Chapter Ten: Legacy Of The Tartarean

Pre-Note:

Sorry this chapter is a few days late folks! Update as usual on Friday.

How its read:

Εκδίκηση (Echo-des-on)

παλιό αίμα (Palto Adra)

Percy, Day 1 In Tartarus

It was a slow transition, from the pitch black unknown, as he returned to consciousness. Feeling like he was encased in cement, his every movement took immense effort. A song, so familiar yet sung in a foreign tongue faded in and out, seeming to originate from all around him, almost as if it came from everywhere at voices were so loud it drowned out every other feeling and thought, until there was just the song, continuing endlessly. He didn't know how long he was there, alone in the dark. His eyes screwed shut against the assault on his senses. Each whisper or shout in their strange tongue was accompanied by a surge of energy, the power of the voices alone was terrifying.

It felt like he was being torn apart as he thought with mild panic, pulsing waves of raw energy washed over him, from every direction. He felt electrified, like his blood was pumped full of redbull and he was about to explode all at the same time, he could run a marathon or keel over in exhaustion, fight a dozen giants but barely lift his finger. His mind roared out, a scream bursting from his lips as he struggled to adapt, his body fighting against alien sensations which were plaguing him. The pulsing continued to grow stronger and stronger as the feeling of being torn apart accompanied it. He felt like he was being stripped bare, as the final blast of power left him gasping for breath and struggling to focus. He felt several minds touch his, tearing through his feeble attempts at shielding his thoughts.

A new sensation replaced the feeling of being torn apart. It didn't cause pain per se, he noticed, more like someone was running their nails down a chalkboard, or the opening of a rusty door. The waves of power were uncomfortable, on a more personal level, as each was accompanied by dozens of his memories playing back in his mind, at times the voices seemed excited and at others angry, but for a reason he couldn't fully explain

They watched his battle with Kronos several times, they lingered with particular interest on memories of his father. Every time they caught a glimpse of the oceans, be it sparkling in the sun at camp half blood, or the raging cold oceans of the Alaskan coast; their song became joyous, almost like a passionate and ecstatic embrace. His brain felt like it was bursting at the seams as his memories were run through on what must have been speed ten, images flashing by too quickly to be anything but a blur as with each passing moment their song grew louder and more fierce. The pressure made him gasp as he forced his eyes open, hoping to see his attacker at least once before his brain turned to mush.

That's when he was left completely speechless, he floated, suspended in a shimmering endless sea of greenish blue water, with faint beams of light descending from far above him. Stretching as far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of water. He couldn't see a surface, save for the faint light that made it down to where he was, the sea floor was somewhere in the darkness below him. He could tell it was water, he didn't feel the need to breathe, however something was indeed strange about the ocean and the voices that accompanied it.

The voices continued their endless song, the volume causing him to clutch at his ears and scream in vain, unable to even hear his own voice as a rumbling seemed to echo through the water, seconds later it was followed by a lightning like flash, as what could only be described as literal streams of white fire flared up throughout the water. Lighting the darkness of the waters below him. Like streaks of lighting the tendrils of fire wound their way through the water, swirling around him in an endless shimmering cloud.

He watched in amazement as the scenery of the ancient sea was revealed, filled with pillars of stone that stretched into the distance above him and below him, stark black against the aquamarine colored waters. Below them massive canyons and mountains stretched out and littered the distant sea floor. Schools of fish swam about him, every color, shape and size imaginable, their teeth razor sharp and their fins adorned with claws. Long spikes adorned their bodies or they possessed claws and other weapons, they were like no fish he had ever seen. Strange mermaid-like creatures with horns and scaled skin looked at him from afar, clutching spears and shields as they watched him float there.

As if guided by some strange hand he felt the waters drag him down, deeper and deeper into the depths. Past shipwrecks, ruined cities and ancient monuments too long forgotten civilizations, and further still. Strange alien plant life, undisturbed for unknown ages shied away from the light, disturbed by the flaming lights that swirled around him. The sea was full of life, as horrifying and terrible as it might be, still the currents dragged him further down, away from the light, deeper into the depths.

The waters grew hot as he struggled to free himself from his bonds, the water fighting against him, struggling to keep him within its grasp. Below him stretched a massive pit of darkness, almost as if the void itself lay at the bottom of this hellish ocean. "Struggle not little demigod, if we meant you harm you would have long been dead." Several female voices rang out, cutting through the song as if it had never existed. He lost focus for a moment as he looked around for the voice's origin, that loss of concentration was all it took.

Suddenly he was yanked downwards, his feeble hold on the currents broken as he plunged into the abyss. The waters were so dark even the lights cast by the fire still swarming around him did little to reveal his surroundings. However his senses, those inherited from his father, told him that 'things' were moving in the darkness, hugging the edge of the light and waiting for a moment to strike. Fear gripped at his heart as he struggled to rein in his emotions, the currents dragged him further down still. He could feel their minds, as he could any marine life, and they were ancient and alien things. Nothing like the aquatic life of the world he knew, he was under no delusions that these creatures cared very little for his titles, they would devour him in an instant if given the chance.

Suddenly the water around him slowed to a crawl, holding him in place as the fires flared, illuminating a massive door set into a black stone cliff that stretched off into the distance in all directions. The door itself was immense, made of a similar material to the cliffs which surrounded it and covered in strange runic glyphs that burned his eyes when he looked at them. Each of the runes formed a swirling line, thirteen in total that formed a circular whirlpool like symbol around a central image on the door.

The symbol consisted of a singular line of runes, which pulsed with a gentle ight, inside that circle were three symbols interposed over each other. First and foremost as a symbol that drew forth a memory from what felt like a lifetime ago, one in which he had met a certain Carter Kane, before all this nonsense. A golden Ankh inscription, carved directly underneath a silver Omega symbol, the loop of the Ankh lining up almost perfectly with the arch of the Omega. Finally carved as if behind the first two images were three large triangles, shimmering in the light, the strange blueish iron shapes seeming to overlap and run through each other.

Madness threatened to overwhelm him as the runes whispered to him strangely, the voices grew louder and louder as he unconsciously drifted closer to the massive doors. His gaze captivated by the horrific work of art. The cliff walls around the doors were covered in carvings of intricate detail. Above the door, five women stood center point, their feet touching the waters of a massive body of water behind them. To their sides were armies of men, and gods, with all manner of strange weapons and armor. Thousands of banners and symbols fluttered amongst them, as they were locked in a vicious battle. The dead piled about the battlefield and their blood ran in rivers towards the five women at the head of the doors. Their hands raised as they glowed with power, tears streaming down their faces as they looked upon the battle with fury. Above them at the apex of the doors, were twelve mounted riders, six to a side with, with the point directly above the apex of the doors left empty. The riders held their heads high and weapons were clenched in their grasp, each wore a unique horned helmet and glared down upon whoever stood in front of the doors with contempt.

The door was secured in place with massive chains that looked worn and weathered, stranger still the chains were secured to thirteen massive pillars driven into the cliff on or around the doors. Forming a sort of border within which, the door and its surrounding carvings occupied almost all of the space. His fear of his surroundings seemed to melt away as the door called to him, like a long lost friend. The song grew quiet, fading to a whisper as he approached the gateway.

He reached his hand forwards, his fingers brushing against the rock that formed the doors. Feeling the energy course through his veins at the mere contact. At his touch, he felt as much as heard a strange shattering sound, like a sheet of ice over a lake cracking. He felt strange, his body moved without his command, stepping backwards as his hand slowly curled into a fist as he called out in a language he didn't understand. "Tethar, Ardwyr Iderium" as the ground around him seemed to rumble gently. Several of the chains around the door groaned with strain cracks appearing on the black iron as his body responded in kind. A sharp pain flaring up in his chest like a fire had been lit around his lungs. With a gasp he was released from whatever had a hold on him, quickly drifting backwards away from the door.

Suddenly he felt more than saw the presence behind him, whirling around he nearly collapsed in pain at the triumphant return of the voices and their infernal song. His head spinning as he struggled to focus on the figure that gradually grew clearer and clearer before him. It was a woman, she stood or rather floated at perhaps five and a half feet. Clad in a black robe which clung to her body, clasped about her waist with a jeweled belt, studded with opals and dark blue and green gems. She wore a circlet wrought of black iron that rested about her brow. The dress she wore seemed to ripple and shimmer as she moved, sometimes fading into the water in places as did her body.

Her skin was pale, not unlike porcelain, which made her blood red lips stand out in stark contrast, he noticed as he was drawn to look at her eyes, which were obsidian orbs tinged with the slightest hint of green. Which was mirrored by the long hair which cascaded down to reach her lower back, the color of a midnight sea. She appeared to be in her early twenties and was slight of build.

"So this is the demigod who tore us free?" the woman mused, floating towards him as she looked him over appraisingly. A finger ending in a razor sharp talon trailed across his bare chest as he struggled to control his breathing speed. He tried to calm himself but the waves of raw power that rolled off of the woman were unlike anything he had ever felt before.

A gentle chuckle emanated from the woman as she moved somewhere to his side, her fingers trailed across the skin of his chest, and paused briefly on the strange burning tattoo that covered his entire left pectoral. "I see you did not escape unscathed my little hero" The woman said, her voice tinged with almost a hint of sadness. Her accent was strange, clearly ancient yet she spoke English with refined tongue as if she was born to it.

"W-who are you? If you want to kill me you're gonna have your work cut out for you, lots of Gaea's minions have tried, and so far I'm still here" he said, already thinking of a way to strike whoever this was down.

"I assure you, that we mean you no harm, unlike some we do not strike down nor curse those who aid us. We are nothing like your petty Olympians. Nor do we have a particular stake in this war which Gaea seems intent on fighting." the woman said bitterly.

"What are you talking about 'we'?" he replied, clearly confused as to why she hadn't tried to kill him yet, she clearly wasn't on the Olympians side, and if she also clearly wasn't on Gaea's side. Was she on her own side or whoever these others were? His mind raced as the woman in front of him laughed, the water reacting as if on instinct as flares of flaming water raced away from them into the darkness.

"By 'we' I refer to my Sisters and I" The woman replied with a slight nod of her head in the direction of the doors.

"Well that's wonderful, but who or what exactly are you and where the fuck are we?" he replied, wishing desperately for a sword or any other object with which he could attempt to defend himself. Not that she appeared particularly hostile but it made him nervous when he was so defenseless.

"I am one of the Five Tartarii, the first daughters of Oceanus, and the first Lady of Vengeance, you may call me Εκδίκηση." she declared proudly, "I am the Vengeance of the Sea given shape and form, and as to where we are, a mindscape of sorts, we needed to speak, young one. While I regret that this is how we must first meet, there is no other option, there is too much at stake for us to allow you to roam ignorant to the truth." Replied Εκδίκηση.

Glancing around him in shock he stuttered "This is all in my mind? And what is it that I don't know?"

Her laugh rang out into the darkness beyond the fires light, as she looked at him with those keen eyes, filled with a predatory interest. "Yes and No, we sheltered you, kept your mind safe from what is happening, but this is not within your mind. Think of it as a meeting place somewhere between your mind, and ours, all of this," she said gesturing to the surroundings, '' is courtesy of your subconscious, and ours intermingling with the Aetherium, and creating that which you now see before you. That is not to say you cannot be hurt here, do not risk an injury to yourself, little one, for your time here consider this is all to be very real."

With a wave of her hand, she summoned dozens of glowing jellyfish that floated like lanterns in the gloom around them. Only for them to shatter into thousands of little fish that began to swirl around him like a hurricane before they began to glow brightly. Exploding like miniature stars as lines of fire streaked out from him a short distance, before she lowered her hand ending the display.

"While normally a simple task for any God, to manipulate the Aetherium, This was only meant to be held for a short while until we could meet you, it is incredibly draining, chained as we are. However, you loosened the chains which have bound us for millennia, we will admit we are in your debt son of Poseidon." she said, with a slight trace of anger in her voice." He looked at her in shock, he could practically feel the smoke coming out of his ears as he struggled to process this new information.

"That wasn't…. I didn't do that on purpose. My body just moved and I said something and they started to crack…" he said in confusion, his head pounding as he struggled to keep his thoughts in order. The infernal singing kept up its pace, as he felt the water thrum with power all around him, ancient and relentless. He couldn't focus, the whispers of those runes still tugged at the edges of his mind as he fought off waves of Deja vu, he knew he had never seen that door before in his life, that rational thought didn't seem to matter as memories of it battered at the edges of his mind.

"Who do you think aided you against Tartarus? Your power called to us, but we chose to respond, we chose to aid you." she looked at him with admiration in her eyes. "We have spent millennia entrapped and enslaved to that fiend, and you freed us, for that we are grateful." she said with a small inclination of her head. " You tore us free from him, and once we had chosen a side, well the domain had to follow. A sea shall not be caged forever and your thirst for vengeance called me, for I am the strongest of my sisters. I answered your call and you sealed the pact with words from the Book of Ard. Tartarus was not prepared to face one such as yourself, even untrained as you are the power you could one day achieve... is frightening. Though if we had not aided you, your fate would have been sealed" She finished with a calm tone, like one might use on a child.

"So I won?" He asked in shock, "I remember fighting him but it all goes blank after a while"

"You tore the Tartarean free, the resulting loss of the domain was devastating for him but was nearly fatal for you. Tartarus couldn't remain stable given his injuries and loss in power and he will likely take hundreds of years to reform." She said, shaking her head slowly, "To think that after their betrayal we would wait nearly two thousand years only for our savior to be one of their children." She smirked.

"So I killed him, I get that part, but what do you mean the loss of a domain was nearly fatal?" He asked curiously.

"That is the question, isn't it Perseus.. We could barely keep you alive before he cursed you, an interesting choice on his part, not even as strong as you are, could you have survived inheriting a domain. Especially a domain like the Tartarean, it is nothing like the seas above, The Tartarean is primal. It embodies the darkest of natures within sea, the energy alone would have torn your body asunder if we had not used most of our remaining energy to keep you alive." she finished with a grin.

"Why are you smiling!? This isn't fucking funny!" he shouted out in anger.

"I smile, Perseus, because you will die soon, your wounds are great and our energy is not endless. Yet we will still share a bond, cursed as you are, no bodily injury will be enough to end your life, you will live again. Which lends hope that together we can find a way to end both of our hopeless situations. However the curse comes at a great cost, one which you yourself will fear above all else." She said sadly.

His mouth went dry if that was even possible underwater as he stared at her. "She's dead, Tartarus already took her from me… what more could he take?" He asked miserably, the weight of his guilt over her death and anger at the primordial felt like a fist clenched in his stomach.

"The memory remains, make no mistake, he can and will take that from you little one. It will start slowly at first, but over time you will lose more and more of yourself to the void should you die. Mortal souls are not meant to come back from the brink, there are terrible downsides; Memories, both good and bad will be burned from you. Purged like a sickness" She said flatly without emotion, but her eyes looked at him pityingly.

"No….. NO!" he screamed as he looked at her, his heart racing at the thought as he struggled to think of every memory of her he could, trying to see if he had already forgotten things.

"Fear not Perseus, as of now your soul is intact and shall remain as such until you leave this place. But we offer you a choice, he cursed you to walk alone, your gods cursed us to suffer in silence as we were bound and enslaved. We offer an alliance, one of mutual benefit. We helped you to kill Tartarus, now let us help you to free us all from this accursed realm and all its foulness." she said as she stepped forwards, floating in the water before him, looking up at him from her shorter height.

Shock still raced through his mind, "How would I even help you, I'm not a God and I'm currently dying in Tartarus while my mind is trapped here by you." He said trying to force himself awake as the gravity of his situation had begun to set in.

"Yet the domain is still yours for the taking, you are a prince of the seas. Not only that but you took it from him once, it has and will answer your call, even mortal as you are. The pain will be immeasurable and for anyone else a death sentence. However courtesy of your curse you are for lack of a better word, 'immortal' but at the same time very much mortal. So while it will hurt, pain like you have never felt, i have faith you will survive the process. No such mortal has ever had the luck, good or bad, to have been in the position you are in now, it makes you unique Perseus." she said.

"So you want me to die painfully, and possibly take on a domain for what? What do you get out of this?" He asked cautiously.

"In time you will see the truth, but for now we ask for nothing. We offer you instead a path to take, one which will, we hope, lead to both our freedom and your salvation" She said with a smile, before her mood changed in an instant. "We offer a way to get her back"

He froze as he opened his mouth. He had been about to tell her off, to go find some other half wit to help her. But the mere mention that she might not be lost to him forever had him caught, hook line and sinker.

"H-How" he croaked out, doing his best not to tremble.

"You have seen it in action once, Perseus, the Magic with which you called to us, the Magic with which Tartarus cursed you. Mere words to some, however for those with true power in their blood, almost nothing is beyond their abilities" She grinned ferally showing her teeth. "We can show you how, you would only lack the power itself to bend the magic to your will. The Tartarean can provide that" she said as the sea responded to her speech, pillars of flaming water shooting out of the ground all around him, boiling the water and casting a fierce green glow across everything.

"It'll bring her back? Just like she was?" He asked quietly.

"Yes Perseus, we swear that we have spoken no lies to you, upon the creator herself." the goddess said solemnly as a bell-like sound tolled out in the distance. Echoing for what seemed like an eternity. "We will teach you the words, but you must muster the power and you must channel it to your will" she said gravely.

"You shall be our champion, in mind and body. A Prince of The Tartarean, the sole inheritor to the Primal Sea. The power it held at its fullest would rival that of your father. As it stands what we can provide you shall suffice and you will use that power to change the world as you see fit, of this we have no doubt. No laws shall restrain you and the wrongs of two thousand years may finally be righted." she called out joyously.

A moments hesitation, he knew that this was treason, consorting with enemies of Olympus, and for the briefest of moments he thought he would hold firm, but then he opened his mouth."Teach me…. I'll do what you want, please…. I need her back. I can't do this without her…." he said, his voice wavering at the thought of an eternity without the love of his life.

"You will make us proud Perseus." she said, her voice throbbing with emotion, "When the time is right, you will know what words to say, the power of the Tartaren will answer your call." her voice rang out into the darkness. "I Εκδίκηση, eldest of the Tartarii, Lady Of Vengeance give you my blessing! I hope for your sake that the pain this will bring you shall be fleeting" she said solemnly.

He felt his body surge with energy, like his muscles had been supercharged. His eyes widened as he felt like he had just eaten an entire cake of ambrosia. But what followed it was worse, like he was exploding from the inside out. The pain of the goddess' mental assault earlier paled in comparison. His organs felt like they were ripping themselves apart, as he froze in agony. The symbol on his chest started to swirl faster as he roared out. The pain slowly receded to a dull ache that oozed from every muscle and bone in his body as he started to shake.

"Tartarus was a fool to invoke such magic, he must have suspected what you were, knowing the consequences of this as well as any." She snarled, her eyes literally exploding into balls of green fire as she watched him, her face contorted into a twisted hate filled visage. "I will rend him and the rest of the gods who have dared to swear themselves falsely by my river apart Limb from limb. But first I shall take my domains back from my sister as painfully as possible for her betrayal."

His eyes went wide at the implication of her words, " you called yourself the First Lady of Vengeance, so the Styx used to belong to you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm even though he felt fear at the waves of power that emanated from Εκδίκηση. His body was still wracked by the pain of the power building inside him.

"Yes, it was once mine and it will be mine again, once I have the strength I will tear my domains back from her just as you took the Tartarean from Tartarus." she declared with venom.

"How is that even possible? It goes against the Fates, for fucks sake its against the Ancient Laws!" he shouted in disbelief. True to her declaration, her mood changed as quickly as the sea, from raging one minute, to holding her hand in front of her mouth as she giggled at him. "You are so certain that the Fates are all powerful, that the beings who view you as inferior will follow the rules as they claim that you should? Not everything is so simple, like your curse, sadly."

"So im going to die? And then what?" He asked in a deadpan voice as he looked at the grinning goddess.

"You concern yourself too much with things of little consequence, Perseus, you are capable of so much more than that, my little 'παλιό αίμα'. There are not many who could have done what you did, not many who would have survived what came after." the woman called out as she moved right up against him. Her hands splayed across his chest as her eyes crackled with flames, her obsidian orbs now rimmed with green fire as she looked straight into his sea green ones.

"W-w-what?" he stuttered, feeling his cheeks flush as the undeniably beautiful woman grinned ferally while she looked at his face. That phrase had been in Greek and it took him less than five seconds to reply with "What do you mean; Old Blood?" Her grin widened as she pushed him away and floated slightly above his head, glaring down at him as she spread her arms wide and gestured to the doors behind him. "I have seen your memories little one, we all have, the pact you forged with us has bound our power with yours and we have seen what you have seen. There is much that you and those around you have failed to notice. A lifetime of adventure experienced in the span of a few short years, yet you drew no suspicion" She mused.

"Then again your Gods have grown lax in the few thousand years we have been imprisoned, they let one of your kin escape and I doubt they suspected one like you would ever awaken, if they even knew what you were that is." she said as she watched him, her eyes flashing as he noticed her teeth were all pointed, sharp like fangs. His face must have given away his confusion at that statement as she merely laughed once more and continued to speak.

"Have you never wondered why you were so much stronger, faster or more powerful?" she inquired as she tilted her head to one side slightly, her lips tugged into a slight smile, her eyes watched him. "You defeated a God of War as a child, did that not raise questions?"

"He fought me in the ocean… he made a mistake…" He said in confusion, struggling to stay conscious as he felt a great weariness replacing his earlier energy.

"Wrong my little demigod" she said with a feral grin. "You are much more than your Godly relatives would believe, much more than any God could ever hope to achieve. You are παλιό αίμα."

"Old Blood? Why do you keep calling me that" He asked, confused. She spoke in Greek but her voice rang with a strange power, like a whisper of wind.

"I call you Old Blood in honor of those who came before you, a legacy of great warriors. It is a title you are well within your rights to claim, Perseus. It has been Millennia since one of your bloodline has stood before us, the last one we saw was the traitor who caged us." She almost hissed as she spoke, "I suspect great pains were taken to hide your true lineage from the Gods, otherwise your life would have been forfeit." She finished casually as she inspected him, her eyes were like those of a predator, searching for weakness.

"My family are the gods! My father is King of the Sea! What in Hades name are you talking about!?" he replied, his voice thick with anger, "You say the Gods Slaughtered my people but I'm here, well sort of, because according to you I'm also dead. But that's besides the point!" He shouted angrily, finishing by leveling a withering glare at her. despite the pain in his chest he did his best not to flinch as his vision grew fuzzy for a second.

"You are not wrong, your father is King of the Sea, an Olympian and a powerful one at that. Honorable and just, but reckless and wrathful just like the sea. However the blood of Gods is not the only bloodline from which you are a descendant." She said slowly as she descended to the sea floor. Stopping when she once more floated in front of him. "Our time grows short Perseus" she said, placing her hand on his chest, over the mark which had begun to burn and swirl at an alarming rate, the feeling of pain returning to his extremities and limbs slowly.

"Have you never questioned who your mother really is? How a woman of apparently simple birth attracted the God of the Sea and convinced him quickly to break a vow he had kept faithfully until meeting her?" The goddess asked casually.

"Why are you bringing her into this? They were in love!?" he asked, his voice thick with pain and confusion.

The water around him began to swirl slowly as she moved closer to him. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she leaned in close to his ear. The edges of his vision began to blur and the shadows began to lengthen.

"How incredibly lucky that your mother just happened to be true sighted, how incredible that she hid your scent with that of a simple mortal. That the gods failed to notice the power lurking in your blood" She whispered.

"You have the potential to tear this world apart my παλιό αίμα, But first you must survive the trials that await you, Tartarus beckons demigod. The gift of power, courtesy of your mother and her lineage, along with that of the Tartarean can help you save them all. but you must first accept it." She finished, her voice soft, as her finger traced the side of his jaw.

"My mother's bloodline?" He asked incredulously, grabbing at her wrist and looking her dead in the eyes.

"Your blood reeks of an old, forgotten magic child, there is no mistaking it, you are Ardwyr. The first in a thousand years or more. It simply stands to reason that if your father is a God then your mother's blood is where you inherited this power." she declared with no hint of doubt in her voice.

He opened his mouth to ask a question but she leveled a look at him that told him to be silent. "Your time grows short and after we help you with her, we will be too weak to reach out to you for some while. You will find answers to your questions young one, and we shall guide the way" she said calmly as he pried her hand free and laid it on his forehead, her strength was immense compared to his and she brushed his arm out of the way like one would swat a fly.

"There are many questions we wish to answer for you, but time is short. So this will suffice for now. You have been denied your birthright far too long, locked away behind your mothers magic, intent on saving you no doubt. But perhaps it is time for you to experience your inheritance to its fullest extent." With that said, her hands began to glow with light.

"We are bound, you, my sisters and I. We will heed your call παλιό αίμα, The Tartarii will be waiting for you, you will need our power if you are to survive what is to come." she finished as a searing pain erupted in his head and hundreds of images were burned into his mind.

The whole of the world was aflame as he watched, innumerable cities and souls cried out in pain as he was forced to bear witness to their deaths. Marching across the lands were armies, thousands in number they fought in battles which left bloody scars miles across disfiguring the beauty of the landscape.

Leading these armies were Gods, some he recognized and others he did not. Dozens if not hundreds of them, cleaving paths of destruction amongst the mortal and monster armies.

He saw Zeus fighting some strange wolf headed creature and watched as the king of the gods laid waste to everything around him with lighting, Dozens died in an instant, mortal and monster alike. Skeletal Legion's summoned by Hades poured forth from the ground as jackal creatures wielding weapons of black obsidian crashed into the front lines of the army, bones of blood flying in equal measure.

Then a bone chilling sound echoed in his mind, a hunting horn roaring out across the plain, as thundering across the sky came thirteen riders, wreathed in a storm of snow and ice, their horses screaming like hellions as they chomped at their bits and snorted.

The knights rode forwards, their armor rimmed with frost as they began chanting in a strange language. Unleashing blasts of what could only be described as utter chaos, the warriors landed amidst a maelstrom of frost and snow, magical explosions of fire, bolts of lighting, even what appeared to be some sort mist, which seemed to kill just about everything it touched.

Anything that stood before them fell, crushed under hoof, slain by sword or axe, or laid low by magic. Each warrior was an army unto themselves, blurs amidst the horde of gathered warriors, No single soul could stand against them, and so like a scythe though the knights cut through the hosts of the Gods, while the immortals watched in horror. Legions of monsters and men practically withering away in their place as the riders tore through them"

The scene changed and he watched as before him knelt seven Gods, behind him thirteen great runestones stood tall, crackling with arcane magic. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades all stood out clearly at the front, Flanking them on the left were a pair of bird headed men, incredibly tanned and muscular they watched warily as two other human looking gods knelt on the other side of the Greeks. Hands twitching for their weapons, one of them appeared to be an old man with gray hair and a beard. Clutching a large spear in one hand while two ravens sat upon his shoulders. And an eyepatch covering one of his eyes and part of his scar ridden face. The other was a man of immense stature and size, his hair and beard a golden color. His hand clutched at a hammer as his sky blue eyes locked with those of Zeus, a look of utter hatred clouding his fair features.

Thirteen knights, still cloaked, and armored, stood in front of the Gods, their bodies wreathed in magic as the Tartarii took the oaths of the Immortals. Weapons were thrown down and with a final glance the Gods were prepared to leave when disaster struck.

One of the knights drew his sword and turned on his allies, striking them down with brutal efficiency. The Tartarii watched in horror as the knights were forced to flee before the onslaught of magic the lone figure unleashed. Giving ground and calling out in confusion to their companion, not understanding the betrayal until it was too late.

He raised his hand with the seven gods joining him, as the Tartarii were locked in a ring of glowing light. Looks of outrage and horror crossed their features as they struggled weakly trying to escape. They screamed out as one "NOKIRR!" as heavy chains erupted from the ground and seized them, latching around their wrists and feet as the chains began to drag them underground.

The twelve remaining knights attempted to put up a fight, but the lone figure merely spoke a few words in that strange language, the air shimmering with power as they seemed to vanish. A gust of icy wind swept the field and in its wake nothing remained of the twelve great warriors. Within moments the Goddesses were gone as well, All that remained were thirteen runestones which hummed with power, Covered in strange runic markings.

The Gods began to converse with one another as the scene faded to black, instead being replaced by a world of flat gray hues. Like a painting with all the color bled out. He walked the streets of some city, the dead piled high, blood running in the gutters as the bodies lay scattered carelessly where they had fallen. Their blank eyes locked in an endless stare as a strange whisper began to echo around him. Their mouths opened as the rasp of the dead speaking rose into the air.

"Ishtar Ardwyr, Ishtar et Vorad Naroth'' the voices cried out in the wind, that same strange language setting a fire in his blood as it screamed out in recognition. "Awaken Ardwyr, Awaken and seize your birthright." the voices called out as like a key turning in a lock he suddenly understood.

He could feel the calls of the dead, their prayers for vengeance and justice, anger boiled in his veins and he didn't even know why, but the thought of these souls suffering while their killers lived and remained unpunished. It drove him wild, his teeth gritted so hard he felt as if they would shatter.

"Awaken Ardwyr, Awaken and seize your birthright" the voices cried out again and again, thousands of screams swirling around him as the darkness which had hovered at the edges of his vision finally overcame him and he faded into a restless oblivion.

Authors Note:

Alright that was a bit of a bitch to write, From this point onwards almost anything Spoken in this strange language will be "Bolded and Italics" just for ease of use because for the next few chapters its all from Percy's point of view and I don't want to write dialogue multiple times, call me lazy. Funny enough this chapter was supposed to be added onto the end of last chapter and it kind of became a full chapter in and of itself.

Yes more info on the mysterious Tartarii and the Godly Pantheon(s)? Also I'd like to state at this point anyone hoping Nyx is gonna give Percy shadow powers, not gonna happen.

There will still be a normal update on Friday. Been waiting to write these chapters for a while now. Rather excited if I do say so myself.

Anyhow, its late, hope you enjoyed the read, Until next time!