Chapter 22:
A Dead Sun
Percy didn't really think a God could look sick. Fading or maybe weak. But whatever affected Apollo was beyond fading and weakness.
There had always been a certain divinity about the Olympians. It wasn't just in their appearance but a certain feel they had for them. If someone pointed at an Olympian and told you they were a God you would instinctively know they were right, regardless of looks. The glare of an Olympian could make you feel insignificant and small. Their eyes could burn into your very being. Showing you what true power felt like. Not all too different from how an ant was burned to a crisp when viewed through a looking glass.
There was none of that here. Percy felt Apollo's presence. But it was not like in their early encounters.
First time he saw Apollo the Sun God his name rang true. His presence was like a radiant star. Threatening to burn everything around it with the same uncaring ease the sun shed its solar flares.
But now the God's flames felt faded. Almost dead. His presence barely felt like a spark to him.
"He's weak," Kampê seized up the Olympian. The dragoness took a careful step towards the golden chariot. She kept her breathing steady. Holding both scimitars in front of her upper body like a shield. Despite her earlier statement she didn't take her eyes off the deity. "Run Percy. I'll hold him off."
Apollo's eyes lit up at the mention of Percy's name. Slowly the God rotated his head to the left. Slow and methodically, he reminded Percy of the automatons at the amusement park. Machines pretending to be alive.
Apollo gave Percy a cold stare. A sick sensation began to brew inside Percy's stomach. He swallowed what felt like acid.
Far behind them the giant let out a howl. He was barely visible anymore, hidden by nightfall. The only source of light was the chariot and the horses that pulled it. They cast a soft orange glow on the city ruins and grass between them.
Percy stared around. Darkness in all directions. Nowhere to go but forward.
The demigod braced his weapon and took a step towards the fallen sun. He tried to keep himself from showing any emotion as he approached the God. As to answer the challenge Apollo leveled his bow. His heart skipped a beat.
A large scimitar was put between Apollo and Percy. Blocking the God's view and preventing Percy from approaching.
"Run, I'll catch up later." She hissed. She straightened her back and tried to extend her wings out as she had done before. The wings that had been filled with gaping holes. The monster realized her mistake and retracted them.
"I'll stay." Percy croaked. He pushed aside the poison soaked Scimitar and pointed Riptide at Apollo. He shouted. "Don't you think you owe us at least some answers, Lester?" His voice sounded unexpectedly raw. Percy found his arm shaking. At the other end of the blade Apollo barely reacted. He impassively looked at Percy.
Kampê gave Percy a worried look but didn't say anything.
"Nothing?!" Percy asked hesitantly. He watched Apollo's face for any reaction. Any sign of humanity. Any tell he was alive. Anything really. But there was nothing. It was all flat.
"Anything you have to say?" Percy shouted after a painful silence fell.
The knuckles on his hand had gone white from how tight he clutched his weapon. "Not even a reaction? Is that it? Are we unworthy to hear Apollo's words?!"
Again, the God didn't even bother to react.
Percy willed his voice to steady. "You used to be one of us. Don't you remember? How did you knock on my mother's door?" Suddenly He found a tear falling down his chin. Despite this he continued. "I do remember how useless and helpless you were. Always depending on someone else to lead you. You were pathetic but we all did it anyway."
The sick feeling inside his stomach started to act up. Percy felt the ground underneath him rumbling. "My mother, Meg, Jason, Annabeth. All of us, your friends. DON'T YOU REMEMBER YOU MONSTER!" Percy yelled. His voice broke.
"I do remember." Apollo softly spoke all of a sudden.
Percy held his breath.
"I remember all of it." Apollo's voice was as soft as he remembered it. A disgusting nausea overcame Percy. "That is why I am doing this."
"You m-monster." Percy gasped.
Apollo continued regardless, longingly staring at the distant stars, his voice soft and peaceful. As if he was reminiscing about the loss of a good friend. "I am not like the others. I choose to remember. To feel the blood dry up on my hands." Apollo closed his eyes. For a brief moment Percy didn't see Apollo. Instead he saw Lester. Someone who was scared, confused and most of all desperately lost.
Apollo's eyes hardened. "I killed her on the first day. She didn't suffer."
"Meg?"
Apollo opened his eyes and aimed his bow at Percy. A determined look written on his face. "I'll try to do the same for you Percy."
A ray of light exploded from his bow.
Percy dove away. He felt the bolt zip right over him. He looked back. Far away, the horizon lit up as a second sun exploded in the air. Lighting up the entire sky as if a morning had come early.
Percy readied his sword and ran to Apollo.
He screamed, releasing the tension he felt building up inside himself.
Around him, underground water pipes released everything they had. The ground underneath Apollo's chariot shattered with a groan. The pavement caved in underneath the chariot. Causing it to fall down.
Kampê dove forward, both scimitars aiming to cut off Apollo's head.
Apollo disappeared from his chariot and appeared a few feet away from Kampê who had been caught by Percy's crater. The Jailer of Tartarus had more tricks up her sleeve however. Her tail whipped up and rammed into Apollo's body. He was thrown towards Percy. As if timed, the God came to a perfect standstill in front of him.
Percy roared and swung the sword down on the floored God.
The blade cleaved through his flesh and golden ichor splattered everywhere. Apollo unleashed a wail. Percy slashed his sword down again. A high pitched scream erupted as Percy's blade cut across Apollo's face.
Apollo unleashed a high pitched scream. All of a sudden Percy's brains were fried inside his own head. White dots clouded his view and his vision shook.
Percy took a step back and clutched his ears to block out the terrible sound.
Apollo got up. His appearance had been ruined by the gold bleeding from his flesh. Yet he still managed to look regal in a twisted way. He straightened his back and readied his bow. Pointing it straight at the Demigod. Light concentrated at the tip of the arrow.
Percy saw the bolt of light leave his bow. For a brief second he wondered how it would feel. To let go like that. To see nothing but an endless white void.
Before he could experience the bliss he was forcefully pushed away by Kampê's tail. The arrow flew over his head and exploded in the distance. Lighting up the entire sky in an explosion again.
Kampê jumped down on Apollo as if she was a wild beast, pinning him down with her giant scimitar. Like a butterfly pinned inside a casket Apollo was suddenly impaled by the Jailer. He screamed but was interrupted by the dragon parts of her body as they began slicing away at him. All of a sudden Apollo was caught underneath a living blender.
Gold bled together with acid. A manic laugher escaped Kampê as all the heads around her waist started to dig into the divine flesh. Howling like dogs.
Kampê began to laugh, pulling her head back. Deliriously she began to howl.
So that's why she is one of the most powerful monsters, Percy thought to himself. He looked at Apollo.
He gasped as he saw the God had disappeared from underneath Kampê. Where was he?
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Apollo stumbled back.
The Olympian looked far worse than he did at the start of the fight. Every part of his body had been torn open. Steaming poison was coating his back. His face was mauled open. Despite this, he was still standing.
Percy stabbed Riptide forward, putting it where his stomach should be.
It easily slid through his flesh. Meeting little resistance. Yet, Apollo did not falter. He raised his bow. But instead of aiming it at him he directed his weapon at Kampê who was still drunk in her chaotic slaughter.
"NO!" Percy stabbed Riptide into his body again. It slid through his body. Drowning out more Ichor. But the God remained standing. Using whatever muscles still clung to his body to pull an arrow from behind him. "Kampê!"
Another strike penetrated Apollo right through where his heart should be. Ichor splashed against Percy's face. Yet the God did not flinch.
Percy slashed and cut through the God's mutilated body but it did nothing to deter him. He gazed behind him and saw Kampê still hadn't snapped out of it.
The arrow on Apollo's bow was pulled back.
He's a God. I can not kill him. His mind razed through all the options. He could almost feel Apollo's old arrogance burning in the arrow he pulled. He knew Percy's weakness.
Percy pulled Riptide free from Apollo's leg.
I am sorry Leo. I am sorry everyone. I let you all down. With a heart piercing scream he slashed his sword and cut the bow's string.
An unholy amount of divine energy was released from Apollo's weapon. For a second Percy felt the full force of a nuclear meltdown right in front of him. Then everything turned white.
…
…
…
.̵̨̬̤̣̟̰̼̻̠͎̟̭̥̗̓̄̽͆̑̐̈́̊͊̈͑̈͌́͒ͅ.̴̛̛̝̫̳̤̱́̈́͒͋̅̌͑̃̈́͒̾͒̚.̵̨̡̧͈̰̬̄̅̑͛̂̀̽̆͆͑̚͝
…
Percy felt like he was dead. Or something like that at least. Caught in a state where the outside world was nothing but a river flowing by. Fleeting and inconsequential. His vision even swam as if he was looking up at the sky from a deep lake. Everything felt so slow and dizzying. As if he was swimming through glue.
He opened his eyes.
The sky was dark. A person was walking around. He was…wounded. Bleeding from gaps across his body. His body was gold. Or at least covered in a beautiful gold shine. A tiny sun.
Percy giggled at that thought.
The person struggled into view. He could see him more clearly now. He was stalking towards Percy. Holding something in his hands.
His back hurt. Percy tried to get up but immediately multiple nerves screamed for salvation.
He grimaced as he got up.
"How are you still alive?" A voice croaked. It wasn't his. It belonged to the other.
As the person came closer he could see what he was holding between his hands. A large curved blade. Far too big for his size.
He dragged the blade over the ground. Edging towards Percy he spoke. "Be still. I'll make it quick."
Percy tried to crawl backwards but his body wouldn't move. It wouldn't obey. Instead he fell back on the ground as his body went limp again.
An icy sensation started to flush through his body. He started to shiver. His body felt cold. Was he dying? Was this the end?
He opened his eyes. A snowflake dropped on his nose.
Then another one joined it. Slightly tickling him.
Before he realized his world was colored white again. The wind was howling around him, sending tiny ice crystals scraping against his exposed skin.
He heard the sounds of battle raging around him amidst the snow storm. But it sounded distant. Far away from him. Unimportant.
The ice in his blood disappeared. Instead it made place for a soft warm glow that soothed his veins.
"Hang on Percy," A voice whispered into his ear. Percy forced his left eye open. Breaking through the thin layer of ice that had already formed.
Dark brown eyes looked back at him. His voice, it sounded familiar, extremely familiar. The cold haze clouded his mind but the sense of familiarity stayed.
A smile split the boy's pale face into two. "Can't have you die on me just yet."
The darkness overtook Percy's mind.
A/N Really glad I got to write something about Apollo. I really liked how he was in the Trials of Apollo and seeing how he would act in a genocidal mission against humanity after being a mortal was very interesting to me.
The fluff in this chapter was cut short because I had to do some exposition dialogue but I hope it was still entertaining. Thanks to all the people who follow and favorite this story.
-CaptainMoonShine-
(Reviews)
Delta669:
Oh shoot. Oh shoot!
A: Yeah.
ThunderBasilisk: Ok either somethings going on in the background or the decision to destroy humanity has bit the gods in the ass. Also the giant abomination gives me chills
A: The giant monster was supposed to be deeply unsettling
Darth Kyuubi kurama: Another great chapter
A: Thank you!
SilverJoJo:
Very revealing chapter, it seems the Olympians messed with stuff beyond their domains (aka, stuff outside of Greek or even European mythology) and it seems to have some sort of very negative influence on them, physically, mentally and spiritually, the true question is, what were they messing with and why they went after it in the first place?
Looking forward for the Percy vs Apollo battle btw.
A: I hope the short battle was entertaining enough! Thanks for the review,
00031267:
percy just pulled an undertale and just said 'no' to dying
so appolo is trying to kill percy directly now. thats new.
"it's not greek" 0-o it's not whAT
A: Unexpected Undertale reference.