Okay, so I guess I should start this chapter off with a little apology – I know I've been a git with updating.

However, I have now finished with my exams and have officially left school – just got to wait to get into University now.

This means that chapters will still be pumped out by me, just not at a horrifically slow rate.

Warning: There is a scene of gore in this chapter. I will not warn you of when to not interrupt the flow of the story, but it is there at the end.

Anyway, I'm not going to carry on for too long – but I do hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

So yeah, enjoy!

The Demon Rites

Silence. That is all that could be heard from the summit of Mount Tamaulipas.

Artemis continued to sit there, stroking Zoë's hair as she bled out, her intestines slowly spewing through Artemis' small, tender hands as dark, red blood seeped between her fingertips.

Thalia collapsed to her knees, exhausted. She had done it – she had killed Luke. She felt so relieved – she never thought that she could do it, but she had.

She had loved the boy, and still did to a degree. They spent so much time together. She almost certainly felt that she was to blame for Luke turning into what he had become. What if she had not been struck down and turned into a tree by her father, Zeus? What if her, Luke and Annabeth had never have gone to Camp Half-Blood and had stayed on the streets? Oh gods, what would Annabeth think about this? She knew the blonde girl was truly in love with Luke, she used to follow him around when they lived on the streets. Wait…

ANNABETH!

Thalia was suddenly rejuvenated with new-found energy and shot up to her feet.

"Where's Annabeth?!" She cried out, realising that the young girl she saw as her little sister was missing. She began to look around frantically for the young blonde.

Grover peers off the edge of the cliff and notices a huge, white cruise ship. He squints as he can see large, bold letters written across the side of the ship – 'The Princess Andromeda'.

"There! That was Luke's ship!" Grover yelled out to the others, and Thalia went running over to them.

Percy was too preoccupied staring at his mother's unconscious body, sweating bullets as he drags water droplets from any nearby source over to him to heal his mother's wound in her abdomen.

Artemis was in a similar situation to him, crying out as she felt like she could do nothing to stop Zoë from dying.

Percy looks up as the wound seems to heal slowly and looks at Artemis. "Artemis, call your chariot." He called over to her, and she looked up, glaring daggers at him.

"She is DYING here, boy!" She snarled, "I will do nothing of the sort."

Percy's eyes darkened, and he glared at her, before taking a breath and calming down.

Zoë was dying, so Artemis' emotions being out of control would be understandable.

"Milady," Bianca piped up, also placing her hand on Zoë's wound. "Call your chariot, I will try and keep her stable."

The Goddess of the Hunt nodded begrudgingly, knowing that they also needed to look for their friend, who was most likely on board that white Cruise Ship where Luke kept his army of monsters as he transported them to where he needed them.

She raised her hand and in it, a silver rams horn materialised, and she placed it in her mouth and blew. A deep, echoing sound bellowed from the horn, and all wild creatures seemed to stop in their tracks and become silent – it was both eerie and fascinating to bear witness to.

In the sky, the Moon seemed to begin approaching them, gradually growing larger and larger until it was right above them, and then the silver light dimmed down to reveal a sleigh carried by 4 reindeer, each of them galloping through the sky as if they were on the ground.

Percy was in awe at this sight, his jaw almost on the ground. The scene brought back a memory of a woman standing over him, with luscious dark brown, almost black, hair, and a pair of mesmerizing, sea green eyes. It was his mother, Sally, before he was taken.

She was smiling as she cradled him in her arms, and she was telling him about a magical sleigh that moved across the sky once a year, travelling the world to deliver presents to all the children that had been good throughout that year. And that he would get the best present ever for his first time experiencing it. It was called Christmas. And that person she was talking about… Was it Artemis?

Looking upon his mother, he noticed a small, white, fluffy speck of dust float down and land on his mother's forehead, and he looked up into the sky to see many more of these specs of dust falling from the sky.

Snow, Percy thought, it looks so…beautiful. He thought to himself, and a small smile graced his lips. He finally felt some form of belonging. He had a family after all.

But then he was brought back to reality. His only family was going to die in his arms unless she was given immediate medical treatment. Something he did not have.

But something Artemis and other gods do have.

Shakily, Percy managed to slowly stand up onto his feet, and looked ahead. The chariot had just landed, and Artemis had stepped on board, carrying Zoë and setting her down on the floor just as Bianca would skid across the chariot to Zoë's side to maintain the pressure on her side. Slowly, he gradually made his way over to them, stumbling and shaking as he went. He could feel his energy seeping away rapidly, he was becoming very tired very quickly. His arms felt as if they were on fire and that they were carrying mountains, and his knees felt as if they were about to give way. But he couldn't give up now.

He just could not. Not when so much depended on him. He finally got to the sleigh, and placed Sally on the sleigh, before almost throwing himself on board of it.

With a crack of the reins, the reindeer began to trot, before galloping as they slowly took off into the sky, the only noise being the constant cursing from Atlas, promising vengeance that would never come around to happen.

They then began to descent again as they drew closer and closer to the Princess Andromeda, Atlas' pointless threats slowly became drowned out by the dark sea crashing up against the Cruise Ship, droplets of sea water splashing up high enough to catch the chariot.

They soon landed on the dock where the ship was anchored, a bunch of homeless people running away, screaming that there were aliens trying to abduct them.

Thalia was the first one to leap off the chariot while it was still moving, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the burning sensation running throughout her entire body, begging for her to stop and take a rest. But she would not.

She could not.

She could not rest until Annabeth was found safe.

Bianca looked at Percy before leaping off also, running after Thalia, the Hunter's blessing bestowed upon her by Artemis giving her the grace and speed to catch up with Thalia. Grover slid over to Zoë and tried to slow down the bleeding and was not sure at all what to do. The wound was a sickening green.

"Apply pressure, Satyr." Artemis barked, also crouching down next to him and ripping off some of her already torn tunic to press onto the wound. Grover blushed deeply at the exposed flesh of Artemis.

A few minutes passed, and Percy was still tightly clutching his mother, refusing to leave her. He couldn't. He knew nothing about her, other than her name: Sally Jackson, Daughter of Poseidon.

Grover grabbed hold of Zoë's wound, and pulled out his reed pipes and started blowing a smooth, warm melody. The bleeding slowed down and near stopped, but the wound was not healing. It was the poison from Ladon running through her veins.

A deep growl was heard in the distance. One that the three did not like the sound of.

Artemis would not have been able to fight off any monsters as all her powers were spent after her fight with Atlas.

On the ship, Thalia could be heard screaming for Annabeth, but could hear nothing in reply. It was drawing the monsters back towards them.

Artemis got back up and pulled her bow off her shoulder and pulled back on the string.

Nothing. No arrow formed.

That was not good. As her knives too relied on her having enough power to materialise them.

"Yoo-hoo? Perseus?" A malicious, evil, croaky voice echoed from the army of monsters approaching them.

Percy's eyes snapped open as he recognised the voice. Artemis went pale also, recognising it.

A small yap was heard from the army, like there was a chihuahua in the army.

Percy looked at Artemis, his eyes going black. She knew what this meant. Something dark and evil was stirring inside of him. Like a hunger to cause destruction.

She went over to him and took Sally from him, and he slowly stood up, turning around so he could face who called his name.

A large woman was standing ahead of all the monsters, with a tiny little chihuahua in front of her, yapping non-stop at the sight of Percy.

"Echidna, you called?" Percy snarled. She was in Hell a few times, conversing with the Demon Princes.

"Ah, so you finally show your face. I've heard so much about you. Tell me, do you live up to your name?" She arched an eyebrow at him, challenging him. "Perseus, the Destroyer?"

Percy rolled her shoulders and cracked his neck, before reaching back and grasping the Sword of Enoch, pulling it over him so that it is in front of him.

The little, yapping dog suddenly began to grow, its yaps becoming more like deep, throaty roars.

Perseus' eyes widened at this and looked back at Artemis.

"Those two better hurry up." He told her. He knew that it would be an impossible battle.

Especially against the Chimera, as that's what the Chihuahua was. An enormous, hybrid beast with three heads. The body was that of a lion, while there were two heads at the front: One was that of a goat, while the other was one of a lion. The tail was a snake hissing as venom dripped form its open jaw.

"Sick him, Sonny." Echidna slapped the Chimera on the side, and with a ferocious roar, the beast leapt off and bounded across the pier towards Percy and the chariot.

"Get out of her NOW!" Percy yelled at Artemis, and she shot up and grabbed hold of the reins, flicking them as hard as she could, and the deer lunged forwards, racing towards the edge of the pier.

Percy brought his sword down hard against the wooden pier, the rotting wood splinting under the force of the blow. Percy slowly looked up at the charging Chimera, and ripped the sword towards him, the wood giving out under the sword. The pier began to collapse, the supports having finally given out.

Wasting no time, Percy ran along the collapsing deck, trying to catch up with Artemis. It was no use, as she was gaining speed and would have been unreachable.

Then the anchor to the Princess Andromeda caught Percy's eye. He could make it, he just needed to get it right.

A blast of fire seared Percy's back as he jumped off the pier, legs continuing to move as if he was running and arms still swinging as if he was propelling himself forward.

"Oh cra-," Percy cut himself off as he reached his arms out and headbutted the thick, iron chain of the anchor, his feet barely touching the water below him.

Well then, he made it after all!

But there was no time to celebrate. Strapping the sword back across his shoulder like a gym bag, Percy began to climb the anchor until he reached the front of the ship and climbed over the railings. Artemis was in the sky and was turning back round for them to jump aboard the chariot.

"Thalia!" Percy called out as loud as he could, and a yell was heard just as a loud bang followed, like a metal door being slammed open. Percy ran down the left side of the ship, and could see the collapsed pier, and some monsters trying to swim towards the ship.

Down the other end of the ship, Percy could see Thalia and Bianca erupt out of a doorway, Thalia carrying an unconscious Annabeth.

Before anyone could say or do anything, Bianca readied an arrow in her bow and fired it at Percy.

He could feel the arrow cut the air next to his head, cutting off some of his overly long hair as Percy was then showered in golden dust.

Of course, he had gotten sneaked up on.

Percy ran over to them and pointed at Artemis' chariot, which was flying back towards them.

"Get to the top level of the ship!" Bianca said, and the three did nothing more than run up the flights of stairs next to them to the roof of the ship.

Artemis was closing in on them, and a roar could be heard from behind them. They turned around to see the Chimera lumbering up onto the roof of the Princess Andromeda. It was now or never.

The beast roared, a stream of fire billowing out of it's mouths, and the three did nothing more than run and jump off the side of the ship, and they felt weightless, the wind cutting against their skin like broken glass as it whistled past them, and then there was a loud THUD!

They had made it onto Artemis' Chariot!

"Nice catch if I do say so myself." Artemis grinned at the group, her eyes shining a beautiful silver in the moonlight.

It almost made Percy forget all about his problems… almost.

"Mother…" Percy muttered and scooted over to his unconscious mother. The bleeding on her and Zoë had almost completely stopped, and the chariot was soaked in blood.

Artemis took them high up and looked at the group. "Back to Olympus we must go." She said to herself, flicking her auburn hair out of her eyes as it was blown backwards by the wind rushing past her. Riding her moon chariot always made her feel alive.

KRA KA KOOM!

A blast of red lightning hit one of the deer, and it seemed to have been incinerated by the blow.

"NO!" Artemis cried out as they suddenly began to plummet out of the sky, towards the forest below them.

They were just about to land, and Artemis had them under control. They hit a rock and Artemis was suddenly thrown out of the chariot, and Percy leapt after her, hugging her and shielding her as they crashed into the ground, and Percy felt all his bones cracking and his leg break in the fall.

They finally came to a stop, and Percy let her go, and she rolled off him.

Up ahead, they could see the wrecked chariot, everyone picking themselves up as they were thrown around.

Artemis let out a very loud whistle as she sat up, before getting Percy up onto his feet. His knee and shoulder were dislocated.

"Hold still," Artemis told him, and before he could even say anything, she grabbed his shoulder and put it back into place before doing the same for his knee.

Percy screamed. Very loud. His whole body was on fire and aching. He would not be able to fight at all for a while. The two began to make their way towards the crashed chariot, Percy leaning on her for support, when a wave of dread washed over him.

And that meant only one thing. He stopped in his tracks, as did Artemis.

"No… You are not fighting them. We're getting out of here!" She barked at Percy, but he shook his head.

"No," He said sternly. "I'd cause us to get overrun, I'll buy you guys some time."

"You foolish Man." Artemis snapped, "Stop trying to be the hero! Just not, for once! Let us all escape or die trying!"

"One life that is broken is better than seven lives. Get Zoë and Mother back to Olympus and the help they need. Don't come back for me. I'll be in Hell; and break back out… hopefully." Percy turned away, and unstrapped his sword, throwing the sheath down to the grass next to him.

He would die a hero, that's for sure. But he had an idea as to what was beyond the tree line.

A lone, hooded man stepped out of the trees, the shadows around them all bending towards him.

"GO! He will kill all of us, he is one of the Devil's keepers." Percy barked, and Artemis had to bite her lip, but ran off, knowing she would not be able to change the Legacy of Poseidon's mind.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance, you little brat." The hooded man snarled, a pair of monstrous, yellow eyes staring right at Percy.

"You still pumping up on Angel Blood? You've come a long way from being the weakest of the Demons." Percy remarked, slowly limping towards his enemy.

"So have you, young boy. It saddens me to kill someone with such promise." The man grimaced, before his hands lit up on fire, and demon roars could be heard from behind the man.

He shot forwards, and picked Percy up by the neck, and threw him towards the trees, where Percy crashed into a large tree. He stood up, only to gasp in pain as a sharp burning pain erupted from his stomach.

He looked down and saw the Sword of Enoch's hilt barely outside of him, as he felt the blade go all the way through his body and into the tree, holding him in place.

Percy coughed, blood pouring out of his mouth. He looked over at Artemis, and she looked back.

"RUN!" He roared, his voice deeper and croakier due to the blood filling up his throat.

"How does it feel, to have your life leaving your body at long last? Because it sure is beautiful for me to watch." The demonic man grinned, licking his grey skinned face with a forked tongue.

"It feels… Ugh… Lovely, you bastard…" Percy grunted, leaning forward and spitting a wad of blood and phlegm into the demon's serpent-like face.

"Then this will feel even better, won't it?" He grinned, and without any other indication, Percy's eyes shot wide open as sharp talons dug into his chest, and he looked down, watching in awe and disgust as his rib cage is ripped wide open slowly, and he could see his beating heart slowly being pulled from his body.

SNAP!

The arteries and veins around the heart were ripped from Percy's body, blood now cascading away from him.

With a final gasp, Percy's entire body went limp, his eyes hollow and empty.

The demon turned towards Artemis and the group, with Percy's heart in his clawed hand, and closed his fist, the heart exploding.

"Run." He whispered as Artemis did nothing more than crack the reins of the chariot and they rode off, with only three deer this time pulling the chariot.

He looked back at the limp body of Percy, and chuckled.

"And now Olympus will fall."

He turned to the demons. "Leave him – let the body rot slowly out here in the snow."

And with that, the demons all melted into shadows.

All that remained in the field was a heartless, dead body pinned to a tree by a grotesque sword and a sea of snow stained red surrounding the body.

Perseus Jackson was dead.

The Demon Rites

~The Prince of Souls