AN:

First and foremost, Happy New Year to all of you! Now, I'm home from Florida, which means writing often is back on the menu. I'm excited to keep grinding these chapters out. It's not that I'm in a rush in any sense, I'm just really enjoying writing. Not to mention I've decided I'm going to write new stories after this one, and I already have some ideas for what I want to do next. Exciting times are ahead. So, I know I left you on a cliff hanger of sorts, but we're back, and things are about to get spicy. I hope you enjoy what I've put together for you for chapter 20 of "The Spartan"

Tartarus, July 2010 CE

Percy woke up with a pounding headache. His mind was fogged, and he was completely unaware of his surroundings. As he tried to shake off his stupor, he felt his arms outstretched above him. His limbs felt stiff, and when he moved to return them to his sides, he was met with a powerful resistance.

Craning his neck, he was able to make out the faint glow of celestial bronze chains fastening him to the wall. The rest of the room around him was dimly illuminated by his restraints. The shackles cast a subtle light across the room, showing bricks of deep crimson surrounding him on all sides. The room was small and bare, with only one metal door opposite him. It was a prison; of that he had no doubt.

Through his clouded mind, he tried to remember why he would be in a cell like this. He was still shaking off the disorientation of unconsciousness, and the memories were slipping away from him, fading from his touch like droplets of morning dew. His inability to recall what had happened was driving him mad, teasing his mind, until suddenly it all came crashing down on him all at once.

He remembered the massive black forest. The arai stalking him and Zoë for hours. The monster army attacking them, led by Pallas. His intense exhaustion leading to one crucial mistake in his duel. Leaving Zoë all alone to fight a titan. Zoë. It all flooded back, overwhelming his mind in a crescendo of pounding flashes of pain. As he remembered, he struggled against his chains. He had to escape. He had to find Zoë.

Tugging as hard as he could, his efforts did nothing against the cold grip of the celestial bronze chains. They held strong, anchoring him to the wall. Percy tried to manipulate the water in the air, but found the chains were dampening his powers. There was nothing he could do. He was resigned to his position now, completely and utterly trapped.

Percy pondered what his next plan of action was. He needed to escape, that much was clear, but he wasn't sure how quite yet. He would just have to wait until someone visited, as that would provide the best opportunity to see what he was up against. Unfortunately for whoever was on guard, Percy wasn't a particularly patient guy when his girlfriend was stranded all alone in Tartarus.

"Hey? Anyone out there?" he yelled out, projecting his voice to the door on the far side of his cell. He hoped the walls weren't thick enough to prevent his voice from reaching anyone outside.

With a bang, a small slot on a window in the door slid open, allowing a beam of light to penetrate the room. The light stung his eyes, blinding compared to the dim glow his restraints had allotted him. He was forced to turn away, squinting as his eyes slowly adjusted to the newfound light. Suddenly, the brightness was cut off, replaced by a monstrous pair of eyes, light filtering less harshly past the monster's head.

"Ah, you're awake." the voice hissed.

Thanks to the hiss of their speech, he was able to tell the monster guard was obviously a dracaena. He felt kind of disrespected. Even powerless he felt he warranted a more fearsome being standing watch over him.

"No. I'm actually just a huge fan of having conversations while I sleep." He shot back, his frustration with his imprisonment starting to boil over.

"Oh, what I wouldn't do to carve out that stupid tongue of yours, Spartan. You've killed thousands of my sisters, and I would love to put you in your place." The dracaena retorted, "But unfortunately, the master has already laid claim to you."

"The master? Pallas, I assume?" Percy questioned.

He was angry, but he was trying to remain levelheaded. He needed to get all the information he could. He needed to be able to formulate a plan of escape. The faster he got out of there, the faster he could get to tracking down Zoë and making it to the doors of death.

"No, foolish mortal. You will meet the master soon. He's been told of your arrival, and he's on his way. He was… Quite eager to see you."

Percy tried to ask more questions, but apparently dracaena aren't the best conversationalists. The beast slammed the sliding window shut, once again drowning him in the inky darkness of his lone cell.

He waited for hours, counting each second as it passed by. It was agony. Being forced to sit in solitude, bathed in an abyss of darkness, fully alert as each moment ticked by was psychological torture at its finest. He knew what they were doing, he had used the same technique several times himself.

The master, whoever he was, wanted him disoriented and uncomfortable when he arrived. That's why he was forcing Percy to sit in darkness all alone despite his apparent eagerness to chat with him. He wanted Percy off his game when they spoke. Percy smiled to himself in the darkness. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

When his door finally opened again, the sight surprised him. Despite the dracaena's words, he had still been expecting Pallas. He had been the one to capture him after all. What he hadn't been expecting was his captor to be a completely different titan, but another familiar face all the same.

"Perses." Percy growled out.

"Spartan." Perses said, a sinister smile on his face. His eyes were manic. He looked just as crazy as he had when Percy had fought him back during the battle of Manhattan.

"Where's Zoë? Where is she?" Percy asked, his voice threatening.

He put every ounce of intimidation into his words. Usually when Percy exuded this much murderous intent, the target of his ire went running, but not this time. Despite his greatest efforts, the titan looked nothing short of amused. He should've known better. Perses was much too insane to feel fear.

"Relax Perseus." Perses said with fake comfort in his tone. "She is being… Properly cared for."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well you see, I wanted you, but I was preoccupied, so I had Pallas retrieve you. He wanted you for himself, so I had to provide… Payment." The titan replied, giggling at his words.

"He… Wanted Zoë?" he asked with a whisper.

The idea made him thoroughly confused, and unbelievably angry to boot. He didn't know what the titan would want with her, but he didn't like the possibilities that were running through his head. He felt his stomach churn, trying to unleash his rage even through the power muffling capabilities of his celestial bronze restraints.

"Oh yes very much indeed. Along with a little something extra. He claimed something about her caught his eye during the battle of Manhattan. You know… Right before you lit him on fire and all." The titan cackled. He seemed to find his own brothers burning alive to be quite hilarious.

Percy took a deep breath, thinking back to Chiron's teachings long ago. His mind was a hurricane of fury, and every fiber of his being yearned to destroy Pallas, and Perses too for that matter, but he knew he couldn't do that if he didn't play whatever sick game Perses wanted him to play first. He had to be calm no matter what he was feeling. He had to be in control.

"And what did you want with me?" he asked, his voice level.

The titan grinned a wicked cheshire grin. His lip was curled up in a feral smile. His eyes burned with an intense manic glow that seemed to be irrefutably insane. Percy had never seen madness so personified. Even on the bridge it hadn't been so clear. Perses was the ultimate chaos seeker. He wanted to see destruction, chaos, and madness. He wanted to watch the world burn.

"Oh, it's quite simple… I want to be entertained."

Tartarus, July 2010 CE

Percy listened dully to the roar of the crowd outside. He had fought in front of an audience before, sure, but never one so… Disconcerting. So menacing. As he waited in the dark tunnel leading up to the arena, he slowly raised his hand to his neck, feeling the familiar arrowhead that had long rested there.

Perses had returned his equipment, claiming that as long as Percy was wearing the enchanted bronze chains, he couldn't hope to escape, even with his weapons and armor. As much as Percy believed in his ability with a sword, he knew the titan was right. Without his powers, not even his masterful swordsmanship could get through the massive army of monsters at Perses' disposal.

Now Percy found himself in the bowels of the arena of Tartarus, waiting for his introduction. He had already tried to remove his restricting chains, now cut down to more manageable shackle bracelets, but Anaklusmos had glanced off them. Whoever had created these had used very powerful and very ancient magics he did not understand. He wouldn't be able to remove them by normal means.

Up above, the crowd's cheers escalated, telling him the fight before his had been finished. Soon, the cheering died down, and he knew his time was almost here. He hadn't wanted to fight in the arena, but Perses had insisted that only through service to his gladiator games could he achieve freedom. From the end of the tunnel, he heard Perses voice begin to goad the crowd. He walked slowly to the gate, preparing for whatever awaited him on the other side.

"And now, the man you all came to see! The deadliest warrior Olympus has ever produced. The most fearsome monster slayer to ever set foot on earth. I'm sure you all know and fear him, but now, rejoice! He's here to fight for your entertainment! He's here to die for your pleasure. I give you, Perseus, the Ghost of Sparta!" Perses bellowed.

The gate in front of Percy sunk into the ground, and for the first time, he stepped foot on the sands of the arena of Tartarus. Around him, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of boos, roars, taunts, and growls. Debris was tossed haphazardly onto the arena floor and stones whizzed by him, obviously aimed with malicious intent. All in all, it was about as warm a welcome as he had expected from an audience of monsters.

Looking around as he walked towards the middle of the arena, he was forced to admit that Perses had something going for him here. The arena looked like an exact replica of the colosseum in its heyday, only it was constructed with the sinister black stone of Tartarus, giving it a hellish, but impressive appearance.

Littering the stands was every kind of monster imaginable. Telekhines, dracaena, empousa, laistrygonian giants, and so many others lined the seats. You name the type of monster, they were there in bunches, and they looked pretty excited to see him die. The monster crowd was near frothing at the mouth to watch the death of the man with such a fearsome reputation in the monster world. He was eager to disappoint them.

His eyes fell on the emperor's box, meeting the crazed gaze of Perses. He looked overjoyed. Like this was the exact response he wanted. A spectacle of chaos and pure entertainment the pit had never seen before. He was salivating at the idea, and Percy could see it. Perses was eyeing him, but his attention wasn't on the titan, he was a little more focused on something else.

To the left of Perses, he saw the titan who had captured him. His chest quickly erupted in anger. Pallas had Zoë, and he was going to make him pay. He sent the titan a stare that promised destruction, something that surely pleased Perses, but Pallas seemed unfazed. In fact, the massive warrior only studied Percy closer, peering at the mortal with a curious look, as if he was a puzzle missing just one piece.

"People of the pit! Is this not the most exciting thing our beloved arena has ever seen?" Perses bellowed, cutting off Percy and Pallas' stare down. Around him, the crowd erupted into cheers.

"I have created the most challenging gauntlet the arena has ever seen for our champion. If he survives, he will be granted his freedom for providing us with the most impressive show Tartarus has ever seen!" All around the stadium, the crowd erupted into yells and boos of distaste. They didn't seem to like that option. "But when he dies, you will all be witness to the death of the bane of monsters! Will this not truly be the greatest show ever witnessed?"

It was pandemonium. The monster crowd cheered and screamed in ecstatic fashion. Percy realized now why Perses had given him this offer. Whether Percy won or lost, the results would be catastrophic. The monster crowd would become a rioting mob of destruction either in happiness or anger, and that was exactly what the mad titan wanted. Nothing but unruly destruction purely for the sake of chaos.

"And now, his first challenger! Or should I say challengers?" The titan said, pointing towards the gate opposite the one Percy had come from.

The gate clunked down, allowing his first challenge to show itself. For the second time in his imprisonment, he felt insulted. His mighty challenge was three empousa? This wouldn't even make any one of the seven sweat. They'd tackle this like it was nothing. For him it was laughable.

The empousa seemed to share his thoughts. They approached him with trepidation. They were under no illusion to their purpose. Perses had made it very clear to them. They were cannon fodder. Meant to die in order to rile up the crowd. This was just the beginning of the mad titan's great spectacle.

When they finally reached him, they lost any hesitation in their step. They knew they were supposed to die, and there wasn't really a chance of survival, but they weren't going to go down without a fight. They'd take an infinitesimally small chance over no chance at all. Percy could respect that.

The empousa surrounded him, all moving to attack him with their claws at once. They hoped he'd be unable to ward off three attacks at once. Their hopes were misplaced. This was the Ghost of Sparta they were fighting, not some random demigod. He was more than capable.

Percy dropped to one knee at their first movement, allowing one set of claws to go flying over his head. Anaklusmos caught another pair, and the shield of Leonidas the third. As the empousa tried to recover from their failed attacks, he was already on the move. Sweeping his legs in a wide arc, he sent all three tumbling to the ground. Before they could rise, he was on them, slicing the poorly outmatched monsters into ribbons.

The crowd booed again. The fight had lasted only a few seconds, and the object of their hatred looked none the worse for wear. This gauntlet was looking less appealing now. Perses seemed to sense they were growing restless, which is exactly what he had wanted. Despite the boos, he looked pleased.

"Peace, my friends." Perses hollered, waving his arms to emphasize his words. "This is only the beginning. I assure you; each opponent will be much more difficult than the last. Now, let the second challenge begin!"

The crowd rumbled in approval. Across the arena from Percy, the gate lowered again. He probably should've been more invested in his duel, but the emperors box held his attention once again. Pallas had left during Perses speech, and he'd just returned, this time with something much more important to Percy than any monster. Zoë.

Around her neck was a celestial bronze shackle, a chain dangling off it wound up in Pallas' hands. The titan was studying him again, gauging his reaction. Percy could care less about that though. His eyes were on Zoë's. She was looking at him, her midnight orbs seeming to be sending one message. "I'm okay."

She looked alright. Or as alright as anyone trapped as the captive of a titan deep in Tartarus could look anyways. She seemed unharmed, and her clothes were still in tatters, but no different than when he'd last seen her. With a sigh of relief, he realized Pallas hadn't done what he had most feared. Although he was glad, it raised an interesting question. What did Pallas want with her?

Unfortunately, he wasn't given the chance to ponder the question. Instead, he was reminded of one of the first lessons Chiron had ever taught him; one that Zoë's appearance had made him forget. Luckily, Zoë's eyes warned him just in time, otherwise he would've certainly been killed.

Dodging at the last second, he managed to avoid the brunt of the blow from his attacker. Still, part of whatever it was made contact, sending him flying towards the arena wall. He slammed into it with a crunch, dust erupting in a plume around him. He looked to his opponent, his eyebrows raising beneath his helmet. Perses had certainly upped the stakes a bit.

He removed himself from the wall as the dust settled, regaining his footing. He stood face to face with a massive Colchis bull, its snout spewing steam. The mechanical bull's hoof pawed at the ground, kicking up sand as it made to charge him again. Normally, Percy would probably just thrash one of these things with his powers just to save time, but that wasn't an option here. He'd have to get creative.

The bull started its charge, quickly picking up speed. Percy had to time this right if he wanted to succeed. Turning from the mechanical beast as it drew nearer, he ran towards the wall he had recently been imbedded in. The bull chased after him, bloodlust in it's glowing red eyes. Exactly as Percy planned, the bull gained ground on him fast. He was nearly gored, moving just soon enough to put his plan into action.

Hitting the wall with tremendous speed, Percy's world seemed to slow down. Without missing a step, the spartan ran up the wall of the arena, quickly gaining altitude. The bull had no time to stop and crashed into the arena wall, lodging its horns in the cool black stone.

Percy pushed off the wall just as the automaton made impact, contorting his body in the air like a gymnast. Somersaulting through the air, he landed firmly on the beasts back. He thrust Anaklusmos into the robot's spine with a grunt, but the creation of Hephaestus wouldn't be beaten so easily.

The bull tore its horns from the wall, sending rock and debris flying. It began to buck violently, trying to throw its unwanted rider from its back. Percy clung tightly to the hilt of Anaklusmos, knuckles white with effort. He needed to kill this thing before he was thrown clear.

Redoubling his grip with one hand, he quickly reached for his boot. He removed his dagger, and without taking time to give the bull a chance to buck again, he jammed the knife into the things head. He assumed the vital circuitry would be placed there, and it seemed it was, because the bull's movements rapidly decreased, coming to a full stop in moments.

He dismounted the now still mechanical bull, once again placing himself in front of the emperor's box. Zoë smiled encouragingly at him from Pallas' side. She didn't say anything, but her face said enough. She looked expectantly at him, as if to say "Hurry up and win so we can leave already." Their silent conversation was cut off by the mad titan arena master.

"A brilliant display by the Spartan!" Perses shouted. The crowd shouted their disagreements. "But there's more where that came from! I present to you, his third opponent!"

This time around, Percy wasn't making the same mistake he made last time. His chest still kind of hurt from the Colchis Bull's charge he had been unprepared for. He turned towards the gate, raising his sword and shield in a defensive stance. For the third time, the gate slowly clinked down, his opponent taking to the field.

His third opponent was significantly more imposing than the first two. In fact, without his abilities, Percy was almost worried. Almost. The crowd around him seemed to think he should be, if their cheers were anything to go by. It sounded like they thought this would be the beast to kill the Ghost of Sparta.

There were certainly worse monsters to put your faith in, Percy thought grimly to himself. The monster before him glittered in the light of the pit, sending dazzling sparkles across the arena. Its mane blew in the slight whistling breeze of Tartarus. The Nemean Lion reared back it's head and roared to the ceiling, projecting its strength through the colosseum.

This would be a much taller task. He was missing his abilities right now, which made this much more complicated. He cursed his power dampening bracelets in his head, wishing he could just use some water to stomp the poor Nemean lion. Instead, he'd have to do this the old fashion way.

"Here kitty kitty kitty." He called out to the beast.

The lion roared again, pouncing on him in a moment. The lions swung his paw, aiming to rake his claws against Percy's chest. Percy backed away with inhuman quickness, just dancing out of the lion's reach. The lion wasted no time grumbling over its failed attack, instead launching a continuous assault on its prey.

Percy, for his part, could only dodge. He knew well enough the weakness of the monster, and he would have to wait for a clean opportunity to strike at the lion's mouth or eyes. Until then, all he could do was dodge and swing his sword to aggravate the beast.

As the lion continued to attack him with a flurry of bites and scratches, Percy rolled underneath it. The lion could easily just sit on him, but he was counting on the monster being a little slow on the uptake. Luckily, his assumption was correct. Percy continued his roll, coming up behind the beast. He took hold of the lion's tail, grasping it just before the monster whipped its body around to face him.

Holding on tight, he was carried with the tail. He was dangling from the monster's tail with one hand, his other grasping Anaklusmos with a white-knuckle grip. He only had one shot at this. He'd have to time it perfectly.

Violently, the lion started to whip its head around. It brought its tail toward its head, looking to chomp its unwanted passenger. Just before the lion's head reached him, Percy let go of the tail, not leaving the beast any time to adjust or halt its own plan. As Percy fell clear of the lion's maw, the monsters jaws missed him, instead chomping shut on its own tail.

Percy fell to the ground, drawing his knife from his boot. Above him, the lions tail fell from its mouth. The Nemean lion's mouth hung open, roaring in self-inflicted pain. This was his chance. Rearing back his arm, Percy launched his knife straight down the monster's gullet. With a shudder, the massive lion collapsed to the earth, subdued by the blade in its throat. It slowly dissipated into golden dust, leaving Percy alone on the arena floor. He scooped up his dagger, shoving it back into its normal hiding place, all in complete silence.

After a few moments, all around him the arena burst into another flurry of displeasure. Their bloodlust was growing and growing with each minute he still lived. From the emperor's box, Perses' eyes scanned the crowd, eagerly lapping up the chaotic and destructive energy the crowd was producing. It was paradise for the mad titan.

"A valiant effort by our gladiator! He has slain one of the mightiest beasts of legend. Still, his final challenge will be even more dangerous. He will be fighting the titan of warfare himself! Pallas, take to the field!"

The monster crowd shouted their approval. This was surely going to be the fight that did their nemesis in. Without powers, and trapped in the arena of Tartarus, there was no doubt. The Ghost of Sparta would die, and the titan of warfare would be a hero to monsters everywhere.

From his spot on the arena floor, Percy's face stretched into a wide smile beneath his helmet. He had been planning on killing Pallas after he had finished Perses' gauntlet anyways, but Perses' had given him the chance to kill two birds with one stone. Now all he had to do was kill the bastard and he and Zoë were free to go according to Perses. Percy still wasn't sure how likely that was, but he figured the chance was better than nothing.

In the emperor's box, the mad titan grinned wickedly. Zoë looked nervous next to him, obviously remembering how their last fight had ended. Percy nodded at her, urging her to have faith. She seemed to get the message, her body losing a little bit of its previous tension.

Next to the emperor's box's two other occupants, the titan of warfare rose. Pallas walked to the edge, his silver armor gleaming, before jumping down to the arena floor. A cloud of sand burst into the air when he made impact, blocking him from sight. When the dust cleared, he was standing tall, his massive sword raised in a battle stance.

"So, long time no see. Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance Pallas? You have a crush on me or something?" Percy teased, raising Anaklusmos, ready to meet any advance from the titan.

"I didn't kill you because it was not a fair fight. I wanted to fight you at your strongest, sword against sword, no powers. To prove that I, the titan of warfare, should never have been bested by a mere mortal. Perses promised me that opportunity." The titan shot back.

Pallas started to approach him, the tip of his sword tracing small circles in the air. Percy lowered his stance, eyeing the titan's steps. He waited patiently as the distance closed between them. Twenty paces. Fifteen. Ten. Five.

"So, I was right? You do have a crush on me." Percy said. Before Pallas could retort, he sprung into action.

The titan bellowed in rage, swinging his sword at Percy. Percy ducked underneath it, coming up with a violent swing of his shield. The titan backed out of the way of the blow, but Percy was already moving, stabbing directly at the titan's gut. His sword grazed the titan's armor, but Pallas was able to turn his body just in time.

Percy's stab met no resistance, so his momentum carried him forward, sending him tumbling past the titan. Pallas smiled to himself. He knew the mortal had gotten lucky the first time. This was too easy. He raised his sword to strike the spartan down but was met with a shield to the face.

Before he could react, Percy was on him again. He had thrown his shield at Pallas' face buying him time to recover, but now he was at an extreme disadvantage. Rolling away from the titan's next attack, Percy grabbed his knife from his boot for the second time, pulling it out so he was dual wielding.

Pallas pushed him again, and the fight truly began. They went blow for blow for a while, but neither could land a serious hit. Percy pressed hard, but his shorter weapons couldn't reach inside the guard of Pallas' large great sword. Pallas couldn't hit Percy, who's mobility and agility constantly helped him dance away from the touch of his blade.

Finally, the titan made a mistake. He raised his blade overhead, aiming to bring it down in a two-handed overhead strike. Percy recognized the bait this time. He knew what was coming. Stepping inside, just like the titan wanted, he could see the titan change his weapons trajectory, aiming to hit his helmet with the pommel just like their last fight. This time though, Percy was expecting it.

Percy didn't let it faze him though. Instead, he stepped even further inside Pallas' guard, coming closer to the titan than his pommel's trajectory could reach. Percy brough his head directly into the chin of the taller titan, sending him reeling backwards.

Before the titan could recover, Percy was on him. The titan swung a punch at him, but it was slow and telegraphed as he stumbled backwards. Percy spun away from it, bringing his sword in a deadly horizontal arc across Pallas' chest as he did. He cut through the titan's armor like tin foil, leaving a huge gash on the titan's chest.

Pallas didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening before Percy was pushing him again. Pallas swung his sword wildly, hoping to make contact. He was bleeding profusely, and the ichor loss was making him desperate.

As the sword whirred through the air, Percy ducked it, pushing closer than even his sword could strike from. Instead, he brought his off hand, the one holding his dagger, and rose with force, jamming the short blade into the underside of Pallas' chin. His blade struck deep and true, biting deep into the titan's skull, killing him instantaneously.

The titan's armored form slumped against Percy, completely lifeless. With a huff, he shoved the corpse unceremoniously to the ground, leaving the body to water the arena sands with golden ichor.

The arena was in a state of shock. They'd been expecting a quick death for the spartan. It's what Pallas had promised. Instead, they'd been forced to watch as the object of monster's nightmares solidified his reputation to them. The Ghost of Sparta was already like the boogey man to them, and he had just gotten even scarier. He'd killed a titan with nothing but his skill. No godly powers required.

The monsters murmured among themselves. For a while, everyone in the arena stood stock still, even Perses. Then, as if all at once, everyone decided it was time to move. In the emperor's box, Perses grabbed a hold of Zoë. Percy snarled, reaching for his sword again, but was stopped by surprise.

The titan disappeared with her in a flash of light, reappearing next to him in the middle of the arena. At the titan's movements, the monster's bloodlust and anger finally overrode their fear of both Percy and Perses. They began to pour from the stands like a stream of mythological terror, all gunning for the trio in the middle of the arena.

Percy readied himself to fight but was stopped by Perses' raised hand. The mad titan simply stomped a booted foot, causing a giant bubble of orange energy to surround the three of them. The monster army slammed against it, but their efforts were futile. The titan's barrier held strong.

"You're helping us?" Percy asked carefully. He wasn't sure if Perses was trying to protect them, or if he wanted them all to himself.

"Why of course! Why would I kill you?" The titan laughed, like the idea was hilarious.

"Not that I'm complaining but, isn't that sort of your thing. To kill everything indiscriminately? Zoë questioned.

"Normally yes, but look around you," the titan said, gesturing to the mob of monsters still trying to get through the barrier. "You two leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake wherever you go! Why would I want to stop that? It only makes things more fun for me!" the mad titan cried.

"So why bother with capturing us then?" Percy asked hesitantly. As much as he could see the titan was just straight up loco, he wanted to have some semblance of understanding, purely for curiosities sake.

"Because," the titan grinned, "Pallas insisted. Really wanted you and the girl."

"Yea, what did he want with you?" Percy growled out, turning towards Zoë. The mad titans behavior was momentarily forgotten.

"He was hoping I'd provide him with some sort of advantage in the fight. He was thoroughly invested In killing you. It was all about proving he was the ultimate warrior or something." Zoë explained quickly. He could tell there was a little more to it than that, but he figured it could wait until later.

"Enough chit chat, you mortals should go," Perses stomped his foot, opening a tunnel in the ground between them. "As much as I'm enjoying these angry monsters, there's much more destruction from you two ahead. So exciting." Perses seemed like a giddy school girl thinking of all the things they'd blow up together.

"Yea, I can't really do too much destroying without my powers." Percy said patiently. He raised his still shackled hands. "Mind removing these for me before we leave?"

"Oh no. No can do. There's only one person who can remove those. The guy who made them for me. I need your storm powers back ASAP so you can get back to blowing things up, so I made you this express passageway. The tunnel leads right to him." Perses explained, pointing towards the dark shaft he'd created.

"And just who are we going to see?" Zoë asked hesitantly. Something in the pit of her stomach told her she wouldn't like his answer.

"Isn't it obvious? Can't you feel it?" Perses asked indignantly..

And they could. Emanating from the tunnel was a blast of wintry air. It was numbingly cold, and completely out of place in the molten heat of the Tartarus atmosphere. The tunnel seemed to have an intense pull, beckoning them to explore its depths.

Percy and Zoë both realized where they were headed next. The thought chilled their blood. Percy felt Zoë place her hand in his, but it did nothing to alleviate the strangling hand of fear gripping his heart. Still, there was no other choice. With one last look back at the mad titan, the couple stepped into the darkness of the tunnel, ready to face what was ahead. Together.

AN:

That's a wrap guys. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I really like how this played out. I was going for a few things. One, I wanted this chapter to show that even without his abilities, Percy is still a badass. A big part of his character is how he can rise to any occasion using ability and wit. Even though he's a powerhouse with his abilities from Poseidon, Percy is still a self-made and capable warrior. Two, I wanted to portray Perses well. Yea, he let them walk, but it fits his character. To me, he's the ultimate chaotic neutral. He just want's whatever causes the most destruction, and let's be honest, Percy fighting Gaea promises way more damage than just killing him or cooping him up in an arena. Three, I wanted to show Pallas' prideful side as well. He wanted to prove he was a better warrior than Percy, so he didn't kill them. That's why he wanted Zoë. He thought he could use her to gain the upper hand and assure his victory, but obviously she wasn't going to go giving out any of Percy's secrets. I want to make it clear; he DID NOT do anything sexual to her like one reviewer thought for some reason, he only cared about getting information to help him with beating Percy. Unfortunately for him, he got flexed. And finally, I wanted to set up Percy's encounter next chapter. I'm sure it's clear where he's going. I'm excited. Once again, Happy New Year, and see you guys soon. Until then,

Peace