Chapter 11

It can be hard to fathom even the most obvious things. We lie to ourselves for the sake of convenience. Our lies can hurt more than just ourselves, though. When somebody hurts you with the lies they tell themselves, recall how many must have felt the same when you lied to yourself.

-Quote attributed to Michael, Overseer of Heaven

Percy stood bedside, watching Ajuka Beelzebub connect dozens of magic circles into a lattice above Ingvild's sleeping body. He didn't have the slightest clue what kind of magic was being cast, but just being there while the process played out gave him some peace of mind.

The mandalas strobed for a few seconds as lines formed between them. The room filled with pulses of light and the dull buzz of static.

"Quite a girl," said Ajuka, hand still hovering over Ingvild's head. "Her demonic power is considerable. If I had doubted your claim that she is a true Leviathan, this would be enough to prove otherwise."

"Are descendants of the first Satans usually strong?" Percy asked.

"They are typically born with more demonic power than the average devil. There are, of course, exceptions." Ajuka looked over the bed and gestured with his head to the wall. "Feel free to sit down. This is only the preliminary stabilization nexus I'll be using. We won't be done for a while."

Percy shrugged. They were deep in the guts of one of Ajuka's many research facilities on Agreas. Percy hadn't been told the exact location, and he hadn't seen any of the facility aside from this room, where Ajuka had teleported them.

At first, second, and third glance, it looked like a standard bedroom. Maybe that's why Percy thought it felt strange. He'd been expecting something more… laboratory-esque.

Tiamat, who was sitting on a stiff metal chair near the door, didn't seem to be paying them any attention. Several wisps of fire floated above her hand, dancing from the tip of one finger to the tip of another in random order, juggling and mingling in the space directly above her palm.

Nothing out of the ordinary there, Percy thought as he went to sit beside her. He unfolded a chair and sank into it. Minutes passed in clinical silence.

Once the preliminary nexus had been completed, Ajuka began creating new mandalas. The process was slow-going. Arcs and squares came together at odd angles as they burned to life above the first nexus. Occasionally, one of the pieces in any of the new mandalas would fizzle, and Ajuka would quickly disperse and replace it with something else. Ingvild didn't show any sign of pain throughout Ajuka's trial-and-error operation.

An hour came and went without a word. Percy's leg hadn't stopped bouncing since he'd sat down. He reminded himself to blink every now and then.

"What do you hope to gain by refusing to sit still?" Tiamat asked.

"Huh?"

She gave his leg a pointed look. "Your energy is infectious."

He stopped bouncing it. "Sorry. ADHD. Blame it on my genes. I didn't think it would take this long."

The flames over her fingers extinguished themselves with a hiss of smoke. "As the saying goes: hope for the best, expect—"

"The worst," he finished for her. "I've heard. It's good advice."

"What's the rush? Do you have another appointment to keep?"

Despite her sarcasm, she made a good point. He didn't have anything better to do. He just wanted to know that Ingvild was in better hands than his own.

"Guess I'm just nervous."

"Ah." Tiamat made a show of closing her hand into a tight fist. When she uncurled her fingers, a deformed silver coin rested in her palm. "Drachma for your thoughts?"

Percy chuckled. He leaned over and plucked the drachma from her palm, giving it a good once-over for the sake of familiarity. The coin was smaller than the ones he'd gotten used to. It was probably an old mortal drachma from ancient Greece. Nothing special about it. He returned it to her hand. "It's nothing serious."

She flipped the coin a few times. "Serious or not, maybe you'd like to talk about it anyway?"

He shrugged. "Just hoping for the best. I really don't want bad news at this point. Getting kind of tired of it, you know?"

"I suppose bad news wears everybody down regardless of their age." She held the drachma up to the light, examining it while speaking. "Learning to take disappointment in stride is more important than learning how to avoid disappointment, in my opinion."

"Can you avoid disappointment?"

"I think we both know the answer to that question," she scoffed. "Show me someone who says they've never been disappointed, and I'll show you a liar."

"All right," Ajuka spoke up, letting his arm finally drop. "I think that should be enough for today."

Percy stood up and went to Ingvild's bedside again. "What's the news?"

"Her responsiveness is quite high for somebody afflicted by the disease. If I had to hazard a guess on what might be keeping her from completely succumbing, I would say it's her Sacred Gear." Ajuka cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Now, I'm no expert on the matter of Sacred Gears, but I have managed to glean a few useful pieces of information from those who are. I know enough to say that her Sacred Gear is in a transient stage of manifestation."

"Okay… And what does that mean?"

"It means it hasn't fully manifested within her being. Normally, a Sacred Gear will manifest in its most basic form at some point during a bearer's life—randomly if not purposefully awakened. Something tells me this is an unusual circumstance. Sacred Gears require a great deal of desire to properly wield. When did you say she fell asleep?"

Percy frowned. "A couple of days after we found her in New York."

"After she'd been attacked by the Old Satan Faction?"

"Yeah. Well, kind of. We found her, she slept for a couple of days before waking up for a few hours, then she fell back asleep."

"Did anything significant happen within those few hours?"

Percy tried to think back. "I don't think so. We just talked. No fighting."

"That was the day she learned about the death of Yahweh," Tiamat chimed.

"Is that so?" Ajuka mused. "God of the Bible… Is Ingvild a devout Christian?"

"So it would seem," Tiamat said.

"I suppose that might be enough to fuel some kind of desire. Was there anything else?"

Percy racked his brain to dig out any kind of useful memory. "I think… she wants to help people."

"Interesting. Well, either her Sacred Gear had never been fully manifested in the first place, or a new desire caused it to undergo transformation into what's known as a sub-species. Personally, I think the latter is more likely the cause of her troubles. Once her Sacred Gear manifests fully, my hope is that she'll awaken."

"Does that mean we can't do anything but wait?" asked Percy.

"No," Ajuka said. "There are methods of coaxing a Sacred Gear's development. Before we get to that step, though, I would first like to identify the Sacred Gear. At the very least, knowing its nature would help put us on the right path." He looked at Ingvild. "I'll consult with some sources to learn more. It might take time, though…"

"How long?"

"I do have other duties, so... a week. I will contact you if something comes up sooner."

"Fair enough." One week hardly sounded like a dealbreaker. But the earlier, the better, obviously. "Anything else we should know?"

"I'm muddy on some of the finer details, but it's worrisome that somebody who might once have been thought cured could fall ill again, especially in such a short amount of time. Needless to say, we can only hope that what happened this time is a one-in-a-billion occurrence."

They stepped away from the bed. Ajuka gestured at the door. "Would you like to take her with you? Or she can stay here if you'd prefer. I'll have one of my most trusted doctors check on her regularly. You can be absolutely sure about confidentiality. Her identity will stay between us three alone."

Percy looked at Tiamat. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I think it's a good idea. New York seems to have gotten a bit more crowded ever since your arrival. Nobody knows she's here, either."

That was true. He'd already had close calls with Gabriel and Thanatos. Now there were undead and cannibals. Maybe even trick-or-treaters. New York was becoming too dangerous.

"How much do you trust that doctor of yours?" he asked Ajuka.

"He's loyal. I make sure my staff in this facility have never had ties to the Old Satan Faction, through themselves or through their family."

Percy nodded slowly. "All right. That'll have to be good enough. Do you mind keeping her safe, then? For the time being."

"Not at all." The devil put his hand up to forestall them. "Of course, I'd like to ask that you do your part in keeping this arrangement a secret. If word gets around to some of the people in my own government, I'll be put in a tough spot. There are those who would like to see my position jeopardized. If they sniff a weakness, they'll take it and wring it dry."

"Guess we're keeping each other's secrets." Percy gave Ajuka a sure nod. "My lips are sealed. Just make sure you take care of her."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

By the time Percy and Tiamat returned to New York, the sun had already gone down. The air inside his apartment was cold and sharp—a far cry from what the city had been suffering through earlier in the day. The razor-sharp tension had dulled, but it wasn't gone.

What did that mean, though? Had the Church's exorcists managed to get a handle on the situation at some point while he'd been away? Maybe somebody else had gotten fed up with the goings-on. Apparently, there were plenty of actors moving around New York with their own intentions. That was, according to Tiamat.

Percy emptied his pockets onto the kitchen island. His temples throbbed. How long had it been since he'd slept? Close to six hours? That was way too long.

One day, he was sure somebody would ask him about the pros and cons of bathing in the Styx. Two answers came to mind immediately.

Pro: impenetrable skin.

Con: the worst possible sleep schedule.

That sounded like an even trade-off for the most part, but he knew better. If he ever died in this timeline, he would definitely go haunt the bank of the Styx like Achilles, stopping the next desperate idiot like him from going through with their own swim.

Whether or not that was possible remained to be seen. Maybe he'd go to Heaven instead. Or maybe it was the Underworld for him. That didn't sit well. The Underworld here was nothing like the Underworld in his timeline. Floating cities, modern technology, an entire species with a government. Weird place.

The Netherworld reminded him more of his Underworld, though there were still plenty of differences between the two. He hadn't seen Elysium or Tartarus, and the Netherworld was oddly empty compared to his timeline's Underworld.

Did souls even go to the Netherworld? If so, where had they all been when he'd walked through with Tiamat? Thinking back, he remembered the long lines of spirits waiting to be judged in his timeline's Underworld. He remembered the big Walls of Erebos rising around Hades' palace. He remembered good old Charon and his expensive Italian suit.

There hadn't been anything like that in the Netherworld. Not even an EZ DEATH line. Pretty suspicious.

Hopefully, that meant the Netherworld had a more efficient way of sorting the dead.

From what he'd seen of it, Heaven was the ideal afterlife. Clean and calm. Free tea, friendly people. What wasn't there to like? In comparison, the Netherworld sucked.

"Well," Tiamat said, arms stretched above her head, "that was certainly one way to spend my day."

"Very exciting," Percy said.

"For you, it should have been," Tiamat agreed. "You met two of the most powerful devils under good circumstances. At least one of them saw some kind of value within you, and the other saw merit in helping with one of your personal requests. That's more acknowledgment than most people will ever receive in life or death."

"Tell you what, when I make my bucket list, I'll cross off meeting the Satans first thing. Just be sure to remind me when the time comes."

"Bucket list? I don't know what that is."

"It's a list of things people want to do before they kick the bucket." He saw Tiamat still looking confused and drew a line across his neck dramatically. "Kick the bucket means dying. People make a list of things they want to do before they die. Some people want to skydive, and some want to visit the World's Largest Cornfield; it's all a preference."

"That sounds nice."

He frowned. "Skydiving or visiting cornfields?"

"Knowing there are some things you might never experience. I think it's nice." She looked at him. "Do you have a bucket list? Something tells me you aren't interested in the World's Largest Cornfield."

"You're right, I'm not a big corn enthusiast," Percy said, leaning over the countertop. His elbows grew cold as soon as they touched the stone. "And, yeah, I did have a bucket list. Before getting into the demigod business, I really just wanted to make it through one year of school without getting expelled."

"That's a very mundane desire."

"For most people, probably. It was kind of a pipe dream for me, though. I went through schools like other kids went through shoes. And it was tough on my mom… so… I guess I just wanted to make life a little easier for her… prove I wasn't the worst kid a parent could ask for."

"Ah." She blinked at him. "Did you cross that off your list?"

"Eventually. Years after I found out I was a demigod. My last two years of high school were in the same place. That was cool."

"Was that all you ever wanted? Finishing your education?"

"I guess part of me stopped caring after my math teacher tried to kill me. Things change when you learn you're actually the child of the Greek sea god. When you're a kid, adults always talk about how important school is. But, as a demigod, school kind of comes secondary to staying alive. Most of us die young. Monsters have a taste for demigod flesh, I guess. Or they just plain hate us because of our godly parents. The animalistic monsters are bad enough. The smarter ones? Way worse. And that's not even mentioning other things that might want you dead."

"But you made it. Now… what? No more bucket list?"

He shrugged. "What do you want me to say? I don't have one. Not anymore."

"You should make a new one."

"A new one? I don't know…" Percy rubbed his hands together slowly. His fingers ached from the cold gripping his knuckles. "I'm not sure what I'd put on there anymore. Kinda feels like I've already done enough."

Tiamat walked around to the other side of the kitchen. She swung the fridge door wide open, and Percy watched as she rummaged through the meager stash he'd brought home not long ago.

Pulling back, she came out with two tangerines. She began peeling one before even closing the refrigerator, her fingernails easily slipping through the skin.

"Do you know why I eat, Percy?" she asked, taking her time to slowly split the perfectly peeled fruit into wedges. "I don't need to. So, why would I bother?"

Percy stared at her. "Because you want to?"

She took a wedge between her teeth and pointed at him. "Exactly. Exactly. I like eating. I like food. And I'm no snob."

He held his hands up tiredly. "Okay, okay, I hear you. I get what you're saying."

"Good." Tiamat rolled the other tangerine over the island. He stopped it before it could fall off his side.

"What about you? Do you have a bucket list?"

"Me?" she asked, chewing slower on a few wedges of her fruit. "No. Time is practically inconsequential to me. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. There's no… sense of urgency. I've seen what I wanted to see, experienced what I've wanted to experience. What's left?" She shrugged helplessly, shoulders barely rising. "To be honest… I'd been hoping to find something else when I came here."

Percy nodded. He focused on his tangerine as he tore the skin off. "When we met? Sorry to disappoint you."

"That's…"

"What were you looking for?"

"I don't know. Something alien. Something so completely foreign to me that I wouldn't be able to understand it even if I wanted to and even if I tried. I had been hoping for something new. As far as I know, you're the best example we have of our reality not encompassing every possibility. We were not supposed to meet. But we did. Now we're here. It's odd, true, but you're…"

"I'm just me. I get it."

"Relatable. Acceptable. Comprehensible. Human. There's nothing wrong with being any of those things."

"Guess not." Percy set the freshly peeled skin aside and put half the tangerine in his mouth. Sweet and tart, just how he liked them. He looked at her. "Still, you decided to stick around. Why?"

Tiamat's mouth quirked widely to one side. "I had nothing to lose. Neither of us had any obligation toward one another, which made it the least ideal sort of partnership. Even if I couldn't have my alien, I would at least have somebody acting outside of fate. An alien fate is the next best thing to an actual alien."

Percy thought about that. He eventually smirked. "I bet you were just bored."

She chuckled wryly. "Well, yes, there's that, too. I was bored. Before you came along, I'd been debating simply falling asleep for a good long while. A century or two for good measure."

"That sounds kind of… Uh…"

"I understand why you would see it that way," Tiamat said, sparing him the trouble of finding the right words. The look she gave him bordered on amused. "It's actually not uncommon for long-lived entities to go dormant throughout history. There's really no better way to pass the time. And at least then, after a few human generations come and go, there are new things to see in the world."

Strangely enough, that made sense. How many gods were dormant as they spoke? How many were waiting for the next big thing to come along and surprise them?

Maybe he was waiting for something too—the next big thing, so to speak. His life was one big thing after another, so he never had to wait for long.

But did the next big thing always have to put everything else on the backburner?

Rhetorical questions sure were tough.

"That said," Tiamat continued, "I'm content with how things wound up. Somehow, I've found myself… in a perfectly strange little situation…" Her fingers toyed with the splayed skin of the tangerine. "And you helped me remember a few things I'd forgotten after so long. You're doing me as many favors as I'm doing you. We get along quite well, eh? A dragon and a demigod. The perfect legend for young children to grow up on."

"Sounds like a story in the making," Percy said, smiling at the idea of his earlier adventures being made into a kid's book. His smile dampened at the thought of the people who hadn't been as lucky as him. He watched Tiamat's hands closely. "Do you have any kids?"

She went still. "I… Yes… I did."

Percy must have caught her completely off guard. He had never seen her so unbalanced and—for lack of a better word—vulnerable. Her face wasn't so much haunted as it was painfully forlorn.

A pervasive sadness enveloped the kitchen, almost as if her emotions had managed to manifest and entwine with the air around them.

None of it lasted long. She was quick to set her face back to neutral, and the atmosphere shifted with it. "A long time ago, I did have children. Never any with a human. And none now, if that's what you meant."

"Er… Yeah, that is what I meant. Sorry. I, uh… I know a little about what happened with your first kids. Just a few things I could find online."

Tiamat placed her palms flat on the countertop. "Yes, I've read what was recorded about me. To this day, I'm not sure how I feel about my written legend. The subject matter happened thousands of years before it was put to clay, and changes were made to the events countless times."

"So, how much of what I read was wrong?"

"Well, I'm still alive, for one. That should give you an idea of how accurate humanity's memory is. I was defeated, not slain."

"That's good. I mean, you not dying."

"Supposedly, yes," she said, taking the peel and throwing it in the garbage beneath the sink. "But it was a mercy I did not deserve. I'll admit as much." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I was spared death, however transient or absolute, and I don't know why."

"Maybe you don't need a reason to be alive. Believe me, I know how you feel."

She nodded. "I know you do. You didn't deserve what happened to you, though. I did." The look she gave him was piercing. "I don't know everything, and I can only take you at face value, but it isn't hard for me to picture your trials. That said, one day, I'd like to delve into your memories. See through your eyes, live through you in that very moment."

"You can do that?" asked Percy. He shouldn't have been surprised. Gods back home could do all sorts of weird things. And dragons here were apparently gods in their own right if Tiamat was any indication. She could have been the exception, but Percy would compare other dragons to her until proven otherwise.

And, actually, he had seen into the past during his dreams a few times. It really wasn't so strange after all.

"Yes, I can." Tiamat motioned between them. "It's different from skimming surface thoughts. It would take a deeper connection, which isn't something you should agree to carelessly."

Morbidly curious, Percy asked, "Is it dangerous?"

Tiamat shrugged. "Of course. The mind is delicate. Magic like this is rarely practiced. Not only is the recipient at risk, but the performer is as well. The magic itself isn't to blame, either. It's the people on either side."

"Why would anybody want to do this?"

"It was never intended to be a voluntary procedure. The magic involved was actually created by humans long ago. Powerful magicians used it to pry all sorts of secret spellwork from each other. It was popular among a group of wandering sorcerers in Egypt. Legend has it they agreed to visit the far reaches of the world and learn as much as they could in twenty years from every cabal they could find, then reconvene to share their newfound knowledge between each other and become powerful beyond belief."

He gave her a skeptical look. "I'm just going to go out on a limb and say their plan didn't work out how they wanted."

"Your limb-based guess would be correct. Only one returned from the journey and successfully created a new cult in Lower Egypt." Tiamat wrinkled her nose. "That one became the most powerful sorcerer of his generation. Didn't stop him from dying, though." She waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, the spell is widely known these days, but few actually use it as it was created. If you'd ever like to widen my understanding of your life, let me know."

"I'll think about it. Letting someone run around in my brain is a little…"

"Intimate?"

"Yeah, something like that."

She chuckled. "That's an apt observation. And you'd be right, of course. I would see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt. We would practically be one person." Her gaze wandered to the clock mounted on the living room wall. She straightened up and stretched her back. "It's gotten late. I think I'll take my leave."

It wasn't that late, Percy thought, checking the clock himself. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't tired and that sleeping for a while didn't sound nice. "All right, see you later. Thanks for your help today."

She nodded. "Good night, Percy."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The city always looked different after dark. New York didn't sleep, but the contrast between two in the morning and two in the afternoon was literally like night and day. Fewer people walked the streets. Fewer cars were on the road. The signs blazed especially bright without the sun butting in.

At night, New York was like a runner's heart after their race: it was calmer but still beating.

Percy cupped his hands and blew warm air into them. Should've brought gloves.

It was cold. His breath came out in cloudy billows. He wanted to believe it was the typical February chill, but he knew better than to hope. The weather hadn't stopped acting strange. Days had passed since he'd first noticed. He was expecting Ajuka to get in touch soon. The week was almost up, and the weather was still not normal. Some days were stranger than others. That sat heavily in his stomach. The tension was still building in his city. Stress piled on top of stress.

When all that stress was finally released…

Yikes.

He didn't want to think about it. Honestly, he was almost getting tired of worrying.

Scratch that. He was tired, period. Sleep had been eluding him ever since he'd left Ingvild in the Underworld. Maybe that was his subconscious telling him something. Or maybe it was just a sign that he needed to start meditating.

He looked through the windows of each store he passed. On the subject of Ingvild, he realized she would need clothes once she was well and truly awake. Somehow, he doubted Tiamat would be keen to part with too much of her wardrobe. And that was totally fair.

Still, that meant Ingvild would have to go shopping. There was no way he would trust himself with picking out clothes for anybody—especially not women.

"Hey. You look… good."

"Thanks. Back at you, Seaweed Brain."

"Honestly? Mom picked this out for me. I guess it's nice."

"I'd say she has a really good eye…"

A lonely food cart caught his attention. He bought gyros for the sake of the poor guy working so late.

Percy took his time eating.

Five minutes later, he turned off 8th Avenue and started making his way back home.

He only made it a block before a blanket of exhaustion wrapped itself around him.

His brain slowed down. The world moved at a snail's pace for a second. Midstep, his knees buckled. He caught himself before he toppled.

It took a breath to shake the drowsiness, and it took another to stop his legs from feeling like they'd been locked in cement. The street was empty of people. That was the first sign of trouble. Even this late, there should have been at least a few night owls. He glanced back. Cars still drove the length of 7th Avenue. Looking down toward 6th Avenue, he saw a similar scene.

But the street was quiet.

Four magic circles blazed to life in front of him, forming a line on the sidewalk. He pulled his pen out just as four hooded strangers appeared, their bodies etched into existence by the amber mandalas below them. Percy eyed them warily.

Why do I not like where this is going? he asked himself.

One of the strangers stepped out of line. The long robes he wore wouldn't have been out of place at a Halloween party. The upper part of his face was heavily shadowed, leaving only his mouth and chin visible. He asked, "Are you Percy Jackson?"

Plan A: play dumb. "Me? Uh, no, you've got the wrong guy." He pointed at himself. "I'm Pierre Jorgenson."

"You are Percy Jackson," the man stated.

Plan B: snark. "Okay, if you already knew, why'd you bother asking?"

The corners of the man's mouth tightened. "Our leader wants to speak with you."

"Oh yeah? Who's that?"

A new magic circle popped up. From it came the ghostly image of a silver-haired man dressed in a classic three-piece suit. He gave a charming smile. "That would be me, as a matter of fact. So sorry for using this illusionary form to meet you. New York City is a bit too… busy." He dipped his head slightly. "Euclid Lucifuge. You haven't heard of me."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're right, I haven't heard of you. But Lucifuge makes me think—"

"I am a devil." Euclid shrugged, still smiling. "I loyally serve the Lucifer family."

"Current or old?"

The smile melted. His reply was calm and glacial. "There is only one Lucifer family. Sirzechs Gremory falsely holds many things he isn't worthy of."

"Old it is. All right, what do you want with me?"

The smile returned. "Not much. I only want information you can provide. Rather, I want information only you can provide." He waved his hand, and the robed strangers all backed away, slipping out of earshot. Euclid mockingly put a finger to his lips. "You see, I am something of an avid researcher of alternate realities. The theory is just so intriguing. Unfortunately, I'm a bit far-removed from the current state of academia among my own people, and other magical communities haven't posited anything on the subject in ages. I've been starved of knowledge. Do you see where this is going?"

Percy nodded slowly. "Doesn't take a genius."

"No, it doesn't. When you came along… well… I always have a finger on the pulse of the Dimensional Gap. Recently, the eddies of the cosmic soup which the Dimensional Gap embodies had been stirred all wrong. I figured that, unless the True Dragon was preparing to exit that plane, something else caused this disturbance. Finding trace elements of that cosmic soup is far from difficult. There are few creatures old enough to have formed themselves from it. And rarely does anybody enter. There's nothing there for them. After some trial and error, I found the trace I was looking for: I found you. It only took me this long to arrive because of things outside of my control. So, here we are. I'm sure you were wondering how I found you. That's why I'm telling you all this—call me preemptive."

Percy raised an eyebrow. He'd been following Euclid's spiel for the most part, but he got the feeling the devil had been talking at him instead of to him. "Well, congratulations, you found me. Unfortunately, we're fresh out of gold medals. I can give you bronze instead."

"We wouldn't be speaking like this if I was after commendations."

"You want information." Percy tilted his head inquisitively. "But why should I tell you anything? What'll you do with it?"

Euclid seemed taken aback by the question. He blinked and began to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that depends on what you can give me. Ultimately, my goal would be to find a way to completely bypass the True Dragon. It roams the Dimensional Gap, preventing incursions and excursions with its mere presence. Moreover, it would take a great deal of energy to move out of this reality and into another. Perhaps we would need something akin to a supernova. Or maybe we would launch something sufficiently dense and massive into the Gap in the hopes of 'altering' spacetime. That said, you are here, standing right in front of me as if you hadn't done something spectacular. The True Dragon didn't destroy you. Nor did the Dimensional Gap. You don't look like a black hole or a supernova to me." The devil paused. He licked his lips and flicked some hair out of his eyes. "But you must be wondering why I care. To be honest, I feel out of my depth here, in this reality. I would like to go elsewhere. Find a place more suited to my tastes."

"What are your tastes?"

"I have the taste of a true devil, of course. We should all be considered evil to a fault. What I want to find is a place away from this holier-than-thou zeitgeist that would stymie me. I'm no fool. Plenty of people in this reality would be willing and able to stop me if I were to prance around to my heart's content. But there must be a place where I can thrive. It's only a matter of finding it. Solitude isn't what I seek. Perhaps you might call it domination? To finally be free of fear. To do as my evil heart desires."

"You just came out and said it, huh?" Percy shook his head, a bit dazed. "You didn't even try to hide it. How did you expect this to play out, dude? I'm not going to help an obviously evil maniac."

"Few people do," Euclid admitted wryly. "I thought about manipulating you… betraying you at a later date… it would be evil… but my associate rightfully warned me of stepping afoul the sunk cost fallacy should my plan fall apart later down the line. And I trust my associate's knowledge on that matter. He isn't incompetent. The barrier-space you just walked into was his creation. Very elegant. I'd be remiss to offend him. So, now I have a simpler plan: I'll take what you know by force." He smiled. "Oh, thank you, by the way. You let me stall for much longer than I expected. But now, please try to die as quickly as possible."

Percy drew his sword as Euclid's image vanished.

The hooded strangers were nowhere in sight, but something new came out of Euclid's magic circle.

It was a monster Percy had never seen before, dotted with barbs and spines. Its body was covered by a cracked obsidian hide. Half of the thing's face was marked by a tangled mess of melted thorns, and the other half had three yellow eyes diagonally aligned toward its forehead.

As soon as the magic circle beneath its feet disappeared, the thing wasted no time. It attacked with black talons, moving faster than Percy thought possible for any sort of monster. He brought his sword around and knocked the thing's claws aside.

But the monster's strength surprised him. His hand tingled from the vibration of his sword. The creature hissed hatefully and gave him no time to counterattack. It came at him again. Percy flowed out of the way, readying Riptide, only to be forced to twist himself free of another strike from the creature's spiked tail. He retreated a few steps to get his nerve back.

He really shouldn't have been afraid. His skin was impenetrable. But something about the monster itself sent shivers down his spine. He'd seen a lot, but this was new.

Still, a monster was a monster. If it bled, it could die. When the thing struck again, Percy made sure to be ready. He dodged the outstretched hand as it raced to gut him and brought his sword up in an arc of glimmering bronze.

The creature vanished as soon as the metal blade touched it. Percy used the momentum of his swing to turn around.

Somehow, the thing had gotten behind him. It rushed forward, hand flush with burgundy energy. Riptide met the thing's claws in a flash. Light and heat and thunder erupted from the point of contact. The creature pressed hard against Percy, its twisted fingers wrapped around the bronze blade. The burgundy energy hissed and spat where it touched his sword.

Realizing he'd been caught in a bad position, Percy yanked his sword back as hard as he could. The creature released Riptide with a snarl. Pearlescent teeth glinted under the nearest street light. Its three eyes burned with unbridled fury. Flicking its tail, the monster vanished again without a trace.

Percy spun around, but this time, the monster wasn't there.

Move, his instinct told him. He did just that, heaving himself into a hard somersault. The curse carried him to safety again. From above, the monster dropped, the end of its tail covered in that same burgundy energy from before. When its tail slammed into the ground where Percy had been standing, the energy exploded outward. Percy was lifted off his feet and thrown clear down the street. He slammed into a car's windshield face-first. But instead of going through the glass, his body bounced off and hit the asphalt.

Head spinning, Percy got to his feet. The car hadn't been damaged at all. Not even a dent on the hood. In fact, the whole street looked perfectly intact. Percy shook his head to clear it. Something wasn't adding up. Even his addled mind knew that much. When his eyes slid over a nearby fire hydrant, something clicked. He couldn't feel the water around him. It was almost as if there wasn't any at all, which shouldn't have been true for a street in one of the biggest cities on Earth.

What did it mean? He didn't know. Magic, probably. The barrier-space Euclid had talked about came to mind, but there was no time to think too hard about it.

The creature stalked closer. Its mouth parted to reveal those dagger-like teeth again. Percy tightened his muscles. The thing pounced. A flurry of rabid strikes drove for Percy from every angle. It wasn't as fast as Thanatos or Hyperion, but every time Percy managed to set himself up for a good counterattack, the creature would vanish just as his sword came a millimeter from cutting its obsidian hide. Then, with him off balance, the thing would come back from some other direction.

Its attacks became more vicious. Percy pushed to match the monster's pace.

Riptide became a blur, lost in the warped mass of claws, obsidian crags, and gnashing teeth. The speed at which the creature could disappear and reappear was easily the worst part. It felt instant. Quick as lightning. Quicker, even.

Black talons landed a solid hit on his thigh, then on his shoulder, then on his chest. He stepped away and thrust his sword at the creature's face. It vanished.

The scene played again. Foot here or there, sword out for a jab or cut, bend forward or backward, swing, miss, swing, miss—no third time's charm. Repeat, repeat. Percy moved on instinct. The Curse of Achilles kept him alive through mystic luck and pure physical prowess in combination with his impenetrable skin. He'd gotten good at staying alive despite the odds.

Just as Percy was finding some type of rhythm in their ebb and flow, the thing uncoiled in a sudden burst of speed, like a runner on their last hundred meters. Its burgundy englobed talons stopped just shy of his face thanks to a timely twitch of his arms, but the creature followed through entirely with its strike, wrenching Percy's sword down toward the ground while lashing out with its energy-coated tail.

If not for the curse, his head would have been turned to paste. Instead, the tail landed a glancing blow on his chin and sent him stumbling back. The creature straightened and glowered at him.

"Your soul would fuel me for a thousand years," the thing said, its voice barely a shriveled whisper. "It has been long since I last tasted the divine. You would be a feast. Yet, you do not die."

Percy flexed his jaw. His entire body ached, but he was alive, and all his teeth were still where they should have been. He hadn't lost hold of his sword. Blinking the black spots out of his vision, he tried not to be surprised now that the monster was talking. Plenty of monsters talked. He raised Riptide. "I'm… pretty hard… to kill. You're out of luck," he panted.

The monster's eyes burned with hate. Just as it tensed to pounce again, a pane of yellow energy materialized between them, and a rain of near-blinding yellow lances fell from the sky. The thing was caught by surprise. It should have been cut to ribbons, but the thing again vanished and reappeared on the opposite sidewalk while the lances broke into motes against the ground.

Percy looked up. A familiar figure descended from the sky.

Gabriel floated down to the street. Six pairs of feathery wings extended out from her back, and a halo held steady over her head. A spear of that same yellow energy—couldn't be solid light, could it?—was present in her hands. Her face, for the first time since he'd met her, was stony and grave. She landed in front of him and gave him a cursory glance before turning her attention to the monster.

They measured each other through the transparent pane. The monster's tail swayed behind it, fused with potent red power. "This does not concern you, seraph. Leave, or I shall drink you as well."

"You won't be gorging on anybody here," Gabriel said calmly. Her wings spread out like one of those frill-necked lizards. Despite how soft the feathers looked, it was an intimidating sight. "If you had the power to follow through on that threat, you wouldn't have bothered even making it."

"I can not die," it rasped.

"True. But you don't have the energy to keep fighting Percy and me at the same time, do you?" She swung her lance out dramatically. "Did you forget how many of your kind we locked away, demon? I know you aren't at full strength."

The monster flexed its hand a few times. Its glare became more spiteful by the second. The monster's three eyes darted between Percy and Gabriel. Eventually, it shook its warped head and backed away, snarling. A magic circle opened beneath its feet.

Percy watched silently as the monster slipped away. He only realized how truly heavy his arms and legs felt a few seconds later. Every muscle burned. His chest was unbearably tight. He heard Gabriel trying to talk to him, calling his name, but she sounded a hundred miles away.

Staggering, he steadied himself on the hood of a nearby car, short of breath and jelly-legged. Slowly, he sank to the ground, sticking his back against the car to keep himself upright.

Something pressed against his lips.

Water. A bottle of water. He gladly drank as much as he could. When she tried to pull it back, he took it from her and chugged the rest, spilling some through the corner of his mouth.

It wasn't ocean water, but he wouldn't complain. He relaxed as some of his strength returned. The worst of his pain faded, but he was still winded and generally tired. His brain felt deep-fried.

Food, a cold bath, and sleep: that was what he needed.

"Percy?"

He looked up. Gabriel's big green eyes were crinkled by concern. Her halo and feathery wings were out of sight, but she still looked as angelic as ever.

"Percy?" she tried again.

"Huh? Oh." He wiped away a few drops of water from his chin. "I'm all right. I… I, uh, think."

She frowned. "Um, well, you say that, but…"

Percy took a deep breath. It hurt, but he tried not to show it. He cleared his throat and nodded a few times, hoping to reassure her. "I'm better."

Gabriel studied him with worry carved on her face for another moment. Slowly, she relaxed and let out a sigh. "I'm glad. You had me worried."

That made two of them. The fight with Thanatos had been short and not nearly as intense, which was a testament to the god's integrity rather than a knock to his strength. Thanatos had probably been pulling his punches, as promised. This monster had been trying to kill him with impunity. "Sorry. Wasn't an easy battle," Percy said. He covered a cough. His lungs and throat told him to shut up. "That… thing… It was pretty tough. Smart, too."

"Well…" She looked around before leaning in closer. Her expression went back to grim. "That was an undying. A grand undead. An imperishable. And maybe the worst kind to boot."

"Undying," Percy repeated slowly. "So, when it said it couldn't die, it wasn't exaggerating?"

"Unfortunately not," she said. "They aren't called imperishables for nothing. They don't die of old age, they don't die from conventional weapons, they just don't die." Her gaze fell to his clothes. "Speaking of—Percy, are you sure you aren't dying on me?"

It took a second for him to look down. His jacket and shirt had practically been torn to shreds. His jeans had fared a little better. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"But…" Gabriel looked closer. "No blood? Healing magic is so rare. Touki usually surrounds a person enough to encompass their clothes. Magical wards do too. How are you…?"

"Invincibility, good reflexes, and a handful of luck," he said, pushing himself off the ground with a grunt. "It's not a combo meal you'd find on the value menu."

"You're invincible?"

Percy gestured ambiguously with his hand. His fingers throbbed painfully. "More or less. Impenetrable skin, really. I'm definitely not immortal, though."

"Impenetrable skin? That sounds kind of familiar…" She thought about it for a few seconds before shaking her head. "What happened here, Percy? Why was Nilrem attacking you?"

"Nilrem? Is that the monster's name? Sounds lame."

"So you don't know." Gabriel absentmindedly rubbed her cheek. Her eyes flicked down the street. "If we went someplace safe, would you mind telling me what happened? I'm sorry for not getting here faster. I felt the imperishable arrive, but other business held me up for longer than I would've liked. Namely Nilrem magicians."

"You mean those hooded people?" he asked.

"That's them." She touched the hood of the car. "I wonder if it was them who also put these wards on the street. No, probably not. These are complex and powerful. I doubt the imperishable did it. Sustaining this level of magic is impressive."

Percy remembered Euclid talking about an 'associate.' Just another thing to worry about. "Well, hey, you're not gonna hear me complaining. Honestly, I'm glad you came at all," he said. "And as long as where you're taking me has a spare change of clothes, I'll tag along."

Gabriel gave a relieved smile. "I can promise you a replacement for what you're wearing. As an apology for being late. I bet I can find something that suits you." She sidled up next to him. "I'll teleport us to save time."

Nodding, he said, "Ready when you are."

"An angel is always ready. Guess that means it's time to go!"

Author Note: Thanks for reading.