Here is part 2 of the three part finale. I figured since these last three chapters were so continuous of each other, I would post them all at once. Stay tuned for the final chapter.
Percy Jackson and the Master of Magic
When Percy and Annabeth are asked to stop a monster by Reyna, they think it will be an easy last quest before retirement. But when the mission goes horribly wrong, Percy Jackson finds out just what kind of monster he could become.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or its characters, Rick Riordan does.
Reminder: This story is AU as of The Burning Maze. In this AU, it's been two years, and the defeat of Nero, Commodus and Caligula will remain mysterious save for the fact that Percy and Annabeth participated in the defense of Camp Jupiter. I kinda wanna stick away from Trials of Apollo for the most part, since this is my thing.
Chapter 19: Some Kind of Monster
...
Things had gone so, so horribly wrong.
They had the weapons they needed, the spells, the numbers, a solid plan. And Kronos had blown it all into oblivion.
Annabeth shouldn't have been surprised.
…
"Welcome to the end!" Kronos called out victoriously, raising his arms into the air.
"This just got a lot harder." Leo muttered under his breath.
General Allen walked to the forefront.
"You are all under arrest!" He called out through a microphone. "Now, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!"
"That's likely." Sadie muttered. She quickly drew a bunch of hieroglyphics in the air just as every cop opened fire.
But the bullets never hit their intended targets. They passed through the heroes like they didn't physically exist.
Sadie grinned. "I learned that from Isis right before the Fall. Don't leave me behind." Then she fainted, exhausted from her spell, which was still ongoing.
"Run, run, run!" Carter shouted, scooping up Sadie in his arms and running pell-mell as the rest of the heroes followed him into camp.
"Run all you want!" Ares called. "You can't escape from us forever, and when we find you, you're all gonna die!"
...
"We are so massively screwed." Leo told the group as they hunkered down inside Bunker Nine. The doors went on lockdown.
"Well, that oughta hold 'em." He continued.
"For how long?" Carter asked, setting Sadie against a cloth-covered pillow.
"No idea." Leo answered. "I've never had them beta tested for Titans."
"How is she?" Piper asked Carter, gesturing to Sadie.
"Alive." Carter answered. "Just exhausted. That was powerful magic she used back there, and without Isis, she could have burnt herself up using it."
"Glad she had such quick instincts." Hazel said, setting down her spatha. "Or we'd be dead."
"What do we do?" Carter asked. "He saw us coming."
"Who knew he had a mortal army waiting for us?" Frank answered, rubbing his face.
"By the way, am I allowed to roast them?" Leo asked.
"Leo!" Piper reprimanded.
"They are still human." Annabeth reminded him.
"And they're trying to kill us!" Hazel argued defensively. "We have a right to defend ourselves."
"And they have a right to live!" Annabeth argued back. "They have families, too. They are just following orders."
"Wow." Carter remarked. "For the first time in a while, Annabeth and I are actually in agreement."
Leo growled in frustration. "This isn't exactly the time to argue about their rights. They are trying to kill us!"
"Hate to say it, but Leo's right." Frank said. "Just because they're mortals doesn't mean we should lose sight of the goal: beating Kronos. Whatever it takes."
"Can you guys please stop arguing so loudly?" Sadie pleaded, rubbing her face.
Leo jumped. "She's awake!" He gasped.
"Am now." Sadie responded. "Where are we? What's the plan?"
Annabeth licked her lips and scowled. What to do, what to do.
"We need help." Annabeth said. "Kronos wants a fight. I say we give him one. Call for everyone."
"How?" Carter demanded. "After the Fall, everyone is scattered. And it won't be enough to beat him."
"They don't need to beat him." Hazel said. "They just need to keep Kronos' new army away from us."
"So that we can take down Kronos." Frank finished.
"Right, but how do we reach them?" Sadie asked. "It's not like there is a Hero Help Hotline or anything."
"I have an idea." Leo suggested. He rambled around the workshop and finally grabbed what looked like a car's antenna. "With this?"
"What do we do with that?" Frank asked.
"Attach it to that radio in the Ares Cabin." Leo explained. "It will send a high-rate frequency across the planet and outlying dimensions."
"Like Hotel Valhalla?" Annabeth asked.
"Hopefully." Leo answered. "Hopefully everyone can hear the distress signal."
"There's an enormous, gaping hole in your plan." Frank said. "There's an army of humans, plus my dad and the Titan sitting between us and that radio."
"So, we need a diversion." Annabeth said. "Two groups, one for the radio, the other to get everyone else's attention."
"This is a terrible plan." Piper criticized.
"You have anything better?" Sadie asked.
"No." Piper said.
"Then let's get to work." Carter said.
…
Kronos watched from the dining pavilion as Ares led the soldiers into the woods.
"Our alliance will reap so many benefits from these people." General Allen droned to him. "We'll learn great magic, and all of the secrets from this place."
Kronos smiled. "Of course." He said softly. Then he slung his sword through General Allen's sternum. General Allen fell the pavilion floor, bleeding out.
"Wh-why?" The General asked shakily.
"Because the only being who is going to change the world is me." Kronos sneered, breaking the General's neck with his foot.
WAIT!
What had he just done? Kronos stepped away from the General. He had needed him to manipulate this mortal army?
Kronos crouched, and held his head in his hands? Where had that rage come from? Kronos didn't care about this pathetic camp. Why would he care if a mortal ripped it apart?
Kronos dropped his hands, and tilted his head. His host. Jackson was much stronger than Luke ever was. He must have been watching the entire time, and was enraged when the General threatened to tear apart his home.
Kronos gnashed his teeth. He could control the mortals for now, but he needed his own form back, fast.
…
Ares stalked his way though the woods when suddenly he was blasted with fire. The Hephaestus kid, Valdez, was blasting him with molten hands as his friends ran behind him.
Without his full power, Ares crumbled to his knees. Some of the soldiers were caught in the flames.
"After them!" He yelled at the rest. "I'm right behind you!"
…
Annabeth, Carter, Sadie and Hazel ran through the woods and strawberry fields to the Big House, all of the soldiers following them.
Hazel was holding a golden globe in her hands.
The group ran inside, and the soldiers surrounded the Big House. Ares stalked through the strawberry fields to the front porch.
"We believe the rebels are inside." One of the soldiers informed Ares.
"All of them?" Ares asked.
"We think so, sir."
"You think?" Ares snorted derisively. "Useless. M'lord, what do you want me to do?"
I CANNOT HARM THE GIRL. Kronos informed Ares. NOT WHILE PERCY JACKSON IS MY HOST. SO, KILL THEM ALL, ARES, AND I WILL RESTORE YOU BACK TO FULL POWER.
"Oh, they are as good as dead." Ares responded. Ares slammed the front door open and went inside.
…
The demigods were nowhere to be found. Ares checked the first, second and third floors with no results. He withdrew his spear and slammed it into a table.
"Stop, hiding, you cowards and face me!" Ares screamed. "Is my pathetic Roman child running around and hiding with you?!"
…
They were hiding in the Attic. The old stool that the former mummy oracle used to sit on was propped against the wall. The rest of the attic was in disarray. The agents had obviously searched it.
Hazel's knuckles were white around the Archimedes Sphere Leo had given her. Aim and chuck it! He had told her. Easier said than done. Being hunted by an Olympian was terrifying.
"Guys." Carter whispered. "If I distract him, can you lob that at him?"
"How exactly do you plan to distract him?" Sadie whispered back fervently.
"You know, you guys are terrible at whispering!" Ares called out as he struck the trap door to the attic.
"Run!" Carter called as his falcon warrior combat avatar formed around him. Ares struck the avatar with his spear, and Carter grimaced in pain.
"Go!" Carter shouted. Sadie screamed as Carter's avatar started glowing and the entire attic exploded, throwing the group to the ground.
…
Kronos watched the top of the Big House explode in blue and red light. He curled his lips in disgust. Ares surely could handle a few of pesky demigods, even at low power.
Kronos turned his eyes towards the Cabins. He thought he had detected motion. He looked carefully, and only saw a handful of soldiers running through the cabin green from the woods headed to the Big House.
That must have been it. Kronos turned his attention back to the Big House, ready for the end. Because as soon as Ares had murdered the whole lot of them, Kronos would slaughter the bloodthirsty war god.
…
Hazel raised her head, dazed. Annabeth was lying motionless. Sadie was staring hopefully at the top of the House, waiting patiently for her big brother.
They were in the strawberry fields. Hazel dragged Annabeth away from the tether ball pole. The ball was gone.
Suddenly, a shadow passed over them. Ares landed in front of them, blocking the tetherball pole, clutching his spear. His eyes were glowing stars of red fire.
Ares growled and raised his spear.
"Where's my brother?!" Sadie demanded.
"I'd be more worried about yourselves!" Ares shouted, readying to plunge the spear into one of them as Hazel raised the Archimedes Sphere and threw it at Ares.
A silver net opened and wrapped around the war god, tying him to the tetherball court. Ares shrieked, trying to fight against the nets.
"Nooo!" Ares screeched. "Let me out!"
Carter landed behind them, his clothes smoking and bloodied, his face and hands covered in bruises and scratches. He grabbed Ares' spear off the ground and drove it into the war god's chest. Ares screamed as he turned into a glowing statue before crumbling to dust.
Annabeth woke up. There was blood dripping from her scalp. She blinked away the tears.
"What happened?" She asked groggily.
"We fell from the attic, and then brother dearest killed your war god for you." Sadie said breathlessly, crouching against the ground.
"Sir, we have them in our sights!" A soldier yelled as an entire squad surrounded the group. The heroes raised their hands.
Suddenly, the ground around the soldiers collapsed as tree roots dug their way in and out around the Big House. Naiads from the lake began grabbing soldiers and dragging them under.
The air was alive with pegasi and chariots, as hundreds of warriors in Greek, Roman and Nordic armor began attacking soldiers. There was a rather large group of young men and women in white linen casting spells against soldiers.
Clarisse and Reyna lead ground troops of Greek and Roman warriors against the agents.
Alex Fierro lead an army of Einherji and Valkyries, with Odin the troll amongst them, giving them helpful tips like "Stab here! Dodge that bullet! Duck and cover! This would make a great slide on my battle tactics PowerPoint."
Annabeth stared, dumbfounded. Frank, Leo and Piper ran in from the cabin green.
"Reinforcements are here!" Leo shouted, his hands blazing.
"Good." Annabeth said. "Kronos is ours now."
...
...
...To Be Continued?