Chapter Nine: Revelations Part II
Pre-Note:
Hey guys! Sorry this one had to be uploaded in two pieces, it was a massive file to edit and work ran late today which didn't help either as I wanted to get this out a few hours back. BUT it's done now, and I may have another surprise for yall who have some free time tomorrow. There was something I had wanted to add at the end of this chapter but it's long enough as it is at 13k words, so perhaps you'll get an update Saturday/Sunday with a lil' Percy goodness.
With that said, enjoy!
Annabeth, 2 Days 18 Hours After Eripus
She was dying, the smell of smoke and iron filled her nostrils as she drowned in her own blood. Struggling to breath as the weight in her chest grew heavier and heavier. Everything was going cold, as the pain in her body flared causing her to cry out, as her eyes darted around, straining to make anything out in the darkness. She could just make out two figures, one titanic in proportion, the other wreathed in a glowing green light as they battled across an open plain. Pillars of fire and water exploded all around them, throwing dust and debris into the air as Annabeth rolled onto her back, clawing at her throat, struggling to breathe. Everything was so loud, the booming and explosions from the battle were deafening, tears poured down her face as one hand clutched the wound on her stomach trying in vain to stem the flow of blood. Her eyes rolled back into her head, her body spasmed, then the pain in her limbs began fading. A peaceful weightlessness seemed to overtake her, Then everything went dark.
Annabeth surged to consciousness screaming, her eyes snapped open only to be nearly blinded by golden light that seemed to shimmer all around her. Pain flared in her chest as she collapsed onto her side, curling up into the fetal position and screwing her eyes shut in pain she clenched her fists and felt soft silk sheets in between her fingers. That's when she noticed the soft feather pillow under her head, the delightful softness of a mattress. How the air smelled like summer, scents of grass, flowers, fruit, and weirdly enough tanning lotion.
With a whimper she slowly turned and looked behind her to see Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank and Hazel all staring at her in shock. Eyes wide as dinner plates as the five demigods looked at each other in shock for a few moments, no one daring to move.
The spell was broken by Leo slowly pointing at her "She's awake…." he said in a half whisper.
Hazel and Piper immediately shrieked, bursting into tears as they jumped forwards tackling Annabeth to the bed as they clung to her. "We thought you were dead!" Hazel cried as she clung to Annabeth's side. Piper for her part was checking every inch of Annabeth she could reach, looking for injuries or if she had torn stitches.
"Someone needs to go get Thalia," Frank said quietly, looking at Jason and Leo.
"Oh come off it, don't look at me. She hates my fucking guts more than she hates either of you…" Leo said firmly, "I'm not going within punching distance of her, it would be bad for my looks, and all my future lady friends" he said with a wink.
Frank sighed "No Leo, saying and doing stuff like that around the huntresses is what gets you in trouble with them…. Thalia is … well Thalia… ." he finished mutedly
"I'll get her…" Jason said with a sigh as he walked out of the room
"Get Apollo while you're at it!" Piper called out to him from the bed as he waved a hand to show he had heard and walked off down the corridor.
For her part Annabeth was oblivious to the exchange, her brain was too busy attempting to process where she was as she slowly grabbed Piper and Hazel in a hug, squeezing them tightly as a few small sobs escaped her. shakes rocked her body as she trembled like a leaf as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
Was it real? Were they? She wondered as she clung to her friends, she sure as shit hoped this was. Everything in her brain was so muddled, she only had vague flashes of recollection. What was worse none of it made any sense, she could remember bits and pieces. Flashes of Rome, The Argo II, Camp Half-Blood all raced through her mind's eye, each more confusing than the next.
"W-What day is it?" Annabeth stuttered out through gritted teeth, her voice hoarse and weak. She coughed a few times. She hadn't noticed until she had tried to talk, but her throat was dry and rough, irritating her as she coughed a few more times. Unfortunately, now that she noticed, the burning in her throat was unbearable as she looked around for something to drink.
Almost as if she had read her mind Piper stood up off the bed, and walked to the other side of the room. Returning moments later with a large glass, filled with ice cold water. With a small smile she pressed the cup into Annabeth's hands, making sure she had a firm grip before she let go.
The cold water felt like bliss on the back of her throat as she drank so quickly some of it spilled over the edges of the cup, and onto the blankets piled in her lap. Not that Annabeth cared for manners at this point, she couldn't remember the last time she had something to drink that didn't taste like hot sauce and liquid fire.
Her voice was stronger this time, she asked again "What day is it?" Annabeth called out to Piper, her gray eyes boring holes into the color shifting ones of the daughter of Aphrodite.
A dark cloud crossed Piper's face as she frowned, before sighing and sitting on the edge of the bed, "It's the twenty third of July…you've been unconscious for three days" Piper said quietly.
Annabeth smirked, "What? Come on seriously, what day is it?" she asked, looking at the other demigods in disbelief. As they glanced back and forth worriedly.
"Piper's not lying Annabeth, you've been unconscious for three days, Apollo brought you here to heal you…" Frank said quietly as he looked at Annabeth with pity in his eyes.
"Well technically two days unconscious, you just woke up so it's not technically three days" Leo started to say only to finish with a screech as Piper threw the now empty cup at his head. "Can it Valdez, your smart mouth has caused enough problems already." Piper declared angrily as she glared at Leo.
Annabeth spluttered for a moment, that couldn't be right, she was supposed to have over a month. The last thing she remembered was having descended into the sewers under Rome, she still had to get the Parthenos for her mother. "Where are we? What happened to the ' Parthenos'?" she asked frantically.
"It's fine Annabeth, you're on Olympus, you were hurt badly. As for the Parthenos, it's a little roughed up from the crash but we kept it safe for you" Hazel said with a watery smile, tears still hugging the corners of her eyes. Annabeth stared at her blankly, she had no idea what the Daughter of Pluto was talking about.
"What are you talking about, I still need to find it… What do you mean I was hurt, when?! Why don't I remember!? This doesn't make any sense!" She cried out, struggling in vain to put her fuzzy memories back into some sort of coherent order. As she pushed Hazel and Piper away from her.
Piper and Hazel looked at each other, concern displayed quite clearly on their features. Piper took charge and looked over at Frank, "Go get Apollo and Jason, Now." she said her voice heavily laden with Charm speak as Frank pivoted on the spot and dashed from the room in an instant.
"Annabeth, you just need to calm down, you've been unconscious for a few days, you might even have a concussion. It could take a little while for everything to sort itself out up there." Hazel said quietly.
"No, no this isn't right. Where's Percy, I want to talk to Percy!" she cried out like a small child as she had started to rock back and forth, clutching her head between her hands as a crazed look entered her eyes. Annabeth couldn't remember anything, they clearly weren't lying as she hurt everywhere and her body was stiff and wrapped in bandages. Annabeth could feel from the air itself that this was Olympus or if not another highly magical location. Another tick mark in the box of truth she thought bitterly.
The three demigods in the room looked at each other quietly, Leo going a nasty shade of white as he seemed to be fighting back tears before he quietly walked out of the room. Piper and Hazel seemed confused by the son of Hephaestus but turned to focus on Annabeth instead.
"He's not here…." Hazel said slowly.
"Where is he then!?" Annabeth cried out in frustration, she needed her rock, she needed Percy. If he was there everything would be fine, it would all make sense again. She almost cried out in pain at the empty feeling in her chest. 'She needed her Boyfriend, they had spent enough time separated and here she was on her deathbed and he was gone, again!' She thought miserably
"... We were hoping you could tell us Annabeth, he was with you…." Piper said, struggling to hold back tears as her voice shook slightly. "We waited for you at the doors, but you-" The rest of Piper's speech was missed by Annabeth, who was staring at the wall behind her friends, frozen in shock. The mention of the doors had triggered a memory, and not a pleasant one.
The sunlight in the room was drowned out as shadows crept forwards to fill it in from the corners. Those shadows filled with spiders, thousands of them moving in a mass to blanket the floor as she was paralyzed in fear. Her breath hitched in her throat and she heard Piper's voice call out to her distantly. The cloying smell of blood and decay filling her nostrils as she gagged, A hideous clacking chittering sound, echoed out of the darkness that now surrounded Annabeth.
She felt something touch her shoulder, wrenching herself away from it, resulting in her tumbling through the air for a moment until pain exploded in her knees. The room was filled with screaming, dozens of voices rising louder and louder over one another until it drowned out everything else as she clutched at her head in pain.
She could feel herself falling, tumbling head over heels in the pitch black darkness, but he wasn't there to grab her, he wasn't there to whisper into her ear that everything would be fine. He broke his promise, he wasn't with her, and she was falling alone.
She heard Piper and Hazel screaming her name as she fought against the visions that had taken hold of her senses, she wasn't sure what was a dream and what was reality anymore as she whimpered in fear.
The sour taste of bile rose in her throat as the smell of Tartarus surged back to mind, the foul sulfuric smoke that choked her lungs, the screeches and roars of monsters joined the chorus of screams as Annabeth spiraled further and further, alone in the dark.
She wasn't sure how long she lay there shaking, when suddenly a strange golden light filled the room, banishing the shadows and driving away the sounds that tormented her. She felt a pair of arms lift her sweat drenched and shivering body back into the bed, ignoring the feeble attempts she made to fight off whoever it was. Her fists thumping against them uselessly as her arms lost the strength to do even that.
She was placed on the bed and she felt a cool hand rest against her forehead for a moment, driving the wanton thoughts and hazy half memories from her mind in an instant. The relief was palpable as Annabeth sighed in relaxation, feeling her muscles unwind and her jaw unclench as the visions no longer dominated everything.
For a few moments, her own ragged breathing and the sniffles coming from Hazel were all that made a sound in the room. Frank and Jason were nowhere to be seen and Apollo himself stood by the bedside, staring at her unabashedly. A medical clipboard and pen in hand as he lazily jotted down some notes on her sheet before tossing it on the bedside table and clearing his throat.
"Hello, How are you feeling Annabeth?" The god asked calmly as he reached out to grab her wrist and check her pulse, pausing for a second to count before nodding to himself and releasing her wrist.
"Like crap, what the fuck was that?" Annabeth asked, her teeth chattering as her body went through system shock. Her memory was clearing up however, and slowly she felt like she was becoming more and more rooted here. She spent less time questioning what was a dream and what wasn't.
"Something I think you Mortals refer to as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome…. PTSD for short." Apollo said, flashing a charming grin. However within an instant his grin was gone as his face took on a serious expression. "Six broken ribs, lacerations to the upper and lower intestines, a ruptured lung, left arm broken in four places." He gestured to the medical clipboard.
"You're lucky to be alive, I'm honestly not entirely sure how you aren't dead. But you aren't so there's that to celebrate I guess." Apollo said with a shrug, "Unfortunately now that you are awake, my father will want to see you"
"Come on, can't it wait!? Look at her!" Piper cried out to Apollo, gesturing to Annabeth's still shaky form.
"Unfortunately no it can't, Zeus was very specific, he wanted to speak with all of you once Miss Chase here had woken up." Apollo said seriously.
It was at that moment that Thalia burst into the room, literally throwing Frank Zhang off her as he had attempted to prevent her from entering the room. He flew through the air and slammed into the ground in the hallway as she dashed past Apollo, not sparing him a glance. She stopped a few feet from Annabeth, her chest heaving as she stared at the daughter of Athena in wide eyed shock. Sparks crackling in the air about her as the room grew very quiet.
Annabeth looked at Thalia in shock, the girl had dark rings under her eyes, her skin was pale and she looked like she hadn't eaten in a few days. Her hair was frizzy and unkept and her uniform, while never spotless, was a mess, rumbled and stained. The two girls were shaking as they looked at each other. Piper and Hazel regarded Thalia like a wild animal and had taken several steps back from the volatile daughter of Zeus.
"... you're okay…." Thalia said quietly, looking at Annabeth as if she would suddenly disappear, walking forwards slowly until she stood right beside the bed. Kneeling down to be eye level with Annabeth, the other girl gently wrapped her in a tight embrace before whispering "Thank the gods you're okay..", she could feel the other girl's tears soaking through the bandages on her shoulder.
Annabeth was shocked, Thalia was never an emotional person but here she was, sobbing quietly into Annabeth's shoulder as she quietly whispered "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again.
Like a dam breaking Annabeth grabbed Thalia back in a tight hug, wincing a little at the pain in her ribs but pulling Thalia in nonetheless. "I missed you to Thal's and I don't know why you're the one who's sorry" Annabeth said with a shaky voice as she hugged her best friend. Thalia seemed about to reply when Apollo cut her off.
"Well this reunion is touching 'lil' sis, Father is going to get very angry if he feels like we are delaying answering his questions. He and Poseidon and Athena have been at each other's throats for the last few days. If they don't get some answers soon." Apollo said jokingly as let the sentence hang in the air, wincing slightly as the sky rumbled with thunder.
Annabeth felt the blood drain from her face at the prospect of being questioned by the Gods, about something she had nearly no recollection of however she knew there wasn't a way out of this, as she sighed and nodded her head as Annabeth struggled to remove the blankets and get out of bed. Thalia sniffed and wiped her nose as she stood up and let go of Annabeth to allow her to stand.
She couldn't risk letting the Olympians go to war with each other if it could be avoided by her suffering a little discomfort and some questions. "When do we go?" Annabeth asked, wiping the tears from her eyes as she looked at Apollo.
Apollo gave her a warm smile and waved his hand lazily over the counter beside the bed, as a small glass of nectar and a piece of ambrosia appeared. "Eat this and Drink the whole glass, once that's done the rest of the seven will escort you to the throne room, I wouldn't keep Lord Zeus waiting too long either. He tends to be a bit cranky nowadays." Apollo said with a smile as yet again more thunder rumbled in the distance.
However any thoughts of apprehension towards the coming encounter with the King of the Gods was thrown out the window when the door to her room slammed open. Revealing a red faced and out of breath Frank and Jason. Who both glared daggers at Thalia, Jason for his part looked like he had stuck a fork in a live outlet, and Frank was walking with a slight limp.
"THALIA" both of them shouted angrily,
"What?" she said, turning around and standing up, placing both her hands on her hips as she returned the glare with equal ferocity.
The two Demigods gestured to themselves and the poor state they were in then looked at her like she was crazy, gesturing for her to speak.
"Jason, don't barge into a woman's room and wake her up, do it again and I'll do much worse than shock you. And Zhang, why would you try and stop me?" She asked, turning to look at the other Demigod.
"Well you were all 'zappy'... And I figured you were mad… so….." the son of mars sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"So what? I was gonna come in here and hurt Annabeth? We might have our disagreements, Zhang. But I wont ever hurt her, you can be assured of that." Thalia finished with a slight edge to her voice.
Annabeth looked around the room in shock, everyone was tense and angry looking, however the second they met her gaze their looks softened and they would often smile or pretend they were not clearly angry and upset.
Annabeth didn't understand what was going on but she filed that piece of information away for the moment, she had other things to think about besides drama and as of right now she didn't really care if there was an issue. Thalia was her best friend and if she couldn't have Percy right now Thalia was the next best thing.
Annabeth grabbed the piece of Ambrosia and ate it quickly before downing the glass of nectar and something else that Apollo had given her. He smiled softly and snapped his fingers, the glass vanishing in a flash before he nodded once in her direction. "I'll see you all in the Throne room, I'm going to inform the others that you're awake." Apollo said, before he walked out of the room and a flash of golden light filled the hallway.
With a sigh Annabeth swung her legs out over the bed, placing her feet on the cool floor as she mentally prepared herself for the pain she would no doubt feel when she stood up. The godly food and drink had done much to soothe the aches in her chest and stomach but her entire body still felt like someone had done it once over with a metal bat, None too gently either.
"I knew it would take more than that to put an end to the illustrious Annabeth Chase" Thalia said, raising an eyebrow as she regarded the Daughter of Athena. "Yea well remind me to let her know everything hurts when i see her" Annabeth replied, her voice laden with sarcasm.
This earned a snort of laughter from Piper who had been watching the whole exchange, Thalia looked as if she was unsure if she should be angry or laugh along with her. Hazel however was mortified, one hand clutched over her mouth as she looked at piper. "You can't laugh at that," she hissed.
Piper for her part regarded Hazel's stare and then actually started to laugh louder, wiping a tear from her before looking at the younger girl and saying "What, it was funny?"
"Alright, let's get this over with" Annabeth said as she stood up, on wobbly legs. Jason stepped forwards quickly as if to help her, but Thalia claimed her right arm and Piper quickly snuck up on her left, snagging the other arm and helping support her.
Annabeth didn't miss the look of irritation that crossed Jason's face or the flushed look on pipers as she refused to meet his eyes. The son of Jupiter however quickly wiped the look from his face as he glanced at Annabeth. "I'm glad to see you're okay, seriously… I owe you an apology.." Jason started to say.
Annabeth cut him off quickly "Jason, i don't remember much of anything right now, so whatever it is that you think you did. Stop, it's not important right now, all I want to focus on is finding Percy. So if you want forgiveness, just help me find him and it's yours." She said pleadingly as she looked at Jason.
The son of Jupiter paled, before nodding once, his mouth a tight line as his eyes crackled with power. However Frank shared an equally furious look as did the rest of the Demigods in the room, save Leo who had yet to return.
"Don't worry Annabeth, everyone of us in here is going to help you find him, that's a promise" Hazel said firmly.
Annabeth's eyes swam with tears, though if it was from the pain or the relief she felt knowing she wasn't alone in her search she wasn't sure. But she had a plan, which made her feel a little better, she thought with a smirk. She always felt better when she had a plan, with that the group began the slow journey out of Apollo's temple, and started towards the Throne room of Olympus.
Piper
It had taken them some time to reach the Throne room, Annabeth was not in any shape to move with speed, and so the demigods had taken their time. If the Gods wouldn't come to them, then the gods could wait as far as Piper was concerned.
However, upon reaching the massive doors that guarded the Thrones of the Gods, Piper couldn't help but worry slightly. Even from outside they could hear the shouting going on within, as a male and female voice raged against each other.
They had stepped inside to see Athena and Poseidon standing in the middle of the throne room inches apart as they screamed at each other. Both crackled with divine energy as light poured off their bodies, making them glow like miniature suns.
"IF YOUR DAUGHTER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS, I SWEAR ON THE STYX YOUR SHE WILL JOIN MY SON" Poseidon roared as he slammed his trident into the ground, cracking the white marble of the throne room floor. Piper noted no thunder rumbled in the distance, something the gods seemed to miss as they were too involved with their argument to notice. Poseidon was not clad in his usual attire of shorts and a Bermuda shirt, Instead he looked every part the ancient Greek God of the Sea, clad in a shimmering mail of interlocked scales. A crown set with sapphires sat atop his head, the look was completed with intricate greaves and bracers adorning his forearms and shins. Depicting crashing waves and various sea creatures.
"IF YOUR FOOL OF A SON FELL INTO TARTARUS THEN HOW IS IT MY DAUGHTERS FAULT! YOU LAY A FINGER ON HER AND IT WILL START A WAR YOU ARROGANT SEA URCHIN" Athena screamed back at him, her shield and spear clutched tightly in her grasp, she appeared a carbon copy of her daughter, from the Steely gray eyes, to the structure of her face, the only difference lay in her midnight black hair that was currently confined under her helmet. She wore traditional Greek armor and seemed ready to launch herself at the God of the Sea.
The demigods had stared on in shock at the argument they were witnessing unfold before them.
"ENOUGH!" roared Zeus, raising his lightning bolt to the sky as thunder boomed out across the heavens, deafening all other sound and drawing attention from the two arguing Gods. Zeus's face was flush with anger as he angrily glared at the surrounding Gods. He sat on his throne, wearing a dark navy blue three piece suit, pressed perfectly and wrinkle free. His dark beard and hair were perfectly in place, as his sky blue eyes crackled with lighting and as his gaze swept the room.
"You act like fools in front of our Heroes" Zeus said haughtily as Poseidon fixed him with a glare, "Watch your words little brother, but yes, let us hear from the girl herself how my son ended up in Tartarus and how 'she' is now here." Poseidon said with venom.
With that the gods returned to their thrones, gazing down on the demigods, with a mixture of interest and open contempt spread among them.
Ares as always, clad in black Greek armor that revealed his scarred arms, his gloves and boots appeared to be made of liquid metal, as the faces of men and women alike swirled underneath the surface. He wore his helmet and from within the darkness of its confines his two eyes blazed, literal pits of roaring red fire as the God of War sat forwards in his seat, his hands twitching towards his sword which lay leaned up against his throne.
Dionysus, for once awake, sat at his throne, clad in a regal purple toga and laurel wreath, his eyes blazing with interest as he regarded the demigods gathered in the room. His staff clutched in one hand as he leaned forwards, a small grin beginning to form on his face as he looked at Annabeth.
Demeter as always was the picture of serenity, her blonde hair fell in waves about her as she watched the demigods with disinterest. Wearing a dark green chiton, clasped about her waist with a golden sash. She was regal as ever, but it was clear she didn't care for the situation at all.
Hera sat in her throne, her dark hair cascading in a graceful braid down her left side as a beautiful crown sat upon her head. She wore beautiful gold bracelets and a stunning necklace set with dozens of sapphires and rubies. However her features were stern, her dark blue eyes were possibly clouded with concern or irritation it was hard to tell, but the whiteness of her knuckles stood out as they clutched the armrest of her throne.
Artemis sat in her usual hunter's garb, her silver eyes studying the demigods before her intently, her auburn hair was held in a loose braid, and she was currently flipping a silver knife back and forth between her hands with one leg resting upon her knee. A look of impatience and annoyance was stamped across her face.
Apollo lounged in his throne, wearing a simple white chiton held at the waist by a simple cord and a laurel wreath about his golden curls. He looked slightly worried as he glanced about the room nervously, his gaze constantly flipping between Athena, Poseidon and his father. His hands lazily strummed away on a lute as he watched the other Gods.
Hermes sat in his throne, his winged helmet upon his head, clad in a white chiton similar to Apollo. The god of messengers had playful brown hair that appeared as an artful mess of curls poking from underneath the rim of his helmet. His normally playful blue eyes looked scared, as he fidgeted in his throne, his fingers drumming a staccato on the arm rest.
Aphrodite sat in her throne, appearing to all as if she cared little for the events of the meeting. She was dressed in a skin tight silk dress, woven from white material with pink accents. She wore numerous gold bangles around her wrists and her makeup was absolute perfection. Her lips a perfect cherry red and her eyes smoky and mysterious. However those eyes betrayed her secret as they gazed at the demigods with interest clearly swirling in the pink orbs.
Hephaestus for his part was truly not paying attention, his unruly brown hair lay in a tousled mess about his head. His facial features were rough, almost like they were carved from stone, a really ugly stone. A scraggly beard occupied most of his lower face and he reeked of Iron and motor oil as he fiddled with some sort of contraption.
Piper, Thalia and Annabeth walked to the middle of the room, as the others stood near the entrance, the air thrummed with godly power and Piper took a shaky breath to stabilize her breathing before Zeus spoke, his voice bellowing out into the throne room.
"Annabeth Chase, you are hereby charged with explaining to the council the events behind the recovery of your mothers Parthenos and the fall of Percy Jackson and yourself into Tartarus." Zeus declared as he gestured to the assembled Gods.
"Explain yourself so we may judge how best to handle the situation" Zeus finished, his tone leaving no room for argument as Piper gulped in nervousness.
Annabeth went to speak, she was visibly sweating and pale as a ghost. "Lord Zeus, she cant remember anything, the last thing she remembered was landing in Rome and entering the sewers in search of the Parthenos." Piper spoke out.
Zeus raised an eyebrow as he regarded piper. "Is this true Annabeth?" he called out.
"Y-yes, I get bits and pieces but everything is so hazy… I'm trying to remember but I swear I can't" Annabeth said, nearly out of breath by the end of the sentence as she clung to the two demigods beside her.
"She speaks honestly father" Apollo called out from where he reclined lazily on his throne.
Zeus regarded the demigods for a moment, before standing from his throne and raising his master bolt to the sky as lightning surged from the tip out into the heavens. "HECATE!" he roared
Within seconds Hecate appeared in a flash of light several feet to the side of Zeus' throne, she inclined her head respectfully. Before looking over the assembled gods and Demigods. The Goddess of magic had waist length brown hair that fell in silken curls down her back. She wore a dress of light purple silk with a deep V-cut neckline, and a large slit that ran up both legs, the end result was that she exposed a rather extreme amount of skin. She carried a metal torch with her that crackled in with green flames, her eyes sparkled with amusement as she spoke. "To what do I owe the honor oh mighty King of the Gods, that you would summon me to your presence?" She finished with a slight bow.
"Enough of your impertinence Hecate, I wish you to look into this Demigods mind, tell me if there is a magical reason why she cannot remember anything." Zeus explained sternly. "You are the Goddess of Magic are you not, she claims not to remember the events following her descent into the sewers of Rome. We wish to see for ourselves, can you make that happen?" Zeus asked, raising an eyebrow as he finished.
"Father you can't be serious? Think of the damage that could be done to her, the mortal mind is a fragile thing you know this!" Athena exclaimed from her throne, a hint of panic in her voice.
"WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO ATHENA!? My brother will have his price if his son is not found. Your little quest to recover the Parthenos has cost us the greatest warrior and weapon against Gaea we had. I will not lose the support of Atlantis or my Brother for your daughter." Zeus declared with righteous fury.
"I will not let you do this to her father!" Athena cried out in anger as she stood from her throne.
"AM I NOT YOUR KING!? IS MY WORD NOT LAW!?" Roared Zeus as he stood to face his daughter, lighting crackling about his form as he clutched his master bolt tightly in his fist.
"I'll do it" Annabeth called out, her voice ringing across the throne room.
"See your daughter is willing, Hecate will be careful" Zeus growled as he glared at the Goddess, "so as to not injure your daughter in any way, do I make myself clear?" Zeus called out.
"Yes Lord Zeus" Hecate replied, her tone neutral as she gave a low bow. "I shall need Lady Hera's help, from what I hear she is most skilled with the removal of memories and the fabrication of others. It would be wise for us to attempt this together" Hecate said firmly.
Zeus turned and cast his gaze on Hera uncertainty, as did the rest of the gods in the room. For a moment the corner of her mouth twitched, then she sighed and stood walking forwards to stand beside the Goddess of Magic who she regarded with disdain. "Let us be done with this, Minor Goddess, I have no wish to spend my time acting the assistant longer than necessary." She finished with a sneer.
"What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked, her voice trembling despite her best efforts.
"We are going to look into your mind child, and see why it is you cannot remember these events. If we can discover the reason, perhaps we will be able to restore some or all of those memories to you." Hera responded curtly.
Hecate simply nodded her head and reached forwards to place her hand on Annabeth's forehead. Piper and Thalia quickly stepped to the side as Annabeth went rigid and floated into the air several feet, her eyes wide open and glowing with a strange purple light.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Piper whispered to Thalia, as quietly as possible so as to not draw any attention. Gently nudging the daughter of Zeus with her elbow as they moved to stand near the edge of Artemis's throne.
Thalia looked on nervously, "No I don't think I've ever seen the Goddess of Magic possess someone with purple light…" she replied, with a note of sarcasm in her voice. Though her attempt at humor was pretty poor Piper noted.
"No Godly or monstrous influence is blocking her memories my lord" Hecate said as a look of intrigue appeared on her face. "Her subconscious is fully cognisant of her past actions. It appears as if she blocked the memories herself." Hecate said
"Madness swirls at the edges of that one's mind" Dionysus said, his eyes sparkling rich hues of purple and pink that seemed to swirl in on itself endlessly. "Truly a sorry loss for the brightest mind in her generation to be stricken by such an 'affliction'" Dionysus said with a hint of mirth in his voice.
"He's not wrong, she appears to be suffering from the effects of what mortals call PTSD." Apollo said as Zeus looked at him. "Think of it as though her mind can't handle whatever it was she saw in the pit. It appears to have affected her memories of the event as well." Apollo finished as he pensively placed his hand on his chin as if thinking intensely.
Zeus looked around them in anger, "Is there any solution to this? We cannot have one of our greatest heroes useless to us in our war against Gaea! While the other is missing!" Zeus said with concern.
"The memories are locked away not lost Lord Zeus, simply have patience" Hecate said as she began to weave some strange spell about her in the air. As copious amounts of smoke swirled around the body of Annabeth in the air.
"Lady Hera if you please" Hecate grunted in strain as the smoke began to collapse around the demigod. Hera sighed and closed her eyes for a second, before opening them as they flared green with power. Her gaze locked on the swirling cloud of mist as a scream ripped its way out of the cloud.
"ENOUGH!" Athena cried out in anger as she stood, her daughter's pain laced voice rang out several more times before the smoke seemed to change color.
With a final grunt, the mass of smoke shifted to a swirling cloud of red and black, which pulsed with red crackles of lightning. Before Hecate threw her hands wide and the smoke rushed outwards as if unleashed.
*Hecates Vision*
Piper gasped, and she wasn't the only one. The scene before them was horrific, the sky roiled with black clouds that sparked with lighting as an endless plain of rubbery red and purple ground stretched out around them. Replacing the Throne room in an instant, the smell of acrid smoke and blood filled the air as the sounds of battle rang out all around them.
Piper found her gaze dragged to the left as she realized she wasn't in control. Her whole body spun to look across the field, her gaze drawn to a lone figure dashing about like a madman, laying waste to everything that came within reach of his sword, it was Percy. She realized that she was watching Annabeth's memory of the events in Tartarus from her own point of view.
She watched in awe as Percy fought like a one man army, however almost like there was bad reception, the memory seemed hazy, like a wave of static that would occasionally pass over her vision.
One minute she was watching Percy fight around the doors, the next she was helping him stand up as he spat golden dust from his mouth and clutched at his arm in pain. Before turning with her to stare at the approaching form of a titan in the distance.
She heard herself say something to Percy but it was lost to the strange ringing sound that seemed to dominate the vision wherever it was covered by the static.
Next thing she knew, the air was filled with a sound like a car crash as Percy appeared in front of her, wreathed in a sea green aura as he beat Hyperion with his bare fists, every blow he landed caved in armor and crushed bone as the Titan howled in pain.
The vision cut out once more, coming back to a vision that nearly drove her mad with terror as it clawed at her heart like a wild animal. Stalking across the battlefield towards them was a massive armor clad figure, with a swirling black maelstrom for a face. She didn't recognize him but she knew who it was nonetheless.
It stalked towards them holding a huge claymore in one hand as Percy stepped in front of her, his body riddled with wounds and his one arm looking like it had been gouged to the bone.
"Okay listen, I'm going to need you to stay out of the way here, wise girl" Percy said confidently. "I can tell your leg is bothering you, and I won't be able to do what needs to be done here if I'm worried about you, so please let me handle this and when the chains are cut you need to run for the doors" He finished looking back at her with a slight grin as he flipped Riptide over in his hand a few times, feeling the weight.
"No you can't!-" she started to say before the vision faded out and was replaced once more by a new scene. Except this time Piper was confused, the entire area around them had changed, massive pillars of water and fire had erupted from the ground as she looked around frantically for Percy.
Only to spot him, fighting Tartarus. Not running, not avoiding, he was attacking the Primordial God of the pit with a sword, ripping huge bursts of water from the ground with his powers as he did so.
Piper was in awe, she could feel tears rolling down her face as she watched her friend fight for his life against all odds.
However a sudden kick sent Percy flying back towards her, only to crash into the doors and be blasted into the ground with a surge of arcane energy. Percy hit the ground hard, coughing blood as she rushed towards him, frantically screaming and calling his name as his head lolled on the ground in a daze.
With a cry of rage Piper turned around, she felt a sword in her hand and suddenly she was charging across the field screaming bloody murder as she swung her sword at Tartarus in a frenzy. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM SHE SCREAMED!" as she pressed forwards with all her remaining energy.
The mistake was a small one as she rolled her ankle on some loose rocks, the pain in her knee and foot nearly making her pass out then and there as she stumbled. She heard the God laugh and mutter something in a deep gravelly voice as she closed her eyes. This was the end.
A sound like a bomb exploding beside her head as her eyes flew open to see Percy, his entire body glowing with a sea green light like a miniature sun as his eyes blazed with power. He had launched himself from the ground somewhere behind her and slammed fist first into Tartarus throwing the God backwards off his balance.
For a moment she felt hope as she watched Percy spin about in the air to avoid a clawed hand swinging at him. A clawed hand that missed him completely and slammed into her stomach launching her into the air, only for her to slam down on her back some distance away from the fight.
Already she could feel the blood flooding her throat as she struggled to breath, then the vision was filled by static again.
Piper could hear crying in the background as Hecate's magical vision and reality almost broke apart again before the vision solidified once more.
She was looking up at Percy as he stared down on her in panic, her breath was caught in her chest, it felt like an anvil was sitting on her lungs as he screamed something out to her, ripping his shirt off to press against her stomach.
Piper felt herself smile as she said three words "I Love you" and she closed her eyes, as all the pain in her body faded away and the last thing she saw was Percy's distraught face.
When the vision came to she was somewhere else entirely.
She sat on the banks of a large river, so dark blue it was almost black. The ground and sky around here were dark earth, dotted with the occasionally scraggly half dead tree. Around her milled dozens, no hundreds of pale shades who drifted along slowly.
Many of them called out names to loved ones, screaming out in fear at their surroundings. Others still dashed from one shade to the next begging or pleading for a way back. She did none of those things, she sat on the ground. Her knees tucked to her chest, her tear stained face resting on them as she looked out at the river.
Her body was see through, a pale imitation of what she had been, she thought bitterly. The confusion of the last few minutes was still setting in. She was dead, she had died; in Percy's arms no less. This thought brought another wave of sobs as she clenched her hair in her hands.
They had been so close, and now…..
Now here she was, along with all the other poor hapless fools who lacked the ferryman's toll. She chuckled mirthlessly at her situation. Not that it would get much better from here on out she thought miserably. She had heard from Hazel the effects of extended stays in the underworld, Forgetting everything from the ones you loved most to your own name.
This was a fate she feared worse than death itself, which was ironic.
She wasn't sure how long she had sat at the river's edge when she suddenly felt a tug in her chest, like someone had hooked her ribcage with a fishing line. It was persistent and suddenly the gentle pull became a fierce tug and she cried out in pain.
Black spots filled her vision, slowly to be replaced by strange feathers tumbling across her view, slowly filling everything in her view until she was alone in a miniature storm of black feathers.
She opened her eyes, to feel the pain return in force, her legs felt as if they would give out yet she failed to fall. Instead she watched as Percy and Tartarus stood facing each other across a short distance, flaming water lapping at their ankles as Tartarus slowly crumbled away to dust.
Gone was the bleak gray of the underworld, replaced instead but utter chaos as Piper glanced around, a raging sea seemed to be bursting forth from the walls and even the very ground itself as torrents of water tore the ground apart, ripping open rifts in the ground that seemed to plunge into eternity.
A figure loomed over Percy's body, seeming to suck the light in around it as it bent down to lay a hand on his forehead. It was clearly a woman but she had no discernable features, instead appearing more as a black silhouette.
The vision faded out again for a moment, and when it came back Percy stood before her, his wounds closed, already large scars crossed his body in places as he looked at her with longing. A look so filled with love and sadness that Piper felt her heart break for the Demigod.
However Percy leaned in once kissing her forehead before he muttered "Remember my promise wise girl" Before he turned around and walked back to stand in front of the Dark figure, she spoke in a low voice to someone behind Piper "You know what to do my child, she must be found by the right people at the right time" declared the dark figure before it drew a sword and looked down at Percy.
"Your sacrifice for her is noble Demigod, but i do believe you will question the choice you made before end" the figure said calmly
"As long as you hold up your end It'll be worth it Nyx" Percy said vehemently as he looked at the shadowy figure.
Piper tried to say something but she was so tired, and her body was so sore. Everything hurt and once more the strange feathers started to fill her vision as she struggled weakly to get free of whatever being held her in such an iron grip.
Then she screamed out once as Nyx drove her sword through Percy's chest, with a wet tearing sound. The demigod stumbled backwards, falling to his knees before coughing up blood and collapsing on his side. His eyes, glassy and staring at the dark sky.
A scream ripped itself from her throat as the feathers swirled around her, suddenly she felt like she had been dropped under a frozen lake as her lungs screamed for air and her blood felt like ice in her veins.
Then she felt rain on her face, she heard screams from all around her, and within seconds a hunting horn blew in the background as the vision began to fade into static once more.
*Hecate Vison Ends*
Suddenly the smoke seemed to vanish into thin air, as Hecate sagged to the side, Hera mimicking her as both Goddesses seemed drained by holding the illusion for so long.
Within seconds Piper and Thalia had raced across the throne room, falling to their knees at Annabeth's side. The demigod in question was pale, unconscious and breathing very shallow but alive nonetheless.
"What is wrong with her?" Thalia hissed as she looked up at Hera and Hecate, who both regarded her with strained expressions, their postures slumped with exhaustion. "Your friend is lucky to be alive as it is. Whatever magic Nyx worked to keep her as such seemed to have caused the damage to her mind." Hera said with a pointed look as she turned to regard Zeus.
Hecate nodded along with Hera's explanation, her normally olive complexion had gone pale and heavy bags stood out under her eyes as she shivered in some imaginary wind. "The strength behind that spell was immense, so much so that we couldn't break it, only weaken it enough to peer behind the veil." Hecate gasped out.
"What is this magic's purpose then?" Athena said with a note of panic in her voice as she glanced at her daughter.
"I know not, it does not seem to be malicious in any way, nor did it seem designed to prevent someone from viewing her memories. It seems like it was designed to protect her mind, she is the only one unable to access those thoughts, although after what we just did I am unsure if that remains true." Hera finished as Hecate gestured her agreement, finally managing to stand tall without leaning on Hera.
Silence reigned across the room as looks of shock and fear played across the face of every God within the throne room. No one made a sound as they all processed what they had just seen. Nyx, the primordial of night, had dragged Annabeth out of the underworld at the behest of Percy, and then killed him in cold blood.
This is after he had killed Tartarus Piper thought to herself, the entire situation was causing her head to feel like it would burst. At some point she had unconsciously decided to sit on the ground beside Annabeth's sleeping form. As she hugged her knees to her chest, tears ran down her face as she watched the Gods begin to argue again. The feeling of hopelessness in her chest was too much to deal with. Percy was dead, the thought just left her feeling numb, how on earth would they defeat Gaea, their greatest warrior and from the sounds of it their greatest mind had been broken by their time in Tartarus.
The sound of several feet crossing the marble floor jerked her from her reverie as she turned to see Jason, Frank and Hazel calmly crossing the Throne room to stand around Annabeth and Thalia. Hands rested on weapons and they looked out at the gods fearfully, none of them dared to say a word, for fear that they might bring down the wrath of the currently silent God of the Sea.
Poseidon stood there quietly, his mouth open slightly in shock as he stared at the space where his son had fallen. His free hand clenching and unclenching by his side. Athena stood near him, a strange look on her face, some mixture of pity and happiness. As she glanced between Poseidon and her daughter.
Slowly the God returned to his throne, sitting down as he clutched his face with one hand, a picture of misery as he trembled slightly. As the low murmur of gods and demigods conversing in gentle whispers died out, so did the flame of Olympus, the hearth which had spent millenia burning brightly grew dim, guttering as if the logs had been doused with water.
It was at this point that Annabeth began to stir, her body moving slowly as she groaned. Still being protected by the members of the seven and Thalia as they stood, hands on their weapons glancing about at the furious and emotional immortals standing around them.
"What about Annabeth?" Jason asked cautiously, as he glanced at Dionysus. "You said she was touched by madness? What did you mean and can you fix it my lord?" Jason said as he inclined his head in the gods direction.
"Too much flattery will get you into trouble my young roman friend." The god said with a smirk as he stared down at the group. "Yes she's been touched, but then again you saw her memories, some of them at least. I would be surprised if she had returned at all, just be happy she isn't dead like the Jackson boy" The god of wine finished, as Poseidon tensed up for a moment before returning to ignoring the rest of the room as he sat in silence on his throne.
"There is a chance I could fix it, but I am not sure, I have never tried to cure madness," Dionysus said with a chuckle.
"Would it not be simple to remove the spell?" Artemis inquired as she tilted her head to the side, still spinning a dagger back and forth in her hand.
"Are we seriously going to ignore the fact that our Cousin killed Tartarus And was then stabbed to death?" Apollo asked in shock as he stared about the room. The mention of this brought forth a quiet sob from Poseidon as the sky outside grew dark, and strong winds began to whip around the city of Olympus.
"No, but clearly something else is at play here you idiot, they clearly made a deal. Asking questions like that and dwelling on things we can't change won't get us anywhere so if you don't intend to be helpful sit on your throne and shut up like you normally do" Artemis raged at her brother.
Several snickers were heard about the room from various Gods as Apollo quailed and sank back into his throne, all eyes returned to Artemis and her question. "The memory is clearly being interfered with by whatever this spell is, and if we could remove it then perhaps we could shed some more truth on this situation" Athena added quietly, casting the occasional glance at Poseidon who had remained throne, ignoring the other Gods as the weather steadily grew worse.
"Well yes in theory it should be, I am the Goddess of Magic and very few can challenge me when it comes to my Domain. However, I do believe removing this spell may be beyond my skill." Said hecate through gritted teeth.
"Explain yourself" Zeus and Athena said almost at the same time, the goddess of wisdom lowering her eyes as the King of the Gods cast his gaze upon her. Thinly veiled rage lurked behind his sky blue orbs.
"There is 'Old Magic' at work here my King, magic I have not felt in an age." She said simply as she pointedly looked at Zeus and Poseidon. Both of them paled rapidly, their faces taking on looks of abject horror for a moment, until they collected themselves. The revelation seemed to snap Poseidon from his thoughts as he focused once more on the conversation.
"Not even she could invoke those words…. You must be mistaken" Zeus said with a worried glance at Poseidon. "We would know if the wards had been broken, and any who could have been dead long enough for their bones to be nothing but dust. No Primordial could break those seals, not even one as powerful as Nyx." proclaimed the King of the Gods with fervor.
Many of the younger Gods and Demigods looked between the God of magic and the two brothers as they seemed to be discussing something that none of the other gods knew about or understood. However, based on their expressions Piper held no delusions that this was anything but bad news.
"'They' could, and they certainly would if they thought it would harm us, they have no love for us after our last encounter." Poseidon said, agitation clear in his voice. "I had intended to speak with you in private, however given the circumstances I believe these events may be related. My domain has been acting up, the sea, specifically the oldest and deepest parts of it have been struggling against my control." The god said as a flush appeared on his face, his eyes still brimmed with tears, yet they had taken on a strange intensity as he and Zeus conversed.
"Hah, can't keep your shit together can you old ma-" Ares started to say before Poseidon and Zeus turned on him, their weapons of power leveled in his direction as they blasted him with the fury of the storm, lightning and water slamming into the God. The explosion threw the God of War into the wall as both brothers flew into a fury. "SILENCE, you know not what you talk about you fool" roared Zeus as the air hummed with power.
Ares for his part stayed conscious up until he made contact with the wall, as his eyes rolled back into his head, his wet form twitching as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through his body. Then as if the force holding him upright had vanished he fell forwards and slammed face first into the ground.
The remaining Gods had looks of utter shock on their faces as the two brothers turned back towards each other discussing something quietly. Zeus looked enraged as he stood and once more lifted his bolt into the air as a surge of electricity exited it. "THANATOS!" The King of the Gods roared as he sent out the godly summons.
For a second there was silence and then the sound of heavy wingbeats filled the air as Thanatos the God of death appeared in a flurry of black feathers at the edge of the throne room. He quickly dropped to one knee and inclined his head. "My King," the God called out, "How may I serve you?"
"EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THIS DEMIGOD ESCAPED THE UNDERWORLD!?" Zeus roared in anger as he pointed to the still unconscious form of Annabeth, surrounded by several other Demigods who stood over her almost protectively, piper for her patch leveled a hate filled glare at the God of Death.
"It's quite simple my king, I was asked to bring her to someone and I did." Thanatos said calmly.
"YOUR DUTY IS TO TAKE SOULS TO THE UNDERWORLD NOT HELP THEM ESCAPE!" Zeus screamed, his face red with anger. "Do you deny these charges!?" The King of the Gods exclaimed with frustration.
"No I do not my liege, '' Thanatos replied in a curt manner, his eyes crossing the room to meet with Hecate's for just a moment as they nodded to each other. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by Zeus who seethed in rage at the calm manner with which Thanatos replied to him.
"Then you will take her back! We cannot tempt fate like this, no matter what bargain was struck I am your king and you shall do as I say." Zeus said as he glanced at the group of Demigods in the middle of the room, his face twisted with anger, and a hint of fear Piper noted.
A voice called out from beside her, shaking with anger "So now that you know she wasn't lying, that it wasn't her fault, what happens to her now!? She's rewarded for that hell you put her through by being sent back!?" Thalia screamed in anger at the gods.
"YEA! She was only there because she went to rescue YOUR statue" Piper said with anger in her voice as she pointed at Athena, who immediately glared back at the Demigod. "I understand your anger, but you will treat me with respect, demigod, I am not someone who will allow you to talk down to them, this is your one and only warning" Athena said, her voice laden with malice.
"Oh cut the crap! Without her and Percy you would all be helpless migraine cases unable to get off your damn thrones!" Thalia shouted out, drawing nods of agreement from the other demigods.
"They did this all without your help, and your reward for their sacrifice is a punishment!" Thalia shouted as she pointed a finger accusingly at Zeus.
"Silence daughter, she died and as such she belongs in the underworld, Regardless of who she is we cannot tempt fate like this" Zeus said as he stood and grabbed his master bolt in one smooth motion, leveling it at Annabeth as he loosed a bolt of lighting.
The Demigods flinched as the bolt raced towards them, however faster than Piper's eyes could follow, two figures seemed to appear in the middle of the room as Poseidon and Athena dashed in front of Annabeth. Deflecting the massive bolt of lighting into the sky as the King of the Gods stared at them and trembled in rage.
"YOU DARE TO DEFY ME! SHE IS A RISK TO US ALL!" Zeus roared as he stared at Poseidon and Athena. "YOU CALLED FOR HER HEAD MOMENTS AGO BROTHER, EXPLAIN YOURSELF BEFORE I PUNISH YOU AND ATHENA FOR THIS BETRAYAL!"
"You will not touch a hair on her head brother." Poseidon said flatly, his eyes narrowed to slits as Athena stared at him in open mouthed shock.
"My son gave his life for her, YOU WILL NOT! Waste his sacrifice, I swear to you here and now brother, If you make any move against Annabeth Chase I will turn all of the forces of Atlantis against you and I will take your throne from you. We owe him our lives, we can allow him this small mercy!" Poseidon said as he turned to the other Gods, many of whom nodded in agreement.
"This is foolish, you would risk the Fates, or Chaos itself turning on us for breaking their laws!? You know what is at risk if they have risen once more" Zeus said questioningly
"Would you risk war to find out?" Poseidon replied calmly, his trident still leveled at the King of the Gods. "We dealt with them once; we shall do so again, but only if we are united. This fear of yours, will drive a rift between us and the Demigods. You cannot kill them as you please, she lives for now and it should be left at that"
For a few moments both Zeus and Poseidon stared at each other, gazes locked before Zeus snorted in derisive anger and looked away from his older brother. "Fine brother, war shall not grace Olympus today. We have greater concerns. If the Tartarean has risen again, we are in far greater danger than we had thought possible. To think Tartarus was killed, It is not possible, No Demigod should be capable of what we just witnessed." Zeus cried out almost as if hoping another God would disagree and provide a reason behind that madness.
Poseidon seemed caught in a trance, his fingers stroking his short beard as he looked back and forth between Annabeth and the King of Olympus. "Could the girl's memory have been altered? There should be none left alive who can call the magic that would be needed to free them. It's been millennia Zeus." He said as his voice rang out clearly.
"Enough with the riddles, what are you two talking about father" Athena interrupted with a shout as she looked between the two kings. "If there is a threat that we face, it would be wise that we all know of it!" Athena declared.
"Absolutely not, there is no need for any of you, much less demigods, to know what we speak of. It is an ancient and dangerous magic that should have been forgotten." Zeus said with a note of irritation in his voice as he looked over the assembled gods.
The King of the Gods raged as sparks jumped across his skin, his gaze swept the room as if daring someone to disagree with him. "Your secrets have cost us greatly in the past, father, I agree with Athena. We deserve to know what threat it is we face. If it scares you then it stands to reason we stand to lose as much if not more than you, should we fail to react accordingly." Artemis said from her throne, the knife forgotten as she leaned forwards with interest.
"A vote then?" called out Hermes as he looked around at the other council members.
Zeus seemed to radiate rage as he opened his mouth to shout, before Poseidon laid a hand on his shoulder and shook his head gently. "It is time brother, we knew that it was always a possibility." said the God of the Sea gravely.
"We must summon Hades, as well as Styx and the others. They must be warned of the danger before it is too late. You know as well as I do that the first to feel their wrath will be the river goddesses." Poseidon finished as he looked at Zeus.
Zeus seemed to deflate with a long drawn out sigh as he finally nodded in agreement with his brother. Once more raising his master bolt to the sky as he summoned the God and Goddesses.
For a minute there was silence, and then the throne room was filled with flashes of light. Six new figures stood in the throne room, drawing gasps from the assembled Gods.
Hades, stood clad in full armor, the helmet of darkness resting upon his head as he clutched a sword in his hand. His armor looked like it had been through a blender, it was melted and scorched, large claw marks marred the breastplate and several shallow cuts on his arms and face leaked ichor as he stood wearily in front of the assembled gods.
The five River goddess looked worse if that was actually possible, each of them were pale and shaky, so exhausted they teetered on their feet, swaying dangerously as they barely stayed standing. "I believe brother, that it is as we had feared, the girl's memories hold true if this is anything to say for it" Poseidon said as he gestured towards the newly arrived god and goddesses.
Styx was pale as a ghost, her normally luxurious black hair was unkempt and frizzy. Her face and body were covered with cuts and other small injuries. The chiton that normally covered her was ripped to shreds, more resembling a ragged beggar's robe than the garb of a goddess. Ichor soaked what remained of the garment as she sobbed pathetically on the ground.
The other river goddesses appeared exhausted, but otherwise unharmed, as they glanced at Styx and Hades, clear looks of worry plastered across their faces..
"B-Brother, what is the meaning of this?" Zeus asked in shock as he stared at the God of the Dead.
Hades let out a small groan as he straightened his back, "I was prepared to ask you the same thing brother, something is terribly wrong in the underworld. Earthquakes and tremors have caused immense damage to everything. They originated in the Pit, however it is not the quakes which caused this" he said as he gestured to his current condition and Lady Styx as she bled onto the floor.
Suddenly Styx began to writhe in pain on the ground, her hands clutching at her head as she screamed in agony. Her sisters stared at her in shock, watching helplessly as the Goddess rolled about on the floor, begging for the pain to stop.
"... by chaos, What is wrong with her?" Apollo asked, his eyes wide in shock as he stared at the thrashing Goddess on the floor.
Piper didn't miss the look that the Big Three shared in response to Apollo's question. Judging by the suspicious looks cast their way by the rest of the Gods, it was an interaction that had not gone unnoticed by anyone.
With a sigh Zeus nodded and his head dropped into the palm of his hand as he gestured for Hades to speak. "The Tarterii are not pleased with being denied their prey, I fear she is being stripped of her domain…." Hades said his voice laden with regret.
Silence greeted that statement, if only for a moment. Then the voices of a dozen Gods and demigods echoed across the room as demands for an explanation rang out.
"How is that even possible!? Who could strip the goddess of Oaths and Vengeance of her domain? She is the eldest and most powerful of the daughters of Oceanus!" Athena declared as she looked at the surrounding gods.
All eyes briefly turned to Styx as she slumped back to the floor, no longer screaming, just laying there with tears pouring from her eyes as her four sisters crowded around her doing what they could to ease her suffering.
"What is a Tarterii?" Artemis called out over the din, standing in front of her throne, her bow drawn as she gazed at the river goddess in horror. "Whatever it is, it's killing her! Father are you to let this stand!?" Artemis yelled, turning to look at him as more of the Gods demanded answers.
The big three looked at each other once more, fear and anxiety etched on all their faces as Poseidon turned to the assembled gods. "They aren't the eldest….. There are five others, the true eldest daughters of Oceanus, and the most powerful. As for your question Niece, there is nothing we can do for her" the god said, his voice trembling as his expression grew dark.
"They hail from a time before the first Giant war, shortly after we claimed Olympus as our seat of power. They were the first of the Nereids born from the river Okeanos, the domain of Oceanus and the first river. They claimed a great stretch of it which flowed underneath the world, it included five tributaries that flowed off the Okeanos and down into the bowels of the earth." Poseidon said clearly.
"Those rivers were powerful and deeply magical, as such the Goddesses themselves were immensely powerful. The five rivers flowed into a basin in the depths of Tartarus, known as the Tartarean Sea. A Primal Ocean to match the size and strength of the mortal oceans where the rivers originated." Poseidon finished.
"The Styx originates in your realm?" Jason dared to ask, shock clear in his voice.
"Yes, as do the others, while it is a closely guarded secret, the water of the five rivers originates from the wells of Pontus, sacred locations in the depths of the ocean where the water is as pure as the day it was first made." the god replied.
"Brother you reveal too much" Zeus growled as he looked at the god of the Sea.
"Look at her brother!" Hades said, his voice carrying a serious tone, "The two of us barely escaped, the rest of the river goddesses look half dead, and you expect our family? These demigods, to fight without understanding why?" The King of the Dead called out. "It won't matter if we don't find a way to put an end to this madness, I don't know how they broke free but unless we cage them again they will come for us." he finished grimly
"My Son and Tartarus battled" Poseidon said slowly, his face tight with pain as he looked at Hades. "My son survived the encounter, but Tartarus did not." He said, his voice rough as he struggled to continue, "We believe it may have something to do with that, his death may have weakened the seals. Though I can not tell you how or why" Poseidon finished quietly.
"Okay so these five used to be the Goddesses of the rivers? What happened? Did they fade? What are these seals you keep mentioning?" Athena inquired, Piper could tell the goddess of wisdom was intrigued, her mind racing a thousand miles a minute. Piper was honestly surprised she hadn't raised her hand before she asked the question.
Hades and Zeus looked incredibly uncomfortable with the topic, both looked ready to speak when the doors of the throne room were thrown open. Letting the raging storm in from outside as three small figures stumbled in, seeking refuge from the weather.
"WHO DARES TO INTERRUPT A COUNCIL OF GODS!" Zeus roared as he stood from his throne, pointing his master bolt at the intruders. There was a moment of confusion as all the Gods looked towards the doors before Hades let out a low chuckle and turned towards Zeus.
"Brother point that thing away from my son," Hades said sharply as he pointed his blade at Zeus, as if daring him to test the waters and see who would come out on top.
"... thanks dad…. Maybe a tad much, but thanks" said one of the figures as it stepped into the ring of light cast by the guttering flame of Olympus. It was Nico Di Angelo, and he was flanked by two people Piper had not expected to see together in her wildest dreams. Reyna Ramirez-Arellano and Rachel Dare, both of whom seemed miserable and wet as they walked towards the fire and began to warm their hands.
"How did you get in here! This is not the place for demigods to hide out a storm!" Zeus declared indignantly as he lowered his weapon and glared at the new arrivals. Rachel however, seemingly completely unintimidated, turned and looked at Zeus.
"If you don't want to listen to a prophecy sent by the oracle of Delphi herself, be my guest. It's not my fault Apollo hasn't noticed she has been captured yet. I'll just go home and go to sleep" Rachel said almost nonchalantly as she turned to walk back out the main doors. Flashing a cheeky grin and a small wave as she began to walk.
"Oracle, my apologies, please give me a moment. I believe we will have much to talk about" Zeus said with a sickly sweet smile, before lighting arced from his body as he screamed "APOLLO! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" the King of the Gods roared as he rounded on his son, who whimpered slightly, before he shrunk as far back into his throne as he could go.
"It's like Poseidon was saying, I wanted to talk to you in private about this… but yes I noticed the other day that I couldn't sense the oracle anymore, I can't communicate with her." He said slowly, looking at his father who trembled in rage. "Is there anything else I should know 'son'" the king said with such deadly quiet that Piper actually felt sorry for Apollo, if only a little.
"Just a small thing, you know, just that my sight shows me nothing, it's as if I'm blind to what will come." Apollo said quietly, sinking further and further into his throne as he continued.
Just like that everything went to hell, with every God jumping from their throne to begin shouting, proclaiming their own opinions and blaming each other for the mess they were in now. The council meeting quickly dissolved into what would closely resemble a bar brawl as the demigods began to back away from the increasingly violent and emotional Gods.
Finally as they reached a back wall of the chamber they sat on the ground, the lot of them too shocked to speak as they made sure Annabeth was kept safe. Snuggled up between Piper and Hazel as she snored quietly.
Nico, Rachel and Reyna still stood by the fire, the Gods began to question a new set of demigods. Both Nico and Reyna continually cast concerned and worried glances back towards the other demigods, however they made no move to come speak to them as they continued to answer the questions of the Gods. With a sigh Piper leaned her head on Annabeth's shoulder and prepared for a long night, she doubted the Gods would come to a decision anytime soon and so she and her friends waited. It was a long wait.
Authors Note:
Terminology:
- Tarterii: The Five eldest daughters of Oceanus
- Tartarean Sea: An ancient Primordial Sea that used to exist within Tartarus
- Okeanos: The first river created by Oceanus, which spanned the whole world.
Alright guys, that monstrosity of a chapter is finally out of the way! My hands are singing with joy at the thought. This one took a long time to write, and a lot longer to edit until I was happy with how everything went. (Still not super happy with the ending but meh 13k was enough)
I went with the version of Hecate from Virgil's Aeneid, which is like the Roman version of the odyssey. In it Hecate is described as the Daughter of Night and is understood to be a child of Nyx, making her a sister to Thanatos and several other gods like Hypnos.
So Yall finally got some answers in regards to what happened to Percy and Annabeth, but walked away with a whole load of new questions I'm sure.
Furthermore, I am sorry the chapter is so long with so little Annabeth POV in it, I wish I could have written it another way. Trust me, I tried and it made me sad and angry and sounded a lot like a shitty recap of chapter one and two which I wanted to avoid. So you get more piper and a crappy magic vision and you'll just have to be happy about it.
As promised this set up everything i wanted to explain before we go back to Percy, SO! I promise you three whole chapters of dark juicy Percy goodness. (my lord that sounds awful) before I jump back up to start covering the rest of these mysterious events and the new prophecy!
Once again thanks to anyone who took the time out of their day to read or review, I really appreciate the feedback! As always until next time!