The air was beginning to get heavy for the four remaining questers as they ascended the mountain. Grover took the lead, followed by Thalia. Bianca was in the middle and Zoë took the rear of the group. The path was gradually becoming increasingly difficult, the available path becoming more difficult the higher they climbed.
The higher they got, the more the sense of dread washed over the Lieutenant of the Hunt. She knew what was waiting for her at the top of the mountain. She really was not looking forward to it.
The forest was in the distance below them, and they could see the Sea churning below the mountain as dark, stormy clouds congregated around the mountaintop, centered around the peak of the mountain. The mountain was beginning to lose all sound from the wildlife they had not long left, and Zoë's dread continued to increase.
There was a reason that very mountain was known as the Mountain of Despair, especially for what it housed.
The mist began to get very heavy around them, and the entire group slowed down. Bianca almost slipped on a stone, falling and almost yelling as she did so. Zoë grabbed the young girl hard and cupped her mouth, so no sound came out.
"Quiet!" She hissed, "Unless you wish to wake Ladon!"
Bianca nodded, and the group gestured for Zoë to take Thalia's place as to guide Grover more so, his goat hooves proving very useful in finding a safe route up to the top of the mountain.
After another five minutes of walking, there was what seemed to be a wall of fog that seemed almost impenetrable to light. The foot path had leveled out a bit, now wide enough for them to stably walk along. Zoë decided to take the lead here, deciding to get it over and done with.
She was home, after all.
As soon as Zoë was through the fog, she was swamped by a familiar, warm red glow from the setting sun on the horizon, the sea below turning bright pink along with the sky. It was a sight that she missed dearly and was glad to have been able to view it again.
The others passed through the fog and were too taken back by the beautiful land before them.
The path was now a much gentler dirt than the stone path they had used to climb, and the grass was a luscious green, shimmering in the light from the setting sun as dew began to set into what looked to be a meadow. Flowers and shadows littered the ground, almost glowing with vibrant colors. The sight truly was that of beauty.
Polished, black marble stepping stones were laid out around either side of a huge tree in the meadow and was covered in golden apples.
Zoë looked at the others, and could see them almost drooling – except Grover, who was already drooling – from the fragrance of the apples in the tree. They couldn't get to the apples however – a very large, coppery, 100-headed dragon was asleep around the base of the tree. Ladon.
Then, she noticed the singing. Oh gods, the singing. The sisters were nearby.
Thalia went wide eyed when she saw something familiar docked at the pier below the mountain. "Guys, look!" She hissed, and they all looked.
A large, white cruise ship was docked, and Thalia remembered hearing about it, along with Zoë. It was the Traitor to Olympus' boat filled with an army of monsters. And if they were there, beyond the enormous tree, then that was a massive problem. They would be dead before they could even consider saving Artemis.
Turning their attention back to the meadow itself, Zoë took a step forward, and the eerie singing got louder. The shadows before them began to contract until four young women shimmered into existence. They looked very much like Zoë, all wearing white chitons. Their skin was almost like caramel, like Zoë's, and their silky black hair ran loose to their shoulders, where it bundled into loose curls.
The Hesperides. They were each as beautiful as Zoë – and just as dangerous.
"Sisters." Zoë spoke curtly. She knew that this wasn't going to end well.
The four girls just stared blankly at her. "We see no sister before us; just two Huntresses, a Demigod and a Satyr." One of them spoke.
Zoë expected nothing less. "You have no idea how much I regret giving that pig the apple." She argued, her volcanic eyes watering slightly.
"But you still did it." A second one spoke.
"A foolish decision that only you would be able to make." A third spoke.
"We should have killed you for it. Would've been easier." The second one followed, glaring daggers into Zoë. In fact, all the sisters were sharing the same expression.
"Maybe so. But please, we need to stop father's madness. He will bring destruct–," Zoë began, but the fourth sister stopped her.
"Silence, Huntress. Do not speak ill of our father. Do not even mention him. We all disowned you – you're nothing to us." The fourth sister snarled, and then there was silence.
"Just turn back. We do not wish to do what we must." The first sister spoke again, and Zoë locked eyes with each of them.
"Not without Artemis. Then, we can leave." She snarled, her hand drifting to her hunting knife in her belt. She would fight her flesh and blood if needed. But, she did have one last trick up her sleeve.
"You are foolish to think thee can leave with her. Father will kill you. We will get Ladon to kill you all." The first sibling threatened again.
The glint in Zoë's eyes was worrying. "Ladon, WAKE!" She shouted.
The dragon stirred, the coppery scales glittering like thousands of polished pennies.
"Are you mad?" The first sister yelled at Zoë.
"You're just a coward, sister. Thy are weak." Zoë snapped.
The dragon suddenly woke up, all 100 heads darting around the place, looking around for threats before all pairs of eyes rested on Zoë, all heads hissing simultaneously.
The sisters shrieked in fear, shrinking into the shadows and fading away from the meadow.
"Skirt around the edges. I will distract him." Zoë said, and Thalia shook her head when she smelt the dragon's breath.
Acid.
"No way. You will die." Thalia snapped, grabbing her by the arm.
"And it will allow thee to save Artemis. He will not harm me, hopefully." Zoë answered, her voice deadly calm. It was worrying for the group – it felt almost like she was fully expecting the outcome they all feared and has long accepted it.
"Hopefully." Grover answered, looking panicked for the Huntress.
"It's not certain – nothing is anymore." Zoë shrugged, and stepped forward slowly, her hands held out either side of her in a non-threatening manner – almost as if she's attempting to soothe the beast.
Thalia went left, while Grover and Bianca travelled right around the tree, skirting around the edges of the garden. They hoped that Zoë's distraction worked and that the dragon didn't eat any of them.
Zoë meanwhile, continued to walk towards the dragon, talking calmly to it.
All was going well, but then something happened. The air suddenly began to decrease in temperature, and the group knew that something was going to happen. Something bad. It wasn't good at all.
Ladon lunged at Zoë, and she dived and jumped out of the way. Thalia stopped, but ordered Grover and Bianca to keep going – but to run. Aegis, her shield, formed on her arm and the heads facing her hissed and backed off, but the piercing gaze of Medusa also affected Zoë.
A shrill cry from the Lieutenant of the Hunt could he heard as one of the dragon heads bit down onto Zoë's side, and threw her to the side. Tightly holding her side, Zoë sprinted up past the dragon, Thalia running behind her as they fled the garden.
Thankfully, the dragon remained at its post around the tree filled with golden apples.
A few moments later when the group stopped to catch their breath, they all slumped. They truly were exhausted. The climbing up the mountain had truly done a number on them. And Zoë looked ready to faint.
"Let me see that." Thalia ordered Zoë, who begrudgingly removed her jacket and lifted her shirt, revealing her side.
The bite marks were inflamed an angry red colour, but her entire side was slowly turning a very sickly yellow colour. Poison.
"Zoë…" Thalia began, but Zoë stopped her.
"It is fine. Thee not need to worry." She said, her voice shaky. She was scared, knowing she would die if not given immediate treatment.
Grover began fidgeting, as if trying to remember something. Then it hit him.
"I, uh, think I can help?" He piped up, and Thalia looked at him, as if to say, "keep going".
"There might be a spell or something I can play to slow the poison down. But I'm not sure it can work. We will have to use the last of our Ambrosia and Nectar too, however." He continued. But he really wasn't sure.
"Do it." Thalia demanded, and Grover nodded, pulling out the last of it from his jacket pocket. There was very little – but it would have to do. He fed the ambrosia to Zoë, who chewed it u, and he pulled out his reed pipes and began to play a tune.
It was soothing at first, but then the pain hit Zoë. A violent burning sensation her side like a hot knife, and she could feel the poison stopping in its tracks before slowly being pushed out of her body.
Grover stopped after a few seconds. The colour and swelling had gone completely.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I can do. I just slowed the process of the poison." Grover said meekly, almost feeling bad about it.
"T-thank thou." Zoë said, sighing in relief as the pain left and let her shirt go and put her jumper back on.
The group decided to press on, knowing that time was even more of the essence.
They continued climbing, leaving the dreaded garden. Then, they approached broken pillars of black granite and marble and half-melted statues of gold. It was much worse than Zoë had ever expected.
"No…" She muttered, "Mount Orthys cannot be here of all places…"
Bianca looked to her Lieutenant, arching an eyebrow. "What's so bad about this mountain? Can't the gods just blow this one up in some earthquake?"
Zoë shook her head. "No, its where Atlas holds-" She choked on her words then, "It's where Atlas once held up the sky."
It was far worse than any of them had ever expected.
They continued to climb, alas. Sun set was almost complete, only the very peak of the sun visible over the horizon.
They finally reached the summit of the mountain, and the scene above them did not look good. Underneath the churning dark clouds, which condensed into a funnel, was a young, heavily beaten girl holding up the funnel, and next to her lay an unconscious middle-aged woman.
Together in a circle, stood four figures. One was an enormous figure, who was packed with muscles. He wore a brown silk suit and was preoccupied by being deep in conversation with the other parties. This was Atlas.
The shortest of them was next – a young boy with sandy blonde hair, a gaunt face and a rugged scar running down his cheek. "Luke…" Thalia whispered.
The other two figures were masked in shadows, but without a doubt, they were two demons. One of them, they all recognised from when Ares got them to San Francisco – Alistair.
Zoë was confused. How was he there, when he would be after Percy, who had diverted the monsters away?
Zoë hissed in pain, her side burning up again. Grover catches her as she falls, but the noise grasped the attention of the four figures.
Atlas spoke first. "Daughter." He snarled, glaring at Zoë.
"Thalia…" Luke muttered, staring at the Daughter of Zeus.
The two demons looked around at the group.
"We meet again, I see." Alistair grinned sadistically.
Thalia began shaking with rage. Luke… Oh how much she had wanted to get her hands on the little weasel.
Aegis ands her electric spear sprung to life, and Thalia lunged out of cover for Luke, who too drew his sword and met her charge, the two beginning a brawl at the summit.
Artemis looked up weakly. "It's a trap! Run!" She called out, but it fell onto death's ears.
Bianca pulled her bow from her back and strung an arrow into the string, carefully taking aim, before letting loose of the arrow, and watched it fly.
It narrowly missed Luke, and almost hit Atlas.
"Bianca," Zoë said weakly, "Do not hit Atlas or the demons. It appears they're bound by the ancient laws.
Bianca nodded and aimed for Luke again, and the arrow sailed through the air. The second Demon cut the arrow down and glared at Bianca.
"Death to you, pitiful scum." The unknown demon glared at the three behind cover, and then turned to Alistair. "Take them all down."
The Torturer of Hell's grin grew at that. "With pleasure." He snarled, drawing a pair of daggers from the shadows and stalked towards his prey.
Zoë shakily stood up and drew her knives, walking towards him. She knew she would die in this fight.
"ALISTAIR!" A deep voice roared, and a spear of water tore through the demon, a sizzling sound heard by the others.
The demon leapt back just as an unexpected person emerged from the shadows, the eerie sound of a sword scraping along the ground being all that the group could hear.
Percy's eyes glowed a bright sea green, swimming with pure power and promising pain. They looked like the sea when Poseidon was angry. Zoë looked at him in awe, as did Artemis.
Percy looked over at the weakened Artemis, and then to the woman next to her.
"Mother…?" He whispered, and then he turned back to Alistair and Azazel.
Percy swung his sword over his head, and Alistair blocked his strike with both of his daggers, before pushing Percy back, kicking Percy in the chest as he was off balance.
Percy began muttering something under his breath and stood back up onto his feet.
"No, SILENCE HIM!" Azazel roared at Alistair, who lunged at Percy. "LEAVE!" Percy roared at the top of his lungs, aiming his sword at them and then black holes opened underneath the two, swallowing them whole as the holes closed behind them.
Luke and Thalia stopped fighting at that sound. The Demons had been exorcised for the time being.
"So, you are the infamous Legacy we've all heard about?" Atlas asked, holding his spear tightly.
"And if I am?" Percy asked, picking his sword up with both of his hands.
"This is your last fight." The Titan snarled, and Percy charged him, swiping his spear away.
Thalia cried out as Luke's sword caught Thalia off guard and she fell to the ground, weak. Grover was close to Artemis and Sally now, so they couldn't let him be seen. Zoë ran out to try and fight, and Luke went to stab Thalia and end it.
Percy slashed the sword out of the way and kicked Luke back, snatching up Thalia's shield. He banged his sword against the shield.
"Come on then!" He snarled, looking back and forth between the Luke and Atlas, the two circling him like a pair of lions.
Luke lunged first, and Percy caught the strike with the sword, before headbutting the stunned Son of Hermes, before parrying a strike from Atlas. Luke charged him again and Percy brought his sword down on him.
CLANG!
The sword rung as the blade bounced off Luke's skin, and he grinned devilishly.
"What in the – ARGH!" Percy cried out in pain as a spear shot through his left leg, blood spewing everywhere.
Forced down to his knees, Percy was wondering. Was this it? He was going to be beaten so easily?
He felt the last of his adrenaline wearing off as a huge wave of exhaustion washed over him, almost causing him to pass out.
The spear was ripped from his leg, causing him to cry out in pain once more. He dropped both his sword and shield.
Luke stood in front of Percy, his sword in his hand.
"You're nothing. Weak like your whore of a mother. At least you die with her." Luke snarled, before giving Atlas the nod, who was stood grinning behind Percy.
Atlas raised his spear, and suddenly three arrows sprouted from his armpit, causing the Titan of Endurance to jump backs, ichor flowing from the fresh wound. Using his moment of opportunity, Percy rolled to the side, ducking under a strike from Luke.
He looked at Zoë, who was crouched down by the rocks with Bianca treating Thalia, another arrow drawn and aimed at her father.
Percy then looked at Artemis, who was holding up the sky.
She was immortal. She could beat the Titan.
He got up and started to run, but fell over after a few feet, crying out in pain from his torn open leg. He resorted to crawling towards Artemis, who looked up at him, her glowing, beautiful silver eyes meeting Percy's sea green pair.
"Give me the sky, Artemis." Percy grunted as he got himself into a crouch beside Artemis.
"No, you fool! Run while you can! It will kill you!" She ordered, but Percy shook his head in disagreement. He saw a celestial bronze chain wrapped around Artemis, and went to break it, but then realized his sword was out in the battlefield.
Damn it.
"DAUGHTER!" Atlas roared, kicking Luke aside as another arrow from Zoë made its way into Atlas' side.
"Sorry for this, just kick the bad guy under here when you beat him." Percy snapped, and barged the goddess to the side, howling in pain as the sky collapsed and landed onto his shoulders.
The pressure… it was more painful than his leg. Every muscle in his entire body was already burning.
Percy looked to his side, and saw his mother, pale and weak, laying there unconscious in a pool of blood.
Grunting, Percy pushed himself up, almost wanting to cry due to the pressure being applied to his leg. It was awful; well and truly awful.
"Fool!" Artemis cried out, gasping in pain as the bronze chain tightened around her body.
"I've been called much worse. Now get out of that chain and rip that Titan down!" Percy barked, before crying out in pain as he felt even more pressure push down on him. It felt as if the sky was trying to crush him and meet with the earth.
Artemis picked up a small bronze pen from Sally, who was now next to Percy, causing the woman's eyes to flutter open.
"Artemis…" She muttered weakly. Percy looked at her, and all he could focus on was this woman.
This was the moment he had been waiting a long time for. He had finally met his mother.
He looked back up to Artemis, and saw her putting down a bronze sword, and pushing the chains off herself.
Almost like a cat, Artemis gracefully leapt at Atlas as he attempted to spear the goddess. She dodged the attack and drew out a pair of hunting knives and slashed the Titan's left thigh. Ichor spewed from the wound, and she proceeded to stab a knife into his knee, before leaping away and out of his reach.
Almost as if she was bending the moonlight, a silver bow materialized in Artemis' hands and she pulled back on the string, an arrow made of pure light forming on the bow. She let the arrow fly, and it hit Atlas in the right arm, causing him to drop his spear.
Percy turned his attention to Luke, who was aggressively clashing with Bianca and Zoë, both constantly having to jump out of his reach due to their fear of being hit by the mad Son of Hermes, before Thalia would parry said strike and continue her brawl with him.
Percy's thoughts began to become incoherent, and just screams of pain. Every muscle in his body was burning. He looked down at his mother, and she looked at him, ignoring Grover, who was stopping her bleeding and trying to heal her as best he could.
Their green eyes met with each other, and a tear trickled out from the corner of her eye. "Percy…" She mumbled weakly, and a lone tear also escaped Percy's eye.
"Get ready, Perseus." Percy heard Artemis' voice in his head, and he looked over to her fighting Atlas, drawing him closer to the sky. Then she made a mistake.
Atlas feinted an attack with his retrieved spear, before switching hands and then taking the goddess' legs out from underneath her, causing her to fall flat onto her back.
The Titan placed his foot on the goddess' chest and raised his spear.
"NO!" Zoë cried out and left her fight with Luke and pulled the string back on her bow, diving backwards and launching the arrow. It landed dead center in Atlas' forehead, so he almost looked like a unicorn.
This was the moment Artemis needed.
She grabbed the spear and drove it into the ground next to her. She rolled away from the stunned Atlas, using the spear as a vault to leap up and kick the Titan backwards.
He came hurtling towards Percy, and he loosened his grip on the sky. He just let himself get pushed out from underneath it and rolled as far away as quick as possible.
"No…" Atlas grumbled, "No, no, no, NOOO!" Atlas bellowed from under the sky as he lifted it up, taking it onto his shoulders.
"Hey, it's a real-life unicorn!" Percy managed out, and Atlas screamed in rage, promising them all an eternity of pain and suffering.
Percy's entire body felt weak; it was burning in pain. He crawled over to his mother, and Grover stood up and trotted away, and Percy shakily picked her up.
"Percy…" She muttered, her eyes almost shutting.
"No, don't you close your eyes. Please, don't leave me." Percy cried out and turned to Artemis.
Then, they saw it.
Luke had caught Zoë off guard and had run his sword through her stomach. He kicked her off the blade, staring at the blood spewing from her.
"ZOË!" Artemis cried out and ran over there.
With a cry of rage, Thalia kicked Luke over the edge of the mountain.
The mountain was now silent. Dead silent. Except for Atlas. He was cursing lots.
Artemis was now holding Zoë in her arms, cradling her as she slowly bled out.
It was over. They had won. But with a serious cost.
Percy looked down at Sally, stroking her long, brown hair, and sobbed.
The Demon Rites
And SCENE! This chapter was easy to write once I got my new laptop (my old one kinda blew up…). And so, I would like to thank you guys for supporting this story and such, especially you guys who came back even though you didn't know when I would next update.
Now, writing so many people into this ending was very difficult. It's very hard to give everyone a job without making someone useless. It really is.
Now, on with some important news. I woke up this morning to see it snowing. In England. WHAT?! But I had an exam this morning, only for to school to be closed towards the end, and then I came home, started this, went out in the snow, and now am finishing it off!
I would like to thank all you guys for sticking with me these past 2 years writing this story, too. I know I have been very inconsistent with how I should be writing, and I'm sorry for it, but these A-levels decide my future at University next year. While I have gotten in, I now need to meet their offer. Yay… -_-
Please, if you guys find any errors or inconsistencies in this story, please let me know and I will check them out. I have hunted every chapter for anything that I will need, but if I've missed anything, please let me know.
But, I'm not going to bore you guys with a long A/N. So, I'm calling this here.
Goodnight, and until next time!
The Prince of Souls