Results went from 312 favorers, 334 followers, 179 reviews, and 76,930 views to 342 favorers, 361 followers, 204 reviews, and 87,365 views. Thank you all again for your support. For those who've asked, yes I used 'The Princess Bride' for the last chapter and I'm gonna use a little more from the movie for my story, I hope no one minds. Has anyone taken a guess as to what is important about September 2nd or who the villain is? I'm kinda hoping someone will take a lucky guess before I reveal it. Well anyways, here's chapter 21.
Percy's POV
You know, it's a good thing I'm not out of shape or this would be impossible. Climbing a cliff of rocks and boulders is suicide. I don't need to look down to know that one slip and I'm going to Hell. True, there's water below me and the fact that I can control water and all, and of course the necklace Amphitrite gave me seems to prevent me from dying, but either way, I'd rather not fall hundreds of feet from the ground and feel the impact of my fall. I need to get the top, but I have no idea how I'm gonna get to the top with that rope gone now.
"Hello there!" Said someone who was at the top of the cliff. I looked up to see it was Chrysaor, one of my three deranged half-brothers. You might be wondering how I know that these three are the three sons of Poseidon Antaeus, Chrysaor, and Phineas. Well, during my four days of searching for their ship, I ended up running into some Ichthyocentaurs. Well, it was a little more of accidently rowing my boat into their territory, but not the point. But at least I came to terms with them before things got out of hand.
-Flashback-
This would be a perfect example of why you don't go roaming into another's territory. When you do, you get what could probably be considered a fight to the death. As I was sailing, some Ichthyocentaurs came up and started attacking me. As they attacked me, all I did was dodge their attacks. There was a full pack whose attacks I was dodging. It was all going fine until one was able to catch me off guard. He pounced on me from the side and ended up bringing me underwater with him. Thank God I'm a son of Poseidon or I'd be a goner underwater. It was when we were underwater that I was able to slip out this guy's grasp and put my guard back up. It was great timing to because all the other Ichthyocentaurs came and encircled me. I was ready, or at least I thought I was until they drew in their archery. I hope I was still ready, because I'm really in some deep shit now.
"Hold your fire!" An Ichthyocentaur ordered all the other. By the tone in his voice and how he was the only Ichthyocentaurs that had lobster claw horns, he was the leader here.
"Do you fools not see we have a son of Poseidon in our presence?!" He exclaimed.
At that, all the other Ichthyocentaurs went wide eyed and put all their weapons down. I couldn't help but feel a very huge stage of relief wash over me and a great deal of gratitude for the Ichthyocentaur that just saved my life. When all their weapons were down, the Ichthyocentaurs began to bow to me. The leader made his way towards me before he bowed to.
"Allow me to apologize, son of Poseidon. Sometimes, my people can get a bit out of hand." He apologized.
"That's okay, no harm was done, so everyone's okay. Sorry that I trespassed your territory. I didn't really know I was in it." I said.
"It's alright. *Clears throat.* Arthos, king of the Ichthyocentaurs, and my two sons Aphros and Bythos, leaders of the pack that attacked you, at your service." He said bowing.
"Percy Jackson, son of the god of the seas Poseidon, at yours." I said bowing back to him.
"Father, we cannot trust him. I say we finish him off." One of his sons said.
"No Aphros!" Arthos exclaimed.
"Father, have you forgotten Antaeus, Chrysaor, and Phineas? They betrayed us as well as their own father and everything they once ever stood up for. We cannot trust any child of Poseidon." Aphros said.
"Don't be such a brainless, barnacle backed, bleating whale fart Aphros. Any being with a brain can see that this is a different child of Poseidon." Bythos said.
"How about I make you brainless you stupid, clam tongued, bag of vomit." Aphros threw at his brother.
"Boys, that's enough! You'll have to forgive my sons Percy Jackson. They never learn how to grow up." Arthos said.
"HEY!" Aphros and Bythos both exclaimed. I couldn't help but chuckle at this.
"It's fine. I'm actually enjoying this." I said through my snickers. By the look on his face, I could tell Arthos was a slightly amused to.
"So, what brings you here Percy Jackson?" Arthos asked.
"Well to be honest, I'm heading east to pursue a ship. The men sailing it took four of my love ones captive as prisoners and I intend to find them and save them." I explained.
"I know of that ship. It's the Smugglers Ship made back in 1937. Aphros and I saw it pass by just two days ago when we were roaming around the sea. It was being sail by the three traitorous sons of Poseidon. They were heading for the Navagio Beach in Zakynthos, Greece.
'No wonder that ship looked old and familiar.' I thought to myself.
"Well than that's where I need to go. I have to save them before it's too late." I said about to take my leave.
"Your compassion for your loved ones is understandable and admirable Percy Jackson, but you may never get to them at the speed you're going. So allow me to offer you a shortcut." Arthos offered.
"I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you." I said.
"Aphros, Bythos, get a portal ready. Percy is in a hurry." Arthos said to his sons.
"Yes father." They nodded and went to do what their father told them to do.
It was nice of them to offer me a secret to catching up with my corrupted brothers, but that wasn't the only thing they did to help me. They made a few modifications to my boat to, which was awfully generous of them. I'll be sure to thank them for everything they've done for me when I see them again. I'm back on track and I'm going on with my rescue mission. Look out brothers, because I'm coming for you.
-End of Flashback-
So that's the flashback, and now we're back to Chrysaor saying hello to me while I'm struggling to get to the top of this huge cliff.
"Slow going?" Chrysaor asked.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude but this is not as easy as it may seem. So I would appreciate it if you didn't distract me." I said as I was still trying to get to the top.
"Right sorry." Chrysaor said.
"Thank you." I said.
I was having no luck with this climbing business. There wasn't really much for me to hold onto. Every move was an extremely dangerous one for me to. This is not my day. But despite that, I can't give up. I need to keep going. I need to get to the top. I need to save my girlfriends and my unborn child. I can't let anything happen to them. I have to hurry.
"I don't suppose you're going to speed things up." Chrysaor said. And to think things couldn't get any rougher here.
"If you really are in such a huge hurry, you could lower to me a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do here." I said getting irritated how he was taunting me like this.
"I could do that. I do have some rope up here. Though I doubt you would accept my help since I'm waiting for you to get up here just so I can kill you." He said with a sick smirk on his face.
"Well that does put quite a damper on our brotherhood." I said.
"Indeed, but I promise you, one son of Poseidon to another that I will not kill you until you reach the top." He said.
"That's quite an offer you're proposing, but I'm afraid you'll just have to wait." I said.
"Gods, I hate waiting. I could give you my word in the name of Olympus." Chrysaor offered.
"No good. Olympus is nothing to people like you and me." I struggled to say as I attempted to continue to climb the cliff, which I still was having no success in.
"Well is there any way you would trust me?" He asked.
"Nothing that would pop into my mind." I said.
"I swear in the name of the original goddess Chaos, you will reach the top alive." Chrysaor said.
Technically I still wasn't buying it. But I couldn't argue with the fact that I really did need help getting up to the top. Would anyone trust this guy for help other than other enemies of Olympus? Because I sure as hell wouldn't. But he did swear to the original goddess Chaos. To swear an oath in her name is just as serious as swearing an oath on the River Styx. If you break an oath that you swore on the River Styx, you die and sent to the depths of Tartarus. Breaking an oath you swore to Chaos on the other hand, that suffering a fate far worse than death. That's a one way ticket to being sent to oblivion. You die as if you were never born, as if you never existed in the first place. Every fiber of your existence is permanently erased from the universe. I guess with that in mind, I could trust him for a small minute.
"Alright, throw me the rope." I said.
Chrysaor nodded and ran over to get the rope. I can't believe I'm actually accepting help from an enemy. But he's the only person around. Not to mention if I don't get to the top, then there's no one that will be able to save Artemis, Clarisse, Zoe, and my unborn child. And I'd rather be sent to oblivion before I let any harm come to them. Chrysaor came back and threw me the rope he had. I let go of the rocks I was holding to grab a hold of the rope. I held it tightly as Chrysaor pulled me up. So far so good I suppose. It's a good thing that Chrysaor has enough strength for this job. I guess I'm also lucky to have him to be the first of the three to get through. I have a strong feeling that the other two would just throw me off the cliff or throw something at me heavy enough for me to lose me grip of the cliff and fall. For once, luck is actually on my side. Chrysaor grabbed my arm with one his hands to pull me the rest of the way.
"Thank you." I panted getting my sword Riptide out.
"Not yet kid, wait until you're ready. I want you to be in your best shape when I kill you." Chrysaor said.
"Again thank you." I said as I sat down on a rock to catch my breath. I don't know about other half-bloods, but climbing a cliff is not too much in my liege.
I took a quick glance around and noticed that it seems Chrysaor and I are the only people out here. Phineas and Antaeus must've gone on ahead and taken Artemis, Clarisse, and Zoe with them. So that means Chrysaor is here to kill and reunite with the other two once he kills me. Why was I not surprised?
"So, you are Poseidon half-blood son Percy Jackson?" Chrysaor asked me.
"Yeah I am. And you're Chrysaor, son of Poseidon and Medusa." I stated.
"Indeed. If you don't mind me asking, who's your mother?" He asked.
"Her name was Sally Jackson. She died a few months ago." I answered, not really seeing why he wanted to know this.
"You to huh? Well I guess that's something we have in common. I was separated from my mother when she was cursed by Athena I her temple." Chrysaor said.
"I know of your story." I said.
"It's quite a tragedy if you ask me. To lose one's family. But then again, I guess that's how life works for us." He said taking a seat near me.
Is that why you've done all the evil deeds you've done, because you're driven by how cruel life is to you." I asked.
"Well, from a certain point of view. You see, with what happened to my mother and our father being the one who had a cause for what happened, she blames Poseidon for everything. I guess with my full brother Pegasus and I being his sons, she just has the audacity to resent her own children as well. I just hang with Antaeus and Phineas because they have similar problems. Knowing that we share that and that we have similar goals in life just helps us find ways on how we can be rid ourselves of our pain." Chrysaor explained.
I nodded understanding where he was going with this. I also felt pretty bad. I wish there was something I could do to help him and the other two. But knowing of their stories, I probably don't have many chances of succeeding in that.
"Well I – I certainly hope you're able to work your problems out." I said getting up.
"You're ready then?" He asked as we both got out our swords.
"Whether I am or not, you've been very fair to me." I said.
"You seem like a decent fellow. I'd actually hate to kill you." Chrysaor said.
"Even though you seem between decent and not, I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member." I said.
"Famous last words Percy Jackson." Chrysaor said as we both got ready in a fighting position.
Honestly I had no idea what I was doing other than trying to prepare for this duel, but I just did what felt right. As we clashed with our blades, we both kept our eyes locked on each other. Our eyes weren't traveling anywhere else. Not even when our blades where coming and leaving our sights did we break eye contact. We seemed evenly matched right now. I could tell we were both holding back. We were both just starting things easy to save our better moves for later. Honestly, I didn't know how I was doing this right now. I never really did any training back at camp, and I've never wielded a sword before. So this was really a new experience for me. Though I don't think I'm doing too badly for a beginner.
"You're taking the fight slowly huh?" Chrysaor stated.
"I thought the fight might go better if it started small and then get bigger later." I said.
"Naturally, the goal in a fight to the death is to try to end it as soon as possible." He said.
"Naturally, but I find that fighting your own brother to the death is a fight that should be taken one step at a time, don't you?" I said.
"Unless the brother of yours is considered your enemy and a problem in your plans, which I do to you." He said.
As if trying to make his point, he started to fight harder. Trying to stay alive, I basically did the same. Every swing of his sword he made, I blocked. Every stab he attempted, I dodged. Every attempt to take away a part of my body, I foiled. He also did all the same to me. Though the only difference was it seemed he was getting a tiny bit tired. I was actually still holding my breath and energy pretty well.
"You're wonderful Jackson." Chrysaor complimented.
"Thank you, I'll admit, I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, but I'm just doing whatever feels right." I admitted.
"I'll admit, your skill with a sword is actually better than mine." He admitted.
"If so, then why are you smiling like that?" I asked.
"Because I know something you don't know." He said.
"And what is that if I may ask?" I asked.
"I am not left handed." He said switching sword hands.
I had a feeling something like that was coming up. After all, I already knew he was holding back. Even though I suspected it, I didn't exactly count on it. He's a great fighter, but no matter great he is, I will not abandon my three loves and my unborn child.
"You're full of surprises aren't you?" I stated.
"What do you expect; I'm a son of Poseidon." He stated pinning me against the wall.
"Well in that case, there's something I'd like to tell you." I said trying to push him off of me.
"What's that?" He asked curious.
"I'm not left handed either." I said getting him off of me and switching me sword hands just like how he recently did.
"Well it seems I have underestimated you Percy Jackson." Chrysaor said.
"And it would seem I may have overestimated you Chrysaor." I said.
"It would appear we are even in sword play aren't we." He said.
"It would appear so, so I guess that means just so this doesn't last for too long, we'll have to start getting serious." I said.
"Indeed." He simply replied.
And with that, we indeed did start fighting with our full potential, or at least he with his and me with whatever was keeping me going. The only thing I could guess that it could be was my determination to save my love ones. Either way, I was still providing quite a challenge for my half-brother here.
The fight just kept going. I don't know how long we were at it. It was probably just like fifteen to thirty minutes, but it felt more like an hour or so to me. The fight eventually got the point where he was in front of me and I was very close to the edge of the cliff, the same edge I was when Chrysaor threw mw the rope to help me get up here. He had me cornered. We were both sweating from our fight. We both fought with as much strength as we could find. As of this moment though, I think we both spent a lot of our strength just trying to kill each other.
"I must admit Jackson, I've fought many men and half-bloods in my time and you are the best I've ever fought." Chrysaor complimented.
"Thanks." I breathed.
"But this is where our fight comes to an end." He said.
Then he charged at me. I had no idea what to do. I was completely cornered. The only piece of land around was the one right in front of me which was already being used by Chrysaor. I was scared stiff. Just as I thought I was gonna lose it; I felt a sudden surge of energy in me. When he was so close, I ducked and slid behind him from between his legs. Not only was able to get out of that death trap, but I made him lose control of his balance. He tried to regain it, but he had no luck. He also had no luck with keeping his sword in his hand either. So he slipped off the cliff as well as loses his grip on his sword.
"NNNNNNOOOOOO!" He screamed.
"AAAAAAHHHH-" That was as far as he got to screaming as he was falling. Can you guess why? If not, it's because I grabbed a hold of him before it was too late. I dived over to the edge and was able to get him before he was beyond reaching distance. He looked up at me with shock in his eyes. With the remaining strength of mine, I pulled him back up. When he was back at the top, he was panting really hard and he still had the shocked look in his eyes.
"You saved me." He panted out.
"Yeah." I simply replied.
"Why, you were supposed to kill me." He said.
"Well, I don't really like the thought of killing someone, or letting that person die like that, friend or enemy. Besides, you're my brother and I'm not a heartless monster." I answered.
He seemed shocked by what I just said. I guess anyone would probably, but it's the truth. Plus I want to avoid taking someone's life away as much as I possibly can. While I'm at it, I also need some answers.
"Plus, I need some questions answered." I added.
"I am in the position of only answering one question. One thing for one other thing." Chrysaor stated.
I couldn't argue with that one. I wish I could though. I had so many question that I needed answered. But it didn't change the fact that he was right. I was only in the position to ask him one question. I had no idea what I wanted to know first though. The only thing I could of to try to ask was something about my prophecy. I had no idea what though. Whatever I think of though, I need to make sure I word everything carefully and take caution of what I say. Because if this answer ends up just giving yet another question that I need to answer, then I'll practically just end up sending myself on a wild ass goose chase.
"Okay then. In my prophecy, it foretells of Olympus being brought down to its knees. I want to know what exactly the prophecy means by that." I questioned him.
"If that is what you wish to know, then my master intends to ensure his return on September 2nd and launch an assault on both Olympus and Camp Half-Blood." He answered.
So these guys are working for somebody. Great, I just sent myself on a wild goose chase. I can't ask him any more questions, so that really dampens my mood even further.
"Okay." I replied, not really knowing what else to say.
"Now finish this." Chrysaor said.
"I will not kill you. As I said before, I have no interest in taking someone's life away." I said walking around him.
"If not death, then slavery, it is the Greek way. If you will not kill me, then I am your prisoner, your slave should you wish it." He replied.
'Greeks.' I thought to myself as well as mentally roll my eyes.
"I have been a slave, or very close to one thanks to my ex step-father Gabe Ugliano. For that, I will never allow myself to keep one or ever let any man or woman suffer the burden of being kept as on." I stated shocking him yet again and walking behind him.
"You're free to live your life and do as you wish brother. However, since I can't afford to have you follow me to try any sneak attacks on me either." I said just before I took the hilt of my sword and smacked him across the head with it. He grunted as his eyes closed and he fell on the ground losing consciousness. When he fainted, I picked him up and placed him on a rock that he could lay on. With his legs still lying on the ground, I had his back lean against the rock and placed his arms to his sides. He may have a headache when he wakes up, but at least he'll still be able to get up and take care of himself when he wakes.
"Please understand what I'm doing, one son of Poseidon to another." I said as I pat him on the head real quick and left to go catch up with the others. One down, two to go. Antaeus and Phineas, I hope you two are ready, because I'm coming for you two next.
Sorry for the long wait. I would've updated sooner, but my computer was sent to Best Buy's for a quick check up. Plus I've been trying to look for all those goddesses for my fanfiction 'Love The Goddesses', which is pissing me off right now. It took me days to find them all the first time, and somehow it seems to take longer to do it a second time. It might just be me, but it just seems harder than last time. I just hope I can find them all again as soon as possible. Oh, in case you read the A/N In that story but haven't read the story since, the A/N was replaced with the next chapter. Other than that, everything is getting better. I'll update again as soon as possible.