Chapter 8: Friendly Chat

Luke

Luke was captivated by a beautiful sight laid out before his eyes.

Subsequent of his imbuement with Kronos' ancient power, Luke's personality had twisted to the point where one wouldn't even consider him a Half-Blood anymore, much less a human being. Years led on by the 'unjust' world he lived in, it had bestowed him a funny truth about how things work, how people inferior to him should be treated, and most importantly, what he wouldn't do to get his ways.

There were times when people in 'authority' had called his beliefs corrupt and warped from reality, but just as they once condemned his immoral behaviors and threaten to reveal him to the public, most fell prey to their own hubris. The world just couldn't seem to change, as such, money would always be on the table. Of course, there were times when he had the pleasure of showing just how wrong they are with them helplessly against the table and their legs wrapped around him. Luke grinned at those treasured memories he cherished more than his insatiable need to control everything around him.

Soon, even the most idealistic ones began to disappear one by one, and Luke hadn't even lifted a finger to get them back in their proper place. Everything was perfect, as it should be.

And that's why…

Hidden away, Luke watched in awe. Somewhere deep in his unconscious mind, there was a sick and subverted beauty behind the destruction laying across the battlefield, the horrifying sight of topped trees smoking and charred, ruins of what once was scattered across the area, buildings and roads crumpled like clay and destroyed. Yet, for all the captivating sights surrounding him, they weren't capturing his attention because something much more breathtaking was happening; the utter brutality before his eyes.

"Annabeth! Stop!"

Luke grinned to himself. In a safe distance away, only strong winds reached him unlike the son of Poseidon who was getting cut sideways by flying branches and dead leaves.

Soon, the greyish vortex storm stopped swirling and returned to the ground as puddles. As for the Nemean Lion, he was sent flying a hundred feet in the air and landed in the river. Over the distance, Luke saw it paddling away in the water, desperate to get out of its unwanted bath. He sighed, reminding himself to retrieve his plaything later.

"What a bother…"

Looking back, Luke decided to watch on the sideline a little more, then he thought back to the merciless way Annabeth pummeled the Nemean Lion and had utterly lost control. The beautiful image was burned in his mind, and it tasted as sweet as honey on his lips.

Oh! I can't wait anymore!

Stepping out from the shadows of the night, Luke finally revealed himself to the couple laying on the ground. The sight of Percy cradling her touchingly made his nose twist in disgust, but Luke overpowered his desire to do something about it and decided to follow his original plan, which was to taunt Percy and Annabeth. Sadly, it seemed the princess was out cold, but settling for Percy wasn't all that bad either.

In any case, it would certainly get her to come out….

"Luke?"

His big green eyes were sharp and vigilant. With such a heavy emphasis of his disbelief, Luke realized something then. He grinned to himself, not expecting those in charge of Alter Olympus to withhold something so important to the two destined 'heroes' who'd save the world.

Interesting…. So these brats don't know about you?

"Awww… and I would have thought her mother told them all about us."

Luke threw out his hands sideways. He responded nonchalantly and looked right into Percy's eyes.

"For fuck sake! After all the trouble I put to get Ethan powered up, they didn't even bother to tell them about me… What a waste of time."

Indeed… Why didn't she tell them?

When the all-powerful Titan King was just as perplexed by that unforeseen twist, you'd know something fishy was going on. Luke couldn't even imagine why. Is the fallen Goddess up to something?

Meanwhile, the prince held his passed-out princess instinctively and watched him with wariness.

Hmm… Be careful, Luke. I could be wrong, but something about this isn't adding up. It might even prove fatal if you let your guard down.

"Psshh… They can't even fight anymore. Plus, it's not like I want to kill them yet."

Luke really didn't want to kill them, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to have his fun. His lips twirled into a sick smile, a hint that finally brought the son of Poseidon to his conclusion.

"W-What is this— Wait! Don't tell me…" Eyes popped, it seemed like learning the truth about his changing nature and what he was doing here left the prince entirely speechless. Percy was stunned to silence.

Luke's grin morphed into a wicked sneer. His reaction was priceless, and how he wished he could frame that look on his face, the horrible twisted-up expression brought him tremendous joy in ways that he couldn't begin to process.

"I am surprised, Percy."

Percy instinctively summoned for his sword, tiny white squares flicker into existence in his right hand while he put his other hand around Annabeth protectively, "Don't think you can win so easily, Luke. I won't be so easily beaten."

What an idiot…

Luke clapped his hands with thunderous applause and laughed, "Finally figure it out, huh? Seriously, I am just as surprised as you. Who could have thought your savior Goddess wouldn't tell you two everything she found out, especially after Ethan went rogue on me and try to kill you all on his lonesome… Oh, what a stupid idiot!"

"Luke… It was you?"

Luke gleamed for a second at Percy's gaze. He was staring at his clothes in tatters and smoking in someplace. Another realization dawned on the son of Poseidon just then. He looked shocked and worried, that face made Luke grin excitedly at his next question.

"What did you do to Thalia? Where are Jason and Piper?!"
Percy readied his sword, yet he never let go of Annabeth from his arms. Seriously, what a bone-headed kind of guy he was. No one could actually fight like this, yet it never seemed to cross his numbed skull. It was beyond anyone at this point why Annabeth fell in love with someone like this.

Luke clicked his tongue. The thought had utterly irked him, yet he resisted his temptation and threw his hands out beside him. Acting like he had no reason to care, Luke began his speech.

"Don't worry. I send them far enough away so that we can have some proper time to talk, but since Annabeth is out cold, setting for you would have to do."

"Well, what do you want?" For the first time, pure hostility could be heard in his voice.

"Whoa… Don't be such a hot head already, son of Poseidon."

Giving his proper title huge emphasis as one should for a royalty, Luke continued with his mockery, "I am not here looking for a fight. Just wanna have a friendly chat."

"Not interested, and I don't have anything to say to you."

Such a quick refusal, Luke feinted to back off and sighed, "I swear, you all are types that like to draw your sword before talking things out."

Percy tried to get up on his feet and lifted Annabeth in his arms too. With a sword in one hand and a girl in the other, his balance was wobbling all over the place, yet his desire to get as far away from him as possible was apparent enough that Luke faked a sigh.

"You are starting to get on my nerves, Percy… If I wanted to kill you and the princess, I would have done it already."

For one reason or another, Percy finally decided to listen but took a hesitant step back from him all the same. After a rough battle, it's no surprise his defense hadn't let down yet.

"Make it quick… If I think you are lying, I won't hold back."

Luke grew even more annoyed, "You really don't seem to understand something as simple as a friendly chat, do you?"

"What can I say? I've been called dumb many times before."

"Have it your way…" Luke shrugged, "I don't particularly care either way, but just as long as you are willing to listen, then I won't have to resort to another method of… persuasion."

The air tensed between them as Luke took a moment to let the sharp daggers in his eyes sink in for a bit. He shivered with joy at the threatening look on Percy.

"Have you ever wondered why your Goddess is so secretive all the time? Despite all the things that she has told you, all the things that she wanted you to see… You just can't help but think that there is always something else being kept from you, isn't that right?"

The bright burning flames in his emerald eyes flicker briefly, it almost made him laugh.

"Knowing as much as you know about your life and your destiny now, you have no choice but to pick up the sword and fight, but deep down, you know something is off, don't you? You can't really escape that empty feeling, the fact nagging at you that you have no real clue what's going on, isn't that right?"

Of course, the son of Poseidon didn't respond right away.

Nevertheless, his lips twirled upward when he sensed his emotions, "Aren't you worry? Don't you want to know who she truly is underneath all that composed arrogance?"

Finally, he tilted his head in response, "Why? Should I be? If anything, I am more worried about what you've got planned, and are you really going to accuse someone when you are hiding your true self too?"

"I am standing here, aren't I? Meanwhile, your fallen Goddess hides in the background, pulling strings after strings and using people like puppets."

"You are wrong."

"Oh really? If that's the case, why didn't she tell you about me? I know she captured Ethan and learned about my true identity, yet she never bother to tell you. Why do you think that is?"

He didn't have a reply.

"Think about it, Percy. She's hiding something, and not just from you either."

Percy realized what he was saying finally. He looked down at the girl in his arms.

"It doesn't matter. She has her reasons, and I also have my own reason for taking up the sword besides saving the world, better yet, I get to defeat someone like you who hurt Annabeth in the past."

Logics that fell on deaf ears, Luke hung his head dejected.

"You, son of Poseidon, are one of those people I just couldn't stand. Even when the truth is right in front of your nose, you still can't see that she's using you to get what she wants."

"Same here." Percy wasn't bothered by his taunts in the slightest, "And it really doesn't sound so different from what you are doing, Luke."

Although his words might not have gotten across, a smile moved across his face regardless. Because of their brief conversation, Luke just saw a faint moment of doubt in those self-righteous green eyes. Still filled with hostility for him, Luke could only grin.

"Perhaps, but in reality, you and I are not so different. You were dragged into this strange hidden world by a divine being who needed your help to achieve her goals. I am the same, except we are on different sides."

"Congratulation. You've figured out we're enemies. Now tell me why I've to listen to you talk anymore, or else I won't hesitate to—"

Luke sighed in exasperation. Percy just lifted his sword and aimed the tip in his direction, it was a sign that this was getting nowhere, and that thought alone infuriated him more than anything else.

His anger sharpen into a smirk.

Ting!

There were no movements, yet a celestial bronze sword was sent flying through the air in a heartbeat. It fell short of five feet behind the son of Poseidon, the blade landed and stuck in an upright position.

C-Crrackk…

Despite its invisibility, a tough silver bracelet began to fissure, its structure becoming more and more unstable until it snapped in halves. From the corner of his wrist, it finally broke clean off, a deep vibration echoed between them followed by a small shockwave that sent Percy stumbling on his feet.

"Guhahh…"

The prince fell over on his knees and screamed.

Luke leaned to the side and smiled, "See what you've made me do? You should learn when people are trying to be nice and try not to be rude, Percy."

Blood slowly dripped from an open wound on his wrist. His bare skin was exposed and vulnerable to many more slices if he intended to. A now broken bracelet lay on the dirt scattered ground below.

"W-What did you do?!" He grunted.

Despite the pain, Percy tried not to show it. Luke knew he was suffering though, and it was enough to put a pleasant smile on his face.

"What you made me do…" Luke put his hands in his pocket in a cool and nonchalant manner before strolling forward, "Now, I don't think I finished what I have to say."

...

"Lady Athena!"

Owlfred found his master resting in her secret library on the very top floor. Her eyes were closed, her back halfway leaned over the desk which was scattered with nuts and bolts, dozens more gems and crystals, blueprint pages and long scrolls decorated above the fine mahogany wood and fell off her desk everywhere.

"Lady Athena! Wake up please!"

Finally, her head tilted to its side and her mesmerizing grey eyes caught his digital one, "Hmm… Owlfred? What is it?"

Lady Athena rubbed her eyes tiredly. All of a sudden, Owlfred didn't know how to react as the rare sight of the Goddess right now evoked a strange sensation in his circuitry.

But this wasn't the time to question his own sentience…

"You've to come help! Percy and Annabeth are in trouble!"

Lights flicker brightly in her grey eyes. His master was now wide awake as she stood up in alarm, her chair pushed back and made a loud screeching noise, then fell over with a crashing thud.

"Where are they?!"

Owlfred hurriedly explain the situation while Lady Athena leaped over the iron fence. She plummeted straight down from a four stories tall balcony and landed gracefully on her heels. Owlfred barely had enough time to catch up. Back on the first floor of the library, Athena dashed frantically for the entrance to her library.

"Damn it, Thalia… I told you not to do anything stupid…" Athena cursed.

In the next second, the Goddess just stood by the hidden door and waited.

"Uhh… what are we waiting for, Lady Athena?"

Just then, a ball of golden fur came rushing through and Athena opened the door for him like she already knew he was coming. It was Leo, the golden retriever puppy barked confidently almost as if in confirmation, a determined look over his long face and in his dark hue eyes.

"Let's go!"

Woof! Leo agreed with a bark.

Lady Athena closed the door and rushed to the other side of the library. Owlfred was stumped. He thought there was only one entrance which was inside her study in the mansion. Yet, they were going in the opposite direction, deeper and straight down the never-ending bookcases.

"Where are we going, Lady Athena? The exit is this way, isn't it?"

She shook her head, "When I first build this library, I didn't only make one entrance, but I'll tell you about it later."

Frustrated, she gritted her teeth and ran faster. Just then, a simple-looking carved wooden door ascended at the end of their path. Rumbles echoed throughout their surroundings as the hidden structure rose out of seemingly nowhere, a little staircase emerged one by one which lead up to the hidden doorway. Behind the frame, lights shined through its gap brilliantly.

"But right now, I need to save my daughter and our future."

They all burst through with a heavy thud.

Somehow, they ended up inside another study room, except this place belonged to their elegant and grand penthouse overlooking the city.

With this secret pathway, they were back in the blink of an eye.

Athena composed herself and turned to their golden retriever.

"You know what to do, Leo…"

Leo barked once, wagged his tail, and sat down obediently. In the next moment, Owlfred watched their lovable puppy morph as deep golden light consumed his entire body.

Huge wings sprouted from either side of his growing figure….

...

Clash! Clunk! Clunk-Clunk! C-Clacc-ckkk!

An exasperated sigh blew into the night air following a series of heavy metallic vibrations.

"Tch… You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

Leaping back from a wide swing, there wasn't enough time to avoid the tip of his sword. It left another stinging cut on his thigh. It was painful, and yet, a taunting chuckle left his lips instead.

"Right back at you, Luke."

Skidding back on his feet, Percy barely caught his balance before he leaned over in exhaustion. However, he managed not to show an ounce of pain on his face. It must have driven Luke mad because he looked so annoyed, and that reaction alone made him sneer more.

"Tch…"

A skirmish between them had already lasted for more than ten minutes. Neither of them had backed down since then, and no one winner could be determined besides the small bleeding cuts decorating their bodies. Percy was the most wounded of the two of them. He wiped the corner of his lips. A dangerous smile moved across his expression as he spat out a dense liquid pooling in his mouth. Blood smeared over the back of his hand as he stood against his enemy despite feeling weak all over.

"Besides, I have never been good at giving up before the fight ends, and either is listening to you talk…"

With his celestial bronze sword jammed into the ground, it was the only support Percy had for holding himself upright. Unfortunately, Percy couldn't fall just yet. It seemed Luke intend to draw this out as long as he could, meaning his objective wasn't on him. Rather, he wanted the girl laying helplessly on the ground behind him.

Desolated by despair, Percy bit his lips and heard another hopeless chuckle leave his throat. He thought back to what had occurred since the end of school today, how normal it all felt, and it only took one unforeseen circumstance before all that faded away like the wind.

Just how messed up would things get from now? Percy didn't have the answer. All he wished was for someone to come and save Annabeth before he didn't have the strength to hold on any longer.

That's why he had to fight. And if it ever came down to it, he wouldn't hesitate to give up his own life if it meant she would be protected and safe, especially from someone like Luke who hurt her in the past.

"Huaaah!" Percy roared and leaped headfirst.

Attack after attack, Luke deflected all of them. What's worse, he squeezed more than a few stabs in between his onslaught. His dex augma kicked in for each one, saving his life again and again.

Every narrow dodge went beyond just wearing him down physically now. His mind wouldn't be able to keep up any longer if it continued at this pace. His vision was starting to blur.

"Just how long do you think you can keep this up, Percy?" Luke was watching him with an uninterested and pathetic gaze; that lifelessness that threaten to swallow him whole, the void of darkness surrounding his very soul… It reminded him of a time when he wasn't brave enough to stand up, to fight against a certain boy in middle school, that same unremorseful look Percy refused to cower to ever again.

"You won't win… I won't let you touch Annabeth ever again."

A different set of strength built in his arms, his grip on his sword tightened. Something burning and hot began to envelop him from head to toe. His vision blurred with fiery energy the color of the ocean blue.

"Oh?" Finally, Luke seemed interested at last, "I can see why she likes you so much now, Percy."

Filled with a new drive as it pushed him onward, Percy was about to rush him with a new attack he's been saving up. It would be his last resort to get Luke to give up and turn the other way.

But then….

"By the way, don't you want to know why she hates me so much, Percy?"

Just like that, his heart stopped pulsing and those words easily froze him in place. Before him, a smirk moved across Luke's twisted up face and he wore a smile so despicable and base, it only served to render Percy motionless.

"To be honest, it was very easy playing with her heart." Luke revealed, "I've always thought of her as the most beautiful girl in school, and that's why I've agreed to date her. Of course, I intend to push things further from the very beginning, but she told me she wasn't ready, so I kept pushing and pushing until one night in my car…"

The blood in Percy's veins went cold.

Luke touched his moving lips and showed a vulgar smile, "I was making out with the princess who was too drunk out of her mind to refuse. Of course, I planned that, but I knew she was enjoying it… We were so heated at one point, might I add, that I pushed her down in her seat and start touching her."

Luke shrugged and threw his hands out, "But I never expected her to have the strength to fight me back in her state of mind. Of course, I wasn't about to stop, so I forced myself on her, and she fought against me every step of the way. I still remember, Percy, the way she cried little by little while I held her down and kiss every single part of her. And after a while, I was finally about to get to the good part when her friends cock-block me from going further."

Luke sighed in disappointment.

"That's how I got a restraining order to stay away from Annabeth, and why she's been looking at me like literal dirt for the past two years now."

Blood began to boil in his body.

"To tell you the truth, I don't regret it one bit." Luke smiled, "The way she squirm underneath me when I held her down, the way she was crying, looking so vulnerable and ready for me to take her… If I somehow got that same chance, I would do it all over again."

Percy wasn't able to stand still anymore, "You bastard!"

His body launched like a speeding bullet. Something primordial had overcome him and everything he did was driven by an instinct to cut down the evil and vile monster in front of him.

"I'll kill you! I'll make sure you die right here, right now!"

Percy was furious. While he knew something bad happened between them, he never knew the extent of what actually went down. All this time, he just assumed a huge disagreement made Annabeth unable to stand or even stare at Luke. Now he knew the real reason, Percy wanted to drive his sword straight through his heart if it was the last thing he'd do.

Gone was his rationale, Percy aimed repeatedly for the left flank of Luke's upper chest. Laser-focused on that one spot that would certainly end him, Percy hadn't even processed the fact that he was ready to kill someone, that even with the heavy weight of his celestial bronze sword in his hand, nothing could stop him from driving it forward.

"Good! This is good!" Luke laughed as he sidestep from his vertical swing at the last second, "Now we're ready to have some fun, son of Poseidon!"

Percy responded with more rage….

...

Vast skyline of the city that never sleeps shone brightly against a pitch-black night sky, mesmerizing like a never-ending rainbow reaching the far horizon, a single shooting star shot through the dark scattered clouds at a speed no one would have thought possible.

Except it wasn't a shooting star, that bright mass zooming across the sky belonged to a demigoddess with extraordinary powers gifted by the King of Gods, the daughter of Zeus, Thalia Grace.

Hurry! I'm losing time…

Reaching a speed faster than light, a growing silver trail followed behind her, millions of scattered atmospheric particles burned up along her path, her ability for flight had almost created a realistic-looking shooting star if someone saw from afar.

They should still be at the school. I'll start from there.

As she passed overhead, her reflection distorted against the river waves below. The endless ripples made it impossible to distinguish anything even if regular mortals saw her flying.

Just as she spared a glance at the river, Thalia noticed something yellow flowing in the waters. She flew down to get a better look.

"Wait? The Nemean Lion…?"

Padding away like any cat despising baths, the dangerous beast had no way to get out of the river, thus rendering him harmless. If anything, his current state made him look rather like a cute house pet.

"That means they should have won, right?" Thalia questioned.

Hovering just a few small miles away from her destination, Thalia could see the campus in a distance and decided to find out for herself. She resumed her flight at top speed.

Hidden behind the main school building; the large six stories structure was built into a protruding part of the pier so close to the water it easily hid the green park from her view. However, she knew even without the help of her sight that everything had gotten out of hand. Her sense of smell told her as much…

Once she flew past the main school building convex with the pier, what she discovered was much worse than she had imagined…

The entire park was in ruins. Destruction everywhere, rising smokes stacks covering the area within a cloud of grey fume, and burning flames had obliterated the once peaceful scenery.

The loud clashing of swords rang violently on her left side. She followed the sounds and easily found Percy and Annabeth. They were both alive, to say the least, and that reassurance alone erased all the pressure holding her heart hostage since she was force-teleported.

With Annabeth was out of commission and laying on the cold dirt ground, Percy fought for her as he desperately strike at a monster who seemed more or less bored. Percy was entirely outmatched as he faced something much worse than the Nemean Lion.

A skirmish that looked entirely one-sided, Luke Castellan could have easily defeated Percy, yet he didn't seem interested to do so. Every dodge or sideswipe seemed to purposefully drag out the battle as long as possible.

At the last second, Percy locked his sword with Luke, yet he couldn't overpower the demigod imbued with strength beyond imagination. Forced back on his knees, Luke pushed further and further, a sick smile on his lip as his blade neared Percy's throat, drawing blood.

Thalia knew she needed to act now before it was too late.

"This is for sending me out in the middle of nowhere, Luke…"

Rumbles vibrated in her right palm, a growing mass of polygon squares glowed white-hot…

"Ririsu." Bright white lights blinked out of existence as her fateful long spear reappeared, a dark obsidian spear that could absorb all lights around yet never give off more than a reflective purple hue, the aptly named Midnight Bolt.

Summoning her spear to her right hand, Thalia carefully aimed at the boy with sandy blond hair. Air around her began to crackle and intensify, crystal blue electricity flowed into the obsidian spear and it gave off a deep violet glow in the skies like a once-in-a-lifetime aurora borealis.

Steadying her spear with her elbow, Thalia waited until she saw Luke tilt his head up in alarm, his focus momentary lost on Percy, before unleashing her art at full power from above the sky.

"Now roar like you were meat to and pierced the enemy! Spike Lance!"

A single deafening roar blasted straight through the tree line, followed by a bright flash of lightning that knocked him off his feet. Her powerful bolt had sent Luke flying backward as he crashed into the destroyed boulder from earlier, the kinetic force was sufficient enough to create another crater that sent smoke and dust flying all over.

Surprised, Percy drew his head around and spotted her hovering above. Huge relief settled over his expression and soon every part of his body.

"T-Thalia…"

Settled back on solid ground as the wind rippled underneath her feet, Thalia stood ready before the prince and grinned, "Sorry, Percy… Got teleported and held up by monsters, but I'm back."

A weak smile moved across his face before he collapsed on his knees, "Heh…Took you long enough to get back, lightning queen."

Thalia smirked.

"Sorry you had to take the fight all on your own, but I'll take care of him now. If you can still move, you should get Annabeth as far away from here as possible."

Percy looked hesitant at her suggestion.

"Don't worry about me, Percy. I can take care of my—"

Reflex too fast to see with untrained eye, Thalia grew alarmed at the flip of a coin, then she hurriedly flipped her midnight bolt around and made a cross guard with her back. A sharp vibration of metal clanked against each other and without warning, she was held in a vulnerable deadlock with a long sword at her back.

"That wasn't very nice…"

Struggling underneath the unfathomable weight of his power, Thalia was beyond shocked.

Behind her stood the very same monster she just struck down, yet despite smoking with the left side of his face completely charred with scorch marks, he was otherwise fine and not hurt at all. Luke looked like a real monster now, he held the same evil grin and hung his head down slightly to avoid her stare.

He chuckled, "And don't make promises you can't keep, Thalia…"

Okay, this isn't time to play around anymore….

Whatever method he used to be able to stand after her attack didn't matter. Everything depended on her forcing him to retreat, otherwise, this dangerous game would only drag out longer and longer, thus exhausting their only hope to survival.

Pulling back her spear from underneath her left flank, Thalia forced Luke away from her blind spot with a high parry, the sharp edge just barely able to leave a small cut on his cheek.

Luke retreated with a sadistic smirk, then held his sword up high in the air.

"No you don't!"

Unleashing a multitude of quick uninterrupted attacks, Thalia didn't allow him any chances to riposte after her parry. Her heavy spear swung down at where he stood. Luke avoided it as expected, but Thalia used that swinging momentum and swung herself over the distance too, dealing a rough kick at his torso and sending him skidding back a few feet.

When Luke stood back up, his lips twirled into a sadistic smile.

"Round two, Luke. Let's see who is actually better at a fight without any dirty tricks, shall we?"

Following her taunt, Thalia spun her spear with both hands with lightning-quick reflex, only a blur of movements could be seen by the naked eye. It would surely confuse his anticipation.

"Huaah!"

Her next attack consisted of two quick slashes in a crisscross pattern, a wide x-shaped arc that surely he wouldn't escape from. As expected, her spear made a diagonal slice from his chest to his lower abdomen.

Thalia smirked when blood spilled out of that wound.

Following that momentum, a mix of slashes and jabs were added continuously. Luke had no choice but to retreat and back away from each strike.

Thalia's smirk grew wide, "What's the matter? Is that really all you've got after all that talk?"

Luke didn't say anything as he was forced to retreat. His face hidden by the darkness of the night, he kept his gaze away from her and was only focused on defending.

What's he planning? Why isn't he fighting back?

At the end of her combined technique: a high overhead slash with her full weight, Thalia finally realized something was wrong. Instead of deflecting or dodging out of the way, he blocked her overpowered strike from below, inadvertently trapping himself underneath.

Yet, he wasn't the one at a disadvantage.

In her current state, Thalia was wide open for an attack. Luke had been counting on this moment from the beginning!

Thalia tried to adjust for that mistake but her enemy was faster. Impossible for any Half-Blood, time around her slowed to a crawl, but Luke's movement accelerated beyond comprehension.

Hung stasis in midair, Thalia could barely glance around when the son of Hermes went behind her back with his sword ready.

"It's really a shame I have to reveal this ability so soon, but to see that look on your face, I'd say it's all worth it." He grinned.

Words couldn't escape her. Time had frozen solid, and despite not being in this fight, Percy and Annabeth seemed to be frozen in time as well.

Shit! This can't be…. He's already—

He aimed his blade at her heart and pulled his arm back. Horrified, Thalia couldn't do anything except watch as his smile grew wicked.

"See you on the other side, Thalia."

Thalia clenched her eyes shut, but the pain never came. Suddenly thrown a few feet forward, she landed on the ground and time resumed flowing around her. She looked up, the same thing was happening with Percy and Annabeth. Everything went back to normal.

"Tch…"

Following Percy's wide-eyed gaze, Thalia turned around noticed a beam of light streaming down from the heavens above. A figure rose from within the beam, along with a little four-legged puppy. Relieved, a smile move across her lips.

"Thank you…" She whispered softly.

.

Despite facing off against their primary target, the Goddess of wisdom could have easily ended him right there and then. Yet, she didn't do anything of such.

"First and final warning, Luke." Athena warned, "Leave, otherwise, I won't hesitate. You know you can't defeat me in your current state, not without his full help."

"You are right. I can't…"

Luke back off so obedient Athena found it strange, "But it did get you out of your hiding hole, didn't it?"

Don in a long elegant white dress with separate pieces of battle armor to protect her, Athena materialized a long sword in her left hand. Meanwhile, Leo growled and ready his sharp teeth.

Luke smirked at her reaction, "Of course, I won't bother fighting you. We both know the end result of that fight before it begins."

"Then leave. I won't tolerate another second of you in my sight."

Luke back off further but that sick smile never left his face, "As you wish, Lady Athena."

Turning around to leave the battlefield nonchalantly, Luke abruptly switched his gaze back once last time and spoke, "It's good to see you in the land of the living, my child. I'll be seeing you again real soon."

That voice wasn't human. At the same time, those eyes were filled with complete darkness, devoid of any emotions other than the evil surrounding his existence.

Her composure shaken, Athena found herself shivering in the presence of that familiar freezing cold gripping her to the bones, the dangerous chill actualizing her fear to the very surface.

But before she knew it, Luke had gone back into the shadows and his presence disappeared altogether.

Their first battle was over…

Athena sighed, then looked back around at what had happened since the impromptu fight began. It was complete chaos.

With the landscape in ruins, it would take a while before she could release this place.

In order words….

Athena finally turned around at the three demigods in utter defeat by what had happened. Thalia looked tired, but she was otherwise fine. On the other hand, Percy was injured in many places, even if his plated armor protect him a bit. As for Annabeth…. Athena kept her eyes on her daughter, something warm began to pool over her eyelids, followed by a soft sigh that left her lips again.

For the first time in eons, Athena felt an emotion she couldn't understand, something that had been forgotten after years of divinity, the foreign sensation after becoming a fallen Goddess: Pain.

Waiting for her to say something, Athena smiled weakly and said, "Let's go. We should head back home."