Hey guys, got another chapter for you. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Let's do it. On with chapter twelve.

12. We Compete In A Rigged Game Show

Matt

So, apparently the "games" have begun.

But before that, I guess you want me to address the huge reveal that probably made me look like an idiot just now.

Harper's alive. She has been this entire time, and I fell for yet another one of Tartarus's stupid tricks.

A good one, I guess, because I was dumb enough to grieve over a fake clone of her. But it felt so real, the expression on her face, the warmth of her blood, and…I don't know, maybe I just got caught up in the moment and I panicked or something, that could've been it. Besides, it's completely plausible that Tartarus would, and could do such a thing. He's cruel enough, and powerful enough.

I'm really glad it was fake though. The revelation was both incredibly relieving…and rage inducing.

Relief because I got to see her again, I didn't actually kill her. I knew I would have to deal with that guilt for the rest of my life if it were true, but now I didn't. After all of this was over, I wouldn't be haunted by it. Plus, it felt really good to see her again. I missed her even more than I could've imagined.

And the rage was exclusively for my Primordial buddy. I felt more powerful than I'd ever felt, the anger was more than ever before, in any situation. I wanted to plant my fists in his face and never stop, I wanted to deliver an infinite amount of punches all at once, laced with chaotic strikes so they would actually hurt him.

I looked over at Harper's waist. Her sheathes held three knives. Her two classic Celestial Bronze ones, and the Heavenly Diamond one that Levi once held. That was our true weapon here. Not even the bolt, but that. The Bolt packed a hell of a punch. In fact, it probably has the most lethal attack potency of any weapon on the planet, in terms of sheer destructive power.

But in terms of actual damage, in the long run? Heavenly Diamond in any form takes it. Atlas was able to heal from my Bolt attack, not the stab wounds he received from Harper, Levi, and Nemesis.

So at least we had that on our side. Not saying the Bolt wouldn't help at all, it most certainly would, even if only as a distraction to create an opening for an attack. But the problem is, I only have three shots left. I regret using it on Polybotes now, which I know I said I wouldn't, but looking back on how easy it would have been just to take his head clean off his body, and the situation we're in now…yeah, pretty stupid move on my part, no matter how empowering it felt.

We stood face to face with probably a top five in the Universe, no Multiverse even. Tartarus was without a doubt, the most dangerous individual we've faced so far, more so than the others combined even, times ten thousand. It's unreal how daunting the odds are.

He stood there, casually, waiting for us to come at him, while our thoughts only raced. I'm sure Harper's were too.

Speaking of, probably even more surprising than the fact that she was alive, was the fact that she had gotten so much more powerful.

She looked no different than she did those few days ago, how ever long time passed between now and our argument. Could've been weeks for all I know. Time could move at a snail's pace or the opposite down here.

I made out no difference in her hair, her clothes, or her shape. Her eyes perhaps had a bit more of a steely look to them, an eagle like sharpness that had been there for years, but refined to a new level that even I hadn't seen before. A resolve she'd gained along the way in between our time apart. Subtle, but I caught it.

Noticeably though, it seemed to come from her new item. A long, slightly curved sword with a dark carbon steel color to it. Although the material was left to my imagination, it couldn't have been made out of mere mortal steel to ooze such energy. But it didn't look like Celestial Bronze either, certainly not Heavenly Diamond. Maybe...Universal Titanium? Not sure, but the aura stored inside of it was incredibly massive. It held more power than even I did right now. I had no idea where she got it from, or what the circumstances were, but I'm glad that it's on our side.

"You ready, Harper?"

"Yeah."

All the words that passed between us, and we were off. It felt strange for both of us to be as fast as we are. Never would I have thought that I'd have to give it my all and then some just to keep up with Harper. She's practically blitzing towards Tartarus in a comet of pink energy while my red and blue glow is left in the dust.

I relished in it, honestly. I felt so proud of her, even if it was from the sword, just seeing her wield such power made me feel happy for her. And of course there was always a certain giddiness I felt when ever we fought together. It rarely happens, surprisingly.

The both of us attacked Tartarus from the front and back, Harper at his back and me at his front, Viribus in hand aimed straight for his ribs.

But as fast as I thought we were, Tartarus just laughed at it. He disappeared in a cloud of black dust and left us tripping over ourselves.

Harper's blade nearly hit my neck. She made a face that someone only makes when they're about to fall off a roof, or they see something they're about to step in. She pulled it back at the last second, and I managed to duck under it just in case.

We lost our balance and crashed into each other's sides, with Harper's arm and mine rubbing against each other for stability.

Tartarus's cold shadow came out of the sky and loomed over us. Harper and I arched our backs to look up at the now massive form of the Primordial, taking up the entirety of the artificial black sky with an even darker skin complexion.

We knew what was coming before it even happened. But as quick as our minds could process it, as fast as the neurons could fire, Tartarus was faster. His index fingers, as big as two Walmarts, stabbed us below our necks and pinned us to the ground.

Neither of us could move, not an inch. I know for a fact that I struggled, and I could hear Harper making what sounded like grunting noises to my left. I pushed up with my arms, tried to slide my heels on the ground to get just enough leverage to maybe bend my knees, but nothing worked. He had us under immeasurable pressure.

"And we're off! Both contestants charge the host without his permission!" Tartarus cocked his head and closed his eyes, like he was shooting us a sweet smile. "But the host will let it slide this time! Now, time for the questions!"

He pressed down ever so slightly with his finger, and suddenly the ground beneath my back turned into mush. I fell right through and into another space, a freefall with ten times gravity it seemed.

I had no idea what was going on. If this was a game, the rules were completely frazzled, especially in the physics department. The phrase that this place is Tartarus's "playground" is becoming more real by the minute. I fell through that once solid floor like a cloud.

"Who..." Tartarus started, his voice chirpy, "...Was the first President of the United States?"

I tilted my head up just enough to see what he was really up to. He still had Harper pinned under his other finger, while his other hand curled into a fist, coming straight at me like an asteroid.

I had enough time to swing my leg downward and spin myself forward. I knew that if he hit me in the legs, they would immediately break, so I brought my forearms up to block the massive blow, with Viribus in hand. At the moment, I'd take broken arms over broken legs, though both are...pretty important, to say the least.

"Come on, Matthias!" Tartarus cheered, and his fist planted itself onto my body. "I'm starting with the easy questions! You should know this!"

Whatever words he said next were nothing but muffled shouts, his fist hit me square on my outstretched forearms. I say his fist, but I really mean the meat of his middle finger, due to how massive he'd become.

The immeasurable force behind left me no room to even think about resisting. It hit me, I felt a stinging pain appear in my arms, a vibration that probably shook my entire bone structure.

I went shooting back, but as quickly as I started, Tartarus reached out and caught me, pulling me back towards him.

My head hit my spine at the speed he yanked me. Harper struggled under his finger still, and Tartarus just looked bored at this point.

"What about you?" He said to her, "I'll give you a hint, the guy wore a wig."

When we didn't "answer" his stupid question, he groaned.

"You two are ruining the game for me." He picked Harper up too, and set us up, parallel to each other, like little action figures that he was playing with. "You need to be punished!"

Then, he promptly slammed us into each other, too quick and abrupt for us to even resist. Harper's head and chest hit mine, our bones clanged off each other without sound, but it made my entire structure throb. He had us lined up perfectly.

Tartarus went back in for another bop, but this time we were a bit more prepared. As soon as we felt our stomachs go backward, Harper and I both sent strikes his way. Lightning danced off of Viribus in a perfect blue bolt, and a pink line of aura erupted from Harper's sword.

Neither worked, of course. Tartarus simply opened his mouth wide and literally ate them out of the air, my lightning strike and all, he gulped them down like candy. I couldn't gauge her reaction, but I know I was surprised. He just keeps pulling trick after trick, game after game. Does he ever get serious?

Probably not, at least not until you make him.

He began to shrink back down to normal size, pitching us to the ground as he got shorter.

Harper and I both fell side by side, skidding on our backs. We ended up somersaulting at the same time to get in a standing position, but it was pointless. Tartarus wasn't on the offensive. He didn't even seem to really care. He just shrunk back down to normal size and calmly addressed us.

"If you aren't going to play the game, then this is going to be even more boring than I thought." He threw his hands up, "Do you know how long it takes to create a game show?!"

"This isn't a game." I said, "Stop with the gimmick."

Tartarus craned his head back, shocked. "Did Matthias just tell me what to do? Funny, I'm the one completely in control here. I suppose it hasn't hit you yet, has it?" Suddenly, his chin lowered to his collarbone, and his shark-like eyes were piercing me. "Let's ditch the game show. No rules now, only pure, unadulterated, fun."

"If that's what you call it," Harper mumbled.

"Oh, I do." Tartarus affirmed, and switched his gaze towards Harper. What came after certainly took us by surprise, as no enemy of ours had ever done such a thing before. But when he put his palm facing up, a small sketchbook appeared in his hand, along with a pencil.

Harper and I watched on in puzzlement. What the hell was he doing? Honestly, I'm starting to think he's just insane. None of it's on purpose, like I've been thinking, he just got hit a little too hard on the head by Daddy Chaos when he was born.

But then he started to draw. It only took two seconds before he flipped it around and showed us a stick figure, with long hair and a sword, standing on flat ground.

"Looks like you, doesn't it?" He asked her, and Harper just stood there, wide eyed at the madness. Tartarus then poked the paper with his pencil, and dragged a long line across it, right through the stick figure's heart.

We heard a whistling noise come from the roof of the area, and then we knew what was going on. That drawing was mimicking voodoo magic. When you do something to the doll, it happens to the real person.

Sure enough, Harper turned around at the last second to meet a giant black arrow hurdled from the infinite sky. It was as massive as Tartarus's finger was in his giant state, with a piercing tip that could go through the Earth like a hot knife to butter, I'm sure.

Harper brought up her sword just in time to hit it right on the side of the tip and struggle with it. A moment's delay, and she managed to knock it to the side and dissipate it into dust.

I wasn't sure why Tartarus even bothered. He could just snap his fingers and have it happen, but he wasted his time with all these stupid gimmicks. But of course he did, it was all part of the mind games, the tricks he pulled to distract you, trip you up. It was smart, but after so much of the same thing, you kind of become immune to it.

He didn't take his pencil off the paper for one second, and instead of just drawing a straight line, this time he scribbled like crazy to create a giant black dot over the stick figure that was Harper, then continue the mesh upward, like it was jumping.

Instantly, Harper was ready for it, whatever came next. I planned to help her out too if I could, but I wasn't even sure what that was supposed to be. Pure darkness?

But the unexpected happened. From below us, the ever-changing ground went from a solid to a liquid once again, only under Harper though. A giant, black whale burst out of it, it's mouth wide open, and swallowed Harper up whole, taking her away from me with giant splashes of water waving out of the little hole Tartarus made.

And he just laughed, "Ever heard of the story of Jonah? Wonder how long your little friend can survive in the belly of a sea beast."

I wanted to reach out, jump out, do something. But the whale was too quick. Everything was moving to quick in such a bizarre fashion. I wasn't used to all of this, all of this beating around the bush stuff, all of the trickery. I wanted a straight up fight.

But then again, maybe this was a good thing. Technically, he's giving me plenty of time to come up with some sort of plan. With all of the mind games going on, he's not actually killing me, or even trying to hurt me, really. He's just messing with us, and the entire time, I keep trying to figure out what he's up to, when really…I should've been thinking ahead.

"That you should've." Tartarus said, reading my mind. "Yes, I see your thoughts. Which is also why you shouldn't really be thinking of your next move." He shrugged, "I don't mean to, honestly. I just hear what you're thinking, and I simply can't help myself but to stop your attempts. For instance…I know you're thinking about making a run for it and cutting one of your friends down over there."

He gestured to the several egg sacks that contained my friends. They only looked to be getting worse, and if I'm not seeing things, those eggs are deteriorating in color, almost rotting.

"I wouldn't try. If you do, I'll have no choice but to step in your way and hurt you. It's better to wait for her to come back and maybe try to distract me. Well, if she comes back, that whale I made is a strong fish."

I calmed myself and ignored his words. I needed to just do, not think. If I could somehow completely give in to my instincts, where I don't even have to think about anything before doing it, then I'd be golden. I'd actually have a chance at taking him by surprise.

He did it again, "A good idea. But you'll never be able to do it. Takes even a god years to perfect such a thing. And look at you, Matthias, you can't even give in to your instincts when it comes to mere romance! You overthink everything."

He lunged forward and broke into my bubble, completely taking me off guard with the speed. I couldn't even keep track; I didn't even see a single blur. It was like teleportation in its finest form. But it wasn't. I would've known if he'd teleported, because the user's aura disappears when it happens.

He had bent down during his lunge and shoulder checked me hard, sending me tumbling on my rear, nearly dropping Viribus.

I looked up at him and he was pointing his finger down at me, long and clawed at the end.

"What do you think you can even do here? You're a rodent, like all the rest." A lightbulb flickered in his head, and he seemed to smile. "Oh, that gives me an idea."

Tartarus snapped his fingers, and everything felt wrong with my body right away. I knew something was definitely wrong, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I tried to get up and swing at him, but the world kept getting bigger it seemed. Tartarus himself got way, way bigger, just like before when he elongated himself. But this was different, he didn't pull that same trick again.

It was only until I realized that I'd lost my hold on Viribus that I began to put the dots together. I turned to my right and saw the club fall to the ground. It was enormous, much bigger than me. It looked like the size of a skyscraper to me! What the hell was going on here?!

Then the world stopped growing, and I tried to speak. But when I did, my regular voice didn't come out, oh no, a squeak is what came out.

I shut up right after the first word, aiming to cover my mouth with my hands. But no, they weren't hands. I felt…fur, over my mouth.

I took them off and looked at them. When I did, I wanted to scream.

I had small, brown, furry hands, along with a plump furry body, and…tiny whiskers.

I must've ran around in circles for ten minutes, my head darting around to see if it were true, that it wasn't just some vision. I'm a rat! Or…a hamster, or something! I had a tail, I had fur, I had a little nose, little…paws, or whatever the hell they were! He turned me into an animal!

Tartarus's booming voice shook my tiny eardrums, "I just turned you into what I see you as, Matthias. No harm done. I'm sure you'll be much happier like this."

Suddenly I was reminded of a story Percy told me, how long ago on his second quest I think, he got turned into a hamster by the goddess Circe. And it was only thanks to Annabeth, and some magical pills, that he was able to turn back.

Well…I didn't have any magical pills, and Annabeth is locked up in one of those weird eggs over there. As for help, Harper was sort of busy being digested by a whale made of ink.

These sentences I'm thinking are so…weird. How is any of this happening? It feels like a fever dream!

I squealed a storm, and tried to scurry away from Tartarus, but he just grabbed me by the tail with his index finger and thumb, stopping me in my tracks.

"Where you going, little fella? Come on, I always wanted a pet."

He held me still with his fingers and reached over to pick up Viribus with the other. My little heart started pounding in my ears. What was he going to do?

Tartarus gripped my club tight and raised it above his head, "Now, I've never played Whack a Mole, so you're going to have to tell me if I'm doing something wrong, Matthias."

My eyes widened and I writhed around as hard as I could in his grip, but of course nothing worked. I was even weaker and smaller now than before, and even before I couldn't do a thing against him. What makes me think I'm gonna keep my powers as a rat?

Tartarus laughed like a little kid as he let go of my tail and swung down Viribus with a hard THUD!

More like a booming thud, because it sounded like a nuclear explosion in my ears. I barely managed to jump out of it's way, and almost fell down paralyzed at the sound. It shook my entire little body, and made my ears ring with pain. If he kept that up…

BOOM!

He slammed it down again, and I ran out of the way just in time. Something told me he was keeping it slow so he couldn't actually kill me yet. It had to be that, because there's no way in Hades that I as a rat am outrunning Tartarus's mean swing.

"Is this against the rules, Matthias?" He asked.

Fuck you, psycho! I squealed, but it obviously didn't come out that way.

Tartarus shook his head, "Can't understand you with all of that squealing. Speak louder, little rat!"

He lifted Viribus again and aimed right for my head a third time. I expected this time he'd turn me into a rat pancake, because his aim was right on the money, and he didn't exactly turn me into a rat that's in shape. I was starting to feel the burn, if you know what I'm saying.

But from his left, behind him, I saw the best thing in the world. A glint of pink light.

Harper came up swiftly and slammed the side of her sword into Tartarus's neck, waves of pink energy going into the attack like a conduit of electricity. Tartarus grunted at the surprise and was forced to let Viribus go. As it fell, and as he was sent to the side, I felt the spell break.

The world around me got a fraction smaller, Harper in front of me, got smaller as well. I looked down, and I seemed to be back to normal, fitting in with my human body. I had regular hands, my skin was normal, no fur, so that's a good thing, and I didn't smell like a sewer.

But the thing I checked for immediately was that I still had my boxers on. I hadn't seen them as a giant pair of underwear on the ground when I was a rat, so I assumed they disappeared into whatever pocket dimension Tartarus sent them to.

I was very, very glad to see that I had them on after turning back. That would've made the clothes situation even more awkward, especially with Harper being here.

Speaking of, Harper didn't look too happy. For one, she was completely soaked, head to toe, with damp hair, and her clothes clinging to her. Leather too…yikes.

But still, she's a sight for sore eyes no matter what. I sighed with relief and picked up Viribus, "Thanks, I seriously owe you one."

She spit out a clump of sea water she'd been holding in her mouth, "Don't mention it." Then she raised an eyebrow, "Were you a…rat?"

My face flushed. She saw that? I could only think of turning the situation back around on her. "How was the whale's stomach?"

She frowned, "Shut up."

Tartarus had stumbled away a good thirty feet from us, and he was now holding his neck.

"Didn't see that one coming." He said, almost impressed. "Oh, you're pretty good. Perhaps I should stop the nonsense and let you two loose, see what you've really got."

"Finally." I mumbled, and turned to Harper, who had her eyes ahead like an eagle.

"Harper, don't think, okay? Just do. Tartarus can hear our thoughts, so try to act on instinct."

She snorted, "My whole life is based on instinct, shouldn't be too hard."

I smirked, and put my hand over the watch that had yes, came back with my return to human form. Again, thank Olympus. I ignited both the Red Aura and the power of the Master Bolt, combined to release my full power.

Harper's own sword became a vessel of pink light and pure energy. She was surrounded by beautiful colors, and her eyes were even glowing. It almost made me do a double take and get distracted. I'd never seen her look so…goddess-like. It only makes her even more stunning, to be honest, despite just coming out of a whale's gut.

I wanted to feel good about ourselves, just by the way we looked. We looked awesome, both of us, and the power that both of us held stacked on top of each other was like Everest, just an overwhelming peak of energy.

But Tartarus was even beyond that, and I knew it. Even at our little display, he just stood there, watching.

Then he had the audacity to lift his left hand and wiggle his fingers. "Impressive, but I still think I should give you a handicap, just to keep things interesting. What do you say I only use one of my hands?"

Harper and I looked at each other, making a scrunched face of annoyance.

"Don't patronize us." She growled.

"What, you want to die fast?" He chuckled, but I could tell he was getting angry, as if we were shoving away a selfless offer. "You want to go out with a bang? I'm giving you a chance here to do something out of the sheer pleasure that I get from watching you try. I'd take that and fucking run with it if I were you morons. In fact, if I were such a lowly creature, I would cling to every little drop of mercy the gracious lord Tartarus gives you."

"Gracious lord? Don't make me laugh."

He waved his hand again, lifted the other, and straightened his fingers. I thought I heard him grunt, and sliced his hand down on his shoulder.

His hand cut right through easily, and the right arm plopped onto the ground, fading to dust shortly after. Tartarus was now without an arm, nothing but a stump left behind. No blood, it was perfectly clean, like chopping off the arm of a mannequin.

Harper and I were a bit taken back by it, but we didn't let it deter us too much. We charged at the Primordial, what should've been nonillions times light speed seemed like nothing suddenly, because Tartarus kept up with us the entire way. As the landscape slowed around me, I made eye contact with him, and he smiled.

Still, I drew Viribus from it's necklace form, just as fast, and slammed it down at him. He caught it with his good palm. Simultaneously, Harper came up beside him and swiped at his head, but he casually moved his head out of the way, the tip of the blade barely missed him, but at the same time, the distance seemed a mile wide.

Then the shockwaves came. The wind from Harper's swipe shot out beside Tartarus's head, a long, powerful gust of wind that couldn't be seen, but I felt it in my hair and face.

Viribus's impact vibrated the ground, hypersonic booms spread out all around us, and Tartarus never wavered. He stomped the ground towards Harper and slammed the side of his head into her shoulder, knocking her far to the side.

Then his attention was aimed right at me. He tightened his grip on Viribus and yanked me out of the air. I fell flat on my feet and slid back, with Tartarus letting go of the club.

He laughed. How can someone without a mouth smile more than someone that has one? It makes no sense.

"Can you keep up?" He asked, and with one single step, he cleared the ten-foot distance between us, swinging his arm over the battlefield, stretching it to what seemed like impossible lengths. I managed to duck under it and jab up at his chin with the tip of Viribus. I wanted to check him and then hit him in the gut, then maybe go for a sweep.

Tartarus chuckled, "Thanks for the playbook."

What happened next made me want to hit own self in the face with Viribus. I thought about my attacks before I attempted them, a no no, that I literally just figured out. And of course played right along with it.

He proceeded to do exactly what I planned out in my head. He ducked his body under my potential strike zone and palmed my chin, sending a quick throb up my head and knocking it up in the air. Next step, a hard, straight punch to the gut, that sent my body in the opposite direction. I lurched forward and spat out a clump of saliva I had no idea I'd been holding up.

Then the sweep. By this time, I'd caught on and managed to pull my body back up to lift my leg and avoid it. Tartarus made a surprised humming noise and picked up the pace.

I probably should've just let him sweep me, because "picking up the pace" to him, was nigh-unstoppable speed, that I couldn't dream of keeping up with for five minutes. He began to jab and kick at me with one hand and one leg, yet somehow, it kept me completely on guard. I couldn't relax a single muscle, think about anything, or even breathe. Tartarus's upper body strikes were precise and quick. I found myself blindly blocking more than dodging. Bringing up Viribus where I thought his punch might go was easier than moving out of the way somehow.

Finally, I caught a tiny break, maybe an opening that he allowed me to have, but I pushed back against one of his jabs and charged at him with a punch of my own. The first strike thrown in this little dance.

But of course, I could've thrown a thousand strikes and he would've dodged all of them, just like he did this one.

"Not bad, try again." He ordered.

Free shot? Fine.

I tried to hit him again, as still as a punching bag at first, but as soon as my fist came to his cheek, he expertly pulled back and flicked my hand out of the way with his own, throwing me off balance and spinning me around.

From the side, Harper had recovered from her headbutt, and came at Tartarus from behind him, jumping up over him, preparing to cleave him two vertically. But the Primordial apparently mastered ever form of Taekwondo, because his kicks were perfectly executed. He speared his foot into my back and I went flying face first. He quickly followed up with a swift roundhouse to Harper's ribs, knocking her out of the air.

Both of us turned around and ignored the pain, going right back to it. We zigzagged around each other in a ploy to confuse him, if only for a little.

Tartarus's eyes didn't even dart or look, he just stared ahead, simply going by our auras I imagine. Smart, that's what I would've done.

"Harper, block his path!" I shouted, not even thinking about the repercussions. I didn't care, she needed to know what we were trying to do. We had a better chance that way than with no communication at all.

There was no time for a verbal response, but she stuck her sword straight out beside her, and I did the same with Viribus. We blocked any chance of Tartarus going through. He may block it, sure, but at least it would be a dead hit.

But Tartarus surprised us with his creativity. He could think quickly in a situation, I'd definitely give him that. Instead of blocking our combined strike, or simply disappearing in thin air, he bent down and jumped up in the air, flipping forwards as he did so like a gymnast.

When he landed, he did behind us, and reached back to grab us. Harper by her long hair, and me by the hem of my underwear.

He stopped us right there, and we moved no further.

I made no noise, but I heard Harper scream at the sudden hair pull. In that moment, I should've been thinking of my next move, or well, worrying about not thinking of it, but I could only be baffled, and frankly very grateful…for the underwear I was wearing. It didn't even tear or rip. Thank Olympus so much for that. I'll make an offering once I get back to Camp. A Prime Rib if I can get my hands on one. I know, I know, and yes, I'm that thankful. I've never fought an enemy naked, and I won't start here.

Tartarus yanked us both forward, her by the hair and me by the boxers. We both fell on the ground, completely unbalanced. Both of us acted in unison, and shot up to our feet, blasts of energy ready to fire. I swung Viribus at the air, lightning came out of the tip and hit Tartarus right in the shoulder. He budged a bit, but didn't stumble. I swung again, the opposite way this time, like a sprinkler. Another white lighting bolt shot out and hit him square in the chest, smoke popping off in a big circle, small cracks of thunder exploding in delay. Both did nothing. Tartarus just stood there and tanked it.

Harper's turn came next. She sliced a pink line of energy at him, and I took my third shot. From a distance, I imagined it looked goofy. Instead of physical attacks, we stood in front of him like a shooting squad, firing away with our colorful blasts. But it's all we had at the moment. We're trying to weigh our options, and…none of them seem to be working.

Tartarus reached out and caught our blasts in his single palm. Not dissipation, but he actually caught them, and kept them alive and warm. What was a lighting strike became a small ball of lighting in his hand, and the same went for Harper's strike. He squeezed at it and turned it into a straight spear of pink, completely bending to his will.

He held them up, small prizes for his keeping, and wiggled them like fucking toys.

"Pretty." Was all he said, admiring the bright colors they emitted. Casually, he thrust them back towards us, and they came at us out of his hand much faster than they came out of ours. I barely had enough brainpower to react to the 'return to sender' strike. Both Harper and I batted away our own attacks and they went soaring off into the skies in opposite directions.

The infinite darkness shook and cracked with the flares that they caused. Fireworks of our own colors, blue and pink, spreading out all around us. The power within them, world breaking, ten billion, trillion times over. But they were like crackers to our Primordial foe.

For a moment after the explosions, Harper and I stood there in disbelief. It may have been milliseconds, or even less, but our minds raced, and thought the same thing.

What can we do next?

As soon as it happened, I instantly regretted it. I knew Tartarus heard that, because he reacted, and cocked his head smugly.

"Already out of tricks? Come on, you were doing good, really! Don't get discouraged!"

Our faces twitched, and we wanted to look at each other, maybe find a way to somehow get our thoughts across through eye contact, but we both thought better of it. He hears it all. He knows our thoughts.

But I couldn't help but think…I've only got a few moves left in the tank, I've only got-

Wait, no. Don't think about it. Just do.

"Just do, Matt."

"I…I can't. I can't not think, father. How can anybody? It's a fight, you have to think about what you're gonna do next."

"Takes years, but it can be done. When your body and mind become equal…everything flows perfectly. You have to let instinct take over completely, the part of yourself that thinks for you, the part that's been there since birth, the part that you inherited directly from me."

"From you? What?"

"The divine instinct."

Suddenly, a switch that I never knew had been there, was flicked. That memory played in my head for a single second, and I saw his face. Not clearly, but a small, warm blur that I knew all too well, surrounded by palm trees and sand. A conversation I hadn't thought about in over a year.

But it all felt right. I felt a connection to Harper, like we were weapons of each other, extensions of each other. I knew that if I made a movement, she would follow, and vice versa. We'd been together too long to be out of place. Not just her and I, but all of us.

Instinct.

"Harper."

Only one word, and she looked over at me, at first confused. But with one nod of my head, she immediately understood. And the electricity that sparked between us made Viribus's strikes look like child's play.

Tartarus noticed the sudden shift too, and somehow, he still managed to smile. Although this time, it was a different smile.

He nodded, "Now we're talking."

Both of us, instead of rushing into a zigzagged strike, or crowding him from front and back, we simply walked forward, mimicking his casualness. Without thought.

When it felt right, about six feet away, I lunged at him, but I didn't bring my fists up to block, to punch, anything. I just dove at him, and he leaned down to slam his fist in my face. It did, I felt pain at the contact, and the force behind it, but I didn't care, because what's coming next is what I'm counting on.

And it did. When my body got pushed back by the punch, Harper came in and delivered her own blow to Tartarus's temple. She hit the side of his head with her own fist, and he was caught off guard.

He wasn't affected, but he was surprised. He spun and elbow to Harper's chest and knocked her out of the air, the return attack I expected.

My mind was blank, so the next move came purely based on what my body did. It acted on it's own, and my head found itself beside Tartarus's waist, my shoulder hitting him in the gut.

He skidded back a few meters, and by that time Harper came back. She stabbed Tartarus in his arm stump, the arm that he cut off himself. The blade sunk deep, almost to the handle. No ichor poured or leaked out, but he grunted, as if in pain.

And I sped up to join the assault, bashing his face with Viribus a single time across the cheek, landing, and then attempting to stab his other side with the bottom of Viribus.

But he caught that one. It hit his fingers and didn't budge further. He was catching on quick, and I began to worry that our little instinct game might not work for long.

We all stood there, stiff and poised, Tartarus growled again as Harper dug her blade deeper, it was now all the way down to the handle.

I figured he'd make a quip or a comment, but he actually seemed to become focused and serious for a moment. He acted quick, and moved his head forward at me, like a feint headbutt, but he never contacted me. However, an invisible force, like a wall, came over me and pushed me back, away from him.

I thought it might have been another tendril, or his good arm, but it was telekinesis. He had moved me with his mind. He wasted no time in snapping his fingers, and when he did, Viribus disappeared right out of my hand, vanishing in thin air. I figured he put it in some kind of pocket dimension, and I panicked that I'd have to somehow get it back, or hell, never get it back. But I'm guessing Tartarus didn't have time, because he just used it as an arrow to get Harper's sword out of his chest.

He snapped his fingers again, and Viribus came from right field, literally. Far from the distance to my right, it flew straight at the exposed metal of Harper's sword and knocked it out of her grip, a loud BONG following behind.

He made a gesture with his chin, and both weapons stopped flailing in the air. He'd locked on to them, and now they answered to his commands.

I wasn't fast enough to see the club coming at me. My club, my Viribus, had already hit me in the sternum before I could see it.

"AGH!" I yelped, the wind completely taken away, stinging sensations mixed in. Harper was faster than me, she had managed to catch her sword on both sides, clapping her hands together and stopping it. But the edge was dangerously close to her chest, it may have even gotten an inch out of her. I didn't see blood, but I wouldn't put it past that incredible speed.

I had somehow ended up on my back without even freaking knowing it. What turned into a simple wind knocking turned into me getting sent on my ass and staring up at the void.

Then at Tartarus.

His body appeared ten feet above me, his good fist outstretched and ready to flatten my skull in the ground.

I rolled out of the way and picked up Viribus just in time to keep him away from it. Although, if he can simply snap his fingers and take it, then anything I can do is pretty useless. Unless I snap my fingers and counter it, but then it just turns into a finger snapping contest.

Tartarus's fist made no noise, no crater. He pulled it up and stood straight, towering over me. I backed up warily, thoughts threatening to seep through, all for him to read.

As soon as his seriousness came, it faded away. I wanted to snarl in frustration. Damn, we had him on the ropes, if only for a second, we had him getting serious. But now the storm has settled, and we're separated again.

He pretended to dust his hands off, "That's right, be careful with those thoughts, Matthias. Both of you have been doing very good so far. But if even one thing comes to your mind, it's all mine."

Listen to instinct, listen to instinct.

I wanted Harper to stay put for now, and thankfully she did. She was careful, and watched on with curiosity, waiting for the next move.

Subtly, at least as subtly as I could manage, I tapped my thumb on Viribus's shaft, a signal only for Harper.

I hoped to everything that she understood, because I'm not waiting for a nod or another signal back. I'm going in. All in.

I sheathed Viribus. THAT was the signal, and yes, she understood. Now, I didn't have a plan set out, or an expectation of what she'd do, but I wanted her to do something.

So she jumped up on Tartarus's back and draped her sword over his head, trapping his neck with it, like she was about to choke him.

Her enhanced strength was enough to pull his back into a near C-shape, and I knew this was a few second window thing. Not a lot of time here.

With Viribus back around my neck, I placed my hand over the Master Bolt watch. I'm already using it's power, and this wasn't for that, it was for the real thing.

Three shots left. I needed to make them count. Even if I used them all here, I'd figure out another way to win against Ouranos. There's always another way, and right now, I need to worry about staying alive here. Not in the future.

If reality could fizzle, this one sure did. When the Master Bolt revealed itself in it's bright form, the air around us got a hundred degrees hotter, the entire image of the void shook and writhed, like it was scared of it's power.

I actually sighed. Out of relief? Out of smugness? Hell, I don't know, but I know it felt incredible in my hand, and I loved the noise that it made, a calm humming sound that would do well at putting me to sleep. But now, it only invigorated me.

I aim better with the other hand, so I switched grips to my right, and it felt far more comfortable. I can fight with the other hand, but comparing the bolt with Viribus is like comparing family to your celebrity crush.

Okay, I know that sounds insane and probably creepy, but hear me out for a second. See where I'm going with this.

If Viribus and the Bolt were people (I know, I know, keep listening) the Bolt would be like this untouchable action hero that nobody can even approach because they're so intimidating. But Viribus is like a sibling. The feeling is more familiar, more comfortable. I could fight with Viribus with my eyes closed, with any hand.

But the Bolt is scarce, and so much more powerful. I only have three chances here, so if I need to use my right hand, I'll use it.

Tartarus elbowed Harper off of him, and she doubled over, the force pushing her back a good football field away.

I placed my hand out to aim, and found it's way to his chest. As soon as I locked my sights, I gripped the Bolt tight and reared it back to fire.

Tartarus locked eyes with the tip of the ultimate lightning coil, and they widened. He knew I had it, but he probably wasn't expecting it this early. Either way, the fact that I'd taken him by surprise gave me that extra boost that I needed to throw the attack.

I poured strength into the near three odd feet that was my arm, and threw it to the ground, letting go of the bolt at the perfect moment, mid-swing. It left my hand and the thunder boomed early; several hypersonic waves burst out in its trail.

Then, the bolt hit him square in the chest. Not an inch to the right, to the left, up or down, but a dead to rights bullseye.

Tartarus made a noise in between a shout and a roar, and very quickly, he regenerated the arm that he cut off before hand, and grabbed onto the bolt with both of his hands, trying to yank it out before it could dig deeper.

But it was no use. The bolt stabbed halfway through his body and lit up his voided body with small branches of blue lightning, illuminating his empty form. The force of the blast triumphed anything he could muster at the moment, and he was lifted off the ground, yanked back straight to Harper's grasp.

He forgot she was right behind him, and he was heading straight for her. I knew the bolt wouldn't really leave any long-lasting damage…but I knew something that would.

Tartarus blitzed right into Harper's Heavenly Diamond Knife.


Harper

This fight's been so fast paced. I can hardly keep up.

Now I'm used to speed based training, and I'm used to being fast. But not that fast. I'm still getting used to this crazy power the sword gave me, and now it feels like it's all going millions of miles an hour. Getting thrown into the arena right away when I just became a gladiator.

But for the most part, I've been able to keep up. Matt and I have been more connected in this fight than ever before. It's weird, I can't really describe it, but it's like I can hear his thoughts, or at least his intentions. We're moving in sync.

And the last few minutes have been pretty cathartic. Whatever you call it.

Matt's movements had been so fluid and free. Whatever fear or timidity that he had, and it was there, from Tartarus, was gone. Maybe it was the bolt, maybe it was me, I don't know. But when he fired that thing, he had more confidence in that moment than ever before.

Tartarus became blue for a moment from the lightning, and I didn't really know what the hell was going on. If he had been electrocuted to death or if he had changed colors. But he'd been sent flying towards me.

And I had to do something. Fast.

He flew at me faster than light, and I did the first thing I could think of. Somehow, I knew that it was what Matt wanted. I pulled out the Heavenly Diamond knife from its sheath and stuck it out, just as Tartarus came crashing into it.

I had to plant myself hard into the "ground" or whatever the hell you could call it to keep myself from tumbling under the impact. The knife landed right on the middle of his spine, or wherever his spine would be. His back arched against his will, and I heard him shout at the sensation of actual pain. Not the numbness that he's been feeling from our feeble blows, but an actual strike, full of chaotic poison.

With the bolt in his front, and now this in his back, I knew we had done something. More than what we've been doing. It's a bit of a gamble to bring out the big guns this early, but what even is early down here? This isn't a fight for sport, this is survival. If you ask me, we should've busted out the cannons and the bolts at the very start.

Tartarus almost fell limp at the new sensations, and I took the chance to dig the knife even deeper in his back. I pushed up and twisted it, causing him to let out a noise of pain. I yanked it out and stuck him several times for good measure, all over the broadness in front of me, and then finally, the crook of his neck.

I kept it in there for a second or two, and then pulled it out cleanly, backed away, and kicked him in the back of his knee. He fell to it, finally, Tartarus fell to one knee.

The bolt shook for a moment, and pulled itself out of Tartarus's chest, going back to Matt. Once it did, the light disappeared immediately in his hand. The thunder boomed all around us, shook the infinite void, and would've burst my eardrums completely out of my head, had it not been for my newfound resistance.

As soon as the blue disappeared, a red was in its place. I knew what it was the second I saw it. The Cannon.

I felt some of my own energy being taken, and I didn't resist at all. I knew how it worked, he needed to draw energy from other places to power it up, and I was happy to help.

The bright red ball got bigger and bigger, and the energy only spiked. I couldn't even believe it; how could such a technique exist? I mean, it's our technique, but damn, that shit's kind of like cheating, right? I mean, that's a powerful ability Matt learned, and you'll never fully know it until you can sense auras. The way it rises is daunting, terrifying even. It could go on for eternity if Matt was a god. I mean...thinking about that is insane of itself, it's like a fantasy.

But I'm not about to complain. I wanted to scream at him to launch it! Give it to him!

But across the distance, I saw him smirk. What was he up to?

Then Matt surprised me. I thought, no, wanted him to fire it away at Tartarus, pile it on top of the bolt and the stab wounds. But instead of that, he turned it towards the eggs holding our friends.

Matt thrust his hands out and fired it. The red orb became a giant pillar and shot itself towards our friends at speeds beyond light. It enveloped them with its warmth, as both Tartarus and I watched on with wide eyes.

"NO!" Tartarus shouted, and out of nowhere, shot his ass up, stab wounds and all, and threw his hand at the direction of the cannon. Black energy started to make its way to the cannon, and I knew he was aiming to stop it.

I reached forward and grabbed him by the neck, putting him a one-handed sleeper position.

"Not on my watch, freak."

I stabbed him again in his neck, and then in his ribs. I must've shanked him four or five times before he threw me off, enraged.

He caught me by the throat and threw me on my back. I tried to immediately get back up and respond, but snake like forces wrapped themselves around my body and forced me back down.

I craned my neck to see familiar vines around my arms and legs, around my neck and waist. Tartarus didn't even waste time to speak, he just glared at me and started towards Matt.

I couldn't let him even get close. This all happened in the span of moments, so whether the Cannon had freed everyone was lost on me, and I couldn't allow any room for risk.

So I put all of my strength into my right arm, just enough to break out of one vine and bend my forearm.

It was enough leeway to pitch the knife at Tartarus's leg. I prayed on Artemis, Apollo, whoever it took for that to stick. If nothing else ever did, please let this one.

When I saw it hit his thigh, I felt a shout of victory build up in my throat. I knew it was what we needed. It was enough.

Tartarus roared in frustration and reacted to the hit. He wasn't going anywhere, and I didn't even worry about what he was going to do to me next. I wanted to watch the calvary arrive.

As the cannon faded, it left a large plume of smoke, clouding everything that stood in the distance, the cages of our friends. It was all hidden to us.

Matt stumbled, and never took his eyes off of his target. He was clinging onto what would pop out of that cloud, and I was too. It would make or break the battle. It was game changer, win or lose.

Time slowed down, and everything moved in slow motion. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, it thumped against my chest rapidly.

But it slowed all the way down shortly afterward. Out of the smoke, came six figures, all shrouded in darkness. But I knew who they were.

We had backup.


(000)

Now it's all vs one. Backup's arrived, and the battle is far from being over. It's only just begun.

Hope you guys enjoyed it, stay tuned for what's coming next. This was just the start! In the next chapter, things really get crazy!

Until Next Time.