(A/N) Hey guys, it's been a while. Figured I'd start writing again since we're currently in a lockdown and I'm out of things to do. Forgive any blunders I may make since it has been a while since I've written.
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The crown of monsters roared in anticipation and excitement. The crowd jeered at the sight of the gods inside the arena which was similar to a colosseum but with the enemies of the gods as the audience and the monsters.
Thor grinned at the taunting monsters, "Want to kill us? Come on then!" He waved his arms provokingly at the monsters, some trying to enter the arena but was prevented by an invisible barrier. The monsters smashed the barrier in anger before sulking back to their seats.
Thor laughed victoriously before Loki scolded him, "Stop provoking them, brother. We are in their domain. No matter how powerful we are, we are but five. If the monsters really get fed up with you…" He left the end unsaid.
At this the four others went silent as they looked around. Indeed, even if they're averagely stronger compared to the monsters around them, they were outnumbered 1000-1.
'Ra always told me sometimes, numbers can make up for the lack of strength.' Percy reflected.
Thor muttered a grudging defeated apology at this.
Apollo smiled comfortingly at them, "Luckily, we have gramps in our corner."
"Be that as it may, his hands are tied." Hermes sighed. "Still, at least we're not so completely friendless here. If push comes to shove, he'll fight with us."
"Hopefully." Hermes added with a rueful smile. "Besides, it's not like we have to fight all of them. We just have to win the tournament."
Loki pointed at the other monster teams growling at theirs, "Easier said than done. In case you haven't noticed, the monsters here are out for personal vendettas. Most likely when the round starts, they will probably team up on us before they fight against each other."
At this, Apollo lamented, "Imagine if I, the most handsome of the Olympians, fall and die in this battle…the number of heartbroken maidens will skyrocket. This is why we must get out safely at all cost." His tone was sad but his eyes were mirthful. Despite the obvious attempt Apollo did for lightening the situation, even Loki chuckled in appreciation.
The four gods looked at each other before looking at the adopted son of Ra in worry.
"Can you hold yourself in a fight?" Thor asked, his eyes widening at the implication, "Not that I don't think you weak, son of Ra."
Percy laughed, "Don't worry about me, Ra trained me from a young age in many weapons and a bit of magic. Though not at your level." He looked at Loki who tried and failed to hide his proud smile.
"If Ra taught you, then you're certainly not some pushover." Thor nodded in approval. He remembered the times when he sparred with the God king of Egypt.
'I don't even know who will win if father and Ra fought.' The god of thunder chuckled to himself.
The Norse pantheon generally are focused on the martial combats. They were warriors. They focused on close combat and generally are superior to the other pantheons when fighting without magic. Meanwhile the Greek pantheon generally focused on their magical abilities and domain. Though some wielded and can fight without magic, only a few Greek gods can.
The Egyptian pantheon generally blends the magic and close combat together. They are well rounded and have no flaws.
Before the group can discuss any further a platform made of magic floated from the judges' stand and to the middle of the arena, suspended from the ground. On top was Afiso, the strange man they met earlier with the oppressive aura. The crown went wilder as this happened, anticipating the deaths of their most hated beings.
Afiso looked at the crown before holding his hand and signaling the crowd to silence. He cleared his throat, "Monsters of Tartarus, welcome to my master's arena!"
The crown went wild once again.
He smiled, "For years, you waited for this competition to finish gathering participants. You waited patiently, anticipating the death and battles that will surely happen in the arena of a High Primordial. Well, you will not be disappointed." He paused, smirking,
"The invisible barrier separating the arena from the stands was made by my master himself. It is impenetrable, both physically and magically. But that is not all it does."
Afiso willed the invisible barrier to solidify and show itself to the world with a wave of his hand. A blue green barrier appeared as expected. It glowed eerily with power and the runes that were used to construct the barrier appeared on its surface.
Loki was stunned at the sheer complexness of the magical runes. "In the millions of years I have lived, never have I ever been unable to decipher magical runes. Until now." He grimaced at his companions.
"All of those within this barrier are killable." Afiso declared. "Not even Tartarus can save the monsters. And not even the gods and titans participating can survive if bested within this barrier."
The roars of approval coming from the crown only loudened at the announcement.
Percy and the others just looked at each other, all of them unsettled at the fact that they can very well lose their lives.
"As expected." From the crowd, only a single person looked at the arena unhappily. Kronos looked at his grandsons and their friends with sadness and helplessness. "You can only save yourselves, children."
"Win the tournament." He whispered before sipping his wine.
With a wave of his arm, Afiso willed two domes to appear within the magic barrier that separated the twenty-four groups in half.
The originally barren ground of the Arena suddenly changed. The surrounding became a forest, complete with large trees, boulders, mountains, the moss on the surface, and animals.
To those inside the barrier, the blue sky was visible when they looked up. But to those outside, it was transparent. The magical dome was like a one-way glass.
The twelve teams were transported to the edge of the dome, far from each other. They arrived with a blink of white light, arranged like the numbers of a clock.
"Within these two domes, twelve teams will fight for survival. Ambush, direct battles, any tactic is welcome. They can even hide." The crowd booed at the last suggestion.
"The round will end when only two teams remain in each dome."
"Without further ado, round one of the competition begins." The platform Afiso is standing on floated back to where it came from.
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The young gods were placed in a location near a conjured waterfall. They looked around their surroundings, weapons drawn.
"What the hell just happened?" Hermes asked, bending down to touch the slightly slippery surface they were standing on. He was surprised as he realized that the even the moss on the rock was real.
Loki eyed the trees warily. "I suspect Afiso must have separated the teams from each other to make the competition more exciting. But to be sure, can you scout around us, Hermes?"
Hermes nodded, standing up and disappearing in a flash.
Thor and Apollo approached the river, amazed at the instant change in surroundings. "This High Primordial really must be powerful to change even the domain of Tartarus. A primordial." Apollo said in amazement. He cupped his hands and drank from the beautiful river.
The river flowed to the waterfalls. Percy walked and peeked at the edge.
Despite their situation, he was happy at the moment. This was his first adventure. Not only did he stumble upon a danger that can threaten his life, he was with companions. This is the first time he was with other people besides Ra.
Hermes reappeared to where he disappeared, "Area is safe for now." He said, sitting down a nearby boulder.
Loki sat down the ground with a sigh. "I'll just rest for a bit."
"Be careful, Percy." Hermes shouted.
Percy nodded at him but kept on peeking.
"Look." Thor pointed at the river. "There are fishes in this river."
Apollo quickly aimed his bow and pierced a fish. Thor clapped happily.
"I noticed," Loki began, his eyes closed and his hands behind his head, "that it takes ten times as hard to cast magic in this dome. I can still cast magic but I don't know about you guys."
Apollo tried to improve his eyesight but his eyes did not glow like usual. "Yep, can't even enhance my vision." He relented, before shooting his bow and piercing another fish.
Thor scrunched his face in focus before breathing out in defeat, "Can't summon my lightning."
"Can't use any magic." Percy looked back at them.
Loki chuckled bitterly, "It seems I may be of less use in this round than I thought."
Hermes waved his hand dismissively, "No worries. I'll protect you."
"I didn't mean that." Loki rolled his eyes. "I planned to just blast the whole dome with fire until the other participants are dead. But with the strain put on magic, my repertoire of spell is limited to only those that consume less of my energy."
Thor and Apollo walked back to the group. Thor carried the two fish caught by Apollo's arrows.
"It seems I'll have to cook these fish manually." Apollo said, "My arrows lost their burn effect."
"I'll gather firewood." Thor volunteered, flipping Mjolnir while walking to the trees.
"Hey guys." Percy called.
"What?" Hermes asked.
"Come over here for minute."
The three gods walked towards their youngest companion and looked to where he was pointing.
Down the waterfall, a group of five came out of the trees, unaware that they were spotted. The group were all wearing robes and by the symbols of their robes, Loki deduced that these were dark mages.
Without a word said, Apollo fired five arrows in a quick succession.
"And just like that, dead." He said happily.
Four of the dark mages laid down the rocky ground, dead. The other one dived underwater but after a short while, his body floated up, an arrow in his head.
The three just looked at him strangely.
"What?" The sun god looked at the others, exasperated. "Let's not make things too hard for us, guys. Ten teams to go." He cheered.
Loki shrugged, "Well, whatever."
Hermes just shook his head with a chuckle.
"That was amazing." Percy said with admiration, "Ra also taught me how to use a bow and he always mentioned you and your sister to me."
"What happened?" Thor said from behind, surprising the group.
Loki glared, "Apollo sniped down a team of dark mages."
Thor clicked his tongue, "A pity I have not witnessed your show of skill."
The group went back to where they rested. The firewood Thor gathered was gathered in a pile. Hermes went back to the boulder he was sitting on and Loki laid down and snapped his fingers, lighting the firewood, before he slept. Percy took out his journal and wrote his experiences, ignoring the teasing faces made by the others.
"Quick, my friend. Cook the fishes you have caught. I am hungry." Thor stared at the fishes impaled at the arrows Apollo was holding wolfishly.
Apollo sat down next to the fire, "Looks like with our immortality taken, the needs of a mortal are now ours too."
"The only problem is, I don't know how to cook." He said in an embarrassed voice. "Brother, can you cook these fishes?"
Hermes smirked arrogantly, "As a matter of fact, I can. I, Hermes, am a god of Travelers. You cannot travel without picking up basic survival skills, you know."
Thor clapped his back, "Good job. Now cook the fishes, I really am hungry."
For a while, the group relaxed and listened to the crackles of the fires and the light snores of the sleeping Loki.
Hermes stared at Percy mockingly, "You know, Percy, honest advice. You look good and all…"
Percy looked at the god, "Quiet you." Then he smiled, "And your fishes are burning, oh mighty resourceful god of travelers."
"Hermes, what have you done?" Thor dropped to his knees. The two fishes were charred black.
Apollo laughed crazily at the burned fishes.
"Hey, don't judge a book by its cover." Hermes glared at the three, before taking a bite.
Hermes slowly looked at the expectant faces of his companions, "Apollo, say, can you catch more fishes?"
Apollo and Percy roared in laughter, slinging their arms around each other trying to stop laughing. Meanwhile, Thor cradled the burned fishes, grieving.
"No worries, Herms." Apollo wiped a fake tear off his eyes, before catching more fishes.
"Let me handle the cooking." Percy grinned.
Apollo handed Percy the freshly caught fishes.
Percy looked at his companions, "First, you have to gut the fish. Silly gods." He teased.
The three watched in amazement as he gutted the fish skillfully, cleaning it before cooking.
Loki smelled the cooking and woke up, staring at the cooked fish hungrily. He composed himself, "Percy…"
He smiled when Percy handed him his own fish. He muttered his thanks before taking a bite.
"Now this is amazing." Apollo said through the food in his mouth.
Thor just nodded his head in agreement, happily eating his fish.
Hermes rolled his eyes but smiled at their youngest companion, "Fine, you're the better cook."
Loki tried to remain prim and proper but his eyes informed the others of how satisfied the trickster was.
Percy smiled at the others, glad that he made them happy. "How long will this round take?" He asked before taking a bite on a fish he cooked, nodding his head in approval of what he cooked.
"I don't know, depends on the other teams. Let's just camp here and wait for them to come." Loki took another bite, "With Apollo's skills with a bow, the teams approaching will be dead before they even make it near here."
The group then quietly but happily ate the cooked fishes.
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It took six days before another team neared the gods' camp.
And it only took five arrows yet to deal with them.
They lived peacefully for six days in that place, not getting tired Percy's superb cooking. Apollo started hunting in the forest. Though he wasn't as good as his sister in hunting, he matched her prowess with a bow and had no problems shooting down wild boars and rabbits.
They were eating the cooked boar when Hermes informed them of a team nearing their vicinity, coming from the forest. They were a team of ogres, with heavy armor and clubs with fresh blood. Hermes guessed that they just came from a battle and judging from their expressions, they won.
Alas, they made a mistake walking towards the gods. When their leader fell down the ground with an arrow embedded in their forehead, the ogres realized through the recognizable golden arrows, that they were within range of the famous sun god's archery.
They ran, trying desperately to come out of range yet none of the ogres made it out of the forest alive.
"They're dead." Apollo informed the others, chuckling at the look of amazement Percy was giving his way.
"Good." Loki nodded.
The unchanging blue sky over them suddenly started blinking out of existence. The previously relaxed gods stood up in alarm, their backs against each other.
"What's happening?" Percy sang. He willed his ring to transform to the sword of Egypt.
The feeling of getting teleported consumed the group. When the flash subsided, the place they were living on was gone and they back to the barren sandy ground of a gladiator arena.
"It's done?" Thor asked in surprise. He looked at the booing crown of monsters then he smiled, "Yes, yes, I miss you too."
"It seems so." Loki answered, looking at the three other teams.
A magic platform floated up with Afiso standing on it.
"Congratulations to the four teams remaining." He began, "The trial of the first dome has ended in only three days. While the trial of the second dome has ended in six days."
"The two teams that won in the first dome are: the team of the titans and the captured team of the warriors from Elysium."
Hermes and Apollo paled as they realized who the other team was. Only now did they look at the team. The leader in front was the titan named Hyperion, the titan of the sun. With him were: Krios of the stars, Koios of farsight, Iapetus of pain, and Prometheus.
Hyperion looked at Apollo in particular, a nasty light in his eyes. Apollo didn't back down and held his stare.
Hermes was shocked to see the other team. Their leader was the famous Achilles, with Odysseus, Theseus, Atlanta, and Orion. The heroes looked downtrodden, much to the anger of Hermes.
Apollo turned to look at the other team when he spotted a familiar face and his blood ran cold. Orion spotted him also and had a complicated conflicted look on his face.
Hermes elbowed Apollo, "Drama. Your biggest want."
"Shut up." Apollo whispered, his thoughts in a disarray at the sight of the man he murdered. The lover of his sister. A man he wronged in the past and his jealous tendencies in his youth.
Thor, Loki, and Percy looked at the brothers in curiosity. Hermes promised to explain it to them later.
"The winners of our second dome are the captured team of the gods and the captured team of Hugin and Munin."
It was Loki and Thor's turn to be shocked. The ravens of their father were captured.
"Then he sees us?" Thor asked.
Loki nodded, "Hello, father." He waved awkwardly at the ravens.
"Damn it." Thor cursed in anger. "They must have hid to survive round one."
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From the crowd, Kronos smiled in relief.
"Keep it up, boys." He said, before looking at his fellow titans worriedly.
They asked him to join their team just before the competition. Then if they won, they will besiege Mt. Olympus. But Kronos didn't want any of that now. He just wanted to see his children and be with his family. He missed them, especially Rhea.
He sighed, looking at the monsters around him. "One round down, three to go."
Kronos massaged his scalp. His nervousness for his grandsons really made it hard to relax despite the help of alcohol.
A warrior in the crowd looked at the Titan king with spite. It made its way towards the VIP seat. The other monsters saw this but did not react. They all knew how the Titan king rejected the offer of revenge and they all heard how he wished his grandsons luck.
Their past admiration and respect for the titan disappeared.
The black metal knife the warrior took glinted eerily. The other monsters kept jeering and roaring as normal in order to help this warrior assassinate the titan by not alerting him.
When the warrior was just a meter away from the seat, it stabbed the knife straight from behind the seat through the titan's chest.
Kronos coughed out blood, looking at the black blade protruding at his chest with astonishment. The warrior twisted the knife, making Kronos grunt in pain.
He looked at the blood in his hands.
"Why do I have blood?" He wheezed weakly, forcing his body to move. He fell down the table where his food was, the wine glass shattered.
The warrior walked out from behind the seat, the black knife they were holding still fresh with blood.
Kronos looked at the warrior, "Why…a Valkyrie…" He realized, "Why are you attacking me?"
The warrior remained standing, watching the titan struggle to get up.
The armor of a Valkyrie is a familiar sight to him. Before the pantheons separated, he fought against the Valkyrie in some occasions and fought with them in some.
"As the master commands." The female warrior grunted in a cold manner.
The monsters sneered at the sorry state their former lord was in. Some even stood up with the Valkyrie, their expressions like a wolf's that is about to attack a trapped prey.
Kronos summoned his scythe, "If you I am that easily defeated, then you're going to be surprised." He smiled, his teeth stained with blood.
Though the titan put up a tough act, it was obvious to the monsters that he was in pain.
"That knife," Kronos looked at the Valkyrie, "It is not from this place, is it? A weapon that renders even a titan mortal? It's too powerful, only a high primordial can make a weapon of such power."
Kronos sliced the three hellhounds that jumped his way before dashing away from the attackers. He quickly felt danger behind and rolled aside, dodging an axe made by the same black metal as the knife.
"Assassinating the king of titans eh?" Kronos grinned, "Sure, that's easy to do with your weapons. Sadly, your weapons can do nothing if I stop time."
The axe-wielder tried to attack but Kronos's eyes glowed and time stood still. Everyone stopped moving except for Kronos.
He waved his scythe widely at the crowd of monsters, a thin white line appearing at the wave of his scythe and moved forward, going through the crowd.
"And that's for attacking your king." Kronos added, his smile pained.
He looked at the axe warily. If that axe-wielder managed to slice his back with the black axe, he may have lost his life for real. Shaken of the thought, he looked back at his grandsons.
"I have to go for now, children. I will come back when you win, I promise you that. For now," He glared at the crowd of monsters, "I'll just be giving my life away by staying here."
The frozen world started moving little by little. Kronos sighed. His hold on time was weakening because of the injury he received.
"I must go." With this, a flash of golden light filled the arena and Kronos was gone.
Time resumed with the titan's absence. Everyone that was passed through by the white line Kronos made was sliced in half.
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The scuffle that happened in the VIP seat of Kronos was not noticed by the participants inside the arena.
"Let me explain to you how round two is going to happen." Afiso spoke to the contestants.
"In this round, it is going to be a one-on-one fight against the other teams. You and your teammates will pick a number from one to five, and will be fighting against the team member of the enemy team with the same number as you have. As for those with less than five in their team," Afiso looked at the ravens scornfully, "they will have to distribute the numbers to themselves."
At this, Thor was angered. "How dare you capture the ravens of my father. They are defenseless. How are they supposed to survive?"
"That's simple."
He turned to look at the titan who spoke, Iapetus, "How?"
Iapetus laughed, "They don't."
Loki quickly grabbed the rushing Thor, "Not now, brother."
Afiso chuckled at seeing this, "Yes, you will have plenty of time to fight amongst yourselves later on, son of Odin."
"Now, titans, since you have slaughtered the most teams in the first round, you get to pick the team you are going to fight in this round."
"Come then, Iapetus." Thor provoked the titan, "I long have heard tales of how pathetic you truly are in combat, using only your physical strength and no technique whatsoever. Like a dumb cyclops, waving it's weapon and hoping to hit the enemy."
Iapetus growled at this but Krios placed his hand on the angered titan's shoulder and shook his head before whispering something.
Iapetus smiled at Thor, "Afiso, we choose the team of the ravens. I've been wanting to eat bird meat since yesterday. How convenient the birds of Odin graced us with their presence."
Afiso nodded, "Very well."
The protests of the god of lightning and thunder were ignored by the host, "Then that leaves the team of heroes against the team of the gods."
Hyperion's laughter boomed throughout the battleground, "Now this is interesting. The heroes versus the gods they served when they were living."
The heroes' faces were solemn at this. Orion in particular, looked very uncomfortable at hearing the host's announcement.
A round platform rose from the middle of the sandy ground. Four camps of same size appeared around the platform in a cross position.
"Each team will rest within the camp. I shall call upon the competitors of each side when it is their turn to battle. Helping a team member is not allowed. Only two competitors shall climb the platform."
The platform returned to where it came from but not before Afiso added, "And only one is allowed to come down alive."
The Greek duo trembled at the announcement, looking at their heroes in trepidation.
"This is simply unfair." Hermes growled, "They kidnapped the heroes resting in Elysium. Forcing them to fight in this hellhole arena and risk losing their lives permanently."
"That's true." Apollo looked at the heroes sadly, "But I'm more worried about facing Orion. What I did to him was the biggest regret of my immortal life." He muttered sadly.
His sister never forgave him for killing the only man she loved romantically. They still loved each other, but he knew that a part of Artemis never forgot how he slew her lover, how he denied her happiness.
Percy looked at his companions sadly, wishing he had the power to do more for them. Now his Norse friends were saddened of the inevitable death of their father's ravens and his Greek friends which were normally cheerful are troubled.
He looked at his hands sadly. "Prince of the universe huh." He grumbled to himself.
Thor looked at Percy and noticed the thoughtful expression. He squeezed Percy's shoulder, "Dark times are ahead of us, my friend. But never fear, we will get through this together."
Thor looked at Percy in the eyes, before looking at the others and nodding.
"I suppose we don't have a choice." Loki smiled bitterly, "We can only bite our tongue and finish the tournament. Only then can we get revenge or something."
"Come on then." The trickster led the way to their tent, noticing the unusual silence of the Greek brothers.
He can only pat their backs in comfort and be thankful he is not in their position.
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(A/N) Pretty short, sorry bout that. I'll update as soon as I can.
