The Heroes of Olympus

The group travelled a long distance through the grey canyon, rows and rows of mountains and stones surrounding them. It took them awhile to reach their destination and their spirits were beginning to drop low. Night had fallen and faint fog had crept into the air. It seemed as if there was no end to this madness. That is until, they saw it… or well Leo saw it first.

"There it is!" the little dwarf ran ahead of the group, "The walls!"

At first, the rest were confused, even Nikolan. All they could see in front of them was a giant rock face that was ultimately part of the mountain. Then, Nikolan remembered. The walls were the mountain. It's grey structure stretched above them for miles and miles. A lake lay in-between them and the large stone face, which most likely held the entrance to where they needed to go. The body of water wasn't too large and there was a thin trail that scurried around the lake, giving them an easy pass to walk.

Nikolan led the group through the trail, making sure not to fall into the water. The very still and dark water. He walked slightly farther than the rest of his company, pulling Grover with him and making sure they were out of earshot.

"So, Grover," Nikolan wrapped his arm around the hobbit's shoulder, "how are your feet? I assume your legs didn't take kindly to the hike?"

"A little sore..." Grover shrugged, "...but alright."

"And the Seed?" Nikolan spoke, his voice far more softer now. Turning what seemed to be a casual conversation into a private one.

"You feel it's power growing, don't you?"

Grover tugged at his pocket, the energy pulsed through his hand, which made his head spin. For the whole journey he had been trying to ignore it, convincing himself that he could carry this burden. But Grover's doubt grew with each passing day.

"I've felt it too," Nikolan grimaced, "You must be careful now, evil will be drawn from outside the company…"

Then, the wizard's gaze fell on the group following behind them.

"...and I fear from within."

Grover then did the same as Nikolan, glancing back at the companions that have stood with him for so long. He couldn't bear to imagine that any might betray him. Especially Percy, or Leo.

"Who then do I trust?" Grover asked, his voice shaky.

"You must trust yourself," Nikolan replied sternly, "trust in your own strengths."

Grover was confused by the statement, what strengths did a little hobbit have? They can cook a delightful meal that's for sure.

"Now, come along," Nikolan spoke abruptly, "Let us find the entrance."

Suddenly, Leo began banging the rocks next to him, checking for any sounds of echoes or any possible opening.

"Dwarf walls are invisible when closed," he said.

"Indeed Leo," Nikolan said while also placing his hand on the walls, "Even there own masters could not find them if their secrets were forgotten."

Piper scoffed, "Why doesn't that surprise me."

As the company walked along the path, they were stuck in between a dark lake and a wall of stone. While the stone looked and felt like your average rock, the lake was far more different. Something about it was eerie and almost… deadly. Grover had not watched his steps and accidentally misplaced his foot into the water. The cold chill of the lake shook the little hobbit, like a needle shooting straight up his leg.

"Careful, Grover."

Grover looked behind him to see Reyna watching him closely. He was glad that he had many in the company he could rely on. And yet the words Nikolan told him were troublesome. 'You must trust yourself', Grover still did not fully understand what he had meant.

All of a sudden, the group had stopped. Grover peered from behind Leo to see that Nikolan had halted his steps, staring scrutinizingly at the wall beside him. The wizard stepped forward and began to rub the dust from the rocks. After a short moment of scrubbing, the wall revealed a doorway but not like your usual wooden plank. Instead it was faint glow of runes in the shape of a doorway with a message written in at the top.

Nikolan studied the scripture. It said, "To open the doors of Steel Cliff, the light of day shall reach its stone."

"What do you suppose that means?" Jason asked, "We don't have to wait for a sunrise… do we?"

"I hope not…" Nikolan muttered, "let's see here."

The wizard began cast a spell, mumbling something under his breath. Then, his hand suddenly burst with a bright light. Bright enough to light the area but not blind the others. He pointed it towards the doorway in hopes that the light would activate it, but nothing happened. The stone doorway just stood there.

"We're going to be here a while…" Percy sighed, sitting down. The others began to do the same.

Nikolan cursed, "not one more word from you, Jackson."

Nikolan then tried to force the door open, maybe it had been opened and just needed a little nudge. The old wizard tried pushing the stone with all his might but still nothing.

The wizard let out a deep breath, "I once knew all the tongues of men, elves and dwarves. Every secret, every trick in the book…"

Leo opened his mouth, "What are you going to do then?"

"Knock your head against these doors, Leo Valdez! And if that does not shatter them, then I might have a little peace from your foolish questions!"


The sky grew dark, the fog had disappeared but was just replaced by the blackness of the night. The company of eight camped outside the door, where Nikolan tried endless ways to open the doors. He spoke languages, casted spells, used physical force a few times but so far nothing was going to get those doors to move.

To entertain themselves, Piper and Grover began throwing pebbles into the lake, hoping that they could skip one of them before the other. The rocks caused large ripples and loud splash noises when it made contact with the water. Meanwhile, Leo tried his best to assist Nikolan but was constantly ignored. Reyna continued to sharpen her sword, stopping from time to time to inspect her handiwork. Jason sat beside her occasionally talking to her or staring into the dark sky, staring into his own thoughts.

"Spot anything?" Percy said to Annabeth, completely catching her off guard. Which never happens.

Annabeth stood alone from the group, watching the way they came from for any threats. She wasn't one to shy away from being cautious.

"Nothing," she sighed, "it's been quiet."

There was an awkward silence between the two. The only sound that could be heard was the splashing of the rocks and the scraping of Reyna's sword.

"Thank you," Annabeth suddenly spoke, "for saving my life."

"Oh it was nothing," Percy shrugged, "Just helping my fellow man... or elf. Plus, I had to return that dagger somehow."

"It was a gift."

"Then consider it a... re-gift," the Hunter smiled.

Annabeth looked like she was about to say something, something important, but she stopped herself.

"Listen…" Percy took a deep breath, his tone more serious, "about what happened with Luke, I—"

"Look," Annabeth cut in, "I don't want to talk about. I understand, that you had no other choice."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Then why are you so distant? You've pretty much been avoiding me this whole journey."

"It's… complicated," Annabeth said whilst tugging at her arm.

Percy sighed, rolling his eyes, "It always is…"

"What?" Annabeth questioned the slight tone in his voice, "Is there a problem?"

"The problem is," Percy spoke his voice slightly harsh, "is that I don't understand why you won't even talk to me. Its as if you'd only ever speak to me if it meant saving your life..."

"Like I said, Percy, it's…" Annabeth paused, "complicated."

The Hunter stared into her grey eyes. He always thought they could be both a brewing storm and a calming breeze.

"Look Annabeth..." his voice returning to a calm state, "I care about you. I just want to understand. Help me understand."

Annabeth hesitated to reply. She bit her lip, "I'm sorry Percy... I can't".

Percy then let out a deep sigh, looking away from her, "You know...I always thought that things could go back to the way things were," he chuckled, "though I see now that might not be possible."

He began to walk away, leaving Annabeth to dwell on her own thoughts. Her mind was in turmoil, faced with a difficult decision. She loved Percy, more than she'd like to admit but it's like she what said before... it's complicated.

And just as she thought Percy was gone, his voice spoke again, "And Annabeth," she looked into his sea green eyes, "Luke was my friend too."

Annabeth stared into Percy's eyes one last time, using all her strength to stop her from creating a scene. She watched as his ocean eyes, turned away and disappeared from her sight. A mix of emotions flowed through her, anger, regret, sadness, fear. Alpl of it. She pulled out the golden dagger Percy had saved her life with during the fight with the Furies. She looked down at it's golden reflection. The dagger that represented so many memories. The more she stared at the blade, the more she wanted to burst into tears.

As Percy walked back towards the group, he noticed the numerous eyes that followed him. He dismissed his gawking companions however, and sat next to Reyna. The rest of the group continued to stare at him for a while but finally decided to go back to what they were doing, knowing that the business Percy had was not theirs.

"You two still going on about that, huh?" Reyna said while polishing her sword

Percy leaned his head on his arm, "you noticed?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone did," Jason replied, "though I do not know what I noticed."

Percy picked off some dirt from the sole of his boot, "best keep it that way."

Jason nodded. Though he wanted to know more, he knew better than anyone to stay out of another mans business, especially when it concerned something personal.

The shieldmaiden sighed, "I could never understand love, relationships and all that. That's why, I don't bother."

"You bothered with me," Jason smiled.

Percy almost choked on the water he was drinking, "I'm sorry what?"

Reyna's face turn red like a tomato. She tightly gripped her sword, extremely close to start hitting Jason with it.

"It's a long story..." Reyna said slowly, fighting the urge to separate the son of Zeus' head from his body, " and something I don't want to discuss."

Reyna stared into Jason's soul, holding her sword as if she was ready to pounce at any moment. That woman was terrifying, though Jason, as if her glare alone was enough to kill a man.

"Alright!" Jason panicked, slight fear in his voice "I meant nothing by it!"

"Actually... I would like to know more about this—"

Reyna then shot Percy with the same glare.

"...Perhaps another time," Percy slowly moved away from the shield maiden, "...or not at all."

Reyna took that as a good enough response and eased her mind. After all, she didn't want to have the two princes killed... by an unknown circumstance.

"Though it does surprise me," Percy muttered.

"Perseus…"

"What? It's just a curious thought."

"No you imbecile... the water," she pointed to the middle of the lake.

It was hard for any of them to see in the dark, but something was definitely strange… and unnatural. Small ripples could barely be seen on the surface and a slight movement of the waves. Percy observed the lake with his eyes, sensing danger. His concentration however was disrupted when a large splash occurred in the water in front of him. Piper and Grover had been constantly skipping pebbles. Piper was just about to throw another but Percy grabbed her arm before she could.

He shook his head, "Do not disturb the water…"

The Hunter looked closely, the waves growing larger.

"Something's not right…" Jason whispered to Percy.

"Damn it all!"

The loud remark had startled them all. They turned around to see that Nikolan had sat down, defeated, with his blade stabbed through the ground.

"It's useless…" the wizard grumbled, "blast this dwarven magic."

That was it, they thought. If Nikolan couldn't figure it out then none of them could. They would probably have to wait till morning. However, Leo wasn't convinced. His head suddenly cocked up, as if an idea had just flown into his mind. Dwarven magic, he thought.

"Dwarven magic," Leo muttered.

The wizard raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"The light of day," Leo placed his hand on his chin, stroking his jaw.

"Yes… that is what it says."

"What if you've been thinking into this too much," Leo spoke, "you've been constantly trying spells and fancy languages but what if it's just as simple as… dwarven magic?"

Everybody watched as the dwarf walked up towards the stone doorways. He took a few seconds to scan the entrance before pulling out one of his flamethrowers. Leo then shot a jet of flame straight at the stone. Suddenly, the faint glow of the writing lit up into a bright fiery orange as the doors slowly opened inwards, creating a large scraping sound as it dragged across the rocks.

Cheers and claps could be heard from the others as the doors revealed the next step of their journey. The entrance was pitch black, no doubtedly leading into some form of cave or tunnel.

"Well, Master Valdez," Nikolan smiled, slightly creeping out the dwarf, "maybe I won't have to smash your head against the rocks anymore."


The wizard lead the groups inwards, through the dark. They were only a few steps in when Leo began to speak of his brethren.

"Soon, Beauty Queen," Leo smiled, "You will enjoy the fable hospitality of the dwarves!"

The elf captain rolled her eyes, hating the knew nickname given to her by her dwarven companion.

"Roaring fires! Molten Ambrosia! Ripe meat off the bone!"

"Oh… delicious," Piper replied sarcastically.

As they moved forward a few more steps, Nikolan once again illuminated light from his hand for the darkness was making it almost impossible to see. But what they saw, was not what they expected.

"This den belongs to my cousin Nyssa," Leo said, "and they call it nothing but bunkers… bunkers! You think people would have a little more respect than that! They are more than just bunkers! They are large, godly-sized bunkers! Big enough to fit 10 dragons!"

Grover gulped, whimpering his next words, "How about rotting skeletons? .

The group used the new light from Nikolan to look at the ground below them. It was littered with skeletons and skulls of dead dwarves, either burned to death or stuck by an arrow shaft. The sudden realisation shook Leo like lightning.

"This is no bunker…" Jason murmured, "It is a tomb."

"No…" Leo quivered, his face in complete horror, " No —no…"

He ran around the room, witnessing his fellow dwarven kin slaughtered like animals.

Leo screamed, the sound echoing off the walls, "No!"

Annabeth pulled out an arrow from one of the fallen dwarves, inspecting its structure. She bit back a curse.

"Goblins."

Percy and Jason drew their swords as Reyna readied her shield. Grover drew his shortsword, Reyna urging him to stay close by.

"We make for Skygorath," Jason gritted his teeth, "We never should have come here…"

They all began to slowly walk backwards, Grover almost tripping on a skull.

"We need to get out," Jason spoke again, "Get out!"

Grover was just about out until something grabbed his leg. Reyna didn't notice that Grover had disappeared until she heard the screams. Coming from the water, a large scaly claw had grabbed hold of Grover's foot and was dragging him into the dark abyss. She quickly ran over to Grover and struggled to pull Grover back.

"Perseus!" She called back.

Immediately, Percy ran out from the cave, running to the side of Grover and hacked his was through the wrist of the hand pulling Grover. It took a couple swings before he managed to completely slice it's arm. The strange creature slinked back into the water, leaving it's cut hand to bleed.

"What was tha—"

Before Reyna could finish her sentence, nine more figures shot from the lake, this time it was nine heads. All had emerged from the water, their eyes glowing in the dark and their teeth razor sharp. Three of the heads pushed Reyna and Perseus back while one of the other heads caught Grover's cloak in its mouth.

"Hydra!" Annabeth shouted.

The Hydra snarled at them, a meal for all nine heads. The one holding Grover had brought the hobbit back to the other five. It playfully dangled Grover in the air while the others had their go at trying to bite the small creature. This was the most terrified Grover had ever been in his life, staring down at the mouths of the Hydra, soon to be his new home.

Just as one was sure to devour him, Annabeth let loose one of her arrows with deadly precision, striking one of the Hydra's heads. It didn't kill it, but the force was so strong that it staggered it's movement. Meanwhile, Percy, Reyna and Jason fought a head each. Slashing it's faces and dodging out of bites. One of the heads came charging straight at Jason, but he fortunately ducked. The head flew over him and he thrusted his blade upwards as it dug into the hydra head's throat. It roared in pain, stopping it's attacks. Jason then pulled the sword out from the hydra and spun around, bringing his sword down on the last spin. The head splashed into the water.

"Wait, Jason stop—" Reyna tried to tell them but she couldn't.

Percy on the other side had already dealt with his hydra head, severing it from the rest of its body.

"They grow back!"

Reyna had to scream to get their attention but it also distracted hers. The hydra head took the opportunity to knock Reyna back a few feet in the air, slamming straight into a stone wall. She wasn't moving.

With this new information, Jason and Percy froze as what they thought was a cleaved head, was now two. Nikolan tried his best to fend off one of the hydra heads from eating Reyna's limp body. Leo and Annabeth came to the aid to fend off the newly grown hydra heads. But Leo's flames were useless against the Hydra and while Annabeth was quick, she wasn't able to land a strike.

"Percy!" a voice cried out.

Percy wiped the water from his eyes and noticed that Grover still hung in mid air, suspended by the Hydra. The hobbit would've been eaten if Piper hadn't been keeping the other heads at bay, but even her arrows were running low. The Hunter fought his own hydra as he witnessed the chaos. His friends were struggling to fight and Reyna was unconscious, well that's what he hoped. And Grover, the one person he swore to protect, was being used as a toy. One thing, and one thing only, filled Percy's heart… anger.

He couldn't bear seeing his fellow comrades being tossed around like corpses, he hated the constant misfortuned they faced. And there was still the slight frustration of what had happened with Annabeth, that added to the fire. It was that same feeling he got back at Zeus' fist, when he fought the Titans. A new energy coursed through his veins, the water on his skin felt like steel armour. Water particles whipped around his blade like a tornado.

With lightning speed he struck down the head in front of him, not even caring about their regenerative powers. He struck down the next, and the next, almost effortlessly, even when another one grew, he sliced that in half too. But his goal wasn't to kill it, no… that would be impossible. His goal was to release Grover from the beast's grasp.

The rest of the group watched in amazement as the prince of Tydaris moved like a blur, acting as whirlwind of strikes, striking down head after head. He reached the head that held Grover and sliced it right at the base. The hobbit fell from the air, screaming his lungs out as Percy caught him.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled as he began to run back to them.

The huntress began to let loose more arrows, keeping the 15 or more hydra heads from devouring Percy. Though it was mainly Percy that swung wildly that kept them at bay. Jason and Nikolan tried their best to support Percy, by throwing javelins and shadow flames at the Hydra.

Once Percy had reached, the shoreline, the rest of them took no hesitation in running straight back into the doorway. Nikolan rushing in first to shine the way.

As they all entered back into the bunker full of dead dwarves, the stone doorway behind them collapsed, the heads of the hydra had used the stones to block their exit. They were trapped, with nowhere to go.

There was an eerie silence between them as they all tried to catch their breaths. The individual inhales and exhales could be heard from each person. Nikolan was the first to recover. He held up the palm of his hand, using the light from it to illuminate the room.

"We have now but one choice…" spoke Nikolan, making the light in his hands brighter, "to face the long dark of Steel Cliff."

Percy stormed through all of them, setting Grover down and quickly checked to see Reyna, completely ignoring everybody else.

"How is she doing?" he spoke urgently.

"She'll be fine," Jason replied, "She took quite a hit but she's strong."

"Percy…"

He turned his head to the direction of the voice, his breathing was heavy but he didn't feel tired. At first he didn't know who it was but then recognised the figure as Piper.

"How… did you do that?" She asked.

Percy raised his eyebrows, "do what?"

"The way you cut all those heads. It was like you were a different person."

"I… what?" Percy panted, his breath catching up to him, "what—what are you talking about?"

Suddenly Percy's memory came back. He was surprised that he could only recall moments of his little rampage. But as the memories came back, so did the exhaustion. For some reason, Percy did not feel anything when he fought the Hydra, but now it was all coming back to him as if the power that aided him before was draining.

"Percy?" Annabeth placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. This was the first time in a while he had seen her so genuinely concerned.

"Are you alright?" She said.

"I—I… I'm —I'm… fine…"

He heard muffled voices calling out his name and felt his body slump back into the ground, as everything went black.


Update: I decided to change some of the bits in this story. Improving them.

Hey guys! Im sorry I haven't been updating that often, ive been realy busy but Im here now!

This is the beginning of the whole mine/bunker thing, so it'll probably be maybe 2-3 chapters worth... maybe 4.

Anyways I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please give me some feedback! it would really mean alot and it would help me know where Im at and If i should improve on certain things. Thanks in advance! :)