After losing control of Pride of Death and unable to find a satisfying way to continue how I left off Saved by Creation, I decided to scrap both and do something new.
Edit 21/07/20: Reuploading this as it was the one draft I found redeemable from the other pile of garbage I collected over the years.
"Well," laughed Atlas, watching as Thalia ran towards Luke, surprising him. "What are you going to do, little boy? Ready to tackle on a Titan?"
Percy gripped his sword tighter, but he couldn't lift it.
"Damnit, Ares," he muttered, before allowing Anaklusmos to clatter on the floor. There was no fighting - not when his only hope was cursed.
Wait... not his only hope. But... could he really do what Annabeth accomplished?
Well, either way it was suicide. But at least he had a choice.
"Buy me time," he said, turning to Zoe before running toward the chained Artemis. She gave him a puzzled look until she realized his intention.
"Foolish boy," she muttered, though she couldn't resist a small smile forming. "You always do something ridiculous." Shaking her head, she ran to the opposite side, grabbing Atlas's attention by firing arrows at him.
With the distraction, Percy ran up to Artemis. "The sky, give it to me."
"You cannot expect me to believe you can handle this," scoffed Artemis, though she grimaced as the sky sent another wave of pain through her. "Annabeth could hold it up because she was a strong maiden. And you are? Don't be daft, boy. Do you really think you can hold the sky up by yourself?"
"Damnit Lady Artemis," cursed Percy, before closing his eyes. "Forgive me for this."
Before Artemis could say anything more, Percy ducked down and went next to her, slashing her chains before pushing upward and shoving her firmly with his hips, causing the sky to slam down on his shoulders. It took all of his willpower not to scream as his vision became blinded with tears.
"Don't be daft, boy. Do you really think you can hold the sky up by yourself?"
Grunting, Percy's mind screamed in pain, primal emotion eroding away whatever rational thoughts he could muster up.
Every muscle in his body ignited in pain, the conflagration of agony ceaselessly licking away at his resolve. His knees smashed into the ground, and his shoulders trembled in exhaustion as the sheer weight of the sky knocked the breath out of him.
Yes, the sky was indeed heavy, shoulders howling in desperation as the pressure near crushed him once he touched the damn thing, but once Artemis went out?
It fucking hurt.
Formless shapes splotched across his vision, dots and splatters of darkness threatening to take away whatever sight wasn't already muddled by the tears in his eyes. And yet, no matter how unimaginably exhausting the effort was, he refused to close his eyes - his one act of defiance against whatever divine idiocy caused him to do such a thing in the first place.
Through the ever increasing blind spots of his sight, he watched with a sinking heart as the battle slowly turn to the side of the Titans - Zoe and Artemis may have been exceptionally refined, but Atlas had raw power - enough, it seemed, to compensate for the lack of numbers and skills. Luke held his own against Thalia and Annabeth quite well, Backbiter dancing like a streak of lighting as it parried away both spear and dagger, forcing Thalia back a few steps with every successive blow.
'Just one more,' he thought, straining to retain a cohesive train of thought. 'One more person, and we can win this...!'
Bianca had died, so asking for the god of the dead to help was out of the question - especially after the stunt he pulled in his first year. Ares was who forced him into this situation in the first place, so that was a bust. Poseidon...
It should work, he argued, his refusal to yield blocking out just enough pain for him to think. After all, his father should help his child right?
Right?
Praying desperately in his mind, he mustered all his strength calling for his father.
...
Nothing.
The tides rose and fell, the waves crashed against the mountain... and yet, the god of the seas had not shown his face.
Gaving out a cry of helplessness, Percy fell to both of his knees, despair knocking much of his strength away from him. The sudden fall did not go unnoticed, as everyone briefly paused to look at him.
"Look at you, playing the hero," sneered Atlas. "Perhaps it'd be best to keep the goddess alive once more, seeing as you can't even hold it up properly, boy."
"Boy."
That word infuriated Percy. All this time, as he toiled his way to survive and rescue Artemis, and he had been considered nothing more than just a child, someone tagging along?"
"Shut..." he breathed out, rasping as the lack of breath made his breath warm.
'Please... anyone. We just need one more person...'
The only person he could imagine at this point was Athena. Forget Zeus, if his father wouldn't show his damned face, then he couldn't rely on Zeus for help - especially with how the god wanted him dead. Bianca was dead, so Hades couldn't be relied on.
No, it had to be Athena, the only goddess not here who had something to lose. Only she could turn the battle around.
'Please, Lady Athena, help us!'
Nothing.
Gritting his teeth, he tried once more.
'Please, Lady Athena, your sister needs you. We need you.'
Not a breeze flowed, only the ongoing tempest of blades and yells.
Desperate, he mustered every bit of strength he had left, forcing himself back onto one knee.
'For your daughter!'
Artemis dashed off with a grace that no mortal wielded and intercepted a blow from Atlas directed at Zoe, saving her life. Zoe repaid the favor by peppering the Titan with arrows, distracting him from landing a solid blow on Artemis.
As for Thalia, she was attacking Luke newfound rage, furious at his betrayal. Luke, to his credit, did his best to parry her onslaught, but surprised by her vigor. The difference between the two began to show itself once more as Luke slowly began repelling her attacks with less effort, and slowly started matching her. Before long, he saw an opportunity and struck at her midsection. It was meant to distract her, not meant to kill. He meant to have as little casualties as possible. After all, he wanted to recruit Thalia and Annabeth.
And he would have, had Annabeth not pushed Thalia away from the blow. Not understanding his intention, she put herself in danger to protect Thalia, startling him and causing him to overextend.
And now she was paying the price.
"No..." gasped Luke, staggering back, as Annabeth let out an involuntary scream and crumpled from the fatal wound."This wasn't supposed to happen."
Thalia blinked mutely at her spot as she watched her best friend fall, impaled by a blow meant for her.
Luke hurt her.
"You KILLED her!"
As she turned to Luke, her face contorted with anger and anguish, she felt the earth move as he heard another scream, not out of pain, but from fury.
Percy couldn't see. All he could think of was pain.
Excruciating pain. Pain that no mortal nor demigod should face.
And yet, within the past week, he was the third demigod to carry the burden.
Artemis was a silver blur to him, and what he supposed was Zoe was the other silver blur. Both were distracting the blown blob he presumed was Atlas.
And Athena was not coming.
He had felt a warm feeling after pouring his emotions into his final plea, as if the goddess wanted to come, but it was hollow, as though she truly regretted not-
A cry rang out, piercing his cloudy mind. His heart sank when he realized that voice belonged to only one person he knew.
Annabeth.
"You KILLED her!" He heard Thalia's scream pierce through the haze, banishing the pain even further. Turmoil stirred in him as the ocean of his emotions could no longer be held back, the chains having been weakened by pain and misery.
He screamed, and the world screamed by his side.
"Don't tell me that Poseidon is joining," growled Atlas, taking a knee to weather through the earthquake. Before Artemis could say anything, Zoe's shout got her attention.
"My Lady, look!"
Both immortals whipped their heads toward where the huntress pointed, and the sight both fascinated and horrified them.
Percy's eyes were glowing blue, with such a blinding light that even Artemis had to block it out with a hand covering her eyes. His scream seemed to last forever, though the roar behind it was not mortal.
"The roar of the ocean," she murmured. And yet, she realized there was something horribly wrong with how Percy was holding the sky.
He was standing up.
She could see the tension had already broken the bones in his arm and the sky was supported up by sheer willpower. Without support from his back, she could see the sky gradually come closer to the ground. Despite this, the agony she was sure the boy was facing seemed only to anger him further, as massive waves battered at the sides of the mountain and the earth seemed ready to rend itself in half.
"What the blazes is that?" growled Atlas. "A demigod shouldn't have this much power!"
"No," she concurred. "He shouldn't."
The strain of this show of power didn't escape them. Blood began leaking out of his eyes, mixing with tears both old and new, and she swore she heard a lung pop. Miraculously, though, the waters seemed to bend to the boy's will, enveloping him and she watched how the water took some of the burden while gradually repairing his body.
Zoe tore her eyes from the sight, glancing at the two demigods. They were hugging the ground, unable to handle the earthquake, though she could easily read the emotion on their faces.
Fear.
Atlas hurled his spear at Percy, nailing the demigod in the stomach, and causing him to lurch backward slightly. Percy gave no indication that he could register the outside world, his scream tearing up his vocal cords, causing blood to drip from his mouth. The waters converged around him and wrested the spear away, narrowly missing a stray dracanae, his powers sealing up the wound. As his arms repaired and broke down continuously, his strength gradually grew, allowing him to slowly the life the sky up.
Seeing an opportunity, Artemis lunged at the Titan, surprising him, before shoving him against Percy. Powerful or not, the boy's small frame didnt stand a chance against the sheer mass that Atlas possessed, being slammed out from under the sky, allowing the full weight to crash down on the Titan's shoulders, causing him to howl in pain.
"Not again!" he bellowed. "Not again!"
The Titan was defeated, the sky preserved, the goddess rescued.
But at what cost?
The glow surrounding Percy dimmed and died out as his power exhausted himself, the land quieting, the waters receding. He fell facefirst, unconscious or perhaps even dead, Artemis didn't know.
Hopefully, the former. She didn't want to be the one explaining to her uncle why his son died.
Clamor rose up as the Titan Army's troops began to reorganize themselves. Artemis faintly heard Zoe ordering Thalia to prepare to defend herself, who complied after shocking the Castellan boy, but inwardly, she knew they would not live the battle, not in a condition like this.
Oh well, a last stand was a perfectly acceptable way to go out.
"Lady Artemis, get down!" Instinctively crouching low upon hearing Thalia's voice, she was confused at a whirring sound and the sound of gunfire, before a roar from the skies drew her attention.
"Annabeth!" The... father, was it? Athena had spoken highly of him to her, not that she cared. The biplane he flew - a Sopwith Camel, she heard Zoe whisper - rained bullets of celestial bronze, causing monsters to wail and shriek as they burst into sulfuric dust. "Get away from my daughter!"
"A brave man," Artemis said grudgingly. Despite her disgust for males, there was something she knew very well: a father's love for their daughter. Seeing this act of bravery, or perhaps stupidity, caused her to nod her head in respect before continuing her plan.
Summoning the last reserves of her powers, Artemis flashed her Hunters to her side, nearly collapsing from the strain. "Hunters, defend the demigods! Aid the airplane! For Olympus!"
Her call to action was echoed by her Hunters, whose dexterity made her proud. Wave after wave of monsters died as whatever survived the initial hail of celestial bronze was easily picked off by the nimble archers, but alas, even their combined efforts could not hold back the seemingly endless hordes forever. Her heart sunk as she watched them grow closer, picking up the armor of their fallen comrades and demigods as human shields.
Then, a flash of lightning struck the vanguard of the monsters, sending their formations into disarray, and a goddess clad in armor rose and shouted, thrusting her spear and herself into the melee, while tears streamed down the eyes hidden by her helmet.
"Annabeth!"
The Hunters raised their bows at Frederick as he came running over but a hand from Artemis stayed them. Paying them no mind, Frederick ran past them, crouching near Annabeth's body. The girl wasn't dead, not yet at least, but was dying. Tears streamed down his face freely, and she noticed many Hunters wincing. It wasn't easy to lose a fellow maiden, but she couldn't imagine the suffering that the father must be feeling.
The Fates were cruel indeed. Her string cut, no amount of healing Artemis might have been able to provide would save her
"One shall die by the father's hand..." whispered Zoe, grimacing as the adrenaline no longer held the pain of Ladon's poison back. It did not go unnoticed. Against her protests, the other Hunters carried her to a medical tent to treat her, leaving Artemis alone by Percy's body.
"You must be happy, aren't you?" rasped a voice behind Artemis. She whirled around, only to see the frowning faces of the Three Fates. Perhaps, in another day, she may have shown more respect, but not today. Not after what they just went through.
"I cannot go against what it is you ordain," she murmured.
"Lies!" hissed Atropos. "You are in joy that your precious lieutenant is still alive." Artemis said nothing. It was obvious enough.
"You have the boy to thank for that," chuckled Lachesis, her voice silkier and younger than the former. Gesturing to Percy, she continued. "He has altered fate. Miss Nightshade was meant to die. Instead..."
"Annabeth," Artemis breathed out. "But how?"
"The child has always been insufferably difficult to control," shrieked Clotho. "Children of the sea and fate do not play dice. With all conditions not yet fulfilled, your lieutenant cannot die yet - not until you return to Olympus."
Artemis blinked, before glaring at the sisters. "I will not allow you to kill Zoe."
"At ease, Artemis," soothed Lachesis. "We were merely stating a point. It is not too terribly difficult to heal Miss Nightshade. After all, the sea always remembers one of their own." With that, the sisters left, leaving no trace behind aside from rustled grass.
Artemis immediately ran towards the medical tent and scooped up some water before giving it to Zoe. "I was told this would make you heal faster." Zoe gave a half-hearted smile before frowning.
"Lady Artemis, was it not my time to die?"
"No, Zoe. The Jackson male inadvertently saved you."
"But... then Annabeth..." Artemis nodded in response.
"The Fates do not take kindly to the loss of their prey. So they took away something precious to him - his best friend." At this, Zoe smiled faintly.
"My Lady, you don't understand his reaction completely, do you?"
"If that is the case, then please educate me."
"He didn't do it out of friendship, My Lady. He has - well rather, had - an evident crush on her. He did it out of love."
Artmeis snorted at this, but admitted it made sense. The raw power unleashed, one that held up the sky with more strength than Atlas could provide, with absolute disregard to his own self.
Ugh, romance. Such a self-destructive emotion.
"Do you trust him, Lady Artemis?"
"I... respect him," the goddess admitted. "Trust is a bit too strong for now. He may be somewhat reliable, yes, though he is still an idiot as are all males-" At this Zoe chuckled. "-But he is certainly better than most. Are there any examples that you would like to provide me with?" she finished in a teasing tone.
"Of course, My Lady. To start off, we must begin..."
"Perseus?"
Percy said nothing, staying quiet as he simply stared at Frederick cradling Annabeth's body.
He had woken up a few minutes prior, but had not said a word since then. Zoe felt a slight pang of annoyance at how the boy's attention had been exclusively on the Annabeth ever since he had woken up.
The daughter of Atlas did not take kindly to being ignored.
Before she could say his name again, though, he broke the silence. "She's dead, isn't she?"
"It would appear so." Though caught off guard, it wouldn't do for her to lose her composure in front of a male.
"It was because of me, wasn't it?"
"So the Fates say. So says Lady Artemis." Percy stayed quiet at this, before uncapping Anaklusmos.
"I want you to have this back."
She blinked. "Why?"
"I don't deserve it."
"We fulfilled the quest, Perseus. We rescued Lady Artemis and delayed the rising of the Titans."
"But Annabeth's dead."
"People die. It's a natural thing in life. She died protecting her friend."
"If I was stronger, I could have-"
"You could have what?" she snapped. "I was supposed to die, but because of your actions, you saved me." She glanced at his face, and noticed that though his expression hadn't changed, tears flowed freely down his face.
"But... Annabeth..."
"Annabeth, Annabeth, that's all you care about!" she shouted. "Not the gods, not My Lady, not even me! Are you saying you'd rather I died than she? Are you saying I'm worth less than her?" Zoe's temper flared up, ignited by an ugly emotion she hadn't felt in millennia.
What did the daughter of Athena have that she didn't, anyways?
Seeing the guilt cause Percy to flinch made her slightly happier on the inside. Just slightly.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know..."
"Those that died, have died," she said, sitting beside him. "You cannot blame yourself forever for what you could not prevent. It was either she died or I. Which do you prefer?"
"Neither," he mumbled. Well, at least he wasn't stupid enough to say her name, or else she would make sure he arrived on Olympus as a bloody pulp.
"Good."
Then, to the surprise of both he and the Hunters curiously watching them, she hugged him briefly. "Consider this my thanks for making sure I stayed alive. Now if you excuse me, I must return to the medical tent and prepare for returning to Olympus before my sisters drag me there against my will." All Percy could do was nod mutely, stunned by the gesture.
As she walked off, flanked by her sisters-in-arms, he couldn't help but feel that the air was more chilly.
"Dr. Chase," greeted Percy. Frederick gave a grunt of acknowledgement, eyes fixated on his daughter.
"Annabeth and I talked over our differences," he managed out. "I... she... we talked it out. I almost wish my wife was here, just so they could reconcile as well."
The two stayed quiet as Frederick silently stroked Annabeth's hair, before Percy spoek up again.
"Sir, um... Annabeth mentioned that you two weren't exactly on the best terms... why was that?"
A glint across Frederick's eyes betrayed the emotions hiding behind his face. Anger.
"Lady Athena," he spat out. "She always said that Annabeth was unlike any other child she had ever birthed before, that Annabeth would bring glory to her bloodline. I trusted her, endured the hallucinations that she forced upon Annabeth, which made her think we hated her. How can I hate my own daughter?!
"I thought foolishly that it would simply end there. Even if my daughter hated me, I could still love her, right? Instead, she ran away, giving me no chance to apologize for letting her suffer."
He then turned to Athena, who had been standing on the other side of camp, yet Percy swore he could see her grey eyes clearly, full of hurt and confusion. "Are you proud of this? We simply wanted a happy family life together, monsters be damned! Your stupid ambition got your daughter killed! My daughter killed!"
He stood up, pointing at her, and rousing the attention of the hunters.
"What Goddess of Wisdom would let her own daughter die in such a cowardly way?! What can she do as a ghost?! Are you saying that all these years, you've been cultivating your own daughter to die as a common soldier?!"
The temporary camp grew quiet at his accusations, and even Atlas stopped grunting to listen. It wasn't every day that a mortal chose to outright defy a god, no less an Olympian.
Percy half-expected Athena to smite her former lover right then and there.
After a few seconds of no divine punishment, Frederick shook his head. "You told me once not to let my own emotions stop greatness. All you did was ruin a family."
He walked back to where Annabeth laid before clawing at the ground to dig her a grave. A Hunter wordlessly gave him a shovel, which he gratefully accepted.
"Artemis," grunted Atlas, causing the goddess to pause her thoughts and stare darkly at the Titan.
"What do you want?"
"Can you ask the girl's father to come talk to me?"
Artemis blinked in disbelief. "Are you an absolute buffoon? Why would I ever let you do that?" To her surprise, Atlas didn't react to her insults.
"I swear upon the River Styx that I will not attempt to convert him to Kronos's side." After the thunder ceased booming, he continued. "I just want to have a father-to-daughter discussion."
"I owe you no favors, Titan," she spat out. "You do not deserve the title of a father, not when you are so eager to kill your own daughter."
Artemis thought that at that point, Atlas would insult her back, but her words seemed to have hurt him far more than she had expected. He simply sighed and said no more, grunting quietly as he shifted the weight of the sky to a more comfortable position.
Oh well, there was no time to dawdle. It was time to go back to Olympus.
"Kill them!" roared Ares. "They are too strong for their own good!"
"My daughter's life is not for you to decide, Ares," snapped Zeus. "Dare to assume so again, and we will find the seat on the Olympian council empty."
"Nor my son," added Poseidon. "For nearly three years now, he has served bravely in the name of the Olympian council and Camp Half-Blood. What madman would punish them?"
As the bickering continued, Percy barely registered most of the conversation, choosing instead to look at Athena. Unlike her typical scrutinizing gaze, she seemed to be disheveled, eyes staring blankly at the hearth. He heard Thalia whispering something to him, but all he could do was nod mutely, unable to listen.
He vaguely heard the gods bickering over the Ophiotaurus and someone consoling Athena on the Ancient Rules. He watched with blank eyes as Thalia swore to become a Huntress and the gods bickered over the choice to turn him into the hero of the prophecy. He watched as the meeting adjourned and slowly, the gods left.
Shuffling forward, he went to Hades, who had pushed himself off of his uncomfortable marble chair.
"Lord Hades." The god stopped, and stared at him with cold eyes.
"Perseus. It appears you will not be dying today, in spite of all the people you have infuriated."
"My lord, can you please send me to the junkyard that Bianca died in?"
The god's eyes narrowed. "And why should I do that?"
"I'd like to give her a proper burial. We haven't found her body yet."
If Percy stared hard, he could have noticed Hades's eyes softening ever so slightly. The god nodded slightly before snapping his finger. Seeing he was surrounded by the familiar derelicts, Percy took a deep breath and got to work digging.
Oh, and uh, join this, minus the spaces: discord . gg/Mtcdeu
