Zoe was losing her life.
Fast.
The poison of Ladon had entered her moments ago and had burnt through her like a wildfire.
Every muscle burned and her veins pulsated, yet she still slipped her bow off of her back and continued up the mountain, pushing into the cave of Atlas.
Phoebe, Thalia, and Jake carved the path for her, slicing through all of the telekhines that had been assigned to guard the entrance to the fourth pillar of the world.
Hacking and slashing their way to the mouth of the cave, illuminated by the low green light emitted by the greek fire torches, they found Artemis chained and shackled, bearing the literal brunt of the world. Next to her stood Luke, backbiter to Annabeth's neck, and Atlas, sharpening his giant spear against the rock of the mountain.
Thalia went straight for Luke, expanding her shield and poking at Luke's sword, while trying to circle Luke to get Annabeth to a safe position.
In the meanwhile, Zoe had collapsed near Artemis's feet and Phoebe was desperately fending off monsters as Jake did the stupidest thing he could have possibly done: challenged Atlas.
With a roar of laughter as Jake charged him, Atlas swatted Jake aside, nearly sending him flying off of the side of the mountain. Jake shook off the rattling in his bones and hefted his sword once again and attacked the titan, sidestepping his initial spear jab and trying to get inside the Titan's guard.
Atlas however was no novice. Serving for years as Kronos's war general and having mastered the spear, Atlas easily swung the butt of his spear around, catching Jake in the temple, instantly crumpling him. As Atlas prepped his kill, raising his spear high enough to pierce through the celestial bronze armor and leave a football width hole in Jake's chest.
Swinging downwards, with her last ounce of strength, Zoe leaped up and tackled Atlas, the spear barely missing Jake and instead digging into Zoe's side, kebabing her on Atlas's spear. With no remorse, Atlas pushed off his daughter's limp body off of his spear with his foot and put his focus back on the Son of Poseidon who had regained consciousness. Unable to do anything, Jake reached his arm out to Zoe, trying to make sure she was alive as blood gushed out from her.
As Atlas prepped his spear to swing down on the son of the sea, a blinding light filled the room, stunning Atlas and Luke, allowing Jake to roll out of the way one final time as Atlas's spear came down next to his face, shattering the rocky floor.
As the golden light dimmed, Percy stood tall, his cape flowing behind him as he hefted his sword up, ready to aid Jake in this fight.
"Who dares challenge me next?" Atlas grunted, pulling his massive spear from the ground and hoisting it tall.
"The Son of Themis. And I'll put you back in your jail if its the last thing I do" Percy roared as he charged at Atlas.
Atlas hefted his godly spear and threw it straight at Percy, a perfect shot, but Percy easily sidestepped the spear as it flew off the mountain.
Recalling his titanic spear back into his hands, Atlas started the duel, poking at Percy from a distance, keeping his sword at bay. Percy managed to close the gap between Atlas, delivering blow after blow which was met with equally skillful blocks by his spear.
Seeing as there was no point exchanging blows with the massive Titan of endurance, Percy closed the gap with Atlas, getting in a bind where both parties pushed their weapons to overpower the other.
Activating Dionysus's blessing, Percy blinked as his eyes turned a bloodshot purple and looked directly into Atlas's silver eyes. Atlas's grip on his spear loosened a bit before
WHAM
He swung the butt of his spear around knocking Percy across the room to the feet of Artemis.
"Puny demi-titan. I have dealt with the madness of Lyssa before. Dionysus barely has half her power." Atlas bellowed with a toothy grin as he approached on Percy with a toothy grin before he buckled down on one knee.
"AGHHHHHH" Atlas cried as Jake stood behind him, sword in hand and Ichor dripping off of it.
Atlas twisted his spear around his body, smacking Jake back into a wall and pulling his sword out of his thigh and tossing it off the mountain.
From under the weight of the sky Artemis was watching the fight go down. Thalia and Luke had been in a fight for far too long, with seemingly neither budging. On the other hand, Percy had stalled Atlas long enough for Jake to get in a shot on his legs but still both the warriors could not take on such a foe.
Percy seemed to realize this too as he slowly stood up, he made his way to Artemis, slashing her chains with his sword and shoving her off the weight of the world, catching it himself.
It was now Artemis and Jake against the Titan. Percy was in a haze as the fight went on around him, his muscles burning like never before. Like acid was poured on them. His eyes barely opened as he watched Artemis dance around Atlas while Jake poked at him from a distance.
As his back began to bend and his knees wobble, Percy dropped the sky from his arms to his shoulder, hoping to ease the burden until someone else could take his spot or he would die here.
Just as Percy was about to break, as the thoughts of the sky falling down over his exhausted body raced his mind, Atlas slammed into him, sending him flying off the pedestal and trapping Atlas again under the rock.
The next half hour was surreal to Percy. He was so sapped of strength he couldn't even keep his jaw shut. He curled on the floor as laid there as the butcher bill went through. Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe had died in combat. Thalia had kicked Luke off of the mountain and had saved Annabeth. Artemis and Jake were recovering fast and ready to move out of this cursed mountain.
"Before we leave, I think we have some business to attend to" Artemis claimed as she turned to Perseus who layed on his side, a drooling and blubbering mess, "The olympian council will be much excited on what to do with you.", as she grabbed Percy's leg and flashed them to the Olympian throne room.
"Kill the titan"
"He needs to eat more cereal, he would be stronger"
"No he wouldn't mom"
"Sweet sword can I see it?"
"ENOUGH" Zeus thundered, tired of the bickering. "We are here to decide the fate of Perseus err", what is your last name boy?"
Percy just shrugged in response, "I've been called Apollyon".
"Perseus Apollyon. You are the son of a Titan, no?" Zeus asked.
"Yes, my father was a mortal and my mother was Themis."
"Yet you fight for the sake of the Olympians?"
"Yes, my mother's goal was to maintain balance in the world. If the titans were to ever fully reemerge and take power, the world would be thrown into disarray. I swear it on Styx."
Thunder rolled in the background as Zeus pondered his response before turning to Athena who seemingly conducted a mental conversation with Zeus.
"Very well, It is up to a vote then. All in favor of keeping Perseus as an ally at Camp Half-Blood?" Zeus asked, and then immediately raised his hand.
Everyone but Dionysus raised their hands.
"It is settled then. Artemis, would you please take these questers back to camp. And Apollo! Get this damn demititan some ambrosia and nectar!" Zeus finished as he flashed out of the throne room followed by a number of other gods.
Athena took one long last look at Percy before disappearing but her message was clear.
We will talk. Not here but another time.
Apollo approached him as Percy stood still, still numbed from carrying the sky. As the god placed his hand on Percy's bowed head, Percy rose tall again. His weary eyes blinked open and alert and his frame which was hunched over now stood at alert.
He gasped, "Thank you, Lord Apol–"
"I believe that is enough," Artemis interjected as she walked from her throne over to Percy and Apollo.
"No need to be feisty little sis, also Percy, you should get your hair checked out" Apollo grinned as Artemis rolled her eyes and flashed herself and Percy back to mount Tam where the rest of the group had already regrouped and recuperated.
Boarding Artemis's silver chariot and riding across the night sky, Jake went over what had happened to Annabeth, the poor girl who had been captured by the Titans. They too had forced her to carry the sky for a brief period of time. Her hair had a streak of grey running through it, He wondered if his was the same.
Before long, all the demigods had passed out on the chariot leaving only Percy and Artemis awake. As the day broke and the sun rose over Camp, the chariot landed at Halfblood hill as Artemis shooed off the demigods and their equipment before riding once again into the sky.
As Percy hauled his duffel bag full of equipment up the hill he fell flat on his back seemingly hit something.
"What the Hades" he murmured to himself as he picked himself back up, disregarding the eyes on him and continued to walk up the hill only to hit something again and wall backward.
What?
Percy stood and scanned the ground below him. Everything was perfectly flat and no signs of rocks or tree branches stuck out anywhere.
Jake groaned, "Percy hold your hand out and walk forwards".
Percy tried as he was instructed but his hand hit something. Some sort of barrier and he couldn't move past it. He tried pushing through but it was like walking into a wall of rock.
Jake turned to the rest of the group, "Maybe its because he's a demititan?", he shrugged and turned towards camp over the hill and had an idea, "Just wait here, I'll grab someone who can help."
As Jake ran up the hill, Percy and the rest of the group waited outside. Bored, Percy decided to experiment. His sword could go past said border and so could the rocks he'd been throwing. His boots could also go past the border but his body couldn't. He tried ethereal travel to the other side but was seemingly blocked as well.
"I wonder why It won't let me through," Percy thought out loud.
"Perhaps because you do not belong here" A voice proclaimed over the boundary proclaimed as Jake gasped in shock.
"Chiron why would you say something like that?!" Jake cried as Chiron walked into view and met Percy's eyes.
Percy's mouth foamed and the wind began to pick up around him. He threw his sword through the barrier so hard at Chiron that it barely skimmed over the head of Chiron and impaled itself in a rock near Pelus. Using his powers, Percy reached out and grabbed Percy with his control of nature and dragged him closer and closer to the boundary until Percy caught his hoof, dragging his whole body through the boundary as he thrashed and flailed.
Thalia and Annabeth watched in shock as Jake cried from them to stop as Percy navigated around Chiron's flailing legs into a chokehold.
"Mercy please" he shouted through his strangling throat.
"Where was Mercy when you killed my father huh? You think you deserve any–"
FLASH
As soon as Percy had been ready to snap the centaur's neck he was flashed away, by an unknown presence.
Percy groaned waking up. He could last remember seeing that damned centaur and lunging at him before he was knocked out. He remembered fading in and out of consciousness before a lady had put him down at some ruins knocking him out with just a touch.
As he slowly rose to his feet he slowly felt his beard to check how long it was and, Holy Hera it was long. Percy stood to his feet and gauged his surroundings. He was in a stone house in the middle of the woods.
Before he could discover more, a distinct growl fully awoke him. He reached for his sword which wasn't there and pulled out his dagger and turned to face the threat, a large wolf.
"Put that thing away before you hurt yourself", the wolf spoke, "After all, we have much to talk about cub."