Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Avengers

AN: Sorry this chapter took so long to revise guys. I had a really tough time getting it to the point where I felt like it would line up with were I need it to go. I finally just has to look away from it for a couple months. Here it is now though and I can honestly say I am pleased with the way it is now.

The next chapter is probably going to be quite a while out also cause there are a lot of changes that I plan on making and I am not sure how I am going to get them done in a way were it will work out the way I want it too.

Anyway until next time enjoy this chapter and for though who have read my Broken Chains series I plan on having an update up for it before new years.

Chapter 2: The Oath

Frank, Nico, Hazel, and Piper were all sitting around the table below decks. Most of the gods had joined them aboard the Argo II by now but had to sen to remain on the main deck watching as they slowly made their way toward the original Mount Olympus. Frank, Nico, and Hazel were looking better after some ambrosia and rest but the wounds they had suffered at Percy's hands were still healing. Apollo and Asclepius were to busy tending to Leo and Jason though to heal the three demigods. Given the sercomstances however Poseidon had done a relatively decent job of patching them up. Poseidon even took a few moments to heal some of his son's wounds.

"It was like he was rabid," Frank said. "He didn't care what damage he did to himself, even if it cost him is life, so long as he took us with him."

"I'm sure he would have stopped" Piper whispered. She knew however that she was just trying to convince herself. She had seen the look in Percy's eyes when she talked to him that morning. And the easy with which he was able to snap the chains frightened her as well.

"No," Nico said darkly. "He wouldn't have. The look in his eyes, I've never seen so much hatred on his face. He would have pulled down the throne room on the gods' heads if he thought it would have protected Annabeth."

"You certain he isn't a danger to her right now them," Piper asked.

"You want to try and separate them be my guest. I am still recovering from his last freak out thank you very much," Frank said. "Besides I think Annabeth is the only person he isn't a danger too right now."

"Huh, all we have to do to win the war is tell Percy they want to hurt Annabeth and get out of the way," Nico commented with a sinister smile.

"Please he would just end up getting himself killed right now, even if he did manage to take Gaea with him," Frank said.

"But the thing I don't get is why he has been affected like that," Hazel interjected changing the subject. "Nico went through Tartarus and weren't like that afterward."

"Yes but I am a son of Hades. That lessened it for me. Plus I wasn't in there very long. I was captured almost as soon as I entered The Pit. I knew Percy and Annabeth would think they had been there longer than they actually had been, but a year? I thought I was down there for a couple of days. It was really only a couple of hours. To Percy and Annabeth it was a year, two weeks of our happened down there, particularly to Annabeth, definitely didn't do any good for Percy's sanity."

"Has anyone tried talking to him to get the story of what happened down there?" Piper asked.

"I think Poseidon tried but as far as I know Percy wouldn't tell him anything. I don't think anyone besides Percy and Annabeth will ever know everything that happened to them down there." Nico replied.

"How are the chains holding up?" Piper continued.

"Hephaestus replaced three of them this morning," Hazel said. "I know Percy is trying to remain calm but none of the gods trust him right now. I think a few of the minor gods are even scared of him."

Just then Apollo came into the room followed by Dionysus and Asclepius. Before any of them could say anything Piper jumped up and asked, "How's Jason?"

"He'll live but there is likely to be some consequences to taking a blast from the master bolt. We aren't entirely sure what those will be but so far it seems to have enhanced his ability to control lightning. Right now he needs rest. I suggests that you all keep your distance though. He's…sparking and not entirely in control of himself at the moment."

"Penny," Dionysus commanded, "We need you to come with us to Jacobson's room. We want you there to talk him down while we try and heal him and the Annie girl."

Piper nodded and followed the trio of gods out of the room.

No sooner had they left the room than Hades entered. The usual aura of death followed him in and those remaining, except Nico, shuddered away from the god. Looking at his son Hades spoke in his cold voice.

"It is time for you to return to camp, son. This is the quest of the Seven. You aren't one of them. You will be needed at Camp to help in the battle there. If you can, try and stop the Romans and Greeks from killing each other. Though the tensions have lessened greatly of late."

"But what…" Nico began to retort. Before he could finish Hades waved his hand and Nico vanished into shadow. With that the god of the Underworld left the room in silence.

After Hephaestus replaced the chains Percy had broken, and left the room, the Son of Poseidon easily snapped the new chains as well as those that remained from before. Getting up he walked over to the mirror and took a look at his reflection.

When he saw his reflection he almost had a heart attack. His face looked like a skull that had skin vacuum wrapped to it. His eyes were darker too, a dark forest green instead of their usual sea green. His hair and the weak beard he gained in Tartarus were peppered with grey. He lost far more weight than he could have afforded to also. He didn't even look this bad after he blew himself up in Mount Saint Helen's. The swimmers build he once had was now replaced with a skeletal frame he barely recognized.

He walked over by the bed where Annabeth lay still asleep. He hadn't slept since he supposedly attack Frank, Hazel, and Nico. He still didn't believe that happen. Every time he close is eyes he found himself back in Tartarus. Every now and then the pain he had experienced in Tartarus would return and it was all he could do not to scream.

Hephaestus told him that Hades was going to send Nico back to America. Percy though he might be part of the reason for that. Hades didn't want his son near anyone as dangerous as Percy. It was a good decision though. Nico wasn't part of the seven and could no longer help them. Besides, the Son of Hades wasn't in much better shape than Percy after his own stint in Tartarus.

Then there was Jason. It was because of his injury that they had left the Doors of Death before defeating Porphyrion. Hera was furious with her husband because of the son of Jupiter's injury, Percy was sure of that. From what little Hephaestus told him Zeus had tried to blast Porphyrion with his master bolt. Key word, tried. Porphyrion had simply deflected the blast, directly into Jason.

Frank had turned into a dragon and carried Leo, Jason, Annabeth, and Percy in his claws while he carried the others on his back to the Argo II. Apollo had returned with them and had since been working on saving Jason's life.

Percy was sitting next the bed hidden in shadows when Apollo and the others first entered the room.

Seeing that Percy wasn't in sight the three gods and Piper slowly made their way toward the bed.

"I thought Hephaestus chained him up," said the god Percy didn't recognize.

"Looks like he broke free," Dionysus commented.

"Well we can start with her I guess," the other god said reaching his hand out to Annabeth. Something snapped in Percy. He lashed out wrapping his hand around the gods arm and pulled him up and over the bed in one swift motion pinning him to the wall with a bang that shook the entire ship. Through the entire scuffle Percy was careful not to move Annabeth.

"Percy!" Piper said putting as much charmspeak as she could into her words, "We're just here to help. All he was going to do was heal Annabeth and you. Dionysus was going to work on your minds. Now let Asclepius go so he and Apollo can do their jobs."

The force of her words were so great that even those who weren't in the room could feel the compulsion behind the words. Everyone wanted to do as she was requested. Percy's grip slackened and he let Asclepius go. Stepping back and shaking his head however he quickly pined the God of Medicine back against the wall, though this time he held him there by his chest instead of the throat.

Before Piper could speak again Dionysus walked around the room and pulled the demigod away from Asclepius. Dionysus spun Percy around to face him and held his face so that he had no choice but to look the god of madness in the eyes. They stood there for a long time as they stared into each other's face. Though Percy struggled at first and though he was powerful he was still not strong enough to take on one of the major gods.

Finally Dionysus took his hands off Percy's face and stepped away from the demigod. Percy didn't look different per say but he didn't look quite as broken. Dionysus on the other hand looked paler, as if he was disturbed by what he had seen in Percy's mind.

"How's Jason," Percy asked after a few moments silence.

"He'll live," Apollo said as he cautiously approached Annabeth. "I'm sorry that I haven't come to do anything with your wounds other than healing Annabeth's leg. We knew that despite the injuries you two had suffered you would be able to hold for a few days while we did what we could for Jason and Leo."

"I understand," the demigod replied coolly. Apollo and a skittish Asclepius began to examine Annabeth. Percy felt anger flash through him for no reason and the humidity in the air doubled. Everyone froze except Asclepius who jump back pinning himself to the opposite wall. A few seconds later the moment had passed and Percy allowed the air to return to normal. "Be…be careful with her," Percy said as his voice broke.

Piper reached out a hand to comfort her friend but as soon as her fingers came into contact with him Percy jumped violently. In one swift motion he spun threw her against the wall and brought out Riptide directing it at her throat. Piper froze as she tried to regain her breath without getting cut by the sword.

Percy withdrew Riptide and spoke shakily, "Maybe um…maybe you should go wait with the others. I am sure Dionysus or Apollo will be able to stop me if…"

He let his words hang there. Piper looked over to Apollo who nodded and she left the room quickly. Once she was gone Apollo spoke, "What happened down there?"

Slowly, painfully Percy told them the story. He found however that when he got to the part about Hyperion he was unable to go on. It seemed however he didn't have to as at that moment Apollo found the evidence of what had been done.

Apollo looked furious. Everything fell into place for him now. He understood why Percy was being so protective. "Who?" was all Apollo could get out as he examined the defensive wounds on Annabeth's body.

"Hyperion." The answer came not from Percy but from Dionysus who in one of his rare moments of compassion seemed to want to spare Percy from reliving the details of the event. "He made Percy watch. He was bound with adamantine chains and couldn't stop it."

Percy barely recognized that Mr. D used his real name as he nodded his head in conformation.

The gods set to work and slowly Annabeth began to regain the appearance she had when they fell into the Pit. Apollo finished his examination of the daughter of Athena and turn to face Percy. With Apollo and Asclepius haveing finished restoring Annabeth's body Dionysus began work on here mind. In total the process took about half an hour. In the end Apollo admitted that they would have scars, both mentally and physically. It was likely that Percy and Annabeth would struggle with moments of insanity for the rest of their lives. The madness of Tartarus had taken root in their soul and even gods couldn't heal those wounds.

Once they had finished with Annabeth the three gods set about working on Percy. Dionysus finished his work first as he had already done most of what he could. But with the darkness that had been instilled in Percy's soul there was only so much Dionysus could do. Apollo and Asclepius didn't seem to have much better luck. While his body returned to the state it had been in before Tartarus, plus a few scars, but he still felt fractured. He felt like at any moment he would crumble down into nothingness.

"You're tired," Apollo commented as he looked down at the Son of Poseidon. "Get some rest if you can. Annabeth should wake up within the next few hours. I think its best if you are the first one to see here."

"Be patient with her Percy," Dionysus almost whispered. "You have both been through a lot. Tomorrow we will begin making our final plans." With that the gods exited the room.

Percy turned his attention back to Annabeth. Despite what Apollo had told him he didn't sleep. After all Percy knew that if he did he would just end up back in his chains in Hyperion's lair. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there at the edge of the bed when the daughter of Athena's eye's flickered open. Suddenly she sat bolt upright in the bed and started to move away. Percy tried to put his hand on hers but she wouldn't have it.

"Get away from me!" Annabeth yelled.

Percy froze. With just those four words Percy felt his entire existence shatter. "A…Annabeth," he stuttered. She looked up at him and he saw the fear in her eyes. Percy slowly moved toward her as he heard the door behind him open. He wasn't sure who entered, and he didn't even care. The only thing that mattered to him was Annabeth.

"Wise Girl, it's okay we got out. Everything is going to be alright, I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

It had taken a couple hours to calm Annabeth down but Percy had somehow managed it. Percy didn't think the arrival of Piper had helped matters. Annabeth reacted poorly to Piper using her charmspeak on her and the resulting panic attack took even longer to resolve. It took the longest to convince her that they had only been in Tartarus for two weeks, not an entire year like it felt. That only left explaining everything he knew of what happened to the rest of the seven while they were in Tartarus and since their escape. They did not however speak about Hyperion, both too frightened of how the other might react.

Annabeth didn't even try to hide her fear however and despite some suggestions otherwise she and Percy remained in the same room. They stayed in each other's arms as much as they could and only separated for things like showers and bathroom breaks. Frank and Hazel brought them food later that evening and sat and talked with them for a while. Percy and Annabeth even almost began to feel normal. Almost.

That night however when the nightmares came the illusion of normality was shattered. There was something different about this dream from the ones he used to have in Tartarus though.

In this dream he was floating in space with what looked like a dark shadow swirling in front of him. And the shadow spoke to him.

"The time is coming Son of the Sea God. Soon you will have to make the choice to save your friends and let loose the greatest enemy you have ever faced or let your friends die to keep me powerless." There was silence for a long moment after that. "I look forward to forcing you to watch as the world around you is destroyed."

His dream shifted and he found himself facing the same horrifying dreams he witnessed in Tartarus, and soon he and Annabeth were sitting bolt upright as they woke each other up with their screams. When the others had come to try and comfort them but Percy had literally thrown them from the room. Wisely they did not try to reenter after he slammed the door.

The next day they all gathered around the dining table, Jason and Leo included. Jason's entire right side was covered in burns and his eyes and hair seemed to have been bleached. No longer were his irises sky blue but were instead the color of white lightning nor was his hair blonde anymore as it was now like silver thread. Piper alone was willing to risk electrocution to be near her boyfriend. Though even she was forced to keep a few feet of distance between them. Jason didn't seem in full control of his powers right now and every now and then a bolt of electricity would arc out send something or someone flying across the room.

Leo on the other hand sat calmly in a wheel chair with two rapidly healing broke legs. He seemed the most relaxed out of them all. He did share the apparance that the other had in that he too was trying to thread himself between the danger zones that were Percy and Jason.

"So, which giants are there left to fight?" Percy asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Well I think it is safe to say that the minor gods have giants too because about a week ago we fought Clytius and he said he was the anti-Hecate," Hazel whispered.

"Your right," Annabeth began as she pressed herself deeper into Percy's chest. "In the first war there were about a hundred giants. So far we have only killed nine."

It was quiet for a few moments as that sank in. "We are so screwed," Leo groaned.

"No we aren't," Percy said in aggravation, "Annabeth and I didn't go through Tartarus just to give up once we were out. We can win and the gods will be helping us too."

Annabeth nodded, "Besides a lot of the giants were killed very thoroughly in the first war. One was turned into a fig tree by Gaea, kind of like Thalia. Another was turned into a dong-beetle, Aristaios; he was actually the only giant that lived."

"So how many does that leave us with?" Frank asked.

"We should probably prepare for at least twenty giants. I can't imagine there being more than that." Annabeth whispered with a shaky voice.

For a few moments the room was silent. Then at Leo broke the silence, "Yep, we're screwed," Leo whispered. "Ow! Not the legs Pipes!"

After the meeting Piper helped Jason back his room and took up residence in a chair next to his was bed. Jason seemed to be slowly gaining more control over his powers but he was still struggling to keep random gusts of wind from rocking the ship.

"Do you think we stand a chance?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," Jason murmured after a minute of silence.

"What about Percy and Annabeth? Do you think they can handle it?"

"They'll be fine Pipes. They just went through Hell, literally. It's going to take them time to learn to deal with whatever happened down there."

"But have you looked at his eyes? I mean it used to be like looking into the ocean. Now, well it's still an ocean, but it's like it's an angry ocean now. Like it's ready to swallow us whole."

"They haven't told us what happened down there, and I don't think they ever will. Whatever it was it was horrific. All we can do right now is let them sort it out and be there to help them when they ask for it."

"But…" Piper began.

"Piper, we can't pressure them for information it would just make things worse. They will tell us when they are ready. If they are ever ready."

"Gaea still wants their blood."

"I know. She thinks that if she uses the blood of the two most powerful demigods then she will wake even stronger than before."

"What about the camps."

"We can only do so much Piper. The camps are Nico's responsibility for now. It's up to us to deal with the giants. Whatever happens you and I will get through this, I promise." Piper wished he hadn't done that.

The rest of the day they sat in silence simply enjoying each other's company. They only separated when Hedge came down to send Piper to her own room to get some sleep.

Hazel was wasn't sure what to think about anything anymore. She had once thought that Percy would be the most dependable person on the quest. He was always there for his friends after all. But now that he was back from Tartarus she wasn't so sure anymore. He had nearly killed Frank, Nico, and her when he first woke up. They were all a little skittish around Percy and Annabeth at the moment.

She still hadn't figure out what to do with Leo. He reminded her so much of Sammy. But as time went on she became more and more certain that though she cared about Leo it wasn't to the same extent as her feeling for Frank. She was still carrying the piece of wood that the son of Mars' life was tied to after all and she felt that it was the greatest honor she could ever be given.

Then there was the upcoming battle. When Annabeth had said how many giant they would have to face Hazel had wished that she would have just been able to crawl in a hole and hide. The trouble was though that even if she could she the hole would be in the earth and that just wouldn't work. Besides last time they fought more than one giant they had nearly lost two of their number.

Sitting lost in her thoughts she began to wonder what would happen to her when the war was over, assuming they won. Would she be sent back to the Underworld or would Pluto continue to ignore her so that she could have a second chance at life.

"Hello, Hazel," a powerful voice said behind her.

Hazel spun around and came face to face with her father, Pluto. "Lord Pluto," Hazel said as she began to bow suddenly horrified by what he could want.

"Don't bother," Pluto said with something between a cruel and somehow gentle smile. "The only reason I have Nico bow is because I know it annoys him and it's always fun to see how frustrated it makes him."

Hazel stared. This wasn't like the Pluto she had heard about. "What...why are you here?"

Pluto sat on the edge of her bed, looking uncomfortable. "You know I have only ever had two demigod daughters. Both of them died before they could become adults."

Hazel was stunned. The God of the Underworld actually sounded sad. "You were wondering if I would take you back to the Underworld after the war. Am I correct?" Hazel nodded though she figured he already knew he was. "I will give you a second chance if you live through the war. I would like one of my girls to experience a full. Just promise me one thing."

"What?" Hazel asked timidly.

"If you live through the final battle, live how you want too. What I mean is, be happy."

"I promise I'll try," she managed. Pluto nodded and disappeared into the shadows.

Leo sat at his work table tinkering with the Archimedes Sphere he had picked up in Rome. Though his legs were healing extremely fast they would not be able to move as quick and powerfully as he was going to require once the final battle arrived. As such he was now working on a backup plan. He was essentially making himself a new set of legs. Then again maybe calling them a highly advanced set of braces was a better way of describing them. These would help him walk and move around like a normal person until his legs fully recovered.

As he tinkered with the new invention he thought about the two lines of the prophecy that were yet to come true.

To storm or fire the world must fall

An oath to keep with a final breath

In particular he thought about the storm or fire. Perhaps because it could be referring to him. Thought it could just as easily be talking about Frank as well, the fire part of it at least. Then again the storm portion could only mean Jason or Percy. Maybe that was his real reason for working. He was trying his best to not think about the lines of the prophecy. For the most part it was working. Still the words bore a hole straight into Leo's brain.

He knew it was selfish but he couldn't help but hope it was Percy or Jason that the prophecy was talking about. After all Percy and Jason were the two most powerful demigods on the ship. If neither of them could stop Gaea what chance did he or Frank have? If he were to stop Gaea he would probably end up killing himself in the process.

Then there was the whole messed up situation with Hazel. He honestly hoped she would be happy with Frank. Frank was better for her. What was Leo besides an old boyfriend look-alike that knew how to make bad jokes at the wrong times? And he didn't feel like Hazel and he were ever met to be together. When Leo looked at Jason and Piper or Percy and Annabeth it was like seeing two gear mesh together to form a perfect machine. He just didn't see that with himself and Hazel.

There was a knock on the down and Leo immediately shouted, "Come in."

To his utter amazement Frank stepped into the room.

For the past few days Frank had found himself lost in an internal debate on whether or not to even have this conversation. After Percy and Annabeth had returned though he decided he really had no choice. So here he was stand in Leo's room like and feeling like a complete idiot. After a few moments Frank cleared his throat and began to speak, "Leo, can I ask you a favor?"

Leo frowned but nodded. "If something happens…"

"Whoa man!" Leo interrupted shocked, "Don't talk like that. Hazel would be devastated."

"Leo I need to say this," Frank pushed on. When he felt sure that Leo wasn't going to interrupt again he continued, "If something does happen, I need your word that you will take care of Hazel for me. I need to know someone will be there to watch after her."

"Why are you asking me? Why not Jason or Percy or Annabeth or Piper."

"You mean besides the fact that Percy and Annabeth aren't completely sane anymore and Jason and Piper will be looking after each other?"

"Fair point."

"Look Leo I don't mean to seem rude but you don't have anyone. You will be able to look after her better than anyone else because, while you have friends, you don't have anyone else to look out for.

Leo stared. Finally he nodded, "On one condition."

"Anything," Frank said.

"You have to fight with everything you have to live for her. No matter how tired you get or how bad things look, you have to push on for her."

Frank smiled. "Don't worry. I intend to."

Leo held out his hand. Without hesitation Frank reached out and shook it, sealing their promises to each other.

Two weeks after Percy and Annabeth escaped the Pit the Seven had finished their planning and where now almost to the original Mount Olympus. They all sat around the dining table in silence. They were too nervous to eat. The last of the gods had arrived that morning and where currently above them with Hedge as they sailed to the birthplace of western civilization.

Jason had healed up fairly quickly thanks to Apollo but he would always have some faint scarring from the burns and his eye and hair seemed permanently lightened. Leo on the other had built a type of brace for his still healing legs that were similar to what his father had. Percy and Annabeth were still inseparable and talked little to anyone but each other, but they seemed more stable now than before.

The Seven of the prophecy where as ready as they could be. After about two hours of waiting Hedge appeared in the doorway looking slightly pail. "You guys need to get up here now." Hedge turned and walked away back up to the deck of the ship. They all glanced at each other before Hedge up the stairs.

When they got on deck they saw the over a dozen gods including Hades, Hestia, Hecate, and all three of the Fates. Hestia was the most surprising though.

"Lady Hestia, I thought you didn't fight?" Percy asked.

"Unfortunately I think this situation calls for it," Hestia sighted, "I haven't fought since we over through Father. I am afraid I'm a little rusty."

Annabeth looked at the fates before asking, "Why are you three here?"

"We have enemies among the giants as well, Daughter of Athena," each speaking a fraction of the reply though still somehow making it sound as if there were only one speaker.

"Son," said Poseidon, "No matter what happens today I am proud of you. If…if something goes wrong I will do what I can to tell your mother. I'll tell her that you love her."

Percy's eye became watery and he thanked his father.

"Sorry to break this up but you really need to see this," Hedge said nervously. They all realized it must be bad to frighten a battle crazed satyr like Hedge. Together the seven walked over to the edge of the ship and looked down.

"Di immortals!" Annabeth swore.

"We're so dead." Leo choked.

"Impossible." Hazel whispered

"Director Fury we are picking up some unusual activity in Greece. Near Mount Olympus, sir" Agent Hill said as she walked into the director's office in the Triskelion.

"Unusual, how."

"The readings are similar to what we saw in New York last year during the earthquake."

Fury looked out the window where he could see his new mobile base nearly completed in the port not too far from them. "How similar?"

"Nearly identical. Though they are slightly higher than what was seen before, sir," Hill replied promptly.

"Keep a close eye on this Agent Hill. If anything changes I want to know about it."

"Yes, sir."

"And Hill," Fury called to the young desk agent. Agent Maria Hill turned back to the director. "Good work."