Chapter Thirteen: The Wolf and The Sea
Comment Responses:
Posaitan: I agree with you completely, Memories are what make you who you are. However I can assure you that I am trying to keep Percy as "In Character" as possible given the circumstances. If i wanted to write a story with a murder hobo Percy Jackson I would, But this isn't it, So fear not! (But a Percy Kills the Riordianverse homage to deadpool could be fun to write)
Lycaon1096: And I love you for reviewing! ;D
But seriously, thanks for the review, it always cheers me up to see what someone thinks, good or bad, about my writing. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Guest: Chapter 10 is in Italics because it occurs in Percy's mind, you'll notice across several of the chapters of the story so far and moving forwards, whenever a character speaks with something in their mind, or goes through an out of body experience/dream i use italics. Hope that clears it up.
Percy, Day Seventeen In Tartarus
The great hall of the castle was incredibly large, Percy would have guessed it was at least the size of a football field. How this place was even still standing he had no idea, the roof was filled with holes, as were the walls. Yet it remained standing somehow, columns supported vast arches and upper balconies that looked down on the central room. Which contained a raised dais, Percy would have guessed a throne used to sit there but then again maybe not.
The whole place was filled with the rubble from the damaged building itself, and broken statues, giving the whole place a very abandoned creepy vibe. It was also noticeably damp inside, the smell of mold and decay hung strongly in the air. The most dominant feature was a large stained glass window that depicted some sort of religious scene he would have to guess. But he couldn't make heads or tails of it, it looked old though.
Annabeth would know more he thought to himself, almost grinning for an instant before he clamped down on that thought. Shoving it far to the back of his mind, he couldn't afford to be distracted, one wrong move and he might not even remember that she liked architecture. Fuck he might not remember his own name.
The rumbling growl Umbra was emitting dragged Percy's attention back to the large wolf. Umbra swatted at a pile of rubble as he charged Percy, throwing a spray of rubble into the air between them. Percy's eyes flared green within this helmet as he dove behind a column on the right side of the room. His senses stretched out as he mentally kept track of where Umbra was.
Avoiding the spray of rocks with seconds to spare, his mind was already making plans for a counter attack, followed by his battle honed senses kicked in. In moments Percy was sprinting headlong at Umbra, dashing out from behind the pillar and racing at the son of Nyx.
His arms pumping, Percy rushed towards Umbra, the wolf's massive shaggy bulk taking up nearly all of his vision as he could hear his breath rattling inside his helmet. With a roar Umbra turned, twin orbs of red fire locking onto Percy as his muscles coiled and tightened. Then he lunged forwards, closing the distance towards Percy in an instant as his mouth opened wide.
In the instant Umbra's mouth shot open, Percy dove to the left. His arms and legs scrabbling at the cracked and weathered stone floor as he rolled underneath Umbra's paws, The wolf in question skidding past him and crashing through the pillar and into the wall around the door. The collision caused the whole castle structure to shake, dust raining from the ceiling and bits of rubble crashing into the already ruined floor.
Percy came to his feet in a low stance, his hands spread wide and feet apart as he stared down Umbra, His back was now towards the back of the keep which hung over the edge of the cliff.
"You move fast Herald, but your reflexes won't win this fight for you" Umbra growled out as he stalked forwards, the floor crunching under the pads of his paws.
Percy honestly wasn't sure how Nyx expected him to beat this guy, Umbra was big by most monster standards and was easily a match for any one of the Giants themselves, Fuck Umbra probably outweighed a few of em' put together.
He was backing up, carefully avoiding the now measured swipes that Umbra was taking at him as the wolf stalked closer. He was trying to pin Percy against a wall, remove his ability to avoid the crushing and painful death those jaws and teeth promised.
Umbra's red eyes glowed briefly as the shadows around him flared out, darkness filling the room in an instant as Umbra surged forwards. A whirlwind of claws and snapping teeth. Percy fell back under the onslaught, his armor saving him from several glancing blows from claws as Percy was more focused on trying to avoid Umbra's teeth.
The wolf was fast, Percy had to give him that, faster than any hellhound he had ever fought. Umbra was practically a blur when he started moving, almost appearing in front of Percy before his paw would swing out with enough force to rip his head from his shoulders.
Percy was mentally cursing everyone and anyone under the sun as he threw himself backwards into a tucked roll and just narrowly avoided the next claw swipe which ripped a pillar from its foundations as easily as one might pluck a blade of grass.
An explosion of dust and debris filled the air as the pillar slammed into a wall a few dozen feet away. The force of Umbra's blow, lifted the whole pillar up into the air and threw it at the wall like a missile. With a snarl the Umbra looked for Percy in vain, having lost sight of him in the middle of the cloud of dust and debris he had stirred up with his reckless attack. something Percy was all too willing to take advantage of.
Percy had to admit he was a little more tired than he would have liked to be, but then again he had already been half dead when he fought Tartarus. So maybe he could deal with a few aches and pains while he fought. A few weeks prior if anyone had told him that he would fight all three gorgons at once and then a god after hiking up a mountain, he would have laughed in their face.
The Fates were a load of shit, he thought miserably, as he tried to think of a way to actually hurt this thing with his bare hands. His fists alone wouldn't do it, so that meant it was time to start playing at being a God as he called upon his powers.
His eyes flared green as he called on the moisture in the air, the damp castle was as he had hoped filled with moisture and within seconds streams of water flowed through the air towards him. A furious roar and what sounded like an entire stampede headed his way notified Percy that Umbra had figured out which pillar he was hiding behind.
The sound of Umbra charging grew so loud he could feel his teeth click with each impact of the wolf's massive paws. However his efforts were not without reason, he had gathered a ball of water the size of a small car. Pulled from the bricks, the air, his sweat, anything he could get his hands on.
He could feel Umbra getting closer, sensing the ichor pumping through the Gods' veins as he ran at Percy. Who waited until the last possible moment before he spun and launched the condensed water like a massive fist around the side of the pillar he had been hiding behind.
The blast connected with Umbra's chest as the wolf flipped sideways and slammed through the pillar tumbling down to the floor as he pawed at his chest and wheezed. Then a series of firework-like bangs went off, followed by the sound of shattering as bits and pieces of masonry rained down on Percy's head from above.
He craned his head back to look up and grinned underneath his helmet, a plan forming already.
One of the remaining support pillars had cracked under the stress inflicted by Umbra knocking the other ones out like a bowling pin. Percy ran towards the final pillar for the upper level they were underneath, his heart hammering in his chest as he could feel Umbra rising and resuming the chase hot on his heels as he committed to this mad dash.
Reaching the pillar moments ahead of Umbra, Percy dropped to one knee sliding as he did so and slammed both his hands into the floor as he passed by the pillar. The ground around him rippled like water for an instant as he channeled his Earth shaker powers.
The second Percy had turned around, he had a perfect view of Umbra charging towards him, Then the floor rippled like water and Umbra stumbled in his chase. A growl erupted from the massive wolf's throat if only for a second, until a large section of floor fell through the air and shattered across Umbra's back.
The pillar's collapse had caved in an entire section of roof, a large section of the upper level and balconies along with it, Percy tumbled clear of the wreckage, coughing and dust covered. Umbra however was half buried by the rubble, and with a series of pained crunches and yelps he was hidden from view underneath a large section of ceiling.
Not one to waste an opportunity Percy stood up quickly, rushing back towards the pile of rubble, already channeling energy back into his weary arms as he prepared to drop a metaphorical bomb on top of the pinned wolf.
That's what he had wanted to do, However a sudden rumble portrayed that imminent change of those plans. The sound was followed immediately by Umbra's paw shooting out of the pile of rocks and batting him across the room like a ping pong ball. He soared through the air, a wordless scream torn out of his mouth as he slammed into the wall at the end of the hall, 'definitely a few broken ribs' he thought to himself with a groan. Falling forwards and dropping several feet to land on his chest.
Percy's head felt like he had just thrown it inside a blender, everything was spinning as he heard the smash of rocks hitting the stone floor, followed by the sound of a massive bulk shifting.
"You are going to die slowly, Herald. I will eat your heart while it is still beating in your chest!" Umbra growled out in pain as he walked forwards, his once pristine black coat streaked with ichor and dust. A murderous look in his eyes as he locked gazes with Percy.
"As much fun as that sounds, unfortunately for you I'm rather hard to kill" Percy grunted in pain as he stood up from the floor, his cuirass torn clean through on his left side, a grouping of deep gashes into his side seeped blood as Percy stumbled to his feet.
Percy felt the familiar sting in his mind as the curse's magic took its toll, the wound was nothing serious, but it didn't matter, not to the magic and not to this thing that would kill him as many times as the curse would bring him back until he figured out a way to end him. Unfortunately, unless Umbra mangled his body the curse acted fast enough for Percy to have a chance.
Umbra let loose a growl that shook the building and charged across the hall back towards Percy, who for his part, sort of had the big brute figured out. Rushing back towards the larger foe, Percy ran in an almost perfect straight line, until the last second.
He faked a step to the left and then threw his body the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding the massive paw that slammed into the ground, as he twisted his body, the claws missing him by inches as he moved past Umbra's large head.
Percy flashed a grin under his helmet as his eyes took on a fierce green glow. His body filled with energy as he gathered that force into his left hand. Umbra was mid leap and had no way of adjusting in time.
"My Turn!" Percy cried out as he launched his fist into the side of Umbra's muzzle, just above his canine teeth. Swinging around like a wrecking ball as he put his entire body into the punch, his fist collided with the wolf's muzzle, a bang like a cannon shot sounded off as both Percy and Umbra were flung in different directions.
Percy slammed into the ground, his shoulder screaming in protest as the muscles in his shoulder tore. Flipping over onto his stomach and standing quickly Percy got a good view of Umbra flying through the air, his upper jaw crooked and one of his large canine teeth spinning away from him.
The force of the punch drained so much of his energy that he actually felt his knees wobble for an instant. Meanwhile Umbra slammed into the wall and blew a hole the size of a small house in it as he soared out into the courtyard. The tooth slammed into the wall and embedded itself there, several feet off the floor, a two foot long blade like piece of bone, jagged and cracked.
Percy's left shoulder felt strange, like his arm was a wet noodle attached to his body with a loose piece of string. But he struggled back to his feet, his arm swinging by his side as he walked towards the hole in the wall.
Smoke and rubble filled the courtyard as Percy stepped onto the pile of rubble in front of the hole and looked down on several dozen Hellhounds, sitting or standing on nearly every surface as they watched the struggle between two apex predators.
Umbra struggled back to his feet, Ichor dripping from his ruined mouth as he turned his hate filled eyes on Percy, slinking low to the ground in a crouch he waited, his lips rolled back to reveal his missing tooth, not that it made the sight any less fearsome.
"Perhaps you are more than you seem Herald" Umbra snarled in his direction, his paws kneading the courtyard grounds as the muscles in his body tensed like a spring.
"So I've been told" Percy replied casually, his eyes flaring green once more under the helmet as he willed the moisture in the air to form a sort of sleeve over his shattered left arm and shoulder. Solid like a cast, yet still flexible he raised his arm and tested out his water brace before nodding to himself and looking down on Umbra, beckoning him onwards.
Umbra ran forwards, his jaw opening wide as he glared at Percy, who responded by jumping up above the wolf, channeling the powers of his fathers as he lashed out with the coiled water around his arm. Like a blast from a cannon a stream of highly condensed and rapidly moving water slammed into Umbra. The force of the blast drove him face first into the pile of rubble near the house sized hole in the wall Umbra had left.
The wolf slammed into the ground and flipped onto his side, his momentum dragging him forwards as Percy flew past him. Umbra's charge quickly ended up as a slide into the wall of the castle, finishing with a resounding boom, as the God yelped in pain. Before quickly whipping around and snarling at Percy once more, flaps of skin on his face and body had been ripped off by a combination of the high pressure water and what was effectively road rash.
Umbra looked at him as the shadows around the massive hound flared up, his broken jaw opened revealing a mouth big enough to swallow him whole. Then he howled.
The sound blew both of Percy's eardrums as he was launched off his feet backwards towards the gatehouse, away from the castle. Hitting the ground hard enough to skip off it and bounce again before sliding to a stop around fifty feet from the wolf.
All around him, hundreds of growls and snarls filled the air as the shadows were filled with floating pairs of red eyes. Watching the battle, waiting to see who they would call lord.
Spitting blood from his mouth Percy tried to shake the strange ringing from his ears with little success, however something must have been fatal or severe enough to trigger his curse as it flared up. Causing his vision to blur for an instant as he fought off the cursed magic.
His blood searing in his veins as he struggled to remain conscious
"Perhaps I was mistaken" Umbra chuckled as he limped towards Percy, his front leg was in bad shape, the bone jutting out from his knee as ichor poured in a steady stream down the wolf's black fur. Every word the wolf said sounded like it came from far away as the ringing in his ears persisted.
"You put up a good fight but it won't matter, once I kill you it will be over and not only will the pack be mine but your claim on the Tartarean will be as well!" Umbra roared as his paw swung out and slammed into Percy, launching him through the air back towards the castle.
He clipped one of the fountains, smashing through the sculpture that adorned the top of it in a spray of dust and rubble, before slamming off the ground. Blood exploded in his vision, the inside of his helmet was drenched with it.
"THIS IS THE CHAMPION OF NYX? THIS IS WHAT SHE SENT TO CHALLENGE ME!?" Umbra roared out to the Hellhounds, letting loose another howl with cracked and tore away at the already crumbling castle walls and foundations, the sound alone was powerful enough to send loose rubble flying around the castle courtyard like little cruise missiles, as several pieces of rubble slammed into the ground near Percy, luckily none turned him into a red smear.
Several hellhounds took up the howl alongside their lord, as Percy laid face down on the ground. He couldn't feel his legs or his mangled arm. Blood was pouring out of his mouth and every breath was a struggle. His armor was a ruined mess, his body twitching as the curse mark ravaged his mind, The burning sensation in the back of his skull turned into an inferno as black smoke poured from the mark on his chest, the smell of burning skin filling his nostrils. His vision went black:
He saw himself sitting on a bus beside a funny kid in a rasta hat, they were laughing when suddenly a piece of peanut butter sandwich soared out and hit the kid in the face. A rage filled his chest as he turned to yell at someone….
With a gag he tried not to throw up as the taste of bile filled his mouth, then he groaned, his vision returning blurred as tears streamed down his face. He mentally ran his checklist through his head; Annabeth, Grover, Mom, Paul, Piper, Frank, Leo, Hazel….. The list continued on for several seconds in his head and he couldn't think of anyone he had missed, wincing at the stupidity of the idea that he would even remember.
He could feel his wounds closing, the jagged claw wounds stitching themselves shut, his back realigning with a series of cracks and pops. Tears rolled down his face both in pain and at the thought that something else that was now lost to him for good, and he had no idea what it was. That feeling was quickly replaced by anger, and a thirst for vengeance like he had felt only once before, when he had been in that dreamlike state, enforced by the Tartarii.
Percy stood, his wounds, having almost closed completely as he felt the muscles in his arm pop back into place. Giving his shoulder a few experimental rolls he decided he was good to go. The air around him was shimmering like a heat wave was in effect as the green aura surged into existence, casting light around him in a small area as he calmly studied Umbra.
Percy reached out and drew on the powers his father had left him, drawing the moisture in the air towards him as he gathered it into two roughly human sized blobs and hurled them at umbra. Condensing the water as much as he was able to before impact.
Umbra was busy grinning wolfishly to himself and his pack when two blasts of water slammed into his head, stunning him. The blasts knocked him clean off of his feet and onto his side for a moment while he sputtered and struggled, looking around in a fury to see Percy. Who stood calmly, at the otherside of the courtyard, wreathed in green energy as the hellhounds around him quailed in fear.
"Wha-... you were dead, what kind of trickery is this!?' Umbra roared out, stalking towards Percy with anger evident in every step.
Percy waited for a moment, watching the wolf god walk towards him before the thought of what this foul thing could have cost him forced a growl of rage from his throat. Dozens of voices in his head screaming for vengeance as he found himself agreeing with them. Umbra went to charge forwards but Percy wasn't having any of that. His fist slammed into the ground, reminiscent of the move he used against the Gorgons, a massive cloud of dust and shrapnel flew out around him as Umbra leapt backwards to avoid the blast.
Percy rushed forwards, leaping as he did so, aiming for where his senses told him Umbra's face would be. Umbra seemingly taken aback by his straight forward approach, not moving but instead he stood ready as he examined the cloud of dust. However he clearly hadn't been expecting Percy to emerge from it nearly eight feet off the ground. Nor did Umbra seem ready for the kick that connected with the side of his head, courtesy of Percy.
Umbra's head snapped to one side, the large wolf stumbling as Percy fell and landed on the ground with a grunt and an awkward tumble. His eyes crackled with energy as he looked up at the massive wolf. Percy wanted Vengeance, The Voices wanted Vengeance, and he would get it Pound of flesh by pound of bloody fucking flesh.
Umbra swung several times, his large paws missing Percy by inches as he moved around perfectly, his senses in tune with the moisture in the air once more as he had no intentions of letting Umbra hurt him again, each blow he saw coming from miles away as he quickly maneuvered himself to stand with Umbra between him and the castle.
Umbra couldn't so much as lay a claw on him as Percy watched him grow more and more furious, the gods strikes becoming wilder and more frenzied. Percy's eyes crackled with energy as he continued his advance on Umbra, throwing short jabs and always staying right on top of the wolf as he forced him to retreat towards the ruined castle. Umbra was careful, his jaw was mostly useless at this point after the repeated blows and he didn't seem to want to risk another as he mainly used his claws, attempting to gut Percy with swipe after swipe.
With each fierce swing, Percy would evade backwards before rushing in and launching into an assault, forcing Umbra backwards away from him. It was exhausting, his body felt like it was made of lead weights, but it was working, the wolf was slow due to his injuries and Percy's had healed for the most part.
Soon they stood right underneath the building, heavily cloaked in shadow as Umbra seemed to realize Percy had driven him backwards into a trap of sorts. He drew himself up to his full height, preparing to let loose a howl once more.
"Oh no you fucking don't!" Percy shouted as he lunged for Umbra's throat the second he reared his head back. Seeing Percy move so quickly Umbra seemed to decide that perhaps using his jaws was a better idea than howling anyway. Quickly transitioning to a lunging bite as Percy looked like he wouldn't be able to evade it.
However, Percy grit his teeth and threw his left arm out above his head as he went into a baseball slide, charging up the energy in both his legs as he did so. Then white hot pain filled every inch of his being as Umbra's mangled jaw closed on his left arm, teeth sinking clean through the muscle and bone. Severing tendons and shattering his forearm, yet he was lucky, if Umbra's jaw had been in working condition he probably wouldn't have a left arm below the elbow anymore. Percy grunted in pain as he did his best to tense his stomach and coil his legs underneath him as he leaded as far back as he could.
"Happy Landings" Percy said with a pained smile as his shoulder made contact with the ground, his free arm spread out flat to help balance him. then using his mangled arm, still in Umbras jaws as leverage, he kicked out with both legs and connected with Umbra's chest.
The Ground underneath Percy shattered like glass, a web of cracks that ran out nearly ten feet in every direction in an instant, the impact on his back and shoulders alone felt like the sky had been dropped on him again for an instant as Percy nearly passed out from the pain. Umbra's teeth were ripped clean out of his arm, leaving jagged wounds that were already pouring out blood at an alarming rate.
Umbra himself sailed through the air for a short distance before slamming through the wall of the castle, albeit much higher up than his previous hole. A series of crashes and bangs followed the wolf's descent as, from the sounds of it. He smashed through several pillars, balconies and other pieces of stonework during his descent back to the floor.
Umbra landed with a thunderous roar, the entire castle structure shook, dust rained from the ceilings and stones fell from the roof. Standing up, his face still twisted in anger, Percy ran towards the hole in the wall, Practically vaulting through the first hole Umbra had made in the building.
The inside was filled with dust, the air itself hard to breathe, not that it mattered to Percy, he was so enraged, driven half insane by the pain and the voices in his head. He could see the wolf just fine, lying in the middle of the room, a small lake of Ichor forming around it as Umbra struggled to stand.
"How does it feel, Umbra?" Percy called out as he walked towards the wall opposite Umbra, reaching up and yanking on the canine tooth that was still embedded there. Ripping it free of the wall as he stumbled back slightly, making sure to grip the canine firmly in his blood soaked right hand as he turned around and stumbled back in the direction of Umbra.
"Y-You have not won yet Herald, I still have the strength in me to rip the flesh from your bones." Umbra growled out as he swung his head back and forth, trying to spot Percy among the haze of dust in the air.
Percy sped up, moving from a slow walk, to a jog and then a flat out sprint as he ran at the Wolf, clutching the canine in his hands as he reached out with his senses.
Umbra heard him coming, his head whipping in Percy's direction as he jumped clear of the dust cloud several feet in the air, headed right for Umbra's head.
The Wolf God in question went to spin about, opening his mouth wide. However a look of shock crossed his features as the wolf's body refused to move in response to his commands. It was as if he was trying to fight through molasses, or run in setting concrete. Percy's eyes flared green as he struggled to hold the wolf in place. His grip on the Gods ichor was causing him physical pain as his skin steamed, his body straining to not explode at the seams from all the power he was burning through.
Umbra was putting up a good fight, several tones of monster straining with every muscle against him. However, Instead of breaking free, or shaking off Percy's hold on his ichor. Umbra just stood there dumbly for a second, A deep growl resonating from his chest as he struggled against the powers restraining him. Barely moving an inch as Percy called out. Sailing through the air as he did so "You're looking tired big guy, here have some shut eye"
Then Percy drove the canine tooth into Umbra's right eye, his muscles screaming in protest as he slammed the weapon home, a deluge of ichor and clear fluid rushed over his hands arms and chest as Umbra reared back in blind pain, his head snapping back and forth as he tried in vain to get the fang out of his eye.
The violent shaking of Umbra's head dislodged Percy and he was thrown several feet tumbling across the floor to finish sliding on his back, around twenty feet away from the maddened God. Umbra was in the process of dragging his face along the floor, trying to remove the fang from his eye, but only succeeding in driving it deeper in.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH! WHEN I GET MY CLAWS ON YOU HERALD!" Umbra screamed in rage, his flailing knocking down walls, pillars and almost everything else within the castle as the whole building groaned under the strain.
The rage in his chest had just kept building over the last few minutes, it actually felt like his chest was on fire as the voices screaming for vengeance in his mind reached a peak. One rising above all the rest for an instant as the voice of Εκδίκηση cut through the din of everything else.
"STRIKE HIM DOWN HERALD, KILL THE OATHBREAKER!" She roared, her voice filled with glee and desire.
Percy stood, walking towards the wolf as he was wreathed in a pulsing green aura, the light was so intense the entire interior of the castle was lit with a gentle green glow. However, directly around Percy the light was so intense he looked like a miniature sun, well a miniature green sun.
The curse mark on his chest roared in anger as he felt his arm and battered body begin to repair itself, skin and bone knitting back together as the burning pain in the back of his mind settled in. The entire castle was now collapsing at this point, Percy was actually struggling just to stay standing as entire roof sections smashed into the floor, caving it in and revealing the ragged underbelly of the structure.
Support columns and braces were torn away as the whole castle seemed seconds from breaking away and sliding into the distant Tartarean several miles below. "With pleasure Εκδίκηση" Percy replied out loud as he decided on a plan.
Time to see how well Fido could swim.
With a roar escaping his lips Percy raised both his arms above his head, his fists crackling with green energy as he drove them once twice and then a third time into the solid flagstone floor of the castle. With each collision the building groaned, rumbling could be heard as the sharp explosions of mortar and other bits of masonry flew through the air around him
"What are you?... NOOO!" Umbra roared out as he seemed to realize what Percy was doing moments too late as with a rumble and a series of cracks like gunshots the entire building filled with a haze of dust. Then ever so slowly, Percy felt the floor start to tilt underneath his feet. stones started to roll across the room as stone shingles and bricks rained from the sky.
Percy was struggling to stay upright as the whole floor started to fall away, bits and pieces seemingly dropping at random as the mountain face gave way. The entire peak started its crumbling descent into the ocean below, dragging the castle and its two occupants with it.
A blur of black fur and the sound of claws gouging the stone informed him that Umbra had made a mad dash past him, attempting to reach the exit behind Percy before the whole castle could take the plunge into the waters of the Tartarean.
Percy wasn't about to let that slide and reached out, exhausted as he was with one hand. The other gripped a hole in the floor to stop himself from falling as the floor was rapidly approaching a forty five degree angle. His other hand reached out with his powers, grabbing a hold of Umbra and attempting to slow the God as he rushed towards the exit of the castle.
He grabbed at the ichor, seizing hold and refusing to let go even as his skin steamed and blood poured from his nose and ears as he struggled against Umbra. The wolf for his part might have made it, he was fast, faster than Percy for sure, but all it took was a moment or two as Percy slowed him down.
Just enough so that when one of the grand pillars flanking the entrance collapsed, Umbra was pinned beneath it. "GRAHHHHHH! NOOOOOOO!" The Lord of Wolves howled as he struggled to free himself from underneath the pillar.
Releasing his hold on Umbra's ichor, Percy slumped to the floor, trying to find his center and refocus himself amidst the utter chaos that was the castle interior. Dust, debris, ichor and blood flew around the room in a miniature whirlwind as the building collapsed.
A final series of cracks tore through the air as the slow rumble that had been building quickly became the sound of a nearly endless roar. Boulders came tumbling down the peak and smashing into the castle and its courtyard as the entire structure ripped free of the cliff face, beginning the plunge downwards into the Tartarean sea.
Dozens of hellhounds howled and barked in panic as the courtyard exploded, the weight of the castle finally cracking the cliff it was built onto under the strain, ripping huge chunks of stone from the cliff in the process. The sound was unbelievable as Percy watched in awe of the results of his work.
Two sides of the mountain were in a free fall, boulders and loose scree pouring like water down the side. Rubble from the castle and the occasional unlucky hellhound in the process of being minced into dust. Then he felt the floor he was holding onto finally give way, plunging both him and Umbra into the vast emptiness several miles above the Taratrean Sea.
At first he felt weightless, then then entire castle seemed to collapse towards him, chunks of rock and giant blocks of stone rained down on him, one of the smaller pieces unfortunately clipped him in the stomach, flipping him over midair as he tumbled down inside the deathtrap the castle had become. Percy desperately wished he could fly at this point because he might not be able to die, but the thought of being crushed under a mountain underwater was not high on his to do list.
While his body had healed, the shining and solid black cuirass he had worn was now ripped and dented, barely recognizable. His helmet had been ripped clear of his head sometime during the fall, a large flap of skin on his forehead hanging loose and blood pouring down his face as he flipped over in the air several times, courtesy of a rock to the face.
He could barely see, and anything he heard was drowned out by the endless sea of voices calling out to him, demanding he spill yet more of Umbra's ichor, to cut, rip, smash and tear him apart until he faded. He wasn't even sure why he was so angry, why he desired to reap vengeance upon Umbra, this was the first time they had even met.
A loud crunch was heard as several more large rocks slammed into the tumbling body of Umbra, who's bulk was actually providing Percy with some modicum of protection from the falling debris. Umbra was free falling just as Percy was, tumbling head over heels as they rushed towards the rapidly expanding Aquamarine sea, that he could make out through the holes in the building.
Then, with the sound like a roar the castle and rubble hit the water.
Instantly the aquamarine waters flared to life, white flames licking at the stones and rocks as they hit the water. Percy had to admit, the impact hurt bad, but the soothing feeling as the waters of the Tartarean gave him a surge of energy, dispelling the oncoming fit his curse mark would have no doubt caused as his wounds closed.
Umbra however did not appear so lucky, as the castle hit the surface of the Tartarean it most disintegrated, losing all shape and size as the rubble sank quickly, leaving Umbra and Percy near the surface. Both had been battered almost beyond recognition by their fight and the ensuing fall. The second his body touched the water the song of the Tartarii drowned out all other noise. Joyous and predatory at the same time all five voices cried out in unison their screams nearly ecstatic in nature.
Percy could only guess it had to do with the surge of white flames literally attacking the body of Umbra. Unlike Percy, the Tartarean did not seem pleased to have Umbra within its grasp. The water burned at the wolf like acid, his frantic howling sounded out into the darkness as water surged over the wolf's body, trailing white flames. Panic and terror filled his red eyes, he tried desperately to swim for shore, anything to escape whatever fate awaited him in the primal sea.
Percy wasn't having any of that, the sea around him whipping itself into a frenzy as he willed the water to drag the wolf under the waves. Instantly tendrils of water exploded around them, dozens of them all lunging towards the Lord of Wolves as he yelped in panic once, before he was summarily dragged to the depths.
Percy, his eyes still crackling with green energy, slipped beneath the waves and rushed down towards Umbra who was struggling in the middle of a writhing underwater storm, or at least that's what it looked like from Percy's perspective. The sea responded to his battered body instantly as he took off like a cruise missile headed at the wolf.
Currents battered the wolf around as the water continually forced him deeper and deeper. Farther from the surface, Even as he watched Percy could see the water around the wolf take on a golden hue, as Ichor leaking profusely from his many wounds began to seep into the ocean.
A nearly endless stream of bubbles burst from the wolf's mouth as Percy slammed into him both his fists driving into Umbra's chest. Several gallons worth of Ichor burst from the wolf's mouth as he stopped flailing almost instantly. Merely twitching as the last of his breath escaped his lungs.
Percy willed the water to push the wolf down further, watching with satisfaction as pressure started to become a problem, but it was slow going. First there were a series of cracks and pops as his joints bent at funny angles, then his ribs cracked one by one as Umbra started to thrash blindly, his eyes long gone, poured ichor as his mouth opened in a silent howl, water pressure was a bitch Percy thought darkly.
Umbra was barely resisting as Percy forced him deeper, the voices of the Tartarii crying out in joy as he exacted vengeance, He grinned, for a second. Watching with an almost childlike glee as Umbra's body crumpled, bones shattering and breaking under the pressure of thousands of tones of water. Yet his godly powers and domains were somehow keeping him alive, something Percy wasn't complaining about.
The wolf had cost him greatly, he had activated the curse mark and Percy had lost something, something precious and he wasn't even sure what or who it was that he had lost. Umbra deserved this he thought angrily, deserved this and so much more, and Percy was going to give it to him.
Then almost as if in horror he froze, a scene replying in his mind.
The fumes blew away from him—back toward the goddess. The lake of poison rolled toward her in tiny waves and rivulets.
Akhlys shrieked. "What is this?"
"Poison," Percy said. "That's your specialty, right?"
He stood, his anger growing hotter in his gut. As the flood of venom rolled toward the goddess, the fumes began to make her cough. Her eyes watered even more.
Oh, good, Percy thought. More water.
Percy imagined her nose and throat filling with her own tears.
Akhlys gagged. "I—" The tide of venom reached her feet, sizzling like droplets on a hot iron. She wailed and stumbled back.
"Percy!" Annabeth called.
She'd retreated to the edge of the cliff, even though the poison wasn't after her. She sounded terrified. It took Percy a moment to realize she was terrified of him.
"Stop…" she pleaded, her voice hoarse.
He didn't want to stop. He wanted to choke this goddess. He wanted to watch her drown in her own poison. He wanted to see just how much misery Misery could take.
"Percy, please…" Annabeth's face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them made Percy's anger fade.
He turned to the goddess. He willed the poison to recede, creating a small path of retreat along the edge of the cliff.
"Leave!" he bellowed.
With a strangled cry, almost like he was physically in pain Percy struggled, half of him wanting to release his hold on Umbra, the other half screaming for blood in that strange language. Clutching at his head in pain as the song of the Tartarii spiked in anger, "KILL HIM '' the voices seemed to rage at him as flashes of Annabeth's terrified face crossed his mind.
Umbra's body floated in the water, the occasional twitch the only indication that the wolf god was still alive. His skin long burned away, ichor pumping into the tartarean as the waters thrummed with energy. Percy didn't want to keep going, he couldn't bear the thought of what Annabeth would think of him now.
He had almost tortured Akhlys, almost. Now?
He was intentionally slowly pushing Umbra underwater, at depths that caused his eyeballs to explode out of his skull. What the fuck was wrong with him he thought to himself bitterly as the green aura around him started to sputter and die out.
"Do not falter now my champion" A voice rang out from his side as he turned in shock to see
Εκδίκηση. If only faintly in the water, as her form seemed to waver and shake. "You swore your oath on my river, you must not end it here, you are so close." She said clearly, looking at him as she seemed to swirl and waver in the waters of the Tartarean.
"The power a single oath sworn by you brought me was enough to allow me to recover much faster than my sisters, do not throw that away for him." She suddenly glanced at Umbra, a look of ravenous hunger crossing her face. "You bring an Oathbreaker to us… this is not an opportunity you should pass on because you fear for what that mortal girl will think of you"
Slowly the voices crying for vengeance began to drown out even the images of Annabeth's pleading eyes as Percy struggled, he wanted to turn and run but he couldn't. His oath to Nyx was preventing him from directly disobeying her. "What kind of fucking opportunity does this look like to you?" Percy said in absolute incredulity.
"A way to make him fade, a way to end him and finish this pointless battle, he can't kill you Perseus, but that curse mark can. I doubt many of the "gods" themselves would pose much of a threat to you as you are now, the same cannot be said for Gaea." She moved right up close to him, the outline and form of her body growing more solid the closer she got until she was real enough to reach out a hand and lay it on his chest as she floated in front of him.
Percy just stared at her in shock, he knew Gods could fade but to be able to force one too, that was not only an incredibly bold claim but a dangerous one.
"What do you mean, I dealt with Tartarus just fine?" Percy asked angrily, the song and voices still ringing in his ears as he struggled to focus. Trying to breathe slowly and keep his emotions in check, his powers were running rampant and with the Tartarean healing him, he could feel the energy building up and he was going to need to find a release soon. He felt like someone was pumping adrenaline directly into his veins.
"Tartarus was not expecting us to betray him as you fought him, Grandmother is not the fool Tartarus was '' she said seriously, looking into his eyes with fervor, "My sisters are trapped, but this God could be the start of us changing that. If my sisters and I are fully free you will be as powerful if not more so than your father, between the power in your blood and the freed Tartarean you will be more than a match for Gaea." her form seemed to solidify even further as she talked, her eyes taking on a fierce look as she talked animatedly.
"Think about it Perseus, it has been a long time since the world was graced with one of our champions, but perhaps it is time the Gods were taught once more that Oaths are to be upheld." finishing with a smile as she reached up to lay a hand on her cheek. While he stared at her and gaped like a fish, the concept she was suggested. It had clicked in his brain the second she had stopped talking.
Umbra had broken an oath of service and loyalty to Nyx, the Tartarii had called him an oathbreaker and demanded that Percy kill him. Nyx watched the recognition spark in his eyes and grinned slightly. "How? Styx can barely punish them….. How can you fade them?" he finished unable to contain the hint of awe in his voice.
"I can show you Perseus, but you will have to be the one to commit the act" She finished, watching his reaction as her sharp talon traced a line down his cheek. Leaning in to whisper into his ear quietly, "She would forgive you for this Perseus, you killed to save her life, how could she fault you for killing in order to save the lives of others?" She finished as she moved away from him, and waited.
Percy could almost feel the calm that settled over him as the image of Annabeth's terrified face seemed to fade from his mind. Εκδίκηση was right, Annabeth would understand why he had to do this, she would stand by him like she always had. Closing his eyes for a brief moment he took a breath in, exhaling slowly as he snapped his eyes open. The green aura surging back to life around him once more. "Alright Eko, show me what I need to do, on one condition" Percy said gravely as he looked at the Wolf god's twitching form.
"And that would be?" She asked curiously
"I'm going to call you Eko, calling you Lady Vengeance in Greek is a bit too formal for my tastes, especially if we are going to be talking like this more often. And you are going to stop calling me Perseus, it makes me feel like an old man, Percy is fine." Percy finished looking at the goddess expectantly.
Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull for a moment, and then her face flushed gold as she began to laugh, genuinely from the belly as she ended up gasping for air. Wiping away a tear before she looked at him, her eyes shining with glee. "Very well Percy, I like the sound of that… Now onto business. Extend your hand, and call upon the powers I blessed you with, the ones you used to find him, you can sense him because of his broken oath. Feel for it, and once you find it I want you to grab hold, be sure to restrain him when you do, he will fight against this with everything he has. I shall ensure you know what to say." Eko finished with a smile, turning to watch Percy.
Raising his hand he reached out for Umbra, he could feel the gods Ichor, what was left of it pumping weakly in his veins and Percy knew he didn't have much time before the Gods injuries would rob him of his life before Percy could do what Eko wanted.
He tried to imagine that strange sixth sense again, the feeling that had directed him towards Umbra in the first place, envisioning a strange glowing tether attaching himself to the Oathbreaker. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration as slowly he felt a connection begin to form between him and the God. He could feel it, almost as if it was warped about Umbra's very essence.
He grabbed at it and in response Umbra went from twitching to thrashing and flailing about in the water instantly, he could feel it pulse weakly, struggling in vain to free itself. But like he had hooks buried in it, Percy's hold on the essence, or whatever it was that the oath was bound to, only grew stronger.
Almost as if he was moving on auto pilot his mouth opened and he simply said what came to mind, letting Eko do her part to fill in the gaps of his knowledge. "I Champion of the Tatarean invoke its claim on you, Oathbreaker. May Chaos tend to you kindly in the realm of the faded" Percy spoke out in a voice that surged with power as the sea came alive around him.
Eko's face lit up with glee as the ocean churned into a whirlpool around the wolf god, tendrils of water plunged into his body as Umbra stiffened. His jaw slack and his body started to pulse weakly with energy.
Percy struggled to contain the pain he felt as the energy of the Tartarean surged through his veins. Controlling the waters made him feel more powerful than he ever had before, but his body couldn't seem to handle it for extended periods of time. It literally felt like he had flaming redbull pumping in his veins.
Suddenly Umbra let out a howl of pure agony, the sound seeming to come from all around them as the edges of his paws and tail began to dissolve into white dust. The energy that had been previously pulsing around the God was being leeched off into the Tartarean. Eko screamed out almost in ecstasy as her body solidified, she was clearly visible against the backdrop of the sea as her eyes shone with glee.
This continued for several seconds, those several seconds felt like minutes to Percy as each of them increased the strain on his body. After nearly an hour of fighting and expending energy controlling the sea hurt, but as much as he hated to admit it the rush of energy that came along with it was incredible, and Percy couldn't deny that he enjoyed it.
Percy couldn't deny that he was enjoying this. For the first time, he was seeing a God actually punished for their actions. Actually punished, not just given a timeout without their powers. It was exhilarating, and even more so because he was the one doing it. The Gods had consistently betrayed their word, Zeus had failed to release the peaceful Titans, Demigods still were not claimed by their parents.
They broke their word at every chance they had, and no one had been there to punish them, Styx sure as hell didn't hold the immortals accountable. But, apparently Eko and her sisters did.
Percy grinned, a strange glee filling him as he watched the Wolf God dissolve into a white dust, which would have been strange if Eko hadn't told him this would make Umbra fade.
With a surge of energy, Umbra crumbled away to dust, the raw power that washed over Percy was incredible, but for the Tartarean it was a different story.
The sea literally exploded with lines of white fire, racing through the waters as the darkness below was illuminated, casting a strange green glow across the whole of the ancient sea. The song of the Tartarii grew to such immense levels of volume that Percy couldn't even hear himself breathing.
Just as he thought the assault on his senses would actually kill him, it came to an abrupt halt.
The song fading into a quiet murmur as did the voices crying for vengeance, both finally seemed satiated as he let out a half-sob of relief. His thoughts were finally his alone again as he unconsciously curled into a ball underwater for a minute. Seeking shelter in the darkness as his body healed, the skin seared raw in places by overuse of powers.
"Percy…" He heard Eko call out, as he felt him move to float beside him in the water. Laying a hand on his shoulder gently as she waited for him to reply.
"T-That was a lot… What the hell just happened?" He asked with a shudder as he uncurled and turned around to face Eko. Looking with interest as she now had a strange Collar wrapped about her neck and chains on her wrists as she floated before him.
"What the hell happened to you!?" he gasped out loud as he looked at her, wincing at the noticeably red skin on her neck and wrists where the collar and manacles dug in.
"Oh these old things? Courtesy of your Father and Zeus. As for what just happened, when we were in charge of Oaths they were taken seriously, as My sisters and I together have the power to punish any immortal foolish enough to break their word." Eko finished with a smile as she gestured to her collar.
Percy stopped dead, his brain whirling at a thousand miles a minute. Thinking back on everything he had seen in the visions Nyx had shown him.
"... they imprisoned you…. Because you could punish them….. Didn't they?" Percy asked quietly, hoping desperately that the answer would be different.
"They waged a war that killed countless mortals, we stepped in to put an end to the bloodshed. They swore an oath and then hostilities were breaking out once more, rather than risk breaking their oaths they conspired with our sisters to replace us." Eko finished sadly as she looked at Percy, watching as his features were clouded with anger. "While I am still trapped in a sense, the power you just fed us allowed me to once again assume a true physical form, of sorts" she finished lamely.
The sea around them swirled to life as Percy looked at the goddess, she certainly looked the part of a goddess of vengeance when she wanted, but even he could see who had been in the wrong here. This was the same as the peaceful titans, if not worse, the Tartarii had actively tried to prevent another war and were instead chained away so that the Gods could do as they wished with no consequences.
"I swear, I will get you and your sisters free, the world needs you now more than ever, the Gods are running rampant and no one holds them in check. Tell me what I need to do?" Percy demanded as his eyes glowed with power.
Eko smiled at him as she reached out and casually waited as the currents carried several objects towards her. His helmet, dented and battered, along with his weapons. Additionally the fang of Umbra still stained with ichor and nearly two feet long floated with the rest of the items.
"For now Percy, all you need to do is take proof of your victory back to Nyx, she will know already of course but it is expected. The-" Eko froze mid speech, her eyes clouded for a second by confusion, then pure rage.
"YOU DARE!" She roared the waters around her surging to life as she disappeared in a surge of white fire. Leaving Percy confused for a moment until he felt another godly presence nearby and he recognized it. Lady Styx… What was she…
"Oh fuck." Percy said in realization as he immediately fired off at easily two hundred miles an hour if not more through the water, in the direction of the aura. His helmet jammed onto his head in an instant as he re-armed quickly.
For nearly thirty seconds he raced underwater, before he suddenly burst from the waters, launching himself into the air as he soared towards the shore, landing in the surf with a splash. Scattering water and rocks everywhere.
Looking forwards he saw something he was dreading.
Lady Styx lay on the ground, cowering in fear as her face and clothes looked like they had been shredded by an angry cat, Ichor streamed down her body as she scrabbled backwards away from Eko. In front of her stood his uncle, Hades clad in his armor holding a sword with a look of sheer terror on his face, his helmet of darkness sat atop his brow.
Eko for her part looked to be the Goddess of Vengeance incarnate, a black aura swirled around her as green flames licked at her hair and clothes. Her arms were stained with ichor, it literally dripped from her talons. She had her fangs bared wide as she looked at the two gods. "YOU DARE TRY TO SAVE THIS TRAITOROUS FILTH HADES!?"Eko screamed
"How are you even free!? You shouldn't be here! None of this should be here!" Hades shouted back as he gestured to the Tartarean.
"It seems like you are mistaken Hades, I am very much awake and free, and I will have my vengeance on you and your brothers soon enough. But my sister comes first!" Said Ekko as she lunged forwards, her hands raised as she prepared to slash her way through the God of the Underworld.
Hades raised his sword in response, preparing to strike at Eko who was blind with rage at the sight of her tratious sister. However, like a streak of black Percy exploded into movement.
He had watched Annabeth die because he wasn't strong enough, Eko was going to help him fix that problem. He would be strong enough to protect them all and he wasn't going to let anyone, not even his uncle ruin that chance. She was his only real ally, who had done more for him than several gods put together and she had yet to ask him for anything. Hades wasn't going to lay a finger on her, Percy would make sure of it.
The water exploded around him as he flew forwards, drawing his sword in one smooth motion as he held it with both hands. Almost appearing in between Hades and Eko out of nowhere he intercepted the Gods swing, the sound of metal on metal screeching as Hades was thrown backwards.
A look of shock passed over the God of Undeath as he looked up, seeing Percy standing there wearing battered armor, his face hidden behind a black helmet that bore the mark of Nyx proudly upon his brow. "By Chaos, the world has gone mad….." Hades said quietly, his voice shaky as he summoned a shield out of thin air and stepped protectively in front of Styx who actually cowered behind him.
"Who are you to dare cross blades with the God of the Dead?" Hades demanded stepping forwards and pointing his sword calmly at Percy. He could see the confusion in his eyes as he looked at him.
Green light flared around him as he looked at Hades "I am the Herald of Nyx, Champion of the Tartarean. You are not welcome here Hades, Leave." Percy replied darkly, tightening his grip on his sword.
His uncle's interference here could spell the end of it all, Nyx had made it clear that he wasn't to reveal himself to anyone who didn't already know under any circumstances. She had claimed there were traitors even among the Olympians, and that if it were revealed that he was alive and working for Nyx, Gaea would attack Olympus instantly, risking it all now rather than let Nyx raise an army to aid them.
"I am God of the Underworld, I go where I please, and I cannot allow her to leave her alive! She is a threat to Olympus. We caged her and her sisters for a reason, Even Nyx must understand that!" Hades cried out as he pointed his sword at Eko who just hissed in his direction, standing beside Percy as she flexed her talons and glared at the God.
"This is Tartarus, not the Underworld; you don't rule down here Hades, and If you wont leave willingly I'm sure I can find a way for me to make you, but you won't lay a finger on Εκδίκηση. Not while I'm here" Percy said as he casually slung his shield off his back and twirled his sword once more.
Hopefully Hades wouldn't recognize him, Percy thought to himself. Then again, almost everyone he had met since had explained that he 'smelled' very differently than he had before. Hopefully whatever that meant would mean that Hades was not going to recognize his own nephew.
That seemed to be the case as the fear in Hades's eyes was replaced by anger and the God of the Underworld moved forwards to battle. His sword poised at the ready to strike as he charged towards them.
The Herald of Nyx, Champion of The Tartarean and The Lady of Vengeance herself met his charge with equal fervor.
Authors Note:
Happy Easter long weekend folks!
Okay wow, that was a lot longer than I had originally planned for this chapter to be. Hopefully you all enjoyed getting a few more answers as to the mystery of the Tartarean and the five goddesses. Also who can complain, Percy got to kick ass for a solid ⅔ of this chapter.
I want to thank everyone who reads or reviews, it always brings a smile to my face when I login and see a new review or you guys set a new record for views per day. So thanks, and please if you think there is somewhere I can improve let me know!
Obviously I left this on another cliffhanger, I'm sorry I didn't want to write another 18k chapter and have to split it into multiple parts again. So you can expect another chapter this long weekend either on Sunday or Monday.
As always, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter and until next time!