Chapter 34: Percy
What the hell was Jason doing?
The Son of Jupiter was floating in mid-air, arms spread out like a fallen angel, eyes closed.
"Well Jason," I muttered to myself, "I guess I gotta fight two of these things now."
"OI!" I screamed at the two towering titans. "Bright Boy, Horn Head, get over here you worthless idiots," I shouted, anger beginning to overtake my body.
"DIE!" Hyperion screamed as he ran towards me, flanked by Krios.
I smirked fairly obviously, baiting them and delaying the inevitable fight between us bought Jason time, for, well; whatever he was doing.
As the Titan of the East ran towards me, I ran in zig-zags. I read somewhere that it was better to do this, against like, fast animals? And Hyperion basically classified. However, instead of following my track, he just ran in a straight line towards me. So, I basically had to abort.
I flicked my head around to see Hyperion keeping up to me well, and I decided to change it up.
I threw my weight backwards, flipping downwards and rolling under the rushing Titan. I knew this was very risky, and more than likely would kill me rather than him, but whatever.
I jabbed upwards, grazing the inside of his leg with his sword: A Minor Blow. I backed up instantly into Krios, who sliced in a downwards arc, his inky black sword cutting a swathe through the air. I bounded up instantly, pushing off with my left leg and jumping away from Krios. Hyperion was beginning to relight again.
I summoned a deluge of water, lifting my hands up into two distinct pillars, before hurling them towards Hyperion. The blue columns of liquid exploded upon impact blasting the golden Titan backwards and sending his sword scattering to his right.
"You alright Hyperion?" Krios asked, a touch of worry gracing his tone.
"Kill him, you absolute idiot!" Hyperion bellowed
Krios nodded briefly, before glaring at me.
"Goodbye Son of Poseidon," Krios chirped, in an oddly cheerful tone.
God, what on earth is Jason doing? I asked myself, not daring to look at him, in fear of getting killed. No joke at all.
"You'll have to catch me first!" I screamed at Krios, before dashing and looping back around to where Jason was. He was still locked in aerial trance, this time looking directly up to the sky. I saw a clump of angry grey clouds grouping together in a circular 'dance'.
"What is this idiot doing," I chided.
"Don't call me an IDIOT!" Krios bellowed as his fist crunched into my back.
An immediate surge of pain was sent flaring up from my back and I heard an unpleasant crack. I was sent flying, tossed like a ragdoll carelessly. I landed on my stomach, my chin imbedded in the floor, a flood of dirt entering my mouth. I spat the copious amounts of dirt out of my mouth.
I put both arms under my shoulders and forced myself upwards, trying to stand out.
I instantly let out a cry of extreme pain, as I felt my back crack and squirm in agony. My armour warped from the blunt force trauma, curling around the impact on my back. I barely remained conscious standing up.
"Well done brother!" Hyperion bellowed, cackling in happiness. "You've broken the great Percy Jackson!"
"Thanks!" Krios said, sounding genuinely happy about his brother's approval. "What about him though?" Krios asked, pointing to Jason.
"Leave him," Hyperion growled. "First, you're going to help me finish Jackson."
My eyes widened in terror, as I felt the ground shake from the two titans advancing towards me. I bent lower to the ground, picking up Riptide. The blade felt foreign in my hand, balanced awkwardly. Or, maybe that was just me bent over in physical pain. I never knew that one hit would hurt so much. Maybe it hit my Achilles spot? Did that cause aggravated levels of pain? Probably. It would explain a lot…
CRUNCH!
I bellowed in agony. I think Hyperion just trod on my ankle. The pure agony that I was feeling was just compounded in magnitude. My vision was going blurry, my… everything began hurting.
HIYA!
Another sickening crunch, pain shot up my right leg, electrical, burning my insides, turning my courage and strength to paper.
"ENJOYING?"
The worst one yet. Krios and Hyperion both kicked me in the ribs. I felt a searing pain from my ribs, definitely broken. The titans weren't even noticing my armour, their full-force blows turning it to paper mache, crumbling feebly under their might.
SMASH!
I was kicked in the same spot again. The pain almost caused a blackout. Pain shot through my body, winding up to my brain, a feeling like it was being kicked over, and over, and over again. An overwhelming white rolled up into my eyes, warping my perception, pure needles of pain were tearing into my eyes, over and over. My body shook writhing in agony, my senses beginning to shut down.
The blinding white prevented me from even opening my eyes, my arms, basically useless, being pounded within an inch of destruction. My ears, I caught snippets of their conversation. Before…
"Use the sword. End this. Raise Tartarus."
Jason:
God, what was Percy going through.
I know, summoning a storm like this was selfish in some regard, leaving Percy to fend off two Titans. But, if I managed to get this storm off, then it would seal the deal. Hyperion would be completely unable to glow, Percy literally couldn't be hurt and had an unlimited reservoir of water. And, well. That's about it. But it's a start.
I felt the changing air currents above me, I was controlling them after all. I had to drop the air pressure significantly. I think we were taught this at Camp Jupiter, something about a bar and air pressure? Well, lower air pressure causes a sort of vacuum, pulling air around it and forcing it upwards in a column. Don't ask me how I knew that. It's probably wrong though.
Not only that, I tried pooling all the moisture in the air, which included sending clouds racing across the sky, and forming new and more intense clouds. Again. I have no idea how I did that. Controlling water was supposed to be Percy's thing anyway. Jupiter was probably smiling down on me. Or I hoped.
I was seeing white, my eyes straining and my muscles tiring and squirming. I continued to clamp my eyes shut, tighter, tighter. Gritting my teeth. Until…
The scene around me changed, the cacophony of fighting dulled, and an uneasy calm wafted through the air. The wind also relaxed, as if entranced by the peace it was experiencing. A gentle breeze stroked my face, caressing my eyes and I visibly relaxed. I opened my eyes, and the scene was… odd.
My surroundings were natural, possessing an ethereal beauty with emerald foliage. The flora was abundant, with sparkling, radiant colours. Reds, Yellows and Pinks simply scattered everywhere, bouncing off everything, shining with the combined beauty of the area.
It was definitely, the most beautiful place that I had ever seen. I walked forward, through a narrow path that cut through this 'forest'. The spirits of dryads popping into existence, before giggling cheerily and pointing before vanishing.
Everything around me brought a smile to my face, but something felt… off.
The place was too beautiful, something like this could never exist today. There was no place like this that existed. Where was I?
"You're right after all."
I spun around, my hand dropping to my gladius, before gripping… nothing. My gladius was gone.
"Your blade isn't there."
The man standing before me had curly black hair, immaculately cleaned and in pristine condition, the wind ruffling his hair in an unusual way. A long flowing robe draped off of his figure, pale green in colouration highlighted by specks of red and yellow, a light sky-blue towel hanging off his right shoulder.
The man's voice was rich, his threat even helping me relax and long for a great lie down.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Zephyrus."
"I saw you in Dalmatia right?" I said, thinking back to the hunt for Diocletian's Scepter.
"That was Favonius, but yes, basically."
The whole Greek-Roman split still confused me. But I managed to roll with it.
"Why am I here?" I questioned.
"You see Jason, you are undertaking a very dangerous task," Zephyrus said, glancing a knowing look towards.
"Yes, I know. And if you let me finish it, I could go and help my friend, who is currently fighting TWO titans simultaneously. So thanks, but I'm off," I said, marching away from the god.
"Jason, I'm trying to help you," he informed, genuine concern present in his voice.
"With what?"
"Your eventual destiny. I know your friend, Nico -," he began before glancing at me to see my reaction. Emotions bubbled uncontrollably, but I tried my hardest to keep a straight face. "Well, met an unfortunate demise. But the deed is done. Do you know why the titans fought you?"
"Yes, Tartarus is rising," I choked out, my voice tightening with worry. "Nico died. To help us defeat Tartarus apparently."
"Yes. That should work. What Tartarus needs is something to anchor himself to this world, to wrench himself out of his own realm and solidify himself here."
"Let me guess," I sighed out, "He needs the blood of a demigod."
"Ding-ding-ding. But not any demigod. One of the Big Three demigods."
"Well, if Nico died, then that cements his rise!" I exclaimed, slamming my fist into my palm. "The idiot said he was helping us stop him."
"Not necessarily."
"What?" I asked, completely gobsmacked.
"What he needs is something to anchor him to this world, something that separates him from his realm. But the Underworld. Hades' theory was that in the event of something like this, is that the Underworld is well, similar to Tartarus in a way. And that the link that they share might be enough to prevent Tartarus' rise."
"So basically, Hades' plan was to kill his own son, so Tartarus wouldn't rise!" I screamed, my voice increasing in pitch as it went on.
"Yeah, in essence."
I slammed my hand into the ground, the grass flying away from my fist, creating a crater in the ground.
"How could he be so heartless?"
"He did it for the safety of Olympus."
"But Hades doesn't give a damn about Olympus. Why would he willingly offer up his son?"
Zephyrus shrugged his shoulders his face registering indifference.
"That, I don't know. All I know is that Centaurus gave Hades a prophecy, and this was the destiny that was given to one of his sons if Tartarus rising becomes a threat."
I let out a great sigh, sending a silent oath, thanking Nico for his sacrifice.
A great lump formed in my throat, and a horrifying thought dawned on me.
"What is Percy dies as well?" I asked, my voice beginning to crack with emotion.
"Tartarus rises," Zephyrus shrugged, the thought not seeming to perturb him. "You may want to hurry though, I sense that your friend is in mortal danger.
With that said, Zephyrus exploded, a gentle breeze and a few scarce flowers lightly falling towards the ground. A faint voice echoed afterwards. It sounded vaguely like numbers. In Latin.
"centum, nōnāgintā novem, nōnāgintā octō, nōnāgintā septem,"
I had 100 seconds apparently. But what was I meant to do? I decided on a prayer to Jupiter. Zues. Whoever.
Uh, hey dad. It's me. Jason Grace. I think you remember me. I just wanted to say, could you like, give me strength or like, help me? There are two titans that apparently are trying to kill Percy Jackson my good friend. I know you're not the biggest fan, but please… this once. Can you help us or something. Oh, and this storm I'm creating, yeah give me some guidance on what to do, we've got now… 80 seconds.
I stood up from my prayer and opened my eyes. Bewilderment registered on my face, as the luscious expanse of greenery had faded, and all that was left was a small set of marble stairs, polished immaculately, with great care. I quickly jumped up the stairs, taking two at a time, reaching to the top. There were three marble stands in front of me, topped with the head of the Big Three. A thick sheen of black powder covered the three figureheads.
Did I have to clean them? Why had this appeared to me now?
I thrust both my hands forwards, directly onto the head of Zeus. I dusted off a speck of black powder, sending tiny granules flying through the air. Wait.
The gentle breeze around me stopped.
An ear-piercing screech emanated from the statues and I clapped my hands to my ears, in a desperate attempt to stop that noise.
The black powder swamped me, clogging up all my senses, blinding and covering my ears, and leaving me defenseless against that cacophony.
"JJAAAAAASON GRACE," a voice rung out from all directions. The voice was scathing, like sandpaper on bare skin. An agonizing, yet intriguing voice. Sounding almost as if everything was drawn towards it, and faintly dull, almost as if it wasn't projecting outwards, but was instead drawn back in. Pure terror filled every inch of my being, in combination of the near suffocation of the black powder, it was pure agony and torture.
"THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT MY RISE. YOUR PATHETIC FRIEND IS DYING, EVEN THE GODS ARE TERRIFIED OF MY POWER, YOU THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE WHEN I RISE? YOUR PATHETIC PRAYER IS USELESS. YOU WILL BE CRUSHED LIKE THE INSECT YOU ARE."
Before my vision returned, a bone-chilling laugh exploded outwards, a sound like two mountains colliding and being annihilated.
I fell to the ground with a resounding clap, my head knocked firmly against the marble floor. I opened my eyes, my head still spinning. I had no time to ponder and recover, we were running out of time. Almost as if I had a portable guide implemented in my head, I collapsed in front of the statue of Zeus.
Hey dad, please help. Tartarus is rising, Percy is dying, and so am I. We're on our own against two titans. Please. Please help me summon this storm, its our only chance…
I prayed, before my vision cut. An eerie silence rung out, only punctuated by my rapid, incessant breaths.
Two bolts of lightning struck on either side of me, and the resounding ring of thunder followed instantly after.
I shrieked out in pain, as a bolt of lightning hit my straight in the centre of my chest. The substantial power of lightning coursed through my body, bringing with it an intense burning pain at the entry, and I had a sneaking suspicion that the skin was smoldering.
And then, I collapsed, falling towards the forest floor.
Annabeth:
"We're almost there," I said, looking upwards as the clouds overhead turned to a mix of onyx black and dusky purple. The clearing wasn't too far ahead.
"Take a left turn here," Piper said, her voice filled with panic and worry.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Hazel replied irritably.
"Calm down girls," Reyna said commandingly. "Frank and Leo are coming with the remainder of our forces to help Percy, Nico and Jason," she whispered, while fidgeting with the straps on her armour.
"Something's wrong," Hazel instantly replied, her brow crunching in concentration.
"Imagine," Piper bitterly replied.
"No, it's not that Piper. Something feels off, with Nico."
I jumped upwards, almost falling off the back of my horse. A bolt of electric energy just struck down nearby, and many, many trees were uprooted and flung several meters, and the air cracked and sizzled around us.
"What on earth was THAT!" I screamed, losing my cool, a rare event I must say.
"Lightning, the fight is just beginning to heat up," Reyna ominously announced.
Third Person:
A colossal bolt of lightning struck the ground between the two Titans. The sheer force of the lightning bolt flung debris and dirt exploding outwards, shattering the ground beneath it, leaving a jagged crater of cracked, parched dirt and rock. The debris crumbled in mid-air, being reduced to mere granules, but still forcefully hitting the two titans.
Hyperion and Krios both jumped backwards in surprise.
"What the fu…"
"DAMN IT!" Hyperion screamed as a mountain of dust collided with his face. The golden titan immediately dropped his sword, which landed directly to the right of Percy's lifeless frame. The Son of Poseidon didn't even acknowledge the event, his eyes blank, staring upwards at the sky.
"Who's that?" Krios asked, sounding vaguely interested.
Hyperion responded with a mumbled, irritated reply that was lost in the howling wind. Jason slowly descended, winds whipping around his clothes, rippling with the force. The Son of Jupiter was floating angelically, staring at Krios and Hyperion with a murderous stare. Jason flicked his hand, a bright spark of electricity snapping across his body, dancing downwards to his feet. The sparks lit up Jason's frame, highlighting his body against the angry purple clouds.
"Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter," Jason responded, landing softly on the ground, sending a blast of gentle wind outwards from his position.
"Well," Hyperion bellowed, sounding like he was trying to contain his laughter. "While you were gone, Percy Jackson fell," Hyperion cackled, pointing faintly at the limp corpse of the Son of Poseidon.
"He fought valiantly, but no demigod can handle the might of two Titans," Krios said, praising Percy.
Jason was deeply conflicted. Percy had died. But Zephyrus had said that Percy was dying. Not that he had died.
Jason's fist tightened, and his jaw line grew taut. He would avenge his friend.
"Let's see about that shall we?" Jason grinned, concealing his deep emotional strain.
The Son of Jupiter immediately rose to the sky, gaining altitude quickly, rising just above Krios and Hyperion.
Jason raised both his hands to the sky, and muttered something into the howling wind. The clouds exploded.
A torrential downpour began, the clouds releasing an amount of water absolutely untold of. More water couldn't be found in the world, even by exploring the depths of the ocean. The water droplets were the size of ping-pong balls, hitting the ground with a great amount of force, for a water droplet. The howling wind intensified, the trees around the circle, and through the forest began to violently rattle, the few leaves remaining on the extremities of the trees being thrown out in all directions. The weather became completely volatile, colourful bolts of lightning began streaking across the sky, their hues too numerous and intense to count, followed immediately with a deafening crack of thunder immediately after.
Without warning, Jason rapidly descended, reaching into his scabbard to draw his gladius. The imperial gold sword coated with a glistening layer of liquid. Hyperion didn't expect Jason to attack so quickly, and was completely caught off guard.
The gladius speared downwards, through Hyperion's shoulder-plate, puncturing deep into the titan's skin. Hyperion let out a thunderous roar, dwarfing any noise that could be created by the environment. Hyperion dropped his sword in agony, before wildly swiping with his left hand.
The gauntleted fist, sailed straight past Jason's right ear, as the Son of Jupiter fought wildly to rip the gladius out of the titan's shoulder. On the second attempt, the sword was yanked outwards, but a resounding crack was heard, and Jason felt his back snap forward, as the Son of Jupiter was pounded into the ground.
"You're welcome brother," Krios sighed, knowing deep down that Hyperion would never congratulate him for his work.
"Urggg," Jason groaned, as he crawled out of the crater in the ground that had been left from his impact.
Jason immediately put as much distance between Krios and Hyperion as he could, before boosting upwards to the sky. Jason put his right arm up at an angle, his arm and palm straight, before slicing downwards in an angular curve. Immediately after the action, a bolt of lightning struck down from the heavens, cracking the ground between the two titans, and sending them flying backwards, along with mounds of now, dry cracked earth.
Jason dropped to the ground, gesturing two circles with his hands. The howling winds ceased, the forest going deathly quiet. The Son of Rome crumpled his hands together, like he was crushing an object between his hands. The forest leapt back to life, with the air around him hardening, while the other natural phenomena continued on.
Jason lightly flicked his fingers, and the two spheres of condensed air flew towards his assailants. The spheres exploded upon contact, shoving the two titans further away from each other, with both of them groaning, and struggling to get up.
Hyperion's armour was constantly smothered, his fire unable to start, being extinguished as soon as possible the never-ending rainstorm.
Jason waded through the gargantuan clouds of dust, completely encasing himself, placing himself between the two titans.
"I'll finish this now," Jason murmured.
He stood directly in the middle, with the titans on either side, shrouded in dust. Jason pu this hands out on either side, twirling them in a circle twice. This stage was particularly important, it was meant to help control the lightning as it passes through your bod— "Urrgrggrgr."
A dark fist enclosed around Jason's neck, dragging him upwards.
Jason was suspended by his neck, held up in mid-air by Krios, the titan's fist slowly crushing Jason's windpipe.
"What did I say to you last time Jason Grace?" Krios mocked, thoroughly enjoying himself as he saw Jason struggle for any air, his fingers crushing his neck. "This is the end of the road for you. I said I would crush your bones and beat you to a pulp. And that's exactly what's going to happen."
Krios tightened his grip on Jason's neck, and the Son of Jupiter closed his eyes, begging for the sweet release of death.
"ARGHHHH!" Krios screamed, dropping the Son of Jupiter's limp frame. Jason gently fell to the ground, the wind cushioning his fall as he fell down. He slowly massaged his throat, coughing up onto the forest floor. What had made Krios let go of him?
Jason glanced back towards Krios. Golden ichor poured uncontrollably from his navel, which contrasted against the bronze blade protruding from the titan's belly.
The blade was yanked out forcefully, and Krios let out another scream and then was toppled like a bowling pin. The titan laid on the ground, his body convulsing with pain and agony.
"Hey Jason," Percy coolly asked, as if we were just gonna head down to the store and pick up a drink or something."
"Percy, you're alive? They told me you were dead."
"Don't trust them, Jase, they lie. I was hurt bad, like bones broken and everything, but nothing like 15 mins in the rain couldn't fix. That was a good idea by the way.
"Thanks man."
"How about we finish this?" Percy asked, gesturing towards Hyperion's livid face and Krios struggling to get up.
"PERCY JACKSON!" Hyperion bellowed, his eyes glowing with a burning fury.
"Yeah?"
"I will brutally murder you. I will tear you limb from limb. I will turn your innards inside out, and feed them to your corpse."
"How. How would that work exactly?" Percy asked, before turning his head to Jason in a confused, and slightly perturbed manner.
"aRGHH!" Hyperion screamed, before charging brainlessly at Percy. This was foolish, a Percy in the rain was deadlier than Percy without the rain, and Percy without the rain is still extremely deadly.
Percy effortlessly side-stepped the charge, bringing Riptide down in an arc to stop Hyperion's sword from ploughing him straight through. Jason's head was spinning, but he still somehow managed to process everything that was happening.
Percy was rarely taking the offensive, instead waiting for Hyperion to make a move, and then countering the strategy, moving in an opposite direction and putting up walls of water and conjuring up obstacles to wear Hyperion down. It was like an elegant dance, Percy was playing Hyperion like a fiddle, and the howling wind drowned out everything except the noise of their conflict. And the Son of Rome was completely awe-struck by the the Saviour of Olympus' maneuvers, it was inspiring.
Jason:
Crack!
I flipped around immediately, and rolled to my right, bringing my gladius from its sheath.
Krios looked exhausted, his face was gaunt and while the flow of Ichor had stopped, there was a hole in his armour, and he looked like he was about to collapse if someone toppled him over.
Krios was weaker right now, and I had to press my advantage.
I stabbed upward, aiming straight for the hole in Krios' armour, but he read me. Krios brought his sword down in an arc, striking the Imperial Gold and causing my arm to snap back. Perhaps he wasn't as tired as he looked, nevertheless, attack.
I hopped back, searching for an opening, as Krios took the offensive, slashing forward is bloody swathes, searching for a wound that would slow me down. I combated this by keeping my distance, still searching for that opening that would eventually open up, and then I could take the offensive.
That opportunity gifted itself to me, when Krios was far too slow on his slash downwards. The swing came from high above his right shoulder, and swept down to his left knee. It looked like he was going in slow-motion while recovering. I took the opportunity, by summoning the winds, something that was very easy to do in this current moment.
I leapt forward, using the winds to propel me, as I rapidly closed the distance onto his left knee.
I plunged my gladius deep into his knee, and Krios bellowed in agony. Despite this, he somehow didn't thrash out. With his free hand, he grabbed and pulled me back, leaving my sword embedded in a chink in his armour.
I was lifted up, and slammed into the ground with great force. I slipped and slid off of the muddy surface, my armour feeling ten times the weight due to all the mud that has accumulated on its surface.
I backed up even, further, scurrying back as my back began to feverishly ache.
I risked a glance left, and saw Percy moving in on Hyperion, dodging all of Hyperion's strikes, and searching for a way in.
For a moment, Percy and my eyes locked, and he nodded, as if trying to tell me something. But I had genuinely no clue.
I returned my gaze back to Krios. He had kept my gladius embedded in his knee, and I needed to get to it. If I could get past his guard, rip the sword out of his knee, which would temporarily stun him, then get one more good strike in, that would probably finish him.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I saw Percy kiting Hyperion towards me.
Then it hit me.
Take out one of the titans first, then double team the remaining one. I backed up aswell, guiding Krios towards Hyperion, insulting him along the way.
"Come over here, you stupid ram. I heard that sheep were so stupid, does that apply to you? When you get over here, I will break your horn and shove it straight up your nose, you donkey."
Yeah, yeah, not the best, but hey. It got the job done.
Krios roared and charged at me, and Hyperion did the same to Percy. As the titanic creature approached, Percy and I rolled away, causing the brothers to… stop, just before they collided with each other.
"If you collided into me, Krios, I would've killed you right here."
"Hyperion, if we've already spilt the blood of a demigod, why do we even need to kill these two?"
"If you haven't noticed, Krios, they're trying to kill us, and I want to SURVIVE!" Hyperion screamed.
As if on cue, Percy rolled up to me, and moulded the rain around us to form a sharp disc, which we hurled at Hyperion.
The blow caught him full in the stomach, and the titan doubled over.
Percy sent a barrage of these discs, flying, and I aided him, controlling the wind so that it pushed it harder, and faster into Hyperion.
"Percy," I said, "Focus Krios, he'll be easier to take out. Once he's down, we'll get Hyperion."
"Sounds like a plan man."
Despite Percy's best efforts, Krios and Hyperion barreled forward, slicing through the columns of water Percy was conjuring, closing the gap.
Just as they reached us, Percy conjured up a shield, solidifying the water around us, rendering the Titan's attacks useless.
Hyperion raised his sword, and him and Krios struck the same point, at the same time. The water fell to the ground, pooling at our feet, turning the mud even slushier.
I pushed the wet hair from my eyes and running a hand through my hair. It was time.
Percy and I jumped back with the help of the wind, before getting ready to get Krios.
"Percy, ride the winds to Krios. Then we split off Hyperion and kill the Titan of the South."
"3, 2, 1… NOW!" Percy shouted.
I sent a gust of wind our way, and Percy and I rode the wind, shooting towards Krios at breakneck speed.
Percy solidified a fist out of the rainwater, and gestured an uppercut. The watery-fist made solid contact with the underside of Hyperion's jaw, sending the Titan reeling. Percy and I jumped on either side of Krios, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
I had no sword, and I had to get this done.
I lifted both my hands up, and sent them crashing down seconds later, the gesture summoning a bolt of lightning.
The electricity ran through Krios' system, stunning him, if only for a moment, provided us the chance we needed.
Percy ran forward and jumped upwards, latching both his arms around Krios' right hand, immobilizing his sword hand,
The titan began to thrash backwards and forwards, but Percy continued to hold on. Twisting Krios arm sideways, to try and get him to drop the sword.
I dashed forward, jumping forward, using his foot as a jumping pad in order to get to his knee. Once there, in one fluid motion, I yanked the sword from Krios' knee, before propelling myself upwards off of a small indent on his greaves.
I jumped up and stabbed downwards, my gladius making a sickening crunch sound, as the sword passed clean through his right shoulder.
Krios let out a cacophonic scream, and Percy pulled on his shoulder, and Krios collapsed backwards. Percy bailed at the last possible second, leaping from Krios' shoulder.
I rushed forward, cringing slightly, as a ton of mud was displaced by Krios falling and splattered all over my face.
Percy had landed a good ways away, but was clutching ankle, like he had sprained or broken it. I jogged towards him.
"You 'right Perce?"
"Yeah man, just gimme like 3 minutes. It will probably heal with all this rain."
Immediately after, Percy's eyes widened and he pointed behind me.
I spun around, and I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I was flung backwards at a ludicrous speed. I stopped and slid through the mud, coming to a stop after my clothes and armour were given a good soaking.
I looked up in horror, as Percy was tossed around like a ragdoll, in the same manner as me, but worse.
Hyperion had left his sword in his anger, so he couldn't instantly kill Percy, but I needed to help.
I staggered to my feet, my back and legs were absolutely killing me. Yet, I began jogging towards Percy. He said he needed three minutes, I suspect that he may need longer.
"Jason!" I heard a voice scream.
I flipped around, Hazel looked pretty happy to see me, but her face turned to horror when she saw Percy being tossed around like a ragdoll. Annabeth looked terrified, and Reyna worried. They were right on the edge of the circle, about to step in.
"NO!" I screamed, "Don't step in here. If you get hurt, your blood will lead to Tartarus' rise."
I turned around and made a mad dash for Percy, a burst of energy giving me strength.
"Hey! Ugly!" I screamed. Hyperion didn't even acknowledge me. "Catch this then…" I muttered.
I raised both arms across my torso, forming an 'X' across my chest, and then flicking both arms above my heads and slightly behind. Flicking both hands down, and two colossal bolts of lightning struck Hyperion, enough for him to drop Percy, and for Percy to limp away.
The Titan of the East turned around, and gave me a murderous look. The light behind his eyes was almost blinding, despite the downpour, which seemed to have eased.
Hyperion charged blindly at me, his movements, which may have looked cunning and graceful were marred by anger. I pushed at the air, putting distance between me and Hyperion.
Hyperion was blasted in the back, by a high-pressure blast of water, causing him to turn around. Percy was staggering to his feet, the rain was really helping us.
"Jason!" He screamed. "Keep on opposite sides, he can't block us.
Hyperion faced both palms at us, in a sign that said, 'Stop!'
I didn't trust Hyperion, and wondered what he was up to. The Titan's Body began to start glowing, despite the rain. Two five-pronged stars of fire erupted from his palms, the inferno flying towards Percy and I.
I acted on pure instinct, and solidified the air in front of me, trying to create a barrier, like Percy does with water. I braced myself for the worst, fully expecting the fire to engulf me.
But it never came.
A wall of metal was in front of me. I flicked around, and saw Hazel smirking.
"You just said we couldn't enter, not that we couldn't help you."
I nodded, thankful. I glanced backwards, a second later to see Hazel collapse.
The wall of metal collapsed, the precious metals melting and warping.
"Jason, we've got to end this now!" Percy shouted.
To prove his point, he raised both arms behind his back, and summoned all the water he could, which slowly floated together, the different hues of blue blending to form one.
I backed up too, ready to summon as much lightning as I could. Percy blasted the forceful water towards Hyperion, which overpowered Hyperion's blast of fire easily, crashing through it, and turning the surrounding air thick with steam.
Hyperion collided with the forceful water, yet still stood, this was my one and only chance.
I brought both my arms down, twice in a row, ordering the skies to my will, ordering two bolts of lightning down.
Immediately after, two bolts of electricity struck Hyperion's frame. The Titan of the East somehow managed to stand up straight, but his limbs were convulsing uncontrollably, and it looked like a struggle to stay upright.
Percy took the opportunity, bounding towards Hyperion. Using Hyperion's feet and greaves as footholds, Percy scaled up Hyperion, and at the zenith of his jump, drew Riptide and sliced straight down Hyperion's head, splitting the skull into two.
Percy landed on the opposite side, leaning down on his right arm, and leg, before smartly re-attaching the bead to his necklace.
Gold ichor leaked from the corpse of the fallen Titan. I flipped around, seeing Krios, not leaking ichor. Was he dead?
I walked up, and drove my gladius through his eye-socket with unbelievable force.
Hazel materialized behind me, and drove her cavalry sword through the same eye, before stabbing him straight through the head, just to make sure he was dead.
"That one was for Nico," Hazel bitterly replied. The Daughter of Pluto instantly looked at me, tears welling up in her golden eyes. "Where is he?"
My eyes began to moisten, thinking back to Nico. And how his sacrifice was a double-edged sword.
"On the far side of the circle," I choked out. Hazel took off, and I walked towards her.
"Here, Jason," I heard, turning my head around to see Piper offering me some nectar.
"Nah, I probably shouldn't, I've already had so much."
"Probably true," she said, before punching me in the arm.
"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my arm, "That hurt."
"That's for disappearing on us, and fighting two titans, you idiot? What were you thinking?"
"We were teleported here or something, we all passed out and wound up here."
"Huh…" Piper replied, obviously confused.
"It doesn't matter Pipes. We're all, well, not all, but Percy and I are safe. Nico died to save me…" I muttered, turning my head to the ground in shame. "If I had just finished Krios off then, Nico would still be here." Apparently his death in vain, according to Zephyrus.
"Don't beat yourself up about it Jason. You did as much as you could. Nico wouldn't want you to do that."
"Yeah, I should stop, and honour his death," I said, my words feeling empty, devoid of meaning.
"You should," Piper said, before reaching up on her tip-toes and planting a kiss on my forehead. Piper continued forward, while I trudged forward.
"You alright Jason?" Reyna asked comfortingly.
"Yeah Reyna, it's my fault that Nico's dead, and it was all for nothing."
"No, Jason. You said that Tartarus was rising?" She said, changing the topic. That was probably for the best, I had to diverge my mental energy to the upcoming fight; another one. Moping around about Nico was just going to spiral me into a state of depression. Which would be horrid. "Frank and Leo are going to be coming, along with the remainder of the legion."
"You sound awfully calm about Tartarus rising," I skeptically responded.
"I'm so far from calm Jason," Reyna responded, fear tangibly creeping into her tone. "But I've got to stay strong, I've got to lead a legion against an unbeatable foe."
"Hey," I said, comforting Reyna. "You're not leading alone, Frank will be helping you. And Tartarus isn't like Gaia. He is much more beatable."
"Meaning?"
"The whole threat of Gaia was that she couldn't touch the ground. But Tartarus is far from his realm, we don't need to lift him up or anything, just kill him."
"We'll discuss this with the rest," Reyna said, strolling forward towards Percy, Annabeth and Hazel. All of whom were grieving Nico.
3rd Person:
"Why, why did Nico have to die?" Hazel sobbed, her heart wracked with emotion.
"It'll be fine, Hazel," Annabeth cooed, cradling Hazel's body in her arms.
"Come here Hazel," Percy said, his voice clogged with despair, as Hazel leaned in for a deep embrace, sobbing into Percy's shoulder.
"He was all I had left," Hazel sobbed.
Nico was Hazel's only living relative, and losing that had broken her spirit.
"Hazel," Piper muttered. "Nico sacrificed himself, so that we could win, he died a noble death." Piper was the last person someone expected to say this, and it was fairly obvious that her heart wasn't in it.
"Don't charmspeak me, Piper!" Hazel screamed, tears splashing down onto her face, mixing with the reservoirs of water stuck between the mud.
"I wasn't Hazel," Piper responded, putting her hands in front of her torso, in defeat.
"Fine," Hazel responded, her voice bitter. "Let's kill some monsters, I don't care anymore."
"Hazel," Jason began.
"Don't…" Reyna interrupted. "Just don't Jason. Let her cool off first."
"I feel so guilty, Reyna."
"Stop beating yourself up about it Jason."
"We need a shroud, a shroud for the Son of Hades," Jason called out.
Well, its been a while. A year since I've started writing, well, more by now. Sorry for the wait, Writers Block is very hard to deal with, and I've been struggling for ideas. Hope this chapter was good enough. Again, sorry.
Thanks,
~RedGods