Narrator / January 10th
It may have been a bit confusing at first for such a massive pyramid to rest in the middle of a random desert in Australia. But of course, the demigods knew better by now than to question it, and just go with the flow.
"So do we just take the stairs?" Chloe asked as the trio made it to the foot of the pyramid
"Surprisingly, yeah" Layton answered
"They'll pay" Nico said as he tightly gripped his sword
"If we get lucky, then we don't need to take any vengeance" Layton said as they began to make their way up the stairs. "We have nine minutes, and it'll take about two to get up these stairs. If we try and run, then our speed will be reversed on us, so walk slow"
"You sure do know a lot about this stuff" Nico pointed out
"If your eyes could process the pages in The Hidden Archives, you would too" Layton replied
The rest of the two minutes was spent in silence, the only sounds being the thunder that continued to boom around the pyramid, and the demigods' footsteps against the hard stone of the steps. Once they made it to the top, the purple door had black smoke radiating off of it, and whispers tried to convince them not to open it.
"What's stopping us from being attacked the second we get in there?" Nico questioned
"I can cloak us within time for a minute - which should be enough to make it past the initial defenses" Layton assured as he placed his palm on the door. "Help me out Nico. The door will only respond to darkness"
Nico nodded and placed his palm on the other half of the door. After a few seconds, there was a loud creak as the door slowly opened. Inside, there were a tunnel that led into more darkness, and red torches hanging from the walls illuminated the area.
As soon as the demigods stepped inside, the flames stopped dancing on the torches and green shattered glass replaced the floor and walls - Layton's ability.
"The Pyramid's location shifts from country to country every hour or so. When we step out, if we do, we might be in an entirely different part of the world" Layton informed
"I can shadow-travel us out if we're lost" Nico said. "If I have the energy though. What's in this place anyways?"
"It's a portion of the Netherworld. It's like Tartarus except everything's distorted. I went with Percy to chase the guardian demon that came into the real world" Layton said
Just as a light appeared at the end of the darkness, the shattered glass retreated back to the entrance and the sounds of the burning fire coming from the torches cancelled out any silence.
"Oh gods" Chloe muttered as they stepped out into the light
Nico and Chloe looked around at the vast land in front of them. The floor was made of some kind of red rock, and large orbs that looked like planets floated around in the yellow sky. In the distance, there was a small yellow shrine where a beacon of white energy was shooting up into the sky - their goal. As soon as Nico took a step forward, one of the floating orbs glitched and crashed into another, sending a shower of debris.
"Three and a half minutes, but it's only a mater of time until we're interrupted" Layton said
The group cautiously began to walk, each step causing some kind of glitch in the matrix - planets crashing, the floor shifting in the distance, dark red trees tumbling over. They stopped about thirty-five feet away from the shrine when a purple portal opened up in the ground in front of them.
Layton's dual-sided sword appeared in his hand. "Here we go again"
From the portal, a humanoid demon crawled out. It was tall at about six feet, and muscular but also somewhat slim. Its skin was purple, and it hand long red horns protruding from its head. He wore dark green armor - gauntlets on his hands and a chest-plate.
"I've been expecting you" it hissed, licking its lips. "And I'm met with an old friend"
It's voice definitely sounded demonic, but it was also raspy as if it had some kind of sickness that gave him a sore throat.
"And a son of Hades. The last one that came here caused me a lot of trouble..." it said
"We're not here for you, so you can just move out of our way" Layton stepped forward but a long green katana that matched the color of the demon's armor appeared in its hand, and he extended it out so it nearly touched his neck.
"Lets not rush now. I haven't even introduced myself" It turned to Nico and Chloe. "My name is Altera, and perhaps we can bargain"
"The Other" Chloe translated its name. "Hera told me about you. Apparently you can't be trusted"
"Oh, but what would the goddess know? We've never even had a conversation... Who is she to judge me?" Altera replied, placing his free hand over his chest
"What kind of bargain are you talking about?" Nico inquired
"As soon as you stepped foot into my dimension, I learned your motive for coming here. Behind me stands a shrine that is currently resurrecting the demigod your after. I will allow you to come forth and attempt to prevent it, under one condition" Altera explained. "Once you have finished, one of you must stay here with me"
"I'll stay" Layton decided impatiently
"Is that your final decision?" Altera checked
"But you can't stay, we need you. I need you" Chloe said
"A son of Hades would have a better chance at surviving in a place like this. I think I should stay" Nico added
"Just go with it" Layton mumbled, stepping forward. "Let us through and I'm yours"
"If you survive. Good luck demigods" Altera said, laughing as he disappeared into red smoke
A shockwave of energy was sent out from the shrine up ahead, and the demigods knew they were limited on time. They rushed over to it, but black goo spilled out the shrine and a familiar Shadow-Dragon arose from it.
"Not so fast demigods" Toxicus wagged his finger. "Please allow the resurrection to finish. Won't it be funner that way?"
"You can't just resurrect people like that!" Nico retorted. "It's... It's not right!"
"Aren't you the same demigod who tried so desperately to resurrect their fallen sister? How about this, Nico Di Angelo. If you join us, I will personally reunite the two of you" Toxicus offered
Layton and Chloe watched as Nico's scowl turned into a look of consideration. The grip on his sword faltered for a second and he nearly dropped it, but he resumed his tight grip.
"I'll even sweeten the deal" Toxicus raised one finger. "Join us, and I will also resurrect the recently fallen Jason Grace"
"You... you killed him?" Nico asked
"It was such an easy task. He practically asked for it, with his pathetic reflexes" Toxicus shrugged. "But If you join us, he will be as good as new"
Nico's hands trembled with rage and the ground shook. A hole in the sky opened up, and skeletons fell through, but they broke into a pile of bones upon impact. Regardless, the son of Hades charged the Shadow-Dragon. Toxicus transformed into a dragon, evading Nicos's sword. The dragon made of smoke spiraled up into the sky and towered over them.
"Unless you can beat me in one minute, then you have no shot at survival demigods" Toxicus taunted from above
"Our powers don't work the same way here" Layton said
The dragon sprayed black fire at the demigods, and Layton's dual-sided sword spun to deflect it. Nico spotted the orange stone sitting at the top of the shrine, out of reach. He and Chloe climbed up the poles at the entrance to try and grab it while Layton protected them from incoming attacks.
"Thirty seconds" Toxicus announced before shooting a meteor at them
Layton slashed his sword upwards and cut the small meteor in half, but the two parts still exploded behind him, surrounding him in smoke.
"I can't reach!" Nico said as his arm struggled for the stone up top
"Twenty-five" Toxicus said, the dragon curving down to take a large bite out of the ground where Layton stood a second before
Chloe jumped down from the shrine and climbed up to under Nico. She used one of her hands to elevate his foot, but his hand was still about an inch away from being able to grab the stone.
"Use your sword! Carve it out!" Chloe suggested
Nico held on with his free hand while he reached out and stabbed his Stygian-Iron sword beneath where the stone was carved into a rock that was placed at the curved doorway to the shrine. He pushed his sword down, attempting to get the tip of his sword to push the stone outwards, but he didn't have enough strength.
"Five seconds demigods" Toxicus chuckled
Chloe counted down the seconds in her head, and just as she hit one, the stone popped out of the rock and hit the ground beneath them. The two demigods sighed with relief, but they hit the ground, falling on their backs as the shrine began to shake.
The dragon melted into smoke and Toxicus reformed, standing next to the fallen demigods. "It's taken us such a long time, but we've finally done it"
Everything was silent as footsteps coming from inside the shrine became audible. The two doors slowly creaked open, and Nico recognized the figure standing at the door way. A tall demigod with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar over his right eye. He held a double-edged sword, one side steel and the other bronze. He scanned the area and walked over to the fallen stone, kneeling down to pick it up before placing it into the center of his sword's guard where a hole was specifically carved for it.
"Luke Castellan, a pleasure you could join us. Your first act of duty will be to slay these demigods" Toxicus instructed
"Luke?" Nico called out
His blue eyes snapped in the direction of Nico's voice, and he raised his sword. "You both will die here"
All hell broke loose in a few moments. Luke charged Nico and Chloe, who both barely stepped out of the way of his blade. Toxicus transformed into his slimmer state and lunged at Layton who just finished standing up from his previous fight.
"You don't have to do this Luke!" Nico tried as he blocked Backbiter
Luke pushed his sword forward and Nico stumbled back. Chloe attempted an attack from behind but it was sensed and Luke parried the strike, slashing Backbiter against her blue armor that arose a shower of sparks. Nico lunged again and attempted to disarm Luke, but his strike was countered and he ended up being the one disarmed.
Chloe attacked again, slashing at any weak spots in his stance, but Luke knew swordplay better than anyone, and didn't need to put much effort into blocking the strikes. Nico recovered his sword and thrusted it at Luke's guard, sending Backbiter skidding across the ground a few feet away.
Yet, the demigods froze, unsure if they should kill Luke while was disarmed. Backbiter somehow flew back into its owner's hand, and the fight resumed - two on one. Behind them, Toxicus and Layton were tussling it out.
"Give up and die!" Toxicus said as he sprayed fire from his mouth
"What'd you do?" Layton demanded as he spun his dual-sided blade to reflect the fire
"I killed Jason Grace - stabbed him through the chest - but the girl is alive. She'll be a big help to our cause" Toxicus answered
"You'll die for that" Layton promised, dropping his sword
"Impress me, weakling" Toxicus retorted
Layton raised his hand, pointing it towards one of the nearby massive orbs. He made a fist and the ground momentarily shook as the planet stopped in place. Toxicus's eyes widened as the orb quickly began to fly towards him.
"Fool!" Toxicus exclaimed as he put his hands out in front of him and pushed against the massive orb in an attempt to not be crushed
His efforts failed, and the orb crushed him, turning him into a pool of black goo. Of course, that wasn't the end, and the black goo quickly reformed the Shadow-Dragon.
"You're only delaying your death" Toxicus said
"You only wish you were immortal. I know just how to kill you" Layton replied
"Show not tell, demigod"
Toxicus pounced onto Layton, slashing away at him. Layton kicked him in the gut and threw him overhead, jumping back to his feet after being knocked down. He turned around and they threw their fists forward, making half of a nearby orb exploded due to the force.
"Its a shame you wouldn't join us. All that power Syn gave you, and you threw it away"
"I don't need it"
Layton glanced over at his friends, who were currently struggling to keep Luke at bay. A loud ding went off and Toxicus suddenly felt a large mass hit the small of his back.
"Things don't work the same way here, meaning that you can die" Layton said as Toxicus stumbled forward and turned around
"I've been waiting to see that ability of yours. It won't work on me twice" Toxicus replied
Layton motioned for the dragon to come forward. Toxicus lunged again, but his arm blade phased straight through the demigod in front of him, but he was as solid as ever - being hit with a massive uppercut that lifted his feet off the ground momentarily.
"You gain your power from pollution, but there's none here in the Netherworld. Neither is there a flow of time here, so our gap in power is massive" Layton explained. "I knew your resurrection would succeed no matter what I tried to do, I just needed to lure you here so I could kill you"
Toxicus growled at the realization. He had been played into coming to where he was weakened, and he was about to die. Layton held out his fist in front of him, and his phantom attack struck Toxicus in the heart, dropping the dragon to his knees.
"I'm the weakest of the seven supreme" Toxicus admitted, closing his eyes and facing the ground. "Go ahead and kill me, it won't help your chances"
Layton's dual-sided sword returned to his hand, and approached Toxicus until he stood a couple of feet in front of him. "What a pathetic way to die"
Black goo oozed out of Toxicus's exposed neck, and the body collapsed before exploding into a shower of golden confetti. Back at the shrine, Luke was having a field day parrying incoming strikes, purposefully missing his swings to have some fun.
Eventually, he got bored and raised his sword. The soul stone glowed brightly and the two demigods clutched their chest, feeling a stabbing sensation.
"Just give in" Luke grunted, unamused. "It'll be less painful that way"
Nico concentrated as best as he could with the pain in his chest, shutting his eyes close. Another hole opened up in the sky, and a skeleton fell - falling on top of Luke and making him to fall to his back. The pain stopped and the demigods caught their breath.
Chloe quickly grabbed Luke's fallen sword and pried the soul stone of the guard. "Got it"
"Give that back!" Luke snarled
"Come and get it!" Nico challenged
Backbiter returned to Luke's hand and he charged the two, but a column of ice hit his feet and froze him in place. Nico and Chloe turned around, and thankfully it was who they thought it was.
"Take the soul stone and go" Layton said
"Why? We've got him right where we want him" Chloe pointed her sword at Luke, who scowled in return
"We can't just kill him like any other monster. Plus, Altera won't let us leave if I try and go with you guys" Layton replied
"Then we'll fight him too! It's three on one anyways" Nico said
"You guys don't know what your messing with. Take the soul stone to Chiron, he'll know what to do" Layton directed
The ground shook and a purple portal opened up in the ground in between Luke and the demigods. Altera crawled out and waved his sword. "Taking the soul stone wasn't part of our bargain, demigods. Hand it over. It will stay here"
"It's coming with me" Luke said
"Silence mortal" Altera ordered
"Come on. Let us help you" Chloe insisted
"I'll be fine on my own. Trust me, I've got a plan" Layton assured
Nico shot Chloe a look and nodded. She hesitated at first, looking like she wanted to do something, but they both had helmets on so she sighed and backed up.
"Me and you Altera, round two" Layton pointed his blade at the demon
"So you choose death then" Altera shook his head
Just as the battle began, Nico and Chloe ran towards the exit, not bothering to look back as they reentered the darkness and into the red illuminated tunnel. The ice off Luke's feet froze, and he attempted to chase after the demigods, but Layton sidestepped and swung his sword, nearly decapitating him.
Luke swung Backbiter and Layton blocked with the lower half of his sword. Altera lunged and pounced on top of Luke, shoving him out of the way. Layton stabbed his sword through the demon's chest and kicked him back.
Altera's chest regenerated and he swung his sword, but was disarmed by Luke from the side. Layton jumped in between them and made a full three-sixty, slashing Altera and deflecting Backbiter.
"I'll kill you both" Luke growled
Neither one of three combatants let the other two simply fight it out, and it was mess as each one of them had to avoid two blades. Altera stabbed his sword forward and hit Layton in the chest, making him stumble back. Luke slashed Backbiter up Layton's back, but he recovered and spun on his heel, slashing his sword and cutting Luke's arm. Altera lunged and knocked Layton over, moving to kill Luke.
Luke sidestepped out of the way of Altera's blade and disarmed him before chopping his head off mercilessly. Layton got up and swung his sword to block Luke's before he could stab it through his chest.
"We both know who the better swordsmen is" Luke said
"Which is why I don't plan on using swords"
Layton stabbed his sword forward, purposefully in a position so that Luke could disarm him. Just as he did, Layton caught his wrist and raised his knee so kick it so that he dropped Backbiter. He twisted Luke's arm and stepped behind him to press him towards the ground.
"Coward" Luke grunted
"Learn how to fight without a sword"
Behind him, Altera regenerated and slashed his sword, causing Layton to let go of Luke. The two stumbled forward and Luke dropped to his knees.
"You can't kill me in my own dimension fools. Maybe you could drop to your knees and beg for forgiveness" Altera said
"No chance" Luke denied, standing up and readying Backbiter
"Have it your way"