And we are back! Sorry for the late update but I was stuck on how to proceed with certain events so I was hashing things out. Now its finally here as the action continues!

Note: This story is AU and I am either building on or creating new details and depth to things mentioned in canon but never really explained or mentioned more than a couple of times, or might outright go against what was stated in canon (though never explained why). So, minor spoiler being that two aspects I've decided to build on are mentioned in this chapter. If you have any questions, shoot me a review or PM.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.


With Annabeth, Seconds after flashing away

In a golden burst she arrived, sword drawn as her head swiveled around as she scanned the familiar beach, her heart sinking as she took in the sight. Marring the normally pristine beach were all manner of smoking craters and piles upon piles of golden dust along with some stomped plants along with some mortal bodies dressed in mismatched armor of both mythical and mortal origin. Jutting out from surprise outcroppings and hidden latches were all manner of small automated guns, crossbows, and grenade launchers implemented by Leo as the island's own safety defense but it seemed that they were overwhelmed and broken regardless. Even as she looked she could see the sand staining with their blood as the very sea behind her remained unnaturally still.

It didn't paint a pretty sight.

"Cloelia!" she called as she finished her observations in less than three seconds before running up the steps to the villa, her senses pushed outward in order to find anyone present.

"Calypso, Leo, anyone!" she called again as she quickly arrived to the entrance, noting the battered foyer and columns along it with more monster dust and some mortals.

She didn't even care if she accidently stepped on them as she dashed in, having detected two divine signatures within the house … but it was the missing one that worried her most. In less than a minute she moved through the house and passed the halls until she arrived at the entrance to Leo and Calypso's master bedroom, the door completely blown off the hinges. She could feel a smoldering heat coming from inside and smell the stench of burning flesh so she slowly entered, already aware that Leo had to be furious at this point.

Inside was just another horror scene. At least three bodies had become charred husks, all in a direct line from the door opening and burn marks on the opposing wall. Then another two bodies, one dissolving into golden dust while the other was mortal and missing a head with the brains splattering on the wall behind it. At their feet was a smoking shot-gun made of steel and Celestial bronze mix, Leo's mid-range weapon.

Turning away from the grizzly seen she looked to the bed itself and the two occupants, her heart nearly leaping to her throat at the sight. Leo was kneeling on the bad, hair steaming with flecks of fire and his frame almost glowing due to his rage even as he held his sobbing wife. Calypso was in her nighty, the soft garment ripped up and torn exposing her chest with only her panties keeping her modest even if they did look a little stretched. It was only the sight of another body, pants halfway down but underwear still in place and a tiny knife lodged into the shit's throat that gave Annabeth an idea of what happened.

And judging by the positions of the bodies, Leo had arrived before any of the other scum could try a go once their friend had been killed in his attempted rape. As for the others … Leo had been less than merciful and Annabeth's only complaint would be not having the pleasure of skinning them herself. Still, she quickly moved around to the other side of the bed, casually grabbing the other body and tossing it over her shoulder without care before slowly placing a hand on Calypso's shoulder.

The crying goddess started as she looked to Annabeth but relaxed if only slightly before her eyes suddenly widened and she clutched onto Annabeth.

"They took her!" she cried in near hysteria before babbling apologies as she held onto Annabeth for dear life.

"I know," she replied, trying to sound calm even if she was ready to blow herself but she needed answers before she could go looking. "Please Calypso, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened?"

Calypso seemed to catch it as she slowed down from crying and hyperventilating until it was choked sobbing. It was also only now that Annabeth noticed Calypso had a bloody welt at the side of her head.

"They came so quickly. I tried to leave but there was a barrier and they passed the defenses before slaughtering the servants," she starting sobbing harder. "And then they had us both and h-he saw her and just ripped her right out of my arms!" she shouted before breaking down again as Leo held her close.

"Who took her?" Annabeth asked, feeling her nerves fry by the second.

"P-Pallas!" Calypso replied making Annabeth gasp.

The Titan of Warcraft himself!? But, what was he doing here and why? How did he get passed the barriers hiding Ogygia even? However, her thoughts trailed off that and settled on the more important matter of actually finding her daughter. So she refocused on the crying goddess before asking, "Do you know where they took her?"

Calypso looked at her as she turned her head slightly away from her husband's chest before slowly nodding.

"Where?" Annabeth asked urgently.

"H-he said … 'Hurry … or her head will rest beside that blade', then he left with her," she said softly, hiccupping slightly.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where exactly she needed to go as she got up and turned but paused as Leo finally spoke after having calmed himself and his wife.

"You're not going alone are you?" he asked as she straightened up while still holding Calypso to him.

"I can't just wait," she retorted while glancing at him over her shoulder.

"It's a trap!" he returned while moving to stand but Calypso clutched onto him with a whimper.

Both gods looked at the goddess, seeing how the shock was finally setting in after everything that happened in the last several minutes. Seeing Calypso so shaken and knowing just how close they had been to being too late if not for Cloelia's active panic button cooled their tempers even as Annabeth shivered in disgust.

Too close, far too close.

Still Annabeth knew that Calypso need her husband now and as much as Leo tried to play tough and wanting to help her, she knew he needed his wife just as much just to assure himself she was okay.

"I need to go," Annabeth said softly before looking to Calypso. "You get her cleaned and packed to New Rome. This island is compromised and we don't know if more are on the way."

Leo looked like he wanted to argue with her. Maybe reason that she should wait for him to get Calypso safely to New Rome and then head out together but Annabeth knew his heart and mind would stay with his wife. Last she need was him distracted in a fight with a titan like Pallas, someone that even her mother had to hunt for decades, fighting on and off until she finally caught and defeated him a few years before the end of the first Titan War.

"I need to go and get my daughter," she continued before turning her back and leaving without another word, quickly making her way to the beach before flashing away with a clear location in mind.

Her world distorted for all of five seconds, shifting and contorting until she arrived in a new flash, her armored boots crunching on a thin layer of frost that covered the grounds. She didn't pay it much attention though as she immediately expanded her senses and searched for anything close. What she found didn't relax her at all.

She found at least two divine signatures with one being her daughters almost completely overshadowed by the imposing one that she assumed was Pallas himself. Aside from him almost two dozen signatures of monster and mortal origins came apparent, somewhat scattered around Pallas or outside and around the city leading to him. Her head swiveled in the direction and she came upon the sight of Olympus' throne room looming alone from a dark sky.

The entire mountain was eerily silent and cold as slow breezes drifted about. Thin layers of snow dotted about the deserted streets as frost covered windows. A part of her pitied the sight as she walked slowly in the direction of the throne room, her gaze passing over the statues erected in honor of the 'Golden Generation'. She snorted at it, finding it rather ironic now and even a little tacky but she shook her head of those thoughts and continued on her way. With her godly sight she could already make out some guards along the steps and gates into the room. Three telechines, a cyclops, and four mortals dressed in mashes of militaristic black kevlars and such clothes or small segments of Celestial bronze.

Still, it was the weapons that concerned her more, spotting several assault rifles that she was sure had been fitted for divine metal rounds instead of lead along with the traditional weapons of the monsters. But, seeing as they had failed to detect her yet due to the distance of her arrival, she made her move. She swiftly moved until she was hidden in the shadows of one building before focusing, an intense glow surrounding her hands for a few seconds before it faded to reveal her weapon.

In her hands was a rather large yet incredibly thin dagger nearly as long as her forearm with a jagged edge. Made of Celestial bronze and simple leather grip that seemed far too worn for the time she'd had it, and even with the blade being marred with what resembled blood stains, the blade positively radiated a sickening sense of bloodlust.

It was her symbol of power … and she hated it.

Just seeing the weapon made her remember the days of her anger and regret in her choice of forging her symbol of power and divine weapon. You see, much like their own thrones their symbols of power could be influenced to mirror the god … or be forged in an effort for a god to take on an aspect. Thanks for having read so much from her mother's extensive files and documents, she learned some deeply sensitive secrets of not only gods but about the head bastard himself.

From what she gathered, gods did in fact have something akin to DNA and are essentially the most advanced organisms to ever exist. Their power and abilities along with unique properties such as being able to breed with anything, to change their forms, and more importantly, to adapt either slowly or rapidly depending on the case allowed for constant change and to gain or lose new properties while negating the draw backs of inbreeding… mostly, cases like Ares begged to differ.

Upon discovering that, she made a more in depth look at old documents, older than even her own mother and written by one of the elder cyclops, that detailed the idea and creation of the three weapons of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Their divine weapons were meant to amplify their natural ability as well as grant further abilities forged within the weapons themselves. There she learned the distinction between natural symbols and as it was termed 'forced' symbols. As it were, natural symbols of power included their owning god in the forging process, usually with the god in question supplying their blood and focusing their divine energy into the weapon as it's forged.

Though incredulous at first, she read about how the weapons would naturally take a shape of their own which would then be further formed and perfected by the smith working on it though the general shape could be adjusted to the god's comfort such as a blade taking shape and then the smith fashioning it into a specific type of blade. Then, as long as the god kept their mind relatively clear and didn't try to influence the weapon and the abilities they desired, the forged divine symbol would became a natural one.

What made natural divine symbols special was that they often times displayed significant more power than forced counterparts and unlike a forced symbol, only the owning god can use it effectively. Also was the fact that natural symbols could develop unique properties or abilities of their own that could only again be used by their owning god.

Forced symbols on the other hand had extremes, from weapons being radically reshaped to runes being welded in and retaining the properties even if no longer apparent. Sure, the weapons were still powerful but on the flip side, could be used by other divine beings. That was why others could command lighting if they took Zeus' bolt. It was a forced symbol, meant to augment his own possibly low lighting affinity but in the end lacking the power or abilities he was meant to have. It was only thanks to constant exposure that Zeus developed a high enough natural affinity to lightning that allowed for his children to inherit it. Even Poseidon's trident was hinted at having some tampering near the end, and by the small note Annabeth found at the end of the document, meant to further increase his already high water affinity.

Only Hades' helm was completely natural meaning only he knew the true extent of its abilities, something that Annabeth had no intention of finding out for herself. However, that brought her back to looking at her dagger … her natural symbol.

Once upon a time she rationalized with herself, saying that the dagger mirrored her Guerilla domain since it was the only one of the two focused on combat. But that didn't numb the sting as she learned her dagger's abilities it carried and just what it reflected on her. Because the dagger almost seemed to mock her past with what it could do.

For one, when she intended to kill without being seen the dagger would cloak her much like her old hat and only make her visible again upon discovery. The second ability was literally tailor fit for back-stabbers. If she managed to get close enough to an opponent without being noticed until making an attack, the first stab will always land and draw blood regardless of whether the target had the ability to dodge in time. The only difference would be whether the first stab lands in a lethal spot or not but in cases such as those with full armors or curses such as that of Achilles, the dagger will find the vulnerable point.

The allusion to her and what she'd done during the last war wasn't lost on her or just how much those last choices marked her. She may have been the golden standard for demigoddesses, cherished and respected warrior, and married to an Olympian but the dagger said more. That she was also one suited to the role of assassin, to hide in shadows and strike when it suited her best before disappearing.

A ruthless opportunist.

And so she hated that dagger since the first time she held it but she could never will herself to get rid of it even if she did hide it. None knew of its abilities though, not even her mother. However the times to lament and regret about the past was over as she held the dagger in her hands, feeling the sadly familiar coldness and weight of the weapon in hand. Holding it in a reversed grip she swiftly moved from her hiding spot and clung to the shadows as she moved through a city she knew like the back of her hand. Making use of her own divine ability she scaled walls and leapt over roofs while landing with little more than silent taps.

Ambushing enemy strongholds and offing guards and sentries. Now this was a time where her main domain of Guerilla Warfare made her a veritable nightmare. Soon she was on top of two guards, overlooking them from a roof about three stories up. Both were mortal and dressed in Kevlar and dark fatigues with rifles, their gazes set on a passage before them that lead down into the hub of the city and close to the main road.

Intense grey eyes shifting between the two, she silently shifted her shield to hanging on her back much like a turtle shell before she stepped off the ledge. A three story fall was nothing to her but even then she built up plenty of momentum with the added weight of her armor. Sticking out one foot ahead of the other she landed with her heel right on the head of the first mortal.

He couldn't even utter a sound as his body gave under her and his skull met the ground the next moment with a wet crunch and pop from the pressure of her foot but she didn't care about that. No, in that same time her second foot touched on the ground she spun and slashed, her arm nothing but a blur to the mortal that had barely turned to the sound of his ally being crushed, before moving on. As she walked up the passage she faintly heard the gurgling of the second mortal before a dull thud meaning he'd already chocked on his own blood.

She was swift in systematically dispatching any guards patrolling, snapping necks, slitting throats, stabbing hearts. Her eyes glowing with suppressed fury, her golden hair spilling out of her helm and drifting with the cold breezes as blood dripped off her dagger made her out to be the very angel of death. Soon over a dozen corpses were left to rot in the alleyways and corners of Olympus along with generous amounts of monster dust but the wanton carnage did little to calm the anger within.

Every moment she wasted on these fools meant another moment her daughter could be in more danger and Annabeth wasn't betting that Pallas was the patient type. Gritting her teeth as she snuck up behind another one, an older demigod, possibly legacy this time dressed in a badly repaired Imperial gold breastplate over military garb, a rather large Celestial bronze sword held at his side with the point digging into the marble ground.

She would have wondered who it was, which descent was he, or why he was here serving a titan, and much more but that didn't matter at the time. All she cared about was that he'd been part of the party attacking her child and to her that was unforgivable. With an audible snarl she stepped up behind him, one arm wrapping around to cover his mouth and muffling his near shout of surprise before her right moved to plunge her dagger into his heart but she paused.

Why give him such a quick death? He was a demigod traitor and so many swift kills weren't doing anything to express just how she felt. Her thoughts though were broken as he struggled but it was pointless. Her arms had been placed in a way that the crutch of her elbows pinned his upper arms to his sides while his elbows and forearms jostled around. Too bad he obviously couldn't move his blade without two hands judging by how his right arm tensed but only managed to wiggle the sword still partly dug into the ground. Not to mention that she was strong enough to casually crush stone and metals alike.

Wait … crush…

A malicious smile formed on her face as she held onto the struggling demigod as she adjusted her dagger hand to pointing the weapon away before she hugged him around the chest. To an onlooker it would have seemed like an intimate embrace of lovers … save the obvious struggling of one party. Her hold firm she kept her smile as she started to squeeze … and squeeze.

Let it be known that she was a war goddess and as such, had the potential to be cruel and unforgiving like the aspect of war she personified, especially when angered. So, she released that anger, hugging tighter and tighter as she listened to the demigod grunt and thrash in vain before the first popping came. More pops followed with cracks as his arms went limp, a scream muffled as she felt something wet trail over her fingers covering his mouth.

Then the sound of his shabby armor crumpling under her sheer strength, something she carefully monitored to make sure things went nice and slow…

Soon the sound of cracking as constant as screams and coughs were cut off even as she felt a near stream of warm liquid flowed through her fingers covering his mouth. Then, with one last tug of a squeeze he crumpled like a soda can, his armor and chest alike caving in with an even louder pop than anything previous before she finally let go.

The demigod didn't just slump to the ground upon release but fell on top of himself like a stack of cards, his entire chest cavity and spine having been crushed as blood pooled beneath them. Annabeth gave one last dismissive snort at the disposed garbage before moving on, still not feeling sated in her growing bloodlust as her dagger glowed an ominous scarlet that was even starting to bleed through into her eyes.

She felt a red haze start to encroach on her vision, her heart speeding up as a warmth spread, echoes of panicked screams drifting through her ears mixed with pleas of mercy. She knew what was happening. She was connecting and embracing her domain. War was still prevalent in the mortal world, even if not to the scale things like the world wars, Vietnam, and such took. Hidden wars between the powers of the world, gang and turf wars, civil wars and terrorist groups. War was everywhere and steadily growing in violence ever since Ares was faded.

And right now her method of war was the most prevalent. Small and fast operations to disrupt operations and invoke fear or panic, to cripple each other. Lies, black-mail, and back stabbing were the bread and butter of it all.

It was all there, feeding her, slowly driving her into a frenzy as more prayers reached her even beyond the traditional limits of the West. A nice little bonus ever since things like the Fall of Cordoba and even Rhea's appearance in Saint Peter's Square. Before she had managed to hold off on the relatively little prayer and influence she received from those using Guerilla tactics in the West but with the increase, her needs to connect and personify that domain had only increased.

And now with her anger, her last restraints were slipping. A malicious smirk formed on her face as she moved through the narrow allies and dark corners of the abandoned mountain, pinpointing the forces under Pallas control and already planning on how to not only end them, but break and crush them. To make each and every one of them regret ever having been born and thinking they could get away with harming her daughter. So with that in mind she moved, ducking around corners and jumping up and over buildings as she picked off each guard.

She landed behind one mortal sporting only black military fatigues and a few guns before waltzing up to his back and tapped him on the shoulder. He darted around and upon seeing her, jumped with widened eyes, about to shout out in draw attention. That simply wouldn't do. With a serene smile she close in and lashed out, her hand driving up and slamming into his slightly opened jaw.

The sound of his own teeth crushing themselves from her strike was almost funny to her as he dropped to his knees as he clutched as his own shattered jaw but whatever scream he was going to try was cut short as another quick jab to his throat left him a coughing and gagging mess. Looking down at the mortal she glanced to the side before smirked as she grabbed a handgun he'd dropped.

A silenced handgun.

A simple Glock by the looks of it, completely black and shiny. A quick check confirmed Celestial bronze rounds which was a pity. She'd wanted to use them on him. Still, with a shrug she tucked it into the back of her pants before grabbing the mortal's head, his eyes bugging out as he met her now crimson gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe scream, but all that came was a gush of blubbering between blood and tooth bits that stained the front of her armor.

"That'll take forever to clean" she muttered as she looked down at her own breastplate before looking at the mortal.

Her scarlet eyes flashed with malice as she held the sides of his face almost tenderly. She gave him one last easy smile before slamming it back into the wall behind him. Like an egg his head went, blood splattering from his mouth and the back of his crushed skull splashing her as well but she didn't care. Leaving the corpse she moved on. She still detected the small cluster of guards at the entrance to the throne room along with a couple inside the actual room besides Pallas and her daughter.

Growling lowly she skulked about until she climbed one of the smaller temples and had a direct line of sight to the grand doors leading into the throne room. Spotting the same mix of monsters and mortals she moved around the other side of the roof and out of their sight. She knew that she was currently downwind so there wasn't a worry of the cyclops sniffing her out but that didn't mean the situation would remain if she managed to get around them.

However it would be more beneficial to get around them rather than kill them regardless of how much she wanted to, knowing that an ambush on Pallas would only be possible as long as he didn't specifically detect her. He had to know she was already in the city upon her arrival but she'd suppressed her presence by instinct and as long as he didn't see her himself, she was an unknown. An unknown with a weapon made for ambushes.

With that in mind she prepared to scale down and use the back alleys to get to the back of the last cliff leading up to the mountain rather than make use of the steps. However, as she took a step she stumbled as her senses were bombarded along with a freezing pressure fell on her shoulders. Gasping and nearly losing her concentration to hide herself, she paused as her scarlet eyes instantly turned up, widening in disbelief.

It was only now that she really looked up to the sky, not having bothered before as she focused on the task at hand but now was different. A small break in the stormy clouds over Olympus gave her unrestricted sight of the moon. But it wasn't the moon she was familiar with. The light wasn't soft and detached as normal. It wasn't soothing and pretty. Instead the moon was covered in a harsh, almost angry glow as its surface was marred in all sorts of craters and trenches.

But that wasn't what really got her attention. That was solely on the one point of darkness writhing along the surface as tendrils of shadow moved along the moon's surface. And at the center of it all she could feel one unmistakable signature, Percy. But this wasn't like before. Before in the council's throne room they felt overwhelmingly powerful, dwarfing her to terrifying degrees but this was different. Before each had been powerful but at the same time, had a sense of being finite. Like looking at an immense lake with the opposite shore just a thin, hazy line in the distance. This though was like looking out at the sea. It just went on and on making you doubt if there even was another shore to begin with.

'And that's what Artemis is facing,' she thought, for once feeling truly sorry for the goddess even after knowing everything she'd done and how she had it coming. Luckily the pressure withdrew to the point it didn't feel like someone had made her to squat several tons of weight while in a freezer. She had no doubt it was still there and couldn't even imagine how that pressure felt to Artemis herself considering she was the sole target of that presence.

Still, tearing her eyes off the moon she returned her focus to getting around Pallas' guards, her mind having been literally shocked out of her frenzy as her eyes dimmed slightly but still held the faded red color to show her anger was still present. At least she could rest assured that Pallas had definitely had his own senses thrown for the loop with that power surge and her own presence would be easier to hide. Smirking at that she continued on her way, swiftly moving to the back of the last cliff face leading up to the throne room.

Once there she glanced up before placing her shield on her back and her knife in her belt before beginning to scale the cliff side. Silently thanking Chiron for all those years of making her climb that damn lava wall, she made short work of climbing the rock face with little effort until she arrived at the back of the throne room. Making a short check to make sure she was alone and knowing the atmosphere was still saturated with the power of the battle raging on the moon, she took out her symbol of power again before focusing on it. Within moments her formed seemed to become hazy before all but disappearing from all senses as far as she was aware, making her little more than a ghost as she moved silently to one wall with only a large window over a story off the ground.

Will the throne room lacked any other entrances aside from the main gates, she knew about the back room usually used by Zeus connected to the throne room. Spotting her target she took off in a sprint and once she got close used her momentum to run up the wall until she reached the window. With a quick grab and pull she was in, her entrance nearly completely silent. Dropping into the surprisingly sparse room she moved through the darkened hall, her senses stretched out around her as she clung to the dark corners, her ears picking up some noise coming from the main throne room.

Once at the large door leading into the throne from behind Zeus and Hera's thrones, she slowly moved along the outer ring separated by columns that were several dozen feet away from the thrones themselves along with the audience seats still placed behind to make it seem more like a large amphitheater.

"Damn bitch …" she heard a rough voice mutter making her pause and slowly look from around a pillar, her eyes narrowing on the owner of the voice. "… Lost her …"

Standing at a full god form of just over fifteen feet and radiating a familiar bloodlust and power was Pallas, Titanic god of Warcraft. He was dressed in rather modern military fatigues but with a Kevlar vest that seemed to be laced with Celestial Bronze and even an oversized revolver casually strapped at his hip opposite a rather long Greek blade, his jet black hair cropped short with a trimmed beard from what she could see. She couldn't make out his face since he was facing more towards the gates of the throne room on the opposite side but she didn't care much for him. Instead her eyes moved to the very center of the throne room.

There she spotted her daughter and just seeing the state she was in made the goddess grit her teeth as her eyes regained a deep scarlet color. Dressed in slightly torn pajamas was Cloelia, silently crying on her knees with her wrists cuffed to Riptide of all things. The chains were crudely wrapped around the hilt and guard before dropping at the sides which then tied to Cloelia keeping the godling dangerously close to the cursed weapon. What was even worse was that she could clearly see a small bruise on Cloelia's cheek meaning Pallas or one of his men must have struck her.

Promising the worst levels of pain she could for whoever it was, she moved her eyes back to the lowly fuming titan, noting that he had around five guards with him, two being monsters within the gates, two more mortals closer to the Cloelia and finally one mortal soldier dressed a little more decoratively a few feet from the titan, with a star on his chest, Barret on his head, and only a large handgun rather than the assault rifles like the rest.

"Is it not possible to find her again?" the mortal asked and getting a look from the titan hastily added, "sir."

Pallas snorted before eyes narrowing up at the open ceiling, a clear view of the moon as more trenches and craters formed. "No. That goddess' presence is too small and with that upstart flaring his own power, I won't be able to detect her. Buts she's out there, somewhere," he muttered at the end as he clenched his fists before his attention shifted to Cloelia as the godling sniffled, her chains rattling slightly. "Besides, we have what she wants."

The mortal's gaze fell on her daughter as well before he sniffed in disdain.

"And why again have we taken this child? Was not the original target this Valdez god and his wife?"

"Yes, my little niece Calypso," Pallas agreed as she stepped closer to tower over the terrified godling who looked up at him trembling. "Originally taking her and using her to get Valdez to work for us was the goal but something so much better just dropped in our laps. Even if Valdez already got his wife and Chase came here, now we know where he is rather than with the Olympian army and only a matter of returning to the island later tonight to capture both. As for Chase, capturing her daughter and making use of her is only another boon to us. Now all that's left is capturing the little goddess while Koios captures the other two."

'Other two?' Annabeth silently wondered as she slowly crept closer, knife already held in a reversed grip as she eyed Pallas' back.

"But will it truly work?" the mortal persisted as she looked at the godling rather than the enormous titan. "While these other gods you target truly be so foolish as to risk obvious traps?"

Pallas looked at the mortal with a chuckle. "Oh yes. You see, even if Jackson and his lot are admittedly powerful, their weakness is those that are close to them. You'd be surprised how easily they would come running to rescue their own being the weeping hearts they are and once we have them isolated and where we want them, it's only a matter of delivering the final blow."

"And you truly want to face such …" the mortal trailed off as he looked up, his gaze finding the scared moon. "… beings?"

"Scared mortal?" Pallas asked with a sneer, a brief rise in his power making his frame glow a dull gold as the mortal commander paled.

"N-no … just cautious," the commander replied before both paused as the chains holding Cloelia rattled, letting them know that she was pulling at them.

Annabeth also looked, just now noticing that Cloelia was pulling at the chains even as the steel cuffs scratched up her wrists.

"Struggling is pointless little girl," Pallas boomed with a mocking chuckle even as Cloelia persisted without looking at him.

That seemed to annoy the titan more than anything as he growled out, "And yet you continue." He then gestured to one of the guards closest to her daughter, the mortal nodding before lashing out with his gun, the butt end of it striking Cloelia on the side making her gasp and almost fall over as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

Seeing her daughter in such a state nearly drove Annabeth into a renewed frenzy and only thanks to her dagger was the bloodlust radiating off her hidden. However, she had enough of waiting as she took the moment with Pallas clearly distracted to attack. Like a viper she lashed out, sprinting up to Pallas' back as her dagger struck forward with a scarlet haze around it. However it seemed that Pallas' own connection to warfare and trained instincts in detecting bloodlust were enough for him to react to the sudden danger.

With surprising speed he half-way twisted around, his head swiveling around to see her as she appeared like a phantom out of nowhere. He saw the dagger and tried to pull back while making a hasty grab for his sword … but it wasn't enough. She already been too close and initiated the attack, having jumped to make up the difference for their heights. With a mind of its own the dagger tugged forward farther than she would normally be able to reach, already honed in on its target.

Both watched as the dagger drove forward, plunging into Pallas' back around the right side of his mid-back, mincing past his Kevlar and splattering with ichor as the titan roared in pain. She clicked her teeth though knowing that while serious, it wasn't a fatal blow for someone of Pallas' endurance. Still, she wasn't one to be deterred as she pulled the dagger back and kept moving while Pallas' flailed back from the surprise and pain, her eyes narrowing on the two mortals standing by her daughter.

Her attack had been too sudden and fast for them to properly react and before they could even think of turning their weapons on her daughter, she threw her dagger. It sliced through the air before finding itself buried up to the hilt in the throat of the guard that had struck her daughter while she closed the distance to the other one. The moment she was close she lashed out with a fist to the mortal's chest, feeling as the bones caved under her strength and the body was sent careening back into one of the abandoned thrones.

Without pausing she grabbed the hilt of her dagger and pulled it out of the dying mortal's throat as he crumpled to his knees, spinning around as her senses flared and just managing to block the large sword coming down on her. She grunted under the force as her eyes locked on the surprisingly dark brown eyes of Pallas, the titan's face scrunched in a furious snarl as he looked down at the goddess.

Annabeth was surprised how quick he'd already recovered from her blow and she could hear the guards outside yelling as they ran in with the sounds of combat but she could only direct her attention to Pallas marking him as the biggest threat.

"Mama!" she heard the happy cry from behind her but couldn't turn to respond, even she heard the clinking of Cloelia's chains.

"Chase," Pallas growled as he looked down at her, trying to push her back further but she held her ground well enough.

"I'm going to make you pay for taking my daughter," she replied as her frame started to glow gold and her stature grew.

Within moments she was went from mortal size to topping off at nearly thirteen feet proving she was likely the most powerful of the minor Olympian gods. Still, she knew even like this it wouldn't be enough to match Pallas. Not to mention she could see the mortals and monsters alike already closing in around them, making her internally curse. Ideally she would have grabbed Cloelia and flashed out before Pallas could have recovered but it seemed that things just weren't going to go her way as she felt a barrier go up seconds after having attacked him.

Still, gritting her teeth she suddenly let up and stepped to the side as Pallas lurched forward off balance. Using it to her advantage she lashed out with a hard kick, nailing the titan in the ribs and forcing him several meters back before she pulled her shield off her back while jumping in front of Cloelia. Not a moment too soon too as immediately the sound of bullets colliding with her shield echoed throughout the throne room as she hunkered down in front of her daughter. Taking the chance she glanced back and locked eyes with her daughter, internally cringing when she noticed her daughter flinch at seeing her currently scarlet eyes after having already looked at the dead guard close to them.

"It'll be okay sweetie," she said, trying to sound far more confident that she truly was.

Whether Cloelia fully believed her words or not she didn't know as she returned her attention to the battle as the guns trailed off, risking a peak over her shield to see the three mortals with guns reloading while Pallas glowered from just behind them, his oversized blade in hand as ichor slowly pooled at his right side. She also noticed the commander he'd been speaking to before was off further to the side and resting a palm again a glowing rune on the floor. Detecting the energy of the barrier flowing around her she could tell he was the one who activated it, likely after gaining the ability to through a blessing from Pallas himself. There was also a smaller one around the mortal himself meaning she couldn't get to him and kill him to bring down the entire barrier for her escape.

Still, knowing she wasn't about to get better opportunity she glanced back at Cloelia, her daughter having stopped crying as she looked at her mother's back.

"Sweetie, I need you to look away and keep your eyes closed okay," she said firmly, hoping that her daughter would understand the gravity of the situation and not wanting her to witness any more if possible.

It only took a moment before Cloelia gave a shaky nod and then closed her eyes. Seeing this Annabeth nodded to herself before returning her attention to the mortals that were just finished reloading but that didn't matter. Pallas' biggest error had been using mortals and monsters to fight while the only one whose safety she was concerned about was divine like her. So with that her body flashed a brilliant gold as she suddenly stood, the mortal soldiers having just looked at her as they'd aimed unable to look away in time before she ascended.

Her body exploded with divine power as she watched the mortals and monsters alike spontaneously combust for looking at her, turning to ash and golden dust respectively as the glow died out after a few seconds to reveal her divine form. Standing at just over twenty feet tall, her hair billowed in golden waves as it reached her lower back while her eyes looked like glass marbles with a glowing, scarlet center. Her armor had grown to fit and was now like her own symbol of power, showing wear and almost ancient blood stains over the scarlet decorations. Much like Artemis, instead of the ancient battle chitons and tunics she had a black body suite beneath her breastplate, platted skirt, bracers, and grieves. The breastplate itself was smaller, just reaching her lower ribs before ending to allow more range of motion at the cost of exposure to her belly.

Her dagger had grown in length as well, falling more into the short-sword category as a small mask with a skull motive formed around her mouth and cheeks while leaving the top exposed. She simply oozed bloodlust and destruction as her eyes narrowed on the currently smaller titan before she glanced over the mortal still maintaining both barriers, noting that he'd also kept his eyes closed leaving him safe before her attention turned to Pallas. She could tell he'd been surprised by her show of strength, probably writing her off for being a mere minor goddess but she would make him regret that decision.

"I told you I'd make you pay," she growled out as she rushed forward, not wasting a moment for him to assume divine form either.

His eyes widened as he hastily brought up his sword to block her downward blow. His arms almost buckled under her strength as he grit his teeth but she pressed on. Making use of her shield she pulled her dagger back and switched to slamming her shield forward. He grunted as he was pushed back but didn't have time to try for an attack as she slashed at his head. He pulled back just barely in time as the tip of the dagger sliced along his face from cheek to cheek, cutting into his nose as he gave a spluttered cry of pain.

Still, she capitalized on it as she spun with her slash, rearing her back leg up and giving a spinning back kick, nailing him in the gut and sending him careening into one of the abandoned thrones, crushing the already crumbling structure. Annabeth tracked him as she ran at him, knowing she could let up for a moment or else he would jump to his divine form. He'd been arrogant thinking she was like the minor deities he'd seen before. He'd thought that just mortal back up had been enough and didn't do anything when he noticed her assuming her divine form. And now that decision would be his undoing.

As long as the situation remained like this she had the advantage. As long as things remained like this, she could win.

Arriving just as he got up she jumped before slamming her knee down on his gut making him spit up ichor even as she noticed him trying to swing his sword at her. She raised her shield in response but rather than wait for the impact she slammed the shield edge against the sword. Buckling back against the surprising blow he couldn't adjust in time as she jabbed again, this time bashing the shield into his forearm and pinning it down as his side. With his weapon pinned she reared her right arm up with her dagger in a reverse grip before viciously bringing it down on his head.

She almost grinning thinking she'd gotten him but then watched in disbelief as he reacted, his hand lashing out and grabbing her dagger by the blade, stopping it just before it could pierce right through his eyes even as ichor splattered out. Grunting in frustration she put more of her weight into it, slowly forcing his hand down as the dagger kept getting closer to his head. 'Just a little more,' she thought, hoping to finish him as quickly as possible so she could grab her daughter and go but the titan held off.

The fact that he was matching her in strength even while only in his godly form was telling of just how powerful he was but right now it would help him more than simply delaying her. Meeting his eyes she saw the slight panic in them as he realized the same thing she did, felt how he body pinned under her flexed and thrashed to push her dagger back or maybe throw her off but she wasn't budging.

"I will not be done in by the likes of you, bitch!" he bit out through grit teeth even as her dagger cut deeper into the flesh of his hand, inching closer by the second.

"Believe what you want," was her only reply as she leaned farther forward, seeing the tremble in his arm as the dagger lower until it was almost touching his cheek, the blade pulsing scarlet in anticipation of the impending kill.

However, it wasn't meant to be. Within an instance she detected a sudden arrival along with hostility from right behind her forcing her to stop her attack on Pallas as she rolled off him and raised her shield. The collision was telling as she grunted but didn't give as she pushed back against whoever attacked her. Jumping back for some space before checking who'd attacker her, she was shocked to see none other than Phobos and Deimos, dressed in matching blood-red war regalia.

'But they aren't supposed to be here!' she thought, wondering why weren't the brothers still with the Olympian army unless … she couldn't recall actually seeing them during the attack. Which meant they had been hiding or intentionally not helping, waiting for the moment to betray while at the back of the Olympians. She grit her teeth in fury, scolding herself for not having noticed earlier and making sure to keep eyes on them. Phobos was closer to her with his spear aimed at her while Deimos was closer to Cloelia, his sword drawn and held with his remaining hand. Gritting her teeth it didn't take her long to figure out what was happening. Honestly she wasn't surprised any more that those carrying Ares' linage would happily turn traitors for power or revenge.

"Deimos, Phobos," she growled as her own bloodlust rose along with her anger to the point her frame pulsed scarlet but she didn't move with Cloelia held at sword point.

She only got two smirks back from them while she noted out of the corner of her eye how Pallas was slowly standing up, his own frame pulsing gold. However she got even more worried as more flashes appeared around and other varying minor gods arrived, dressed for battle and she got the feeling not a single one of them was an ally.

Internally she cursed the likes of Zeus and the Olympian council for their arrogance and short sidedness, thinking so many minor gods would stay loyal when being treated as dirt at worst, second-class beings at best. She steeled herself as the tenth minor god arrived, most formed loose ranks behind Phobos and Pallas while looking at her wearily. They all knew in her divine form she was powerful enough to face them if they remained in godly form only, her physical form and power towering over them at almost double the height for some. However, her attention was drawn away from them as Pallas grumbled before speaking up, "I'll admit, you almost had me there Chase. Although, I was not aware of impending aide myself," he said with a glance to Phobos.

"The mortal prayed to me the moment you were attacked. Lord Koios is also wondering where you were since he has met unexpected resistance at the other target," he replied even as his faded red eyes remained pinned to Annabeth. "But now when can handle the bitch and move on before you anger Lord Koios further with your unplanned delay," he added shooting a warning glance to the titan.

Pallas growled lowly at that before stepping forward. "Be that as it may you shall wait and do NOT interfere!"

Before Phobos or any others could offer any protest Pallas' frame exploded in a familiar flash of gold making several look away from the intensity of it. Annabeth felt the atmosphere get heavy as malice permeated the air and within it all she heard her daughter's alarmed cry. Squinting her eyes as the glow died down, she was met with a thirty foot titan dressed in armor forged of Celestial bronze and modern iron to form interlocking plates around his core rather than the traditional single breastplate and stomach guard

With additional guards over his shoulders and thighs along with the full helm left very little of the titan's body exposed and even more telling was the sword in his hands. Even if shaped like the standard xiphos the sword was far longer and thinner with the extended hilt needing a constant two-handed grip to even maintain a balance leaving Pallas without a shield. Annabeth silently questioned the practicality of such a design. However, she didn't have time to pursue the thought as Pallas exploded forward, rushing her at a surprising speed.

Hastily raising her shield, she buckled to one knee at the sheer power of the blow as she grit her teeth and heard some jeering from the watching gods. Tuning them out she huffed as she tilted her shield to the side, hearing the scrapping of the sword sliding along the metal before she responded with her own attack in turn. Her dagger collided with his armored chest but did little more than scratch it as he scoffed rearing back as he loomed over her with another swing.

She didn't try for a block this time, throwing herself into a roll and back on her feet as his sword sliced not only the ground she been on but formed a cut across the room and far wall as the entire throne room shook. She didn't just sit there and gawk though, knowing that any distractions could mean her life as she rushed forward to meet him.

He almost effortlessly tore the sword from the ground and swung at her but she dropped to a slide on her knees, watching as the bronze blade shaved off a few hairs before she recovered her footing within his guard. Seeing that he lashed out with a sloppy kick, his balance already off thanks to his swing but she barely sidestepped it before seeing her chance. With a flick of her wrist she held her dagger in a reverse grip again before slashing at the back of his leg, cutting at the side of his exposed knee.

He cried out in pain and with a wild flail, nailed her side with an off-kick, punting her back with his monstrous strength to which she rolled back and recovered her footing, if slightly winded from it. Eyes narrowing on each other they rushed each other again, their collisions shaking the room along with the jeers and shouts of the watching gods, her daughter's own cries mixed within them.

Still she couldn't do much more than continue her fight, using her every trick and memory of fighting bigger, stronger opponents to keep Pallas back. It seemed to work for a time as she scored numerous cuts and stabs in his exposed flesh but it did little in the grand scheme as many healed quickly or just weren't serious enough to begin with. Her only saving grace was she could tell he was favoring his left over his injured right when making overhead swings. Still, she wasn't untouched either, sporting one nasty cut at the hip when she jumped too late and at least three broken ribs from a sudden knee to the chest when she'd closed in again.

The fight felt like it just went on and on when in truth only a few minutes had passed, but with their movement and the sheer ferocity of it seemed to stretch everything out. She started to feel a familiar burn in her arms, winced as her body protested under the punishment of his blows, grit her teeth as adrenaline and not only the need to survive but protect her daughter kept her going at full throttle. However it was an uphill battle with a downpour weighing her down as Pallas attacked tirelessly. His style was simple yet brutal, delivering crushing blows quickly while almost seamlessly maneuvering for blocks and following slashes.

She was soon forced into little more than constant dodging and ducking, unable to strike at him while held at a range thanks to his sword and unwilling to step within his guard with her own broken ribs as testament to the risk. She was starting to pant, her hair matted with sweat and ichor from a sudden backhand she had taken to the side of her head. Pallas wasn't looking much worse for wear, only sporting some cuts and one particular stab she'd managed between plates along his side on the right side but his power was still flowing.

They stared off for a few seconds, the other gods having gone surprisingly quiet to the point she could hear the soft sniffles of her daughter. She desperately wanted to get her out of there but with the arrival of more traitors, Annabeth wasn't very optimistic about her chances. However her thoughts were cut short as Pallas rushed her again and she raised her shield as the first collision came, forcing her to one knee as the marble floor shattered beneath her.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Blow after blow rained down as her feet sunk lower and lower into the ground, her arms shaking as she desperately held up the shield, feeling as the metal started to warp and dent under the unrelenting attack until, with a roar, the heaviest blow came down. Annabeth screamed as she felt her left arm pop, dislocating her shoulder as she fell back.

"Mama!" she heard the terrified cry as her own shield fell to her side.

Before she could even try to stand she felt an armored boot stomp on her right arm, pinning it down with her weapon as she looked up at the covered face, seeing his intense, solid copper eyes looking down at her with satisfaction and even a hint of sadistic glee. The sound of chains being pulled and crying got her attention though as she turned her head to the side to see a heartbreaking sight.

During her fight she had moved closer to the thrones along the edge having destroyed several of the abandoned tethers and the traitors had followed suite to watch, leaving Cloelia at their back with only Deimos still close to her. Her daughter was desperately tugging at Riptide, even going as far as grabbing the sword's hilt directly while constantly glancing at her as tears streamed down her face. Annabeth couldn't help but try and give her a reassuring, yet sad smile before she returned her attention to Pallas, glaring back defiantly even she knew she was caught.

She was not going to allow herself to give in and fight it to the very last moment. Pallas seemed to catch that though as he sneered down at her, hefting his blade again as it gleamed in the low light of the few torches around the room.

"Proud to the end," he muttered as her rested his blade against her left shoulder, the edge pointed in the direction of her neck as if he was planning on swinging his sword like an oversized gulf club, her head being the ball. "A pity to have to waste such potential but rest assured, your daughter will make up for it after a proper rearing," he said, giving a sick smile at the venomous glare that formed on her face. "That's more like it. Goodbye Chase!"

With the smile still on his face he raised up the sword to deliver the final blow, the atmosphere suddenly going still as the sword came down in almost slow motion. But within it all, Annabeth heard what sounded like glass shattering all around before there was an explosion of power.

"MAMAAAA!"


And I'm stopping right there! Cliffhanger? I think Lord Rick smiles upon me! Let me hear your thoughts! A pleasure, Jbubu