Chapter 28

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

In response to TheGracefulHuntress' review, yes, overprotective father is definitely the word I would use for Atlas. I don't think I'll be portraying Atlas trying to control Zoe because while he is a very ruthless general, I want to portray him as a good father. Thank you for your continued support!

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

I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!

In response to Shadowhunter2077's review, yes, that is the aim of portraying Atlas as a good father. I didn't want him to just be another big antagonist. I wanted him to be a character. I wanted the audience to sympathize with and understand him. I don't like to think of this arc as the battle between a protagonist and an antagonist. It's more like a battle between two men who are completely dedicated to their families.

Definitely, in an RPG, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades would be big hitters. With Hades having stealth features. Percy and Atlas would both be massive tanks. In this AU, while the Big Three are pretty strong, they aren't so strong that they can take on a protogenos on their own. It would still take the entire Olympian Council to bring down a protogenos outside their domain. And a protogenos on their own domain is practically indestructible. So I hope that answers your questions! Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Walter Ha's reviews, will Percy ever use his swords again? You'll find out soon :) Percy is using a spear instead of a trident because he had more experience with it, given his proximity to Athena. Hades is stealthy and could be a part of the fight but I want this arc to primarily be about Percy and Atlas, if you know what I mean ;)

I am glad you are liking this layered portrayal of Atlas. That was what I had set out to achieve. I wanted the audience to understand him, to sympathize with him, to connect with him. Ranking the gods in power, I would put the Big Three up front followed by Percy. Then I would put Hestia, Hera and Demeter, with Athena and Artemis just behind. Slotting in after that would be Ares, Amphitrite, Triton and Hermes and Apollo, separated marginally in that order. And rounding it off, you would have Hephaestus and Aphrodite. I hope that answers your questions! Thank you for your continued support!

In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently), yes, I an using the locations that were used in TTC. Of course, the fight scenes there couldn't be more different. Yes, while the DSS agents are partially immortal, they can still be killed like the Hunters. I thought it was important for them to become partially immortal because we are in the endgame of this story and they'll need to be at their absolute best. Definitely, I wanted to use the previous chapter to drive across the point that everything Atlas does, right or wrong, is motivated by a desire to make his daughters happy and safe. And I am glad that you liked that bit! And he'll definitely have to deal with the fallout of his rebellious actions in this chapter. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Ryan Fowler's review, lawful neutral huh? That's nice. That's what I would classify the Percy from the first story of this trilogy as. I would say the Percy in the second story is neutral good and the Percy in this story has a twinge of chaotic nature to him. That's really cool that he uses two swords and has water spells! Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support!

In response to Jubby1905's review, well, rest assured, your theories will be validated very, very soon ;) Percy naming his son Achilles is something I think would tie in very, very well in this continuity. Yes, I don't want Atlas to just be any antagonist. I want him to be a character. I want the readers to understand and sympathize with him. And I am glad that's being achieved. At this point, I just have to write a Big Three trying to be better Grandpa's scene XD. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Callum Runchman's review, I don't know about the intervention bit but I can imagine how frustrating it is to read about Percy's stubbornness. It's not that I am doing this to stretch the story, au contraire, I am actually trying to stop the story from becoming too long(and partially failing at that XD), but I am showing this obstinate side of Percy to bring some gritty realism into the story. Because even in real life, many times, we resist positive change for various reasons and it's only after we take a big hit that we realise it's necessary. And I am very glad to hear that you are enjoying the intensity of combat in these chapters! Thank you for your continued support!

In response to HPJ1's review, when I was writing the fight scene between Percy and Atlas, I wasn't consciously drawing inspiration from the Captain America and Thanos fight but upon editing, I realised that maybe I was inspired by it subconsciously because for me, that's one of the best action sequences I have ever watched. Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank Arden2709 for your continued support! I am glad that you liked the previous chapter and I hope you like this one as well!

Finally, coming to skotos07's review, I am very glad to hear that you liked the ending of the previous chapter! Thank you for your continued support!

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.


Zoe was feeling a bit conflicted. Actually, Zoe was feeling extremely conflicted. She had seen first-hand just how ruthless her father could be. And it had sickened her to her core to see him beat Percy like that. But on the other hand, during her entire stay at Othrys until now, he had treated her like a princess rather then a hostage.

She had lost count of how many times she had screamed at him. How many times she had hit him. Yet, he never retaliated. He always came to give her food. He let her roam around the palace as long as she didn't try to run away. He always smiled that fatherly smile at her. And her sisters, especially Calypso, were so nice to her that it made it impossible for Zoe to hate them. She wanted to hate them so bad. But try as she might, she couldn't.

"It is impossible to harbour hate for the hand that once fed you, Zoey." Atlas softly stated from the door of her bedroom, bringing her reverie to an end.

"Why are you being so nice to me? You should be torturing me as punishment for my actions, according to your dear uncle Kronos. After all, I am the one who caused your sworn enemy, Perseus Diaboles, to get away. And I defected to the side of the gods. So why don't you just go ahead and run me through with your spear? Because isn't that your answer to everything?" Zoe angrily shouted.

Atlas calmly took a few steps towards Zoe and pulled her into a gentle hug. Zoe tried to resist and tried to push him away by bashing her fists against his chest but Atlas didn't budge even an inch. And after few seconds, Zoe's resolve finally collapsed and she broke down, completely soaking his neat white dress shirt and patterned stone grey tie.

"Shhh. It's okay, Zoe. You are safe with me. You always will be. It doesn't matter what Kronos says. He doesn't tell me what to do when it comes to my daughters. Because my daughters are my world. They are the reason I breathe. Their happiness is my happiness." Atlas calmly stated as he soothingly ran his hair through Zoe's raven black hair, gently massaging her scalp. It was something she had always loved.

"Then why are you hurting the people who gave me a second lease of life, so much? You injured Artemis and Percy so horrendously. Do you know that I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for them? The Hunters are my family. They are like my sisters. You injured them so badly. If my happiness means so much to you, why are you trying to kill everyone I love?" Zoe helplessly asked with tears streaming down her cheeks as her volcanic black orbs bore into Atlas' stone grey ones.

"Do they really mean that much to you, daughter? Tell me why you feel so strongly about Artemis, the Hunters and especially, Perseus Diaboles." Atlas gently asked, trying to understand why his daughter was so attached to them. And Zoe did as he asked.

As Zoe recounted everything to her father, he couldn't help but feel grateful towards Diaboles, Artemis and the Hunters for providing a home and protecting Zoe. And once she was done, she felt his respect grow for them. He saw them, especially Diaboles, in a new light.

"It's astonishing how one man has such a magnetic effect on both my daughters, an addictive romantic pull on my eldest and an unbreakable familial bond with my youngest." Atlas stated with a shake of his head before continuing.

"I made a promise to Calypso to reunite her with Diaboles. And I intend to keep that. But I can achieve that only one way. However, I will make you a promise. When the Titans win this war, I will ensure that Artemis and her hunters receive a sentence to be your servants. They'll be your companions of course. The servants bit will just be a show for the other Titans. And Perseus Diaboles will be your brother-in-law, so your relationship with him will not change one bit, it will only get stronger. I will give you the best of both worlds, Zoey. That I promise." Atlas promised his youngest daughter.

Before Zoe could say anything, he received a message from Calypso that Koios had arrived to discuss the nationwide attack that the Othryian Forces had planned and Atlas tenderly tucked a strand of Zoe's hair behind her hair before leaving her room. He planned to bring the gods to their knees with his next move.


Percy woke up in complete disorientation as he struggled to see or realise where he was. All he knew was that every part of his body was paining. And his most recent memories immediately flooded him, causing him to wake up with a start.

"Atlas!" Percy awoke with a roar, ignoring the pain that shot up through his entire body.

Instinctively, he got off the bed and took a defensive position, as if expecting an attack. He however, was surprised when he found himself in Apollo's palace. And a moment later, Athena entered the room, followed by Apollo and Percy's parents.

"Percy, calm down. You are safe. You are with us on Olympus." Athena calmed Percy down as he enveloped him in a gentle hug, instantly calming him down.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was being knocked out by Atlas. What happened after that?" Percy bitterly recounted.

He was extremely disappointed and very angry. And all of that anger and disappointment was directed towards himself. His plan had backfired spectacularly. He had underestimated the Titans so much. He had grown so cocky. So complacent. So arrogant. So ignorant that he had been blind to see that his uncle had been right all along. An ambush against Atlas was doomed to fail since the beginning. He was brought out of his deeply contemplative thought process when his mother replied to his questions.

"Percy, you made it out of there safely because Zoe sacrificed herself to buy Athena and Ares time to escape along with you and the other unconscious demigods." Amphitrite replied in a sombre tone.

"What?!" Percy asked with a myriad of emotions, most of them negative, written all over his face.

The others in the room took a deep sigh before divulging all the details to him and when they were done, he felt defeated, he felt pathetic, he felt like impaling himself on his spear and smacking himself with his shield. And that was when he realised that his shield had been destroyed by Atlas.

"This is all my fault. I did this. I led us on this suicide mission, knowing full well that I could not defeat Atlas one-on-one. I underestimated the forces Atlas would have with him. And it is because of me that Zoe is now stuck with the man who betrayed her." Percy hoarsely stated, his voice full of distress and guilt.

"Percy, you couldn't have predicted that. This is not your-" Athena started, trying to console him but he cut her off.

"No, Athena don't tell me it's not my fault. Because everyone in this room knows damn well whose fault it was. This is entirely my fault. Uncle Zeus told me this wouldn't work. But good old stubborn me wouldn't accept what he said." Percy angrily retorted, before taking a seat on the bed, with his head held in between his hands.

"Son, we will find a way to bring back Zoe, I promise you that. For now, just take some rest. You are pretty banged up. You have taken a lot of serious injuries. And you need to heal. So sleep for a while, let Apollo heal you and we will figure something out when you are feeling better." Poseidon got down to his knee, such that he was making eye contact with his son and reassured him. Percy seemed unsure but that's when he felt his mother place a palm on his shoulder.

"Listen to your father, Percy." Amphitrite gently advised and Athena offered him a supportive smile.

So he did what they said and laid on the bed, allowing Apollo to run some tests on him and after infusing him with a golden beam of light, they left the room to give Percy a chance to sleep peacefully. But his enhanced hearing picked up the hushed conversation that they were having outside his room.

"What is he doing?" Apollo half asked, half hissed in a tone that was very uncharacteristic of him.

"What do you mean, Apollo?" Athena asked, trying to avoid the question.

"You know very well what I mean, Athena. I would not be telling you this if it wasn't for the fact that you and Ares knew that Percy was being stubborn. That he was being far too idealistic. Yet, you went along with this plan, knowing full well that he was in no position to fight Atlas one-on-one." Apollo stated, in a serious voice.

"It was always a fifty-fifty chance, Apollo. We knew that Percy was being his stubborn idealistic self. But we took the chance anyway. You know why? Because Percy wanted to stop the needless deaths of demigods. Many of whom are even your children. What's so wrong about that?" Athena strongly defended.

"Athena, I am and will be eternally grateful to Percy for doing his best at not dragging the demigods into this fight. But as his brother, it really is so hard to see him all defeated and guilty when he can't live up to his own unreasonably high expectations. I've lost count of how many times I've had to stitch his body back together after it has taken a brutal beating like this. It's not that I don't want to heal him. It's just that I'm tired of him seeing him hurt so much, physically and mentally. And you know what really sucks. It's the fact that he can do something about it by picking up the two things that can actually help him more then anything else, but he chooses not to." Apollo opined with a heavy sigh, as he took a seat.

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't know how much using his swords will help him again? You think I don't know that if he used his swords, there would have actually been a fair possibility that Percy would have defeated Atlas, in a one-on-one by now?" Athena asked in a low voice.

"Then why don't you do something about it? Talk to him. Convince him to use his swords again. I couldn't have been the only one to notice that when he last held them, he gave off as much power as Uncle Poseidon here. Won't that be so much better for him?" Apollo asked with desperation evident in his voice.

"Because I can't, Apollo. I already did once. And it gave him nightmares for two weeks after. I just cannot put him through that again." Athena confessed in a cracked voice, and Amphitrite took a seat next to her and hugged her, while soothingly rubbing her back.

"She is right, nephew. Chaos only knows how much I tried to push Percy into taking up his swords once again. And when Athena told me that he had decided to do that, I was ecstatic. Because I knew Percy would be able to protect himself better. But it was only after he picked up those swords, that I realised just how much emotional baggage comes with them." Poseidon stated with a deep sigh.

"Apollo, this is not the same Percy who once led our armies in the Gigantomachy nor is this the Percy that had eternal optimism and complete composure who was the prime pillar of the Great Peace. This is a Percy who is weary and scarred. In absolute power levels, he may have once again reached his peak, but this is a man who is past his fighting prime. Not physically. But mentally. He now only fights because he has to. And while that is counterproductive for a general, it is required for a man who now wants to live the rest of eternity peacefully with the love of his life. There's some fear in him now. And while it holds him back, he absolutely deserves to be thoughtful about the state of his own mind after all the trauma he has been put through." Amphitrite seconded Poseidon's statements.

"He has given, and given, and given his whole life, Apollo. Every time we needed him, every time I needed him, he never hesitated even once to help us, disregarding his own physical and mental health and putting us first. He did that so many times that now, it's all caught up to him. These scars he carries in his mind and heart, they are all because of us, Apollo. Each and every single one of them. How much more do we ask from such a man? I owe him so much, Apollo. He has brought so much joy to me, he was the one who brought me out of my hubris-filled, cold and calculating self-imposed isolation." Athena recounted, pausing to take a deep breath before continuing.

"You know, in the early stages of our relationship, he steadfastly stood by me even when I was giving him a hard time at times, never once losing faith in me, in us. He was willing to stay with me, while pledging undying loyalty, even when I told him there was a chance that we could never be physically intimate, and that he could never have a biological family because of my oath of remaining as a maiden goddess." Athena revealed, taking all the other three by surprise, because they knew just how much Percy valued being able to one day have his own family.

"I was just as shocked as you are, and I did not believe him when he initially said it. And when I asked him about it, he said only one thing – "I love you Athena and that is my choice. Whatever happens, I will find a way to deal with it." Those were his exact words. Tell me Apollo, how do I ask a man who was willing to give up on of the most important things in his life, just because of how much he loved me. It doesn't matter that I broke my vow a long time ago and eagerly look forward to starting a family with him. But that was exclusively my choice. He never initiated that conversation even once. True to his word, he never pressurized me into anything. Whatever I did, I did wholeheartedly and without any regrets. It is now my turn to be there for him. It is now my turn to not pressurize him into doing something he doesn't want to." Athena firmly and strongly concluded.

"You're right, Athena. I just never thought of it that way." Apollo guiltily conceded and Athena nodded at him.

However, Percy, who had listened to this entire conversation refused to accept Athena's defence. He was full of self-loathing. Here was this perfect goddess and his perfect family who were so worried about him and cared so much for his feelings that they were willing to shield him from any further mental trauma.

All because they were grateful to him for what he had done more than three thousand years ago. They were even looking past the fact that he had left them for three full millennia. He had never felt so pathetic in his entire life. But he refused to wallow in that. He was finally going to conquer his fear. And with that thought, he disappeared in a blue mist, leaving just a trace of his essence in bed so as to not tip anyone off.


Percy was in the Hall of Heroes and was staring at his two pitch-black swords. He was masking his presence so as to not draw any attention to himself. He was still covered in injuries and while the swords would make it worse for a few moments, they would most certainly accelerate his recovery afterwards. He was brought out of his thoughts when Hestia spoke up from behind him.

"You're back." Hestia softly stated as she calmly stood next to Percy.

"I am. I cannot run from my destiny anymore." Percy answered in a flat voice, although his eyes grew distant at the memory of what happened the previous time he had been here. A short silence enveloped the two of them before it was broken by Percy.

"This moment, I have dreamt of and simultaneously dreaded it ever since I woke up from my long coma. And Chaos knows how many times I have tried to force myself to come here. How many times others have asked me to come here. And I did come here once. But I could not confront my past then. And to be entirely honest with you, I do not know if I can do it now." Percy admitted in a low voice.

"Then why are you here again?" Hestia sombrely asked.

"I cannot try to run away from who I am. These swords were a physical representation of my personality, of my actions, of my fatal flaw. I thought that by not using these swords, I was leaving my past behind. I thought I was moving away from all the pain. I thought I was moving away from my fatal flaw. But I realised that is not going to happen. I was, still am and always will be Perseus Diaboles. And enshrined in me, is my fatal flaw of personal loyalty. It's one that has given me a great amount of pain. But it is also what has given me strength to defeat all my enemies. So, today, I am here to accept it and allow it to fuel me, in the way I want. I had come to a similar realisation on my own during my confrontation with Atlas in Westover Hall but…." Percy trailed off, as he felt the sea calling out to him through his swords.

"But what, nephew?" Hestia gently asked.

"But I only realised how essential these swords were to me, mentally as well as physically, when Zoe gave herself up at the Smithsonian, in order to distract Atlas and save helpless, unconscious old me, and then Athena had to use all her remaining energy to take her divine form to get the rest of us out, after already being exhausted from fighting with Krios. These swords are the key to me being able to finally protect my family at my full potential. And if I have to confront all my nightmares to do so, I will do it. Because nothing is more important to me than the safety of my family." Percy declared, consciously aware of the fact that he was finally embracing his fatal flaw in a constructive way as he went forward and got ready to pick up his swords.

"Nephew, are you sure about this? You know what happened last time. You are not the only person who always has to fight. Zeus fought and defeated Atlas before. He will do it again. In fact, I even saw him training once again in order to confront Atlas. You don't need to always be the person to shoulder all the responsibility." Hestia stated with concern twinkling in her warm brown eyes.

"No, Aunt Hestia. I have to do this. Every moment I spend not unlocking my full potential is a dangerous waste of time. There is no point in living in denial anymore. Uncle Zeus may take care of Atlas. But what about after that? I cannot keep relying on other people to make up for my shortcomings. No. I have to be on my best." Percy calmly declared as he finally picked up his swords again.

Instantly, like the previous time, thick streams of energy erupted from his swords and flowed through his veins, making them bulge and glow. He hissed in pain as his body was flooded with all the overflowing energy but unlike the previous time, his body which was in peak physical condition and he weathered through it as he slowly felt himself growing stronger.

However, then came the flashbacks of his most traumatic memories, flooding him all at once. And he roared in anguish and dropped to his knees as he experienced immense psychological pain, forced to repeatedly see images he had hoped to forget forever.

"Nephew, let go! I am calling Apollo. Even if your body is ready, your mind is not, you will drive yourself insane." Hestia shouted with concern in her eyes as she tried to get close to Percy.

"NO!" Percy bellowed back as he moved away from Hestia, stopping her in her tracks.

"I…have….to…. do….this….whatever….it… takes…." Percy declared through gritted teeth as he tightened his grip on his swords.

He would not give up now. Not when the stakes were so high. And a second later, all the remaining excess energy in the sword finally flowed into him in the thickest stream yet and along with it came the excruciating duo of mental and physical pain. But even then, Percy simply refused to give up.

Finally, once all the energy was inside Percy, his body was surrounded by a transient, primordial oceanic blue hue and a single wave of power rolled off him with enough force to reverberate throughout Olympus. And just a second after that, Percy promptly passed out, with his hands still tightly clutching his swords. He had finally done it.


Percy found himself on what he could only describe as a table and chair made of a golden cloud, on a golden cloud and surrounded by a golden clouds. He was thoroughly confused for a second but then, five people showed up in front of him. Five people whose energy signatures were off the charts. He instantly knew they were protogenoi.

The man on the right was wearing flowing golden robes, matching the colour of his eyes, which were solid gold as well as that of his hair. Next to him was a woman wearing similar robes, only these a transient white, the same colour as her eyes, which were also a solid, transient white, and her long white hair gave off a subtle yet divine glow.

Next to her was a man with shiny and spiky grey hair, sporting a greying goatee, wearing grey robes that were similar to the the first two. And his eyes were a dark grey that seemed to have a magnetic pull of their own. And staring into his eyes sent chills down Percy's spine.

Percy knew that the two on the extreme left were definitely sea deities. The man sported a salt and pepper beard and looked like he was in his early fifties, wearing a nice blue polo along with white beach shorts. The woman was wearing a turquoise sleeveless sundress, very similar to one Athena wore and looked like she was in her late forties. And both of them had a clearest and most beautiful shade of primordial oceanic blue eyes that Percy had ever seen. Percy was brought out his thoughts when the golden-haired man spoke up.

"Hello Perseus, it is finally a pleasure to meet you. I am Chronos, the protogenos of time. Next to me is my wife Ananke, the protogenos of destiny, next to her is Moros, the protogenos of Impending Doom and the last two are Pontus and Thalassa, the protogenoi of the sea." Chronos politely stated with a welcoming smile on his face as a glass of Nectar materialised in front of Percy.

"Uhh thanks. It's nice to see you guys." Percy blabbered with a stupified expression on his face and rather shakily accepted the glass of Nectar as the five protogenoi took seats around him.

"I was expecting you to be more formal and eloquent. You look like a deer caught in headlights." Moros stated with a teasing smirk on his face.

"Hush Moros. The boy is just a little intimidated. It's not everyday that someone meets five protogenoi." Thalassa hushed Moros before turning her attention towards Percy with a sweet smile on her face.

"You take your time and get comfortable, dear. We have all the time in world. Would you like something else to eat? A square of Ambrosia perhaps?" Thalassa soothingly rubbed Percy's back as she tried to calm him down. And Percy couldn't help but smile at the grandmotherly warmth that radiated off of her.

"Thank you for your kind words, milady-" Percy respectfully started but Thalassa interrupted him.

"I want none of this milady nonsense. We are family and you are like a grandson to me. My dear, my husband and I, we are the sea. And we know how much you adore, love and care for the sea. You have treated it with so much respect and care ever since you were just a toddler. You were the only one to understand just how much life was there in the sea itself. And I have to say, you have completely endeared yourself to us. To all of us. So I want you to call me Grandma Thalassa." Thalassa brightly stated as she gave Percy a beaming smile.

"I should be the one thanking you, grandma. Both of you have given me the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the sea. The opportunity to thrive in it, to protect its inhabitants. I call many places my home. But the sea will always be my greatest solace. And I can't even put into words how thankful I am that you both gave me a new lease of life by giving me the shard of the sea." Percy sincerely thanked with a heart-warming smile on his face.

"Trust me, the pleasure is all ours, grandson. While Thalassa and I don't have the opportunity to interact with anyone, owing to the fact that we dispersed our essences into the sea, since your swords have a part of us in them now, we have the ability to converse with you in your dreams. But I'm not the only you should thank. The three protogenoi to my right have played just as vital of a role in your life, if not more, than what my wife and I have." Pontus replied with a wide smile on his face.

Percy looked a bit confused and Chronos took that as his cue to explain everything to Percy. From how he and Ananke had been keenly watching and following his progress ever since their daughter and the Fate of Life – Clotho, had created his string. And why they had given him a vision when he had come to the edge of Tartarus with Hades. And finally, they explained how they had accelerated his healing when Athena had almost lost all hope in him ever waking up.

"Wow, I….I cannot thank you enough for what you did for Athena. For what you did for my family. For what you did for me." Percy stated in a voice that was thick with emotion.

"Young man, you have nothing to thank us for. You see, the strings of fate of all individuals, mortal and immortal, are intertwined together and the flow of time in their lives is what leads to the river of fate, which dictates the progression of the world. This river continuously and endlessly flows, or at least until our father Chaos wants it to. But just like there are a few locations a river has to pass, there are seminal events or fixed points in the flow of the river of fate as well, these points are most of the times pre-determined by Ananke and are collectively known as destiny." Chronos calmly explained.

"How are these points pre-determined? Is it arbitrary?" Percy asked with the barest hint of discomfort in his voice. He did not like the fact that someone got to arbitrarily decide what the world goes through.

"Not at all. You may be at ease, Perseus. I do not determine these points on a whim. Just like my daughters determine what happens in someone's life based on their actions, I fix these points based on the prevailing nature of the ruling deities of the world, at least that's what I've been doing since Nyx, Erebus and Tartarus corrupted the world and we were forced to refrain from any direct interference." Ananke stated with a small scowl before continuing.

"I set these fixed points based on what is necessary to restore order to the world. But just because these points are fixed, doesn't mean the outcomes are. These fixed points are meant to accomplish one of two purposes – they either change the behaviour of the ruling deities and make them more benevolent or, they depose the ruling deities, depending on who has the higher moral ground. The death of Ouranos was such an event, so were the First Titanomachy and the Gigantomachy." Ananke concluded, giving Percy time to absorb all the information.

"What about the battle with Tartarus, my three thousand year old coma and the Second Titanomachy? Were all of these fixed points in destiny as well?" Percy asked in a subdued tone. And he was surprised when Ananke sighed.

"Unfortunately, none of these were fixed points, Perseus. You see, neither I nor my daughters have control over the actions of other protogenoi. The death of Ouranos was only possible because the Titans were the first group of Immortals that were subject to our moral judgement. The interference of other protogenoi tends to distort and severely damage the flow of the river of fate. In that, Tartarus' interference was always particularly destructive, forcing us to react in very specific ways in order to maintain balance." Ananke stated with a sad sigh.

"Tartarus' battle with the gods was the greatest threat to order and balance that we have ever seen. And the aftershocks of it on the world are felt to this day. It led to the near collapse of civilization itself and sowed the seeds for the Second Titanomachy. In order to prevent the world from descending into chaos, Ananke explored billions of different types of fixed points to restore order. And unfortunately, of all the options, the only one that allowed balance to prevail, at least until now, was the one that led you to where you are now." Moros stated in a sombre tone.

"So my health, the life of my nephew and three thousand years of separation and pain for my family were all just sacrifices for the betterment of the world? Glad to know I fulfilled my destiny." Percy replied with a bitter, hollow chuckle.

"We know just how much you and your family have sacrificed, Perseus. And I truly am sorry that you had to tread such a treacherous path. But you had to understand, it was either this or the next best option, which would have resulted in your entire family going down with Tartarus to usher in a new world." Ananke explained their actions to Percy with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"This is not fair." Percy whispered with a distraught look in his eyes.

"It most certainly is not. But I want you to understand something Perseus - Impending Doom is never fair. Despite my best efforts, it can be triggered by the most malevolent of individuals. And that is the way the world works. We cannot change that. Everything is not in our control, Perseus. It never was meant to be. But how we react, that is always in our control. You have had an arduous path up until here, with your life filled with unfair circumstances forced upon you. But you have always succeeded because you have always reacted properly to them." Moros stated with a supportive smile.

"You were a beacon of hope and a harbinger of peace, Perseus. For a few decades, you moulded the world into the utopia you envisioned, doing the impossible. And for all intents and purposes, the world should have stayed that way. But you did this at the cost of excessive linkage between the mortal and divine worlds and you took on the role of the singular bridge that connected them. As long as you were there, both sides would thrive. But the moment you were gone, the utopia would collapse. And that's exactly what Tartarus targeted and unfortunately, that's what he achieved." Chronos concluded with a pensive and regretful sigh.

"He won. That malevolent old bastard lost the ability to ever be sentient again but he achieved his goal of ensuring that the world would never be a utopia again. The contented smile on his face, watching the sun rise on a ruined world, even as your father impaled him, is something that gives me nightmares to this day." Moros stated with a disgusted scowl on his face.

"Well, unless you can turn back the clock, this is the world we are left with. And the only thing we can do is learn to deal with it." Percy stated with a resigned smile on his face.

"If I could, I would reverse time and find a way to undo so many misdeeds, but my oath forbids me from doing so and all I can do is watch." Chronos sombrely replied. A short silence enveloped all of them before it was broken by Ananke.

"The past has passed, Perseus. But the future is still in your control. And while I can't tell you much about the next fixed point in the flow of fate, what I can tell you is that this is the last conflict in which I foresee your involvement as being integral. What you do after the gods win this war, is entirely up to you." Ananke tentatively revealed.

"Really?" Percy asked with hope shining in his eyes.

"Yes. For better or for worse, once the gods win this war, the balance of the world will not depend on you, Perseus. This will be the final correction to the distortion caused by Tartarus. After that, you can live the life you always wanted to live." Ananke stated with a small smile on her face.

"The life I wanted." Percy repeated in a whisper, left surprised, in a very pleasant way, by what Ananke said.

"Yes. But for that, first you need to defeat the Titans. And that starts with Atlas." Moros brought Percy out of his contemplative reverie. And Percy's face immediately turned serious.

"I know. That's why I picked up my swords once again. However, I don't know whether I will be able to directly fight at my best with my swords. I haven't used them in a very long time. Similarly, I have not gotten a grip of my enhanced powers at all. How can I beat the General just on the go? Lord Chronos, could you please slow time down in this dimension? I know I am in no position to make requests but even if you just give two weeks, it's enough." Percy pleaded with Chronos.

"Young man, I would love nothing more than to help you out. If I could, why just two weeks, I would slow time down enough to give you a year of time to train before you even woke up in the other dimension. But unfortunately, I am bound by an oath I made, along with my other malevolent siblings, tens of millennia ago to never take sides in any divine conflict and maintain neutrality. Since Pontus and Thalassa were not bound by that, the three of us could tag along to just have a small conversation with you but I am afraid that I will not be able to help without helping the Titans as well, which is something neither you nor I want." Chronos stated with a deep sigh.

"Kid, even putting aside the oath, all the training in the world is not going to help you fight at your best. True power only blooms in the middle of a battle with big stakes involved. No matter how much you try to simulate that experience, you will never be able to. One such battle is going to give you more progress than a millennium of training. Take yourself as an example, even though you have effectively lived for only a fraction of that of the other Olympians, you have greater skill and fluidity in battle than all of them, being equalled in the latter by only Athena, Artemis and maybe Ares. Why is that? Because you have been involved in more high stakes struggles than all of them. Perseus, experience is the greatest teacher by a wide margin. Training and conditioning are extremely important. They allow you to fight. But experience is what allows you to win." Moros calmly stated.

"He is right, grandson. The only way for you to defeat Atlas, is by fighting him now. You already have a wealth of experience to draw upon given you have already clashed with him four times now. And you don't need to worry about your swordsmanship, it hasn't deteriorated one bit because, the swords, with their own sentience will naturally draw out all your skill, talent and power. You will only learn the secrets of victory in battle, grandson." Pontus added to what Moros had earlier stated, further reassuring Percy.

"Goodbye for now, my dear. You need to wake up now. Your family needs you." Thalassa stated as she gave Percy a warm hug, which he gladly returned. He greeted goodbye to the others before he closed his eyes.


When Percy woke up, he found only Mavrus sitting near him, checking the machines to monitor his vitals. And as Percy shook out the disorientation and groggily groaned, Mavrus' attention was on him in an instant.

"General Perseus, how are you feeling?" Mavrus asked.

"I feel a bit groggy after walking up but I actually feel very good. I feel more powerful than before." Percy stated as he flexed his muscles and noticed that all his injuries had been healed.

"Of course, that was to be expected. You would have noticed the obvious increase in your own power. You are finally at the level of power you desire." Mavrus informed.

"By the way, how long was I out? And where are all the others? And if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here on Olympus instead of Atlantis?" Percy asked with a confused expression on his face.

"You were out for a week, general. And in that time, a lot of has happened." Mavrus stated before filling on Percy on the details of how the Othryian Forces had launched a nationwide attack.

Multiple attacks had taken place across the country, involving the many Titans and their armies and targeting mortals, soliciting the attention of all the Olympians. Oceanus had instigated a major conflict underneath the sea while Iapetus had surfaced with a large army in the underworld.

Astraeus had attacked Olympus itself with tens of thousands of wind spirits, Gryphons and dragons, forcing Zeus and the wind gods to defend Olympus. Perses and Lelantos had led a charge on Camp Half-Blood. And just a few hours ago, Atlas and his army had drawn in the Romans and the Hunters, led by Athena, Artemis and Ares to a battle at Mount Othrys.

Once he had listened to everything, Percy got out of the bed immediately and a moment later, his swords materialised in his hands, instantly drawing out and amplifying all his power and sharpening all his senses. He was about to disappear but Mavrus interrupted him.

"General, in case you are forgetting, you still need some armour after your old one got destroyed in your previous scruffle. And the Elder Cyclopes were more than happy to build this. Or should I say, rebuild it." Mavrus pointed out before motioning his hands towards the set of armour laid out on a mannequin at the end of the table. And Percy froze for a second as he saw the armour.

It was essentialy a replica of his original armour, which had been destroyed in the fight with Tartarus, the one in which he had gained the epithet of Diaboles, with modern additions to enhance its protection and agility. It had a perfectly forged breastplate that ended at his shoulder to give his arms maximum agility. It had forgone the shoulder pads of his latest armour, which Atlas had destroyed, for two long vambraces, which would run up to his elbows, providing him with even greater speed and mobility.

It had the same fearsome helmet with an alternating pattern of gold and sea green horseplume hair. It also had combat pants and boots which were designed for maximum speed and agility. Along with that, there was a greave for each leg, with a sharp top that ended at his knee.

It was all an intimidating pitch-black colour with sea green accents that erupted from the centre of the breastplate, where the symbol of the House of Poseidon, his father's trident was visible in all its glory. On the left side of the trident, there was the symbol of an owl and the right side, there was the symbol of two swords that were crossed.

He snapped his fingers and his armour enveloped him a second later. With his swords in his hands, for the first time in a very long time, Percy felt completely confident in his own abilities once again. He nodded at Mavrus, who couldn't help but be a little awe-struck and incredibly nostalgic at the sight before him, before disappearing in a blue mist. Perseus Diaboles had a score to settle.


Leo had given up all hope and had resigned himself to being impaled by Atlas, after being ragdolled around for the better part of the past few minutes. The battle on Othrys had gone well initally, but with Athena and Ares being temporarily occupied by other immortals, that had somehow left Leo to battle against Atlas along with Artemis. And it was going poorly, especially for Leo.

The Titan was purposely taking his time, toying with both of them and making sure to hit Leo with very painful, yet very restrained attacks as he tried to prolong Leo's suffering. And Leo was snapped out of his thoughts when Atlas backhanded him into a boulder with enough force for Leo to zoom through it after splitting it in half on contact and Leo groaned in pain as he felt a few bones cracking under the impact. Artemis had already been slammed across the battlefield a few minutes earlier and Leo knew that this was it.

"Foolish demigod. When will you realise how futile your effort is? I am the one who made your brother bleed, something no one except the protogenoi themselves have ever managed to do before. That is the level of power you are dealing with here. I am way above your paygrade." Atlas taunted as he stalked towards Leo.

"All I need to do is buy time. Someone is definitely going to come here and beat the living daylights out of your ugly mug." Leo stated in between pants as he took the support of his sword to stand up and face Atlas.

"If nothing else, I appreciate your raw determination, Leonidas Jackson. Rest in peace knowing that you will die as a proud warrior." Atlas stated with grudging respect in his eyes as he dashed towards Leo in order to impale him. But he was stopped midway.

He was stopped by Percy materialising in front of Leo and blocking Atlas' spear with his swords, shocking Atlas and completely catching him off-guard. Capitalising on this, Percy immediately blew away Atlas with an extremely powerful shockwave that not only sent Atlas flying across the battlefield but also caused a sonic boom to reverberate across it.

That was when everyone in the battlefield saw Perseus Diaboles standing before Leo. And he was standing tall and proud in all his mythical glory, with his intimidating armour protecting him and his terrifying pitch black swords in his hands, pulsating with raw destructive energy. This was the Perseus Diaboles whose impossible feats had been etched into the murals of the Olympians Throne Room and whose very presence sent a shiver down the spines of his enemies. And he was here to settle a score.

"ATLAS!" Percy roared loud enough for even the ground to crack a little as he took a mighty leap into the air and zoomed down towards Atlas like a meteor.


Hey guys! After teasing this exact moment, involving Percy finally retaking his swords and practically spoiling it, it's finally happened. And with this, Percy has finally received his final power-up of this trilogy. I still remember saying, almost two years ago, that Percy would eventually reach the level of the Big Three in order to fight Atlas and now that he's there, it just feels surreal and I felt a wave of nostalgia hit me as I finished this chapter.

You would have also noticed that this chapter is a lot more fast paced, action oriented and much more intense than most of the previous ones. I purposely didn't include much fluff or humour in order to keep the tone of this chapter consistent. And I hoped you guys liked it!

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