Chapter XXV
I would like to say we made a heroic breakthrough and cut ourselves a way out through the Oneiroi. That wasn't entirely untrue either, I sliced through two of them within a few seconds, them just bursting into mist instead of the usual dust. I doubt we would have had much of a problem this way, the Oneiroi were neither armed nor capable fighters, already retreating and disappearing after the first had fallen.
Fortunately I had managed to get Hypnos to reveal the gates' location in his arrogance. Unfortunately they were in the least secure and most difficult direction, forwards, which left us with but one choice, to push on. We didn't get very far, however...
"No, no, this won't do at all," Epiales said displeased, shaking his head.
He clapped his hands and the mist rose from the floor, crashing over us like a wave. I stumbled as the numbness came over me once more, this time was even more intense.
"Let's start easy, shall we?" His voice sounded with a chuckle. "We have plenty of time after all."
But it lasted only a blink of an eye, before the mist cleared again and I asked myself one very essential question, where the Hades was I?
Where there seconds ago had been a mist covered floor there now were beautiful mosaics. In place of cavern walls stood masterful marble columns, no longer were there only three thrones, but twelve. It didn't take me long from there to realize where this was, or rather what this looked like. The answer to that was Olympus, but the rational part of my mind told me that was impossible.
Yet, it felt far too real, the smell of fire from the hearth, it's crackling. The ground felt solid and true and the palace was no less imposing than it had been this winter. But something was off, the thrones seemed less shining, the power that had filled the room before was far less present this time.
I turned as I heard a sound from behind me, someone shoving open the doors. And through the now opened doors it became clear to see what was wrong, a path of destruction had been cut through Olympus, fires were devouring gardens and roofs, statues were decapitated or split apart. A path of destruction that ended where I stood.
My eyes were drawn to the sword in my hand, it was not mine, yet the gray metallic color was all too familiar. In my hands was the goal of this quest, Kronos' scythe. Suddenly something even more shocking caught my attention however, reflected in its blade. Glowing a brutal golden color, the familiar blue only faintly still visible, my eyes looked back at me.
The sound of footsteps drew my attention to the doors again and I saw Percy rushing in, Riptide at the ready. Anger filled me as I looked at my brother, anger and hate of such intensity I couldn't even compare it.
"Hello, brother." I greeted him with a voice and grin that weren't mine.
"Don't you dare pretend you are my brother..." Percy snarled before muttering. "If there is even a piece of him left in that body."
"Oh, I can assure you, there is more than a piece," I said, grinning, my voice mine again, though the words still weren't. "I am simply lending Lord Kronos my body for now."
"No, this can't be," Percy protested, his voice crumbling. "He would never go back to you like this, I cannot believe that."
"Believe what you may," I told him and turned away, letting my eyes wander across the thrones. "Hmmm, which throne shall be the first, ah, I know."
"Perfect," I muttered as I focused on Poseidon's throne before looking left at Zeus' throne. "Or perhaps this one?"
I heard Percy's steps approaching behind me as I quickly closed in towards the two thrones, the sword changing shape back to its true form. In a wide arcing slash I let the scythe cut through the both of them, breaking off a large chunk of Zeus' armrest and a part of the foundation of my father's throne.
"Fight me then!" Percy challenged me with shakyíng voice and I turned around.
"Fine," I answered uncaringly and smirked. "what was our count when we left off, 254:255? Ah, a shame, I guess I'll only get even, seeing as this'll be the last time, though I guess that is quite poetic in itself."
"You are not him," Percy muttered. "but if I'm wrong, and there's at least something left of him, then show me, a sword-fight."
"I already agreed, haven't I?" I asked and twirled the scythe letting it shift shape back to a sword. "but, have it your way."
We circled around the hearth, watching each other. My face was drawn into a grin and despite myself I felt the anger and eagerness to beat, no to kill, Percy.
A small rational part of my mind protested, what was I doing? This was my brother, sure I quarreled with him often enough, but to kill him? That was unimaginable.
"So then Perce?" The other voice asked, and now I finally recognized the obvious, it was Kronos' voice.
Percy clearly had already recognized that as well, and it drove him over the edge, anger flashing in his eyes as he charged.
Usually me and Percy were somewhat equal in duels, though admittedly Percy was the far better swordsman I could usually compensate for it with experience and strength. But this was no equal fight, that much became clear within the first few moments.
Percy was unnaturally slow, too slow to match me and it didn't take long till I was more toying with him than properly fighting. Inside of me I felt sick as I slammed him into one of the columns with my shoulder, the stone crumbling from the force. This was not me, I told myself, even if I were to fight Percy like this, I would at least do so properly, this was just cruel.
But every swing of the sword was mine, every strike of his I parried was done so by my hands. And every wound I left on him was caused by me as well. It was clear Percy wouldn't be able to oppose me long like this. But this wasn't the worst part, the worst part is that I enjoyed it, I relished the fight against him and the power that I felt in me.
I tossed Percy again, sending him tumbling and rolling over the floor, coming to a halt short of the hearth. As he slowly got up, I was already standing above him. I raised the scythe for another strike and Percy lifted Riptide to parry as I brought it down with mad fury.
Riptide was thrown from Percy's hand, but I didn't slow or stop my strike. His collarbone gave little resistance as the adamant blade cut along his chest, and I felt it break under the force. Blood splattered to the ground from the large wound as Percy fell backwards. Suddenly my anger broke and I grabbed his arm and pulled him to me as he was about to stumble into the dying flames.
"Percy?" I asked, my words mine again, though filled with panic. "please answer me."
I met Percy's eyes as I slowly let him sink to the ground. There was still life in them, he couldn't be dead, there was no way.
"Brother," I called pleadingly, desperation filling me. "please."
I felt feverish, nauseated when the flames of the hearth went out fully at that moment. As they died, I watched as Percy's eyes finally glazed over and I let him sink to the ground.
Again I heard approaching footsteps in the distance, far more numerous this time. And again my misery turned to anger as I stood back up. They were at fault for everything, for what I had done, for Percy's death, I'd destroy them for it.
My control over my body slipped again as there was only one thing on my mind now, to send the entirety of Olympus to oblivion. I turned towards the thrones and took my first step when suddenly the floor collapsed below me and everything went white once more before I snapped awake with a jolt.
"Accursed true-sighted godling!" Epiales screamed, his voice filled with pain as something bronze flew through his shoulder.
I saw Eleanor sprinting towards him, literally glowing. Her eyes were as if ablaze, a bright golden color shining from them that seemed to light up the entire cave. I looked around confused, I was exactly where I had been before, what was that? A dream? Though it had felt so real, I could hardly believe it, but it was the only logical explanation, especially seeing where we were.
Bianca seemed to look just as confused as I felt, though she regained her bearings far faster than I did. Within the moment she had summoned her bow and shot an Oneiroi that had approached to point-blank range, before notching another arrow and taking aim again.
"I am not sure how smart it is to stay here," Bianca muttered.
Her point was supported by the horde of angry spirits coming at us. I still felt the shock from the dream, but the moment was not one fit for pondering.
"Agreed," I said as I swept out with my sword, creating space as an especially aggressive one lunged at me
Hurriedly we started moving along the path Eleanor had cleared, though she had already made great headway and was only a few yards away from the stairs now. Epiales made another motion with his hand and the mist started to rise around as again. But just in that moment one of Bianca's arrows pierced his shadowy body, leaving a round hole in it as he cried out.
With one fluid motion Eleanor decapitated him, his head dispersing into mist, shortly followed by the rest of his body as we hounded up the stairs after her.
"Nice work, headlights," I remarked as I came to a stop before her.
Her eyes were bright alright, bright enough to blind you worse than her father's shining grin and I thought that was quite impossible.
"Huh?" Eleanor asked, confused.
"Your eyes," Bianca told her and Eleanor lifted her sword, looking into the blade.
"What the-" Eleanor said, surprised.
I looked down, and saw the Oneiroi that had fled before reappearing, slowly crowding around us, as they started to beat their wings and lifted themselves into the air.
"Seems this conversation will have to wait," I said as I turned back to the others. "we should get moving before Morpheus realizes what happened."
"Yeah," Eleanor shook herself and pulled a bronze something from Hypnos' throne. "Don't forget your dagger though."
"What?" I patted my belt, noticing my dagger was indeed not in its loop, before grabbing it from her. "You thieving-"
"Guys!" Bianca warned with a worried look up.
The Oneiroi dived towards us and we ran, sprinting down the long tunnel opening up behind the thrones till we came before two gates, both near identical in appearance.
One gray gateway, translucent, almost glass like, carved with intricate images, in it the same, familiar white milky mist swirled that seemed to be everywhere here.
And to its left stood a gleaming white one, much more solid seeming than the other, the images carved here clearly were different, but in both cases far too small to make out, and in it the same mist stood as well.
"So which one are we taking?" I asked as I heard the approaching steps and wing-beats behind us.
"The left one," Eleanor said firmly. "The one of ivory."
"Why?" Bianca asked. "Can you see something?"
"Uh yeah?" Eleanor asked, irritated. "The other just goes up, unless one of you can fly, I don't think that's the right call."
"And that one?" I asked, pointing to the ivory gate.
"The tunnel goes on there, splitting into dozens of paths," Eleanor said hastily. "if we want to lose them, that's our best bet."
The sounds got louder and despite my reservations about going in there again we moved forward again.
The mist was no less unpleasant this time, though it didn't last as long thankfully. Eleanor more or less dragged us through it, seemingly entirely unbothered by it. Hades, if anything she seemed even more confident in her movement than before, her golden eyes shining through the mist, though their light grew ever weaker.
When we finally stumbled out, we were standing in a narrow tunnel, Eleanor was breathing rather heavily and the glow from her eyes had all but faded. To our left, a good two-hundred feet below or so, I felt the flow of water, and a familiar presence, the river Styx.
I didn't really like the Styx, but considering the circumstances I found it reassuring, an ancient powerful river, that I could deal with, my own mind and the illusions thereof were an entirely different story.
We advanced in anxious silence, Bianca taking the lead in the near darkness again, with me and Eleanor following, swords drawn. Back in the mist we could still hear the sound of wings beating and steps on the ground, but thankfully we truly seemed to have lost them in that mess, however Eleanor had seen through it, perhaps it was now time for that conversation.
"Say El," I started after a while. "you aren't clear-sighted, are you? I know mortals can be... but demigods?"
"No, I do not think so," Eleanor chuckled. "The mist can be quite troublesome for me as well."
"Well, it sure didn't seem like it back there," Bianca commented from the front. "Nor back at Mammoth Cave. You haven't had something like this before, had you?"
"What? The glowing eyes?" She asked and cocked her head. "Not that I can remember-"
"But I can," I interjected. "remember when we talked with Autolykos?"
"Of course," Eleanor scoffed. "But I don't see what relation that bears."
"And here I thought your father was the god of memory." I said with a smirk. "Though I suppose see is already the right word, your eyes glowed back then too, and he was also trying to deceive us."
"Speaking of her dad," Bianca said. "Apollo's the god of truth, isn't he?"
"Probably, as stated, he's damn near the god of everything," I agreed jokingly, before continuing. "but in all seriousness, I think you're correct."
"He is," Eleanor confirmed. "So what? I am just some living, breathing lie detector now?"
"I think that's underselling it isn't it?" I told her. "I mean, he called you truth-seeing, seeing the truth is quite different from finding lies, isn't it?"
"I guess," The daughter of Apollo sounded unsure. "But what does that even mean? Does that mean I get prophetic powers? Or do I-"
Bianca suddenly held up her hand, before turning and shushing us.
"What?" I asked as quietly as I could, confused.
"Just listen," Bianca insisted. "don't you feel it as well?"
I shut up and stopped moving. Thump, a low knocking sound went through the ground like a wave, the ground trembled ever so slightly. Then, a few seconds later it could be felt again, going through rock and stone, a subtle vibration. And once more it appeared, like a rhythm, again and again.
"What is that?" Eleanor asked and Bianca shook her head.
"I have no idea." She admitted. "But it's been getting louder and more intense with every step so far."
That was no overstatement, soon the sound became much more noticeable, rumbling through the ground like low thunder, echoing off the walls of the cavern. And not just the sound became more intense, the temperature did as well, feeling as if it climbed a degree with every step we took.
I felt extreme relief when the tunnel opened up before us, the temperatures were bad enough, experiencing them in a cramped tunnel made the experience far less pleasant. But the temperature didn't seem so bad here, and the air was damp and... salty?
Pulling my helmet off I looked around, the darkness wasn't as total here as it had been before. From the ceiling, faint watery blue light shone into the cave, illuminating it just enough to see across the vast abyss that stretched before us as the narrow pathway we were walking on sharply dropped off to the left.
But light was not the only thing that came from above, from hundreds of rifts and crevices in the walls and cavern roof water flowed down. Some of the streams were broad enough to count as rivers of their own, while others were barely more than creeks.
At the bottom of the cave, a pool of pitch black water sat, fed by various sources that ended in it. It was a familiar presence and the acidic smell from it would have made it clear even to the child of a non-water deity where we were.
"The sources of the Styx," I gasped in awe at the eerie beauty the cave held.
"You know what this means, right?" Eleanor asked me and I nodded.
"Yeah, the ocean is close," I answered with a grin.
When I let my sense reach out it was not only the Styx below I felt, but also the ocean above. Thousands upon thousands tons of water, miles of sea, the few hundred feet of stone between me and it could not hide the sheer might, mass and scale of the Atlantic. It was as if the ocean called to me, its power seeping into me, even if I was not standing in it.
"As happy as I'm for you," Eleanor said, shaking her head. "That's not what I meant, remember the prophecy?"
"On verge of life and death shall keep," She answered herself and smirked. "Don't tell me you haven't realized."
She waved towards the Styx with one hand, though I was unsure what she was going for.
"Wait, you think that's referring to the Styx?" Bianca asked, her eyes widening. "Isn't that a bit literal, I thought prophecies are supposed to be cryptic."
"Well, you two sure didn't seem to have considered it." Eleanor smirked broader. "But think about it, we have been following the Styx since the start of today. And if it hadn't been for that odd-job for Hades, we would have done so since the beginning pretty much. If we want to be real sophists about it we have even done so in Mammoth Cave, even if it was actually the Acheron."
"I guess you make a good case," I said with a chuckle at the reminder. "but what relevance does that carry for us right now?"
"Well, it means we, or I guess I, have chosen the right path," Eleanor said with a slight triumphant tone. "but my own greatness aside, the Styx ends here, which means our path does as well."
"So our destination is close." I concluded and looked on, my eyes following the pathway till it disappeared in the wall again. "I guess this is the last chance to turn back if we wanted."
"I think it would be a little late for that now," Bianca said and shook herself. "I am not going back there, because if that's the land of my dreams then I have to say I prefer the Fields of Punishment."
"Agreed," I muttered. before giving her a look"and considering we got out of there fine, I shall not mention the fact you were the one who wanted to go to Morpheus in the first place."
"You just mentioned it," Bianca said with a pointed look, which I answered with silence to which she merely sighed. "look, I'm sorry, but it was unavoidable anyways, besides, we got through."
"I guess so," I conceded and sighed myself, before begrudgingly saying. "well, let's get on with it then, shall we?"
Turning back was no option of course, it never had been, but I wasn't so sure if I was truly so eager to take the scythe anymore. In light of that dream I couldn't help but wonder, perhaps Chiron was right, I had seen just what he had brought forth as a warning, me killing Percy.
Perhaps in the end Kronos would have his way if I followed through with this, I would become his champion, his tool after all...
"Thee?" Bianca called, the two having already continued walking. "Are you alright? We need to keep going."
"Yeah," I shook myself and broke my gaze from the abyss. "It's nothing, let's just continue."
Begrudgingly I followed them, though my mind was far away. Hades, even if I didn't become his puppet, if the choice to save Olympus or doom it came to me, would I do the right thing? Kronos knew me, he was right about that, but what choice did I have? The prophecy would be mine or Percy's and I would vastly prefer at least some measure of control over it.
We crossed the cavern at a grueling pace, edging along the wall, but finally we had made our way through it and entered the next tunnel.
By now the pounding was deafening, the unmistakable clang of metal hitting metal. The blue light had faded and the tunnel had returned to darkness but in the distance I could see fiery, bright red light dancing in the tunnel's end. Without words we fastened our pace, the severity of the situation becoming clear to us all.
Even before we stepped out I realized what made that sound, the sound of hammer, work-piece and anvil meeting, something was being forged. My suspicions were only strengthened by the heat. If it had been unpleasant before it was damn near unbearable now, in my armor I felt like a lobster being boiled alive in its shell.
I blinked as we stepped out of the tunnel and the bright light hit my eyes, which had grown used to the dark over the last few days. When I finally managed to open them properly, I sorely regretted it at the terrifying sight before us as we all crouched down further.
A pathway led along the edges of the cave, carved into the solid, ancient stone with brute force, but it didn't look like it was made for humans or anything even roughly human sized. The pathway and the entirety of the cave seemed to be made for giants, particularly large ones, easily forty feet tall and then some.
Lava sprung like water from the walls, flowing through massive channels carved into the rock, flowing into furnaces and foundries. Smelting pots made of bronze dangled from thick hooks and wires hanging from the ceiling, you could probably fit one or two small tanks into a single one of them.
Massive bellows and anvils could be seen all around, though no one was working them. It all was made of celestial bronze, or at least I assumed so, but it had long tarnished and turned green, frankly I didn't even know celestial bronze could tarnish, this place must have been abandoned for eons.
I seriously didn't want to meet and much less fight whoever this forge was made for. Unfortunately I probably would do so sooner than I wanted to as my eyes were drawn to the middle of the cave, where the sounds stemmed from. Because a single workstation was being used, one much less decaying. And the creature working it made it all too clear whose forges these were, or at least had been.
A cyclops stood, hammer in hand, pounding the metal with unrelenting force. He was tall, easily twenty-five feet or so, which admittedly wasn't so tall in comparison to his surroundings, but I got the feeling this was more a matter of practicality in light of his intricate work.
I looked at his anvil, or rather the piece of metal on it. Though calling it a mere piece of metal didn't do it justice. Despite the fact it was glowing a hot white color its shape was more than recognizable. A hilt, a good eight feet in length and from it sprung a long, brutal curved blade itself another good four feet long. Together they bore the unmistakable shape of a scythe, Kronos' scythe, a shiver went through me and I broke my gaze.
The sound of his strikes betrayed the sheer force of them, but the metal seemed to be just as unrelenting as his strikes, not bending or changing shape in any noticeable way or form.
It must have taken thousands of strikes of his hammer to bring it into its shape. And now it was almost finished, I felt sick, my worries about time were apparently all too justified, a few hours or even minutes later and we would have been too late, we had to stop him, now.
I rose and started to move towards one of the stone ramps leading down towards the lower area of the smithy, but Eleanor stopped me, placing a hand on my shoulder, grasping me firmly as she pulled me back down.
Her blue eyes were concerned, worried, a look I knew all too well from plenty of broken bones and stab wounds. Though there was something else to them again, the same golden light that had been in them earlier returned, flickering in the background.
"What are you doing?" She hissed and I looked at her confused.
"Something about that," I said, jutting my head to the Cyclops.
"Are you mad?" Eleanor asked. "That's one of the Elder Cyclopes,"
"What?" I asked, surprised. "How can you be so sure about that."
"I just am, alright?" Eleanor asked. "I'm no happier about that than you, far less even."
I gave her a confused look, to which she sighed. Sure, this was bad, really, really bad if she was right, I might as well be facing an elder Titan Lord at that point. The Elder Cyclops were no mere giants, children of two primordial gods, and storm gods themselves.
Before Zeus became the thunder and lightning god, there were three of them. Three, I realized with horror, face one of three long slain, I gulped, this wasn't good. But what was Eleanor's problem with them?
"Don't you know how they died?" She asked me, picking up on my expression. "They were killed, by my dad, all three of them after Zeus struck down Asclepius with the bolts made by them. I am assuming they aren't exactly fond of my father or by consequence of me."
"But weren't they thrown into Tartarus by Kronos?" Bianca asked and I nodded. "So what is he doing here, serving him?"
Eleanor shrugged and I couldn't help but agree. Though Bianca's question was quite relevant, I doubted anyone but the Cyclops could answer it.
"I cannot answer why he is doing it, but the even more important question is, what are we doing?" I asked and saw that they had about as much as a plan as I did.
"Perhaps we don't have to fight him, or at least kill him," Bianca said carefully. "I mean our goal is the Scythe, is it not? Let's just grab it and make our excuses."
"He is not exactly going to just let us walk away like that." Eleanor said and Bianca nodded.
"Sure, but let's say we keep him busy, someone grabs the Scythe and I just shadow-travel us out of here, what can he do?" She proposed.
"Well, it sure is better than just fighting him." I said, though I was concerned. "But all of us, plus the Scythe, can you do that? The last time took you pretty roughly."
"I am not the foolish girl I was back then," Bianca asserted. "I stumbled into my powers, overextended. But I have it under control now, Thee, you can rely on me."
"It's not like never doubted that," I said and paused, before carefully adding. "I am just worried for you, alright?"
"I know," Bianca said softly and looked away.
I was certain it was not the light of the lava that made her look red at that moment and I looked away myself, instead focusing on the Cyclops. That was another pressing matter, one I should probably deal with, but I had to first concern myself with my actual life before worrying about my love life, especially since the first was in much more imminent peril.
"Alright then," I said after a while and stood up. "I guess it's time to see whether Moltke is right and truly no plan survives first contact with the enemy."
Bianca and Eleanor rolled their eyes and I sighed, perhaps I should have tried to bring Malcolm, he surely would have appreciated my quoting. Nevertheless I didn't let it bother myself further as I continued my way down the stone ramp. I had no doubt the Cyclops had already noticed us by now, especially considering their excellent hearing, which made me doubt the point in planning how to fight him, but if he had, he didn't let us know it.
Instead he seemed utterly focused on his work, still hammering. Finally he stopped, grabbing the searing hot metal with his hands, unbothered by the heat as he shoved it into a liquid-filled pit nearby. Steam rose and the smell of iron filled the air, blood I realized with disgust, human blood, that of demigods.
"Hmmm, I suppose it will take another cycle and cooling before the essence is truly bound." He muttered to himself, his voice rumbling with the ancient, powerful words of Old Tongue.
"I am afraid it will not come to that," I declared as we approached, switching into Old tongue myself.
The Cyclops turned to me, his singular huge gray eye focused on me. He had much less of the barbaric appearance most Cyclopes had, instead appearing a lot more civilized and divine. He wore a knee-long ash covered dark garb, from his face sprung a long dark beard, which I assumed was fire resistant as well, seeing as it was quite well-kept and unburned despite his surroundings. Beneath his thick grayish skin I could make out incredibly thick muscles, perhaps he was even more built than Atlas, which I thought impossible.
"So you finally show yourself," The Cyclops said, though answering in English, and placed the scythe back on the anvil, it was still flaming white, seeming no cooler than before. "I see you speak our language, but after your betrayal, aren't you ashamed to use it?"
"Betrayal?" I repeated, amused. "You are one to speak of betrayal, what are you doing here serving Kronos? Won't he just throw you back to the pit after he no longer needs you?"
"Perhaps he would have, but I have my reassurances," The Cyclops answered. "you cannot say the same, can you? What makes you think that Zeus won't destroy you if you win. He let Apollo slaughter me and my brothers, seeing as he no longer had need of us, having Hephaestus and our lesser sons and cousins take our roles."
"You act as if my father was not punished," Eleanor said, offended, crossing her arms.
"He was forced to serve a mortal, for a mere year, barely a slap on the wrist for an immortal, humiliating, but no comparison to millennia of suffering in the pit," The Cyclops growled. "My brothers faded, only I, Brontes remain, and what of Apollo, he still sits among the council, even that mortal brat, Asclepius, was made a god."
"So what is your end to all of this?" I asked him, irritated.
"Isn't that clear? Revenge," Brontes snarled. "I will tear down every palace and temple on Olympus myself if I must, built by my own hands or not. I will bury the Olympians under the rubble and crush them all, the children of Mother Gaia will rule once more and I will have my retribution."
"Then I suppose it must come to this," I said and I summoned my sword.
"Yes," Brontes said and hefted his hammer over his shoulder. "But do not despair, at least your blood will still serve Kronos well enough. You came just in time for it to make a fine final cooling for the Scythe that will tear apart your fathers."
He did not wait for us to make any further moves, instead charging towards us, far faster than any being his size had a right to be. Barely did I manage to dodge backwards out of the way of a hammer strike, which as it missed me and struck the earth made it shake and crack.
As unrelenting as he had struck the metal he continued his assault. Sweeping out leftwards towards Eleanor, who was forced to dive forwards to avoid being hit away like a golf ball.
He raised his foot for a finishing stomp when something small and black struck the left edge of his eye, and he stumbled a few steps as he raised a hand to his face, carefully pulling the arrow out, Ichor dripping from it.
"Aaaaarrgh!" He roared as he let it drop to the ground and started growing taller.
Thirty feet, then forty, fifty, I was afraid he'd never stop, but thankfully he seemed to find fifty-five his limit or simply suitable as he rolled his shoulders.
"Ah, finally a less constrained form," He muttered, though even then his voice shook the ground and filled the whole cave. "Such a small form might be good for hammering out the details, but for mistakes and problems as large as you this form is far more appropriate."
Eleanor boldly capitalized on her position and his distraction and burst forth, chopping into the back of the giant's knee, before rushing on and coming to a halt behind the giant. I smirked weakly as I met eyes with Eleanor. We were flanking him already, this was certainly an improvement, but I doubted it would do much in light of his size.
I moved forward myself as the Cyclops still recovered, another one of Bianca's arrows came flying, but missed his eye, instead burying itself in his neck. He seemed unimpressed, and I wondered if he had even noticed it. His hammer came to me from the side, though I only doubled the eagerness of my attack despite knowing full well that if that thing so much as grazed me I'd be dead.
His hammer missed me by a mere inch or so as I made one last step forward before leaping upward. I felt the thrill come to me as I that by now familiar weightless feeling returned to me and I came far higher than I intended. Reacting quickly I drew my knife and buried it in his upper chest, halting my descend as I started falling. With my other hand still gripping my sword I stabbed upwards into his armpit, Ichor spilled out and I couldn't help the grin that came over my face, this was going far better than expected.
Of course that was when it all went wrong. With a flick of his hand the Cyclops sent my flying, my grip on my knife failing as I was thrown, hundreds of feet across the cavern.
It probably would have been over then and there, but my body saved itself once more. Just when I was about to hit a massive bronze furnace, that feeling came over me again. Weightless, formless, the impact nothing but a mere halt as I reformed, still the impact of his hand alone had left me hurt and bruised, though somehow I thankfully didn't feel anything had been broken, or perhaps that was merely the shock.
"Come on little mortals," He rumbled in the distance. "Don't you see you cannot defeat me? I battled my own brothers for over a decade, you are no challenge for me."
Rationally speaking he was right, my own failure just now had shown that well enough, far worse than my own failure however, was the fact that Eleanor and Bianca were now facing the Cyclops alone. Eleanor was doing an admirable job at staying alive from what I could tell as I got back to my feet, but I doubted it would be enough. Despite Bianca's constant arrow fire he didn't slow his assault, swiping away arrows like flies or simply ignoring them.
Desperately I started sprinting towards them again as fast as my hurt body would carry me. I jumped over canals of flowing lava without slowing down, the heat disappearing from my mind as I pushed on, I needed to get back to them more than anything right now.
Eleanor dodged and weaved between stomps and swings, repeatedly striking at the giant's legs, her eyes ablaze again, the radiant golden light shining, piercing the harsh fiery red light around us.
It was as if she saw the attacks coming before they even started, always one step ahead of him. But this show of her father's powers only seemed to make the Cyclops even angrier. Still, it was amazing, watching her fight like this, for a moment I thought we might still beat him.
But even if she could truly see through his attacks, it mattered little, she could only move so fast, only dodge so many attacks before one would hit. I was barely a hundred feet or so still away, which made it all the more terrible as I watched.
Eleanor spun past a hammer strike when the Cyclops roared again. I would tell you how loud it was, but it was near impossible, nor did I truly hear anything. It was literally deafening, it felt like a thousand cannons firing, like a tsunami crashing down, like all the thunder in the world combined. The earth shook, and cracked, dust and small debris started falling from the cavern roof, raining down around us.
My ears rang as I stumbled to a stop, startled and shocked. In stunned anguish I watched as Eleanor was sent flying as I had been, skidding over the ground, rolling and crashing to a halt on the stone floor. I cried out, though I couldn't even hear my own voice.
Anger flooded my thoughts as I watched her motionless body, Bianca rushing over to her. Even if she was not dead, I doubted there was much missing to it. I clenched my fists and felt the earth rumble from my rage as I continued my advance, my grip on myself loosening.
"Finally that's done with," The Cyclops said with a rumbling laugh as he looked at me. "though you seem to be more stubborn than your friend there."
That was the final straw. I let my wrath and instincts take charge as I shot forward, above us I felt the sea, the usually calm depths, churning and turning through my anger. For a while I managed to outmaneuver the giant, dodging and attacking again like a mad man, hacking at whatever I could. His hammer missed me more than I could remember, either I dodged or turned to mist, either way he hit nothing but thin air or the earth below.
Perhaps I could win like this, eventually even he would collapse from his wounds. But anger and wrath were no good advisors in war or battle, especially against such a superior foe. It didn't matter how often I hit him, eventually he would hit me, and unless I could once more evade it, that would be my end.
Still I let my anger drive me on, further and further, taking ever greater risks. Aiming to repeat my earlier success, I moved forward, jumping up, again that weightless feeling came and with my fury behind it, I burst up. Landing on his chest I kicked myself up further, having bigger targets in mind with this attempt.
Both hands on the grip I thrust forward, burying my sword in his eye to the hilt, Ichor sprayed over my hands and arms. Brontes bellowed in pain, and staggered back as I held on.
With a twist I started moving the sword and pulling it free. He bellowed even louder and his hands came up to grab me, surprised by their speed I still tried to dodge out of the way.
But I had no such luck, before I could move away he had grabbed me and lifted me up, my sword still stuck in his eye. There was no dramatic dialogue, or lifting me over his maw, nor did he squeeze me, slowly crushing me, instead he simply unceremoniously threw me once more.
This throw was much more powerful, and no powers of mine came to my rescue as I flew towards the nearby anvil. I heard Bianca scream as I watched her stand up, reaching towards me desperately.
The impact still happened all the same however. Pain shot through my body as I felt my left arm break, taking the brunt of the force of the impact along with that side of my body. A familiar metallic taste filled my mouth and nose, and slowly my vision started going black.
In the last blinks I saw Brontes pull my sword out of his eye, unceremoniously crushing the celestial bronze in his hands before throwing it aside and turning towards Bianca and Eleanor before everything went dark.
Despite my aching body's protests and my slipping consciousness I still somehow managed to push myself up along the metal surface behind me. My right hand desperately searching for support, something to hold on to, anything.
Burning pain shot through my body, as my hand found a grip, long and smooth and searing hot. But it wasn't just pain, much more intense, and drowning out anything else, power flowed through me as I gripped what I knew to be the Scythe. I tried to force myself to my feet despite the pain but just as I managed to, my consciousness finally slipped away.
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