed him with his piercing green eyes. "It is too late for you to change my path, child, just as it was too late for me to change yours."

They both began sprinting at full speed, neck and neck.

Bow in hand, Orion addressed Percy one final time. "We are both committed to our sides, now let us decide the victor!"

Taking his opponent's words as a signal to begin fighting, Percy stabbed at Orion, who jumped several feet onto the sidewalk. Arrow already notched, the archer let it loose on Percy, who blocked it with his shield. Unfortunately for the young hero, the force of the hit pushed him sideways, and he almost didn't catch himself before he tripped and lost his momentum. 'Damn, I forgot how hard he could shoot,' he thought, rolling back his shoulder. 'Even if he's tired, I shouldn't underestimate him.'

Orion shot a volley of arrows at him, and Percy, deciding that blocking so many arrows at once wouldn't be good for his arm, was forced to jump away onto the sidewalk across the street from his opponent. They both glared at each other, still running to their destination.

'This is bad,' Percy thought. 'With this much range, he's got the advantage.'

The young demigod's thoughts were proven right when Orion began shooting a continuous wave of arrows at him. Percy had to jump, twist, and duck under the heavy fire, all while making sure to keep his fast pace so he wouldn't get left behind. Even so, for every arrow that he dodged, five more would nick his arm, or cut through his camp shirt.

As he hopped over another one of the deadly projectiles, Percy's instincts screamed. Another arrow was headed right for his side, and he couldn't dodge it as long as he was in the air. Figuring that a sore forearm was better than a pierced lung, the young demigod was barely able to raise his shield up in time before the arrow hit.

Orion must've given that particular shot some extra power, because Percy was sent careening right for the building he had been running next to. With a yelp, the demigod twisted his body so that he hit the wall of the building feet-first, and combining his incredible momentum with his sticking abilities, began dashing on its side. He knew that he couldn't keep it up for very long as his concentration wasn't nearly good enough, but his little stunt was enough to make his enemy pause in surprise, and Percy took advantage of the small opening.

Jumping off the building's wall, Percy twisted around and sent his sword flying, making sure to aim for Orion's bow. Unfortunately, the mythical hero was able to snap out of his surprise just in time, and front-flipped over the horizontally spinning blade. Cursing, Percy directed his sword to follow Orion and vertically cut into him from behind. Seeing this, the hunter jumped again, twisting around to deliver a picture-perfect round-house kick to the center of the sword, blasting it off its course before notching another arrow and letting it fly less than a second later.

Percy held out his hand, summoning his sword back, and gripped its handle just in time to slash the arrow in half before it could hit him. Noticing three more arrows headed his way, the young demigod cocked his shield and swung his arm back, deflecting the first one. It hit the car that was parked on the street behind him, and the force of it was strong enough to crush the front of the car into the ground. Following up on that, Percy cut through the second arrow before ducking his head to avoid the third one, which hit the building wall and caused an explosion of dust and rubble.

'This sucks so hard! If only I had something to hit him with that had just as much strength... Wait...' Grinning, Percy prepared to put his new plan into action.

When Orion shot another arrow at him, instead of dodging or blocking, Percy held out his had as if to catch it point-first. As it reached him, the young demigod leapt forward, his hand still pointed at the arrow, and twisted around. Using his powers, Percy used the momentum of the arrow to orbit it around himself and send it rocketing back at Orion. Not expecting this in the least, Orion just barely ducked his head as the arrow whizzed by, cutting off a few strands of his frazzled raven hair.

Percy's grin widened. It wasn't much, but those few hair strands were the most damage he had managed to do the entire fight, and with his new discovery, he had rendered Orion's ranged offense useless.

"C'mon, sharpshooter, give me more ammo!" he roared, jumping over an entire bench as he ran through the sidewalk.

Orion glared at him, his bloodshot eyes giving the legendary hero a more eerie feel than usual. "You want more? Fine!"

The hunter slipped his bow across his back, and then held up his hand. Above his palm, water formed, and a moment later he shot the pressurized water ball at Percy, wiping the satisfied smile off the younger demigod's face. The attack was easily just as fast as his arrows, but when Percy dodged out of the way, the ball crashed into a marble column and completely demolished it.

Gulping, Percy ducked as another water ball flew over his head, blasting a ten-foot-wide hole on the wall of the building he was running next to. 'I've worked on my water control, but it's definitely not good enough to try the return to sender thing again,' the psychokinetic thought with a frustrated sigh. 'I guess I'm back to square one.'

As they neared their destination, Orion got more and more desperate to end the fight. One block away from the U.S. Bank Tower, instead of water balls, the son of Poseidon was trying to hit Percy with ultra-pressurized beams of water, carving deep trenches on the streets and buildings of L.A. For his part, Percy did his best to weave through his enemy's attacks, and seeing as how he wasn't a mound of mushed flesh yet, he thought he was doing a fine job of it.

Luckily for him, Orion seemed to be getting tired. After a while, the hydro-demigod had stopped using the water molecules in the air for his attacks, and had begun to suck out the water from any other sources he could find, like the sewers under the ground or the water cars used to wipe their windshields. The young demigod, on the other hand, hadn't used much of his own stamina, apart from the slight biokinesis augmentation on his legs to keep up with the speed of his legendary opponent, but it was so little effort that it only left him slightly winded.

Jumping onto a car, Percy used the extra height to leap over the thick beam of pressurized water conjured by Orion. The young demigod then flipped in the air and brought his sword down, covering it in air molecules, and used the added cutting power to slash the water cannon in half. Unfortunately, Orion used the opportunity to take control of both halves of his split cannon, and used them to knock the airborne Percy hard on the ground. The psychokinetic quickly picked himself back up, cursing his own foolishness, but it was enough time for Orion to put a sizable distance between them.

Wanting to end it right then and there, the legendary hunter turned around and slid to a stop. He clasped his hands together, crossing his fingers in a tight grip, and summoned all the water he could. Manholes blasted open and released geysers of dirty water, and many windows in the buildings were broken apart by the force of the clear liquid coming out of them.

Orion then held out his hands in a pushing motion, sending all the accumulated water at Percy in the form of a twenty-foot-high wave that flooded the street. The wave was so strong that it ripped light posts off the ground, blasted doors off their hinges, and carried away an assortment of cars, mailboxes, and street lights.

Not one to back down in the face of certain death, Percy charged the powerful attack head on. 'This'll tire me out like hell, but I've got no other choice,' he thought. The raven haired boy held out his sword and focused, surrounding it with so many air molecules that it began giving off a transparent haze. With a tremendous yell, the young hero threw his sword vertically, and the rotation of the blade increased the length of its air shroud. As it flew down the street, Riptide left a thin but unmistakably deep trench on the dark concrete, blowing away anything it came near.

When it reached the giant wave, the spinning sword split it in half, forming just enough space for Percy to stand in between and not get washed away. Both sides of the raging wave crashed past him and kept going for another block, where it left behind a wall of wet rubble.

Surrounded by broken glass and the honking of car horns, Percy dropped to his knees and coughed wildly. Taking control of air molecules was hard enough, but using them to such an extent was enough to instantly burn him out. Many feet across from him, Orion wasn't doing much better, but the previous attack still left the young demigod baffled. After running across an entire country in a week, getting into two fights, and most likely starving himself, the legendary man before him still had enough strength to form a miniature tsunami in the middle of the city! 'I've got to learn how to do that...'

After finally getting his breathing under control, Percy got up on his shaky legs and summoned back his sword, which had clattered to a stop somewhere ahead. After a brief moment to get back his bearings, the demigod gasped in surprise when he noticed that his destination was just ahead, the entrance to the building right behind Orion, who seemed to be getting up as well. The mythical hero turned around, taking note of the skyscraper before him. Turning to face Percy, he shook his head.

"I must admit, you are not as weak as I first thought," he amended. "Of course, if I was as healthy as I should be, you would resemble a block of Swiss cheese, but it is impressive nonetheless."

Percy shrugged, wincing slightly at the action. All the cuts he had accumulated were making him uncomfortable, and his shoulder still hurt a bit from when he blocked one of the arrows. "Thanks... I guess. Are you sure that you don't wanna go to sleep now? I'll even sing you a lullaby."

Orion blinked, and without a word, jumped up and landed on the side of the U.S. Bank Tower feet-first. To Percy's shock, his opponent began running up the side of the building, his shoes making popping sounds after every step.

'No way...' the demigod thought. 'He's using his feet like how an octopus uses its suckers! What the hell!?'

Percy panicked. At the rate he was going, Orion would reach the bolt in minutes. He could go inside the building and use the elevator, or run up the stairs, but both options were too slow, and with each passing moment, Orion got closer to their goal.

He really wished he could fly, but the way his powers worked, he'd have to take control of each and every atom in his body or he would rip something off, and since his body constantly produced new cells, such a feat would be impossible. At least, that's what Annabeth had told him.

'What do I do!? Think, Percy, think!' Suddenly, he remembered something Annabeth had told him after she explained why he couldn't fly.

Sure, you can't fly directly, but nothing really does. People use airplanes to fly to other places, and even birds have to ride the air currents to go anywhere. There's plenty of ways to fly, all you have to do is find out what you can use to do it.

After giving her words a few moments of thought, Percy had given up, claiming that flying probably wouldn't turn out to be a very useful ability anyway, and Annabeth had rolled her eyes at his lack of motivation.

Now though, the young demigod thought about his options. 'Air currents are out. Even if I could control them so well, I'd probably get tired halfway up the building. What else...' He looked down, catching the shine of his bronze shield. With a mischievous smirk, Percy detached it from his hand.


Grover covered his face with his arms, trying to protect it from the dust that was violently thrown at him. He was inside an apartment, the last one he had yet to evacuate. Outside, the satyr could hear the booming of the battle that was taking place, and the tremors that followed told him that the two warriors weren't about to stop anytime soon.

He neared what he assumed to be a bedroom, and when he opened the door, he found the cowering family of three hugging each other under a table. The father had an arm wrapped around his wife and daughter, both of whom clung to the man like a lifeline. When they saw him, their jaws dropped open, surprised at what appeared to be a random young man that walked into their home.

"Wh-Who are you? What are you doing here?" the father asked. The man shook his head, deciding that their visitor had likely come to seek shelter. "Never mind, come here, kid!"

Grover stayed rooted where he was, still holding open the door. Fixing the older man with a stern gaze, the satyr gestured to the hallway. "This isn't your average earthquake, sir. The building has been evacuated, now come on, before anything starts to collapse!"

The man looked unsure, but another boom outside was strong enough to blast the windows in the room into thousands of pieces, and he quickly stood up and ushered his wife and child out the door, Grover following behind them.

As they rushed down the hallway, the wall behind them suddenly exploded. Grover looked out the large hole that used to be a bedroom wall, spotting Ares and Christian clashing blades. They swung their weapons faster than the eye could see, awing the satyr, who knew how big and heavy both swords were. After a few more seconds of high-speed close combat, Ares managed to kick the Doom Breaker in the gut, and the force of his attack sent the old man flying in a white blur. The war god didn't waste any time in following after his enemy, jumping much higher and farther than Grover thought was even possible.

'This is crazy,' the satyr thought. 'I can't believe I thought Thalia and Percy were strong. Compared to these two, they're like candles next to a campfire.'

"Who are those two men, and why are they fighting with such dangerous guns?" the man behind him asked. His face then shifted in incredulity. "Was one of them wearing a toga?"

Grover was about to respond, but before he could, they heard a cry from the other side of the street. Looking over at the building across from them, Grover gasped when he saw that it was burning. Turning his head, the satyr addressed the father. "Listen, I need to go over there. Can you get your family to safety?"

The man looked like he was about to argue, but after a second of thought, he nodded. "Be careful, kid," he told him, and Grover nodded before jumping through the hole in the wall.

The satyr fell two floors and landed on the sidewalk. Dashing across the street, he noticed a crying woman just outside the entrance to the burning building. When Grover reached her, the woman turned to him with pleading eyes.

"My baby! Please, get help for my baby!"

Grover didn't have to hear any more, and he hastily gazed over the building. The front door was completely covered in flames, but the cries were coming from the third floor, which meant that he still had time. Spotting a window on the second floor that looked safe enough to enter through, the satyr took out his reed pipes. A quick melody later, and the wall was thick enough with roots that he could scale it.

Grover climbed his way up, and when the window didn't budge, he broke his way in. He covered his face with his shirt, finding the second floor about to get consumed in fire and already thick with black smoke. Swiftly, Grover found stairs leading up, and barely reached the third floor before the staircase got buried under burning timber.

"Hello!? Where are you!?" he shouted, taking his nose away from his shirt so that his voice wouldn't be muffled. He coughed harshly on his hand, the hot fumes raking against his throat, but was glad he took the risk when he heard an answer from the room in front of him. The satyr opened the door and found the child, who was clinging to himself and shaking uncontrollably.

"Hey, it's okay," Grover soothed, reaching out his hand. The kid grabbed on tightly, and the satyr found himself at a loss. He couldn't go out the way he came, since the staircase down was destroyed, so what was he going to do now?

Suddenly, a huge chunk of concrete blasted into the room, creating a gaping hole on the side of the building. Grover looked outside and saw Christian clawing at Ares' grip on his neck. Before the satyr could panic, one of the Doom Breaker's flailing feet found its way to the war god's crotch, and Ares howled in pain, releasing the old man. Christian then took back his sword, which had been stabbed into the ground next to him, and bashed Ares with its side, sending the war god flying out of Grover's view, with Christian in pursuit.

Grover hissed as a flame licked his arm, and he remembered the dire position he was in. Panicking, the satyr got an idea when he saw the power cables just outside. He looked down at the little boy that had an iron-tight grip on his hand. "Kid, I can get you out of here, but you'll have to trust me. Can you do that?"

Looking up at him, the boy nodded, and Grover picked him up before throwing him out of the hole in the building. As soon as he let go, the satyr played a few short notes on his reed pipe. The power cables outside detached themselves from their respective poles and wrapped around the screaming child, gently lowering him down into his mother's arms. The woman looked up at Grover, now crying in joy.

"Thank you!" she shouted, her voice almost breaking. "Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you!"

Despite everything, Grover blushed, and not because of the heat that the fire around him was producing. The satyr prepared to jump down himself, but just as he was about to do so, a drop of water hit the top of his head. Looking up, Grover gasped when he realized that it began to rain. Slowly, the flames surrounding him died down, and thunder roared in the clouds.

Grover was awestruck, but he quickly shook himself out of his trance. In the distance, he could see Christian and Ares fighting, their clashes strong enough to break apart the ground beneath them out of sheer force alone. His ears picked up on another scream somewhere nearby, and he got ready to go help whoever it came from. After all, the satyr still had plenty of people left to save.


Orion ran his way up the side of the U.S. Bank Tower, feeling slightly smug. Sure, his young opponent had put up a good fight, but he had ultimately been the victor, because it hadn't been a battle, but a race. With no way to scale the building fast enough, the brat was most likely stomping his foot in frustration.

Deep in his thoughts, the legendary hero barely dodged out of the way of a sudden slash. When he turned to look at his attacker, Orion almost tripped when he saw Percy crouched on his shield, flying. With a cheeky grin, the young demigod waved before speeding upwards. Gritting his teeth, Orion started running faster, intent on catching up.

Percy had never felt more exhilarated in his life. Sure, his shield was a little too small, and one wrong move could send him tumbling down to his death, but he was flying. Tightening his grip on the edge of his shield, the demigod twisted around and preformed a barrel roll, laughing all the while.

His senses went crazy, and Percy darted out of the way as a geyser of water broke through the window he had been flying past. The young hero looked behind his shoulder and grunted at the sight of Orion, who had one hand facing the building and the other pointing at him.

More geysers followed, sending broken glass everywhere, and Percy was hard pressed to weave through them all. Unfortunately, all the dodging had slowed him down enough for Orion to reach him, and when he did, the mythical hero twisted and detached himself from the building. The man's momentum made it so he was still going up, and with a swift kick to Percy's back, the younger demigod was sent through a window.

A disoriented Percy flew over several desks, startling all the office workers inside. Getting his shield back in control, the demigod did his best to avoid hitting anything, ducking under tables and weaving through mingling employees. Finally, he reached the other side of the building and busted his way out through another window.

The psychokinetic directed his shield to fly around the circumference of the building while ascending, his back still smarting from the vicious kick he was dealt. When he spotted Orion, Percy put Riptide back in his pocket and grasped the edge of his shield with both hands. He flipped over, leaned back, and with all his might, bashed Orion on the head with the celestial bronze disk, sending his surprised opponent falling down.

Whooping, Percy flipped back onto his shield. His breathing taking more effort than he'd like, the psychokinetic increased his speed, not wanting to tire himself out midair. Finally, after a few dozen more feet, Percy reached the crown of the U.S. Bank Tower, and to his relief, the green backpack that served as the container for Zeus' Master Bolt.

The demigod landed his shield and stepped onto the solid ground. After securing his shield on his back, Percy slowly walked over to the bag and, with a satisfied smile, slung it over his shoulder. 'All's well that ends well,' he thought, rubbing his shoulder. Fighting was fun, but when he got back to camp, he'd be taking a break for sure. 'Now all there's left to do is go meet up with Grover and get this thing back to Olympus.'

All of a sudden, the floor rumbled. His eyes widening, Percy's heart nearly popped out of his chest when he felt something small land heavily on his head. The demigod looked up and, to his utter horror, felt raindrops falling on his face. Another rumble followed, this one much more violent, and Percy shifted his eyes downward to an image that would be forever burned into his memory as one of the scariest things he would ever see.

It was Orion, his face twisted in absolute rage, surrounded by a sphere of water with a diameter that covered more than twice the son of Poseidon's height. The sphere had eight tentacles attached to it, all of which were made of water and freely changing their point of connection. Four of the tentacles were being used to grab onto the crown of the building, making Orion hover far from the edge, while the other four were poised to crush Percy like a bug. In a flash, lightning struck nearby, forming shadows on the legendary hunter's form that made him look much more intimidating than before.

Gulping down his fear, Percy reequipped his shield and slung the backpack securely on his back. "What the hell, man!?" he shouted as he unsheathed his sword from its pen form. "How're you even doing all of this!? You're supposed to be passed out at this point!"

Orion chuckled, the sound sending shivers down Percy's spine. "You have underestimated me..." he said, his usually smooth voice now raspy. "Now... Die!"

In quick succession, all of the four tentacles began made a beeline for Percy, who barely had enough time to raise his shield before the pressurized water slammed into it with what felt like the strength of a freight train. The hit blasted him off the building, and the young demigod found himself falling through the air. Arms flailing, Percy hastily planted his feet on his shield and pulled up with all his strength.

Now soaring, Percy only just regained his bearings before he had to roll out of the way of a water tentacle. Spotting another one speeding towards him, the psychokinetic dived, missing the liquid appendage by a hair's breath. Unfortunately for him, the last two came at him in a combined assault, one above and the other below, and Percy had to plant himself onto his shield like a surfer so that he could slip through the small opening in between.

Sighing, Percy set his eyes on Orion, who stared back at him with a tremendous glare. 'These tentacle things won't give me enough time to fight back against them, they're too fast,' the young hero thought. 'But maybe I can hit him directly.' With a nod, the demigod dashed towards his opponent with a readied blade, four water tentacles following right behind him.

When he neared Orion, Percy yelped in surprise when the sphere around the legendary demigod grew a giant spike. The psychokinetic ascended before he could be run through, but cursed when he realized that his plan had been foiled.

When he stabilized his shield, Percy noticed how hard he was breathing. However, the demigod didn't get enough time to think about it before he was attacked once more by the quartet of liquid appendages. 'Crap, what now!? At this rate, I'll pass out if he doesn't get me. Either way, Kronos gets the bolt!' Corkscrewing around another tentacle, Percy considered his options. 'Can't hit these tentacle things, can't hit him, can't run away since he'll follow me... What can I do?'

As he darted out of the way of another attack, the demigod realized the hard truth. 'There's nothing I can do... Nothing at all,' he thought with gritted teeth. 'He's stronger than me, smarter than me, great with a bow when I need to get close to do any real damage...' The young demigod remembered his fight with Christian Peters, who had easily beaten him without a scratch. 'He's just better than me... Even as weak as he is, I'm still weaker, and there's nothing I can do about it!'

Distracted by his thoughts, Percy didn't notice the liquid missile heading for him until it was too late. The demigod tried to dodge it, but the attack nicked his side, and Percy crash landed on the U.S. Bank Tower in a painful heap, the Master Bolt slipping out of his bag. Raising his head, the demigod's breath hitched when he saw Orion looming over him, an arrow pointed right at his head.

"Any last words before I send you back to the Underworld?" the mythical hero asked.

Percy tried to find any words that would make his opponent stop, to bring him back from Kronos' clutches, but Orion's words resurfaced in his memory.

We are both committed to our sides...

Grunting, Percy decided that there was nothing he could say that would change Orion's mind. "Yeah..." he said, his lungs igniting with a sharp pain. "See you there."

With a shake of his head, Orion prepared to let the arrow loose. Percy closed his eyes, feeling his exhaustion set in. 'So tired...' he mused. 'Just a little sleep... That's all I need...'

Without warning, something heavy thumped next to him. Percy's eyes snapped open, and the demigod gasped when he saw a bloody Orion lying next to him, the legendary hunter just as shocked as he was. He looked up and, slack jawed, saw Ares at the other end of the ceiling, shouldering his giant sword, its celestial bronze blade completely spotless.

"W-What?" he mumbled, looking down at Orion. The man had a deep gash running down his back, but his bulging eyes showed that he was still alive, if barely.

"What, no thank you?" the war god asked, his smirk as irritating as ever. "I broke the Doom Breaker just so I could come here extra quick. Isn't that nice?"

Percy ignored him and forced his bruised and tired body to kneel next to the dying hunter. Sure the guy had been about to kill him, but Percy couldn't just let him die, especially seeing as he was right there. Before he could do anything though, Orion grasped his wrist.

"Ch-Child..."

Percy flinched when Orion started to cough, but answered nevertheless. "What is it?"

"Your n-name..."

The young demigod understood, but his eyebrows furrowed. "Percy Jackson."

Orion nodded, a movement so small that Percy barely caught it. When he didn't say anything else, the psychokinetic nudged him on the shoulder, and the dying hero glanced over at him.

"C'mon, m-man... there's still time," Percy gasped out. "You'll get sent to the Fields of P-Punishment for sure... You don't d-deserve that, not after everything else... Just say you're sorry... Maybe they'll go easy on you..."

Orion shook his head. "I told... you," he began, then clenched his eyes shut in pain. Percy sucked in a breath, but then Orion's body lost its tension, and the hunter let out a small smile. "I do not regret my actions... This is my fate..."

With that said, the son of Poseidon stopped breathing, and his body lay still. His clutch on Percy's wrist lessened, and the psychokinetic was left to gaze upon the smile still present on the body.

Ares started laughing, and the rain stopped falling, but the young demigod hardly noticed. He didn't even elevate his wrist from the body's grip. Everything went numb the moment Orion died.

With an abrupt enlightenment, Percy realized something. Orion had been right. Everything, from his imprisonment at the hands of Apollo to his death at the hands of Ares, had been his fate. It was unavoidable, and at the last moments of his life, Orion must've learned that. The Fates themselves had woven the events that transpired intent on punishing the son of Poseidon, not because of his alleged defilement of a hunter or his allegiance to Kronos, but for falling in love with the maiden goddess of the moon.

Now, after a millennia of a miserable immortality, Orion would be cursed to some horrible torture in Hades for the rest of eternity, but the real penalty was his legacy in the land of the living. For as long as Percy had known it, Orion's tale had been one of inflicting justice upon a wrongdoer. The son of Poseidon had always been portrayed as evil and selfish, and now, after everyone found out that he had been Kronos' minion, Orion's name would be further desecrated. That was his eternal punishment.

Percy stood despite his injuries. The psychokinetic was angry now. Furious. Orion had succumbed to his hatred, and he had plotted revenge on Olympus, but he didn't deserve the hand he was dealt. Setting his glare on Ares, the psychokinetic knew what to do.

The god of war perked up. "Done with your little grieving moment, runt?"

Percy kept ignoring him and reached down, picking up the Master Bolt lying on the ground. The lance began generating a constant stream of electricity, denying its mortal holder, but Percy grit his teeth and fought through the pain, positioning himself to throw.

For the first time in his immortal life, Ares felt true, unadulterated fear. Even if the young demigod was little more than a maggot to him, the Master Bolt was the equivalent of several hundred nukes. As a mortal, Percy could only use a pathetically small portion of such power, but it was still enough to take the god out for at least several months. With that in mind, Ares dropped his sword and rushed at the demigod, planning to crush him before he could fire off a shot. Percy was ready though, and the demigod tightened his grip on the bolt despite the teeth-clenching jolt it sent through his body. '

'I'll bring back the bolt, and I'll make sure Hades gets his helmet back, too,' he thought as he twisted his body around. Ares still had several feet to cover.

'I'll tell everyone Orion's story, the real one.' Ares was closing in on him, and Percy was ready to release his hold on the symbol of power.

'I'll get stronger and I'll go back to save Annabeth. If that isn't my fate... then I'll change it!' Ares was an arms reach from the young demigod, but it was too late. Percy had let go of the Master Bolt.

"I might not be able to kill you, but I can at least make sure this hurts! Take this!" The demigod screamed, throwing the Master Bolt like a lance and striking the god of war right in the center of the chest.


Grover looked up from his ministrations when he heard the most deafening boom he had ever heard in his life. He spotted a huge explosion destroying the crown of the U.S. Bank Tower, the place where Percy had been on, and the place where Ares had headed to.

"Huh!? Wuzzat?" Christian asked from his spot on the ground. The old man was delirious, tired, and in heavy pain from the stump that used to be his right arm, but Grover had managed to at least stabilize his condition.

"It's Percy, I'm sure of it," the satyr responded. He had been worried about his friend before, but now he was panicking. "Come on, let me help you up. We need to go see what happened."

"Need a hand?"

Grover turned to the direction of the unexpected voice, and couldn't help but gasp at what he saw.


All he could see was white. Percy knew he was falling, but the demigod was strangely unconcerned. It felt like he was flying again, only going down, but it didn't matter to him. On his hand was the Master Bolt, he could feel it still trying to shock itself from his grasp. The raven haired demigod assumed he must've grabbed it just after the explosion so that it wouldn't fly off...

The bolt! He still needed to bring it back!

Refocusing his eyes, Percy looked at his arm and sighed in relief when he saw that is shield was still miraculously attached. Sure the celestial bronze was heavily cracked, but he could work with it. The demigod stuffed the Master Bolt back into his bag, planted his feet on the edges of his shield, and attempted to slow his decent, but in terror he realized that he couldn't. His body was trembling in exhaustion and pain, his mind felt like it would shut down any second, but he couldn't die!

Suddenly, Percy wasn't falling anymore. He looked up and found himself being carried by what looked to be some kind of cross between a woman and a bat.

"Wha..."

"Percy!"

Said psychokinetic turned to see Grover, who was also being carried by a bat lady. Didn't they have names? He couldn't think straight...

"Don't worry, Percy! It's alright now! Everything's going to be fine!"

Nodding in response, the young demigod closed his eyes. If Grover said everything would be fine, then everything would be fine. He was too tired to argue anyway.

With no energy left to spend, Percy fell asleep.


AN:

Sup? So it's been a month, but hey, at least this chapter's much longer than the rest, am I right? Seriously though, now that the big fight of Part 1 is over, there's only a chapter or two left before Part 2, and I'm hoping to do that before Christmas 'cause y'know, why not?

So a few things. First of all, as you can see, the people in this story will be significantly stronger than... well I don't know, most stories? Yeah, I decided that all the gods in PJO stories are always getting underpowered, so I'm going to make them overpowered instead, since they're supposed to be gods and everything. Same with demigods, they can get pretty freaking strong here. Second, I'm not sure if I showed it strongly enough, but Percy did not win. Even against an Orion that hasn't slept or eaten for a week, he still lost, so please don't tell me that he's too strong or something stupid like that.

Will Percy and friends bring back the bolt in time? Who are their mysterious savior, and why did they save them? Find out next time!