"You have some explaining to do, Perce," Luke said as he tossed another pebble. It landed in the dirt beside me. I picked it up and threw it back at him, hitting the top of his head.
"As do you," I answered. "Why aren't you in Elysium?" Luke grimaced at the mention of what was supposed to be his resting place. He pointed his head downward and threw a rock at his feet. It landed hard in the dirt.
"As the Giant War raged on and spirits were escaping, Zeus feared I would come back with Gaea's army," he said. His voice was laced with anger and sadness. "To keep that from happening, he went to Elysium and dragged me to the put himself. And he threw me in." He looked up at me, and though I couldn't see his face in the dim light, I could tell it held the same determination as mine.
"I'm sorry, Luke." I watched his silhouette shrug.
"I've answered your question, now you answer mine. How is the biggest hero of Olympus now a traitor." He took a seat at the bars between our… cells? Holding pens? I got up and moved closer, taking a similar position.
"Truth be told, I have no idea," I answered. I picked up a pebble from the rocky floor and threw it against the far wall. "The gods put me on trial with little to no exposition. They put it to a vote on my innocence. Seven said guilty, and five said innocent. So here I am." Luke chuckled.
"Here you are indeed, Perce," he muttered. Luke stood up and turned around, facing me. "But that doesn't answer why you seem different. The scent of the sea used to follow you. Now you reek of sweat and blood." I winced at the thought of the sea no longer being a part of me. My father really had disowned me.
As I was about to answer, the door to the arena above began to open. Light flooded in. Luke's began to open as well. Our cells began to rise.
"I'll explain everything later, for now, let's focus on getting out of here," I shouted over. Luke's head snapped over to face me.
"Getting out?!" he shouted back. I didn't have a chance to answer as we entered the arena. Like before, monsters lined the seats of the crude rendition of the Roman Colosseum. On one side was Luke, myself, and a third prisoner wearing a cloak, hiding their face. Their body was humanoid, at the least they would be another demigod. Across from us were people I would hope to never see again.
On the left stood my half brother, the giant Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaea. I had killed him before in his own arena in the Labyrinth. To the right was the green-haired giant Polybotes, the bane of Poseidon. In the center of them was the ringleader himself, Pallas, adorned in a suit of battle armor and wielding a spear. His helmet sat in his hands and he wore a sinister grin.
"I know why you're here, Perseus," he shouted to me. "Let us discuss the terms of this battle." He stepped forward from between the two giants and walked to the center of the arena. I followed suit, motioning for the two on my side to stay behind.
From far away, Pallas was a sight to behold, known as a killing machine, the Titan of War. He twirled his spear before stabbing the tip into the dirt. Despite his reputation, I couldn't help but find it funny that he was a head shorter than myself.
"The rivers have told me of your test," he started. "I was impressed by your battle with the Minotaur. I will speed up the process and allow you a chance at an early success. Should you and your allies defeat mine and myself, then I will allow you to leave."
"And if we lose?" I asked him. He gave me a look of glee mixed with sadness.
"Then your souls will belong to Tartarus," he swiftly answered. "I would also ask you not to use your immortal-killing blade in this battle. I would prefer to be allies should you survive." He motioned to the spear he had stuck in the ground. "I would offer you my spear instead." I nodded, agreeing to his terms. Pallas may have been against me before, but it was clear that our goals were similar. It would be a fair fight between the six combatants.
The Titan turned around and began walking back to his side of the arena. I grabbed the spear and followed suit.
"What's the plan, Jackson?" Luke asked as I approached. I could see that he still had his sword, Backbiter. Meanwhile, our mystery ally had nothing but a dagger.
"I need you two to distract the giants," I said. "You can kill Antaeus, the smaller one, but Polybotes won't go down without help from the gods. And I doubt we will get their help down here." I looked up to the ceiling of Tartarus at that part. Luke swung Backbiter into a fighting stance as the mystery person nodded.
"Why don't we all focus on one?" Luke asked. He had a point, but this wasn't a normal fight. The only one we need to defeat is Pallas. The other two were there to make it difficult and put on a show.
"If we beat Pallas, then we get to leave," I answered, twirling the spear. "If we lose, then we never get the chance to leave. Ever." The last words were said with finality.
"Are you ready, Perseus?!" The Titan's voice rose above the roar of the crowd, booming through the stadium-like structure. I rose my hand into the air in a fist, letting my thumb rise above the rest of my hand. Pallas took notice.
"Then let the fight commence!"
The Giants and the Titan charged forward, Pallas pulling ahead. We waited. When they reached the center, Luke sprinted off to the side. As a son of Hermes, he had the speed to easily meet Polybotes in battle. The mystery figure clashed with Antaeus, dodging his attacks with ease. He never was the best fighter. I met Pallas with his own spear. The Titan of war had decided to use a shield and gladius to fight. I tested his defenses with a quick jab that he easily deflected to the side. He stepped forward reaching out in an attempt to strike. Sword met spear as I brought it around to block. The crowd let loose a deafening cheer.
"I must admit, Perseus," Pallas shouted over the roar. "You're one of the best fighters I've met in a long time." He slammed his shield into my chest, knocking me to the ground. The spear went flying out of my hands and I laid there, disoriented for a moment. When I had come to my senses, the Titan stood over me, sword raised. I rolled to the side as it plunged into the ground. The spear, not too far away, was kicked into the air by Luke. I caught it on the come down and twirled it before placing its point on Pallas' neck. His sword was still in the dirt.
"Do you surrender?" The words reverberated around the arena as the monsters hushed, waiting to see how Pallas would retaliate.
"Well fought," the Titan laughed. "I concede." The spear disappeared from my hand, returning to its owner. Oathkeeper replaced it in an instant as I prepared for an attack. Pallas made no move to use it as a weapon instead propping himself up upon it. I sheathed the blade.
"Hardly much of a fight. It lasted less than a minute." Pallas smiled crookedly.
"This won't be your greatest challenge, Perseus," he said. "I'm merely here to test your strategy, not your strength. If what the Phlegethon has told me is true, then you'll be fighting the gods and their armies. Thus, you must know how to pick your targets."
"Perce," Luke interrupted the conversation. His battle with Polybotes had stopped when Pallas surrendered. "Is what he said true? You're gonna fight the gods and Olympus?" I guess I never explained that to Luke. Polybotes stomped, causing the ground to shake.
"The son of Poseidon shall not live!" he shouted. He began charging towards me, his giant trident ready to skewer me. His footsteps stopped in their tracks as Oathkeeper sprouted from his chest. Mortal blood began to drip from the wound and his mouth. He collapsed, causing dust and sand and mud to fly into the air. The body dissolved into grey flecks of dust before blowing away. An immortal killing blade. It was perfect for the task ahead of me.
"Yeah," I answered Luke. "I'm gonna kill the gods. You were right all along. Kind of. And you. What do you think of my goals?" I turned toward the hooded demigod as they wiped the golden blood of Antaeus from the blade.
"I think they're a little out of reach at the moment," she answered. She sheathed her dagger and reached up, removing the hood from her face. She squinted as the light hit her cerulean eyes. Silena Beauregard smiled.
"But I think we can end it all."
(A/N)
Hello everybody I apologize for the year long disappearance. I have been very busy. I make money but sadly work had left me in a big slump for writing that I couldn't get over until recently. I appreciate anyone who comes to read and I promise I will attempt to upload more consistantly. I will not give exact dates because I do not want to set any expectations for you guys, but I will try to upload them as much and as quickly as I can. Thank you for reading and please leave a review and tell me what y'all think.