Ok so I had more people actually favorite this than I expected so we'll continue the tale. I'll try and make the following chapters a little longer so y'all have more to read while I get more chapters out. In the meantime enjoy!
Percy's Pov:
Tyson and I swam into the center courtyard followed by his forces. We came to a stop as we watched the carnage unfold before us. The courtyard was overrun by telekhines that seemed to be pouring out of a breach in the northern section. Poseidon was entrenched near the southern side, surrounded by his honor guard who held off any advancing monsters while Poseidon shot beam after beam of energy from his trident. In front of his honor guard were line after line of cyclops with shields locked in a tight wall. One cyclops, who was a good two feet taller than the others, shouted, "SPEARS!", as jagged points shot through the shield wall. With a triumphant cry and a wave of his hand the spears met the charging telekhines, bringing dozens of them to the ground. Yet more of the demons replaced their fallen even as the lead cyclops repeated his command.
"That's General Carn, leader of the 1st Cyclops Battalion and Daddy's chief advisor," Tyson explained. "If the enemy has made it this far that means the front wall has fallen."
I gritted my teeth looking for an opening in the horde to reach my father. I had to figure out what he needed me to do to repel the enemy. The enemy had realized that they could not breach the shield wall and had fallen back to their archers who were peppering Poseidon's men with an unending stream of arrows.
"We have to take out those archers before they decimate our side," I muttered. "Tyson, get your men ready, we're going straight for the enemy lines."
"Um Percy there are a lot of them and not a lot of us," he responded with little confidence.
"I know buddy but if we do not stop those archers Dad's forces will not be able to help us push them out of this courtyard," I said.
I raised my sword and with a cry began to swim towards the enemy, followed closely by the cyclops. A wave of arrows flew towards us which I swiped out of the air with my sword. A few of Tyson's men responded by throwing javelins which fell a few of the infantry telekhines. That got their attention off of Poseidon, which I was happy about, but unfortunately I now had about three hundred angry monsters charging towards me. I came to a halt as the first telekhine reached us, quickly running him through with Riptide before stopping another from stabbing my leg. Tyson and his men formed a defensive circle with me as we moved closer to the lines of archers still firing on the main force.
Poseidon's Pov:
The beasts had breached my command center about an hour ago and we had been fighting ever since to repel them. I killed row after row in revenge for my loyal subjects who fell defending my realm but it seemed that Oceanus had an unlimited supply of men to throw at me. Even now I could see the desperation set in with my men, but luckily I had General Carn there to keep them from being routed. He quickly took over command of the front and began repelling the enemy with a spear wall. He was about to give the order to charge until the ocean became filled with arrows flying toward us. I quickly raised a defensive shield but some arrows still managed to break through felling many cyclops. After having the line lock shields in a turtle formation, Carn retreated to the minimal cover I had.
"Sir it appears we have reinforcements coming in from the medical center," Carn stated.
"That's impossible Carn," I said. "The only forces I sent there were the ones evacuating the hospital, and they were told to retreat to the emergency field hospitals."
I watched as Carn shifted his weight nervously saying, "Ah sir it appears the reinforcements are the evacuation force, and they are being led by Tyson and your half-blood son."
"WHAT," I roared as I shifted my gaze to the incoming men. Sure enough, there were my fool hardy sons followed by about twenty cyclops charging straight towards the enemy force. I watched as they crashed into the enemy, quickly forming a defensive ring as they worked their way towards the archers. "Gods dam those fools, I swear I will lock them in my palace after this! General, order the men to advance, if they are going to make such a stupid play they are not going to do it without our support."
Carn smiled as he turned towards the men and gave the order to advance. My forces surged forward with a thunderous cry as the enemy turned towards us and desperately tried to form a line. Percy saw this and shot a stream of water towards them causing many to fall. Even in my anger I had to respect how strong my son had become. I only wish he had a few more years to train, but this is war and war respects no wishes. I threw my trident, crushing multiple ranks of telekhines before it came flying back into my hands. A giant crab descended from the skies with a roar and I raised my trident as the tip glowed with power. But before I could blast the monster into the depths it was intercepted by Briares the Hekatonkniere who disappeared from view as all one hundred of hands pummelled the beast into submission. I smiled as I returned to the conflict in front of me. Briares has played a pivotal role in the defense of my realm, and he had regained all of his confidence after Percy rescued him last summer. I returned my attention to the battle in front of me to see Tyson crush the skull of a telekhine while Percy decapitated one and cut the sword hand off another before running his sword through its neck. The rest of the beasts had begun to retreat out of their entrance, sensing that the battle was lost. I ordered my men to hold before they over extended and commanded Percy to do the same with his. Percy looked at me with a smile that was wiped off his face when he met my steely gaze.
Percy's Pov:
I felt a sensation of joy as the last of the telekhines scurried away to whatever hole they came from. I turned to my father expecting him to mirror my emotions only to be met with a disapproving glare. I suddenly remembered the cyclops whose sole job it was to keep me away from battle and turned to see him inspecting his javelin with great interest. I felt Poseidon swim over and turned to him.
"Hey Dad thanks for the assist with the fight!" I said as I tried to distract him from the fact that I was very much not where he wanted me to be.
He sighed and shook his head asking, "Percy why is it that I can always find you in the center of a conflict no matter what?"
Before I had time to answer a dolphin swam up from behind Poseidon and began to converse with him. I could not clearly hear them but I caught "Delphin" and "overran" before Dad beckoned for the dolphin to leave. He turned to me with a distraught expression on his face and called the cyclops who led the formation over.
"Take any men who can fight and go shore up Lord Delphin's lines, Oceanus has restructured his attack after his failure here." Poseidon said as the cyclops nodded and began to round men up.
I flexed my sword arm and was about to join them when Poseidon put an arm on my shoulder holding me back.
"You and Tyson will stay here and inform me of how you joined this war young man," he said sternly.
I sighed and clicked Riptide back into pen form and put it in my pocket.
"Father you cannot expect me to run when my brother and his men are fighting massive sea monsters," I pleaded with him.
Now it was Tyson's turn to examine his club as Poseidon turned towards him.
"And pray tell me Tyson, what exactly were you doing fighting when I told you to return to the armory with the others?"
Tyson kicked at a small fish swimming by saying, "Monsters attacked the armory Daddy and me and the others fought back."
Poseidon gave up and shook his head before turning back to me saying, "Well at least you are ok, come, we will return to my palace where we can decide what will happen next."
He waved his hand and we dissolved into the water reappearing in what I assumed was the palace war room. Mermen scrambled around informing generals of new information while others swam off to deliver messages throughout the field. When they all saw Poseidon they stopped and bowed before returning to what they were doing. One of them approached Dad saying,
"Lord Poseidon we managed to evacuate all but two of the hospitals. That leaves us with thirty thousand men in the field hospitals and another half million still able to fight."
"Thank you for this report Surgeon Kork, please update me again once we find out how many of the injured will be able to return to combat," Poseidon responded as he walked up to a massive table that showed an aerial view of the battle.
I watched in real time as holograms of sea monsters like the one I killed swept across the field decimating mermen and cyclops alike. Every so often one of the behemoths would fall but I could not tell who had the advantage if anyone did. The battle was massive, taking place dozens of leagues away from the palace itself. The palace overlooked a massive field where the hospitals were. I noticed tiny white stones on the ground and realized they were graves, hastily dug to keep up with the destruction of the war. There had to be tens of thousands of them, each representing someone else that Kronos was responsible for. I steeled my gaze as I returned my attention to the table.
"Send the 14th and 75th Mermen division to support the eastern wall," my father told one of his advisors. "And tell that dam fool Eurick to stop overextending his men, Oceanus clearly is leading him into a trap."
The advisor nodded before retreating from the table. I took his place as my father turned to me saying, "Percy I am sorry that you must experience Atlantis in this way, Oceanus has been relentless in his attempts to wrest control of the seas from me."
"But Daddy has stopped every attack!" Tyson exclaimed proudly earning a smile from many of the men around him.
My father however did not share this optimism, instead furrowing his brow saying, "Yes well Oceanus has sent many monsters I understood to be locked away in the dark depths, but I now know I have been a fool to take the millenium of peace for granted. Percy, what do you remember of your mission against Kronos before you arrived here?"
"I remember the Princess Andromeda and… Beckendorf." I managed to say before choking up.
I cleared my throat and continued, "Father, the cyclops told me its been a week since then, what has happened at camp?"
Poseidon sighed and led me away from the table gesturing for everyone else to return to their duties, including Tyson who began to speak to another cyclops.
"Percy, the camp is divided. Some of them believe you to be dead and have begun to fear that their one chance against my father is gone. Others, like the girl Annabeth, still hold a sliver of hope that you will return. Yet even they are immobilized by their thoughts." Poseidon said as he waved his hand.
The water shimmered before showing the familiar view of the beach at camp. Annabeth sat near the water, absentmindedly drawing in the sand as she looked out over the horizon.
"Come on Seaweed Brain I know you did not die," she whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
A figure clad in black came down behind her and I realized it was Nico di Angelo once he sat in the sand next to her.
"Annabeth, the counselors are preparing for another war council and the Athena cabin has no clue if you are representing them or not," he said tenderly.
I could not believe the kindness I saw from Nico. The last time I saw him was when he showed up to my mom's apartment ranting to me about the only way to defeat the lord of time. I still remembered the wild look in his eyes that day as he pleaded with me to come with him. But the idea was so crazy, so dangerous, I did not even know if it was worth the risk. I told him I would decide, but then the mission with Beckendorf came and I never had the time to properly think about it.
"No! I need to stay here in case he comes. Send Malcolm, or Kenzie. Either of them know what I think about everything, they can represent me," Annabeth exclaimed as she focused her gaze on the water, almost willing me to return.
Nico shook his head saying, "Look I understand you are afraid about the war, but we cannot cease operations for one guy. We will not win that way, and Percy would not want you to be held up on him. Prophecies are tricky, nobody can truly interpret them, but what we can do is fight Kronos tooth and nail until he goes back to Tartarus the hard way."
"I. Am. Not. Going," Annabeth growled as Nico stood up and brushed the sand off himself.
The image faded away as Nico walked away from Annabeth, who still sat on the edge of the water. I felt sick to my stomach as I turned away. Annabeth was absolutely ruined by my disappearance. My eyes shining with tears, I turned back to my father.
"What… What do I do," I pleaded. "The camp's morale is plummeting without me, but you need every hand you can get here."
As if to prove my point the entire room shook as a giant at least three times the size of Briares collapsed to the ground on the hologram, crushing an entire platoon of mermen. Poseidon winced in pain as if he could feel every life lost and looked at me with understanding.
"Percy, I will not lie when I say I want you to stay here. You are right, the war has dragged on now and Oceanus seems to tire not of battle. But I will understand if you wish to return to the surface. Do me a favor and take a night to think about it however. In the morning we will meet again and discuss what you plan," Poseidon said as he moved back to the table and began rapid conversations with his generals.
I realized how tired I was as my adrenaline finally ran out and I slumped into a room filled with cots, collapsing into one as I was swamped by dreams.
Oceanus studied the parchment the telekhine had brought him before crumbling it and tossing it aside.
"So the son of Poseidon has finally resurfaced after his adventure against the ship. Good. My victory will be even sweeter as I cut his throat in front of his father while Atlantis burns around them. He slammed his staff into the ground as cracks began to appear before giant sea monsters began to crawl out. They advanced towards Atlantis followed by legions of telekhine.
"BRING ATLANTIS TO THE GROUND, AND SLAUGHTER ANY FOOL WHO DARES TO SIDE WITH THAT SO CALLED 'KING OF THE SEA', Oceanus screamed as the hordes wailed into the depths.
I awoke with a start realizing the wails I heard in my dreams could be heard here in the palace as well. All around me mermen and cyclops ran gathering their weapons and armor as conch horns blared in the distance. I shoved my way to the command center and found my father gripping the side of the hologram table until his knuckles turned white.
"Sir, Oceanus has sent the largest force yet, it numbers close to fifty thousand telekhines with fifty creatures of the deep supporting them," General Carn reported as he tightened the straps of his armor.
"Deploy every cyclops brigade we have available. Prepare the trebuchets and tell the archers to position themselves in areas they can slow the enemies advance," my father barked as messengers scurried away.
He looked up and saw me, briefly smiling before the stress reappeared on his face.
"Percy! It seems the war will wait not for your decision. Did a night of rest clear your mind," my father asked.
"Dad I cannot leave you to fight this battle alone," I stated confidently.
A smile appeared as my father clapped his hands and two cyclops appeared from the shadows, carrying with them an ornate set of armor that glimmered with blue light in the palace lights. The armor appeared to be several layers thick and looked like it could stop even the sharpest blade from penetrating the wearer's skin.
"Well if my son is going to fight in the largest conflict of Atlantis' history, he will not do so without the armor of a prince," my father boomed. "This armor was forged from Atlantean crystal, the strongest substance found in the sea. Do not be fooled by the cumbersome appearance, the armor is extremely light while still protecting you."
The cyclops assisted me in fitting the armor and as my father said, it seemed to weigh no more than my camp t shirt I wore underneath. The bracers had jagged edges on them for melee combat, and the gloves fit perfectly around my hands and seemed to glue Riptide to them making it impossible for me to be disarmed. The final piece was the helm, a simple headpiece adorned with tridents on either side. As I pulled the helmet down a protective mesh strapped across my face, covering everything except for my eyes. As I admired my armor a final cyclops came forth with a shield with a bright white crystal stamped in the center. As I took the shield from him I felt the power of the sea course through me, more powerful than ever before.
"Atlantean power crystals my son, extremely rare and just as powerful," Poseidon explained. "They feed on the ocean for their strength, so you should be able to constantly utilize its power here. Now go with Carn, you and him will be on the front lines."
"What about Tyson," I asked.
"Tyson will be going to the ωκεανό pass, I suspect Oceanus will try to sneak a force through there while his main force meets us at the fields," my father explained. "Now go, Oceanus' forces appear and I must return to my advisors."
And with a final goodbye I boarded a hippocampi with General Carn and raced to the front gate where our defense was awaiting us. The cyclops forces roared in approval as I appeared, shaking their weapons in the air.
"Many of them have heard tales of you, Son of Poseidon," Carn explained. "They see you as one of their own, a true honor in my people's culture."
The roars were cut short by the sight of the enemy on the horizon. Telekhines raced across the field wielding evil looking scimitars and javelins dripping with poison. The ground shook as the first of the giant monsters appeared, a massive sea crab that was easily forty feet tall. The crab shrieked, cutting waves through the ocean and causing a few of Poseidon's men to shift back. Carn simply smiled and turned toward his fellow brothers.
"Men! This battle will be talked about for centuries to come. It is up to you who talks about it. Will it be your children? Or will it be Oceanus' monsters who threaten everything we have?," Carn roared as the cyclops watched him. "Defend your home! Defend your honor! But most importantly, Defend! Your! Family!"
The cyclopes screamed in approval, bashing their weapons against their shields as Carn and I lead the march towards the incoming onslaught. I pulled my helmet lower as I calmed my nerves and prepared for battle. Carn suddenly shot forward and I followed him with the rest of our forces close behind. The entire ocean seemed to fall into a frenzy as my father's army charged the enemy. I pushed any thought of camp or the surface away as the two armies came to contact, and I soon lost myself in a blur of telekhines as I fought alongside Carn, carving our way through the never ending horde.
Alright so a little bit longer this time, but now Percy's involvement in the Battle for Atlantis is really kicking off. I'm gonna try to avoid making him too OP but I figured the armor was a must seeing as Poseidon would not send him out fight without something to back him up. We'll see how Carn and Percy do in the next chapter which I'll hopefully push out in the next week or so.