Rage of a Demigod

AN: Hello, my dear readers. Man, this story got me hooked for a while. I'm glad it resonated with you and I hope that I can deliver some quality writing to you.

Now to reviews.

Daniel 009: Um, sorry I don't speak Spanish so I have no idea what you said.

zarmag: That he does.

Christopherprime22: Thanks for the praise.

Dracus6: Watched the first and enjoyed it, but I never saw the second. And no, I won't be doing suggestions if that is your plan. I would like more if you comment on the actual story.

3 Between a Rock And a Wet Place

Marcus and Clarisse walked towards the big body of water that was located near the camp, ready to start their quest.

Once they woke up they got ready, Marcus actually even earlier, and not too long after, they were informed that Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson were missing. It wasn't hard to guess that the three had decided to go against Tantalus' orders and took off on their own to finish the quest.

That got them eternally expelled from the camp by Tantalus and he told the two to get them back to face the consequences.

They stopped next to the water and Clarisse started praying to her father Ares, the god of war. Marcus could hardly keep a frown from his face since he would be getting assistance from Ares. If he was honest, he would rather slit his own throat than get help from the warmongering god. He knows what 'help' the man offers, and he isn't looking forward to it.

The water seemed to stir and not too long after something came to the surface. It was an old Confederate Ironclad battleship. The battleship then docked near them.

The crew consisted of un-dead sailors who were no doubt brought back to life by Ares to serve Clarisse. One of them came down and walked towards the two. He then came to a halt and gave a salute.

"We are here by the order of Lord Ares, the god of war, to help lady Clarisse in her quest in any way we can. We, the crew of CSS Birmingham, hope to be of service," he said in a rusty voice.

Clarisse gained a smirk on her face. Her father sent her a battleship and crew? She definitely wasn't going to complain.

She then turned towards Marcus to see how he would react and much to her disappointment his expression didn't seem to change from the one he had before. Perhaps with all the things he did, there isn't a lot that can impress you.

"Well, we should climb aboard," said Clarisse making the sailor go back with Clarisse and Marcus behind him.

The ship then sailed off and the two demigods were on their way to finish the quest.

Marcus stood next to the tree that was formed right where Thalia lay, an unsure look on his face. He quickly ran back to help her after he left Maya at the safety of the camp, but he was too late. Thalia was gravely injured and the moment he arrived she turned into a tree, a magical barrier forming around her.

He stood there for a minute, only watching the newly formed tree, still not believing that it was supposed to be his friend.

He then heard several quick footsteps coming behind him and turned to see Maya running towards him. She stopped and panted before looking at the tree as well. Her eyes then began to tear up.

"Oh, no," she said, her voice cracking and tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands quickly found their way to her face before she kneeled, her long curly hair draping down her face. Maya then let out several sobs and weeps, her body shook slightly. "Oh, Thalia, why?"

Marcus could only watch with a sad expression now visible on his face, clearly from seeing his twin in such a state. He then kneeled down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Maya, I'm sorry, I couldn't-"

"Don't you dare!" she suddenly screamed before throwing the arm off her shoulder and rising to her feet, her face brimming with anger. Marcus looked at his sister in shock. "Don't you dare say that you couldn't do anything! I begged you to let me go and help her! It's because of you that she died!"

Marcus was shocked by the words that came out of her mouth. "B-but, I was o-only trying to-"

"What?! Protect me?! I would have been fine! We were far enough for that! You are the one who let our friend sacrifice herself for nothing!"

"Maya-"

"I HATE YOU!" she yelled out before storming off, spilling several drops of fresh tears behind her.

Marcus only looked wide-eyed at her. Those words stung more than anything he had ever experienced in his life. He wanted to save her life but now he made her… the thought just couldn't cross his mind.

"I'm sorry," he whispered under his breath as some of his own tears began to appear.

He had to make it up to her somehow. He needed to make this better.

Marcus' eyes then suddenly opened and he let out a small gasp. He then looked around and saw the sea in front of him, his brain recollecting where he was supposed to be.

He then let out a sigh. At least this nightmare wasn't as bad as the others. But that is like saying 'this knife didn't cut as deep'.

The two were then on deck as they sailed towards the Sea of Monsters. Clarisse enjoyed having the sea breeze on her face. Campers don't go out of the camp unless they have a quest and now that she had one she could at least take in some new scenery.

She then saw that Marcus was leaning on the metal walls on the deck with his arms crossed. And once again he didn't seem all that interested, with his gaze stuck at the sea. She somewhat envied Marcus on what he did. He was able to go out of the camp pretty frequently and he was most likely at sea many times. She wished she had that kind of freedom as well, and not being stuck in a camp where there are good chances you'll get really annoyed by other campers.

She then approached him and once he heard her footsteps his gaze turned towards her. "Is there something you need?" he asked.

"Meh, nothing much," she said with a shrug as she also leaned back. "You know, I'm surprised you actually took this quest. When was the last time you went with someone else?"

"I think you should already know the answer to that," he answered.

"Eh, right. Sorry about that," she said knowing full well what he meant. "Then why go on this one?" she asked. Marcus didn't do quests with other people so she was surprised when he actually agreed to Tantalus' proposal. She wondered what made him change his mind. Then it clicked. "Is it because of Thalia? Because your friend is dying?"

Friend. That word rang through Marcus' head for a few moments. Could he honestly be considered that after what he did? Now that he thought about it, how would she react if she saw him now after he abandoned her?

Marcus then fully turned his head in her direction, his stern gaze lessening. "Yes," he simply answered. "I owe her that much, at least." Maybe this was fate. He wanted to desperately fix his mistakes so the Fates were throwing him a bone.

"Well, can't say I wouldn't do the same. If I had a chance to save a friend's legacy I would also jump on board," she said before realizing she accidentally made a put and chuckled.

"Then I guess you shouldn't be surprised why those three left," said Marcus.

"Humph, those three deserve it. That's what you get for breaking the rules."

"So you would help your friend only if you got permission?"

"W-what? No- I mean- Look it's not that simple," stuttered Clarisse, making her glad that there wasn't anyone else from camp on this trip or else she wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Well, for me it is," said Marcus.

Clarisse raised an eyebrow at that. "You would break the rules without a second thought if you were in that situation?"

"Yes."

Clarisse looked surprised. He answered that without even putting thought into it. "Well, at least you hold to your ideals."

They stood there for a few awkward moments, not a saying a word to each other. Clarisse could see that he was in deep thought like he was remembering something. She tried to see what he was looking at but he just appeared to look at the ocean.

Curiosity once again got over Clarisse. "Have you been to the Sea of Monsters before?"

Markus once again turned his gaze towards her. "Why are you interested all of a sudden? You haven't asked me so many questions back at the camp?"

Clarisse then scratched the back of her head in slight embarrassment. "Well, we don't really have that much time to talk in the camp. I just thought now would be a good time," explained Clarisse. Marcus didn't spend too much time around people at the camp. The most he did was with those two daughters of Aphrodite, who weren't even campers. Then he got an assignment and left the camp.

Clarisse knew he was really good; she tried fighting him a few times and lost pretty badly. She even tried to have Marcus teach her but she wasn't sure he would accept so she never ended up asking. Then she heard the Percy Jackson ended up asking him and Marcus accepted. Her sisters knew better than to be within her vicinity that day.

After she finished this quest she is definitely going to end up asking him to train. She isn't letting 'Prissy' getting ahead of her that easily.

Even still, Marcus intrigued her and she wanted to know more about him. Now that they were more or less alone on this quest and she had a good opportunity to learn more.

Marcus gave a sigh. He knew that she was curious about him, pretty much everyone was. But he honestly didn't want to tell them anything simply for the fact that he wasn't in the mood. And he hardly ever was.

But seeing her expectant look he decided to relent. "I was there, several times."

"Really? What for, exactly?" asked Clarisse.

"To kill monsters or retrieve something a monster possibly has. Not much else," said Marcus shrugging his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal for him.

"Then it's good you came. Your experience will be a great benefit in searching for the Fleece," said Clarisse honestly feeling slightly relieved. She wasn't a coward by any means but she would appreciate if the quest went smoother.

A few moments later, one of the sailors showed up. "We are nearing the Sea of Monsters, my lady," he said with a salute.

"Good. Get our cannons ready. We'll need them if we are to pass Scylla and Charybdis." With that, the sailor left.

"Wait!" Marcus suddenly exclaimed causing the sailor to stop and Clarisse to look at him in curiosity. "Set a course for that island over there," said Marcus while pointing at an island nearby.

Clarisse looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you need to look at that island?"

"Because that island has one of the hideouts me, Luke, Annabeth, Thalia, and Maya were using before we got to camp. If I'm correct, then that is one of the places where Annabeth is most likely to go if she is headed to the Sea of Monsters with Percy and Tyson."

Clarisse was shocked to hear that. She had no idea about a hideout on an island that Marcus and others had. But this was actually a good opportunity to catch those three and if Marcus is right then it would be foolish not to take the chance.

"Set a course for that island," she ordered causing the sailor to salute and inform others. The sheep then quickly steered to the left and began approaching the island.

Marcus took binoculars and looked towards the island to see if Annabeth and others were there. The moment his eyes landed on the island he was met with a surprising sight. He saw the three of them, but he also saw them fighting… Hydra. Not good.

"Clarisse!" he called out, startling her since she never heard him raise his voice like that. "Prepare the cannons, the Hydra is on that island!"

She quickly took the binoculars and looked as well, confirming what he said. She turned towards the sailors. "Man the cannons, now! And fire upon the Hydra!"

The undead sailors quickly went to work, though they may have been a bit too fast since Marcus saw an eyeball roll next to his feet. The cannons turned and with huge bangs fired cannonballs at the monster, which quickly turned to golden dust.

Clarisse looked proud at the achievement. "Nice shooting, boys!" she proclaimed causing the sailors to cheer, though the grunting sounds they let out didn't make it appear so. "Now let's grab those losers and scram."

Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson were soon brought on the CSS Birmingham, and Clarisse couldn't help herself but gloat about how much trouble the three were in, and what Tantalus said.

"Clarisse," Marcus said getting her attention. "Leave them alone, we talked about this already. Let me handle them."

"Ugh, fine. I wouldn't want to hit you with babysitting duty, but you do you," she said with a shrug before walking away and tending to her ship.

When Marcus was about to speak Tyson suddenly came up to him and hugged him, causing Marcus to grunt both in surprise and in slight pain considering the cyclops' strength.

"Thank you, scary man!" he proclaimed as he lifted Marcus slightly above the ground. "That Clarisse was mean for no reason, but you helped us. I knew you were good."

Percy and Annabeth couldn't help but laugh at the scene, seeing Tyson hugging Marcus like he was some stuffed toy.

"You're… welcome," Marcus said, still stunned by what was happening. He then gripped Tyson by the hands and pried them off, surprising the cyclops. "And it's Marcus. And don't charge me like that, you're lucky I didn't act on my instincts and tore you apart."

Tyson then gained a sad look on his face. "But, why would you do that, Marcus? What have I ever done to you?"

Now Marcus didn't know what to do. Tyson was genuinely hurt by what he said, almost to the point of tears.

Percy then went to console his half-brother. "It's alright, big guy. Marcus didn't mean anything bad, I'm sure of it." Percy then turned to Marcus. "You didn't, right?" Percy had a 'please just go along with it' look on his face when he said that.

Marcus just sighed. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry." And soon after, he felt himself again being wrapped in a Tyson bear hug.

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear that!" Tyson said, all the sadness gone.

Marcus then grunted again, in annoyance this time, while Percy and Annabeth had a full-blown laughing fit.

The hugging eventually stopped, much to Marcus' relief, and Percy and Annabeth looked at him with a serious expression.

"Marcus, we need to tell you something," Annabeth began. "We ran into Luke, he is also after the Fleece." The red-eyed demigod's eyes widened when she said that. "He seeks to revive Kronos with it."

Kronos? Luke has allied himself with Kronos, were thoughts that went through Marcus' mind. That wasn't good news, bringing Kronos back may end up in a cataclysmic war.

"Yeah, not the greatest thing in the world," Percy commented. "And he also said something about you." Marcus then turned to Percy, eager to hear what he had to say. "'Marcus will get his comeuppance soon enough'. At least that's what I understood from him."

"I see," Marcus said, knowing full well what that meant.

"There is… another thing, Marcus," Annabeth said before reached into a backpack that Percy was carrying and pulled out what seemed to be a picture. "We took this from our old hideout on the island. I thought we might bring it to you."

She handed the picture to Marcus who curiously took it. Once he looked at the picture his eyes slightly widened. This was a photo of him and Maya, one they took years ago. In it, Maya was smiling widely while Marcus stood beside her, also smiling though not as brightly as his sister.

He remembered when they were on the run that they decided to take a few pictures for good memories, and this was one of those they took. Marcus honestly forgot how he looked like before.

He also remembered that when they left the hideout Maya frantically looked for this picture and they concluded that they forgot to take it. They couldn't go back for it since they were already so far away.

A smile was once again brought to Marcus' face when he saw it. He turned to Annabeth who was also smiling, happy to see her friend looking the most cheerful he had been in a while.

"Thank you, Annabeth. You don't know how much this means to me," he said.

"I remembered that you and Maya really wanted this picture but you forgot to take it so I thought that I could take it and bring it back to you. It was only natural," she said.

Marcus then took a small brown satchel that was tied to his waist, untied the small knot and put the photo inside.

"Um, isn't it going to get scrunched up if you put it there?" Percy asked.

"The satchel is magical, it has a lot of space inside it," Marcus.

"Oh. That's cool. Wish I had one."

"That's so sweet!" Tyson proclaimed before giving Marcus another hug, which again caught him off guard. This also prompted the two young demigods to laugh again.

Marcus had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

"We're approaching the Sea of Monsters!" one of the Confederate sailors said.

"Excellent, full speed ahead!" Clarisse ordered.

As they approached the cursed sea, Percy and others noticed that there was a whirlpool forming in the water, not too far from the giant rock formation.

"Um, what is that supposed to be?" Percy asked.

"Scylla and Charybdis," Marcus answered. "They guard the entrance to the Sea of Monsters. The only way to get there is through them." Sensing the incoming question from Percy he proceeded to elaborate. "And no, we can't just sail around them. They'll just appear there as well."

"Then what do we do?"

"I know something," Marcus asked before approaching Clarisse. "Listen, we should go next to Scylla. I'll gain its attention and you can sail next to it. Don't worry, I can fight it off. I've done it before."

Clarisse looked like she would have agreed, but something seemed to stop her. Something which Marcus took notice of.

"I… thank you for the suggestion, but we'll take on Charybdis. I'll order our cannons to fire upon it and we'll go past it without putting anyone in danger."

Marcus raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. He knew that Clarisse trusted him with this, but for some reason, she doesn't want to heed his advice.

Then he came to a realization. "What did he tell you?" he simply asked.

"Um, I don't-"

"Clarisse, I know that Ares told you something. So what did he tell you?"

Before she could give an answer, another sailor approached. "We're nearing Charybdis, my lady. But the pistons are overheating. This vessel wasn't built for deep waters."

Marcus let out a growl. He knew that something like this would happen. Ares doesn't just give out gifts without any repercussions. He has enough experience with that.

"Get ready the cannons to fire at the monster, and make sure we don't get caught in its suction!" she ordered the sailors.

Marcus then turned to Percy. "Make sure to focus on the water around the ship. If anything goes wrong, make sure that the water around us stays calm."

"That's… quite a lot of pressure you're putting on me," Percy said. "I'm not sure if I can."

"Then at least try. We have to minimize the damage."

Percy sighed. "Alright. I'll try." He then closed his eyes and began to focus. However, Charybdis wasn't very quiet, and the noises it produced were distracting him. "Ugh, I can't focus. The noises-"

"Focus, Percy! Drown out any noise you hear and focus on the water around us!" Marcus commanded.

Tyson was biting his fingernails in fear while Annabeth looked worried. This was a hard situation after all.

The boat then arrived within range of the monster, but despite the sailors' best efforts they couldn't avoid the suction range of Charybdis completely.

"My lady, the pistons can't hold out. We may have to disengage soon," a sailor said.

"We need to push through it! Ready the cannons!"

The cannons turned and aimed to fire, but the boat then began to creak and the sound of something straining could be heard below.

Percy was focusing on keeping the water calm as much as he could, but the strain was making him sweat. He felt like he couldn't hold on much longer.

Marcus only looked at the situation with his eyes narrowed. He himself couldn't do much right now. If they passed over Scylla, it would have been a safer option, but he knew that Ares had a hand in convincing his daughter to go against him. His teeth grit at the war god's arrogance.

"We're in range!" a sailor shouted.

"Fire!"

And so the cannons once again fired, several shots hitting Charybdis straight on. The monster was clearly affected as the giant teeth on the surface squirmed and moved uneasily.

The giant mouth then quickly closed, making the whirlpool around them stop. Percy relaxed, feeling the strain lifted from him.

Then suddenly, the monster opened its mouth again and spat out a huge amount of water it swallowed.

The shockwave and the water hurled the boat backward with a tremendous force; most of the people on it had to brace themselves really hard to stay on.

However, the bad news didn't stop there. "My lady, the lower deck is on fire! There was too much pressure on the pistons!"

"Damn it! We need to get those things fixed somehow!" Clarisse exclaimed.

Out of nowhere, the sailor she was talking to was suddenly missing half of his body, making Clarisse look at the remains in shock.

Marcus saw what happened and narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what was going on. He quickly took out one of his blades. "Watch out! We're near Scylla! Get to the safety boats, now!"

That got everyone worried, but one of them didn't hear.

"Tyson! Where are you going?!" Percy called out to his Cyclops brother who went for the lower deck.

"To fix the pistons otherwise the boat will explode! I can survive the fire! Just a moment, brother!" he said before descending down the stairs.

"No!" Percy was about to go after him but Marcus was soon in front of him, a slashing sound was heard along with a monstrous wail.

"Watch out for Scylla! It moves incredibly fast!" Marcus said before swinging his blades to deflect another strike. He turned to Annabeth. "You and Percy get to the safety boats! I'll cover you!"

"But what about-?"

"Go, now!"

That startled her for a moment before she nodded and quickly ran to the safety boats, with Marcus deflecting another strike from the beast.

Percy was about to go but gazed at the flaming door. "No, I won't leave Tyson behind!"

Marcus turned back to Percy. "Don't be stupid! You won't survive the fire!"

"But he'll die!"

"And if you go you'll both die!" the flames sputtered out of the door with greater intensity. Whatever Tyson was doing only slowed the process of this ship burning.

Seeing that the boats already moved away from the boat, Marcus knew that Percy was the only one here. So he quickly deflected another strike from Scylla before running over to the son of Poseidon and grabbing him by the back of his shirt.

Percy didn't get to ask what was going on before Marcus flung him over the ship, and at a surprising distance before the ship exploded in a powerful blast, Marcus and Tyson still on it.

AN: And that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We are halfway through the Sea of Monsters arc and the next chapter will be the last of it.

And remember to check out my other stories. And leave a review, they are great motivators.

See you next time!