Hello readers!

This chapter is a bonus chapter- and as such it is noticeably shorter than my usual posts. You can read this as part of the overall story, or it can be read as an out-of-context insight into the greater world I'm building for our favorite characters.

Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

Quick shoutouts, then onto story (Authors Notes about my new schedule will be at the end)!

Shoutouts to: sathyakotari and supermage543 for opting to follow this story :)

Shoutouts to: a311243549, EvieFortune, sathyakotari, and supermage543 for enjoying this tale enough to add it to your favorites list!

And now for the Bonus Chapter of the PJO/TKC Crossover: When Worlds Collide.

-Ardoa88

Chapter 25: Watching the World Burn (And Other Godly Pastimes)

(Hathor POV)

On any normal day, the Luxor Temple was a sight to behold. Towering nubian sandstone parapets stretched high into the air, it's bordering walls spanning twenty-eight square miles of desert soil. Crumbling stone sculptures of the egyptian pantheon stood rigid and sturdy, flanked by rows of delicately carved sphinxes and columns decorated with hieroglyphs.

Below surface appearances, the temple was the foremost junction of Duat travel. Half as popular as the Egyptian portals, yet it received twice as much foot traffic: Magicians from various nomes taking advantage of the vast quantities of conduits. So populated was the ancient structure that there was an ever-present thrum of energy surrounding the temple, the magic having seeped into the stones themselves.

A magic that was now gone. As the light broke over the horizon, the local residents of Luxor would soon wake to find that this was not any normal day for the Luxor Temple.

Statues had been toppled, the row of sphinxes shattered. Columns upturned from their roots or sliced clean through. Scorch marks peppered the walls of the disintegrating ruins, large chunks of rocks and fissures of earth splintering the ground. Ancient skeletons were smashed to pieces. Hordes of scorpions, lizards, and scarabs squashed underfoot. And the bodies of a hundred fallen magicians were bathed in the blood red rays of the dawn.

Alone among the carnage, Hathor breathed in the pervading smell of death. Red tendrils of energy latched onto the fallen mages as she crossed through the main courtyard, pulsing brightly before snaking off to attach to another of the goddesses victims. With each burst of light, her wounds sustained in the battle healed- bruises shrinking, cuts closing, burns lessening.

It hadn't been much of a battle. More like a slaughter. Hathor glanced over at the faceless statues of the gods. Oh, how their pantheon had fallen. It was almost symbolic, she thought: The mighty Egypt, once the pinnacle of the world, now nothing more than dusty old gods. None of whom could be named by today's mortals. She would change all that, bring back the days of old when she and her brethren had been loved, respected, feared. The mortals would worship their pantheon again, as they should have; or they would die.

Hathor allowed her gaze to roam over the ones who had shown defiance. A shame. The Luxor magicians were truly talented in their craft. A shame indeed to waste valuable pawns. But they would serve her in death as well as they would have in life, her red tendrils of energy soaking up the essences of the fallen and filling her with power.

Not all had fallen by her hand. The goddess scowled at the unbidden thought. The former Eye of Set had escaped, fleeing from the battle at the last moment. Hathor licked her lips. They had clashed briefly during the battle, and his power…. Oh, how delectable it would have been to consume as her own. It was of no matter that he'd escaped death here; for nowhere was truly safe from her. The next time they crossed paths would be his last.

"All of that effort," Hathor muttered in the silence, eyes returning to her prize, "for naught."

By the time she reached the needle, the cow-horned goddess was whole again, raven hair fluttering as she broke through the protective enchantment surrounding the obelisk. Her red tendrils retracted, having completed their search of the deceased.

Hathor raised a hand, resting it on the stone. She took another breath, feeling the newly acquired essence well up inside her. The power was... intoxicating. It took every ounce of willpower Hathor had to not go and slaughter the residents of the nearby village. She couldn't do that… yet. She had a job to do.

With a burst of energy, Hathor overwhelmed the magic of the obelisk, the force of the essences snapping through the charms and enchantments. There was a ear-splitting CRACK as the magic was destroyed, a diagonal crevice bisecting the obelisk. Hathor smiled, pushing casually on the upper half of the Needle. The point tipped sideways, and gravity took over from there.

BOOM!

Hathor smiled, triumphant.

A moment later, there was the sound of slow clapping from behind her.

"Bravo, bravo- quite the showing there. Though, you did leave a bit of a mess."

Hathor turned to face Setne. She hadn't noticed him there: The resurrected magician's essence neatly masked by the scent of death. There was only a waft of withheld power reaching the goddesses senses.

Her eyes narrowed at the mortal. "You, on the other hand, have nothing to show but utter failure."

Setne looked offended. "I upheld my end of the bargain. I kept those Kane kids out of your hair, did I not?"

"They are still alive." Hathor scowled. "You said you would get rid of them-"

"I said I would 'take care of them'," Setne interrupted, "And I did- notice the distinct lack of Kane interference with your work? That's because of me. You're welcome." The magician bowed with a flourish.

Hathor folded her arms, gilded bracers glinting in the early light. "How does the most powerful mortal in the millenia struggle to eradicate two children."

"Hey-" For the first time, a sneer crossed Setne's already twisted features. "I'm doing what I can. Do you know how hard it is to cast spells without magical reserves? How tedious it is to rely on petty rituals-" he spat the word like it had a sour taste, gesturing with his hands as he ranted, "-to supplement my magic? Not to mention how unstable the Greek 'magic' is. Honestly, who creates a powerful magic system without establishing a common base? It's like they're asking for an energetic digression!"

Hathor turned her gaze upon the faceless gods surrounding them. "Power will always fluctuate between the pantheons, but it is true that the Egyptians concocted a more stable channel through which to use it."

Setne shot the goddess a confused look. "What in the name of Ra are you talking about?"

The goddess suppressed a groan of annoyance, instead rolling her eyes. Mortals. They always did have a fundamental issue with learning even the most basic of concepts.

"The power of the gods is a finite amount." Hathor lectured. "It fluctuates between the different pantheons as worshipers are gained or lost."

The magician slicked back a stray strand of hair. "I see. If the strengths can very then that… that changes things."

"Does it?" Hathor scowled, "As far as I am aware, my goal is nearly reached, while yours remains elusive. If the Kanes are not dead by the end of the Solar Cycle, you and I are going to have to renegotiate your position in the cleansed world."

Setne's head turned to look at the fallen mages, eyebrows raised at the challenge. "Oh, believe you me; the Kanes will be the least of your worries. Just focus on destroying the obelisks, and I will take care of the rest."

There was a whisper of magic and the magician was gone.

Hathor adjusted her bracers. That one she would need to keep a close watch on. The resurrected magician reminded her of the snake god, Apophis; in both ambition and appearance. But he would have his use in her utopia.

The goddess looked back over the courtyard of the Luxor Temple, feeling a pang of regret at the loss of life. The feeling was quickly eradicated, buried underneath the determination to restore Egypt to its former prestige. When all was said and done, the mortals would thank her, praise her, for restoring the pantheon to it's rightful glory. She would cleanse the world of the non-believers, and bring order to the chaos consuming the earth.

Hathor looked again at the rising sun and smiled. It was the dawn of a new era.

Fin! Thanks for reading!

Authors Notes: So- not gonna lie... this semester is gonna be a rough one. Classes from 8am-4:30pm every day (ugh...), club meetings five days of the week (two of which are on the weekends), and a major written exam (separate from the normal finals) that involves comprehensive understanding of everything I learned from last semester AND this current semester.

It's gonna be tough.

But! I will persevere! My new plan is to update this story on the last day of every month. I know that seems like a long time (because it is) but I can't promise getting anything out sooner with my current workload. Again, I thank you in advance for understanding, and for being so incredibly patient with me.

To my reviewers: You guys are awesome. The absolute BEST. You're the reason I continue to work on this story even when life throws annoying obstacles in my way. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Speaking of reviewers...

Final things:

First, to Elise 123: Yup! Happy B-Day to Aquaman! (Belated, of course) I loved writing the scene with Percy training Felix :) And yes. Schist. Thanks for reviewing!

Next, to a311243549: Generic expression of thanks x100! Wow- what an awesomely long review :D In my mind, Percy WAS holding back a bit- it's only a sparring match after all, he's not trying to kill the kid. But yes- beaten by penguins ;) He'll never live that down. Unfortunately, I haven't read the Norse books yet- not sure if I'll ever get around to reading them tbh- so I won't be merging those characters in with this story (though that Hecate kid seems cool!). Thanks again for a great review!

To surya: I see where you're coming from, I do. But please trust me when I say that I DO have a power system worked out that will explain why some things are stronger than others. Percy will have his moment- authors promise. I appreciate the critique :) Keep me honest!

To coolkid0806: Hahaha- that's a perfect description! I will keep writing, thanks to great reviewers like you motivating me :) And don't jump the gun on that 'Little task force.' Sure, Leo, Reyna, Frank, and Hazel know about the Egyptians, but not many others do ;) We'll just have to see where this story leads (who knows, maybe there'll be a sequel? Maybe.) Thanks for making me laugh :D Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

To Sathya: Really?! Wow! I'm honored that you feel like this is a binge-worthy story :D And I can totally reciprocate the feeling of being pried away from a good story. Thanks for your review!

To persadie12: Thank you! But in all seriousness... you don't want me to write a romance XP I would completely botch it. No lie- I suck at the lovey-dovey stuff. I hope you still enjoyed this chapter/story (even though the pairings are canon).

To sathyakotari: (They wouldn't allow me to publish your username with the dot) Thanks! I love reviews :) I hope you enjoyed this extra chapter as well- thanks again for reviewing!

And lastly, to RadioDog77: Yup- my two weeks are up! As promised ;) Hope you don't mind the extended schedule- life finds a way to wedge itself into the most annoying of places. Thanks for your enthusiasm!

You all know what I'm going to say next (say it with me now...)

As always, please feel free to leave any comments, critiques, criticisms, and inquiries in the comment box below. Reviews are great motivators, and I love reading your reactions to a chapter :)

Until next time!

-Ardoa88