PERCY

Koios was even uglier in person. His face was strange, twisted and cruel, the face of someone who had caused much suffering and enjoyed watching.

"How lovely indeed," he purred. "The great Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, Hero of Olympus, here with me now. Well I can scarcely believe it. If only I hadn't seen you coming." He laughed, cool and sharp. "Excuse me for one moment," and he absorbed back into the dark.

The demigods stood there for a moment totally perplexed.

"What the heck was that?" Percy said angrily. He tried to keep his voice steady but couldn't manage to stop shaking. He was mad - no, he was furious, but he wasn't totally sure why.

Something crashed in the invisible space in front of them and the scraping of metal clanged throughout the cavern. The sound was horrible and finally, just when Percy thought his eardrums would burst, it stopped.

Something yellow glinted in the half-light and Leo gasped, taking a step forward.

Festus had been dragged across the ground by some thirty dog-faced Telkhines and now lay cold and still in a pool at the base of the cave.

Percy saw Annabeth put a hand on Leo's shoulder to stop him from advancing and wondered if the son of Hephaestus would be able to fix his buddy this time. Something about the bronze dragon's lifelessness seemed incredibly hopeless. For Leo's sake, he hoped it wasn't and, knowing him, the mechanic would make it work. Though, they'd also have to make it out of this first themselves before they could worry about Festus.

The ground shook and rocked the walls of the titanic underground.

"Cease your foolish game, children of the gods," the tremors said. "You will find no fortune in it, only destruction. Join us, it is your only salvation. Join us, or die."

It was not Koios this time. There was something older, more ancient about this voice and the silence that echoed after it was like white-noise after an explosion.

This was Oceanus.

And he was Percy Jackson and he didn't care how old or powerful the titan was.

"Yeah, cause that's likely," he said, his voice laden with sarcasm. "You won't be getting any more recruits today. Least of all out of us."

"Son of Poseidon," the voice cooed. "You most of all should be leading the charge! Join us. You shall surpass even the victories of your father. Together, we shall accomplish more than he ever was able. His power is limited, young demigod. But yours is great. Allow us to help you, but first you must help us."

Who did they think he was, Triton? "Again. No thanks. I'm pretty okay with being sub-Poseidon level. Normal demigod is working just fine for me."

"Do you not wish to surpass his ability with your own? Do not deny your desires to prove him wrong, Perseus Jackson. You resent the sea god's view of you, of your friends. He holds high standards for you yet does not believe you capable of fulfilling them; he calls you his favorite but you know this is an invalid claim. So much has happened and yet he still does not ask you about it - so much you want to tell him but are not given the chance."

That was it. He didn't know why - or maybe he did, it didn't matter - but he couldn't take it anymore. "Shut up!" he yelled at the darkness. "You don't know anything about me!"

"But you do not deny what I say," the voice echoed.

Percy felt Annabeth take his hand again and knew he was making her nervous. He was mad that he was being baited like this, mad that he was scaring Annabeth, and mad that he couldn't seem to stop. He took a few deep breaths and felt his subconscious dragging pools of water around his feel.

"Percy," she whispered. "This is what he wants. He's trying to make you angry."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Percy spat. "If you're so high and mighty why don't you come out here yourself and face us then?" He pulled Riptide, the hilt trapped viselike in his grip. He could feel Annabeth watching him, sensed Leo somewhere in the corner, but all he could concentrate on were the ripples that had begun to congregate on the water's surface a few hundred feet away.

"As you wish," the voice said softly.

The water was rising but, for once, it wasn't because of Percy. No, this was no demigod's power. It was a vacuum of old domination and filled him with an immense sense of inadequacy.

You will not win, it hissed. You will fail. It is foretold. You're friends will die. You are a fool.

Percy was vaguely aware of Leo making some high pitched squeal before he and Annabeth stumbled a little ways away from him. He thought he heard one or both of them say something, but didn't know what. Were they talking to him? The voice in his head was too loud and he couldn't pay attention.

His eye had followed the rising water-line to the center of the cave, a dark figure curling up out of the mist and hovering in the water where the last waves came to rest.

He was easily eight feet tall, not counting the swirled horns protruding from his head. The eyes were painted black and seemed to follow him like the figures in old portraits.

Percy felt the water leaving him again, even seeming to dry up where he stood. Oceanus transformed as the water left his body into human form. Percy's one consolation was that at least the titan had bad beach hair.

"Oceanus," Annabeth whispered from behind him. Percy wanted to say something like it'll be fine, don't even worry about it, but he found he couldn't even bring himself to look at her.

His eyes had locked onto Oceanus' massive arm. One was bigger than the other. And it appeared to be moving.

A snake.

"Well, son of Poseidon? How do I compare to your trifling father?"

He knew it was stupid for his feet to move forwards. He knew it was the biggest idiot move ever to threaten a titan with an arm-snake with a sword. That being said, he was not completely aware that he was moving, so when Annabeth grabbed his arm and yanked him back so hard he stumbled, he remembered the score and what was actually going on.

"Percy, you can't. Think this through. We have to be smart about this. He's trying to get you to attack him. This is what he wants. Don't listen to him."

She was upset and was talking loudly as if he were some little kid. He lowered his sword, but refused to break eye contact with Oceanus. He felt her relax just a little.

He knew she was going to kill him but, "Where's Koios, then?" he said.

"Right here, demigod."

Old white eyes came out of the shadows again and strolled towards them somberly, a much too happy smirk on his face. His armor glinted wickedly and the gem in the breastplate was luminous.

"Terribly sorry to have kept you waiting." His sword swung at his side as he walked. He raised his hands in a sign of surrender. "Don't you want to try and kill me?"

That's it.

Annabeth wasn't quick enough to stop him this time and he felt her hand catch at the back of his shirt as he charged. There were many problems with his attack, but the biggest one he really should have seen coming.

Percy was sent flying no sooner than he'd reached the hulking mass of grey and black.

"Percy!"

His head ached and he sprang uneasily up to his feet, the rock frozen and uneven beneath him.

It was all he could do not to fall again, and he lunged at Riptide not three feet to his right.

Koios approached him carelessly and got to the sword first, sending it careening into the murk.

"Brother," Koios said reverently, gesturing to Percy like some giant mutated Vanna White. An eight-foot shadow descended over Percy and he could feel the swell in the ocean as it rose up again to fill the gap, turning the rock into two islands separating him from Annabeth and Leo.

He found he couldn't move. He was frozen in place, and Oceanus had placed one massive hand on the back of his head to hold him down.

He saw the reflection of fire sail over him before it transformed into a puff of smoke and was extinguished.

Percy felt the titan's arm lean towards him and heard the snake hiss beside his ear and all he could do was wait -

For something to hit him on the cheek and the snake in the face.