Chapter 27
Zoe POV
'Why did I have to return here.' I thought as we entered my sister's garden. Sure I sometimes thought about what it would be like if I had never left but I always came back to the same conclusion, it had stopped being home long before I left. When I was a little girl growing up still young even in mortal terms, I loved my life. We were poor as far as gods went because Kronos only cared about power.
My grandfather Iapetus used his influence as a Titan lord did his best to shield us but with Kronos in charge he couldn't do much. At first we lived in an old hut just me, my parents, and my 6 sister's. (Calypso, and the five mentioned in Titans curse) My father went out every day to build us better house saying he wouldn't let his princesses live in a such a run down place. As the Titan of strength and endurance he could work much harder and longer than any other man but the long and taxing work of mining his own stone and cutting lumber took it's toll.
Me and my sister's would help as much as we could but with the oldest of us being 6 years old we couldn't do much more then bring food and water. After two years my father was able to produce a modest palace fit for most nobles with a large stone wall surrounding the estate so me me and my sister's could finally have the flower garden we always wanted. The day it was finished my father set up a single cot in the living room for my mother and the rest of us curled up with my father by the fire.
Back then I thought we'd be that happy forever, over a 100 years past and when a swarm of Drakon (I'm defining this as 8-14 Drakon) attacked Lentos a friend of my father's and he left to help. I don't know much but supposedly my father killed all of them by himself making him a hero and this caught the eye of Kronos.
Days after my father returned home a messenger from the Titan council appeared asking for my family's presence on mount Othrys. As we walked into the capitol led by Iapetus the crowds cheered my father's name, in the council room Kronos demanded he fight Hyperion to test my father's strength.
When my father won with ease Kronos swept down from proclaiming that he had never seen such innate power and granted my father many titles and honors even making him general of the Titans armies.
For the next several hundred years things changed our once simple home became adorned with sculptures of gold and silver and our clothes were made from the finest materials. We had more servant than we could count, but I didn't care we were happy, what else mattered even if our father wasn't around as much.
Then one day I looked out my bedroom window and saw/heard my father talking with a lower class Titan he had once been friends with. The man asked for aid in caring for his sick wife a nature spirit. To my shock father brushed the man aside saying he didn't have time for his petty needs. I went to my twin Calypso and together we went to help him and cured his wife's illness. Upon returning my father scolded us for helping him. It was then that I saw the change in my father and how much his pride had blinded him.
When my mother faded my father changed back for only the briefest time then he went off the deep end caring less and less for me and my sisters. Then the war with the Olympians came, my sisters and I were treating the wounded in my father's palace when a small group of soldiers broke through the wall. They started killing the wound and dragging me and my sister away to do who knows what when a man in all black armor saved us and the wounded killing the men.
Eventually the war ended and all of us except Caly' were sent to live with my father where he held up the sky, not that he cared. for the first two hundred years all he talked about was his revenge. When Hercules came I was charmed because he seem just like how my father used to be. At first I hated him but eventually I both hated and thanked because it led me to Artemis and the hunt. Centries later I eventually found the man who saved me and my sister's that day so long ago and I finally learned his name, Hades.
The sound of giggling brought me out of my thoughts, before me were my former sisters grinning wildly. "So you've come for your little goddess have you? And you even brought the little traitor too" Sila said.
"Well we won't stop you but you can't defeat Ladon or our father soldiers." Pena mocked as they melted into the trees.
"Well that was creepy." Tomas said "And who's Ladon?".
"Ladon is the guardian of the golden apples." I said heading up the mountain. "It's is impossible to reach the top of mount Tam without passing by him."
"So then how do we get by without getting killed?" Thalia asked as we neared the tree.
"You go to the left and stay on the edge as much as you can, I'll go to the right by the river and step a bit farther in, as long as I'm the bigger threat Ladon should keep his focus on me." I said.
"Why can't we just go through the woods." Thalia asked.
"Thy don't want to know what a Titan like Atlas keeps for hunting. It's safer to go past Ladon." I said. Thalia nodded and Grover whimpered slightly.
The four of us separated as we got closer to the tree "Ladon." I said softly. "Dost thou remember me, how I used to feed thee from my hands?" Across the way I saw Thalia and the others making their way past the tree. some of Ladon's heads were focused on them but he didn't give chase as they were just on the edge.
Then from farther up the mountain my father's voice boomed "Ladon kill them all!" In seconds Ladon went from completely calm to rabid. I broke into a run dodging his snapping heads as best I could, but I knew I didn't stand a chance against a hundred heads. Behind me the water from the river erupted from it's path and collided with Ladon in the form of a chinese dragon.
I felt hand on either arm bringing me out of my stupor "Now is seriously not the time to be spacing out!" Percy yelled dragging me behind him.
"How.." I started.
"Percy's right run now talk later." Bianca said.
Five minutes later the six of us were taking a quick breather after killing a few guards before entering the central garden where my father and Lady Artemis undoubtedly were. "So how did you end up with Percy?" I asked Bianca.
"According to him I just dropped out of the shadows in front of him while he was resting." The young huntress admitted.
"We should get moving." Percy said looking up the mountain.
"Come on calm down we need a break." Tomas said.
"No." Percy said glancing back at us, the determined look on his face reminded me so much of an Athena's, I'd never seen such a serious look on his face. "We need to get out of here before night sets in and we can't let them fortify their position."
"Percy's right, we need to go." I said.
One short walk later we reached the top. My father was sitting lazily on a rock while the traitorous son of Hermes and a handful of my father's personal guards stood waiting, the daughter of Athena lay unconscious nearby. "Took you long enough." Atlas said in an annoyed tone. "And you even brought Perseus Jackson with you, we weren't expecting him for another two hours."
"Luke how could you do that to Annabeth." Tomas shouted, Luke merely grinned back. "You're dead!" Tomas yelled charging Luke who bolted left.
"Tomas don't!" I screamed.
"I'll back him up." Thalia said running after them.
Atlas barked a laugh "This is the group sent to save the little huntress. You'll be lucky just to walk out of here alive." Atlas turned to his soldiers "You five take care of the hunters and the satyr I want to fight Perseus one on one."
"But you can't ancient law forbids it." I said.
"That's where you're wrong my little traitor, for some reason despite him being completely mortal the ancient laws seem warp around him, I can fight him all I want." Atlas grinned. I would have asked more but my father's men were upon me.
Dropping to a knee I pulled out my hunting knives and cut behind my opponent's knee then kicked it out as I lunged at the next one. Instead of standing his ground like my father's soldiers were known for he lept to the side. "Atlas had us train specifically to counter the techniques of Artemis and her hunters, even our armor has been altered to help us take you down." He laughed.
Thalia POV
I gritted my as I dodged a slash from Luke's sword, as kids he was always the best swordsman and now it seemed like he was three times as strong. Luke blocked a stab from Tomas easily and pushed the pole of my spear away. "Why did you hurt Annabeth." Tomas yelled swinging his blade wildly.
"It wasn't my choice Atlas did it without consulting me so he could trick Artemis into taking the sky from her." Luke said deflecting his sword and kicking him to the ground. "I don't see why you're fighting me, this is what we always talked about taking the gods down a peg. Proving we don't need them."
"We talked about getting out of our father's shadows not starting a war and freeing the Titans!" I shot back. Tomas picked himself off the ground and threw himself at Luke then something strange happened. A few feet from Luke Tomas' form seemed to split in two one coming at Luke from the left the other from the right.
Luke shoved me back then threw his sword up to catch the left duplicates' blade and his hand to catch the sword arm of the right duplicate. The moment the left one met Luke's blade he faded like a mirage, the one on the right was caught by Luke but was able to kick him in the gut sending Luke sprawling. "Stupid jerk was right she is my mother." Tomas said looking like he was about to drop. I couldn't really blame him though I was completely drained after the first time I summoned lightning.
Percy POV
"I thought you'd be better than this." Atlas laughed as he kicked me like I was no more than a soccer ball. I tried forming some water into ice spikes and launching them at him. Atlas slammed his spear into the ground and sent out a small shock wave destroying the spikes. In that moment I thought I saw something so I summoned more water and attempted to have it wrap around him. Again he slammed his spear to the ground pushing the water away and forming a perfect circle around him. The second his protective sphere receded praying he would need time to recharge.
Atlas thankfully seemed stunned, sadly it didn't last long enough. I went for a decapitation but Atlas regained use of his body just in time. He backhanded me mid air and I was barely able to graze his cheek with my sword. "My my I didn't think you'd be able to see the weakness of that technique after only two uses. I'd say your strategic skill is much closer to a child of Athena or Ares than Poseidon."
I sat up and felt my ribs creak, this guy was on a completely different level than me I couldn't beat him but I knew someone who could. Artemis was only a few feet away "Give me the sky." I said.
"No it'll probably kill you." She said. "And even
"If you don't every one here is going to die." I said. "Now give me the sky, if you can't win just get everyone out of here."
"Why do you do this?" she asked. "What drives you to destroy yourself this way?"
I just smiled back "For my friend" I paused looking back at Annabeth "and my sister. For those I care about there is nothing I won't do to protect them even if I die I will keep on fighting to protect you all no matter the price to myself. Now give me the sky."
"Fine." She said. For a brief second we shared the weight of the sky then I held it all, immediately I was forced to my knees and I could practically hear my ribs cracking. My vision started going in and out but I was able to catch pieces here and there. Artemis at first fought Atlas alone but Zoe, Bianca, and Grover soon came to her aid. Even still they couldn't keep up Artemis seemed to be exhausted from holding the sky and Bianca's leg was injured.
"You can help them." a voice said. The voice sound a lot like my mother's, warm and comforting, but older...way older.
"How." I asked.
"Pour your energy, memories, everything you are behind you, a much as you can, and let it take solid form. Don't try to direct it or try to shape it just let it flow." she said softly .
I did as she asked and poured more and more power even when it hurt. All the sudden my body became wracked by even more pain. Like something was forcible scanning my body and mind saying over and over 'What do you want most.'
I could feel something wet dripping down my head "You're almost done Percy." The female voice said. "Now all you must do is give it a name and a purpose."
At the same time the other voice got even louder but I tried to block it out "P-Protect T-Them." I breathed so quietly I couldn't even hear my own. Digging deeper I said it again "Protect them." this time it was more of a hushed voice. One last time I reached in and screamed with all my might "Furok Protect Them!". Suddenly the ground started shaking for a few minutes then my body felt like it was on fire and then the weight of the sky was just gone like it never existed. Free of its burden I fell face first in the dirt vaguely aware of someone calling my name.
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AN: Sorry I didn't finish the chapter but I thought the suspense for the next chapter was too good to pass up.
