If there was one word to describe the first half of the assault on the Princes Andromeda, it would be intense. The Hunters moved like wolves in a pack, silently creeping under the shadow of the new moon, climbing up and onto the empty deck.
The plan had been gone over previously; a small group of Hunters would infiltrate and disable the engine, while another would work to root out the bigger monsters hidden within the depths of the cargo hold. Meanwhile, the rest of Zoë's Hunters would surround every available opening to snipe as many of the ship's passengers as possible, monster or demigod.
Of course, nothing every goes as planned, but Zoë accounted for this. What's listed above is the plan if everything went perfectly. Zoë knew that it wouldn't, that Kronos would literally sense her presence. Thus, most of the plan remained, but Zoë made sure to make herself as visible as possible to Kronos.
She hung back, waiting for her Hunters to get into position, before jumping aboard herself. As soon as she touched down would be the signal to open fire. Instantly, over a hundred arrows were let off, and the engines were disabled as well, just as a burst of golden light and around five hundred more monsters and rogue demigods charged through to confront the Hunters.
There were no words, as Kronos' death stare, given through the face of a troubled demigod named Luke, was all that was needed. Instantly, the Hunters were at a disadvantage; they'd underestimated just how many allies Kronos had gained.
Zoë spent more of her time saving her Hunters than she did fighting Kronos, even as his attention was focused squarely on her. His golden eyes shined bright with rage, as millennia of built up hatred for the Olympians finally had its outlet. He wanted nothing more than to crush them, and make them pay for the sins they committed against him.
Zoë was at a disadvantage anyway, but her goal wasn't to win the fight. She tried to keep this in mind as she was smashed through about a dozen monsters and into the wall of the yacht. "Come now, little girl…you mustn't throw your life away so suddenly," Kronos' voice echoed alongside Luke's own, a cocky smirk plastered on their shared face as he walked nonchalantly up to her as she stood.
"I am not just a 'little girl'!" Zoë snapped, refusing to take any of Kronos' smarm. She let loose a barrage of arrows, which Kronos deflected, so that she could launch her own assault, managing to push the Titan Lord back a few steps. "I cannot wait until the day when you are thrown back into the deepest pit of Tartarus with the world's worst evils!"
Kronos chuckled, spreading his arms out in challenge. "I'm touched that you think I'm not the worst of them all," he mocked. Zoë, in frustration, attacked again, but to little effect. Kronos just casually avoided or outright took her blows. "Show me that wonderful divine form of yours. I do so wish to look upon its beauty once more…" he said wistfully, pushing her back slightly. Zoë, unnerved at first, offered a small smirk of her own.
"I had thought you more intelligent than my father, but if you truly believe you can withstand-"
She would've gone on, but Kronos suddenly lurched forward in pain, nearly doubling over. "Foolish…boy…your job is…done!" he struggled out. The goddess of the hunt took her chance, and attacked the Titan Lord, or at least, she tried to. "No!" Kronos' voice was gone. "Don't attack! Your Hunters are being slaughtered down below!"
Zoë hesitated, and just as quickly as it had disappeared, Kronos' presence reappeared, and swatted the goddess away. "What…what was that?" Zoë asked herself.
"Don't mind that. The boy and I are having a…disagreement," Kronos claimed. "Now…where were we?" He wondered. The goddess of the hunt had to make a split-second decision, but it wasn't that hard. Instead of engaging Kronos directly, she let loose a barrage of arrows and summoned a horde of wildlife to attack him, as she made a mad dash for stairs. Unfortunately, she was too slow, or was she…? It was odd, but everything in the world seemed to slow down for a brief moment, even as the Titan Lord stayed in full motion. "Had you forgotten who you're dealing with?"
He grabbed Zoë by the hair and hoisted her up, with time returning to normal then. He attempted to stab her through with his sword, yes, his sword, not scythe. Zoë was faster, however, and parried the blow before kicking him straight in the face. The impact was enough to stun Kronos for a brief moment, but it only allowed Zoë to land before he recovered, where he tripped her up (in a technique that definitely wasn't the work of the Titan himself, but his host), and then blasted her through the floor with an energy wave, with them no longer needing to be charged beforehand now that Kronos' blade was fully reformed.
Thankfully for the goddess, this was exactly where she wanted to go. She landed hard, but on her feet, quickly surveying the damage. At least five Hunters down and ten more wounded, with the rest of the twenty-five trying to contain casualties. What was attacking them? Possibly the worst possible monsters ever; drakons.
There were two, a Lydian Drakon, and an Aetheronian Drakon (not to be confused with the Aethiopian variety, which were much smaller than this behemoth). Each was at least two hundred feet long, with the Lydian one being about thirty longer than that, serpentine, and had scales line its entire body which looked so razor sharp that it was like they could cut if you looked at them.
Now, okay, there were monsters and colossi that dwarfed that size, and were buffer (Talos, anybody?), but what made drakons so dangerous was their requirement to kill them. Each species of drakon had a destiny. No matter what one did, no matter how much damage one inflicted upon it, it wouldn't die unless the finishing blow was dealt under certain conditions. There were many different varieties of drakon, and one could be killed with but a shoe, but these were the big boys.
A Lydian Drakon could only be killed by the seed of Ares that has gained his blessing. The first person who came to Zoë's mind was Deimos, but that would have to wait until later.
The Aetheronian Drakon was perhaps the strongest, as its (as Zoë's annoying sword alter-ego might put it) "win condition" is that only if the seed of all the eldest gods fought as one.
It seemed unfair, as not even the powers of the gods could override this. Only the Fates had such a power (and maybe the protogenoi). While they couldn't outright control fate or destiny, if something amused them, they'd find some way to make an exception to the rules.
"But…how?" Zoë thought incredulously upon seeing them. "They should have taken centuries to form! Has Kronos amassed such overwhelming power that he could revive them in half a decade?"
She wanted to get the monsters' attention away from her Hunters. As a goddess, the only things that could kill her were other immortals, like Titans and other gods. This would mean only pain, not death, for the young goddess. However, right at that moment, Kronos fell through the floor as well, landing right behind her. Zoë knew the fight was lost; they were only find themselves slaughtered or captured if they stayed.
"Retreat!" she called, sending the message telepathically to her other Hunters. "We live to fight another day!"
"Little girl, if I wanted you to leave, I would've shown you the door."
Kronos attacked Zoë, as she was trying to help to her feet one of her Hunters, and blasted her away and into the wall, as the drakons attacked her sisters. She tried to get up and help, but Kronos wouldn't let up, blasting her away again, further and further away from where she was needed.
She saw the drakon cut down three of her sisters, with two more becoming too injured to run. They'd soon be next.
Zoë felt her emotions begin to go out of control, which was extremely dangerous for a god. "Good, good…give into your anger, your rage. It's a good feeling, to just let everything go and stop caring about your brethren," Kronos goaded.
Zoë doubled over as she tried to contain this immense power. She saw her own form flicker between her normal self and one made of pure energy in the color of starlight; her divine form. She'd never felt this way before, not as a goddess. She couldn't tell whether it was good or bad, or even how to keep it under control.
All she knew, and all she needed in the end, was that if she let loose her divine form, it would obliterate her Hunters, leave her helpless, as divine forms drain a considerable amount of energy by letting almost all of a god's essence out at once, to be captured and used as a hostage, or just outright killed. She couldn't have any of that happen, and soon, the feeling of losing control subsided.
Annoyed, Kronos resumed his assault, launching Zoë into the air, and then blasting her further, back onto the deck of the ship, where the Hunters from the lower deck had gathered after narrowly escaping the drakons. Zoë tried to do a headcount, and it may have been off, but it looked like she lost at least thirty Hunters; which was thirty too many.
Zoë would admit that she severely underestimated Kronos, which she didn't even think was possible.
Monsters and rogue demigods surrounded the Hunters as they readied their bows for one last stand. Kronos emerged from the crowd, a pleased grin on his face. "I don't know if I was expecting a more riveting 'welcome home' party, or if you just couldn't deliver?"
"Is this all just a game to you?!" Zoë questioned.
Kronos frowned at that. "…You compare my glorious return to a 'game'? Insolent…" in a rage, he slashed through one of his monsters like it was butter. "You know nothing of the trials I have overcome to get this far. Soon, you Olympians shall know the despair I have felt for over three millennia! Starting with you," Kronos raised his blade in challenge.
"I…" Zoë didn't have anything to say to that. She knew she wouldn't be able to bargain with Kronos; he was too cunning to be out-bartered. "I am…truly sorry," she said to her Hunters. "I…have failed you all," Even as she said it, though, Zoë noticed the area getting hotter and hotter, and light shining like it was broad daylight. Finally, she looked up, to see a ball of fire hurdling straight towards the yacht. Luckily, Zoë was the first and only person to pick it up. "Don't look up!" she ordered, sending her will into every word, so much so that many of her Hunters looked downward in response.
Even for a goddess, the sun god's divine form was intense. Thankfully, being of the same race of immortals, Zoë was largely unaffected by the form's sheer ferocity. Heat surged from the body, sending pulses so hot that it caught the wood on fire. Hell, screw the wood, the ocean was on fire, it was so hot. Not only that, but it also came with the standard package of divine form power. Any of Kronos' minions who glanced at it were vaporized instantly, not even getting the dignity of being reduced to ash.
"Brother!" Zoë called, sensing his presence. Inwardly, she felt it strange to consider that fool of a man her 'brother', but technically he was, if they were going by specifics. "This means that he had returned to his old self when they returned him to his throne!"
"Ah, how I've missed that light…" Kronos reminisced, even as he knelt beneath the divine form's power. Unlike Atlas, who was incapacitated (granted, he'd just fought and wasn't expecting it), Kronos remained able to fight.
Zoë felt a smile creep onto her lips, but it faded just as soon as it had come. As instead of Apollo's form emerging from the light, it was that girl's. Winona Solace plummeted toward the yacht, her body slack. She had fallen unconscious from using the form, it seemed. Zoë, acting quickly, caught her. "Retreat!" she yelled before Kronos' army could react. The Hunter dove off, and dove under the waves to avoid arrows. Zoë had to remain slightly above the water, to keep Winona's head up and shield her from arrows anyway.
Zoë had an all-around bad feeling about this encounter. Not only was Kronos' army much larger than they anticipated, but they had many more powerful monsters than the Greeks ever could have prepared for, at least without the knowledge that they were there, which was…something. Kronos himself was also much stronger than expected. Even at full-strength Zoë stood no chance at besting the Titan, unless she'd been in her divine form.
Ultimately, there was one takeaway from this encounter: the Greeks still had a long way to go before they were ready to go to war.
xxxXXXxxx
Thalia and Percy met Bianca at the gates of the Underworld, the toll booth thing, where she was resting with Cerberus. The dog, in a stark contrast from last time, only looked up lazily as Percy came by, content with the company he already had.
"Bianca!" Percy rushed over to her, seeing her still pretty badly beat up, and knelt down. "Hey, you okay?"
Bianca shrugged and smiled, standing as if she didn't have a gnarly gash across the back of her leg. "I'll heal," she assured. "I, uh…didn't expect anyone but you," she noted as Thalia caught up, being noticeably more uncomfortable around her, due to her being a Hunter.
"Hello," Thalia greeted. "Where's Iapetus?"
"He's camped outside father's palace, near the pit leading to Tartarus about a hundred yards out from the entrance," she claimed.
"And…why hasn't he attacked?" Percy asked, knowing that it was probably a stupid question.
"Father won't let him. Iapetus is waiting for reinforcements to launch an assault. Right now, it's just him. Though within a week, it could be thousands of monsters."
"So we want to take him out now," Percy concluded. "Any ideas?"
Thalia crossed her arms and lowered her head in thought. "…I don't get it; why would Lord Hades allow this? Surely he could banish Iapetus to Tartarus in his own domain?"
"Well…" Bianca rubbed her chin nervously, having a little half-grin on her face. "It's probably because he wants me to do it…without help…"
"What do you mean?"
"When I first got here using shadow-travel, I didn't go where I wanted. Father brought me to his palace, and I…got to meet him for the first time."
"Was he smarmy?" Percy asked.
"Very," Bianca confirmed. "He knew of Iapetus' attack, but he said he wanted me to 'prove myself' as 'the true seed of the Underworld' or something."
"Gross…could he have picked a worse word than 'seed'?"
"Sperm?" Riptide suggested.
"Don't talk," Percy returned. "So…what happened? And why couldn't you use your powers to shadow-travel us here?"
"Because Hades isn't allowing you to use your powers?" Thalia guessed.
"They can do that?" Percy questioned, thinking of all of the times that he would've been royally boned if he didn't have his powers.
"Only in their domain or in places closely connected to them, under normal circumstances. If they really wanted you to not have powers, they could use more of their essence to will your powers away," Thalia said. "Such as, my father forbade me from using lightning on a hunt following my betrayal, as a lesson. The hunt took place on Zoë's chariot in the night sky, against aerial monsters…it wasn't fun…" her eyes shadowed as she recalled her fear of heights.
"I can tell," Percy said, uninterested in the story. "So wait, Bianca; you tried to fight a Titan by yourself, without your powers?"
"…Yep…" she seemed to realize the stupidity of the decision.
"…Do you have a death wish?" Thalia questioned.
"Well, I am Percy's Angel of Death," she turned it back around to him. Thalia stared at him condescendingly, like he was the one who put the idea to fight The Piercer in her head.
"Hey, what? No way, nu-uh," he shook his head. "Just…can we get back on topic please?"
Bianca giggled, acting more like her usual self. "I can lead you to Iapetus, and I have my sword, but…"
"Then it's best if you stayed at a safe distance," Thalia said. The words visibly hurt Bianca. Percy then saw something he didn't think was possible. Thalia, affectionately, put a hand on Bianca's shoulder, and smiled, giving her a warm reassurance. "Trust me; my life is much more expendable than yours," she said. "This is just to keep you safe from harm while you're injured."
Percy couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Bianca blush at that, which was weird. "Alright. Lead the way, Firefly," he said when the two separated.
The trek through the Underworld was about as dreary as the last time Percy had to do it. Well, it was a little better, in that last time, his goal wasn't guaranteed to be there, whereas this time it definitely was. Cerberus was nice enough to give them all a ride on his back, even though it went against Hades' orders to guard the Underworld entrance.
Within an hour or two, they were at a hill overlooking where Iapetus was located. The Titan was silently waiting for the moment to strike. "So what's the plan?" Percy asked. "I figure you've got something."
Thalia nodded. "Are you going to screw it up?" she questioned lightly.
"Inevitably," Percy returned.
"Amateur," Riptide insulted.
"Whatever. I want to talk to Hades," Thalia claimed, garnering odd looks from her companions. "And before you say anything, I'm well apprised to the fact that he hates all three of us. My line of thought is that I'm the one that poses the least threat to him, especially because my role in the Great Prophecy is null. I'm going to try and convince him to aid us."
"You'll never make it there without the Piercer noticing you," Bianca noted.
"Which is where Percy comes in: he's to hold off Iapetus while I talk to the Lord of the Dead. After that, either I will join him, or Hades will join him," the daughter of Zeus continued. Both of their eyes were on him as he stared right at the distant Titan.
"…You remember what happened last time he went up against a Titan," Bianca mentioned, half-playful at best; even she could understand when to stay her wit. "You sure he's up to this?"
"I don't know. Is he?"
Percy took a deep breath and rubbed the scar on his neck. He still had nightmares about that day; that fear would never leave him for as long as he lived. "…I refuse to be a victim of that day anymore. I refuse to be a victim at all. Today, I make my own fate," he vowed, shifting his hand to grip the owl pendant around his neck. "Evermore onward."
Bianca stood, stowing her fear of this incredibly powerful adversary, and grinning. "Then it's decided!"
"She's acting awfully cheery for someone who just had a near-death experience," Riptide mentioned.
"Think she's hiding something?" Percy wondered.
"Not sure; the crazy ones are always tougher to read."
With that, the plan went into motion. Bianca's role was…well, to be honest, she was a glorified cheerleader in this battle due to her injuries and lack of powers. Thalia found a way around the main battlefield, while Percy waltzed straight up to Iapetus. The Titan heard him coming a mile away, and was standing waiting for him, his hands firmly behind his back.
His eyes were different than the Titans he'd seen before. Whereas Atlas' looked almost human, and Prometheus' lack irises and pupils, Iapetus' were just…odd. They looked almost feline, like a tiger's, and were as cold as them too. It looked like his eyes reflected the coolness and precision needed to prowl and hunt for prey. As they bore into Percy, his immediate feeling was one of uncomfortableness, as he was being watched very closely. The Titan's body was nothing to write home about, save for being twelve-feet tall. Well, that's pretty remarkable, but he was no Atlas, to be sure; didn't even have the extra set of arms.
"Welcome," the Piercer's voice was as icy cold as his stare.
"To prehistoric park," Riptide did its best impression, adding a bit of grandeur to complete the reference.
Percy wanted to laugh, but he couldn't in this moment. "What is this, 2008?"
"Touché," Riptide returned.
"It's pronounced 'touche'," Percy gave a reference of his own, looking the Titan up and down as he did.
"…Was that a Drake and Josh reference?" the sword questioned, sounding disappointed. Percy didn't respond. "…What is this, 2004?"
"…Touche."
"Where is the girl?" Iapetus wondered.
"Over there," Percy pointed behind him. "But you don't need to worry about her," he lowered his eyes and drew his blade in challenge. Iapetus laughed dryly when he saw that Percy aimed to fight. It sounded almost robotic, like this guy lacked even a soul, or he was just really bored.
"I was sent to conquer the Underworld. I had not expected the dreaded Cruel Spider to come to me to throw away his life."
Percy scowled at the Titan. Not for the insult, but rather for the title. He'd actually given it a lot of thought, but that isn't important at the moment.
"Though, if you insist, I would be willing to give you a satisfying death."
"Enough talk!" Percy snapped as he charged toward the Titan. Iapetus seemed a bit startled by the ferocity of Percy's attacks, like he was expecting someone much less skilled.
Percy managed to get a good few shots in on the Piercer, before being forced back by his wide sweeping strikes, used to ward the demigod off. Then, as Percy was about to go in for another assault, he saw Iapetus shoot out…things. In the dim light, it was difficult to make out, but Percy managed to block whatever the projectiles were with a wall of self-made water, which he was able to create quite easily after months of intense practice. However, once the first wave of projectiles was done, the Titan immediately shot out another seventeen, and Percy was forced on the defensive.
"…Would be real nice if I had a river nearby…" Percy thought in his head as he was busy dodging and blocking projectiles.
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over your whelching. Focus!"
The walls of water weren't enough, so Percy deflected many of them manually, with Iapetus' last shot giving the demigod a fraction of a second to see what it was…and he still had no idea.
"What are these things?" he wondered, though he didn't have time to think about it, as the Titan was then right on him, laying down a crushing blow which Percy just barely dodged. "Okay…this is the power I remember…" he growled through grit teeth, seeing the crater that Iapetus had created with the attack. Percy actually saw that the Titan had impaled the ground where he struck; pierced it, if you will.
When Iapetus removed his hand from the ground, Percy realized that it was the first time he'd seen them. They were cracked, well-worn, and had nails that could literally cut diamond.
"Guess that's why he's called the Piercer," Riptide noted.
Percy blasted the Titan with a stream of water, knocking him off balance, but it didn't help much in the subsequent offensive, with Percy being forced back again by the projectiles, which Percy actually discovered were his razor-sharp fingernails.
Unfortunately for Percy, he couldn't hold out forever, and was soon hit directly with one of them to his side. Immediately, an immense amount of pain seared into his abdomen, and he held the area, expecting a river of blood, but he felt no such warmth.
Instead, when Percy looked for a split-second, he saw that the nail had embedded itself just below the skin, where it hurt the most. He wouldn't get much time to examine it, though, as the ground started shaking, and a rumbling was heard from Hades' palace. A wave of shadowy energy shot from the building, and Thalia was sent spiraling out and was met with a hard landing where Percy was, actually falling on top of him.
"Ah! Gods! Motherfucker!" Percy cursed as he felt another round of searing pain in his side from the wound being irritated. Both of them stood. He soon calmed himself, as Iapetus was cautious to attack with Thalia's arrival. "No luck?" he guessed.
"Let's just…focus on the Titan," Thalia still hated admitting her failures. "You look injured."
"I'm fine!" Percy snapped, refusing to back down. "But…I wasn't able to do much."
"Not surprising. I doubt I'll be able to add much either," Thalia mentioned, as the Piercer started approaching. "We can't kill him; only other immortals, even the least of them, have that power."
"Wait, aren't you immortal now?"
"It doesn't count when it's a blessing, or so the moon goddess tells us. Only if I were naturally immortal, like Zoë was."
The two got too lost in conversation, with their ADHD showing, as Iapetus attacked. The two were forced to dash apart, with Percy landing sloppily due to his injury. "We need to end things quick!" he called to Thalia.
"You can do it!" Bianca called excitedly, finding the fight to be entertaining.
"Great contribution, Firefly…" Percy muttered. "Thalia!" he called her name, as he didn't get a response. Iapetus was soon on him, trying to finish the job he started.
Meanwhile, Thalia was busy planning. While she wasn't as good at improvising as Luke or Percy, she could do so in a pinch most times. She took note of her surroundings, and thought of a plan.
Thalia dashed toward the Titan to help Percy, but it honestly didn't look like he needed much help. The way he fought was unlike anything Thalia had ever seen; he was far more skilled than he was when they'd last met, and his ferocity was akin to a wild beast, like an alpha wolf hunting prey. It was pure instinct driving him, and the intensity in his eyes showed it as they glowed a brilliant sea-green in the dank air of the Underworld.
She held her Aegis high to at least partially affect the Piercer, before jumping up and bashing it into his cheek to get him off of Percy for a time. She relayed her plan in as few words as possible.
"We're going to knock him into Tartarus," Thalia claimed. "You need to restrain him, and then we hit him with everything we've got."
"Restrain- are you insane?!" Percy questioned. "I ca-" he faltered, reminding himself not to say those words again. "I-I'll try!" he leapt into action, sheathing his blade and creating two water whips, which he locked onto Iapetus' wrists as he went to throw more nails at them, with one projectile being thrown and just barely grazing Percy's cheek.
Once the whips were around the Titan's wrists, he shot as much water down into the pit to Tartarus as he could, weighing the restraints down. Percy willed the whips to hold, before leaping back to Thalia, whose entire body seemed to be conducting electricity; she'd been honing her abilities as well, being able to channel lightning through her body now as well as her spear.
Percy built up power within himself as well, with water surrounding his body in small wisp-like spirals, begging to be shot off with his latent energy. The two stood so close to synch their powers that their cheeks were pressed against each other. Thalia held her hands horizontal, while Percy held his vertical, and they made a little cross shape with them. "On my count," Thalia said.
"What? No, on my count," Percy returned, arguing even as Iapetus slowly started to break free of his bonds.
"Percy! We don't- you know what? Fine!" both of their powers neared the point where they'd go out of their control. "Hurry!"
"Okay, 1, 2, 3…now! Go, go!" he called frantically. In a miracle, both of their powers synched perfectly, with an incredible amount of force being condensed into a small electrified ball of water shooting toward Iapetus at like Mach 3. As soon as the blast made contact, it exploded like an elemental bomb, blasting Iapetus well into the pit area, where he fell into the endless darkness of Tartarus, roaring in anger all the way down.
It took both of them a minute to process that the battle was over, and they both immediately plopped down onto their asses in relief. "Whelp, I guess I can say I beat a Titan…phew!" Percy wiped the sweat from his brow, before wincing and crying out in pain from the wound he suffered in his side. "But damn! How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?"
"Hey, you guys!" Bianca rushed over. "You were so cool!" she exclaimed, grinning.
"Yes, well…" Thalia looked away. "All in a day's work, I suppose."
"Oh come on! You can feel proud about this!" the daughter of Hades claimed.
"She's right, Thalia," Percy said. "You're the one that came up with the plan to beat him."
"It really wasn't much of a plan," Thalia said, trying to fight the urge to give into her natural inclination to take the credit. "Besides, I…probably wouldn't have been able to pull it off without your extra power."
"You mean how I pulled half of your weight and more?"
The girl lowered her eyes. "Don't push it."
"Got it. So, Firefly, uh…how do you, uh…?" he gestured to his side.
"You rip it out," Bianca claimed. Percy gave her an incredulously look. "What? How do you think it got the gashes on my arm and leg?"
In the end, it was up to Thalia to hold him down, while Bianca took out the nail, having to reach in and rip it up through the skin. "Okay, okay, you're gonna warn me when you do it, right?"
"Don't be such a child, Percy," Thalia said, even as she pinned his arms to the ground upon his request.
"Right…but you'll warn me?"
"Of course I will," Bianca assured, even as she deftly shot her fingers into the opening and grabbed the nail. Blood oozed from the now-open wound. Percy cried out in immense pain. "Oh yeah, I'm doing it now," she said as she yanked, and ripped the nail up, causing blood to spurt. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Thalia let go, and Percy's hands immediately shot to the wound, using his powers to desperately try to heal it. While it was probably healing it a little bit, it was a wound inflicted by a damn Titan, so it would probably take at least a few days of ambrosia and nectar to finish the job. "This…is…the worst…pain!" Percy choked out as Bianca giggled, looking like she was enjoying his suffering.
"Jeez, she's a masochist…" Riptide mentioned. "Please don't ever give me to her; I don't want to know what goes on in that head of hers."
He was too busy wallowing in agony to respond.
xxxXXXxxx
The trio then exited the Underworld, and once Bianca got her powers back, she shadow-travelled them to camp. There, they saw an unexpected number of Hunters in the infirmary. Zoë, though, looked relatively unharmed.
She actually looked really glad to see them when they arrived. "Thalia!" she called the girl's name as she dashed up, acting like a mother to her child, which…technically, she was…? Gods are weird.
Zoë, upon reaching her, reached up a pet Thalia's hair, feeling her forehead and acting…very un-Zoë-like, in Percy's opinion.
"Weird, Annabeth never acts like that," he thought off-handedly.
"You don't do that for her either," Riptide pointed out.
"…Fair enough," Percy shrugged, finding the interaction just odd.
Still, this was an important thing for Percy to see, as it explained to him why Thalia had shown a similar form of kindness and warmth to Bianca back in the Underworld; it seemed Zoë/Artemis had rubbed off on her more than she realized. Still, Thalia swatted away the loving hand of Zoë.
Percy crossed his arms. "Hard to imagine you two hated each other last year," he mentioned.
"Yes, well, a lot can change in a year, even for a god," Zoë nudged Thalia. "Or a demigod. In any case, how did it go? Any issues?"
"That's my line," Thalia spoke before Percy could answer. "What the hell happened to the Hunters?"
"I will explain later. Just know that we will be staying at camp. I have convinced the Olympians to let me stay and help here," she said. "I believe it is best if we prepare along with the campers, for we…were severely underprepared for Kronos' might."
Thalia seemed to accept the answer. "…Continue."
Percy was about to speak again, but then he was interrupted. "Oh, it was awesome, you should've seen it!" Bianca claimed. "They were both great," she smirked. "Even if Thalia totally got owned by my dad."
Zoë shot the girl a glare, and looked to Thalia was confirmation. The daughter of Zeus shrugged. "I didn't get to fight much. It was mostly that idiot," she pointed to Percy, who still didn't get to relay his side of the tale. "He fought bravely and ferociously, like a wolf on the hunt."
"Perhaps I shall make him one of my own, then," she eyed Percy threateningly, almost matching the former Artemis' stares.
"You mean…figuratively, right?" he wondered.
"…" Zoë sighed. "Fine, be a dullard. Honestly, I had thought you more a horse with blinders; always staring straight ahead. It would have fit your blood, just as Thalia sees all like an eagle, or that…other girl, sees nothing like a black ram whose horns grow too long and block its vision."
"That last one was…oddly specific," Percy mentioned, though Zoë just continued.
"Now though, I am inclined to agree with Thalia."
Percy nodded. "Well, being a wolf is better than being a damned spider," he decided. "I'll gladly be your wolf if it means we don't lose another moon goddess. Just don't butt into my life unnecessarily, and I'll protect you."
Zoë chuckled. "Oh no, I was being general, but if you so desire to be my wolf, then I can oblige," she held her hand out to transform him. Percy stepped back nervously.
"T-that isn't-"
Zoë began laughing. "I can see the appeal of scaring you mortals now!" she claimed as she laughed. Percy frowned, and left then, with Zoë having to return to caring for her Hunters. Bianca followed, at Percy's behest, after Thalia reminded her that she owed the daughter of sky a favor.
"What's up?" Bianca wondered as they reached the lakefront.
"I just have a couple of questions, and an update on what I want you to do."
"Okay…"
"First, update: stay in camp. Recover, work to train and get stronger, get your powers under your control."
Bianca's heart skipped a bit. "Does he know about…when I lost it?" she thought, referring to when she nearly killed Hades…or at least scattered his essence.
"I want you in top shape come next August, and I'll get Thalia to train with us too. I need some good sparring partners."
"Oh…he's just being Percy," she thought. "Alright. That's fine. Um…questions?"
"Yeah, just one, actually."
"Okay, shoot."
"Why did you fight Iapetus by yourself?" he asked, crossing his arms expectantly.
"Because…" Bianca hesitated. "Because father wanted me to-"
"Bullshit," Percy interrupted. "Because you're not a liar, and you said your allegiance was to me, did you not?"
"Well, technically I didn't, but I mean…I implied it, I guess…"
"Bianca, don't avoid the question," Percy said, like an older brother would almost. Bianca was actually a bit relieved that he took that tone, rather than a more intimate one.
She sighed. "Well, I…I wanted to be more like you…I guess…" she said. Percy waited for her to elaborate. "You're brave and strong…and you can do things that no other demigod can. You have the opportunity to do something that matters, you know? I wanted so badly to be like you, but…" she trailed off.
Percy took a deep breath. "Don't say 'if I were you', Bianca, because you're not," he said, before getting a pounding in his head from Riptide belting a song out.
"Doooon't say 'if I were you'! Or tell me what you'd do!" it sang in an overly edgy voice.
"Shut up, Riptide," Percy said off-handedly. "Bianca, you should never try and be like me, alright? Because being 'me' is just about the worst thing you could be."
"What? How…why would you say that?"
"Because it's true. I'm a royal fuck-up, Bianca. I've failed everyone around me so many times, and…I'm still trying to make up for those mistakes. I'll probably be making up for them my whole life. You, though, you've got the chance to be something incredible. You can choose not to be bogged down by what happened before. You aren't weighed down by this 'great destiny', like I am."
"How things would be if, you were in my shoes!" Riptide continued.
"Shut up, Riptide!" Percy repeated, more forceful this time. "Imagine your whole life, your legacy, being boiled down to a single choice. Do you want that? Because if you want to be like me, then you're accepting that."
"…No," Bianca muttered, turning away. "But…I think you've got it wrong…"
Percy furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"I'll remember you for more than that," she claimed. "And I'll tell everyone about you. I'm sure everyone else will too, even after you die, the gods will say your name and remember all of what you did," she said, getting a lighter look on her face. "At least, that's what I think," she said, beginning to walk away. She turned back to face him, leaning down a bit with her hands behind her back in a playful manner. "And hey, didn't you say you going to make your own fate today, or will people not remember that you beat the Titan of the West?" she wondered before jogging off, presumably to catch up with Winona.
Percy blinked after her before scratching the back of his head. "Well, she's got me there. I really don't give her enough credit for her brains, do I?" he asked Riptide.
"Cause you're not me!" Riptide finished the verse. At the end of his rope with the reference, Percy took the pen out of his pocket and threw it into the Long Island Sound before releasing a sigh of relief. "I'm not leaving," Riptide claimed, causing to Percy to let out a growl of frustration at the sentient sword.
xxxXXXxxx
Thalia and Bianca left camp after the de-briefing, going back into the Underworld, actually. It was a day trip, so to speak. It was a short trip to the Fields of Asphodel and the Fields of Elysium, to search for a specific soul. "I heard that you were able to call your deceased brother from here?" Thalia said. Bianca nodded, still not really sure what Thalia wanted.
"Yeah, but only the one time, and it was only-"
"Good, I need you to try and call another soul."
"Well, I don't know if I can…" Bianca shuffled on her feet. She didn't like being alone with Thalia; the daughter of Zeus was too high-strung for Bianca's tastes. "My father might still be blocking my powers."
"…At least try," Thalia's tone sounded like she was begging. "Please, I need this."
Bianca tilted her head in confusion. "…Who do you want to see?"
"His name was Jason," Thalia said. "And he was my brother."
xxxXXXxxx
The de-briefing itself was rather dull and depressing. There was plenty of bad news. This included Winona still having no way to reverse her becoming a god back to Apollo, and the Hunters taking heavy losses over an utter defeat. The only bright spot was that Kronos' plan to take the Underworld didn't execute fast enough to get the necessary troops down there, and they were able to stop that.
So then the plan was this; prepare like before until next August. No more attempted offensives; they'd probably all be traps, given how this one turned out. Zoë would try and help Winona in any spare time she had; thankfully, as a goddess, she didn't need sleep like everyone else did.
Still, they knew their first target once August came; the Princess Andromeda. If Kronos had built up such powerful monsters as drakons, along with a literal army, they couldn't afford having him replenish the troops he loses during the fighting. The problem? They already tried strength in numbers, and it would take a massive single force if that was their next option, which they didn't have. Even Percy, as a child of the Big Three, was unable to sink it back during the previous summer.
Anyway, that was about it.
Zoë dismissed the meeting of counselors and select Hunters, Thalia and Bianca trekked back to the Underworld for Thalia's favor, and Zoë requested that Percy and Annabeth stay.
"What is it?" Annabeth wondered.
"This could be nothing," Zoë started. "But I thought it best to tell you. Something odd occurred during my scuffle with the Titan Lord. He was going on about his superiority, when something happened. It appeared his host was resisting Kronos' commands, and he even gained enough control to warn that my Hunters were in danger below deck."
"…" Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look. "Luke helped you?"
"Yes, he tried to," Zoë confirmed. "As I said, it could be nothing, but-"
"It doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted. "Not anymore."
"Annabeth…?"
"Luke had his chance to come back, now he's going to fall along with the Titans," she spat bitterly.
"…Are you…feeling alright?" Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "I mean, he's done some awful things, but…you used to care a lot about him, not two months ago," he mentioned. "What happened?"
"Maybe you rubbed off on her a little too much," Riptide suggested.
"Nothing happened, Percy," the daughter of Athena said. "We just can't afford to have those thoughts clouding our judgement, you know?"
"Agreed," Zoë said. "In most circumstances, it would be best to cast out thoughts of sympathy."
"Then why did you tell them?" Riptide questioned. Zoë shot Percy a glare.
"…Sometimes I wonder which of you is more annoying," she said.
"Why, because we have personality?" Percy retorted, his inner smart-ass getting the best of him.
"Oooohhh!"
"Hmph, if that is what passes for 'personality', I will have to pass."
"Whatever," Percy got things back on track. "Even still, Annabeth. I didn't think you'd just flip the switch like that."
"Percy," she shot him her signature steely gaze like she was judging him. "If we don't 'flip the switch,' then everyone here is gonna die. And I can't let that happen. I'm guessing you definitely can't let that happen, right?"
Percy blinked. She hadn't acted like this towards him in a long time. "Well, you've got me there," he conceded.
"You've got to promise me that if you get the opportunity, you'll crush him, by any means necessary."
"Promise," Percy said. "But only for you," he had to remind himself that it wasn't for the gods.
Annabeth then smiled. "Good," she said before kissing his cheek. "Now go shower. You smell like death," she forced him out the door. Almost automatically, Percy started making his way towards the showers.
"You know, sometimes I wonder how you two still function?"
"Not very well when we're apart."
xxxXXXxxx
After Thalia returned, she sought Annabeth out specifically. "Hey Thalia," the daughter of Athena greeted. "What's up?"
Thalia grabbed the girl's wrist and tugged. "Let's go somewhere private."
"Um, okay…what for?" Annabeth asked, even while being dragged out of her cabin and into the woods. "You seem, uh…on edge. Is something wrong? Did something happen?"
Thalia shook her head. "No, nothing happened. Well, not yet," she didn't finish that thought. "Anyway, I wanted to give you something."
"Um…?" Annabeth, at this point, was simply confused. Thalia never gave presents, even on birthdays. She didn't see them as necessary. Speaking of birthdays and ages, it was really weird to think that both she and Thalia were now physically about the same age. She still saw herself as, what, almost three years younger, maybe more?
As she watched, Thalia unclipped her signature bracelet, normally fitting the wearer's preference in appearance, now just a regular wristband. "I want you to have this," she said it so matter-of-factly, that Annabeth nearly laughed.
"What?" she smiled, thinking it was a prank. "You can't be serious; Aegis is one of your greatest assets. You wouldn't-"
"I would," Thalia claimed, forcing it into Annabeth's palm, and curling her finger over it. "Keep it close, always."
"But…this is yours…my mother gave this to you," Annabeth tried to give it back. "She gave to you as a gift, for protecting me. I can't-"
"No, she didn't," Thalia interrupted. "She gave it to me so I could better protect you, not because of it. I…I never was able to do so, and I'm sorry for that. You were always having to save me, and you had to live all of those years alone at camp when I was a damn tree…and then with Atlas…" the daughter of Zeus lamented. Annabeth shook her head. The bracelet was beginning to feel a lot heavier all of a sudden, or maybe it was Annabeth's own arms getting weak from emotion.
"Thalia…" the daughter of Athena felt a few droplets of tears on her hand, and quickly tried to wipe them away.
Thalia quickly got over her own emotion, seeing how it was affecting her friend. "Anyway, I figure it's in better hands with you."
"B-but…"
"Annabeth, listen…" Thalia put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. Annabeth thought she was really pretty when she smiled; it was a shame she did it so rarely. "This is for me. I need to think that I've done something to help you, okay? I need to think that…" her smile faded. "That if you survived, that I helped…or if you died, that I'd done what I could…"
Annabeth shook her head. "I don't…don't talk like that. I don't like it…"
The older girl brought her into a hug. "You can't run away from that possibility, Annabeth…you know that…"
The two just stood there for a while after that, letting everything sink in.
xxxXXXxxx
"Percy," the boy heard his name, and was soon met with Beckendorf, who was looking as pale as a sheet, or as close as he could for his skin tone. "Been looking for you."
"Hey, Beck. What's up?" Percy wondered, not used to being sought out by the Hephaestus counselor. "Problem with Silena?" Percy guessed.
"No," the man's voice was deadly serious. "…I thought of a way to destroy the Princess Andromeda."
"Really?!" Percy's eyes lit up. He knew if anyone could invent a bomb big enough, it was Beckendorf. "That's awesome. Let's go tell-"
"W-wait," Beckendorf stopped Percy was marching back up to the Big House. "I need the method to be kept on the down low, alright?"
"…Why?"
Beckendorf sighed. He knew there was only one way to explain it; from the start. "See, all children of Hephaestus have this…latent ability, normally unusable, and extremely…fatal."
Author's Note:
Apologies that I had to jump around so much at the end; there was a lot to set-up/pay-off. Anyway, a couple things about this chapter.
First, that reference to "You're Not Me" has been in the works since literally the beginning of Titan's Curse. I don't care that it's from Yu-Gi-Oh; I think it's hilarious.
Second, you remember that one time in DBZ that Goku and Vegeta were inside Buu and blasted him at the same time? Yeah, Thalia and Percy v. Iapetus was built around that.
Third, my decision for Percy's, quote, 'spirit animal', unquote being changed from a spider to a wolf was...basically planned from the beginning as well. Both are brutal, vicious creatures, but wolves are more known for their leadership and pride and honor, which is ultimately how Percy matured throughout the story. It kinda makes the title irrelevant, but whatever; I don't care.
Fourth, uh...foreshadowing.
Also, thanks "J" for your support; this story wouldn't be nearly what it is without our long discussions about things being "so cool" like when we came up with Bianca's sword. Thanks man!
Other than that, thank you all for reading and don't forget to leave a review!
P.S. chapters won't be this long in the future except a couple really important ones. So...yeah. See ya!
