Sup guys! New chapter. I've posted the first chapter of my second book, 'The Blood of Tartarus', so pls go check that out. Enjoy!

Mika1303: Thanks! I really liked that chapter ngl. And idk, I just really like writing cliffhangers, they just seem like good places to stop each chapter. I've got no clue what I'm gonna do at the end when I have to write a chapter that closes everything lmaoo.

DKay37: The weather's actually been pretty cool here loll. We've had snow for like a week now, but just the perfect amount. And in answer to your question, Alex will have one, but I won't write much about it, just bits added in here and there.

cardmaster11: That's his plan lmao. Although he did bring the hellhounds. Just in case.

JohnBonJoviethe13thOlympian: Thanks! Although the thing is, if it's so good, I hope I don't use up all my creativity in one story lmao.

Percy and Artemis looked at each other, then burst out laughing at the giant.

"I thought you were meant to oppose my dad, not try beat Apollo," Percy yelled, crying with laughter.

"Please, giant, you will never reach my brother's level," Artemis said, then paused. "Not that he's any good either. But that just makes it even worse for you!" She cried out, hunched over with laughter. By this point, Polybotes and his army had come out of the trees and stood facing them.

As the two laughed their heads off, Percy discreetly pointed his trident behind him and fired water out of the prongs. Hopefully Alex would sense the signal and know Polybotes was here.

Sure enough, about half an hour later every demigod showed up, ready to fight. Only to find Percy and Artemis completely clowning the giant, who looked so shocked some almost felt sorry for him.

Percy was in the middle of roasting Polybotes when they all arrived. "Boi if you don't get yo venomous dandruff and yo scaly leg lookin ass outta here!" He yelled, taking some tips from the way Blackjack sometimes made fun of pegasi who didn't like donuts.

Hazel grinned at the term she'd come up with (not sure if she said venomous dandruff exactly but close enough) and as if to prove her point, several basilisks dropped off of his head and onto the ground, killing off several of the monsters in his immediate surroundings.

Then Percy and Artemis got their fun interrupted by a very unwelcome voice. "If you lovebirds are done, can we get to fighting?"

Both Percy and Artemis went red, and each noticed the other's reaction as well as their own. Then they realised who spoke, and looked at each other, their facial expressions telling each other what they were thinking.

That foolish girl, Annabeth?

Yep.

Destroy her later?

Destroy her later.

They turned back to the giant and his army, but Polybotes seemingly had a proposition to make. "SONS OF POSEIDON! FACE ME IN SINGLE COMBAT, AND I WILL SPARE YOUR FRIENDS!" He roared, knowing the fatal flaw all children of his nemesis possessed was personal loyalty. They would charge in blindly if it meant keeping their friends safe.

Alex and Percy looked at each other, nodded, and started walking towards the giant. The massive army parted before them like the Red Sea, and formed a long, long pathway to the thirty foot tall giant standing at the back.

Percy and Alex sighed, and started the long walk towards the giant. Artemis put her hand on Percy's arm. "Percy, you can't just go!" She exclaimed.

Percy smiled at her. "Then come with," he said, Alex nodding in the background. "We'll need you to deal the finishing blow once we win." He grinned, and the three set off.

"HOLD IT!" Polybotes roared. "What's she doing with you? As far as I'm aware, I asked for sea spawns, and Artemis is a child of Zeus." He said, folding his arms.

Percy clapped as he would for a toddler. "Correct! Well done, Poly-boy. She's here so that when we win, we can send you back in the pit where your ugly head belongs."

Polybotes huffed, but allowed it. Once they were halfway there, he grinned and yelled," You fools! It was a trap the whole time!"

Suddenly, monsters closed in on them from every side. The three rolled their eyes.

Artemis shot a shaft of moonlight directly upwards, but without much power compared to her usual shots. Confused, everyone's eyes, including those of the forces of Olympus -who had to squint due to how far away they were- followed the shaft on its way up. When it reached its maximum height, it split into thousands of little ones, and rained down in a cone shape around the three.

Every monster in a ten metre radius immediately burst into golden dust. The ones outside that circle still looked like they wanted to attack, so Percy sighed. "Stop stealing all the fun, Arty! Our turn."

Percy reached out, and turned the water vapour in the air into normal water, while keeping it levitating in the air. Then, he relinquished control over the water to Alex. The two had trained together so much that they were able to seamlessly switch control so easily it looked like nothing had changed.

Alex, now in control, froze the water and turned it into hundreds of thin, long icicles, facing out in every direction. He and Percy then both propelled the icicles outwards, impaling their assailants. Monster after monster was impaled on each high-velocity icicle.

Hundreds of monsters were taken out, but hundreds still remained. These, however, stood back, letting them have a free pass to the giant again. Percy nodded in thanks.

"I knew you guys would see our point of view in time," he grinned as the trio started walking towards the giant again.

Polybotes snorted in anger. "Fine." He yanked another ten or so basilisks out if his hair and dropped them to the ground, adding them to the six basilisks already slithering around there.

Finally, they stood in front of the giant. Artemis stood off to the side, glaring at any of the monsters who looked like they even had a passing thought about interfering.

Polybotes stomped his huge dragon legs. "Let's see if you can defeat my basilisks, boys. If you can't, well we'll know you were too weak to even approach me." He said, looking down on them.

"I'll teach you not to make fun of your betters, Jackson. Try and get past my hungry mouths, if you want to get to me! And monsters, attack!" He yelled.

Percy and Alex could already feel the effects Polybotes' presence was having on them. Dimly, they were aware of the monsters readying themselves and rushing at the forces of Olympus. This was bad. Polybotes was breaking his promise.

Percy knew that due to their training, they'd be able to withstand the effect Polybotes put on them for a while, but they needed to get rid of Polybotes, and fast, otherwise the situation could get very bad.

They focused on the basilisks in front of them. Percy looked at his brother. "Both of us take eight snakes each, then?" He said squinting ahead.

Alex nodded. "Didn't think you were any good at simple maths, bro." He chuckled, but Artemis could hear the strains in their voices. They needed to hurry.

"Right. Here's the deal." Percy said to Alex. "They breathe fire, and their very touch is poisonous. Try kill them while keeping your distance." He explained, and his brother nodded.

The boys leapt into action, slicing off heads with the long reach of their tridents. But it was taking too long, Percy thought. They needed to be quicker. They had taken out about five each, when suddenly Percy had an idea.

He looked out across the now raging battle, and spotted Frank soaring over as a dragon. Percy caught the guy's attention, and the praetor took in the situation at a glance. He landed and turned into a weasel, the only thing these pests feared.

They bunched together, and Percy quickly skewered them through. Frank took off again, this time as a giant eagle.

"EXCUSE YOU!" Polybotes roared. "What happened to only sea spawns, huh?" He spun his trident, fuming with anger.

"Calm down, idiot." Percy scolded. "He's a distant descendant of Poseidon. Still counts."

Percy and Alex yelled battle cries, leaping into battle. Percy went for the legs, while Alex went for the head. Having faked their level of strength for Polybotes last time, he was unprepared for their speed and was sent staggering back, wounds on his knees and face.

But over time, the demigods started to weaken. Then Artemis realised something. If Polybotes had broken the deal, that meant she was free to join in the duel!

A second later, Polybotes' groin was filled with so many shafts of moonlight that it looked like he was having a nuclear fusion explosion down there.

He staggered back in pain, again. "CURSE YOU, WOMAN! GRATION SHOULD'VE BROKEN YOU IN BY NOW!" He roared.

Percy and Alex, hearing this, hastily stepped back. Gration was the giant that wanted Artemis for his own, and saying stuff like that would make Artemis very, very angry.

Sure enough, Artemis dropped her bow and drew her hunting knives. "What did you just say?" She hissed in fury, sprinting towards him. Like a gazelle, she jumped up his legs and torso until she reached his neck, where she slashed at his jugular.

But the goddess had underestimated the giant.

Polybotes hastily leaned his head to the side, meaning Artemis slashed the skin just next to the vulnerable blood vessel. He cursed in pain, but was able to retain enough self-control to shake his head and throw her off. While she was distracted in midair, he backhanded her, sending her flying.

Percy saw a tree behind her and had flashbacks to his encounter with Joe Bob. He quickly cushioned her with water vapour before she crashed into it, and she nodded to him in thanks.

All three of them leapt into battle again, and Polybotes wildly swung his trident and fishing net, trying to pick them off. By this time, the battle around them had finished, leaving the forces of Olympus standing in a circle watching the fight go down, noone wanting to enter such a dangerous encounter.

Most of them were just too scared to, but some, like Jason and Frank, desperately wanted to but needed a feel of Polybotes' fighting style first. Going into the battle now, with Polybotes already in full swing, would only result in a premature death.

The three were doing alright against the giant, and Percy was even beginning to see a situation where they could win. But suddenly, everything was turned upside down, leaving them back in an uncertain situation once more.

And it was all just a fluke.

Polybotes had been managing to ignore all the pain in his privates from the shafts of moonlight that were embedded there, humming with pure godly energy. But suddenly, all the pain hit him at once, full force. He roared in pain, throwing his arms out wide.

And Alex went tumbling to the ground, a massive wound in his back, stretching from just below his left shoulder all the way down to just above his right leg.

For once, Alex's plans had come back to bite him.

Every time he had jumped high to get to Polybotes' upper body, he had deactivated his armour so he was less heavy, then reactivated it as soon as he landed. Normally, Polybotes would only strike at him when he landed on the giant, so it was fine.

But this time, when Polybotes flung out his arms and roared in pain, he had struck Alex midair. Alex had managed to spin in the air just in time so it cut his back instead of his front, but there was now a deep gouge that the middle prong of the massive forked weapon had slashed through.

Alex went spinning to the ground, right in front of Thalia and Annabeth. He looked up at them, eyes full of defiance. He would not ask them for help. He started to get up, pushing his body to the absolute limit. He picked up his trident and spear -he had been dual wielding- and got ready to jump back into the fray. He'd probably die here, he thought bitterly.

But it was worth it if Percy and the hunters survived.

He activated his armour, and jumped towards the giant.

Only to be slammed to the side immediately. He lay on the ground, staring up at the sky. How? He hadn't even been in Polybotes' reach yet, he thought. What had happened?

He looked down at his side, and saw an arrow lying next to him, and a dent in his armour. He'd been shot? But who-

Suddenly, Celyn's face appeared above him. She was just slinging her bow back over her shoulder, and Alex put two and two together.

"You shot... me?" He asked. He couldn't say any more, so instead asked the question with his eyes. Why?

Celyn saw the unspoken query and sighed. "Yeah, it was me. It's just- I couldn't- The hunters and I couldn't bear it if you died. Why were you jumping back in? Are you an idiot?"

Alex smiled, wondering what she had been stuttering about at the start. "Wanted to help. But you... shot me. Thanks... I guess." Alex grinned weakly, as Celyn started to heal him as well as she could. If Percy got injured too badly to heal, Alex thought grimly, they were gonna have to eat all sorts of medicine and healing brews that Celyn would make.

Percy, Alex thought, if you get gravely injured I'll finish you off myself.

Then he passed out.

Percy, seeing this from further away, thought his brother had just died. He rose up into the air on his own personal hurricane, and started slashing and stabbing at every piece of giant flesh he could find.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, POLYBOTES!" The demigod yelled. Everyone in the area took a step back, even Artemis, as Percy's eyes began to glow a little from his fury.

Miniature hurricanes and earthquakes kept occurring, and Polybotes lost his footing, while Percy kept on wounding him everywhere. Percy leapt high, then began to fall, and used his falling momentum as well as his arm power to slice the giant's left arm clean off.

Soon, Percy stood atop the face of the kneeling giant. Riptide was poised to stab the giant in his eye, and his trident was in a defensive position to knock any basilisks away.

He looked over at Alex's body, only to see his brother sit up. Wait, he wasn't really dead? And immediately, just like that, Percy's happy mood was back.

But in his moment of distraction, the giant under him struck.

Feeling movement underneath him, he looked back, only to see Polybotes' fist whistling at him.

And he had no time to dodge it.