Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.

Story: Perseus Jackson and the Last Frontier

Chapter 21: Power Explained

Third Person's POV

Annabeth, Piper and Hazel helped Hecate and Alabaster walk through the cave toward the outside; it took them longer to leave than it did to come in because of all the dust and debris littering the cave after the entrance to the Primordial's cavern collapsed. Annabeth supported Hecate; the goddess was in much better shape than her son, who had to be almost carried by Hazel and Piper. The group exited the mountain; the sun was low in the sky, casting strange shadows along the ground. Annabeth squinted as she avoided the sun's glare. She looked at the ground around the base of the mountain. She noticed her mother kneeling beside an unconscious Artemis with Apollo beside her. Annabeth sighed at the sight of the sun god; he had a bandage on his head and around his torso, it looked like he had several broken ribs.

The goddess of magic smiled at Annabeth reassuringly, thankful that the demigod was there to assist her. A beautiful Polynesian woman stood above Apollo, it had to be Pele, Hecate thought, when the woman spotted Alabaster she rushed to his aid, taking him from Hazel and Piper. Pele sat beside her boyfriend and fussed over him; Hecate smiled at how much the goddess cared for her son.

Piper and Hazel rushed toward their boyfriends. Jason and Frank knelt next to Leo, the son of Hephaestus lay on the ground, he was still unconscious, and his hair stood up in stranger angles than usual.

Thalia walked up to Annabeth and Hecate. Hecate turned toward a group of three on the ground only a few yards from their current location. Triton and Poseidon sat on the ground with a young girl between them. Hecate's eyes widened at the sight. Annabeth and Thalia turned in the direction in which Hecate was looking. They helped the goddess over to the group before they all sat down next to the two sea gods. "This is Stacia," Annabeth said, "the one that Percy mentioned from his vision." Poseidon nodded grimly. "Yes, but she helped Percy; he said to take care of her," Poseidon replied. Triton touched the girl's head. "She's not doing very well," he added.

Hecate leaned forward, passing her hand over the girls face. "What happened to her?"

"She was hit by a blast of dark energy from Nyx," Poseidon said.

Hecate frowned as she looked down at the girl. "Her life force is weakening, slowly, but it is. She won't last for long, unless we find out the cause."

Annabeth looked at the girl; she could have sworn that she resembled someone that she knew. "She looks familiar, but I can't seem to figure out how or why." Annabeth looked around. "Where is Percy? I don't see him, Nico or Mrs. O'Leary."

Triton's pale blue skin lightened. "He's still in there; I think all three of them are."

Annabeth looked back at the mountain and toward the entrance to it. A sudden urge to rush back in came over her, but her mind knew better, the entrance to the inner chamber had collapsed; no one could get back inside, unless… "The Hellhounds, can they shadow travel back inside?"

Hecate shook her head. "No, not with the entrance to the cavern collapsed; besides, Percy would have to call to them, direct them toward his location. I doubt he'd do that. He'd want to protect them."

Annabeth looked back at the mountain, her emotions running wild; suddenly, a shadow not too far from the daughter of Athena exploded, before Mrs. O'Leary appeared with a paler than usual son of Hades held in her mouth by his shirt. She placed the young man on the ground. Annabeth rushed to his side; Thalia joined her. The two sat on either side of the Ghost King. "Nico, can you hear me," Annabeth asked worriedly, but he didn't respond. Thalia extended a finger toward her cousin before a spark of electricity lit the air around her hand. Nico's body moved in a strange spasm. His eyes opened quickly, his hair stuck up in all directions. He looked around until his gaze settled upon the daughter of Zeus. His eyes narrowed before he shot an angry glare toward his cousin. "Don't do that," he yelled. Thalia raised her hands in mock surrender, but the mischievous smile on her face ruined the image. "Sorry," she lied.

Annabeth grabbed Nico by his shirt collar. His gaze shifted to look into her grey eyes. "Where's Percy?" Nico gulped visibly. "He's s-still in there," he replied shakily. Annabeth let go of him; the son of Hades fell to the ground in a heap. Hazel rushed to her brother's side. She glared at Annabeth, but the daughter of Athena never saw it; she was too concentrated on the mountain. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and shift beneath their feet. The mountain top collapsed in on itself, steam erupted from the broken mountain top, sending a small blast of ash into the air.

"I thought this volcano was extinct," Thalia questioned.

Annabeth's grey eyes darkened. "Percy!"

The Cavern – former home of Pele

A bright light engulfed Percy's vision, just before the lava engulfed him. Percy closed his eyes, ready for the intense pain of the scalding hot lava, but it never came. He opened his eyes and froze at the sight before him. He was in the cave, a tower of lava stood above him, ready to collapse upon him and burn him to ash. However, the wall stood still, it didn't move, but the lava itself flowed back and forth, something had frozen the lava in place.

"What's happening?"

"A good question, son of the sea," an other-worldly voice echoed throughout the cavern. Percy turned and looked behind him, only to be met with a stone wall and a blocked entrance to the cavern. "Where are you?" Percy yelled. "Look above," the voice spoke again. Percy looked up, his mouth hanging open as he stared at a glowing orb of light and energy. The orb pulsed with incredible power, but the colors, they amazed the adopted son of Hecate. The colors filled the spectrum; they were the most beautiful colors Percy had ever seen, even the Aurora Borealis paled in comparison. "Who… or what are you?" Percy queried.

"I have many names… you above all other demigods have heard of them… God… the Great Spirit…Chaos."

Percy remembered back to his conversations with Chiron, those with his mother, and even a few with Paul. "The Creator," Percy replied. The orb pulsed brightly. "Yes, one of the most universal of my names," Chaos said.

"Why are you here?" Percy questioned.

The orb moved closer to the demigod. "I live in the Void, the great emptiness in the center of the universe… the place where it all began. You see… I created this universe, but Earth was always my favorite. It was also my greatest experiment. I created a few of the first beings… the Primordials… like Erebus, for example. I created the Ancient Laws for them to live by, some abided by these rules, like your Olympians, while others defied them openly. The Fates… my grandchildren, will always make things right… evening out the playing field, as you mortals like to say."

"Why would you come to see me?"

The orb or Chaos stopped directly in front of Percy. "You have been a major player in the plan of the Fates. You have done more than any one being could ever be asked to do, but still you work to make the world better. You have suffered more than any other, but you still wish to help. I find that trait commendable, something that gives me hope that my experiment will succeed, no matter how long it might take."

"Why save me?"

Instead of answering, a smaller orb escaped from the bigger one. This ball was small, about the size of a baseball, and it glowed with a vibrant green color. "I asked him to," another voice said, one that was familiar to the demigod.

"I know that voice," Percy said. "Have we met before?"

A light chuckle erupted from the green orb. The glowing ball of green light began to shift and change; a bright flash of light exploded from it, making Percy shield his eyes. A moment later the light dimmed; Percy opened his eyes and stared at the ghostly being before him. The being had the legs of a goat and the upper body of a man. The creature's head had large rams horns attached and his hair was grey. He was see-through, but the energy emanating from him showed that he was much more than a ghost. However, Percy recognized this being. "Pan," he said in awe, "you're dead."

Pan chuckled. "The term is faded," he stepped closer to the son of Poseidon. "I gave up my corporeal form, and shifted to one of pure energy. This allowed me to join the creator in the void."

"You're the one that asked Chaos to help me?" Percy questioned, as he reasoned out the only logical conclusion. "Why?"

Pan smiled at the demigod. "It's not your time to die. You have helped the wild, but there are others who need you to show them the way as well. We cannot interfere directly; you must save yourself."

"How can I save myself? I'm trapped in this cavern with a mountain of lava towering above me, ready to burn me alive."

Pan just shook his head in amusement. "You underestimate your powers. You are more than a three quarter god. Hecate only assumed that you were a three quarter blood, but you are very lucky to be alive, Perseus. Your blood is more like four fifths godly. You do not possess immortality, but you are much more powerful than even a minor god. However, this potential is stunted."

"Stunted? How?"

"You are the one that is holding back your full potential. You are the cause of your own limitations."

Percy looked at the ghostly image of Pan curiously. "I don't understand."

"You are scared of this power. The power you used to defeat Erebus and Nyx is only a part of it. You have incredible control of your inherited powers, plus you discovered your own godly one. The ability to manipulate all forms of liquids would have been your godly power, if you had chosen immortality; instead, you unlocked it as your mortality was slowly destroyed by Kronos and his minions." Percy just stared at the old god in shock. "You have great potential, it is nothing to fear."

Percy remembered back to his time in Tartarus, when he scared Annabeth as he controlled the liquid poison. He could see the fear in her grey eyes and the darkness in his own green eyes that reflected within the eyes of the daughter of Athena. "It's darkness, a terrible power, an evil that tried to control me."

Pan shook his head vehemently. "No its not, but it must be controlled. You have incredible power over your new domain, but also over that of your father and adopted mother. You can use the crossroads to dwell in any realm, and remain unharmed. You can see the correct path and follow through. Close your eyes and use that power to see the correct path now."

Percy closed his eyes and concentrated on the power within himself. He felt the familiar tug in his stomach before the strange sensation of a block of ice in the pit of his stomach appeared. It was like his stomach was frozen solid, but then he felt the melting and the breaking up of the ice. A sudden surge of strength flowed through, and a new sense of his abilities. He was of the sea, but also of water. He had power over the liquid and complete control of water. How could he use the two to save himself?

"How does Nico travel?" Pan questioned. Percy was about to open his eyes. "Don't lose your concentration." Percy sighed, but he kept his eyes shut. "He travels through the shadows," Percy replied. "How does your father travel?" Pan questioned further. Percy rubbed his chin. "He teleports like any god," he answered. "Always?" Pan clarified the question. Percy thought back to the many times he'd seen his father. Sometimes he'd appear in a golden light, like Athena, but other times, he'd appear in a mist or in a wave. "The water; he can travel through water," Percy responded. Percy opened his eyes, but Pan and the glowing orb that was Chaos had departed. He looked up at the tower of lava. He could feel it begin to move over him. His green eyes narrowed as the melting sensation filled his entire body. The lava stopped moving. Percy closed his eyes and thought about the water vapor in the air, and then he thought of water vapor outside of the mountain. He pictured the outside of the mountain in his mind. The melting sensation grew until his entire body tingled with the power. He kept his mind locked on the picture of the outside before he gave way to the sensation that filled his form, the power that filled his senses, and the image that was locked within his mind. He felt a great release, his body lightened, and all sense of his physicality left him.

AN: The end of this chapter, sorry for the delay, but I've been terribly busy, more to come, so stay tuned.