Henlo babies. Snogged some more random boys while clubbing and it feels like there should be a Rocky montage soundtrack in the background as I train to become the ultimate slag. However, such activities are now on hold because oh yeah right the plague has returned to Europe. And biggest news of all,,, my exams are cancelled cuz of coronavirus. All of them. And I for one, am fucking ecstatic. Bc I was for sure gonna fail psychology and now I might just end up with a B overall. Absolutely magic. I'm a cruiser/crammer and that was not gonna help me at all ngl.
And as I am now on a six month quarantine, no college, no clubbing, and no job bc my hotel has shut,,, perhaps I shall write more. U lucky ducks. ALSOOOOOO ONE MILLION HITS HOLY FUCK! Yall rlly bored in quarantine huh. Oh, also, the tone shifts really drastically for like ten seconds during the fight at the end bc I was listening to Megan Thee Stallion 'Savage' and it turned my writing of Percy into a thot with a sword for a hot sec.
Oh and someone requested a translation: Trainers= sneakers, tennis shoes, sporting shoes.
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Chapter 60
Percy XXXVIII
Stood in his cabin with arms outstretched, Percy went over the plan one more time as Annabeth tightened his armour.
It was good armour, brand new from Leo. The dark grey metal looked tough and cold, but it just reminded Percy of Annabeth's eyes. Her tongue was stuck out in concentration as she moved to the strap around his ribs. He winced as it pressed on healing bruises.
"If you could not break my ribs, that would be really nice." he told her.
"Baby." Annabeth stated without even looking at him. "Now come on, pay attention."
"I am," he complained, "I get what we need to do. I just don't like your additions."
"My- additions-" Annabeth said, tugging particularly sharply on a strap at the back,"- are what's gonna sell this plan believably. We've been over this."
"Yeah, I know, I know. But do I really have to-"
"Yes."
"Why can't I just-?"
She circled around and looked him dead in the eye. Her glare could normally stop a whiny camper in their tracks through intimidation, but Percy stopped talking just so he could smile softly at her. He loved her so much. She rolled her eyes but kissed him anyway.
"I'll be fine." she said firmly. "You worry about you."
Percy sighed. "Fine, but I want to make it really clear that I don't and won't like it."
"You think I'm gonna like my part?" she asked him with eyebrows raised.
Percy grinned and tilted his head to the side. "On some level, probably."
Annabeth snorted.
"In theory. But not in real life." she finished seriously, before giving him a once over. "Hmm."
"Am I good?" he asked, reluctantly spinning in a slow circle when she twirled her finger.
"Almost. You'll sell it more when you're fighting."
Percy looked in the mirror of his cabin. He thought he looked fine. Annabeth had insisted (with no small amount of blushing) that he switch his camp shirt for a plain black t-shirt. She hadn't looked impressed when he had ripped the sleeves off of that top too, but it wasn't Percy's fault his clothes didn't fit him anymore. And she had agreed that it would be better for his full tattoo to be on show, both of them even going so far as to leave off the shoulder plate and vambrace on that arm. The blue jeans stayed on, a little crushed by the dark grey greaves on his shins. His squeaky trainers would also remain, quite a lot less white than they had been several hours ago. They'd left his hair as it was.
"I can't wait to have a haircut after this." he grumbled, rubbing a hand over his hair. His fingertips were still stained black.
"Me too." Annabeth said, her gaze catching on the bronze hippocampi decorations Tyson put up years ago, before snapping her fingers. "And I've just realised what we're missing."
"A burger?" he said hopefully. "A nap? Gaia's head on a pike?"
"Close. Stay here, I'll be right back."
She sprinted out of his cabin. Percy sat down on the edge of his bed, careful not to smack his head on the underside of the upper bunk. His fingers tapped on his legs restlessly. His eyes wandered along all the brightly coloured sea plants and corals sitting on the windowsill. He could see the sea through the windows, could smell the salt.
This had seemed like a good plan at first, but as the time to fight came closer, Percy was becoming less and less sure of it. They had a plan, which seemed like a first for Percy in a while, but sticking to it was going to be difficult. He'd had a plan of his own all the way up til Akhlys- find Gaia, and skin her alive. It thrummed through his veins even now. Even now considering that a new plan was in place, similar but smarter. He and Annabeth combined. This way was somehow both a little less and a lot more likely to get him killed.
He clenched his jaw and his leg began to bounce.
But so long as he took Gaia with him, right?
He immediately thought of Annabeth. He couldn't lose her now. Dying would mean losing her.
He chewed his lip. He wanted more than anything to just grab his swords, hunt Gaia down and go crazy. It's what he would have done in the pit. There was nothing to hold him back down there. But up here… after everything… he couldn't do that. He couldn't go off on his own anymore. He had people to protect. He'd promised Annabeth that they would do this together.
Which was more important? Destroying Gaia or sticking to their plan? As soon as an obviously correct answer came into his head, the other idea called to him. It felt like he couldn't do one without having to do the other.
Percy just hoped the plan would work.
He saw blonde hair moving past the windows and stood up. Annabeth closed the door behind her.
"Guess what?" she said as she walked over to him with a small bowl in hand.
"You're pregnant?" Percy said casually.
"No."
"I'm pregnant?" he pretended to gasp, and Annabeth snorted.
"Yeah. Twins." she grinned.
"What do you wanna name them?" he said, complying as Annabeth ushered him towards the mirror.
"How about 'I-Just-Saw' and 'Travis-And-Katie-Kissing'?"
Percy raised his eyebrows and turned his head. "No way."
"Yeah way." she replied.
"Thought they'd never realise." he mused. "Now or never, I guess." The playful tone in the room dropped a little at that, and Percy decided to change the subject. "What's with the bowl?"
Annabeth held it up, and Percy furrowed his brow at the black powder inside.
"Coal dust." she said, "From the fireplace in the Big House."
"Okay, Santa, I get I haven't exactly been the best kid recently, but-"
"Beat it, dumbo. It's for your face. The same war paint you were wearing when you popped out the ground in Athens. It really helped the whole 'unstable crazy guy' vibe you were rocking."
Percy snorted.
"I'm down," he admitted, "I did actually kinda like it." It had made him feel tougher and braver.
"Weirdo."
"You just want to paint my face." he levelled at her with a smirk.
"You just want me to paint your face." she countered him with, and against all reason he felt his cheeks get warm.
"Yeah? You just want me to want you to paint my face."
"And you just want me to want you to want me to paint your face."
"And you just want me to want you to want you to want- me to want- to-" he froze, and his girlfriend grinned as she began to finger paint the stuff around his eyes. Percy swore quietly. "Almost." he whispered.
"Not even close." she assured him.
"I got distracted." he defended.
"By what?" she scoffed derisively.
His face went red. Their eyes met. Her cheeks went pink.
"Get your head in the game, Jackson." she mumbled, but her eyes shone, "Now stop blinking. I'm trying to make this look scary."
Her fingers were soft against his face, sliding up and down over his eyelids. Her touch crossed over his eyebrows and on to his forehead before dusting down towards his cheeks. He felt her swipe out in small flicks, and couldn't help but smile as her imagined the look of concentration on her face.
"Jackson…" he heard her warn, and bit his lips together to stop ruining her canvas.
She dabbed it from the outside corners of his eyes towards his hairline before going back and piling it on around his eyes more. He could feel the warmth radiating off of her. He wondered how close she was standing to him. Was she on her tiptoes?
"Percy, if you don't stop smiling, this is gonna be all messy and you'll look less like the guy who killed Porphyrion and more like I just sat here throwing lumps of coal at your face."
He opened his eyes and found her grinning straight at him.
"Hey." she complained.
Percy went for the kiss, and when he pulled back, he couldn't help but snigger at the smear of black on her cheek.
"Oh great, now I look like a thug too." she said, rubbing at it in the mirror.
He glanced up and gave his face a once-over. Oh yeah. This was good. The coal dust worked perfectly, a thick black cutting over his eyes and spiking out viciously. It was better than the stripes he had had before. The whites of his eyes now looked a little too white, the greens a little too green. The faded splatters of red across his face that remained from his hunt of the traitor demigods had been tactfully left as they were. He looked like the type of guy his mother would make him cross the street to avoid.
And he liked it.
"You sure you're not a daughter of Aphrodite?" he said, tilting his face left and right to get clearer views. "This is pretty good."
"I'm flattered." Annabeth said in a deadpan voice. "But I copied that from a war documentary I saw. A guy in the army was wearing it."
Percy thought about that. "I was planning on joining the army once." he said.
"Really?" Annabeth looked up at him in surprise. "You've never told me that before."
"It was years ago," he said. "When I first got to camp and thought my mum was dead. I thought I was an orphan, remember? I would have had to have gone and lived with Gabe. I was gonna pretend I was seventeen and join the army."
Annabeth couldn't restrain a giggle. He turned on her, amused. "What?" he said.
"You were gonna pretend to be seventeen. When you were twelve." She laughed into her hands.
"Hey!"
"Do you know- you were so- five foot two- I-"
"Come on!"
"Do you remember when I was taller than you? You were so angry! And- and short- I-" She tried to rein herself in.
Percy crossed his arms. "You done?"
Annabeth nodded. Then snorted. Then composed herself. Then giggled again. He grinned at her and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground to his six foot height. She shrieked.
"Who's short now, huh?" he said with a wide grin.
Annabeth said something muffled into his chestplate. He put her down.
"What did you say?" he said.
"Nico." she offered, and they both cracked up a little.
"Fair." he said, "Fair. But, hey, it was all I could think of at the time. Didn't realise I was signing up to fight a war anyway."
Her smile faltered, and Di Immortales, that wasn't what he meant to do-
"True." she said. "None of us did."
Percy stared at the floor. "Yeah."
A moment passed before the girl was in his arms again, a little gentler this time. Their armour clanked against each other's, and his vambrace was definitely cutting into his skin, but he just rested his chin on the soft waves of blonde hair against his neck. The wooden floorboards creaked under them.
Percy opened his mouth to speak but found he didn't really have anything to say. So he just held her a little tighter, and the way she burrowed into him meant that she had heard him regardless. And then he mentally smacked himself on the forehead. Of course he had something to say.
But Annabeth beat him to it.
"I love you." she murmured into his skin.
"I love you too." he replied simply, quickly, easily. It was the same as breathing for the two of them. It was the one thing that would never change.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. It was almost like the war on their literal doorstop had vanished for a second. But Percy could still hear faint snarls and chants far away, could see campers running back and forth outside holding stacks of swords to be sharpened and orders being barked by- was that Reyna? Probably.
He didn't want to be the one to break the hug. Annabeth didn't seem to want to be either.
"Annabeth."
"I know."
Neither moved. Percy was too aware that the next time they might see each other might be the last. He cupped her cheek, feeling the warm blood flowing through her skin. Literally. It was reassuring.
"Percy."
"I know."
They let go of each other, and it hurt something inside of his chest. They both stood up a little taller. Annabeth reached for her dagger to sheath it, and Percy did the same, grabbing his own and slipping it over his head. He tightened it over his chest and back before slipping Adamas in there, then Riptide as a back-up in his jean pocket. It felt like it should be strange to not fight with Riptide as his main weapon, but he had fought with Adamas for so long that the two felt very similar. His hands had grown to adapt to the weights and balances of both. That, and Riptide wouldn't cut it in a final fight like this. He didn't need his childhood sword for this. He needed something lethal.
"This isn't going to be fun." he heard Annabeth say as she glanced out the window.
"It's a war." he said.
"Not that."
"Ah." he nodded. "The plan."
"Stupid plan." she grumbled as he reached over to help her tighten her greaves.
"Stupid plan." he agreed.
"Hey, that's my plan you're talking about."
He snorted.
They stood in front of the door, and sighed in unison. Annabeth poked her finger at a spiral seashell sticking out of the grey stone wall. Percy himself had tried to yank that out when he was younger, to no avail. Then she turned and kissed him, one last time.
"This is gonna work." she told him with finality.
"I know." he said, before adding: "It better. For the babies." He put his hands over his stomach.
Annabeth laughed. He smiled at her. Composing herself, she put her hand on the door handle.
"Wait." he said. "Shouldn't you- uh- y'know- go out the-" he jerked his thumb to the window.
Annabeth clicked her fingers. "Good thinking."
As if steeling herself, she drew up to her full height, nodded once at him, then walked over to the window and jumped out. Percy had to consciously remind himself that his cabin was, as it always had been, a bungalow. He checked his swords absent-mindedly. His fingers caught on the camp necklace around his neck and his eyes flew open. There was no way he could wear this into battle. If he lost it again… Percy untied the back hurriedly (why were Annabeth's knots so difficult?) and placed it on his pillow. Then he walked back to the door and counted to one hundred. Or as close as he could get. Somewhere, maybe around ninety, he couldn't take it anymore. He breathed in a full strong breath and opened the door, striding out.
They had agreed that wearing a helmet wouldn't work for the plan, but Percy wished he had one as he was faced with waves of milling demigods gawping at him as he marched towards the Pavilion. Clearly they had all been let out of the Zeus Cabin now. He found the scowl on his face came easier than he had expected.
Spotting Chiron's tail sticking out from behind a pillar, he found the rest of the Seven (including Annabeth, who was talking to a thankfully awake and seemingly recovered Piper, as if she had been there the entire time), Reyna, Nico, a handful of Hunters and most of the other Counsellors and Centurions. He glanced once towards the tree line at the other end of the field, and knew that the figure sat on the throne was watching him.
His skin crawled.
Conversation grinded to a halt as Percy came and sat down, choosing a seat as far away from Annabeth as he could. He saw the shadows flicker around him. Chiron started speaking again, but it seemed to be a topic that mostly the Centurions were discussing. No one else seemed to be either aware or acknowledging that Gaia was watching them. Percy felt his fingers start to tap the undersides of his legs involuntarily. Next to him, Nico didn't seem to bat an eyelid, but Leo was openly staring. Percy met his stare. Leo shrugged and held up his hands in defeat, but sent him a wary glance before looking away.
"-and the situation with the second wave. Uh- Percy?"
He looked at Chiron.
"Yeah?"
"Akhlys?" Chiron's tone rose at the end, a little hopefully, though Percy wasn't sure what he was hoping to hear.
"Dead." he said bluntly. Good riddance too.
A wave of unease rippled through the group, but no one said anything except Clarisse, who slapped her knee and nodded. She didn't look him in the eye though.
"Good." she said. "One less thing to worry about. Right?"
She directed this to the group and was met with mixed reactions. She turned to Annabeth. "Right?"
"Don't care." Annabeth said shortly and without emotion. "Can we just get on with this?"
Her tone and blatant ignoring of Percy sent a shiver running up his spine. Oh, he did not like that. It clearly didn't sit well with the others either, and he even saw Chiron looking heartbrokenly between the two of them. Hazel was frowning sadly. But Piper caught Percy's eye, and though she narrowed them initially, they widened a little after a beat. He glimpsed the barest hint of a wink from her as she looked away.
Gods of Olympus. She was a daughter of Aphrodite. Of course she'd know.
He cracked his knuckles nervously, and a Centurion opposite him suddenly looked as if he would much rather be somewhere else.
"What do you propose, Annabeth?" Chiron asked her gently.
Yeah, Annabeth, Percy thought, hurry up.
Annabeth launched into her battle plan, one that Percy had heard too many times to fully pay attention to. He knew how it ended. Gaia dead. Gaia with her head cut off. Gaia's ichor on his hands. Well, maybe that wasn't in the official plan, but it was definitely in his. He knew it by heart at this point, which was good, because Annabeth in armour talking about something she was passionate about pretty much reduced his paying-attention skills to nothing. He couldn't even think of the word- concentration. That was it. He wasn't concentrating. And as Percy thought about Gaia's dead body and the fact that he wasn't concentrating, he became aware that there was silence around him.
He looked up, realising he had been scowling at the floor. "What?"
"Annabeth said that someone will have to lead a team from the left side of the field." Frank filled him in.
"So?"
There was a beat.
"The side of the field closest to the sea." Will said, a hesitant smile on his face as if he was waiting for Percy to jump and shout 'Gotcha!'.
Annabeth crossed her arms, and the glare she gave him showed that she knew he had genuinely not been focusing. He tried not to smile in apology and succeeded. He felt irritation at the stares and let it slip easily into his voice.
"Yeah, I got it. Whatever."
"Fine." Annabeth snapped, not looking at him.
"Fine." he snapped back. This was starting to wear on his patience, but he knew he had to keep it up. It was part of the plan. He just wished it wasn't.
Everyone was distinctly uncomfortable now. Percy glanced around and realised that over half of the people assembled had not only never seen him fight with Annabeth, but had never known either of them from a time when they weren't together. It must be like watching your parents fight for the first time, he thought.
His leg began to bounce again.
Reyna was speaking. "-hunters behind with arrows."
Phoebe nodded. "We will set up bases along the back, but there are others whom wish to be on the front lines."
"That's fine." Annabeth said. "Go find your cohorts and cabins. It's time."
Percy stood up, instantly about to go stand next to her, but pulled himself back at the last second, walking next to Jason and Leo instead.
"Perce-" Jason began, "You and Annabeth-"
"Don't." Percy cut him off, really not willing to launch into an explanation he didn't have.
"Hey, man, we get it, but you two-" Leo tried.
"Later." he said, waving it off.
The two exchanged a look, and Percy could see that they were really just trying to help.
"There might not be a later, bro." Jason said.
Percy felt bad, but irritated too.
"Look." he stopped them, "We all have to just stick to the plan. Got it?"
They both stared.
He rolled his eyes and walked away, heading back to the front line. There were Hunters digging small trenches to shoot from and a burly son of Ares shoving swords into everyone's hands. He glanced at Percy then hurried on in the other direction. Percy snorted.
He took out his sword and span it nervously in his hands. He hated waiting for a fight. Hated sitting around. If he had his way, he'd be sprinting across the field right now and ripping up the ground with each footstep. But he couldn't. He was trying, for Annabeth's sake, to have just a modicum of self-control.
People were streaming in from the cabins now, and across the field, the monsters were mimicking them. They were coming fully out of the smoking trees, and Percy saw Polybotes and Octavian rounding them up, bellowing at them. Well. Polybotes was. Octavian just seemed to be making himself very red in the face. Gaia hadn't moved from her throne. He felt her eyes on him. This was what she had been waiting for. For years. And, oh Gods, was she gonna get it.
A few feet away, Reyna now sat astride her Pegasus Scipio, her sword drawn. She shouted orders at the legion, and the Romans obeyed without question, as if she'd never been away. They began to sort into cohorts, military and organised, Jason right behind her. Hazel and Frank had their weapons drawn, but Percy could see them gripping hands too.
Thalia was bellowing at her own people, but a lot less formally. The Hunters were easily visible on the field, their ranks closed and tight, with the rest of them in a long line behind everyone, readying their bows. The silver of their clothes was almost blinding.
Finally, groups of Greeks milled about. Managed by their cabin leaders, but the majority just turned to Annabeth at the front for instructions, Piper and Leo at her elbows. A couple seemed to be looking to him, but Percy made it clear he wasn't their leader this time. Clarisse pulled up on a red war chariot pulled by metal horses. Nico made eye contact with Percy and didn't look away, and Percy couldn't help but nod at him.
Monsters were spitting at them and screeching, but Percy didn't feel anything for them. They were just obstacles. He had his eyes on the prize.
She still hadn't got up from her throne.
"Legion!" Percy heard Reyna shout.
"Hunters!" Thalia echoed.
"Oi!" Annabeth bellowed.
Percy felt glances flick over to him, questioning silently as to why he wasn't in the ranks with the rest of them anymore. He just tried to focus. And tried not to hear how loudly everyone's blood was pumping. The final battle wasn't a speck in the distance anymore. They had no more time to train and prepare. It was right here, right now.
"You know your formations!" Reyna shouted at her troops, "You know your manoeuvres! You are ready for this fight and you are ready to win! Cuneum formate!"
The Romans bellowed out a bark, thrusting their weapons into the air.
"We can do this!" Thalia pressed, and the Hunters stuck their chins in the air, "And we will, for Romans, for Greeks, and for Lady Artemis!"
The group of immortal girls shone fiercely with silver auras, and even Percy briefly thought that he would have to think twice before getting into a fight with them. He glanced at Annabeth; despite most of the good pre-battle speech lines being taken, she didn't look worried.
"Greeks!" Annabeth shouted, and at first Percy thought she would launch into another rousing speech like Reyna's or Thalia's, but this was Annabeth, and she rarely did what Percy expected her to. "Death to Gaia!" she yelled passionately, and though it was simple, it was all they needed to hear, whooping and stamping on the grass.
"Glory to Olympus!" Someone shouted in response, inciting another cheer.
"Nah, glory to us!" Clarisse banged her spear against her shield, and the Ares cabin hollered.
The three girls stepped up to the front, weapons out. They nodded at each other, and deferred to Reyna's countdown.
Percy span Adamas in his hand. He'd be running along his side of the field, with the Hermes and Demeter cabins at his back and the sea curled around his left hand. Annabeth's strategy was flawless, as usual. Frank, Reyna and Jason looked to be air support in the middle of the field, a melee of fighters ready to flow in beneath them. Most of the hunters were taking the far right, more comfortable using their bows without worrying about shooting other demigods. Well- a couple of them didn't seem that worried. He definitely saw Phoebe giving Travis and Connor death glares. He guessed she still hadn't forgiven them for giving her that cursed shirt all those years ago.
He ran a hand along the cold metal of his chest plate, a contrast to the black and blood-red of his sword. He leaned back on his leg, as if getting ready to run a race.
Silence fell across the field. Reyna had her sword in the air. Polybotes held his own trident in the air, the last of the Giants, mirrored by Octavian, a glowing spear in his hands.
Without meaning to, Percy glanced at Annabeth, and she met his eyes. They braced themselves.
Gaia waved her hand dismissively.
Polybotes bellowed, and swarms of monsters flooded under his arms, snarling in droves towards them.
"Charge!" bellowed Reyna, and her Pegasus took off with a mighty flap of its wings, the entire legion behind her, the ground thundering with footsteps.
Percy took the lead and sprinted forwards, reaching out with one hand and exploding the first line of attack, before pulling a thick rope of water out of the sea towards him. It curled around his fist like a snake. The enemy divided and streamed toward the three closest leaders, aiming for Percy, Jason and Thalia. When they were halfway across, the defences kicked in. The tree line erupted in Greek fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. Others flailed around, engulfed in green flames. Walls of dirt rose and fell, extinguishing it quickly. Athena campers threw grappling hooks around the largest Laistrygonians and pulled them to the ground. In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line, destroying twenty or thirty dracaenae, but more marched behind them. A bolt of lightning crackled out of the sky and fried a small giant to ashes.
A wave of empousai crashed into his sword, and Percy hacked through them viciously. The tempo of the battle had begun to heat up his blood, and he forwent the sword on the last one, punching it again and again until gold dust framed his vision.
Little ants of adrenaline ran up and down his legs. He jumped up into the air, using a flat disc of water as a stepping stone, and landed behind a group, slashing into their ranks.
Behind him, the battlefield was in chaos. No one was separate anymore, all mixed up and stabbing away. It looked like the majority of the cabins he was supposed to lead had gone to help the people in the centre; he guessed they thought he had it covered, he mused as he kicked a Hyperborean giant's legs out from under him, then backhanded him, sending him soaring over the heads of the hordes of monsters.
Jason yelled, 'Eiaculare flammas!' and a wave of flaming arrows arced over the legion's shield wall, destroying a platoon of ogres. The Roman ranks moved forward, impaling centaurs and trampling wounded ogres under their bronze-tipped boots.
Percy clenched his fist again, and explosions of gold blew out like a nuclear bomb around him. A perfect circle formed, and Percy let the crazy grin finally come out.
"Who's next?" he mocked them, spitting on the ground.
A figure charged, a demigod with a mud streaked face. Guess Gaia had backups, he thought, slashing through her neck.
Now this is what he had been talking about. He had missed this.
This was where he was meant to be.
Percy lashed out with the water, sending a pressurised blast straight through a dracaenae's chest. Fighting was so much clearer now than it had been before talking to Annabeth. His head felt emptier and cleaner. He wasn't fighting in a fugue state of rage and fury. He was angry, Gods above, he was angry, but he felt so much lighter. He didn't even really know why. Maybe because he had a plan to channel everything into? Because Annabeth was with him? Because it felt like at least somebody on the field understood and accepted him?
"Close ranks!" he heard Reyna bellow in the background.
He cut the head off the guy in front of him, then booted it into the face of the monster behind him. Feeling claws get closer to his back, he gripped the blood behind him and blew it outwards. Even after the talk with Annabeth, he admitted he wasn't going to stop using things like that. He didn't know how to.
But luckily, it was part of the plan. They'd deal with it later, if there was a 'later'. Percy's chest rose and fell rapidly as he attacked a group closing in on him. He could do this. He could do this.
He caught sight of Gaia sitting on her throne, watching. The familiar sensation of bloodthirst dimmed his vision a little, and he could feel his arms moving more on impulse than thought. Percy shook his head, searching for blonde hair in the crowd. He found it, and grinned as he saw his girlfriend stab through an empousa like an avenging angel. His sight cleared. He blew up the circle around him and used the puffs of gold to hide his attacks as he lashed out with purposeful strikes, Adamas singing through the air and water invading nostrils around him. The symphony of chokes and howls around him went up a notch. The rippling power under his skin made his hairs stand on end.
Percy registered after a minute or two of fighting that not a single blow had landed on him.
He stamped his foot on the muddied and trampled grass, and tsunami wave shot over his head. He kept it from spilling into the middle third of the battlefield, and it shot upwards as if it had slammed against glass. The monsters fell to the ground, and Percy weaved in and out like a spearfisher, slamming his sword down into heads and chests. Yowls and snarls filled the air. The water slunk back into the ocean through the destroyed terrain.
He cut the head off of a small giant and met the wide eyes of Leo, who had made it to the edge of Percy's territory.
"Damn, bro." Leo whistled in awe, beating at a monster's head with his hammer.
Percy smiled darkly at him.
A loud woof behind him snapped his head around. Mrs O'Leary bounded towards him, her tongue out and slightly covered in gold dust. Behind her, Percy saw Maia slithering along the back line, biting at any monsters who threatened the row of both alarmed and unfazed hunters shooting over their heads.
A volley of arrows released as he watched, soaring over the field and striking down a line on the other side of the field, where still swarms of monsters slithered out the shadows. One arrow felled a monster a foot away from Gaia. The Primordial didn't bat an eyelid. Percy narrowed his glare.
He pushed forwards, hacking and shoving. He passed Tyson and his Cyclopes, who were bellowing, 'Bad dog! Bad dog!' as they bashed the heads of the cynocephali and Grover- Grover- and a team of satyrs dancing around with their panpipes, playing harmonies so dissonant that some earthen-shelled ghosts cracked apart. At the sight of his brother and best friend, Percy almost faltered and ran to say hello to them, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on, indignant fury powering his strikes. He would find them later. He would. Travis Stoll ran behind him, arguing with Connor. "What do you mean we set the landmines on the wrong hill?"
Percy kicked the monster in front of him to the floor, impaling his sword not only through his head, but into the stomach of the empousa behind him too. They made eye contact briefly and Percy smirked at the look on its face before it dissolved.
He turned, backhanding an ogre into the crowd surrounding him. Like a wrestler, they caught him and threw him back towards him. Percy snorted, letting the unsteady ogre run onto his blade and pushing it deeper. It exploded, and Percy jumped through the dust into the fray. He dropped his hold on the water after a minute, hand scrabbling into his jeans. Another stamp wiped out the surrounding circle, and he grinned as Riptide elongated in his hand.
He changed stance to one of dual wielding, and beckoned them forwards.
A couple were smart enough to hesitate.
But he got them too.
Striking down a cyclops with a blow to the gut followed by a stab straight through its eye, Percy panted. His shirt was sticking to his back. He funnelled his sweat off of him, and the small stream wiggled down his arm into his hand, where he flung it in the face of a dracaenae. The beast choked, falling over as it flooded into his throat.
"Ew." Percy muttered, sending a monster flying with a flick of his wrist. "That's just gross, man."
A roar echoed over his head, and he kicked a monster back, narrowing his eyes. Oh, if he wanted to go, Percy would go right now-
And it looked like it was time.
Polybotes was dealing with what looked like the Party Ponies and Chiron, but Percy saw his glare was focused on him. He capped Riptide. Polybotes smacked aside the centaurs below him and seemed to wade in his direction. He waved mockingly at the Giant, then beckoned him over, his other hand grabbing an empousa by the throat and crushing it. Not paying enough attention, her claws scraped his neck, drawing blood. He winced and really hoped Polybotes didn't see that.
Percy and Polybotes shoved through the swarms towards each other, and soon the monsters were just fleeing from both of them.
"Perseus!" Polybotes snarled.
"That's Mr Jackson to you!" Percy twirled his sword. Or Mr Chase-?
He blinked. Head in the game.
Battle raging around them, they both charged.
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Hey yall. I'd apologise for the shorter chapter but 7k aint short and I physically could not extend this chapter without going into the next one. Anywho, I got a couple of yallses to call out. I really wanna give you all personal reviews but the w- oi nah actually im cutting myself off, it's my fic ill do what I want:
ElementalSky: I love you and I want you to know
Captain Hawking Empire Forge: ;)
AWESOME1356: I feel like Rick would be like yo tf. And a TV series would be hella sexy.
Lucky: I thank you for reminding me of those plot points, I'd actually forgotten abt one of them. I'll work it in somehow, promise.
Eh just a guest: you're more than just a guest my friend
Zoey1da2best3: thank you for your service bro
I Am Definitely Jeff Bridges: oh god I swear I meant to explain that plot point all those chapters ago but then I just didn't,,, don't call me out man,,, and yeah I don't have covid 19 despite saying I did in the previous authors notes last chapter,,, I didn't actually realise it was a threat when I wrote that and now look huh, wack
Valora Axeraider: YES IT IS MORE THAN OKAY FOR YOU TO DRAW FANART GIRL IM SCREAMING
Agent Frank Underwood: I thank you for your compliments but have to call u out for 'Not a big fan of the short chapter size'. Bro. Please. If you're talking about the earlier chapters, yeah that's fair and I'm redoing them slowly, but these last few? 9k 8k 6k 8k? Come on bro.
Zoltan . benedekmarcell: online school aint shit man. Yeah I aint a huge fan of toa either. Also thank you so much, and to be fair, 14 year old me was straight up dumb when she started writing this. It was so bad. For real. Now im 18 and still mad dumb- literally eating a cheese sandwich and getting cheese everywhere as I type- but at least my writing has improved a lot. K love u.
