Chapter 14: Time
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and The Olympians series or The Heroes Of Olympus series or any characters associated with them.
I've managed to update sooner than expected. I think that this chapter is my best one yet.
Wow this is the longest chapter I've written yet!
I loved writing this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it too!
Finally this chapter contains a completely fictional version of Tartarus. The Tartarus here is how I have envisioned it. You may be in for a few surprises too!
Please review and criticisms (and suggestions) are more than welcome.
Without further ado, I present…
Nico's Pov:
We emerged in front of the big house only to find ourselves in the midst of a battle. There where monsters everywhere! The demigods seemed to be able to hold on for now as there were automatons helping them but those machines were being destroyed pretty quickly. So I quickly summoned fifty undead and commanded them to protect the camp. Then Erebus and I helped my father into the big house. Chiron was inside studying a battle plan with Clarisse. He looked up at us
"Hades where were you?"
"Underworld…invaded…helped Erebus."
Chiron looked at Erebus closely and told him "I understand, come we must get to Percy quickly. He should be getting up anytime now." They left.
"Nico, help your friends defend camp. I have summoned the furies and a few hellhounds to help, now go!"
I ran out side and started slicing monsters apart. The army consisted mainly of dracaenae and telekhines but I also saw a few cyclops and three hydras. I heard someone shout,
"Leo the Hydras have arrived!"
"I'm on it, get rid of their heads!"
Four demigods ran at one of the hydras and sliced its heads off. "Idiots!" I thought. But I removed that thought as soon as I saw what happened next.
Another boy ran right in front of it and his hands were on fire! He aimed them at the hydra's neck and flame erupted from his hands and burnt its necks off before the heads could regenerate. "Smart, Heracles in a cool way." I thought.
They repeated the same method for all the hydras and within ten minutes the entire battlefield was hydra free. Leo was good!
Now it was my turn. I concentrated on all the destroyed automatons and used them as missiles against the cyclops. Soon I was took every single one of them.
The monsters started retreating and we managed to chase them out of the camp and sealed it.
I walked up to Leo
"You are unique, I haven't seen a demigod who could do what you did. Who are you?"
"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. You weren't so bad yourself. I need to go to the infirmary, I need to find my friend Piper."
"Come on, I'll take you there."
We were about to leave when a man appeared a few feet in front of us
"You will go nowhere before I kill you!"
He seemed really calm. He was dressed in a suit, which was pretty strange considering he was here to battle. I could have mistaken him for some very important businessman if it wasn't for the situation. Even his eyes showed that he meant business.
There was a look in them, like it said, "Lets fight and see who becomes richer. They were cold, calculating and showed only ruthlessness."
"Who are you?"
"I am Iapetus, the Titan of mortal life and ruler of the underworld before your father. But I hope to regain that title today son of Hades."
"Let us battle then, I will protect my father at all costs!"
But before I could begin Prometheus appeared next to me.
"Nice to see you father!"
Iapteus did not show any emotion.
"Ah, my backstabbing son! So you have joined them after all. I thought that you were the Titan of forethought. I did not think you would make such a bad choice."
"It is you who has made the bad choice father!"
He then turned to me, "Remember our conversation." He disappeared.
The conversation…
Flashback:
Nico is standing inside Prometheus's chamber.
"You summoned me."
"Ah! Nico here you are. I have just seen something troubling and it involves your father."
Nico immediately became tensed, "Are you trying to say th-"
"No, I am not trying to imply that he will betray us. In fact it is just the opposite. You and your father will make an important journey, which will weaken him greatly. My father will then appear to take the underworld from Hades. You must join the flame to defeat him."
"Defeat a Titan?"
"It is possible. My father can control mortal life span. If he were to touch you, he could siphon a few years from your life. But the catch is that he must touch your skin otherwise it will not work. Use this to your advantage…"
Nico's Pov:
"Are you ready son of Hades?"
His right hand morphed into a very long blade and he charged...
I had to create some sort of armor for Leo and me. I concentrated on the dead automatons and morphed them into armor and covered both of us.
"Leo, don't let him touch your skin at all costs!"
"All right!"
I ran at him and found that I could move freely. I was worried that the metal might be too heavy. Hephaestus had managed to create something wondrous, sturdy yet lightweight metal!
I sliced at him but he was lightning quick! He dodged and immediately sliced at me. His blade made a small but deep gash on the armor.
"That armor will not protect you for too long boy!"
Suddenly he shouted in pain and was engulfed in flames.
"We'll beat you before that you nut job!" Leo shouted while concentrating his flames on him.
Iapteus disappeared and reappeared behind Leo and kicked him. He landed with a thud next to my feet. I helped him up and suddenly a realization hit me. His blade was made of metal!
I concentrated on his blade and pulled it with all my power. This was a battle of minds not only power. I thought of my father and the camp. If I lost this battle, we might lose everything else too. I could feel him resisting really hard. Leo blasted him with a huge ball of flame, which wavered his concentration for a split second and helped me win!
His blade flew out only to fly straight at me! I stopped controlling and ducked just as it whizzed past my head.
"You…you…will die for what you have done to me!"
He charged at me, which was a big mistake! I concentrated on every bit of metal in the area around me and forced it on him. It was a lot of metal!
He was engulfed in the huge ball and I started to crush him with it. Leo heat that metal up with everything you've got!
He grinned as his hands lit up. Soon the metal was a burning ball!
When all the metal had melted, Iapteus wasn't there. Prometheus appeared again. Leo collapsed on to the ground.
He was smiling "Both of you might as well be some of the most powerful demigods in a long time… You managed to burn my father's body away and that requires a lot of power!"
I smiled but I was feeling too tired to say anything. Suddenly one of the campers appeared "There is a huge army camping a few miles away from us and Zeus is leading them…"
I could only think of one thing as I fainted "Percy, hurry up!"
Percy's Pov:
I couldn't see anything around me, it was very dark but I could feel myself moving downwards. Erebus started to talk to me "When we reach Tartarus, I will be waiting for you at the point of entry. The spirit of Tartarus will try to trick you into staying or it may also try to kill you. It all depends on how powerful your mind is. You know what to do when you find Kronos. It will be a difficult battle but if you beat him you shall be able to control time!"
Chiron hadn't mentioned battling Kronos and I was about to ask Erebus about that when he said "Oh good! We are here, I'll be waiting Jackson." He gave me a quick push and I fell down into the darkness and landed in camp…
I had landed in the camp half-blood at Long Island. I was in front of my cabin. It was really quiet; there was no one anywhere. Suddenly a man appeared in front of me "Perseus Jackson, you are not dead and neither have you been sentenced to my realm...Why are you here?"
His voice was soft yet it had a lot of power in it.
I couldn't resist answering him "I am here for Kronos!"
" And what makes you think that I will hand him over? I prize my captives and I have only just had him returned to me and I don't lend them either. These are very rare captives."
This man was crazy. He talked like he thought that his captives were collectibles.
"I though if I asked nicely…"
"Enough humor Jackson!"
"Do I have to fight you then!"
"I never fight Jackson. Let us see your biography shall we." He pulled out an IPad and did something with the applications.
"You have quite a lot of deeds to your name Jackson. Killed the Minotaur twice, defeated Medusa and Kronos… You will make a fine addition to my collection."
"I'm sorry but I am not in the mood for your stupid games!" I knew that I would have to act fast as time was running out for my friends at the top.
"Are you sure that you do not want peace of mind. Can you imagine a world without monsters? A world without wars! You and Annabeth living happily together with your children. There will be no more prophecies and no more pain or suffering ever again!"
Suddenly the entire camp sprung to life!
Chiron appeared from nowhere "Hello Perseus, how are you today?"
"Chiron aren't you supposed to be fighting in the war?"
"What do you mean boy. Our world is a world of peace and we have never had a war before!"
There were campers running about enjoying themselves so much that I actually started believing him.
Then I saw Annabeth running towards me "Where were you seaweed brain? We have a date today remember."
"Annabeth…"
Then mom and Paul walked up to me. My mom looked up at me "Oh! Percy dear, how have you been?"
"Come on Percy, we haven't seen you in months."
"I…I'm fine."
Then Grover and Tyson walked up to me.
"Big brother, remember to stop by the forge tomorrow so that I can teach you how to make a good piece of armor."
"Hey Percy, do you have any enchiladas!"
I almost started laughing.
"I can have this life?"
"All of this can be yours…"
Then suddenly a voice spoke inside my head "Perseus! Are you really going to fall for this stupid trick?"
"Dad?"
"Look around you Percy, do you really want something that is fake!"
"But the peace…"
"Peace, this is not peace this is a lie! Your friends are fighting a losing war out there. They are hoping that you will save them and here you are thinking of betraying them!"
"But they are here…"
"Percy, They are not real! Annabeth is waiting for you, your mother and your brother are waiting for you!"
I suddenly realized my mistakes. I had been so caught in getting a break from all this fighting that I had almost made myself a prisoner in Tartarus and even worse, I had almost abandoned my friends!
"Thanks Dad!"
"Good job Percy, now show him who is boss!"
I turned to the man "I refuse you offer!"
"You would refuse an offer like that…but I must have you!"
Suddenly all the campers' looks of happiness turned into anger "You refuse us, he refuses us!" Then they attacked…
My fathers voice filled my head "Percy, I might have forgotten to mention that you had lost the Achilles curse during transformation!"
"Great, now I'm in trouble!" I thought.
I was glad of one thing though, when the campers decided to attack me, their faces vanished. It was really scary at first but now I didn't have to worry about feeling emotional when I had to kill a friend. I quickly stabbed one and rolled underneath another ones legs and sliced his head off.
I ran into the lake and concentrated on creating a huge wave. I could see them coming closer and waited for them to get close enough. Once they were close enough, I unleashed my wave! As soon as it hit the campers, they vanished with a terrible wail.
I suddenly heard the man's voice, "Your greatest challenge is yet to come Jackson. Walk forth into his temple and face him!"
I looked around and spotted it. Kronos's temple was placed in the place where the big house usually stood. It had two hourglasses one either side of the entrance with the sand in them suspended in mid air.
I coated Riptide with the potion and walked into the temple. It was circular inside the temple. There were hourglasses' placed at regular intervals against the walls. In centre of the room was a man. He was bald and clean-shaven. His body was well built but he seemed to be too weak to move. I walked up to him…
"Perseus Jackson, the boy who convince Luke to kill me, you must be here for my powers…" His voice showed a lot of weakness, he was still too weak since he had just been killed.
"Tell me Jackson, why would you go to these lengths to gain my power. You know that it will not make you immortal, as your body must remain in its current state for you to be able to control it. How do you know that when you become a God that Annabeth will stay with you? Have you not thought that your friends may feel jealous of you and abandon you?" His voice was filled wasn't filled with malice as I had expected but it was more of an inquiry.
" You have never loved anyone have you Kronos. All you think of is yourself. You would betray anyone in an instant. We are not like you and we will never be like you!" I readied my sword.
"That is what you think son of Poseidon but when you are betrayed not only by your friends but also the Gods, you will realize…"
"Enough of your poisonous words you monster!" My father too over my body and stabbed him.
"I will soon be expelled out of your body Percy. You will have to fight of Kronos till the potion completes its work. Both you will not be able to use your powers, just remember that this entire battle will take place in your head."
I couldn't reply, as the pain in my body was horrible. Within a few minutes, I felt a thud next to me and knew that it was my father. Then suddenly everything went dark…
I woke in Olympus, the place where I had last fought Kronos.
"Do you remember our battle Jackson, I was very devastated when I was killed. But now I have a second chance. If I win, I will have your body but if you win I will cease to exist. These are the sorts of stakes I like to fight for!"
Kronos was standing in front of me with his scythe in his hand. I was surprised that he didn't try to attack me with a cheap shot.
"Surprised are you Jackson. Don't look at me like that; I can see it in your face. I have decided to fight this battle honorably. It is a win-win situation for me you know. Now let us duel!" I wondered why he called it a win-win situation for him but I didn't have time to think as he struck.
He charged very quickly at me and sliced at me. I dodged it and tried slicing him but he blocked my slice with his scythe. Though this actually moved him backward a few paces. He had become weaker!
"You have become stronger Jackson, I'm starting to enjoy this battle!"
I was seriously confused. This was not how Kronos behaved when I'd fought him previously. He used to fight like a ruthless tyrant but now he fought like he had nothing to lose and was trying to enjoy his last days. It was starting to confuse me so much that I almost got hit by his strike. I immediately struck back and sent him flying; he hit the floor with a thud…
I was reluctant to show him any mercy as I had grown to hate him to the extremes during the last few years. But beating him in such a weakened state wouldn't give me any satisfaction. So I walked toward him quickly and stabbed him through his heart before I could change my mind and let him get up again.
"You've grown really weak."
"Of course I have Jackson. I have grown weaker day by day since the day Jason Grace destroyed my throne. I doubt he even realized what he had done. I can never reform again due to the destruction of my throne. My only chance was now but I knew that I would be too weak to fight you. The fates had chosen this outcome long before the prophecy had been made. Here I will not hold on any longer to my life. Hold my hand and take my powers. You are the new Lord of Time Perseus Jackson!"
I don't know why I held his hand but I did. I could feel his power surging through me as he faded. Then I suddenly remembered that I had a question that had been bugging me for a few minutes.
"How exactly do you win here?" I asked him.
"Do you have any idea how torturous it seeing your plans fail while you are suffering in Tartarus. My last defeat was devastating. When you've done what I have done and been where I have been, death seems stupid but sometimes when you have time to think, you feel like you want to be released and just retire. I am not sorry for what I have done but I am tired of living for this long, my fading is something I will welcome…"
"But you won't fade, you'll cease to exist."
"That is even better as I wont to have to pay for my deeds!"
We stayed silent for the next few minutes. His power slowly surged through me. He was almost invisible now.
"Almost done. Oh and Jackson beware the Earth and the man you believe to be the cause is not your enemy…"
He vanished with those last words. I had gained his powers. I woke up and looked at my father stunned. I still couldn't believe what had happened.
It was now time for us to go back and help our comrades…
Notes:
I bet Kronos's fate and behavior surprised you!
I have always believed that when a person (however bad he was) will always try to do something correct when he is about to die.
Did you like what I did with Kronos? Or maybe you hated it and would have preferred to see an awesome battle. Please leave you thoughts and suggestion guys!