AN:

Hey guys. This chapter took a bit, but that's for very good reason. As a Christmas present to you all, I have my longest chapter ever for you. I'd like to thank you for 200 favorites/300 follows, a huge milestone, and this is how I'm returning the favor. I think you're really going to enjoy everything I have in store for you. I'm really looking forward to reading what you have to say. I hope you all have a great holiday season. So, here it is, Chapter 18 of "The Spartan"

The Argo II, June 2010 CE

Percy woke in a cold sweat. His arms felt heavy like lead, and his heart was racing violently. In the darkness of his room, he took slow and concentrated breaths, calming his nerves. He recollected himself, shaking off the effects of his nightmare.

He had dreamed about a great many things. For the most part, his dream had been pleasant, but as it had for the past few days, things turned sour. Somehow, at the end of each of his dreams, he found himself in the same terrifying position.

Each time, he would be watching himself from an outside perspective. He found himself staring at his own body watching as fear stretched across his own face. It wasn't a look he recognized on himself. Each time, he would feel an oppressive power like nothing he had ever felt before behind him, drawing closer and closer. Every single time, he would watch himself drop his sword. Every single time, he would watch himself cower in terror.

As he stood over his own fearful form, he'd feel the chilling presence of whatever had him so terrified come closer, inching towards him. He'd feel the cold life-sucking breaths on his back, and the power would start to literally suffocate him, absorbing his essence like a black hole. Each time, he'd be completely wracked with pain, screaming until he woke up like he had just now.

Looking around the room, Percy saw that somehow Zoë had slept through his nightmare. He was grateful for that. He had woken her a few times in his sleep, and he always felt terrible for it. They'd discussed his recurring nightmare together a few times, but neither could make head nor tail of it. They knew whatever or whoever it was couldn't be Gaea, because even her presence wasn't so ominous, but they couldn't fathom who else could be plaguing Percy's nights.

Deciding he wouldn't be able to sleep again, he removed himself from their bed, carefully making his way to the deck. When he cracked open the door, he was surprised how out of it he had been when he first woke. He hadn't even realized how violently it was thunder storming.

It was dark, any shred of moonlight blocked off by the heavy clouds overhead. Rain poured down in sheets, pounding down on the deck of the ship with tremendous force. The raindrops were heavy and fat, landing with resounding smacks. Idly, Percy wondered who was on watch, because he was sure they were miserable.

Lightning crackled through the sky, illuminating the world. Around them, he saw the endless expanse of ocean, spreading as far as the eye could see. Directly across from him, clinging to the railing of the boat, was a completely drenched Piper. Above them, thunder rumbled, momentarily clouding the sound of the heavy rain.

Piper was about as miserable as she had ever been. Her entire body was soaked, and she wasn't sure the drenching was only skin deep. She felt like she couldn't remember a time being dry. She felt soggier than the last piece of the cereal in the bowl, and even more unwanted. She was so upset she almost yearned to be drowning in the well with Jason and Alex like she had seen in Katoptris.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, startling her. She let out a girly eep, recoiling in surprise. She whipped around to come face to face with Percy, who looked fairly exhausted. She could understand, he had been using his powers a lot the last few days, and she knew that was taxing for anyone, especially him. Not for the first time, she was thankful for the selflessness of the immortal spartan.

"You alright Piper?" he shouted over the pounding rain.

"What?" she hollered back. She couldn't really hear him.

Percy frowned for a moment, looking irritated. He waved his hand in a circular motion, gesturing all around the ship. Suddenly, the rain stopped. All the rain around the ship was halted in mid air, seemingly frozen in time. In the distance she could see rain continuing to fall, but all around the Argo the water droplets hung like glittering diamonds. It was eerily beautiful.

The once deafening terential downpour had been muffled, the sound of rain seeming gentle now from how far away it was. She took a second to marvel at the abilities of the spartan as she often did. He had defied a force of nature seemingly effortlessly. No matter how many times she saw him do things like this, she found it impressive.

"Are you alright Piper?" he said again, this time speaking softly.

He pressed a hand to her shoulder again, and she felt herself begin to dry out. Unfortunately, these niceties were far too much for her in her current state, and a new wetness came. Tears began to stream down her face, tracking wobbly paths down her cheeks, and she quickly tugged the man into a tight embrace.

"I'll take that as a no." Percy said awkwardky, hesitantly rubbing comforting circles on the crying girls back.

"I had a fight with Jason." She admitted sourly. She pushed away from the mortal, wiping tears from her eyes. It wouldn't do to look weak in front of the gods' greatest warrior.

"About?" he questioned. His eyes looked heavy but he still seemed interested. Piper was grateful for that.

"There's just this… I don't know… This divide I guess. I know how much he means to me, and I know he says he feels the same, but it doesn't feel like he loves me like I love him. I feel like he's still trying to choose between me and Reyna, while I'm all in. And she's so… Reyna… And I'm so me… Me… I told him that, and he got offended. Like I can help that I feel the way I do." She grumbled out.

"And while you're up all night worrying about who's better, he's sleeping soundly loving you Piper. All you're describing is your insecurities talking. Controlling you. Comparison is the thief of joy, Piper. Don't bother comparing yourself to Reyna. Jason fell in love with you not Reyna. You. You don't need to be Reyna. You're Piper."

"But what if I'm not enough? What if Jason doesn't value me like I value him?" she asked, eyes watery again.

"Then you move on. Your value doesn't decrease because of someone's inability to see your worth, 're a wonderful girl, and Jason knows it."

"And what if in time he changes his if he wants me to change. To be… Not Piper."

She knew she was being silly, playing this what-if game with Percy, but she had been bottling up her insecurites for a while now. First she had exploded on Jason, and now she was venting on Percy. She knew it wasn't particularly fair, but right now she was too upset to care too much. She'd apologize later.

"If he wants you to be someone you're not, leave. Don't set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm Piper. It's not right… But that doesn't matter. These what-ifs don't matter... The what's matter. And what you are is someone who loves Jason. And what Jason is someone who loves Piper. That's what you should focus on."

"You really think so?" she asked.

"Piper, I'm in love with Zoë Nightshade. That didn't happen easily. Love isn't easy. It's a leap of faith. You jump with reckless abandon; I promise Jason catches you."

Piper was crying again now. She pulled the immortal spartan into another hug, hoping to put all her gratitude into the embrace. After, she pushed away from him, looking up into the ancient green eyes that had startled her so long ago.

"Now, I'm a little more suited for this weather than you are. Why don't you head to bed, get some rest, and make up with Jason later, yeah?" Percy encouraged.

Piper sniffed, nodding in submission. He had said it as a suggestion, but she knew Percy's suggestions were usually orders. As she walked down the stairs to go to bed, she turned and waved goodnight to the immortal demigod. He waved back with a glowing smile, radiant through the darkness of the night.

She wasn't sure when Percy had become such a mainstay in all the demigods lives, but this conversation further cemented it. Their time on the Argo II had made it abundantly clear. Without Zoë. Without Percy. Without both of them, the seven would be lost. This was the seven's quest, but without their mentors she knew they'd have fallen apart long ago. She was glad to have them.

Pillars of Heracles, June 2010 CE

The sun beat down violently overhead, the scorching rays toasting the deck of the Argo II. The air was hot and muggy, and the smell of the sea was more prominent than it usually was. The winds were strong, carrying a cooling breeze across the questers, but things were not swell. Across the ship, tension was thick in the air.

It had taken the combined efforts of every demigod on the ship to convince Percy and Zoë that diplomacy was the best option. When they had seen Heracles on the beach, their hatred for him had been clear. They hadn't been quiet about voicing their distaste or their desire to maim, dismember, and kill the poor god.

The demigods had eventually convinced them that they should try to negotiate their entry to the ancient lands first. Annabeth had won them over by pointing out that killing Heracles would draw Zeus' ire, and they didn't really need the gods mad at them when killing giants relied on help from gods. As much as the seven had tried to understand their distaste of the man, their hands were tied.

Because of the unfortunate pickle they were in, Percy and Zoë were forced to sit back and wait for Piper and Jason to try to negotiate with the immortal hero. Their hate was strong, and it threatened to boil over each time they dared to look at him. To prevent any sudden outbursts, they had positioned themselves on the other side of the Argo II, facing away from the legendary son of Zeus.

They sat for hours, discussing random things with the others to pass the time. Piper and Jason had dissappeared into the forest, headed deeper inland, long ago. Presumably they were performing some task to earn Heracles' favor, so they were forced to wait. It wasn't until long after their departure that something interesting happened.

"They're back." Frank shouted across the deck.

The questers rose from their various positions strewn across the deck, meandering over to the island facing side of the boat. Looking over the railing, they saw their friends engaged in a conversation with Heracles. They weren't close enough to hear what was being said, so they were forced to try and tell what was happening through facial expressions and body language.

The conversation seemed to be going south, if Heracles' angry face was anything to go by. Percy could see the rage on his face even from the deck of the ship. He wondered what Piper and Jason had said to him. Suddenly, Heracles raised his club, and Jason was drawing his sword. He tapped his necklace, summoning his armor to himself, ready to join the fray if things escalated further.

Suddenly, Piper raised her hands, something akin to a horn in them. A burst of foods spewed forth from the end, burying the god in a feast of delicious goodies. Percy couldn't help but smile underneath his helmet at the display.

Jason and Piper darted to the ship with vigor. Jason grabbed Piper, flying her to the deck, but by then Heracles had already escaped from his scrumptious burial. He reared his arm back, a coconut in hand, ready to attack. With a motion noones eyes could follow, he threw the coconut at the ship. Whistling through the air like a heat-seeking missile, the coconut lodged itself in the side of the Argo II.

"Now can we kill him?" Percy asked dryly, turning to Annabeth.

"No, we should leave. He won't chase us. It's a waste of time." She argued.

As she spoke, another food came in at blistering speeds. Luckily for Alex, Heracles had thrown a soft pie, and not a coconut, or he'd most certainly be dead. Even still, the pie took him in the chest with such velocity before it exploded that it forced him back into the mast of the Argo II, knocking him unconscious. Zoë raised an eyebrow at Annabeth, asking an unworded question.

"Yea. You can kill him." She said, her voice angry.

Zoë looked to Percy, eyes dancing with excitement. She knew Percy had killed Heracles long ago in her honor, but now they had the chance to do it together. Running in step with Percy, they both jumped off the railing of the ship, plummeting into the water like two Olympic divers. Percy willed the water to create a massive wave, crashing into Heracles to provide cover as they surfaced on the beach.

When the crashing wave cleared, Percy and Zoë were already grounded, standing a few feet away from the spluttering Heracles. The other demigods stood back on the Argo II watching, ready to intervene if things went south. They understood that this was personal for the two of them though, so they were letting them have their fun unless they really needed the help.

"Stupid Son of Poseidon." Heracles spluttered from the ground.

He still hadn't looked up from the sand. He was coughing up water, looking thoroughly drenched and humiliated. Grabbing his club with a roar, he rose and turned to fight his new assailants, but was halted by the sight. He recognized both of them from long ago. Ghosts of his past.

"I thought I told you Heracles," Percy spat, "I'm not a demi-god."

"You? YOU? I've been waiting so long to kill you! I didn't think our paths would ever cross again, but I've relished the thought of exacting my revenge." Heracles bellowed.

Percy tilted his head at his words. He was glad to see he was living rent free in the immortal mind. He had barely thought of the poor excuse for a hero since he had killed him back on Olympus. He had been thoroughly displeased when he realised his stay in Tarturus wasn't ongoing.

"And you? You're that bitch Hesperide, aren't you? The one that thought you were special?" Heracles said, staring pointedly at Zoë.

"Fuck. You." Zoë hissed, drawing her hunting knives, face in a nasty snarl. She couldn't wait to kill this guy. She had waited for thousands of years to get the chance, and it had landed in her lap.

"You know what, after I kill this prick, I'm going to do what I should've done to you all those years ago." Heracles continued, lust clouding his features. He seemed to wrapped up in his fantasy of the girl to see the pure murderous inent rolling off of his two beach visitors.

"Gods, the only thing I regret about killing you is how fast it was," Percy said. He drew Anaklusmos, clanging it againt the shield of Leonidas viciously. "This time, I won't make that mistake."

Heracles' eyes narrowed in fury at his words. He had fumed about his death to a mere mortal for centuries. The extra aggresion in his stance told a story for trained warriors like Percy and Zoë. The time for banter was over now.

Heracles raised his club, charging at them with the speed and strength only he possesed. Percy smiled underneath his mask. Heracles was too prideful to realize it, but he was about to enter an extremely one-sided battle. He was fighting Percy, who had killed him without millennia of experience, and Percy wasn't alone this time either.

Heracles brought his club across in a mighty sideways swing, hoping to take them both out in one strike. Percy danced out of the weapons reach, skirting just outside of the clubs length. Zoë on the other hand dodged nimbly underneath it, her huntress agility on full display.

She came up inside his guard, catching him while he was still in the follow through of his first attack. She slashed at his torso with his knives, hoping to cut him deep. She had underestimated the immortal warriors speed though, managing only to leave shallow slices across his chest as he stepped away from her.

Despite the cuts only being deep enough to be a nuisance to Heracles, the warm ichor dripping down his chest incited a primal rage in him. Unfortunately for him, things were not about to get any better. As he stepped away from the huntress who was now pressing her advantage, he met the cold touch of celestial bronze. He had forgotten about the spartan until now.

Percy watched as Heracles backed into him, smirking beneath his mask. Zoë's superior agility was already pressing the god's skills. This was just laughably unfair. He cocked back his shield arm, delivering a powerful strike to the god of strengths back. His hit sent the god stumbling towards Zoë, the surprise nature of the blow catching him unaware and off guard.

Zoë was waiting for him, knives ready, catching the god with her blades. One was left lodged in his thigh, and she wasn't able to remove it, the other only managed to scrape his abdomen. Heracles continued to tumble past her a few feet before stopping, turning to face the pair that had thus far embarassed him.

With a groan, the god plucked her knife from his thigh, throwing it over his shoulder. His entire body was splattered with golden ichor, yet still he stood. The god of strength would not die so easily.

"I'll kill you both." He cried, his face contorted into a grimace of pain and anger.

"Sure you will." Percy taunted. He turned to Zoë, gesturing towards the enraged god with a thumb. "Get a load of this guy."

Zoë laughed. Normally she dissaproved of Percy's midfight antics, as they were dangerous and a waste of breath. This time however, she could make an exception. The sight of Heracles face purple with hot anger as he was mocked midfight would forever be one of her favorite things. She wished she had a camera so she could scrapbook it.

Heracles, fed up with their taunting, charged the pair again. He hefted his club, ready to strike. He was running towards Percy, obviously attacking the object of his anger. It was then Zoë realised why Percy had said what he did.

Sure, they were definitely going to win, but Percy would be much more likely to survive a blow from Heracles than she would if one of them happened to be hit. Accidents coud appen after all. She realized that he was protecting her, even in the midst of battle. Part of her resented it, because she knew she was capable, but a much larger part of her loved him for it. She knew he respected her skills, and this was purely about absorbing any potential damage for her. It was sweet.

As Heracles swung his club at Percy, he was met by a silver knife cutting diagnally across his back. Percy had sidestepped the gods downward strike, and delivered a powerful kick to the gods chest.

The god stumbled towards Zoë, meeting her fist. He spun wildly behind the force of the blow, whirling around just in time to meet a wicked swing from the edge of Percy's shield. His nose crunched under the blow, splattering Percy's helmet with a smattering of golden ichor. Percy smiled at the sound of Heracles' face caving in.

This continued for a while, the two of them ping-ponging the god between them. Heracles stood no chance. He had no time to recover from a blow from Percy before Zoë hit him, and vice versa. He was trapped in a never ending cycle of attacks, leaving him completely defenseless.

Despite the completely one sided nature of the fight, and his inability to fight back, the god of strength refused to give in. The pair were carefully avoiding lethal strikes, aiming only to wound and further embarrass the poor god. It was most certainly cruel, but in the eyes of the pair, completely deserved.

Finally, Heracles body could hold him up no longer, despite the force of his will attempting to keep him going. He had lost too much ichor, and his muscles were too lacerated and beaten to hold him any longer. He collapsed into the sand with a muffled thud, landing on his back.

The sun beat down in his eyes, casting a violent light on his features. Percy and Zoë looked down on their handywork with sick satisfaction, pleased by their efforts. The god lie in a pool of his own ichor, looking completely defeated. He was cut, bruised and swollen nearly beyond recognition. He had been thouroughly embarrased.

"Zoë, would you like to do the honors?" Percy asked.

"With pleasure." She said with a smile. Her voice however held venom, clearly directed at the mangled form of the godly son of Zeus.

Raising her knife, she twirled it in the air. It glittered in the sunlight, sending a dazzling reflection across the sand as she brought it down. She buried it in the heart of the once arrogant god of strengh, the last of his life force leaving him.

"Enjoy Tarturus." She hissed at his limp form.

As the god's form disentegrated, Zoë rose with tears in her eyes. Heracles had been one of the largest ghosts of her past. One of her most painful memories. Together with Percy she had conquered it. Overcome a hatred that had once plagued her mind.

She drew him into a hug of pure gratitude; one he gratefully returned. She wasn't sure how long they embraced, how long she cried, or how long he stroked her hair comfortingly as she wept. All she knew was that ever since she had met Percy, he had dramatically improved her life in ways she couldn't imagine possible. Killing Heracles was just the cherry on top. This hug was to thank him for all he meant to her. She hoped her message got through.

Back on the ship, the other demigods watched the couple embrace, various thoughts runing through their minds. They had watched the fight in fascination, like one would watch a trainwreck, shocked by the unbelievable ass-whooping Heracles had received. Now they watched like one would watch a firework show, completely entranced by the sight before them.

"They're so cute together." Piper muttered, not even caring to let her mom's side of herself go on full display in the moment.

"Cute? Were you watching what we just watched?" Leo shot back. "They're downright terrifying. I'm not sure we should let them back on the Argo!"

Piper's head whipped to Leo, already looking ready to argue. She was a daughter of love, as much as she hated to admit it, and part of her wouldn't stand for this. Plus, she was feeling extra defensive of Percy after their chat last night. Leo looked just as eager to argue, most likely due to the fact that he simply liked to argue.

"I don't see why they can't be both." Hazel said cutting off the two. "They're cute and terrifying."

The others thought about it for a moment. They couldn't do anything else but agree.

The Argo II, June 2010 CE

The feeling of their ship being rammed was enough to wake up Percy. He jolted awake at the sensation, wildly looking around for Zoë. He quickly realized the impact had caused her to roll off the bed, and he sprung into action. He gave her his hand, tugging her off the ground effortlessly. Together they ran out of the room, hurrying to aide in the defense of the ship, but they were stopped by a flash of light around them.

In a burst of light, the two found themsleves completely blinded. After a while, the searing of their retinas faded, and their vision slowly faded back. Looking around, they saw where they were. It most certainly was not the Argo II.

Pillars of marbles lined the room, and sixteen massive thrones surrounded them in a U-Shape. Sitting in the thrones were the original twelve Olympians along with Hades, Hestia, and the two current minor god representatives, Hecate and Hypnos. They all looked plagued by discomfort, no doubt by the Roman-Greek divide, but their attention was on the two mortals in the center of the room.

"With all due respect, what the hell are we doing here? Our ship's sort of under attack right now." Percy questioned angrily, arms flailing wildly as he talked.

"Yes, we're quite aware." Zeus said from his throne. As he finished speaking his face shifted momentarily, leaving him to groan through gritted teeth.

"So why are we here exactly milord?" Zoë said. She was much more respectful with the gods than her boyfriend evidently.

"Because Zeus wasn't exactly… pleased by the state you left his son in." Poseidon said, not looking the slightest bit dissapointed by their actions. In fact, he looked more amused than anything.

"That's right!" Zeus hollered, before wincing at the sound of his own voice. The other gods shared similar reactions. They all clutched their temples, momentarily incapacitated.

"Have they been like this the entire time Olympus was shut down?" Zoë asked, looking at Percy. He was the only mortal who'd been in contact with them through all this time.

"Yes. This is why they haven't been speaking with the camps. They're much too prideful to allow themselves to be seen this… Handicapped." He admitted.

"Yes. Yes. She gets it, our heads hurt. Now stop talking." Hera whined from her throne. Percy couldn't help but note the irony of Hera complaining about the negative ramifications of her own plan. He thought it was rather funny.

"So, you took us away from the ship, potentially leaving the demigods vital to the worlds survival to die, just because Zeus is mad?" Percy questioned. He looked irritated. Zoë couldn't blame him. She thought this was stupid too.

"When you put it like that, it sounds really stupid." Hermes grunted out, a pained smile on his face.

"It is really stupid." Percy argued. "Heracles totally deserved it. Plus, he attacked us first. You ask me, he totally got what was coming to him."

"That may be so Percy," Hestia admitted, "But nevertheless, Zeus' anger could not be satiated. He pushed for a much more distasteful punishment, but we convinced him that your absence in the defense of the Argo II was suitable enough."

Percy smiled at the goddess. He had no doubt she had been pivotal in convincing Zeus as much. Her addition to the council had been by far the best thing to happen to Olympus since the titan war. She brought an air of civility and level-headedness to the council that Olympus had never before been graced with.

"So after our friends are done fighting for their lives, we get to go back?" Zoë asked distastefully. The whole thing was stupid. It was a waste of their time. Risking the fate of the world for what, Zeus' pride?

"Correct. You are lucky I'm letting you off so easily for killing my favored son Huntress." Zeus chided.

Percy stepped protectively in front of her. He was already angry about being torn from a good fight, and he wasn't particularly placated by the tone of Zeus' voice as he adressed his girlfriend.

"Your favored son is lucky we killed him as quickly as we did." Percy shot back.

If he were anyone else, there was no doubt he would have been blasted into oblivion then and there. Thankfully, Percy had the influence to be able to speak to Zeus like that. Plus, with the Romans and the Greeks dividing their minds, the gods had become pushovers for the most part. That was one thing Percy had enjoyed about this whole ordeal.

"And you're lucky my head hurts too much to blast you, or you'd be a black spot on the floor right now." Zeus growled.

Despite his words, Percy knew he was bluffing. As much as he got on Zeus' nerves, the gods needed Percy. Plus, lots of the Olympians really liked him, and a lot of the ones who didn't like him owed him an immeasurable sum of favors. It was one of the perks of doing what he did for the gods for so long. He was practically untouchable; something that came in handy a lot considering his smart mouth.

"Yea, you've said that once or twice. Look, why don't you all go nurse your headaches and wounded prides. We'll sit here to serve our punishment," he put air quotes around the word, "And Hermes can take us back. I assume he's who brought us here?"

The gods looked among themselves. They were usually much to prideful to be bossed around by any mortal, even Percy, but their heads really hurt. They seemed to mull it over, but Percy knew he had won them over.

"This is agreeable. Council dismissed." Zeus groaned.

With a thunderclap he dissappeared, the rest of the gods following suit. The messanger god was the only one left, sitting in his throne with his head in his hands. When the last god flashed out, he rose from his throne, shrinking to human size as he approached Percy and Zoë.

"I'm sorry about brining you here. I know you'd rather be helping out the seven. I assure you, they are handling the threat as we speak." Hermes said reassuringly, obvious distaste at being forced to take them from their friends in his voice.

"Thank you for your words, Lord Hermes." Zoë said respectfully. She was glad he wasn't on board with Zeus' shenanigans.

"Of course, miss Nightshade." He said curtly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ease the pain in his head.

"How's Luke?" Percy asked curiosly after a moment of silence.

Zoë raised an eyebrow at him. She knew Percy had felt bad about the effect on the state of Luke's mind Kronos' split had caused, but she didn't know he was as invested in it as he seemed now.

"Improving slowly. Very slowly. Dionysius tries to help him, but until we gods have our personalities meshed again, and we can focus, he will not be able to do much." Hermes said bitterly.

The whole situation was bittersweet for the normally cheerful god. Percy had saved his favorite son's life, but his mind was floating off somewhere else most of the time. Trapped in some abyss of loose consciousness far from Luke's physical existence. It reminded Hermes painfully of Luke's mother May. Luke was there sometimes, but usually it was a scarily familiar reenactment of the descent into madness his lover had once faced.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Hermes. With luck, Annabeth will return the Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood soon, and then progress can begin anew." Percy said encouragingly, clapping the god on the shoulder. Hermes looked reassured at his words.

Not for the first time, Zoë marvelled at the close relationship Percy had with the gods. Yes, Zoë had been Artemis' best friend for thousands of years, and they still spoke often through IM even now, but Percy was like that with dozens of gods. It was impressive to say the least.

"I'm sure once this is all over, Dionysus will be able to bring him back." Zoë encouraged, feeling bad about the still distraught look in the messanger gods eyes.

"Thank you. Both of you. For your kind words." Hermes said, face contorted in a grateful smile. "I would love to continue, but unfortunately I have deliveries to make, and your friends have thwarted the attack on the Argo II. I must return you to them now."

"That would be appreciated, Lord Hermes." Zoë said.

"Just Hermes is fine." He insisted, shooting her a small smile.

Grabbing them both by the shoulders, they were envelloped by a flash of light for the second time that day. This time, they were able to prepare themselves, shutting their eyes to avoid the flashbang like nature of godly travel.

When they felt themselves reaapear, they opened their eyes to the sight of a bunch of demigods staring at them with various looks of displeasure. Percy felt Hermes was already gone, stranding him and Zoë with the demigods, no doubt angry at their absence. He decided it was his duty to alleviate the tension.

"So… What'd we miss?" he said with a grin.

The Collosseum, July 2010 CE

Percy felt like they had been fighting the same two giants for hours. Bacchus had appeared on the scene not long ago, demanding to be entertained before assisting them, but they must've not been very amusing. He was still sitting in the emperors box, watching the battle with a thoroughly uninterested look on his face.

Percy didn't have much time to think about the annoying wine god however, because his giant, Otis, the ballerina one, had already reformed. He was aiming to crush Percy beneath his feet, and he almost succeded. Fortunately, Percy rolled clear just in time.

For what was probably the hundreth time, Percy continued his dance with the giant. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zoë, Jason, and Alex fighting Ephialtes together. They were winning handily, a product of their efficient teamwork, but he could see they were tiring. Even he was starting to slow down a little. If Bacchus didn't help soon, they'd all die.

As Otis made to crush him again, Percy hit a baseball slide under the giants legs. Summoning some water from the air as he came to his feet, he formed a small pad on the ground with it. Jumping on it, he twirled in mid-air, flipping around in time to come face to face with the giant. With a grunt, he shoved Anaklusmos into the giants head, letting gravity do the cutting for him. As he slowly bisected the giant, he turned to look at Bacchus, still sitting in his throne.

"Are you not entertained?" Percy shouted at the god angrily.

"No. I'm rather bored in fact." The god said back.

"Will you just help you drunk sack of-"

"Not with that attitude." Bachhus teased. Around his ankles, Percy felt Otis starting to reform again.

"Oh for fuck's sake. I'm sick of this."

Percy knew he'd probably get in trouble for this later, but Bacchus' laziness had officialy crossed the line from annoying to intolerable. Summoning water out of the air, he formed a massive watery hand. With it, he snatched up the wine god with a vice grip, brandishing his godly form like a sword.

"Hey! Put me down!" the wine god hollered, tugging helplessly at his watery bonds.

"Not with that attitude." Percy yelled.

With a grunt, Percy swing his massive watery hand towards the giant the others were fighting. He struck Ephialtes across the face with the drunkard god, causing the giant to combust into monster dust. Bacchus cried out in pain, but looked otherwise in tact.

Behind him, Percy felt Otis had fully reformed. With a tug in his gut, he cocked back the watery arm, throwing Bacchus like a missle towards the remaining giant twin. Bacchus soared through the air, catching Otis in the chest. He flew straight through the giant, leaving a god sized hole in his chest, before crashing into the collosseum wall. The wine god fell unconsious, slumped on the ground.

Slowly, the other demigods gathered around Percy, who was standing amidst the dust of the now destroyed Otis. Alex, Zoë, and Jason came from their spot by Ephialtes remains, and Piper and the emaciated Nico DiAngelo descended from the emperors box. They all looked shocked by Percy's actions. Using a god as a weapon was ballsy, even for him.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Jason asked.

"Definitely. We killed some giants. What's bad about that?"

"Yea, but Bacchus won't be too pleased about his head trauma." Piper argued.

"And what's he going to do about it? Kill me? He couldn't even if he wanted to. Anyways we need to find the oth-"

"I think I found them." Alex said, pointing above them.

In the sky above, Percy saw the Argo II beginning to descend. They were obviously looking to land in the collosseum, but he could feel how unsteady the earth was beneath his feet. The Argo landing would most likely capsize the very ground it landed on.

"Jason, fly Piper up there and tell them not to land. The ground can't take it." He instructed quickly. Jason nodded, quickly adhering to his orders.

For a while after Jason dissappeared behind the shadow of the flying ship, the Argo continued to descend. Jason and Piper were certainly cutting it close. Luckily, they seemed to convince the others that landing was too dangerous, or more likely Piper had. They waited for a moment, and then a rope ladder was swung down.

Percy was the last one up, and things weren't pretty when he got there. Piper was getting her shoulder bandaged, and looked unable to fight. Jason, Zoë and Alex looked dead on their feet, and Nico was the embodiment of death itself. He was emaciated and pale, even by his standards. Even the three that had piloted the Argo looked like they had seen better days. Worse, they all seemed panicked.

"What's going on?" he asked slowly.

"Tell him Nico." Hazel said, nudging her brothers shoulder gently.

"The doors of death." He said, raising his pale face to look at the spartan. "I went looking for them. That's how I got captured. But there's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Percy asked, not liking where this was going.

"There's two sides that need to be shut in junction. One's in Epirus. The other… It's in Tartarus."

The temperature of the ships deck dropped just at the mention of the places name. Percy felt an involuntary shudder go down his spine. There wasn't man things that encited such a reaction in beings as powerful as him, but the pit of eternal damnation was one of them.

"That's… You kind of undersold it. That's a big problem, Nico." He breathed out.

"And it's not the only one." Alex shouted, looking distressed. "Annabeth is still in danger!"

"Do we know where she is?"

"Yea, Leo said he, Hazel and Frank had a vision. But we might not be in time." Alex said worriedly. He was exhausted, but he was still ready to chase after his girlfriend.

"I told you! We're going as fast as we can!" Leo shouted from the helm. His words didn't seem to help. If anything, Alex's next words seemed even more panicked.

"I just hope its fast enough."

The Lair of Arachne, July 2010 CE

Percy was impressed by the tale Annabeth weaved. He was proud of the way she had defeated Arachne. He'd known she'd be able to do it, and she'd proved him right. She was every bit as capable as he expected. Now, all there was to do was to load the Parthenos and be on their way.

Looking around, he saw the seven already had the Parthenos handled, and Alex and Annabeth were already making their way to the Argo II, eager to get Annabeth actual treatment for her wounded ankle. Turning, he found Zoë equally unoccupied.

"So, about this doors of death thing." Zoë began.

Percy didn't like where this was going. He could tell just by the way she was talking that she knew. She knew he was planning to be the one who shut the doors from the inside. He shouldn't have been surprised that she did. They were in tune with each other like that. They both spoke at the same time.

"I know what you're planning."

"You know what I'm planning."

"Yes. I do. And it's ridiculous. Percy, I won't let you. We can find a way that doesn't involve you sacrificing yourself. Put aside your 'I have to do everything' complex. You can't do that to these kids. To the gods… To me." Zoë said. She reached out for his hand.

Around them, the ground groaned. The floor was unsteady and started to crumble. It seemed the stress had bee too much, and the hungry pull of Tartarus below had eaten away at the last strings of silk holding the floor up.

"We can talk about this later." Percy said, tugging Zoë behind him. As they ran to the rope ladder, Percy felt Zoë squeeze his hand with all she had. Ahead of them, they could see the other demigods already aboard the Argo or climbing the ladder. They were close. Just a few more feet.

Suddenly, Percy felt himslef get tugged backwards. He quickly realized what was happening, but not even he was fast enough to stop it. The floor beneath Zoë had crumbled as she ran, and her hand intertwined with his had tugged him back. As she fell into the darkness, she pulled him with her.

Flailing wildly, Percy managed to grab hold of a ledge in the wall, leaving them hanging over the open chasm. Zoë swung beneath him, her weight pulling his arm out of his socket as she slammed to a stop. He screamed in pain, but still he held. His face was white with effort as he tried to pull her up.

Above them, he heard commotion. It was all white noise to him, but he assumed the seven had realized what was happening. They wouldn't get there in time to help though. He felt hopeless. His displaced arm was too weak to pull Zoë up. He couldn't fight against the brutal pull of Tartarus for much longer. She was starting to slip. She was starting to get away.

"Percy! Drop me! It's your only chance!" Zoë cried from beneath him. There were tears in her eyes, and her feet were scrabbling looking for some ledge, a wall, any purchase. She found none. She was dangling hopelessly over empty air.

He tried to vapor travel them away, but Tartarus seemed to be sucking at his powers. Teasing him. He couldn't focus. The chilly embrace of the pits breath coupled with his pain and the stress of the situation were too much even for his trained mind. There was no hope for him. He couldn't escape without letting Zoë go, and he couldn't live if he let her fall.

"Never." He yelled to her.

Above them, he saw Hazel dangling from the rope ladder, shouting for help. Closest to them was Nico at the end of the rope ladder, extending his arm, trying to grab them. To pull them from the brink.

"Nico. Meet us there. At the doors. Promise me." He groaned out. His arm flared in more pain. The pull was stronger now, like Tartarus was angry he hadn't given in yet. The son of Hades nodded, signaling he understood.

He looked down at Zoë. Tears streamed down his face. She looked terrified. He had never seen her so helpless. She was hanging on the precipice of the most dangerous place in mythology, with no hope of salvation.

"Percy. Go!" Zoë shouted to him, trying one last time to save him. He shook his head violently. His fingers were starting to slip. The pull was getting even stronger. He had to make his choice. He had to make it now. To him, this wasn't even a debate. Zoë seemed to read his mind.

"You can't Percy! You realize where this pit goes?" she cried. She was openly sobbing now, her tears falling into the darkness like fallen angels. Percy nodded at her, a grim smile on his face as his eyes trickled tears.

"It doesn't matter. We'll be together. No matter what. No matter where. That's home." he murmured.

Then Percy let go of the ledge, surrendering himself to the pull of Tarturus. The inky blackness embraced them, swallowing them whole.

AN:

Holy mother of there's a lot to talk about right now. So, here's a bulleted list of sorts.

I know I alluded to the sword drop scene from the originals, and that's because it will happen in this, just a little different. But yea, it's one of the most powerful scenees in the books for me, so there was no way I was completely cutting it out.

The Piper scene. I thought this was a good little time to demonstrate how Percy views love. Also, it goes a ways to expand on the insecure personality that Piper had in canon, giving her Percy to help her through it.

The fight with Heracles. I hope it was everything you wanted. I loved it, because gods do I hate Heracles, and gods do I love Percy and Zoë kicking ass.

Why the Olympus scene? Well two reasons. One, the scene with the dolphin men and Frank scaring them off is just too good to alter in my opinion, plus this one provided some cool info. We learn about Luke, showing more of the ramifications of Percy's actions, and you can infer how badly he feels about them. Also, we get to see more PercyxGods interaction, and more insight into how affected the gods are by the whole RomanVsGreeks thing. That's why that scene was there.

The twin giants fight. I just had the idea of Percy swinging Bacchus around like a toy lightsaber to kill giants, and I had to do it. Couldn't resist, sorry.

Finally, the Tartarus drop. The single most heartwrenching and fantastic single scene in the books to me. Now, was there any doubt Percy and Zoë would be taking the tumble this time? Didn't think so. Now, I hope I did the original scene justice. I wanted to keep what made the scene special, but not just have the same dialouge and descriptors. Hopefully you felt it was different enough and you got similar emotions to when you read the original.

As always, I hope you all enjoyed. I had a fantastic time writing this extra length chapter for you. Once again, I wish you all a happy holidays. This was my christmas gift to you, but more chapters will be coming soon! Until then,

Peace.