Chapter 4

Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter!

I would like to thank qwertyuiop123214685 for your support!

In response to Sharky's reviews, I am very glad that you are liking the final installment of this trilogy and I will do my best to ensure that this is my best story yet! Of course, even this story like the previous two will explore darker and more violent themes but maybe not as directly as the prequels. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Natural Disaster 6's reviews, thank you for bringing that to my notice. I try my best to weed out all grammatical mistakes and go through and edit the chapters thrice but some inevitably spill through. I go over the chapters every once in a while to find and fix any mistakes and I am sorry for the small mistakes. Please do bring it to my notice if you find any others, I'll correct those immediately! Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!

I would like to thank the emoticon using guest reviewer for your continued support!

I would like to thank John for your continued support!

In response to Erus' review, Percy already was born as a tri-blood and is heftily overpowered as it is so having a primordial as a maternal grandfather will make him too OP for anyone to enjoy the story because he'll just be stronger than everyone else. But him being the grandson of Aether sounds like a novel idea! Thank you for your support!

Responding to ItsYaBoi's review, Sea of Monsters will happen but will feature the need for finding the Golden Fleece in a different way and will be a complex arc with many parallel plot lines. It will also focus more on characters other than Leo, Annabeth and Thalia such as Jason, Reyna, Frank and others. And of course it will feature a lot more of Percy. Either as a protagonist or as Kronos' vessel. Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank Hunter for your continued support!

In response to the Guest reviewer (the one who reviews without fail :) ), since I had changed so much in the AU, I had to give Thalia, Annabeth and practically every other demigod who will be a main character different backstories because of how different the gods are. And that also meant I had to find a way to justify why Jason and Thalia were apart.

I am glad that the justification for Nereus not revealing this earlier made sense. It seems kind of abrupt that the DSS just closed sometime between the end of the previous story and the starting of this one but that's a really important thing, both in terms of making the impending conflict less one sided, as well as for giving action for some demigods who will play an integral role in this story. Yeah, who doesn't like femme fatales. Thank you for your continued support!

Responding to SonGoku76's review, for now, with how long these chapters are, it's once a week or sometimes lesser like five or six days, depending on the chapters. And I usually stick to that schedule, I only took a break once, for one week, because I had some things to sort out but apart from that, a chapter is out every week. I'll probably pick up the pace for the crossover as I am planning to have shorter chapters. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Walter Ha's review, I'm glad that I could explain that. It still is a bit of a plot hole but that's inevitable. I am glad that Leo's character development was visible. I want to make sure he's not just some bland OC and want to really flesh him out. Oh don't worry, you'll get plenty of action in this chapter and the next one :) Yes, the Guardian may seem heartless but I purposely wanted to present the Guardian as an ambivalent character.

So far, this entire trilogy has featured some polarized characters based on our sense of morality but this Guardian has his own moral compass. At times his actions seem amoral but he's just a character with a different perception of right and wrong. Well those are all some great ideas to mull over once this trilogy and then the crossover are over. I'll definitely give a look into them! Thank you for your continued support!

In response to YDdraigGoch94's story, yes, the pact of the Big Three does not exist but Nico and Bianca will still be important characters. They'll just have a different backstory. Thank you for your support!

Responding to MegaRayquaza8121's review, worry not, it's the gesture that matters so thank you for your continued support!

In response to HPJ1 review, well, I understand what you are saying. With so much magic and metaphysical stuff involved, we could have seen a lot more of the advanced stuff in canon without diminishing the appeal of swords and spears. But I guess that's what fanfictions are there for :) Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank the guest reviewer for your continued support!

I would also like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support!

In response to IceFire99's review, I know that the previous chapter felt like a bit of a filler chapter but unfortunately, I can't skip all the world-building. However, this chapter and the next one will deliver a lot of action! I am really grateful for having you here every week because your reviews really do serve as a great deal of motivation for me! Thank you for your continued support!

Responding to picking-up-story-from-abadoned's review, look, I am trying my best to update as fast as I can. But the chapters have become even longer and more detailed and I really want to ensure that the quality of the chapters doesn't drop. So unfortunately, some chapters take a little longer than I want. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Ryan Fowler's review, well it's not exactly like that. Yes, anyone who is not as morally upright as Percy would have their essence consumed by Percy's swords which would in turn power Percy. But it also means that Kronos can purposely have his essence consumed by the swords to corrupt and possess Percy's body since he is stronger than Percy and Percy also happens to be weakened. I hope that answers your question! Thank you for your continued support!

Responding to thann3's review, I appreciate your input but unfortunately, rather than just getting a line break, I end up getting an entire space leading to a new paragraph. So, I haven't been able to incorporate that input. But nonetheless, thank you for the feedback!

I would like to thank XXIVA for your continued support! I hope to keep you on the edge of your seat for the rest of this fanfic as well!

I would like to lukiiee321 for your continued support! I am thrilled that you liked the ambivalent, ancient character of the Guardian!

Responding to Jubby1905's reviews, if he doesn't get possessed by Kronos, it well certainly be an interesting conversation between Percy and Athena's demigods. Yes, Leonidas will definitely be a main character and Percy will be fighting Atlas, eventually. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to PowerSeeker7545's review, wow, that Dom Toretto reference was surprisingly painful. Dear god, I hope my portrayal of family values isn't as outlandish as it is in the Fast and Furious franchise. But, glad you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for your continued support!

In response to asterix.98's review, he will not have an Roman form unlike the gods but it will definitely affect him in a different way. But it won't be a problem for him. Thank you for your continued support!

Warning – A part of this chapter explores some dark themes.

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.


Annabeth knew that something had to happen. Of course they couldn't finish their first mission smoothly and without any hurdles. And heeding the Guardian's warning, she, Leo and Thalia had expected something like this to happen.

That was the reason why Annabeth was wearing her cap which granted invisibility to her and the tall, intimidating man in front of them justified their choice.

The man had jet black hair, teal blue eyes, was very well built and he was easily six feet tall. He looked like he was in his early twenties and his teal blue eyes glowed with malice yet, just by looking at him, Annabeth could deduce that he was not an immortal. He just did not radiate waves of power the same way an immortal did. He was definitely a demigod though.

He was fully armoured and wielded a large Roman broadsword. And he was not alone. Behind him, there were at least three dozen monsters consisting of hellhounds, Laistrygonian giants, cyclopes and dracaenae. And next to him was an empousa. What was even more worrying was that a few cyclopes manned a large ballista which was mounted on a helicopter of sorts.

"Who are you?" Thalia asked with a growl, discretely sending Annabeth a gaze that asked her to get to their car.

"Me? I'm just a run of the mill demititan. And my name is Pierce." The man, apparently called Pierce, introduced himself with a wide yet disturbing smile.

"Pierce? That's definitely not your real name. It's probably a cover up for a weird name. Who in their right mind would name their child Pierce? And what's a demititan? You're just making up words now." Leo stated with a snort.

He had seen Thalia looking at where Annabeth and darting her eyes towards their car. Catching on to their plan, Leo knew that he had to goad and distract this newcomer until Annabeth stealthily made her way towards their car and blow this small army to bits.

"I would not be so sardonic if I were in your position, son of Poseidon. I am Pierce, son of Oceanus and a Commander of the Othryian Forces. Of course, arrogance and hate for the Titans is not uncommon among the gods and their offspring so I am not surprised that you know nothing about demititans." Pierce stated with a sneer.

"Oceanus? Is that old crab still around? I thought he ran with his tail in between his legs when Lord Poseidon became the King of the Sea." Thalia stated with an infuriating smirk.

"Silence! Another insult and I will feed you to be hellhounds. The seas were my father's inheritance. He was trained by Pontus himself to take over as the Ruler of the Sea. Poseidon is nothing but a usurper. He bulldozed his way onto the throne of Atlantis." Pierce angrily stated.

"If Oceanus was so miffed about losing control, maybe he should have fought in the previous war rather than chickening out." Leo sarcastically stated.

"My foolish stepmother fell under the influence of that conniving Titan Queen and she forced my father to give up control of the seas. But this time, he has joined his brothers and sisters to reclaim his throne. And he will bestow the wrath of the primordial waters on your father." Pierce declared with a dark smirk.

"You are seriously deluded if you think that's going to happen. The House of Poseidon has stood for over three millennia because it has produced some of the strongest warriors this world has ever seen. And the Atlantean army is the largest standing force in the Divine world. You are not going to get what you want easily." Leo confidently replied. He may not have been a very big fan of reading but he knew everything about Atlantis and its marvelous army.

"Of course, it will not be easy. But with the shard enhancing father's abilities and with Lord Kronos possessing Perseus Diaboles' body, all resistance will be eventually annihilated." Pierce replied with similar confidence.

"Where are you hiding him?" Leo asked with a growl.

"Let me just say that we are hiding him in a place right above your noses." Pierce stated with a malicious smirk.

"You are hiding him in New York?" Thalia asked.

"No, that would be too dangerous. Instead, we are hiding him in a place that's on land but in between realms. That makes it so much easier to hide the energy signature of him and his swords from those pesky gods who are searching for him everywhere. And our suppliers have outdone themselves and have built us a fantastic bunker that will constantly teleport to another place as soon as one god steps foot into it. Those foolish gods can never attack at once and by the time they figure out what's happening, the Perseus Diaboles that you so dearly worship will cease to exist." Pierce proudly boasted.

"My lord, all this information is confidential." The empousa next to the son of Oceanus stated.

"These two are dead demigods walking. Let me break their spirits before the ballista breaks their bodies. And once that's done, we shall collect the shard and these weapons they are using. Our suppliers will be pleased." Pierce dismissed.

"What's in it for you? You are still just going to be an illegitimate child. Or do you really believe that you will be made the heir to the throne of Atlantis?" Thalia questioned.

"Your tricks won't work on me demigod. I am far more qualified than those useless half-brothers and traitorous half-sisters of mine. And my father has personally promised me that he will make me his immortal heir." Pierce arrogantly declared.

"Fat chance of that happening." Leo muttered.

"You talk too much, son of Poseidon. I have indulged you enough. Now, if you give me the shard without any resistance, I will award both of you a painless death and, you shall be put into Asphodel when Lord Iapetus takes over the Underworld. Resist and you will not only die a painful death now but you will also be tormented eternally. Make your choice." Pierce announced.

"Nope. If you want the shard, you will have to pry it away from our dead bodies." Leo determinedly stated, in the corner of his eye, he saw a temporary distortion in the air, a sign that Annabeth had gotten inside their car.

"You can't possibly be serious. You are outnumbered eighteen to one. We have a mobile ballista, elite archers, powerful warriors, savage hellhounds and me, a gifted son of Oceanus. What do you have? Some good weaponry. That's all you have. You haven't even fought real opponents before. This is going to be a slaughter fest." Pierce stated with a condescending laugh.

"We have a flying BMW." Leo stated with a smug smile.

Pierce's face registered some confusion at this statement but before he could say anything, Annabeth launched all of the missiles in their car and they wiped out most of the monsters and sent Pierce flying in a large explosion of Greek fire.

A moment later, their BMW materialised in front of Leo and Thalia and the two of them hastily got in. Annabeth then slammed her foot on the accelerator and held the steering wheel upwards as they shot into the air with a loud roar.

"That prideful idiot gave us a clue about where General Perseus may be and he also confirmed that his swords will be in the same place. We need to give this information to Lady Athena." Thalia shouted.

"Leo, message mother using the phone and inform her about everything." Annabeth shouted back.

However, before Leo could message Athena, a projectile collided with the back of their car and nearly knocked them out of the sky. When Leo turned back, he saw that four cyclopes, Pierce and the empousa had survived and were now chasing them on a flying ballista.

"Annabeth, we have company." Leo yelled, flicking a button that switched him to the front seat.

"How do they have a flying ballista? I thought we were the only ones with this sort of cutting edge weaponry." Annabeth stated with frustration.

"Must be the pot bellied guy who wore the expensive suit. These guys have a very resourceful weapons supplier." Leo deduced. A moment later, they were nearly struck down by another round of shells.

"Leo! Launch a missile at them." Thalia ordered.

Leo did as instructed and pressed the screen in the centre of the dashboard, allowing the RADAR to hone in on them but then a message popped up in front of him that informed them that the car was out of missiles.

"You used up all our missiles?" Leo questioned with a groan.

"I thought they would all die!" Annabeth replied as she sharply turned the car around to avoid another barrage of shells.

"Thalia, why don't you smack them out of the sky with a blast of lightning?" Leo suggested.

"Let me try." Thalia stated and turned her seat to get a better view of their pursuers.

Once she had a target, Thalia felt a tingling sensation in her body and called down a large bolt of lightning. Unfortunately she was a few seconds too late and only managed to kill three of the four cyclopes and could only destroy one of the barrels of the flying ballista, causing it to temporarily veer of course before the the lone cyclops on it corrected its course and promptly started chasing them again.

"They were too fast. And I used up all my energy." Thalia stated with resignation.

"Leo, can you condense the water in the air into javelins of solidified water or something?" Annabeth asked.

"Do I look like General Perseus to you?" Leo stated with a snort. Forget condensing the water in the air, he could barely direct a puddle of water.

"Well your father gave you some knowledge on your elemental abilities so you should be able to do something." Annabeth stated.

Rather than arguing with her, Leo did what she said and tried condensing the water in the air. He felt a painful tug in his gut due to the exertion but ignored it as he concentrated on creating javelins of solidified water.

Unfortunately, all he could manage was a dozen large pebbles and that was what he sent at Pierce. However, the son of Oceanus stopped the pebbles of solidified water mid-air, reshaped them into one large javelin and sent it back at them. Annabeth turned the car and barely avoided the javelin.

"Now that's a javelin." Thalia commented.

"Hey! I did my best." Leo indignantly defended.

"We need to find a way to get these guys off our tail or else we can never reach any of the Olympians and that son of Oceanus may even call for backup." Annabeth anxiously stated.

"How strong is the car's self destruct mechanism?" Leo seriously questioned.

"Leo, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." Thalia nervously stated.

"It should be strong enough to take them out." Annabeth answered.

"Alright then. We're going to turn around, charge at them and at the last moment, we'll initiate the self-destruct mechanism and get out of here using the pearls." Leo planned.

He handed both of them a pearl before pressing a switch that handed the steering wheel to him. He immediately turned around and flew towards their pursuers at full speed, deftly avoiding shells by making their car perform stellar aerial acrobatics.

"Leo, are you sure we are doing the right thing?" Annabeth unsurely questioned.

"There's no other choice. Even if we outrun them, they'll inform the people who are hiding General Perseus that we have an inkling as to where he is. We need to take them out." Leo stated with a slight edge to his voice. He knew that this would most probably end with the death of the son of Oceanus but now was not the time to contemplate his moral compass.

Just as they were a few dozen feet away from their pursuers, Annabeth activated the self destruct mechanism and set the timer for ten seconds. And that was when a shell tore through the front of the car. But they continued undeterred.

"Accepting your fate and committing suicide? Pathetic." Pierce roared when they were only a few feet away.

He then ordered the lone cyclops to aim for their heads. But at that exact moment, the three of them crushed the pearls and disappeared while the car detonated in a fiery orange explosion, destroying the ballista and seemingly killing the demititan, cyclops and empousa.


Leo, Annabeth and Thalia found themselves back in Montauk Beach just a few seconds later and they immediately sat down, the adrenaline rush subsiding as they breathed out audible sighs of relief.

"I can't believe that bull-headed plan of yours actually worked." Annabeth stated with a big grin.

"Exactly. For a second, my life flashed before my eyes." Thalia agreed with laugh. Leo chuckled with them. He had half-expected to die.

"I will reach out to mother." Annabeth stated once they caught their breath.

After that, Annabeth didn't waste any time in sending a message to her mother through the smartphone she had given them. Just a minute later, Athena materialised in front of them with a wide smile on her face.

"Do you really have it?" Athena asked Leo, unable to believe that something had finally gone their way.

"Yes, I do Lady Athena. And we also found a clue as to where General Perseus might be." Leo replied with a proud smile and showed the Celestial Bronze jar to her. Athena's face registered some shock before she let out a hearty, melodious laugh.

"Of course you do. The three of you have gone above and beyond what I or for that matter, anyone else expected you would do. You have just made everyone on Olympus very happy. Who knows? You may even be rewarded with partial immortality." Athena stated with a warm smile before her face turned serious.

"Where do you think he is being held? And how did you find out?" Athena questioned.

The three of them then explained their run in with Pierce, the details of their brief but very important conversation with him, the aerial battle with their pursuers and finally their decision to use the self-destruct mechanism of their car.

"Mother, how can a place be in between realms?" Annabeth asked after they finished narrating their experience.

"A land in between realms is a place where the divide between the divine and mortal planes of existence is very thin. Unlike Atlantis, Olympus and the Underworld lie in entirely different metaphysical planes of existence as compared to the physical world and as such, they cannot be accessed from just anywhere." Athena paused before continuing.

"These two places can only be accessed by mortals through a physical gateway in the mortal world. The gateway to Olympus is the Empire State Building while for the Underworld it's the DOA studios. These are the most direct gateways to the other metaphysical planes but the divide between the planes is small enough in New York as well in Los Angeles for immortals to stay in between planes, meaning that they are neither in the mortal world nor in the divine world. They are always in some place in between with gateways to both worlds." Athena explained.

"Why would they hide there?" Leo questioned.

"It is easier to hide any sudden and exponential increases in energy signatures that occur in events such as the Titan King taking a new body or the Titan Lords reemerging from Tartarus, thereby completely bypassing the need to go to through the Underworld." Athena answered and her face paled a bit when she realised the implications of this. For all they knew, the Titan Lords could have already risen.

"Isn't Tartarus an inescapable prison?" Thalia questioned.

"Not really. Tartarus like the Underworld or Olympus is in a different dimension with physical gateways to it present only in the Underworld. Contrary to common belief, it is not actually a part of the Underworld. Of course, it is a horrible place which severely weakens immortals but it is not inescapable. If you try for a few centuries, you could open a physical gateway to it in the Underworld, albeit it would take significantly more time, millennia perhaps, and energy to do so from the mortal plane and a deployment of energy of that magnitude would be detected very quickly." Athena expounded.

"But it's easier to create such a gateway in a place such as Los Angeles isn't it? Not only is the divide between planes thinner, since a part of it is connected to the Underworld, it is easier to open gateways to Tartarus. Pierce, the son of Oceanus told us that they weren't hiding General Perseus in New York so it has to be Los Angeles because it is the perfect place to hide him as well as resurrect other Titans." Annabeth deduced.

"Perfectly deduced. Daughter, you make me proud. Indeed, Los Angeles would be the perfect place for them to hide Percy and it is also the reason why we haven't found them yet. This specially designed bunker must also have contributed to their stealth. Once we revive Percy, we will have to find and eliminate their suppliers." Athena added.

"What do we do now, Lady Athena?" Leo asked.

"Leonidas, the three of you have done more than enough. I shall send the three of you back to Camp Half-Blood. Once Percy is back, you will be rewarded and if the need arises, you will be called for less dangerous missions." Athena strictly stated.

"Mother, Leo is the only one who can open the jar and it's unsafe to carry it in any other way or else it will attract the unnecessary attention of other sea deities." Annabeth quickly stated.

She wanted to see this mission through. This was the first time she had done something better than just roam around Camp Half-Blood aimlessly and she enjoyed the thrill of this mission. She did not want to go back to that boring life, at least not so soon.

Athena massaged her temples in frustration at this bit of information. She did not want to risk their lives. This was supposed to be a job for immortals. They could potentially be fighting a Titan Lord. But it seemed like fate had other ideas.

"Alright, you can join us on this quest. But before that, we need to go to Olympus to regroup with the other gods and quickly come up with a plan of action." Athena stated with a resigned sigh. Before they could teleport, Athena received a message from Ares informing her of an urgent Council meeting.

"It looks like Ares has captured and persuaded a traitorous wind spirit to reveal the exact location of the bunker. Come on, we need to attend a Council meeting." Athena stated and with snap of her fingers, all of them disappeared in a grey light. Their situation was starting to look better.


Ares had been on the tail of the treasonous wind spirit for the past few weeks. His mother and aunts had managed to find out that a group of nature spirits in Olympus and Atlantis had been responsible for the theft of the swords as well as facilitating Percy's kidnapping.

Triton had managed to hunt down those traitors who had escaped to land but unfortunately, before he could extract information from them, they had been killed by assassins who no doubt had been sent by one of the Titans.

Each of the younger Olympians had then been assigned one spirit to track down and Ares had been the first one to capture his target. The wind spirit had been hiding in Chicago and after a brief struggle that resulted in the spirit losing his right arm, Ares had managed to subdue the wind spirit and then beat the information out of him.

A moment later, Athena and the three demigods materialised in the throne room, along with the rest of the Olympians and Triton. Instantly, Leo choked on his own breath when he saw the mangled, broken, terrified and bloody form of the shackled wind spirit. And upon seeing this gruesome sight, Annabeth looked like she was just a second away from fainting and Thalia looked nauseous. With a wave of Hestia's fingers, the three of them fell asleep and lush cushions materialised on the floor to break their fall.

"Niece, why did you bring the demigods here? They didn't need to see this. Their hearts are still tender and rightfully so, are not used to this sort of brutality." Hestia stated with a concerned face.

"I didn't know that the wind spirit was still here." Athena apologetically stated.

"This is an interrogation Athena. I only broke the spirit's will to resist and called this meeting so that you could ask him the questions because that's what you are good at. Why did you bring the children here?" Ares gruffly questioned.

He did not enjoy forcing information through less moral means but unlike most of his other family members, he never lost any sleep over doing what had to be done for the greater good. Even if it meant that at sometimes, he had to resort to immoral and brutal tactics. But that was why he always insisted on doing such things alone.

He was the god of war and while people respected him, they knew that he was capable of extreme brutality, unlike his other family members. So, it allowed them to be shown in a more ethical light and also didn't weigh in on their conscience. And he definitely did not want mere children to bear witness to such things.

"Before we wake them up, I will make sure that the three of them have no memory of what they saw here. I don't want them to live with the image of this horrifying sight for the rest of their lives." Hera promised, alleviating their concerns.

Granted that one of the demigods was an illegitimate child of her own husband but it would be terribly cruel to let such young demigods remember such a gruesome experience. Zeus, Poseidon and Athena shot her grateful smiles before moving on with the interrogation.

"The demigods have found that they are hiding Percy and his swords in Los Angeles. All we need to find out is where exactly he is being held." Athena revealed that and the other information which Leo, Annabeth and Thalia had found out.

"Great, now I have to deal with a grumpy grandfather-in-law. Just what I needed right now." Poseidon grumbled.

"I'll admit, it's an ingenious move. It may also mean that the Titan Lords and the other Titans who fought us in the Titanomachy have already escaped their prisons, completely under my radar. Tell me spirit, is this true?" Hades questioned in a steely voice as his Helm of Darkness showed the shackled wind spirit unspeakable horrors.

"Yes, the Titan Lords along with all the Titans who opposed the gods have already escaped from Tartarus. At least that's what our commander, a daughter of Mnemosyne boasted. But I also overhead her saying that they were still thoroughly exhausted and depleted of all their energy and that it would take years before any of them could actually engage the gods in battle." The spirit rasped out.

"And what about the General and the Titan King?" Demeter questioned with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know. This is all I know." The spirit hastily replied. Apollo nodded at them, confirming that the spirit wasn't lying. An expression of discomfort made its way onto the gods' faces. This wasn't good news.

"We'll worry about that later. For now, we need to focus on reviving Percy." Hera calmly stated. She then broke into the spirit's mind and shared the exact details of the location of the enemy camp with the other Olympians.

"Looks like you have outlived your usefulness. Now, as promised, I shall award you a painless death." Ares intoned and shot a beam of red energy which cleanly vapourized the spirit.

"If this bunker has been designed with the aforementioned countermeasures, we can't stage a full scale frontal assault. However, if they want to hide, only one Titan will be permanently present in the bunker. If there are more, then the bunker would cease to be inconspicuous. As such, only one god will need to go." Hermes stated.

"I'll do it." Athena determinedly declared.

"No Athena. This mission requires stealth. Yes, the flying warship will hide your presence until you reach the enemy camp but after that, they will immediately spot you. I will go. They won't be able to sense me." Artemis argued. Athena looked like she wanted to argue but Zeus cut her off.

"She is right Athena. No one else will be able to do this inconspicuously and it will take too much time for Hecate to cast a spell that hides your energy signature." Zeus reasoned.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Athena asked with her arms crossed.

"Do what you do best, daughter. You are the best tactician here and I have full confidence that you will come up with a way to counter this threat. The rest of you search for other enemy bases but stay alert and respond to any calls for backup." Zeus ordered before turning to Artemis.

"Artemis, how do you want to go there, remember, you will also have to take the three demigods with you." Zeus asked.

"I thought that it would be best if we took a ride on Aunt Selene's moon chariot. It will not only keep us concealed, it will also provide the perfect launching point for an attack. And I can even learn some information about Theia's style of combat from Aunt Selene." Artemis replied.

"Leonidas and Annabeth will need winged shoes to effectively traverse the air. I have got that covered." Hermes stated and snapped his fingers. Instantly, two wing symbols appeared on Annabeth's and Leo's combat boots.

"Let the demigods rest. They have a big conflict ahead of them. I have erased the memories of all the gruesome things they saw today. Teleport them to Selene's chariot once you talk to her." Hera informed Artemis.

"All of you have your missions. You know what to do. When we meet again, I am certain that Perseus Diaboles shall be with us as well. For Olympus!" Zeus boomed and disappeared in a shower of sparks.

Most of the other Olympians flashed out but a few stayed behind. A moment later, five sea green pearls materialised in Artemis' hands.

"Niece, as soon as you revive Percy, use the pearls. They will transport you to a safe spot. I hope to be reunited with my son as soon as possible. It has been such a long time since I saw his eyes twinkling with mirth and life." Poseidon stated with a faraway look in his eyes.

He was snapped out of trance when Amphitrite placed a comforting palm on his shoulder and both of them offered Artemis a reassuring smile before disappearing in a blue mist.

"I am depending on you, sister. Please bring him back to me." Athena pleaded.

"I will bring him back to you Athena. I swear it on the River Styx." Artemis promised and thunder boomed in the distance. Athena shot her a grateful look before disappearing in a grey light. She was just one step away from being reunited with Percy.


A few hours later, Leo squirmed and averted his eyes under the intense gaze of Artemis as she observed him. He had woken up only a few minutes ago and had realised that he was on the moon chariot. And much to his discomfort, he was the first one awake which meant he held the complete attention of the goddess of the Hunt.

"I have my own doubts about you, Leonidas Jackson. You should have been the most powerful demigod here yet your own uncertainty and fear hide your true potential. You look strikingly similar to Percy and show flashes of his determination but you lack his charisma and confidence. Listen to me clearly, I won't be able to babysit you once we get to the base. You need to wield your sword with conviction or else you will die. You have to cut down or shoot everybody standing in your way or else you will not only forfeit your own life, you will also put everybody else in danger. Do I make myself clear?" Artemis strictly stated.

"Yes ma'am." Leo crisply responded. A moment later, Annabeth and Thalia stirred and Artemis turned away to talk to them.

"Relax Leonidas. You will do fine. Artemis is just venting out her frustration. Suit up, we are only a few minutes away from the drop point." Selene calmly stated.

Leo shot her a grateful smile before suiting up and experimentally swinging his sword. And he could feel the knowledge of some basic but effective swordsmanship maneuvers filling him. His attention was then directed towards Artemis as she explained their plan of attack.

"We are going to jump in half a minute so listen up. Leonidas, Annabeth, your shoes have been blessed to give you flight, use them to control your descent downwards. Thalia, you along with me will be using the air currents. We have been camouflaged in a way such that the enemy won't spot us from a distance. Once we're close enough, use your handguns to eliminate any guards on the roof. After that, we'll make our way towards the underground bunker through separate routes. Once we're there, I will deal with Theia, Annabeth and Thalia will hold off any monsters and Leonidas will revive Percy. As soon as Percy regains consciousness, we will leave using pearls that Uncle Poseidon has given to me." Artemis expounded in detail.

The three of them nodded at her and twisted their rings. A moment later their weapons were replaced by their handguns. Artemis then nodded at them before jumping out of the moon chariot. Thalia and Annabeth did the same a second later but Leo hesitated. But before the fear completely overrode his senses, Leo closed his eyes and jumped.

He initially panicked and flailed about in the air but after watching Annabeth, he realised he could fly and imitated her movements, controlling his descent. Once he learnt to do that, he readied his handgun and the imparted knowledge of aiming it and firing the bullet guided his actions as he cleanly shot a bullet through the head of a patrolling cyclops when he was a few dozen feet above the monster, causing it to dissolve into golden dust.

He landed on the roof without making any noise and noticed that Artemis, Thalia and Annabeth had already taken care of the other cyclopean guards. The excitement of finally doing something right engulfed him but it subsided when Artemis gestured at them to take the other set of stairs leading downwards.

The three of them did what she said and stealthily made their way down the building, shooting any guards on the way. And their stealth was not compromised because their handguns barely made any noise. Thankfully, Leo didn't have to shoot any demigods or mortals, at least not yet.

Finally, after a quarter of an hour of wading through unsuspecting monsters, they made it to the entrance to the bunker in the basement of the building and there, they saw Artemis on the other side. With an exchange of nods, the four of them burst into the bunker.

As soon as Artemis stepped foot into the bunker, it seemed to become unstable and rocked around and they immediately understood that the bunker's teleporting mechanism had been activated. They then came face to face with a dozen and a half monsters and the Titaness of Illumination. But that was not the thing that caught their attention.

What caught their attention was a recovering Perseus Diaboles on a bed and next to him was a golden sarcophagus, one that radiated power and malice and one which had gruesome images engraved on it. On top of it were Percy's pitch-black swords which had a faint bronze glow surrounding them.

"Magnificent isn't it? Once my brother possesses the Hero's body, he will be unstoppable." Theia proudly stated after regaining her composure. She was wearing a mix of hoplite and modern armour, a combination remarkably similar to their own.

"That's not going to happen, Titaness. I'm here to take my brother back." Artemis growled as she took a battle stance, holding her hunting knives in front of her.

"Let's see you try, little goddess. I will show you the consequences of tussling with a daughter of Gaia and Ouranos." Theia replied with narrowed eyes as a spear and shield materialised in her hands.

No more words were exchanged as the two immortals charged at each other and fought ferociously in an elegant yet deadly dance of blades. And soon, only silver and golden blurs were visible to the other occupants of the room.

The demigods were the next to take action, immediately unloading their remaining bullets and taking out a few monsters before charging at them with their weapons. Annabeth soon turned invisible and the demigods held off the monsters.

It had only been a few minutes since they had started fighting but Leo was already starting to feel fatigued. He was dueling multiple monsters at a time and all he could do was not get killed. His limbs were moving on their own, the imparted skill and durable armour were no doubt the only reasons why he was not sliced sashimi yet.

Despite all that, he was picking injuries and he knew he wouldn't last too long. And to make matters worse, there were no large water sources nearby for him to heal or use his elemental abilities.

However, he finally managed to catch a hellhound off guard and impaled it, causing it to dissolve into gold dust. But a moment later, he barely avoided being smashed by the club of a cyclops.

In comparison, Thalia and especially Annabeth seemed to be doing a much better job, due to having some official training. And soon, they managed to reduce the monster ranks until only six of them were left. Seeing that three of them had ganged up on Leo, Thalia charged up a bolt of lightning and shot it at them through her spear.

It hit a dracaena and a cyclops, causing them to violently convulse before exploding into gold dust. Leo made use of this distraction to decapitate the other cyclops who had been troubling him. He was about to help Thalia and Annabeth but Thalia stopped him.

"Go! Revive General Perseus. We'll take care of these three." Thalia yelled. Trusting her, Leo immediately ran towards Percy, with the Celestial Bronze jar in his hands.

Thalia then parried a strike from a Laistrygonian giant before impaling him with her spear. At the same time, Annabeth snuck up on a dracaena and sliced the dracaena's throat with her dagger. That left only a hell hound which Annabeth and Thalia made short work of. All three of them were filled with cuts and bruises but that scuffle had gone better than expected.

Ahead of them, Leo was in front of golden sarcophagus and was about to open the jar and crush the shard on top of Percy's swords but before he could do that, he was slammed into the wall of the bunker by a physical wall of force.

He dropped to his knees with a loud groan of pain, he definitely knew that would leave a very painful bruise. And from the sound of it, even Annabeth and Thalia had been blindsided by this wall of force.

Their attacker made himself known a moment later by addressing them in a deep, condescending voice that reeked of malevolent brilliance –

"I hope I am not too late for the party. I definitely did not want to miss this lovely family reunion."


Hey guys! So I know that content wise, these chapters are longer than the initial ones in my second story but that's just because I don't want to split chapters just for the sake of having more chapters. And I definitely wanted to leave behind back to back cliffhangers along with some action.

I have created some new villains by adding some more Titans and demititans into the fray because with so many minor gods on the side of Olympians now, I didn't want it to be a one way stomp fest. So there will be a lot of new enemies and the old enemies will also be a bit beefed up.

I am also looking for some cool, yet menacing and non cliché names for a few male and female demititan villains I plan on introducing. And I would also love to know what you thought about Pierce, this new villainous OC I introduced. I know that OCs normally seem a bit one dimensional but I will try my best to make them feel like real characters.

Overall, this chapter is very fast paced and is full of action which is exactly what I wanted it to be in direct contrast to the peaceful, slow burn attribute of the second story and the unpredictable world building pacing of the first one.

I also wanted to use the chapter to give Artemis some time to shine and also included the part where the gods worry about the demigods just to show the clear difference between these gods and their canonical counterparts.

I know it seems like the demigods have been severely nerfed but it just seems that way because we are used to a much more powerful protagonist. And I wanted to stay realistic here. The best three demigods with no actual combat experience can manage is taking on a dozen and a half monsters and even that is after a lot of other advantages like advanced machinery. While the demigods will be getting stronger, they won't be defeating Titans on their own or something like that.

Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!