Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter 28: A Giant Mess

Waipio Valley, Hawaii

Percy's POV

As I walked back into the forest I remembered my trident. I capped Riptide and placed it back into my scabbard. I concentrated and then I felt my mental link with the trident. I turned to my left and I saw the trident floating in the air with a blue-green glow around it. I concentrated on it and it sprang forward, I caught it in mid air. I touched it to my gauntlet and it melted back into my armor. I walked further into the forest, then I heard someone talking it sounded like they were floating in mid air. I came to the edge of a clearing and when I looked up I saw two of the largest giants I had ever seen. One of the giants would speak and the other just grunted in response and the way the one giant spoke to the other I decided that they must be brothers. They looked like ordinary men, but they had to be fifty feet tall. I walked toward them as I listened to the one giant talk about how they would destroy the gods, who are these giants?

"Stop little hero." The tallest giant said.

"Who are you?" I asked. They both looked at me as if I was an insect.

"I am Otus and this is my brother Ephialtes." The taller giant said as he pointed toward his brother. "You shall not pass us little one."

"I am Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, I'm on a quest with the blessing of Lady Hera." I said. They both started to laugh.

"Awe, so you are our little brother, well do not think that will help you or the blessing of that witch Hera." Otus said as he glared at me.

"You are sons of Poseidon?" I asked, I never heard of these guys.

"Yes, but we have disowned our father just as he disowned us. He is no better than any of those other Olympians." Otus said with clear disdain in his voice.

"If you want to destroy the gods so bad why are you guarding the garden?" I asked. They both stared at each other and smiled.

"You see the Hesperides pay very well and it is expensive raising an army." Otus stated. They're raising an army?

"Well, I can't allow you to attack Olympus." I said.

"We can't allow you to reach the garden." Otus said as his brother grunted loudly beside him.

"Then we're at an impasse then." I said.

"I guess we are." Otus said as both giants slammed their arms down to squash me. I jumped to the side and rolled away into the forest. I could hear the two giants walk forward looking for me.

"Where did he go?" Otus yelled. I guess his brother couldn't speak because all he did was shrug his shoulders. I extended my helmet back over my head I would need the added protection against these two giants. I looked around into the forest to try to find a weapon. I concentrated on the ground and two large spikes made of rock emerged from the soil. They were at least a foot in diameter and about ten feet tall. I saw Otus walking toward me. I focused on the ground in front of him and a large boulder that was twelve feet tall by thirty feet long emerged from the ground. Otus's left foot caught the edge of the boulder causing him to trip as he fell I jumped into the air. Otus landed into the forest and the two spikes impaled him through the chest. He didn't dissolve into dust, so as I came down from my jump I landed on his back. I quickly ran to the base of his neck and stabbed Riptide through his spinal cord. He immediately dissolved into dust sending me rolling into the remains of the forest.

When I finally came to a stop I noticed Ephialtes looking for his brother, but when he saw me he opened his mouth and a piercing scream erupted sending me flying further into the woods. I hit hard against a tall tree and slid to the ground. The collision knocked the wind out of me. After my head cleared and I caught my breath I felt the ground shake around me. I looked up to see Ephialtes walking toward me. His face was red and his eyes were filled with hate. As he approached I focused on the ground below me, I could feel an underground spring or aquifer about ten feet below the surface. I concentrated on the ground and on the water. I caused an earthquake to shake the ground then I could feel myself pulling on the soil, rock and the water all at once. Ephialtes ran forward to attack, but right before he could strike I used all of my strength to pull upward and a jet of water exploded out of the ground striking the giant in the face sending him backwards onto the ground. When he landed the ground cracked open behind him. He was about to get up, so I concentrated on the large crack in the ground. As the giant stood I used all my strength again to pull open the crack until it was a large canyon at least forty feet in width. Ephialtes lost his foot hold and fell backwards into the canyon. He began to stand up and I extended my hands apart and willed the rock and soil to close. I willed all my strength into my arms I could feel the strain in my biceps and triceps. I slammed my hands together as hard as I could sending the canyon walls slamming together squashing the giant between them. A puff of gold dust erupted from the small crack that was the remnants of the canyon and identifying the destruction of the giant within its walls. I looked at the crack and exhaustion finally took its toll as I passed out into unconsciousness.

I awoke several hours later I guess because I could tell that the sun was rising. I was lying in a soft patch of grass and it looked almost like it was a bed of flowers that was odd. I tried to move my arms and legs then I realized that I was chained to the ground. The chains were incredibly strong; on closer inspection they were some type of celestial bronze.

"I see you're awake young hero." A female voice said, the voice sounded vaguely familiar. I looked up to see a woman with olive color skin, dark brown eyes and chocolate brown hair. Her hair extended past her shoulder and she was wearing a light blue dress that extended down just passed her knees. She walked gracefully toward me and stopped just inches from my feet. "You are a fine specimen young man, what is your name?"

"My name is Percy Jackson." I said. Her eyes lit up in recognition at my name.

"The hero of Olympus, yes even out here in this jungle we have heard of you." The woman said.

"We?" I asked curiously.

"My name is Aegle, these are my two sisters Erytheia and Hesperia. We are the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas." Aegle said as she pointed to a pretty blonde haired woman (Erytheia) and a lovely redheaded woman (Hesperia). I smiled because I had made it to the Hesperides I was one step closer to achieving my quest.

"Why do you smile young one?" Aegle asked, I guess she must be oldest because she does all the talking, I thought.

"My quest is to obtain one of the golden apples, Hera has given me her blessing." I said confidently.

Aegle began to laugh and her sisters joined her. "We don't care what that witch Hera has given you. Her blessing is meaningless to us. You will fail like all the others." Aegle said as her sisters smiled behind her.

"Herakles didn't fail." I pointed out to her. Aegle and her sisters glared daggers at me.

"Don't speak of that accursed male, he only won because he tricked our stupid younger sister into trusting him. She was a fool." Aegle said.

"She was not a fool, she was in love and he betrayed her." I yelled. Nobody spoke that way about Zoe she was a hero in my book.

"You knew our sister?" Aegle asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I knew her when she was the lieutenant of Artemis." I said. Aegle looked at me with a shocked expression.

"What do you mean was the lieutenant of Artemis?" Aegle asked.

"You're father killed her while she tried to defend Artemis, she died a hero." I said proudly. Aegle looked at me like I had just slapped her across the face.

"You lie son of Poseidon and you will pay for your deception." Aegle said.

"I do not lie." I yelled, but she raised her hand and I blacked out again.


Camp Half Blood

Annabeth's POV

I was walking from the training facility I had just finished my archery class. I walked toward my cabin, I looked over to cabin three and looked away quickly, it reminded me too much of Percy. He was out on a dangerous quest while I was safe here at camp. I heard running from behind me, I turned to see Katie Gardner running toward me.

"Annabeth" She yelled breathing heavy.

"Katie, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Chiron needs to see you at the big house." Katie said. I ran passed her and charged toward the big house. I ran through the front door and into the large meeting room that was just off the great room. I stopped immediately as I saw the people in front of me. The large table that was used for meetings with cabin leaders was now inhabited by my mom, Theseus, Chiron, Mr. D, Poseidon, Zeus, Hera, Hades, Rhea and Gaea herself. I was shocked to see this collection of gods and a titan before me.

"My child thank you for coming." Chiron said as he motioned for me to sit down.

"Mom, what's going on?" I asked. Gaea cleared her throat, my mom looked at her and nodded conceding the answer to this question to her great grandmother.

"My dear, I have asked everyone here to attend a meeting, you have been asked to attend because this meeting has to do with Perseus or Percy as you call him." Gaea said sincerely.

"What about him, did something go wrong with his quest?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm afraird he has already overcome much during this quest more than any hero before him, but sadly his ordeal has just begun." Gaea said as she motioned toward the center of the table. Suddenly the air above the table began to glow wiith a bright green color. The green mist in the middle dissolved into a window similar to an Iris message, but something was different about it. The window in the mist cleared to show a beautiful rainforest with tall trees and I could hear tropical birds singing. The image zoomed in and I could see a man in shorts on his knees holding up a large boulder. The image cleared and gasps could be heard all around the table as the man was clearly Percy, he was bleeding a copperish color from multiple cuts and lacerations on his skin, but it looked like he was holding a massive weight. The image zoomed out to show exactly what Percy was holding. The large boulder was not a rock at all it was part of a floating mountain and on the top of a great plateau on the mountain was a beautful garden of waterfalls, flowers and incredible trees. At the center of the floating mountain was a massive tree over three hundred feet in height. The image zoomed in on the tree and the branches of the tree were covered with large golden apples. The image zoomed out again to show the large floating mountain once again.

The image zoomed in again to Percy holding up the mountain, it wasn't floating now, Percy was holding it up. The image zoomed out a little to show three women standing in front of Percy. "Young one you will hold up our mountain until it kills you. Do not think we are without mercy, you seem strong and very determined. Therefore, we will loosen that determination with despair. We will show you images that you have only seen in nightmares, we will make them real and in turn you shall give in to fate. You cannot win young one." The tall women said. The two women next to her began to laugh ominously.

AN: A cliffy, I guess the Hesperides aren't pushovers afterall.