Chapter 7

I have seen the souls of those who allow the desire for revenge to consume them. I have borne witness to what became of twisted vengeance. People with nothing but hatred and indignation bubbling beneath their skin lead miserable lives. They perceive slights where there are none, torture themselves with spiteful thoughts, and walk headlong into bitterness and misery. Fools, the lot of them.

-Quote attributed to Dragon King Tiamat

Tiamat felt her heart begin to calm as she took the final step off of Hades' temple. Where once it had been slamming against her ribs, now it regained a modicum of peace, a feeling that continued to grow the longer she was away from the ruler of the Netherworld.

It had been… too long since she last felt this kind of anxiety. Centuries had passed her by without this level of fear brushing against her thoughts. Any fear at all, really.

She had long moved past allowing herself to be drawn into situations that would induce fear in her.

At least, that had been true until she allowed Percy to draw her in. The curiosity running circles in her brain might end up being the death of her.

Antagonizing Hades of all gods… what in the world had he been thinking? No, what had she been thinking? She could have just as easily kept her mouth shut for most of the conversation and let Percy do all the talking and aggravating.

For some reason, it hadn't been possible for her to stay silent. She had felt compelled to speak first—to make snide remarks she normally might not have made toward someone like Hades.

And then Hades had reminded her of just how much power he held. His eyes told of profound strength. His unmoving grin served to hammer in how small he must have perceived her to be. The threats he spoke were closer to promises than idle posturing.

It stung just to think about. She knew that any kind of battle with Hades would likely end with her death. Yes, she might do damage to him and the Netherworld in the process, but the outcome would be the same. She was the most powerful Dragon King… yet Hades was still her match.

Tiamat stole a sidelong glance at Percy as they wrapped around the side of the temple. His face was grim, mouth tightened and eyes shrouded by heavy fatigue. He looked as though he could collapse at a moment's notice, but even if he did, he would still crawl toward his vengeance. Exhaustion etched itself into his movements, from shoulders to legs, as if rust coated his joints. Silent anger boiled close to the top of his skin.

Despite all that, he hadn't quailed when speaking to Hades. She had been watching him closely, and nothing had indicated to her that he felt anything apart from apparent disgust at the death god.

Seeing him—him, in that pitiful state—hold his ground against a god like Hades made Tiamat realize how sad her own performance must have been. She knew he must have been feeling fear as well. Who in their right mind wouldn't? Yet, he hadn't let the fear balk him. Not even for a second.

Unlike her.

In many ways, she found it impressive.

In many other ways, she found it foolish.

Fear was necessary. It kept people alive. Long ago, when boundaries were more flexible and the world was a more dangerous place for even the gods, Tiamat had always heeded her fear. Thus, she had avoided fully involving herself in the Heavenly Dragons' conflict, despite having been interested in Ddraig at the time. She had lent him some of her most valuable possessions rather than come between them.

It was good that she had kept out of their fight, too. After learning that Yahweh had used their souls in his Sacred Gear project, the decision to remain at arm's length suddenly became the wisest thing she had ever done.

Was she going to do the same thing here?

No, perhaps not. The fear from before…

Had fear always been so exhilarating? She didn't know. She couldn't remember.

All she knew was that being alive hadn't grown stale quite yet.

If I hadn't come here with Percy, would I have still experienced this feeling in the near future? Tiamat frowned thoughtfully as they rounded another of the temple's corners. Is this why Albion and Ddraig fought each other? Was it the thrill? At least in part?

Percy came to an abrupt stop, and Tiamat left her thoughts behind to focus on the present situation, which found both of them standing at the edge of a large spring. From the spring branched five streams.

Farthest from where they stood was the Acheron, flowing with water not unlike tar. Following that was the Cocytus, its body tinged with flecks of ice, mirrored in name by the prison-lake of the ninth layer before the Abyss. In the middle was the Styx, the river with the darkest water, the dissolver of souls. The Phlegethon came next with its steaming surface. Finally, the river closest to them was the Lethe, which seemed about as normal as any river on Earth.

All of them were dangerous, though some more so than others.

"So, we just follow these all the way to Nyx and Erebus?" Percy asked skeptically. He looked at the temple looming over them. "Hades had better not be lying."

"I suppose we can only wait to find out," Tiamat replied. She had only ever been to the Netherworld once, more out of curiosity than any form of business, and she had left fairly quickly because of how dreary and uninteresting it was. "And regardless of if we meet with them, there's a chance they might not have the answers you want."

"I only want Thanatos. He can give me answers." His response sounded tempered and clinical, but Tiamat could feel the underlying tension just by the way he ran his fingers over his pocket, where she knew Riptide waited.

"What if they can't give you Thanatos? What then?"

"We'll… I'll cross that bridge once I get there."

"That's a stupid plan."

Percy turned to look at her. "Yeah, I know."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "They are primordial gods. Whatever it is you fought in the past—"

"Was worse," he said. "He was worse."

Tiamat didn't doubt that he sincerely believed what he was saying. What she did doubt was his understanding of primordial gods.

Though maybe that wasn't the case. He had told her about "putting Hades in his place," which, if true, wasn't an insignificant feat that she could overlook. Even when they first met, he had struck her as dangerous, something Riptide had made sure to burn into her brain.

Was it possible for a human demigod to fight—and win—against someone like Hades? Like many of the strongest beings, the death god's appearance belied the threat he posed.

It was best to assume that the Hades from Percy's home reality was different from the Hades of this reality, if not fundamentally, then in some periphery aspect.

She didn't think Percy was lying. He still had a lot to learn about this reality, so ignorance of the norm was fair.

"Are you worried?" Percy questioned with a hint of confusion.

"Worried? No, I'm not worried," Tiamat said quickly.

"I mean, it kinda sounded like you were worried."

"I'm not worried."

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "All right, fine—I mean you definitely sounded—"

"I'm not."

"It's okay if you are. There's nothing wrong with it."

"I know… but I'm not worried."

"Mhm. If you insist."

Rolling her eyes, Tiamat started walking along the edge of the River Lethe. Percy was forced into a jog to catch up with her. By the time he reached her side, the mist was already starting to close around them again, stealing sight of everything except the river on their left.

They went downstream in silence. Tiamat made sure to keep a reasonable distance between her and the River Lethe.

It wasn't long until the Lethe began to widen. Where once Tiamat could have jumped over it with no effort, the river soon grew into something properly intimidating, notwithstanding the clear waters and lack of moaning, groaning, spitting, or steaming. The Lethe was a calm type of danger, truly keeping in line with the Netherworld's ambiance.

Some time passed before Percy spoke again.

"Look, Tiamat…"

"I'm not worried," she said with a sigh.

"What? Oh… no, I just… I just wanna thank you for doing this."

"Doing what?"

Percy stopped. "Bringing me down here. And helping me get back once I'm done. I really do appreciate it."

Tiamat also stopped. She turned around and eyed him carefully. Sometimes it felt like she had known him for much longer than just two weeks. Hearing genuine gratitude from him was oddly alien. "You're welcome."

She didn't think the worst of him. Not really. He had thanked her just a few days ago as well, when they had brought the Leviathan girl to his home for safekeeping. It wasn't as if he refused to look beyond his ego. She could appreciate that in powerful people.

They kept walking. Tiamat watched him from the corner of her eye. "What exactly is your history with Hades? You met him in your reality, right?"

Percy almost missed his next step. He stalled for just a moment before catching himself and pressing on. He met her gaze, only to look away soon after.

"He kidnapped my mom when I was twelve."

"Ah." Tiamat blinked. "I can see why you might feel hostile towards him."

"That's not all… but that's the main reason I don't like him."

"Why did he take her?"

"He was a bitter god who had a grudge against me for being born. He thought I took something from him, so he took something from me."

Tiamat nodded slowly. "I suppose your disdain for gods isn't entirely baseless."

Percy sighed ruefully and shook his head. "Hades is just one example."

"What about me?"

"You… well, you're the only dragon I've ever actually had a conversation with, so... you've got that going for you."

"I'm honored to have been your first talking dragon. Broadening horizons is something I strive to do."

"Consider my horizons broadened, then." Percy gave her a small smile. "Thanks again for that."

"My pleasure," Tiamat smirked and pushed some hair away from her nose. "If you survive this, I'll bring out that wine you liked so much from the other night."

"The godly stuff?"

"The very same. When the Leviathan girl awakens, we can include her as well."

"Hopefully she'll wake up soon. If she doesn't..." Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I feel bad for leaving her alone."

"It was your choice."

He scoffed. "I hardly had a choice. Thanatos is dangerous. Too dangerous." He pursed his lips. "Wait, what do you mean 'if' I survive? I think you mean 'when we get back.'"

"I know what I said, and I said what I meant. You managed to get away from Hades unscathed, which is more of a testament to his patience than your tact, because let's face it, you're tactless. How much faith are you going to put in other gods to have the same kind of restraint that Hades displayed?"

Percy contemplated her words, seemingly rolling them over in his mind as they continued to follow the river.

Tiamat watched him more closely. That he hadn't stopped walking again was telling. That the Lethe grew somewhat more restless in the minutes of their quiet journey was also telling.

It was during this time that the mist began to thin. The sound of rushing water rose to meet her ears, becoming sharper and sharper as the mist scattered.

Finally, as they seemingly stepped through the final barrier of the Netherworld's fog, the path before them was bared. What was left of the path, at least. In front of them was a small clearing that led to the edge of a cliff. Beyond the cliff was an expanse of red and orange.

The Lethe didn't only flow down and off the cliff. It also flowed upward. It also flowed outward. From where they stood, they could also see the other four rivers doing the same, moving into the infinite red and orange.

"Uh…" Percy's voice sounded distantly surprised. "Tiamat… what am I looking at?"

"The nine layers before entering the Abyss." She could hardly fault him for finding the red and orange breathtaking. The view was hypnotic, powerful. "We're at the fringe of creation. Beyond this expanse is nothing and never. Or perhaps it is your reality. Or perhaps it is a completely alien reality. Beyond the expanse is everything and always, I suppose."

"Cool."

"You could certainly look at it that way."

"So… how are we supposed to find Nyx and Erebus?" he asked, turning left and right. "I don't see any signs for us to follow."

"They only appear if you spin around three times and quack like a duck."

He gave her a dry look. "I wasn't born yesterday."

From behind them, a new voice added itself to their conversation. "She's right, actually. That's the only way."

Tiamat and Percy spun around in unison. Standing at the foot of the fog wall they had just escaped from, a primordial. One of the same they had come for.

"Nyx," Tiamat greeted.

The god nodded in acknowledgment. She had come in her preferred form, reflected as a younger girl in a dark dress and yellow cloak. "Tiamat. I see you brought the anomaly with you. What a pleasant surprise." She went on to consider Percy with evident curiosity. "I am Nyx."

"I'm Percy. Nice to meet you, I guess." He lifted his hand to greet her.

Nyx covered her mouth and laughed. "Was that supposed to be your interpretation of a charming introduction? How disappointing." She reached up and tugged at the fur-lined hood of her cloak, dropping it and letting her black hair spill free. "I had been hoping Tiamat's newest lover—an anomaly—might be impressive in some way. She always did pick the strangest of bedfellows, though hardly any of them were suitable for a dragon such as herself."

Percy's mouth became taut. He looked at Tiamat, a question in his eyes.

For her part, Tiamat could only shrug. She didn't know why Nyx immediately assumed they had that kind of relationship. Hades had vaguely implied something similar.

Realization was quick to dawn on her. Gods and dragons rarely associated themselves with mortals. Moreover, they certainly did not form teams with mortals. If a god was with a mortal, it usually meant they shared a more amorous connection. Love did not have to be a factor; lust was much more likely.

That could be said for many of the world's most powerful beings.

"That's where I have to disagree with you," Tiamat said, speaking before Percy could open his mouth. "He's actually quite impressive in some ways. After all, he was the one who decided to come down to this miserable place in search of your son. And even after meeting Hades, he chose to continue."

"Is that right?" Nyx swapped to appraising Percy again. "A demigod… That's actually interesting in its own right… Ah…" Her expression sharpened. "You are… So that's it… Strange…"

Percy gave Tiamat another sideways glance, then looked at Nyx. "I hate to sound pushy, but would you mind telling me where to find Thanatos? See, Hades can't contact him with his magic fireplace, and he thinks you might be hiding him."

"Thanatos? He is doing his duty: guiding souls on Earth. What do you want with him?"

"I just wanna talk."

Nyx's gaze fell to Percy's side, trained on his waist, and remained there for a long while. She sighed and shook her head. "Does this have anything to do with why he came to me with a severed arm?"

"It might," Percy said. He coughed into his fist. "Maybe. No promises."

Tiamat frowned. She hadn't heard of anything regarding Thanatos' arm. Had Percy managed to injure him so severely?

"It does," Nyx pressed. "I know it does. Are you really trying to lie when it's so obvious?" she sighed.

"If it was obvious, why'd you have to ask?"

Tiamat smiled at the flicker of aggravation on Nyx's face. It was fun to watch Percy talk to gods. It was less fun to be the one he was talking to. Personal experience told her exactly how Nyx felt.

With what seemed to be an enormous effort, Nyx trained her expression back into something calmer. "Are you accusing me of something, Percy?"

He put his hands in his pockets. "Well… yes and no."

She waved at him in mock invitation. "Please, share your thoughts."

Percy gladly accepted. "All right. Let's start with the biggest point… I think you're telling the truth. Thanatos isn't here. That said, I think you can bring him here. Or, at the very least, you can take me to him."

"Surprisingly enough, you aren't wrong on any of those counts," Nyx said.

"I'm glad to hear that. So… I don't suppose you'd be willing to call him and ask him to come on down?"

"You're right, I'm not very willing." She smiled. "Not without something in return."

He squinted and slid his foot back an inch. "What do you want? I've got a gift card for Whole Foods. You can get some kombucha… if that's your thing."

Tiamat narrowed her eyes. She didn't know what Percy was playing at, but she doubted it would work. Nyx was too old, too experienced, and too aware. Taking advantage of her would be nearly impossible.

Whether Percy knew remained to be seen.

Nyx's smile widened. "You seem confident you can give me something of value."

"You wouldn't have said anything if you thought I had nothing to offer."

"It appears I underestimated you," Nyx snickered. "Yes, there is one thing I think you can give me. And in exchange, I'll give you my son."

"Your family bond would make anybody jealous."

"He is more than capable of cleaning up his own mess. You may be a stranger to this reality, but you are still beneath him."

"Fair enough. What do you want in exchange?"

"Your fealty."

"My fealty?" Percy replied, testing the word on his tongue.

"Yes. Your loyalty and fidelity to uphold me as your only master." Nyx tossed her head back and laughed. "Don't get the wrong idea, though. This isn't romance or anything of the sort. I just think it would be fun having a demigod anomaly to kneel before me and wait for my next command. I haven't had devoted followers in ages, you know? My cult was always a small one, and it was mostly eradicated with the spread of Christianity. Mortals simply don't fear or respect the night as much as they used to. My children only visit me when they need help. Do you know what it's like, being a god who is practically ignored by the modern world? It's tragic."

Tiamat nodded along. "It's true. I haven't been deified for thousands of years… it's too tragic to even talk about."

"Uh… sorry to hear that," Percy said awkwardly. "I can't relate, but still, it sounds kinda sad."

"Very tragic," Nyx repeated.

"That said, I can't give you fealty."

Nyx pretended to swoon. "Even though I was just teasing you a little, when you reject me so brusquely, I feel like my heart is going to break. How did Tiamat go about snatching and claiming you? Does she have your fealty?"

Snatching and claiming? Tiamat wondered at the implications, though she could hardly say those implications weren't all true.

At the very least, she was hoping to inherit Riptide when Percy died. She was in no rush to do so, though. The best-case scenario for Percy was that he lived another century. The worst-case was a few more minutes. Either way, Tiamat could stand to wait.

"Teasing? I know you look young, but aren't you supposed to be an ancient, decrepit god of darkness? The personification of the night?"

"Decrepit? Well, that was certainly unnecessary. You could have just called me ancient and wise. Sagely, I would have accepted." Nyx scratched her forehead, frowning. "Are you bullying me because of what I said?"

"Just a little."

"Your gall…" Nyx clapped her hands together with controlled glee. "Your gall is so refreshing!" She frowned. "Too bad you seem set on meeting your death so soon. I would have liked to pick your brain."

"I have a habit of disappointing people." Percy brought Riptide out from his pocket and spun it between his fingers. "But I can pen you into my schedule later. Can we talk about it after I deal with Thanatos?"

Nyx shook her head. "You're a bit slow, aren't you? What I'm saying is that—if you came to fight Thanatos—you will die. You should reconsider your position."

"Thanatos tried to kill me, and he put a lot of innocent people in danger in the process. I won't give him a chance to do it again. That's my position; I can't afford to reconsider."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Nyx turned to Tiamat. "Did you come down here to help him?"

"I wouldn't have helped even if he had asked. Surprisingly enough, he never asked," Tiamat said. She stepped away. "This isn't my battle. It's his."

"He's a fool." With a wave of her fingers, Nyx carved a glowing communication sigil into the air.

Tiamat knew she couldn't argue. For the most part, she expected Percy to die.

A smaller part disagreed.

She would only have to wait and watch.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tiamat and Percy wandered away from Nyx as she held a low-toned conversation through her sigil.

They strafed close to the cliff that signified the end of the Netherworld. The Lethe floated off into the nine layers, its rushing water sounding duller than a river on Earth despite how close they had come to it. The other rivers also twisted and spiraled out into the infinite red and orange.

Percy's eyes lingered on the middlemost river.

The River Styx.

He stared at the river with a singular intensity Tiamat had only seen him carry once before, during their first meeting. His earlier dourness returned in full, and it became hard to draw any comparison between his typical nonchalance and this quiet severity.

"Do you trust her?" Tiamat asked from her place beside him.

"No," Percy said after a moment. He didn't stop staring at the coiling Styx. His eyes didn't so much as twitch.

"Smart."

A soft hum of agreement was all he offered.

"Are you going to kill Thanatos?" she asked.

"I'm going to do what I have to do."

"Your odds aren't good."

"They never are. But I haven't let that stop me before."

Tiamat nodded. At this point, he must have been going out of his way to stoke her curiosity. He was the archetypal mysterious stranger, complete with a dark past and odd sense of humor. Whatever had happened in his reality…

She wanted to know. Of course she did. And, eventually, she was sure she would find out. If not everything, then at least more than she knew now.

Still, there was something she needed to know right now.

"If you die, can I take Riptide?"

Percy finally looked at her, the intensity wiped clean off his face. She expected to find disbelief or annoyance. All she saw, though, was contemplation.

Eventually, he shrugged. "Sure. I won't need it if I'm dead."

She blinked. Admittedly, that was not what she had been expecting to hear. Was he teasing her? No, he looked serious, and the way he phrased himself made it sound like he meant every word.

Well, Tiamat wasn't about to ask him to clarify his meaning on the small chance that she had misunderstood. While she would have taken Riptide regardless, having his consent somehow put her mind more at ease. She was many things—a common thief not being among them.

"Thank you," she said cautiously.

Percy was just turning to face the River Styx again when a new presence entered the clearing. He froze, and the grim intensity returned to him.

Out from a bubble of clotted shadows came Thanatos, drifting just a few centimeters above the ground. His robes billowed in a non-existent gale. The mask he wore was reflective silver, not in the shape of a goat skull, but rather a human skull. In his arms was cradled his scythe, simple, made of dark metal.

He traded a few indistinguishable words with Nyx, who pointed explicitly at Percy.

Thanatos dipped his head in greeting. "I suppose I should be impressed. Never did I imagine you would come here just to meet me again. Bold of you."

Percy walked toward the center of the clearing. He took his time with each step. "You didn't leave me much choice. I had a question for you, and you never gave me your phone number or e-mail." He made a point of looking at Thanatos' scythe. "Nice arm, by the way."

"Asclepius owes me many favors," Thanatos said. "A severed arm is simple enough for him to reattach. It won't happen again." His mask followed Percy. "What was your question? I'll make it a point—as an apology—to answer what you ask."

"All I want to know is why you attacked me."

"Why? I thought that was obvious," Thanatos hefted his scythe. "Your soul is long, long overdue to move on. I was only doing my duty. Why you persist with your mortal coil is beyond my understanding. You should have died years ago."

"That's probably true. But if you wanted to kill me, you should have done it when you had the upper hand."

"Yes, I see that now."

Percy cocked his head. "So it was all a coincidence?"

Silence met them all.

Thanatos grunted. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Nyx stepped away from the two and darted high into the air. She perched herself far above them, hovering on nothing, watching with crossed arms and shadowed eyes.

"What will you do now?" Thanatos asked. "You traveled here, to this place of no return, for what?"

"You know why I'm here," Percy said.

"I suppose I do."

"Why did you come? I'm sure Nyx told you what was going on—who wanted to meet you. I mean, you didn't seem very surprised to see me."

"I came… I came because it was the only possible course of action. My first thought after I retreated was that I had made some kind of error. That your soul was not meant for the Netherworld yet. I resolved to put you out of my mind and leave the encounter behind me. But my resolve is weak, and I could not stop wondering about you. I would have sought you out again. It's better that we could meet like this."

"Then it's a good thing I went through the trouble of looking for you first," Percy said. He paced around Thanatos. "You would have put a lot of people at risk. You already did."

Thanatos allowed his head to drop. "Yes. A mistake on my part, to be sure. Keeping the balance does not entail me endangering living mortals. I was sure to keep from using too much of my strength." He looked at Percy. "Before we continue, would you indulge me? I have a question of my own."

"Depends on the question."

"Then… How did you stop my scythe from cutting you? Not even your soul..."

"Magic."

"I see." Thanatos sounded disappointed. "What keeps you anchored to life?"

"I don't know."

"You—"

"I'm being honest. I have no clue. Luck, I guess. I was always pretty lucky."

Thanatos shifted his scythe, readying it. "Fortune favors the bold. With how bold you are, I can see why your fortunes would be favorable."

Percy nodded. "That's one way to look at it." He also prepared himself, though he had yet to draw Riptide in sword form. "You ready?"

"Death is mercy." Thanatos allowed them both a few more seconds to breathe. "Whatever it is that holds you to life, cast it aside. I will set you free."

"Would you mind going easy on me? I'm only human, after all."

With a chuckle, Thanatos said, "Death is the only fair thing about life. I suppose it's also my duty to be fair. Despite what happened before, I'm more than willing to give you a fighting chance."

Beside her, Tiamat noticed the Lethe growing more restless. She took to the sky, coming to float right in front of the fog wall that separated them from the rest of the Netherworld.

And then, almost as if they had been waiting just for her, Thanatos and Percy moved. In a flash, Riptide met Thanatos' scythe, and an ungodly screech thundered from the contact followed closely by a gust of warm wind.

Tiamat watched as Thanatos quickly gained control over the flow of battle. The whistle of his scythe cutting through the air reached her ears, despite how far away she had gotten. Certainly, with her hearing as it was, she would not have been able to listen in on any conversation they carried.

But the scythe's hiss still resonated.

Thanatos continued to drive forward, and it was all Percy could do to defend himself, to keep from losing a limb, or to keep from losing his life. The steady rhythm of weapons clashing, of metal slamming against metal, soon deafened her to all else.

When Percy tried to counter after a particularly well-executed parry, Thanatos dashed back, dodging without a glance behind him. The reaper's speed was nothing short of incredible.

They met again, and with a flick, Thanatos reversed course on his scythe's arc. Percy barely leaned away in time to save his head from being bisected, but doing so allowed the reaper to thrust the butt of his scythe into Percy's ribs, knocking him back a good deal.

Recovering, Percy's quick foot-work let him slide out of the way of another incoming attack, to which he again riposted. Thanatos moved away in a flash, and Percy was left swinging through empty air.

You fool. Bitterly, Tiamat felt compelled to chastise Percy from afar. You can't keep going like this.

What in the world was he thinking? She only wished she knew, because even from this distance, and with only glimpses caught between the short lapses through their battle, Percy's expression remained one of concentration.

It was inevitable that Percy was disarmed. In a burst of strength, Thanatos swung his scythe hard enough to completely wrench Riptide from Percy's hands, knocking him far back in the process. When Percy stood again, the lower section of his jacket hung loosely, apparently having been cut by the projected force of Thanatos' attack.

But, somehow, Percy himself seemed perfectly intact.

The two exchanged words for a brief moment. Thanatos attacked again, and Percy scrambled away from the scythe as it carved a trench in the dirt. Retreating was all he could do now.

Water filled the trench, almost as if Thanatos had split the ground enough to strike at an aquifer. Percy continued to dance around Thanatos' scythe, often only just avoiding death by the skin of his teeth. Without his sword, there was little else he could do. He wisely avoided any attempt at fighting with his arms or legs.

Though, if anything could be said, it would be that Percy seemed perfectly fine retreating. He avoided the scythe each time it came for him, more and more trenches opened by the blade until there was no more space to dodge. Thanatos had led him to the edge of the River Lethe.

Don't tell me…

From her angle, she saw what Thanatos couldn't. The river rippled in one spot, not far from where Percy stood, refusing to follow the natural flow of water into the red and orange expanse of everything.

Again, the two spoke. Percy seemed to shrug, gesturing to where Riptide lay, a wry smile crossing his face. He nodded to something Thanatos said. Thanatos nodded in return and ran a hand over the shaft of his scythe. An elemental sigil burned to life; electricity sparked across his weapon, and he wielded the power of lightning in his hands.

The tell-tale reek of ozone permeated the clearing.

Tiamat frowned. She wondered if Thanatos had been reluctant to use magic out of some sense of honor. Strange that he would use it now, to deal the final blow, rather than as a prelude. Or maybe it was confidence in his own abilities.

Either way, she doubted Percy could survive what came next. It was honestly excessive.

But before Thanatos could lift his scythe to end it all, something shifted within the Lethe.

Percy raised his hand, then signaled with his fingers. Something was spat from the river, spinning in the air, whistling madly as it whirled over his head, aimed straight at Thanatos.

Thanatos reacted immediately. He sprang back, moving far faster than the spinning object.

It was his speed that became his undoing. From one of the many gouges in the ground, directly in the path which Thanatos took to retreat, a mass of water had silently risen.

Angled and positioned, the mass took the shape of a long spike.

Thanatos ran himself through.

The spike entered the center of his back and exited by way of his heart. His momentum carried him further, and the water lost shape, allowing him to topple head over heels.

It took him a few moments to stir, heaped upon himself as he was.

By then, more sharpened water had already descended on him from the other gouges he had created, like spearheaded tentacles of an angry squid.

The reaper was impaled a dozen different ways—pinned in place like a macabre statue—undoubtedly dead by virtue of his wounds.

Percy curled his hand into a fist. The ground ballooned, depressed, then erupted in a spray with deafening force, swallowing whatever remained of Thanatos and dragging it away into the Lethe's main body. Percy was left standing on a strip of land, the river behind him, and a new pond in front of him. The clearing had nearly been turned into an extension of the river. Most of it had exploded.

Tiamat descended from her position on high. She made sure no puddles remained, only touching down when she was positive the Lethe's water was adequately contained.

Idly massaging his shoulder, Percy looked none the worse for wear. A few noticeable beads of sweat gathered around his temples, and his jacket was somewhat torn, but that was all. No blood, no significant damage.

He nodded at her once she had gotten close enough. Then his eyes went to her immediate left, where Nyx appeared from a shell of darkness.

They stared at each other.

"My son's actions brought consequences, and because of that, I'll let you leave this place with your life," Nyx said. Her tone was glacial. "But if I ever see you again, I promise, I'll kill you."

"Good thing I don't plan on ever coming back," Percy said. His expression sank, the intensity being replaced by heavy fatigue again. "Sorry… For whatever that's worth to you. I may have gone too far."

Nyx only glared harder. "Don't think you can live without consequences yourself." She turned away. "What you've done… And for what? Stupid boy. I hope you kill yourself on your next quest for vengeance—suffocate like an infant on its umbilical cord. Choke on your stubbornness and pride. The world doesn't need you, you wretched creature. You should have stayed in your reality."

And then she was gone.

"Yeah… that's fair…"

Tiamat shook her head. "We should leave," she told Percy. "She'll probably make good on her promise if we stay too long."

He sighed and wiped the sweat away from his face. "Sure, let's get out of here. I hate this place anyway."

Stepping close, she smiled at him. "You impressed me. Thanatos didn't stand a chance. Turning him into a pincushion was a bit much, though."

Percy rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I just needed to be sure. I went too far, but... He could have killed me. I got him because he still underestimated me, and because he had no clue what I could really do. That's the thing with gods: they don't learn their lessons very easily. They'll believe whatever they want to believe without taking reality into account."

"Did you say something to Thanatos during the fight?"

"I may have mentioned that Riptide was an ancient and powerful weapon that let me fight at the level of gods."

"Because how else would a no-name child match a god…" Tiamat found herself chuckling at the simple manipulation, and how effective it had been. It wouldn't work forever, though. Once Percy became more renowned, fewer and fewer people would underestimate him. "He let his guard down after disarming you. Impressive." She glanced around at the lengthening shadows. "We'll definitely talk more once we get back. I hope you trust me enough to answer a few questions that are burning holes in my brain."

"You probably deserve some answers," he agreed. "It's the least I could do since you helped me out with this mess."

Tiamat thought it sounded fair, though she knew humans could be oddly fickle about trust and friendship. Either way, she was glad that her patience was finally about to pay off.

Author Note: Hey all, thanks for waiting patiently for this chapter, and thanks for the reviews, follows, favorites, and the usual show of support.

This chapter could have been longer. I was halfway through writing the fight between Percy and Thanatos when I realized how unnecessary it was to draw out for too long, not to mention how it wouldn't exactly fit how I've written Percy. I know I slip on character consistency sometimes (it's really tough, and any author who can pull it off for an entire series has my respect), but I felt like this section was too important. Plus, thematically, I think it makes more sense to deny everybody involved a solid sense of catharsis.

All that said, I think Thanatos is quite strong in DxD. I think he was portrayed as a bit battle-hungry in Volume 24, and he definitely proved to be more than confident in his ability to fight Issei in Partial Dragon Deification, so I don't think it's a stretch to imagine him giving Percy a fair shake despite having lost an arm. I think he could have been a good ally to curb the most dangerous of Hades' ideas, both in canon and this story, but...

Without Thanatos, the "political" scenery of the Netherworld will change to suit more of what Hades wants, now that Orcus is the only other major player. The future is uncertain.

Hope you all continue to stay safe out there.

Thanks for reading.