Chapter 44

Zoe clutched her pocket as she felt something shaking, moving with a mind of its own. She was about to open to investigate when a black ring shot out from below her, floating in the air.

Thanks to her instincts, the hunter was able to grab the ring, but this didn't help for long.

After attempting to escape for a moment, the ring dissipated into a dark mist that seeped from her fingers. Helpless, Zoe watched as the mist flowed out and away, presumably back to its master.

Zoe sighed. Great, now on top of being stuck in a maze, she had to worry about the fact that Perseus was out fighting, exerting himself.

She collected herself and trudged on forward, determined now more then ever. She had to escape and find Percy before it was too late.

~With Percy~

I groaned deeply as I clutched my head in pain.

Noir had just got done slamming me into the ground for the hundredth time, and something about this one hurt more then the rest.

Up.

I felt myself float to my feet, only to take the flat of the gods blade to the chest.

With an umph, I slid back, but I made sure to stay on my feet. Noir gave me a questioning glance, as if wondering why I hadn't fallen.

I very stubbornly raised my weapon once more, and faced off with the god.

I could tell Noir was getting annoyed, but I made sure to keep the same pace, not letting him get the upper hand, because if that happened he wouldn't let me have the chance to get back up.

I rushed forward on the offensive, twirling around with peak precision, hitting the god faster then he could react.

I used methods I had never even thought about before, taking bigger risks for higher rewards.

This style of attacking had worked for a moment before the god used his power over the word to keep my at bay.

No matter how hard I tried to combat it, The Word was just to overwhelming.

With a groan of frustration, I slung my scythe all the way across my body, stronger than I thought I could.

Noir made moves to block the attack of course, but to both our surprises, my blade didn't slow down, crashing into the gods chest, taking his sword with him.

There was a spurt of gold blood as the god flew back, twisting in the air before landing with a loud thud, charring the ground below.

He stayed still for a bit before getting back onto his feet.

"A clean hit. I suppose being cornered brings out the best of people."

I didn't say anything, only glaring at the god.

"You know, Perseus, this could have been easily avoided if you had accepted my offer. Despite my hatred, I believe a person of you status would be very useful to my masters crusade.

Instead of taking the smarter route though, you chose to travel with a wolf and a hunter, two beings who care little for you." He said with a scoff.

I nearly spat. "How morale would it be to join my mothers murderers? Besides, the wolf and the hunter have proved to be much more reliable than a god who fights with his brethren."

Noir squinted. "I stood by my kind till the end. A mere dispute means nothing. And besides, since when was someone like you bound by things such as morales?" Asked the god.

"Do not be foolish, you are more of a monster then any Androktasiai could ever be." He said, sending a cool breeze through the room.

"Maybe, Noir, but things change. Wether or not I truly care for someone doesn't matter now, because I've made up my mind.

I'm going to kill you, and if not for those two, then for me." I said.

The god was quiet for a bit.

"And what do you think happens after, if you were to somehow succeed? You believe my partners will simply let you live free afterwards? I doubt those two, the hunter especially will be too keen on staying with you anytime soon." He said.

I shook my head. "What happens next is another problem for another day. And it doesn't matter to me what the others do after this. I'll kill you and continue on with my life, whoever tries to stop that will end up just like yourself."

"Hmmm, quite confident, aren't you. It's a shame, the fate that is waiting for you, but alas, it is too late for redemption. This is your tomb, Perseus Jackson, and I shall bury you in it."

As the god spoke, the room started to shake. The vibrating became too much for the structure to handle, and parts of the roof started to fall down, narrowly missing me.

I looked around with slight fear. I didn't know what Noir had planned, but at this rate he would literally bury me in this place before I could do anything.

I only shook my head before running forward. I had come to far to care about the consequences.

I crashed down and immediately locked blades with the god.

"You are a loose cannon, and unworthy of the stone of souls...raghh!" Said the god, pushing off.

"I shall avenge my siblings, avenge Orcus, with your fallen blood!" The god came on the offensive, cleaving at me with force equal to a bulldozer.

I struggled to even part a single attack, and it reached a point where I was simply being thrown around by the gods force. I didn't doubt that if he hadn't then rage fueled, he had many chances to simply stab and kill me whenever he wanted.

The god's onslaught was ended we reached the corner of the room where Noir swung the hilt of his blade, aiming straight for my space.

With little options, I raised my hands in an x shape, taking the steel and fist straight on.

I swear I heard my arm bones break.

With a huff, I pushed the god away from myself and rolled away, praying for space.

I was breathing hard, struggling to catch my breath. I eventually stood up forward once more, and glanced at Retribution. I decided to try something different, hopefully changing the tides.

I willed my blade to switch, and a second later I held a sturdy black short sword in my hand.

Noir raised a brow, but said nothing as I rushed forward.

I charged the god full speed, and when he anticipated an attack, I leapt upwards, above the gods head. I saw Noir's eyes widen as I slashed downwards, my blade cutting deep into the gods left shoulder. I half expected it to cut his arm off (then we'd be in the same boat, heh), but the god proved more durable then most.

Nonetheless, it was still a clean enough hit to make the god cry out. Noir said a single word and sent me back, but I had gotten my hit in. The god grabbed his arm tightly as blood leaked down it, making multiple trails of gold.

"Bastard." Breathed Noir almost to himself.

After a moment of gathering himself, Noir stiffened up, seemingly ignoring the pain, for now at least.

The god waved his sword a bit, and I decided to go back on the attack. I had used Noir's injury as a way to catch my breath, but I couldn't let the god get into the groove of things.

I rushed the being and focused on his left side, jumping towards it at any chance I got. Noir had obviously expected this, and shifted to match my attempts, keeping me on his right.

Eventually I grew frustrated and attacked wildly, temporarily leaving him open. Using this, I swung my head forward and hit the god directly in his chest.

The force was enough to make Noir stumble back, something that hadn't happened yet.

With the god vulnerable, I saw a chance to end it all. I quickly ran forward and slashed forward. I saw Noir's head snap down seconds before impact.

Wind.

A massive of air streamed through the broken windows, send me back and carrying Noir all the way to the corner of the hotel room.

I quickly got up to see Noir now completely looking at his wounds, moving around a bit to get used to the pain.

We locked eyes for a second, and I couldn't help but scowl.

Without a word, we both rushed forward at the same time.

We met in the middle of the room, and like jousters we didn't stop, slashing straight through each other.

As I reached the god, I sidestepped and slashed upwards, whilst still running forward.

It took a couple steps before I noticed the gash the god had given me across my cheek and down my right side.

I stopped mid stepped then turn around. I watched as Noir stumbled once more before dropping down to a knee, his head down.

I turned around to face the god who had gotten back to his feet. I glowered for a second before rushing forward. Mid sprint, I willed my sword to take the shape of a spear, launching it forward.

The projectile flew faster then expected, and before the god could even say something to counter it, it impaled itself in his right shoulder.

"GAH!" Yelled the god in pain.

Now that I was within range, I jumped up once again, this time punching Noir in his face like he had done to me many times.

I followed this up with two more punches before I went for a high kick to the gods face.

I felt confident in the attack, and believed that I had this under the belt when I heard the god whisper a single word, one that was somehow the loudest thing spoken all day.

"Shatter"

I immediately let out a silent cry. I heard a crackling noise and knew that it was the bones in my legs, or whatever was left of it.

My limp leg still ended up hitting the god, but it slid off as he got up, rubbing his chin as he spat out blood.

I collapsed due to the lack of a support system, and clutched my knee area tightly, only for it to hurt worse.

"It seems that you were just a little bit too weak, demigod. Just weak enough for me to render your leg useless for months, at least. Thankfully though, you will not last that long."

I said nothing as I felt like I could burst into tears. I had endured plenty of plain throughout my life, but this was just torturous.

That along with my absolute fury was enough to let tears form behind my eyes.

"BASTARD!" I yelled out as I summoned my blade directly to my hand, in sword form.

I used it like a crutch to get to my feet, then I put all my weight on my left leg.

"Fool." Said Noir, but he didn't move as I rushed forward stubbornly, swinging my blade.

What the god did next surprised me.

Though he had been stabbed through one shoulder, and cut through the other, using his right hand the god merely grabbed my blade mid swing.

"Without your dominant leg, your attacks become much, much weaker." He said, casually holding my sword.

"Now, as punishment for testing my power..." the god threw down my blade, and my body went with it.

My hand went through the floor along with my sword from the god simply throwing me down.

"Wha-?" I asked, dazed and confused as I was being completely overpowered.

I didn't have time to comprehend as I barely saw the god shift his blade, and after a distinct "*Shink*", I felt myself be launched back across the entire room once more, though this time was especially painful.

Halfway through my flight, I felt a distinct pain in my left shoulder. It felt like something different from everything before, and had caused me to lose my connection to my sword.

How I could feel this mid air was beyond me, but it didn't much matter as I crashed into the mini fridge seconds later.

I sat there for seconds before I slowly pushed myself up, but something about it was off. Almost as if I was off balance...

I eventually looked up in the direction of Noir, but was unable to see him due to the smoke that had been caused up. After a couple of seconds, however, I was able to make out the gods figure, and when I realized what was in my hand, my heart froze in shock.

Looking at me with zero emotion, Noir held in his hand my prosthetic arm that he had ripped off my shoulder with his sword. As soon as I saw it with my own eyes, the pain set in, and I panicked.

I felt myself curl up in a ball due to the pain alone, crying out all types of things as I couldn't comprehend just how much it hurt with my thoughts.

My arm was supposed to be detachable, of course, but it was still linked to me by magic, so it was the equivalent of your armed being ripped off, and you feeling both parts of it without being able to control it at all.

I was half way through my breakdown when I saw a pair of feet appear in front of me. I slowly looked up to see Noir looking down at me, appearing like a true god.

I was about to say something, I don't even know what it was, but couldn't even start as the god gripped me by my back.

"Wait-" I choked out, but I couldn't finish as I was slammed relentlessly onto the steel floor. The pain hadn't even registered before my blood covered my vision.

I remember muttering something that wasn't exactly words before I was slammed repeatedly, back and forth, moving without any resistance.

It was like a child with a rag doll, except the rag doll was living and breathing. At least for now.

It all became a blur as I was beat senseless. The pain became less and less, and I slowly realized I was dying.

A small part of me wanted Noir to just use his sword and end it.

After what could've been a couple of minutes to hours of a beating, I felt myself be dropped onto the floor in front of Noir.

I mustered the strength to pry my eyes open to see the god looking down at me, probably thinking I was dead.

I heard the god say something under his breath before he turned around, walking away.

I closed my eyes once again and felt the warm blood burning my pupils.

I don't know what it was, but being left for dead just didn't sit right with me. Wether or not what I was about to do would end up with my final death didn't matter to me, I just couldn't go out like it.

I felt my right arm twitch just a little, and knew I could hopefully at least move it. That was all I needed.

With what thoughts I could form, I imagined Retribution, in its original scythe form, flowing towards my hand.

This apparently worked as I felt a mist collect around me, and Noir stopped in his tracks to look back at me.

"Oh?"

The god walked back towards me.

"What's this?"

As he spoke, the mist took form, and by side was my blade, though I wasn't even able to hold it.

"Your efforts shines through, even while on the brink of death. A part of me would commend you, if it wasn't so useless."

Rise.

I felt my body gently be lifted off the ground, slowly positioning me so I was hovering off the floor upright, facing Noir.

"I shall end you with this, Perseus Jackson. You fought well, for a demigod." He said the last word with distaste.

While raising his hand, Noir uttered what could've very well been the last word I'd ever hear.

"Fall"

I felt myself fly downwards, faster then the god could ever throw me. I made contact with the ground quickly, but didn't stop their.

I crashed through the wood, reaching the floor below us, and the one after that. I blitzed through everything, and I was sure that not even the gods above could stop my on my path.

"AGHHHHHHH!" I screamed my way down every single floor of Palms Place, but was cut off when I could no longer form words, only blood coming out of my mouth.

What I felt on my way down was enough to kill a human 100 times over, but a certain feeling kept me hanging on by a thread.

To explain, ever since my arm had been taken off, I had felt a distinct warm feeling on my back, one the same one that had helped me stand up to Noir.

I didn't know what it was, but it was more prominent now kore then ever, probably because this was the most pain I had felt the entire fight.

That said, the fact it kept me alive also meant I was forced to dee everything until I reached the ground floor, where my head landed first with a loud *thud*.

If I was a normal human, or even a normal demigod, I would have surely died to that alone.

I squirmed a bit amongst the rubble from the broken structure, all that had been caused by me.

I was trying to form thoughts, but all there was was red, somehow even in my mind.

I didn't know what to do, and if I could even call for help, all I knew was that my back was getting warmer and warmer.

Amidst my suffering, I felt myself get lifted off the floor once again, slowly floating my way back up to where Noir was.

I imagined this what it would feel like with no gravity, and though I was about to face off with the killer god once more, having no weight took off some of the stress on my body.

It took a minute for me to reach the god, who faced me head on.

"Your still alive. You truly just wanted to die to my blade then, huh? Understandable. I shall grant you your wish.

I felt myself drop to my knees in front of Noir.

I could feel the effect of the god taking out his sword. This was it. The end.

Noir took a few steps before he was directly in front of me. With a groan and a push, I planted my newly formed scythe into the ground and pushed off, leaning on it like it was my own body.

"Valiant. Do you have any last words before you die, demigod." He asked, shifting his blade in his hand.

I couldn't think straight, and tried to form words, but I found that I couldn't.

Noir nodded. "It seems you've lost the ability to speak. It's best I put you out of your misery.

Very well then, Perseus Jackson, this is your end."

The god raised his sword above his head, before he swung it downwards.

I felt my mind slow down, watching the blade in slow motion. My mind raced but there wasn't a single constant thought in my head.

I felt my breath grow deeper, echoing throughout my skull. I was seconds away from death when I felt a sharp feeling in my back, one that dominated my other senses. Probably caused by the sensation, a single word appeared in my mind, one that for some reason I thought would save my life.

Without actually comprehending what it was, my mouth said the word, invoking whatever had kept me going up until this point to the maximum capacity.

With a deep breath, I spoke the word into existence, just before the sword reached me.

...

ERISSSSSSS!

"Eh, what-?!"

There was an explosion of bright green light as Noir was forced back several steps. I had no idea what had just happened, but one thing was for certain.

I felt different.

A/N

Well, some crazy things happened this chapter, especially that ending. But don't worry, it's not over just yet.

I was about to and probably should end this chapter here, but my first instinct was to keep going, so I'm gonna do that.

It's getting pretty long, so I don't wanna spend too much time writing this, but imagine this was just a little intermission break, lmao.

But back to the action.

There was a large green explosion as soon as the word left my mouth. I felt power flow throughout me as Noir was launched back.

The weird sensation on my back was completely amplified. It felt like a hole had been ripped open directly in the middle of it.

But instead of pain, I felt power. From this whole, I felt magical energy unlike almost anything I had seen before. It was like a well, constantly flowing.

I looked upwards to see Noir slowly getting up after being launched back. It was then that I noticed that I felt no pain, only a slight numbing feeling that was going away.

Noir scowled. "So that is what it was. The power of my own mother was what was keeping you going this entire time." He said with disdain.

I was confused for a second before I noticed my reflection in a mirror behind the god.

My body was devoid of any visible damage, and I looked brand new. The most notable change was my eyes that were glowing green, much like Eris's when she fought.

Though I couldn't see behind myself, I noticed green tendrils coming out from my back mid section.

I was thoroughly surprised when the tendrils appeared on my left arm and reached outwards. The tendrils eventually made their way to my prosthetic arm that had been casted aside.

A moment later, it was dragged back to me, completely reattached by the magic.

While studying myself, my mind flashed back to a crucial moment, one that possible explained what was happening.

I remembered when I first got to Eris's house, and how she had placed some sort of binding on my back, one that linked us.

I remembered how she claimed that she would lend me her power to substitute for the stone of souls. She said at the time that it wouldn't be noticeable, but I guess right now I was using her power directly.

This is what it felt like to be a god.

I felt myself levitate slightly of the floor.

"Do not get cocky, demigod. That power is temporary. As soon as it is gone, things will return to normal."

Though Noir said this, I could tell he was unsure.

I said nothing as I touched down on the floor. Without a word, I launched myself forward. I had even surprised myself with my speed.

The gods eyes went wide as I slashed forward with my scythe. With barely anytime to react, the god sucked down, narrowly avoid the slash. His long white hair was cut in the process.

Noir had a panicked expression as I pressed him all the way to the corner of the room. It was obvious that even with a fraction of Eris's power, I was too much for him to handle.

Just as it seemed like the god was about to be ended, he used the power of the word.

"Back!"

I was hit with an immense wall of pressure, but unlike before, I was able to withstand the power. However, while I was suspended in the air, Noir stepped forward, and with a single slash he disarmed me completely.

I felt my scythe leave my hands and fly away. The god was on me in seconds. After dodging two attacks that were too close for comfort, I jumped backwards all the way across the room.

I let out a slight breath as I was slightly fatigued even with this new power. A single drop of sweat flowed down my face.

Noir scowled before he ran forward, swinging his sword wildly. I could tell this attack was stronger then any before, but this didn't stop me from sticking my hand forward and catching the gods hand, stopping the blow.

I stared into his eyes as his look of worry grew. The tables had truly turned, and I was the one in power.

The god cried out as he cocked his other hand back. Fed up, he swung forward, his fist landing directly on my chest.

The impact obliterated the floor below us, and everything behind myself, blowing open the elevator doors. With the power of Eris, it wasn't much worse than a baby throwing a fit.

My expression shifted as I reared my own hand back, mirroring the god. After a bit of struggle from the god, I launched my first forward.

My punch landed in the middle of the gods chest, and his face immediately contorted.

"Mm-BLEGH!" The god spat out gold blood as I held him in place, forcing him to stay still even though his body should've went flying.

After the god calmed down, I swung him around by his hand before launching him into the opposite end of the room.

I slowly walked over to pick up my blade.

Noir got up from the rubble in a fury.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" He said, sending a wave of power that shredded up what was left of the room.

He shook the room with each step he took before he reached the front of the kitchen area.

"I AM A GOD RESPECTED BY THE MOST NOTORIOUS MONSTERS KNOWN TO MAN! I REFUSED TO BE BELITTLED BY A MERE DEMIGOD."

The god raised his hand upwards, before bringing it to himself.

"Heal."

I watched as the gods body slowly started to return to its original state. All the bruises and cuts disappeared, and even his hair had returned.

"Much better."

The god returned back to his calm look.

"I must say, I was quite surprised to see Eris lend her power to a demigod, especially one fighting her own blood." He said, taking a step forward.

"Though, it is especially annoying that you were the one to receive the power. I still must kill you, though that will be much harder.

I guess this is the perfect time to test the limits of the word." He said before launching himself forward.

The god jumped up at the last second and attacked from above.

I squinted my eyes before swinging Retribution upwards. The god anticipated it and spoke.

"Back."

My blade flew behind me, but I didn't move under the pressure.

The god didn't seem bothered as he jabbed forward, looking to split my head.

God powers or not, a gods blade to my skulls would kill me instantly. Despite this, I merely shifted my head to the side and watched the blade go past me.

In response, I shout out my first, only for Noir to grab my hand to divert the attack. I noticed that his hand was slightly burnt upon touch with my arm, probably due to the sheer power.

"Tch." Said Noir as I shifted our body weight to throw him off me. Before he could recover, I rushed forward and attempted to punch his head off, not even trying to get my sword.

Noir barely dodged the attack with a sweat before backing up in a hurry. He scowled before rushing forward, annoyed by his lack of progress.

I nearly smiled as I ducked down before throwing a half hearted punch. I felt unstoppable in this new state, in tune with myself while also feeling out of body.

My punch was dodged as expected, but instead of following up with another jab, my body moved on its own.

I felt my right hand shoot out, and like a child playing cops and robbers, it formed into a hand gun shape.

I didn't know exactly why I did this, but when I dropped my thumb down, I saw why.

From the end of my finger gun, a green ball of power formed directly in front of Noir. The god dodged his head to the side just as the ball was released, sending the orb forward faster then a bullet.

The orb blew through the roof and flew into the sky, splitting the clouds above quite literally, forming a hole in the sky.

I smiled ruthlessly before throwing Noir off of me.

If this was what it felt like to be Eris, I was surprised she hadn't used her resources to try and take over Olympus.

"That is it, demigod." Said Noir, as if he read my mind. "The power of the god of chaos."

He said nothing else as he placed both his hands on his sword.

I thought about his words. It was true, Eris's domain was discord, and her main objective at a point was to wreak havoc. I guess it was my time to do just that.

I felt myself start to levitate off the ground. Through the mirror, I once again saw myself, but now my back was surging with green energy.

I was able to peer at my back, and I saw that the usually invisible binding of Eris was now very evident due to its dark black ink.

The tattoo was obviously the source of this power due to all the energy coming from it, and was now surging more then ever as I prepared to end this battle.

I spoke for the first time since receiving this power. My voice echoed throughout the building.

"You can't stop me anymore. I think that's obvious. It's time we end this."

Noir said nothing as I summoned my blade once more to my hand. I wasn't even sure if I needed it. Just as I was about to deliver the final attack, I felt another surge of power.

"Wo-woah!" I watched as the green energy completely went out of control, lashing out and destroying the room. No, not only the room, but the entire building.

It didn't take much longer then a minute for the entire building to be emptied out, forming one big room that reached all the way up into the roof. The power caused by Eris ran rampant throughout the place, lacing the floors as well as the walls.

Palms Place was in ruin.

It was absolute chaos.

"You can't control that power boy! You will destroy much more then this building if this continues!" Yelled out the god.

I looked around and saw that he was possibly right. That said, I didn't much care. I don't know what it was, but something was clouding my judgement, stopping me from really comprehending the magnitude of the situation.

After the god realized this, his expression changed.

"I see then. I shall stop you before you draw the attention of the Olympians. My master shall be angry, but you were a loose canon to begin with."

He raised his hand upwards.

"I will destroy you, as well as this entire city. That will show you exactly who exactly you are messing with." He said.

My eyes widened and I felt slightly more human. If he really had the power to do that, then there was no chance of Remleon or Zoe surviving, assuming they hadn't already died.

The god raised his hand and pushed it outwards.

"Destru—!"

The god was cut off as I reached him in less then a second. I slashed my scythe upwards, cutting off the gods arm completely.

"Gah!" Said the god as I kicked him back. I don't know exactly how I was flying, but I knew that I probably didn't want to be knocked down from up here.

Noir tumbled a bit through the air before gathering himself, holding his sword in his only hand.

"Fall!"

I hesitated for a second, which costed me as a large chunk of the roof fell downwards directly on top of me.

Unable to control myself, I flew down the entire destroyed building.

I was seconds away from the floor when the rubble on top of me was split in half. I was shocked to see the blade of the god appear in its place, catching me on its hilt and slamming me to the floor,

"Agh!" I cried out as blood spurted out, my first injury sustained since I got this power.

"Rise."

Said the god, and as soon as I reached his level he swung his sword like a baseball bat, slamming me against the buildings wall.

I groaned deeply as I rubbed my head and slowly got up from inside the wall. The attacks had hurt, for sure, but even though they usually could've killed me, I felt relatively ok.

I shook of the blows before summoning my scythe to my hand once more.

It was time to end this. For real this time.

"You wish to go all out?" Asked the god as he noticed me take my stance. "Very well then. Show me demigod, how to use the power of a god. Let's see if it can stand up to the power of the word!"

Noir rushed forward and I matched his speed. We clashed in the middle of the building, causing the whole structure to shake. I had no doubt that the entire city of Las Vegas felt what was going on here.

I watched in the background as parts of Palms Place started to fall, and the base of the building started to falter. I hoped to the gods that if I survived this, my power would last long enough to get me out of here before the place collapsed.

I noticed that Eris's power was still going wild, possibly even more of it then before. I wondered if she was enjoying the scenes of chaos going on around us.

I was interrupted from these thoughts when Noir swung his blade towards my torso that was currently exposed.

I felt myself fly back to avoid the attack before circling the god and countering. Noir reached back and met me with his sword. He stuck his bleeding arm out, reminding me he had only one hand.

"Disarm!"

I felt my blade threaten to leave my hand. It rattled profusely as I struggled to hold on. Before I could regain control, the god slashed my hand, nearly cutting off my fingers.

My blade dropped out my hand, landing 20 feet below. I clutched my hand in pain, as Noir slowly hovered away from me.

"This is it. The last straw."

Noir flew towards the other end of the building before he raised his sword above his head.

"Gather."

I watched in slight awe as all the rubble of the building above collected directly on top of the gods sword.

It didn't take long for a massive ball of stone to form, hundreds of times bigger then me.

"This is what I'm capable of, Perseus. Now, meet your end!"

I watched as the god shifted his blade forward, throwing the ball of stone at me. I didn't know what to do until the power took over.

It made my decision for me, and I felt myself raised my palm.

Without any thought, I slashed forward in a karate chop motion, and waited.

"What?"

...

I watched as a green streak appeared, starting at the top of the ball and ending all the way at the bottom of the gods body. The attack had cut directly through the being.

"GAHHHH!" Yellowed out Noir as the rubble fell apart and crashed down onto the floor. This was all it took for the buildings support to give out, finally starting to topple it.

I focused my attention back onto the god who was clutching his chest, golden blood flowing out like a waterfall.

"What is this?" He breathed out in disbelief.

I looked at him condescendingly, hovering slightly forward.

"I've...lost?"

I said nothing as I felt my ring return to my finger.

"This happened, Noir, because you are weak." I said without mercy. While killing Riyu, I had felt slight sympathy, but maybe it was the power within me talking, but all I felt was contempt, even as the god was dying.

Noir wasn't fazed by my taunt, only confused as he struggled to comprehend.

"How? How could the Androktasiai fall to a single demigod?" He asked in disbelief. He sounded drunk, but I guess that was because he was dying.

The god chuckled in delusion. "My master will be quite displeased with the results of this fight. It's a shame I will not see his plan to the end though." He said. Half his body was soaked in blood.

The god had a faraway look in his eyes. It was odd, to see a god die, even now.

"But I suppose it's time to join my brothers. It pains me to say I failed, yet that's the way it goes, in the end."

He said as his body started to turn into dust. It was then when he snapped back to reality. The god panicked for a second before realizing what was happening, where he calmed down once more.

He looked at me with a indifferent look.

"They will come for you. You've just walked into a world of hurt, Perseus Jackson. You would've been lucky to die here today."

I blinked, and when I opened his eyes, Noir was no more. In his place was only gold dust that flew away through the many holes in the building.

I felt myself immediately become fatigued. Something became obvious. Eris's power had left me. I blinked once more and found myself falling, completely exhausted. I blacked in and out as I lost altitude extremely quickly.

It was at this point that I noticed the building was completely destroyed at this time, only a single corner reaching its full height. I didn't have the ability to comprehend or care as I eventually landed with a loud thud, creating a small crater in the destroyed ground.

Instead of pain, I only felt tiredness as my vision turned dark, leaving my wide open in the middle of Vegas.

~Some Time Later~

"Percy! Percy!"

I heard my name called throughout the darkness, beckoning me to wake up. I was aware of the voice, but I wasn't too interested in waking up.

I think I was dying.

Eventually, the calls became too annoying to withstand and I forced my eyes open.

I was met with the sharp face of Zoe who looked especially worried. It was a second before I heard her words.

"By the gods, how are you alive!?" She asked. Before I could answer, she kept going. "We have to go, now!" She said, picking me up and slinging me over her shoulder.

"What?" I asked groggily.

Yet again, I couldn't get an answer as I fell to the ground once more as I realized I was unable to stand on my right leg.

Even though Eris's power had healed most of my wounds, my leg remained presumably shattered. That's when I snapped back into reality.

"Percy!" Called out Zoe as I fell to the ground.

I managed to grab her hand before I fell again, saving myself.

"I'm fine." I said unsteady. I used Zoe as a crutch.

"What happened?" I asked. I looked around our surroundings and saw that much more then Palms Place was destroyed. The entire visible city was in ruin.

Fires raged everywhere, and there was massive property damage among every surrounding building. This wasn't caused by me and Noir.

"They arrived so suddenly, there has to be hundreds, maybe thousands." She said, dragging me forward, to a place I did not know.

I still had no idea what she was talking about, but I felt she would explain later. "Where is Remleon?" I asked.

I felt like the wolf would be extremely useful at a time like this. Zoe glowered. "He vanished without a trace." She said.

I wasn't too surprised by this, but still wasn't happy to hear the news. I was about to ask my next question when another wave of tiredness hit me like a truck.

Before I could say a word, I felt myself go unconscious once more, with Zoe yelling my name.

~Somewhere Else~

An ancient god ran through the streets of Vegas with her eyes peeled. She had escaped the building to get away from her brother as she planned on leaving the state altogether.

After a moment of running, she found what she was looking for.

Facedown with half his body stuck in a now destroyed car, was none other then the god Makhai, not moving an inch.

Ate was surprised to see her brother in such a state as she ran forward. Eventually, she reached his side.

She looked at the god before looking up. Based of his position, it looked like he had been dropped from the sky hundreds of feet in the air.

Who could've done this to him, she wondered, except...

"The wolf." She breathed.

Oh wow.

Percy got lucky, I guess, but I don't think he should feel too relieved...

Anyways.

Fun fact: As a human, Remleon is 5'7, while being 5'9 as a wolf. Percy is 5'11 and Zoe is 5'6.