Rage of a Demigod
AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Here I come with another chapter! To be honest, I thought that I would finish the Titan's Curse arc in only like, three chapters but it would appear it will go on for at least one more. But that just means that you people will get more content to read, and that makes me happy. Hope you enjoy!
Now to reviews.
hawkeyestratos1996: You'll just have to wait and see.
zarmag: I'll try.
RedHood001: Thanks for all the praise. Though it's not that Marcus didn't reveal who Apollo is just to be playful but because the god just gave him a sign not to. And I'm pretty that Marcus said before that he interacted with some former Hunters though he never said who.
Crazzytony: Thanks, and here's some more.
9 Too Many Dam Problems
Everyone stood on their guard as they looked at the grinning god of war, not wanting to deal with whatever he was intending.
"At ease, punks," Are said with his arm raised. "This is a purely friendly visit I assure you."
"What's your business here, Ares?" Thalia asked. "And who's in the car?"
Ares scoffed. "You truly are your father's daughter, I just come and already there are demands," he said. "Maybe you should watch your tongue or else I'm taking out a lighter the next time you become a tree."
Marcus' fist clenched the moment he heard that, something that Ares noticed. The war god walked over to his servant.
"How can we help you, lord Ares?" Marcus asked. The others could practically feel the venom hidden under the politeness of the question.
"Oh, it's nothing special, I assure you, my Spartan," Ares said before playfully smacking Marcus' shoulder making the red-eyed demigod wince, the soreness still not leaving him. "Damn, what happened to you? Must've been something for you to react like that."
"It's of no importance," Marcus simply said.
"Wait, why are you calling him 'Spartan'?" Percy asked.
"Well, he reminds me of one," Ares said. "He's tough, brutally efficient, and most of all… loyal to me."
Marcus' teeth grit hard after that word came out of the war god's mouth. Loyal? He honestly had no choice in the matter.
"Lord Ares, we have an important quest to finish," Zoe said. "What is it thou demand of us?"
"Right, back to business," Ares said before pointing at the car. "You see, someone wants to meet with little Perseus and Marcus here."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Um, who is it exactly?" he asked, though Marcus already had an idea of who it was.
Ares then opened the back door of the limousine and gestured inside. "Why don't come in and find out. Don't worry, she doesn't bite… much."
Percy spared one last glance at the rest of the group before looking at Marcus, only to see that he was already at the door of the limo. Percy quickly ran over and joined him.
The moment Marcus and Percy sat inside, Percy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped the moment he saw the woman inside, easily the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Marcus saw that and couldn't blame the young demigod, seeing as he himself had a similar reaction when he saw her, the goddess of love herself, Aphrodite.
Aphrodite smiled as she looked at the two. "Well, how are my two currently favorite demigods?" she asked before turning to Percy. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Aphrodite."
Percy began mumbling something incoherent before Marcus nudged him with an elbow to make him stop.
Aphrodite then handed Percy a handheld mirror. "Be a dear, and hold this for a second."
Percy obliged and the goddess fixed some of her lipstick, though to both of them it looked perfect.
"Now tell me," she told Percy. "Why are you here?"
Percy blinked at the out of nowhere question. "Uh, what do you mean? I'm on the quest to save Artemis?"
Aphrodite wagged her finger. "Don't lie to me, Percy. Sure this quest is ultimately to save her, but that's not your reason for it. I mean, why would saving someone like Artemis be a reason? She is bo-ring."
"Well, she was searching for a very dangerous monster and-"
"Enough of monsters, Percy," she interrupted. "I want to know why you are here."
Percy was silent for a few moments. "Annabeth is in trouble."
"There it is!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "The real, pure reason you are here! Love! Oh, that's so cute!"
Marcus then yanked the mirror out of Percy's hand, with the younger demigod only now noticing that he was still holding it.
"Ah, look, lady Aphrodite, I was only-"
"Oh, don't be like that with me. I'm on your side," Aphrodite said. "I'm the one who helped you get into this quest. Who do you think gave the Stoll brothers the poison?"
Percy's eyes widened. "That was you!"
Marcus just let out a sigh. He was really hoping the gods wouldn't involve themselves in this, but as always he hoped for too much.
"Of course!" Aphrodite answered. "The Hunters are super boring, but a quest for true love-"
"Whoa, I never said anything-"
Aphrodite tsked. "Don't be like that. I'm the goddess of love, I would know. And saving someone in the name of love, it's something the Hunters will never understand. So forget Artemis, and her Hunters, focus on finding and saving Annabeth."
Percy gave a sigh. "Do you know where she is?"
"Sorry, but I can't tell you. I'll leave the details to you. I haven't had a good tragic love story in ages."
Percy perked up when he heard that. "What do you mean tragic?"
"That's what makes love grand. The struggles, the conflicts, the uncertainty, the pain. It's all these obstacles that make love's ultimate triumph worth it."
"But, I don't want it to-"
Marcus put a hand on Percy's shoulder, stopping him from continuing.
"Lady Aphrodite," Marcus began. "Your enthusiasm is admirable as always, and no offense to you, but this quest is still very important, and love won't matter if we don't finish it. And to do that, Percy needs a clear head."
Aphrodite then turned to the tattooed demigod, a pout on her beautiful lips. "Oh, why is it always so straightforward with you? Don't you want some excitement in your life?"
"Trust me, my lady, I get my fair share of excitement. Sometimes even too much."
"Can't say I disagree, but it does need some variety than just slaying monsters," Aphrodite said before smiling. "And something came that will just make things interesting." The smile then turned devious. "My dear Marcus, I've always liked you because of your stance towards the Hunters of Artemis. True, not for the same reason as me but close enough. And with what I'm seeing with you, well, I can't wait to see how Artemis will react when this is all over."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Does it have something to do with Bianca?" he asked. Perhaps the goddess was talking about Bianca leaving the Hunters, maybe his talk convinced her.
Aphrodite shook her head. "No, not really. What I'm talking about is something much more juicy. Tell me, why do you think that Zoe girl tolerated you all this time?"
Marcus didn't like what she was implying. "I just thought that she saw reason."
"Reason?! Puh-lease! The Hunters wouldn't be able to see reason if it hit them with one of their silver arrows! No, Marcus, Zoe didn't see reason for over two thousand years. Why would she suddenly be doing it now?"
Marcus couldn't help but glance outside, seeing the others standing there nervously while Ares fiddled around with a knife, Zoe in particular looking on the edge. He honestly wasn't sure how to feel about this information.
Percy also wasn't sure what to make of this. Was Aphrodite really saying what he thought she was?
"Ah, there it is! The uncertainty!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "I cannot wait to see how this will turn out. Now do you two see why you're currently my favorite demigods?"
Marcus shook his head, waving those thoughts away. "If that is all, lady Aphrodite."
"Why yes, I think we had a nice little talk," Aphrodite said. "And just a little bit of a warning. You're in my husband's territory, so make sure not to take anything. He's sensitive when it comes to his trinkets."
"Wait, you mean Hephaestus?" Percy asked.
The door of the limousine opened and Ares grabbed Percy by the shoulder. "Okay, that's enough chit chat," he said before yanking Percy out.
Aphrodite giggled at her boyfriend's behavior. Marcus was about to sit up, but the goddess stopped him. "One more thing, Marcus. Lora says hi and wishes you the best luck on the quest."
Marcus just nodded before getting out but stopped at the car door. "Lady Aphrodite."
"Hmm?"
"You love tragic stories?"
"Yes, I do. Why?"
"What if such a tragic story happened to you?"
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow, both confused and curious. "What do you mean?"
Marcus' head was turned as he glanced at Ares. "No, no. I'll leave the details to you." And he closed the door.
Aphrodite blinked for a few moments, wondering what that was about before shrugging. Now, where did Marcus put that mirror?
"You two punks are quite lucky, no offense Marcus," Ares said, making Marcus internally roll his eyes. The war god's 'politeness' was as obvious as his own. "If it were up to me, the things would have gotten way more violent but Aphrodite didn't want that and I didn't want to look bad in front of my girl. Can't have them all, I suppose."
"We are honored, lord Ares," Marcus said.
"You know, I'm surprised you didn't kill me already," Percy said to Ares. "By the way, how's your ankle."
Ares gave a crooked grin. "Oh, it's just fine. And don't worry, I'll get to kill you eventually, but from what I hear you'll cause the biggest war in history, and there is no way I'm missing it. So, I'll fight when I'm good and ready. Until then… sayonara."
Ares snapped his fingers and he and the limousine disappeared in a red flash.
The rest of the group eased up when the two gods went away.
"So, what did Aphrodite want?" Bianca asked.
"Nothing special, just a chat," Marcus said dismissively.
"Oh, and she told us not to take anything from the junkyard since it belongs to Hephaestus," Percy added.
"She wouldn't speak with thee for just that," Zoe said. "Be careful. She led many heroes astray."
"For once I agree," Thalia said. "You can't trust Aphrodite."
"We're wasting our time here," Marcus said impatiently. After hearing what Aphrodite said, Percy got the idea that Marcus didn't want to talk about it. Marcus then put his hand up. "The northern constellations are there, which means…" He said before pointing to the side. "…the west is there. Let's go."
The six of them moved through the huge junkyard, walking over piles or just getting around them. Bianca saw a specially made bow on the way to which Marcus quickly pointed out that they can't take anything from there.
Soon they saw a way out of the junkyard and on the highway; making most of them feel relieved.
"Thank the gods, I thought we'd never get out," Grover said.
Marcus then turned around to inspect the group to see if there were any was anything out of the ordinary. He then glanced at Bianca, before his eyes narrowed and he quickly approached her.
Bianca looked nervously at Marcus suddenly coming up to her. "Wh-what are you-?"
She was interrupted as he put his hand in her coat pocket, making her back away but it was too late as Marcus held a figurine in his hand. A figurine that resembled Hades.
"What is this?" Marcus demanded.
"I-it's a M-Mythomagic figure," Bianca explained. "I picked it up for Nico. It's the only one he didn't have."
"Wait, you took this from the junkyard?" Percy asked.
The answer came quickly as a huge pile of junk began to shake and rumble, before out of it rose a building-sized metal statue in the shape of a man. It had half of its face melted with some rust on its chest and joints, but it still regained a menacing look as it glared at them.
"What is that thing?" Percy asked.
"That's Talos!" Zoe said. "A creation of Hephaestus!"
"Or at least prototype automaton. This one is too small for Talos," Marcus said as his gaze narrowed. He then turned back to Bianca and showed the figurine at her. "I hope this thing was worth getting us killed!"
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
The automaton then took a sword out of its rusty sheath and went after them.
"Everyone spread out!" Marcus ordered as they dispersed, avoiding a huge sword swing that smashed into the highway.
Bianca and Zoe tried to shoot it with arrows but they just harmlessly bounced off the giant's metal face. The prototype then raised its foot before slamming it down with great strength, causing the ground to shake. Everyone fell down from the miniature earthquake, with Zoe and Bianca being covered in shadow and seeing the giant's foot coming down at them.
The two Hunters closed their eyes, waiting for the end to come, but after a little while, nothing happened. They opened their eyes to see that it was Marcus in front of them in a crouching position with his hands up, holding the giant's foot.
"Come on, you two! MOVE!" he grunted out as he struggled to hold the foot in place and the Hunters quickly ran away from the foot. Sweat began dripping down his head since his muscles still didn't completely recover, making this hurt like hell.
Zoe turned around and quickly shot an arrow right into the statue's nostril, making it back away before she ran over to Marcus who kneeled.
"Are thou alright?!" she asked.
"I've had better," Marcus said before getting up.
Grover then played a special tune on his flute, making several power lines on the highway come to life quickly wrap around the automaton and electrocuting it. It didn't work for long as it tore the power lines off.
"Well, that's just great," Percy said with his sword in hand. "How do we hurt this thing?" He hated feeling so useless in this situation.
Bianca then remembered something. When she was under the giant's foot, Marcus held it long enough for her to notice a door beneath it with the word 'Maintenance' written on them.
The prototype Talos turned back to Bianca, ready to attack, but she held no fear in her eyes.
Her gaze turned to the red-eyed demigod. "Marcus," she said gaining his attention. "Please, tell Nico that I'm sorry."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What are you-?" he was interrupted when the young Hunter began running towards the automaton. "Wait!"
"What are thou doing?!" Zoe asked, flabbergasted by what her new sister was trying to do.
Marcus and Zoe then ran after her, but before they could get far Marcus grunted before tripping down, also stopping Zoe who was shocked to see him on the floor again.
'No, not now!' he mentally screamed. He overexerted himself and the soreness in his muscles came back full force. And he still couldn't take the potion yet.
Thalia shot lightning at the automaton to no avail before seeing Bianca running at it, the daughter of Zeus now having a shocked expression.
"Bianca, what are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Bianca stopped in front of the automaton with a determined look on her face. "I'm here, rust for brains!" Her taunt worked as Talos seemed to have an angry expression before raising his foot. Bianca grinned, her plan worked. Now she readied her dagger.
The foot then came down right on top of her, landing with a loud crash.
"Bianca, no!" Percy screamed as he saw the girl get squashed underneath the automaton's foot.
Everyone was silent, for a moment, taking in what happened. But Marcus noticed something. There was no blood on the ground or on the giant's foot, which meant that she wasn't dead yet.
The automaton then turned towards Marcus and Zoe, ready to strike them down with his giant blade. Zoe readied her bow, as useless as it were she wasn't going to die without fighting.
Then Talos stopped, not moving a single mechanic muscle, making everyone look confused. The automaton then began violently shaking before its body parts began to fall off, the rest of the body falling down into a huge scrap heap.
"Wh-what happened?" Grover asked.
"I think she found a weak spot under its foot," Marcus explained as he slowly rose. "And then she attacked it from the inside."
"Then… she's alive!" Percy exclaimed.
"No," Marcus said, shocking the son of Poseidon. "There is no way she survived under all of that."
"One shall be lost in the land without rain," Thalia quoted the prophecy said to them by the Oracle. Considering they were in a desert it was obvious what that was referring to.
"No, no," Percy said as he fell to his knees. "I… I promised Nico I would protect her. That I would bring her back alive."
Another moment of silence passed.
"Let's go," Marcus said. "We can't waste any more time."
"You can't be serious!" Percy said. "We should at least recover her body!"
"And then what?" Marcus asked. "Shall we carry her mangled remains through San Francisco?"
Percy grunted. "Zoe!"
"No, Marcus is right," Zoe said. "We need to continue. Lady Artemis is waiting for us."
"I saw a truck over near the edge of the junkyard," Thalia said. "We could use a drive."
The rest agreed and followed Thalia to the truck, Marcus with some help of course.
Percy stayed behind, glancing one last time at the scrap heap that was Talos, with Bianca's body lost somewhere in its metallic guts. He wished he could have done something, but his options were limited.
Looking to the side, he saw something near the heap and ran over it. Kneeling down, he saw that it was the Hades figurine that Bianca took. He grabbed the figurine and pocketed it. If he couldn't save Bianca, there is at least one thing he could do.
He quickly joined the others, and they got into the truck. This time Zoe was the one to drive.
The sun was up when they arrived at the Hoover Dam, with Marcus once again needing some rest after overextending himself in that Talos fight. But the group quickly abandoned the truck and got out.
Percy, Grove, and Thalia started commenting on how Annabeth would love to be there, one of the greatest structures in The United States of America. Marcus also remembered how much Annabeth loved architecture, when they traveled together she really like saying facts about many structures. Hell, she still does it.
It was decided that this would be a good place for a break so they parked the truck and walked to the dam, Marcus actually rested enough to walk by himself.
"There's a snack bar at the visitor center," Thalia said. "Let's eat there."
"You've been here before?" Percy asked.
"We have," Marcus said. "Thalia went to see those." He pointed at the bronze statues carved into the edge of the cliff.
"They are guardians.," Thalia said. "A gift to Zeus from Athena."
"Do they… talk to you?" Percy asked.
Thalia gained a sour look on her face. "No. They are just metal statues."
"We should hurry up," Zoe said. "Let's get to the dam snack bar, eat, and move on."
Grover smiled. "The dam snack bar?"
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Yes. What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," Grover asked with the smile not leaving his face. "I could use some dam french fries."
Thalia smiled next. "And I need to use the dam restroom."
Percy cracked up, with Thalia and Grover joining in. "Also, let's buy ourselves a dam T-shirt!" The three then got into full-blown laughter.
Zoe blinked in confusion, not getting the joke. She then looked at Marcus and was surprised to see him smiling. Genuinely smiling.
But suddenly, Percy stopped laughing. "Um, you guys go ahead. I'll stay here."
"Are you alright?" Thalia asked.
"Yeah, I… I just need some time to think."
Seeing that he seemed somewhat upset, they agreed and went to the snack bar, leaving Percy alone to think. They arrived and ordered some food. It actually felt great to have a proper lunch in a while.
"Are thee any better?" Zoe asked Marcus.
"I am," he answered after taking a bite from a burger. "I won't completely recover until after tomorrow, but I will be able to drink a potion soon so I'll be back at maximum in about half an hour."
"That's great," Grover said before drinking his third cup of coffee. "We need you at full capacity if we want to come back alive."
"Okay, what's with you and so much coffee?" Thalia asked.
"The last time I heard Pan I drank coffee," he answered. "If I drink enough, I think I'll be able to hear him again."
"Or give yourself indigestion," Thalia jested.
Percy then burst into the snack bar before quickly coming over to them. "Listen, we gotta go! We're in trouble!"
As if on cue, the skeleton men also entered after Percy and ran at them. Marcus reacted quickly as he picked up the table they were eating at and threw it at the skeletons, knocking them back.
The group quickly ran out of the snack bar, with more skeletons coming out of the elevator. After a little while, more of them appeared in front of them. The skeletons were currently surrounding the group.
"Well, it's been fun adventuring with you guys," Grover said.
Percy noticed those statues from earlier, getting an idea. "No, we still have one more shot," he said before turning to Thalia. "Listen, pray to your father."
"What? But he never answers," she said.
"And what have we got to lose?"
Thalia was silent, knowing that she should at least give it a shot.
Marcus looked around, wondering what to do. Perhaps he could fight them off, give the others enough time to escape before he was overrun.
Then a sound of heavy steps was heard, and everyone turned to see those guardians come to life. They came to the group and quickly picked them up before spreading their wings and flying away.
"It worked!" Percy said happily. He then noticed that Marcus was with him, the guardian holding both of them by the shirt in the same hand. The closeness made Percy feel a bit awkward as they were back-to-back.
The statues then flew them away from the Hoover Dam and the skeletons.
"Why did you think that would work?" Marcus asked.
"Well, before I came to you guys I had to run through a tour, where a tour guide told me 'There is always a way for those clever enough to find it'."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What did she look like?"
"Pretty ordinary, actually. Except for the grey eyes," Percy said.
"So that's how it is," Marcus said knowingly.
Percy then thought about it. "Do you think that was-"
"Athena. Yes, she was."
"Huh, that was pretty nice of her," Percy commented.
"Are we really high?" they heard Thalia asked from the other hand. She tried hard to not look down.
"I think so," Percy said. "Why?"
"She's afraid of heights," Marcus said.
Thalia then turned to him with a frustrated look on her face. "Don't just say that!"
"And what would your excuse have been?" he asked rhetorically. "That you are interested in above sea levels like Annabeth is for architecture?"
"You're afraid of heights?" Percy asked. "Isn't the lord of the skies your father?"
Thalia blushed in embarrassment "Please, don't tell anyone."
"Don't worry, I'm tight-lipped," Percy assured her.
"Hey, kids!" the statue holding them asked. "Where to?"
"San Francisco. The waterfront," Percy said.
"Hey, Chuck!" the statue called out to the other one. "We're heading to Frisco!"
"Oh, I'm so there! Party!" the other one called out.
Marcus shook his head. When you hear talks like that, makes you wonder if these things were really built by the gods from Ancient Greece.
Then he remembered something. "What time is it?!" he asked.
The statue looked down. "You talking to me?" it asked getting a nod. "Hmm, let's see…" The statue then looked up in the sky, seeing the Sun's placement. "About twelve-thirty."
"Good enough," Marcus said before reaching into his magic pouch. After a little while, he took out another green potion, uncapped it, and downed it in one go. He let out a sigh as he felt his energies return, the soreness in his muscles disappearing. He let go of the bottle, letting it drop.
"You know, that could be considered littering," Percy commented.
Marcus turned to him. "Does it look like I care?"
Percy sighed. "No, I guess not." He then turned to Thalia. "Hey, Thalia," he called out, getting her attention. "Thanks."
"It… it was nothing," she said somewhat shyly.
When they arrived in San Francisco, the two statues put them at a beach, which was empty during this time of year.
"Alright, Hank!" Chuck the statue said. "Let's go and get wild!"
The two of them then flew off, leaving the group.
"Apollo told thee to talk to Nereus?" Zoe asked Percy, referring to a conversation he had with the Sun god while they were on that freight train.
"Yeah, he said Nereus would give answers even the Oracle can't," Percy explained.
"Well, aren't we fortunate?" Marcus said.
"What do you mean?"
"Nereus usually hangs out at the sea, his moniker is 'Old Man of the Sea'," Zoe explained for Marcus.
"Indeed," Marcus said. "So he should be around here. Let's look around."
The group searched the beach but couldn't find anything. Then they began looking at one of the piers, hoping to have more luck there.
Zoe then noticed a homeless man asleep on a bench and nudged Marcus. "There he is."
The rest turned to where she was pointing at. "The homeless guy?" Percy asked.
"The homeless guy," Marcus confirmed before reaching into his pouch and taking a golden rope that slightly shone in the sun. "Leave this to me."
"What's that for?" Thalia asked pointing at the rope.
"You'll see," Marcus simply answered.
Nereus snored a little as he slept, letting the calmness of the sea rest his mind. He then grunted as he felt something disturb him.
"What the…?" He then looked down and saw a golden rope wrapped around him. Then he was suddenly pulled hard and sent flying from his resting spot. He let out a panicked yell as he flew before he slammed into something hard and felt an arm around his throat.
"Hello, Nereus." The sea god looked up and saw Marcus looking down at him.
"You!" Nereus screamed out in anger.
The demigods blinked at the familiarity the two were talking with. Have they met each other?
"Good to see you, too," Marcus said as his grip around the god's throat tightened. "Now enough pleasantries, we need to ask you something."
"Oh, really?! Well too bad for you, I'm not letting you capture me again!"
Nereus then shut his eyes and began struggling, letting out a few grunts in the process. This went for a few more moments until Nereus saw nothing was happening.
"Uh, is the guy constipated?" Percy asked as he saw what was happening.
"This lasso was made by Hestia," Marcus said. "It will block his power to shapeshift."
"Hey, that's not fair!" Nereus exclaimed.
"Really, because I don't remember a rule in the rulebook that said 'no magic lassoes'," Marcus said.
"Most excellent work," Zoe commented, not expecting Marcus to have such a tool at his disposal. "Now ask him a question."
"Wait, just one?" Percy asked.
"Yeah, it's one question per capture. That part is in the rule book, unfortunately," Grover said.
"Tell us, where is the monster that can destroy the gods?" Zoe asked before Marcus could, which made the demigod somewhat annoyed.
Nereus scoffed. "That's it? Oh, that's easy. Just look over there," he said while pointing down at the sea.
"Mooooo!"
The sound got their attention and they saw a cow with a serpent's tail in the water.
Percy blinked. "Bessie!"
Nereus then quickly got out of the lasso ran to the edge of the pier before turning into a goldfish and dropped into the water.
Marcus grunted, not liking the fact that this cow distracted him and gave Nereus a chance to escape. But you better count your blessing where you have them.
The group went down to the beach where the cow was waiting.
"Bessie! What are you-"
"He says his name isn't 'Bessie'," Grover said. "It's Ophiotaurus."
"Wait, he? And what's an Ophio…thingie?"
"Ophiotaurus isn't a monster per se, but the Fates gave a prophecy that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and burned its gut he would have enough power to take out the gods themselves."
Ophiotaurus let out another 'Mooooo!' which seemed to be a confirmation.
"You met it before?" Marcus asked Percy.
"Um, yeah. He was trapped and I ended up helping him."
"So that's why he likes you," Grover said in realization as he gave Ophiotaurus a pat on the head.
Thalia looked at the creature in wonder. "The power to destroy Olympus. That's huge."
"Indeed, it is," they heard another voice coming from the beach which made them quickly turn. They saw a black-haired man with a beard dressed in a trench coat, a man everyone except Marcus recognized as Dr. Thorn, the Manticore. He was also followed by several armed and armored Dracanae. "And you will be the one to unleash it."
The group readied their weapons.
"Marcus," Percy whispered. "He is the one responsible for Annabeth being captured."
The moment he heard that Marcus's gaze turned into a fiery glare. "Is that so?"
Thorn noticed Marcus' stare. "So you're still alive? Luke told us the poison would kill you."
"Well, I have to give Luke some praise," Marcus said. "If I was alone like I usually am, then that stunt of his would have worked. But he underestimated the situation."
Thorn snarled at him before turning to Thalia again. "Daughter of Zeus, this is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. And for your sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus."
That damn prophecy, Marcus thought. He knew about the prophecy where a demigod will at sixteen years of age come to decision where he or she would either save Olympus or destroy it. And with Thalia's birthday being in two days, that was concerning.
Zoe aimed her arrow and shot at Thorn only for his tail to appear and knock the arrow away, with the Dracanae coming to his defense and some readying their own bows. "Try that again, Zoe Nightshade, and I'll fill you all with arrows."
"But, why would I-?" Thalia tried to ask.
"The real question is 'why wouldn't you?'" Thorn interrupted. "Your friend Luke saw the gods for what they truly are. You can join him. Rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your father abandoned you, Thalia. He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, as they deserve!"
Thalia was silent for a while, not sure what to say. Was Thorn right? Should she join them?
"Thalia!" Percy called out. "Your father helped you at the Hoover Dam! He turned you into a tree to preserve you!"
Thalia's grip on her spear tightened.
"Enough!" Marcus exclaimed as he glared at Thorn. "No more talk from you. You're responsible for all this, and I'll make sure you pay." He then took out his Blades of Chaos as they began to emit fire. "All of you, leave them to me."
"Are thou sure?" Zoe asked.
"I completely recovered, and this will be a good exercise."
Thorn smirked. "I know that you are a strong demigod, but do you think you can take on all of us?"
"Let's see shall we," Marcus said before he began running towards the monsters at inhuman speed, getting several gasps from both groups.
The Dracanae fired arrows at him, but all were easily deflected before Marcus threw his blades, hitting two of them straight in the head and turning them into dust. Then he swung his chained blades at Thorn, who dodged at the last moment but several more Dracanae were destroyed in the process.
Once Marcus was close the remaining Dracanae tried to charge him but he swung his swords faster than they could blink and reduced them to dust, leaving only Thorn remaining.
Percy stood there shocked. "Whoa."
Grover nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
True, they saw him do similar things, but taking out a group of Dracanae in just under ten seconds is still a sight to see.
Marcus then stood across Thorn. "And then there was one."
Thorn growled, not expecting Marcus to be so powerful. Those weapons he wielded were definitely like nothing he has seen before.
"You know," Thorn began. "I never fought any heroes, was never admired or feared from the legends." His form began to change, his tail visible, arms turning into that of lion's as his eye glowed red. "I was banished to Persia, forced to scrounge for food from farmers. People treat me as a joke; even the General doesn't see me as all that useful." He then got on all fours as his clothes began tearing off. "But now that changes! By killing you by myself I will regain my honor!"
Marcus scoffed. "By all means, try," he taunted.
Thorn was now turned into a lion-like creature with a scorpion tail as he glared at the demigod. "DIE MORTAL!" The Manticore opened its mouth and let out a giant stream of fire.
Marcus quickly moved out of the way of the stream and began running at the Manticore. The monster then moved its head to the side with the stream of fire following it. Marcus then jumped high over the stream and headed right for the monster.
The Manticore stopped firing and used its tail to attack the descending demigod, but Marcus stopped deflected the stingers with one of his blades, making it fly over him while using the other to slash at the base of the tail, slashing it off.
The monster screamed in pain as it quickly moved away from Marcus. In a rage, he pounced on the demigod but Marcus blocked his paws with his blades as he fell on his back. Marcus then used both his legs to kick away the Manticore and redirecting one of his blades, slicing off one of Thorn's hind legs.
The Manticore grunted as it landed on the ground, unable to properly stand. Marcus then used the opportunity and pierced the monster's sliced off tail with one of his blades. Swinging the blade at Thorn, who was still recovering, was unprepared as he was pierced by his own tail through the head, reducing him to golden dust.
Marcus gave the remains one last glare before sheathing his blades and walking back to his team.
"Woohoo! Go Marcus!" Grover exclaimed with a fist in the air.
"That one was for Annabeth!" Percy shouted.
Thalia, while happy Thorn was gone, still looked downtrodden, as if feeling shame about even considering joining, something Marcus noticed.
"Thalia," he said making her look up at him. "I had those thoughts before, trust me. They can come once in a while to anyone."
"I… " Thalia sighed. "I suppose."
"Now we just need to find Annabeth," Percy said. "But where do we go now?"
Zoe gave a loud sigh, getting their attention. "I know where we need to go," she said before pointing at a mountain across the Golden Gate. "I must go home."
AN: And that is it for now! This chapter was more action-packed than the other one so I hope that you enjoyed it. And Marcus is finally able to fight at t 100%. Unfortunately, Bianca still ended up dying which is unfortunate but some things have to be kept. And hopefully, I'll finish this arc in the next chapter, even make it extra long if I need to so look forward to that.
And please check out my other stories, they're worth it. And leave a review, they are great motivators.
See you next time!