Chapter 6 Part 1: Dreams and Visions
(Author's Note)
Surprise! I'm here with a bonus chapter. I know I said I wasn't going to post a chapter this week until the 23rd because I'd be working on my Young Justice Valentine's One-Shot but I finished that early and had a good amount of this part of the chapter done so I decided to split it into two and post the second part this weekend. I also decided to split it up because both parts together would be really long and I figured you guys were having withdrawals without a chapter this week, lol.
Remember to check out and vote on my Poll for my next Pertemis story that will be the story after next, with that story being a 'How To Train Your Dragon' HiccStrid story named 'I'm Dating A Prince For Humanities Class'. You can find both on my Profile. If you're on mobile and cant vote, PM me with your vote.
I have a question for you guys, would you like another bonus chapter in between ch6 and 7 that focuses on the camp participating in their own Olympic Games? I'm talking about it in the second part and was planning on not showing it to keep the story focused on the plot but I think it can be fun. It would go up in the week in between chapters and be shorter than normal and come out once I get it finished. PM me or Review of you have questions or thoughts.
I've been forgetting to say this since ch2 part 2, but if you want a good idea of what Leonidas looks like at 6'8" and 415lbs then look up 'Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson' aka 'The Mountain' from Game of Thrones or 'Brian Shaw strongman'. The Mountain is one inch taller and about forty-ish pounds lighter than Leonidas. I wanted you guys to know what he looked like compared to the other demigods, he isn't just tall, but built like a rhinoceros.
Responses to Guest Reviews: If you don't want to read them then skip to the story:
Guest Review: Feb 4, ch4(10): Awesome chapter, but maybe you could give a teasers for their fight like trading a fee blows but stopping in between , and maybe an unhinged Percy would be awesome to read.
Thanks again .
Reply: Thanks for your review, I'd love to reply in person so if you could either log in or get an account I'd love to talk more about the story. I won't really be putting in teases for their fight, mostly because they have no reason to fight right now, they get along fine and are becoming fast friends. But also because I don't want to spoil anything. Have a good day, Hephaestus
oooOooo
Guest Review: Feb 7, ch4(10): I quite enjoyed it so far. Very nice
Reply: Thanks for your review, I'm glad you liked it. Have a good day, Hephaestus
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blackphoenix: Feb 10, ch1(Sneak Peak): enjoyed it!the prophecy sounds creepy...
Reply: Thanks for your review, if you have a profile sign in next time so I can reply. That way I can take more time replying. Have you read the other chapters yet? What do you think about them? Have a good day, Hephaestus
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anonymous: Feb 10, ch5(11): have the heroes and gods still not figured that Leonidas is the mortal of might? and what is his parentage? Percy beat ares when he was 12, so can't be a son of Ares, hell percy is a titan booty kicking demigod and powerful enough to go toe to toe with giants even so who could be leonidas' parent that he is so so powerful
Also shouldn't leonidas' reflexes be fast enough to pull Mary out of harm's way?
update soon
Reply: To answer you question, no, the heroes have not figured that Leonidas is the mortal of might, though, that may be changing sometime soon, wink wink. I won't talk about the gods, though, that'll be addressed in a chapter. His parentage is a secret as of now and won't be revealed for some time but will be hinted at throughout the story, keep your eyes open and you might see them, then sign in or get an account and I'd love to talk to you about them. I won't say anything else to avoid spoilers, sign in or create an account next time so I can reply in person. I won't give out spoilers in chapters.
To address your second point, Percy did not beat Ares when he was 12, he managed to stand his ground against a weakened, disorientated, mind controlled Ares while he was in the water. If it was a fair, one on one fight, Percy would lose if there wasn't certain circumstances giving him an edge or not allowing Ares to just wipe him out with a wave of his hand. I agree, he is a Titan booty kicking machine, but he is still human, well half, and Leonidas possesses the skill and strength to pose a serious threat to him. I won't say who his godly parent is, but once it's revealed I think you'll understand and be fine with it.
About Leonidas not saving Mary, it's simple, he was too shocked, worried and awed to act in time. He saw it like a flash before his eyes, not like the time slowed down and he could see every detail as it happened. Could he have pulled her out of the way or blocked the bullet? Of course, but he just couldn't this time and its helped make him who he is today.
I'm updating now, is that soon enough? I said I'd update on the 23rd, please don't pressure me to update sooner and demand chapters, I don't know if you are or not, but these take a lot of time to write and I won't rush them out, I'll only put out quality chapters. You're all lucky I'm putting this chapter out now. Have a great day, Hephaestus
Chapter 6 Part 1: Dreams and Visions
(Unknown Date, Unknown Location)
Two figures laid in a bed together, one peacefully sleeping as the other shifted and jerked in its sleep, plagued by memories of a day long passed but still managing to infest its mind and taint its dreams. Glimpses of faces, earth, snow, vile, monstrous beasts and blood filled it's mind. Memories of lost friends, broken promises and heart-wrenching fear of the unknown burst like a dam into the mind of the figure, entering his dreams and causing him to let out moans of pain and sorrow in his sleep, waking the person beside him and causing her to look at him with her worried, stormy grey eyes.
oooOooo
(June 1, 2010 - Mount Olympus, Greece)
Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Jason and Piper stood on the side of Mount Olympus as a horde of minor Titans and Monsters threw themselves up the mountain at them, aiming to kill the demigods and destroy the godly mountain. Clarisse was leading the army of demigods in the valley below against the main army of Monsters and was loosing, a quick IM appeared before Percy just after he sent the Titans and Monsters down the mountain with a powerful wave of snow and earth, granting them a few precious seconds to catch their breaths.
"Percy! Oh thank the gods, you're still alive!" A muffled, frightened voice broke through the mist.
"Connor, what's wrong?" Percy called out over the roar of Kampê as she climbed up the mountain after them. Jason dropped from the air where he was sending down lightning bolts on the army next to Percy and could see fires and Monsters galore behind Connor as his fellow campers fought them off. Jason looked away for a split second when he saw a young Nike camper he didn't remember the name of fall to a pack of Hellhounds, the beasts ripping the poor child apart and tearing her limb from limb, chomping down on her lifeless body. Percy didn't flinch however, but Jason could hear a low growl escape his lips and feel a slight tremble in the earth under his feet. He was trying his best to contain it, but Percy was clearly angry seeing his fellow demigods fall and that anger was causing his powers to fluctuate dangerously.
"The barricades have been completely destroyed! The medical tents have been invaded and I can't find Travis, Clovis, Will or Butch anywhere!" He shot out in rapid fire succession. "We've lost more campers than I can count!" Clarisse's face suddenly filled the Iris Message.
"We're screwed down here, Prissy!" She yelled as a massive explosion sounded behind her, she used her tower shield to block the debris from hitting her. "Everyone is gonna be dead in a few minutes if we don't do somethin'! I've called my dad, and y'know how much he likes a good fight, but he won't answer! The gods aren't coming! We're on our own this time!" She looked desperately at Percy, her eyes pleading. "Y'know I hate to admit it, but we need you down here, Percy- Aaahhh!" Clarisse was suddenly cut off when a massive arm burst from the side of the IM, gripped her around the waist and threw her high into the air before crashing into the ground with a sickening crash. Connor's face filled the IM again, his eyes were wide with terror as he yelled inaudible commands to the campers around him. He nodded to whoever was besides him and two Ares and a Dionysis camper rushed to help Clarisse. Connor turned back to Percy.
"We need you, Percy!" He cried. "I've been calling my dad but he won't answer either! If there were any time to go all beast mode like you did against Hyperion in the Battle of Manhattan then it's now! Bring down the whole damn mountain on them if you have to! Screw whatever Zeus and the other gods have to say, we'll all die and the Titans will reach the top of Olympus if we don't do something! If that happens, then it's game over, the world will fall! Do whatever you need to do to win!" Connor winced when a Hydra burst through the command tent he was in, only to be struck by a cloud of flaming arrows from the remaining Apollo campers. Connor leaned in as close to the IM as possible, tears visible in his eyes. "If you find Travis, tell him I-"
The connection was cut off suddenly as the Hydra's foot slammed into the earth where Connor was standing just a second earlier. "Connor!" Percy yelled at the top of his lungs. "Connor!"
Percy grit his teeth and could feel Jason grabbing him by the arm, getting his attention. Percy turned to him, the wind picking up around the Son of the Seas and the ground beneath their feet rumbled, his eyes ablaze so much that Jason internally winced. "There's nothing else we can do-."
"I'm gonna kill every last one of those damned Monsters!" Percy roared, pulling his arm free from Jason's grip as a minor Titan was only a hundred feet below them on the mountain, Percy blasted the Titan down with a wave of snow and earth, with, if Jason were to be honest, more force than what was necessary. But he decided not to say anything. "If it's the last thing I do, I swear that I'll kill them all!"
"We need to stop those Titans from getting any closer." Annabeth stepped up to Percy, placing a calming hand on his still slightly shaking shoulder. She looked like she wanted to cry, not surprising, everyone was fighting back tears, last they heard the medical tents had been destroyed and they were losing campers left and right, not only soldiers, but friends and family. "As much as it pains me to say it, the campers knew the risks. Our job is to protect the original Mount Olympus at all costs." She gave Percy a quick hug before pulling up her dagger daringly. "We can avenge our fallen later."
Silently the other four campers turned to face Percy for some sort of plan. If any demigod could pull this off, it would be him. Percy took a few seconds, but he nodded solemnly, his jaw set tight and fists gripped dangerously. "We will make sure that we protect Olympus and make sure that none of our friends died in vain." He turned to Jason, his eyes hard. "Keeping blasting as much lighting and air at them as you can! I don't care if you have to rip open the sky, destroy those damned bastards!"
Jason nodded and quickly want to work summoning another thunderstorm. Percy continued, turning to Nico. "Summon as many skeletons as you can, we need to keep the Titans and Monsters back so that Jason and I can take them out without being interrupted, I'm not fighting these guys all at once." Nico nodded and ran off a few feet away and began to mumble under his breath as skeleton hands broke out of the dirt around his feet. Percy faced Piper next. "Your Charmspeak isn't any use against these Titans, so you and Annabeth stay back behind us-"
"As if." Annabeth interrupted him. "I can still fight!"
"I know, Wisegirl. I know." Percy cupped Annabeth's face with his hand, looking deep into her stormy grey eyes, his own dulled green orbs shaking. "But I need you to use that big beautiful brain of yours and think of a plan. You're the 'planning' girl and I'm the 'punch them until they stay down' guy. Just trust me, okay?"
"I know, Wisegirl. I know." Jason could see Percy cup Annabeth's face in his hand from the corner of his eye. "But I need you to use that big beautiful brain of yours and think of a plan. You're the 'planning' girl and I'm the 'punch them until they stay down' guy. Just trust me, okay?"
Annabeth nodded just as Kampê broke through the storm Jason created as she swung her massive scorpion tail at Percy and Annabeth. Percy took the full force of the swing, protecting Annabeth as they flew several dozen feet into the mountain side. Percy somehow managing to angle himself so that he took the full brunt of the force again.
"Percy! Annabeth!" Jason shouted as his friends disappeared in a cloud of dust and rock particles. He wanted more than anything to run over there and make sure that they were okay, but right now he was the only one in their group with ranged attacks, it was up to him to keep the Titans back. "I'm sorry Perce…" The son of Jupiter looked up to the clouds. "Please dad, where are you? Send me a little lightning, please? Just one powerful bolt?"
"Rrraaa!" A voice screamed as rocks and earth exploded from where Percy and Annabeth fell.
Chaos broke out as Percy rose from the pile of rocks and sent an avalanche of snow at the approaching Titans before jumping at one that managed to avoid his attack. "Take that, Lelantos!" Percy mocked as he uncapped Riptide and launched himself at the Titan of the Air and Hunt, driving the leaf-shaped blade up to the hilt into the Titan's chest.
"Aaarrrggg! Damn you, sea spawn!" Lelantos cried as he dropped to his knees, in immense pain but still very much alive. That is until Percy -who channeled his increased strength from his Curse of Achilles- raised his foot to the Titan's chest, gripped Riptide and performed a powerful push kick that sent the Titan over the edge of the cliff and onto a few of his brothers before falling through the clouds and out of sight below. Percy wasted no time rushing to Kampê and slashing Riptide through her right front leg like a guillotine, screaming as he swung at the Monster. The monstrous behemoth bellowed in rage and pain, sending her scorpion tail and snakes on her ankles after Percy. One of the snake heads managed to bite his arm but quickly found it's fangs broken from his impenetrable skin.
oooOooo
The battle continued like that for longer than Percy would ever like to recall. The five of them managed to keep the Titans, Monsters and Kampê back, using the natural incline of the mountain to their advantage. But it wouldn't last for long. Piper was hit by a wave of energy thrown from an unknown Titan and landed on her ankle wrong. Even Jason heard the bone snap from his place in the air above them. Nico was about to collapse, after summoning a large army of skeletons he could barely stand as he held his bleeding side with his free arm, his Stygian Iron sword swinging wildly in the other. Annabeth was in the worst condition however, she was currently bleeding out atop a tall pillar of snow -courtesy of Percy- so that she was out of harm's way as Percy danced around the cliffside like a madman, slashing, cutting, kicking, punching and stabbing anything that moved with a feral ferocity that rivaled that of the very Titans he faced.
From above him, Percy heard a pained yell. 'Whaaaack!' "Ahhhh!" Jason cried out in pain, being punished for his momentary lapse in concentration when a Titan managed to hit him out of the sky. Jason braced for impact but it still shook every bone in his body. He managed to stop rolling a few feet besides Percy who was on the shoulders of a large Titan, repeatedly stabbing him in the shoulders and head with Riptide for nearly killing Annabeth. Jason rose to his feet before instantly falling back down in pain and raised his hand at the Titan. "Brace yourself, Percy!" Not a second later he sent an enormous bolt of electricity at the Titan, causing it -and Percy- to scream before the monstrous Titan dropped to the ground, its flesh charred black and smoking, dead. Percy struggled to his feet but after a second he walked over to Jason like he was perfectly fine and held out a hand to him, helping him to his feet.
"Thanks, man." Jason winced as he rose to his feet fully. "Sorry for the blast of electricity, but I figured it'd be the fastest way to take him down."
"No prob, Grace." He said as he rotated his shoulders and stretched his back. "Thank the gods I'm resistant to electricity, right? My godly blood combined with my Curse of Achilles makes me pretty sturdy to most things, so don't worry about it. That wasn't enough electricity to do any real damage. You'll have to try harder than that to hurt me, bro." Percy finished with a quick smirk before becoming serious again. Jason watched as Percy eyed the battlefield around them. The Titans were starting to slow down but the sheer amount of Monsters at the base of the mountain were another story. They caught their breaths as they watched the determined Monsters join the minor Titans in their ascent up the mountain. "We need to do something soon before we're overrun."
"Like what?" Jason asked, putting his hands over his head to catch his breath. "Unless we take them all out in one big attack, they'll just keep coming at us." Jason paused to send another blast of lightning at a Titan with two heads that was trying to sneak up on them. "We'd need the power of a god to end this fight. We simply don't have the-" Jason was cut off when Percy put his hand on his shoulder, his eyes wide with realization.
"Say that again." Percy commanded.
"What?" Asks Jason, confused. "We'd need the power of a god?"
Percy nodded vigorously, his hand closing in a tight fist. He faced Jason suddenly. "Mount Olympus grants the gods their powers, right?" Jason opened his mouth to answer but Percy kept going. "So shouldn't the same be true for us as demigods?"
Jason blinked. "I don't think it works the same way for us-"
"Of course it does! Can't you feel it?" Percy asked, looking up the the mountain above them, eyeing at as he had just been hit with an idea.
Jason looked around, confused. "Feel what?"
"The power flowing through this place?" Percy paused and noticed Jason's confused look. He gave him an incredulous look. "You mean you can't feel it?" Jason shook his head. "All the growing power as we climb further up the mountain, it feels like it's energizing me or something."
Jason blinked again. "I don't understand-"
"Well that's not too uncommon." Percy joked before immediately becoming serious again. "I have a plan, but I need you to help me with something… but it could be dangerous."
Jason recognized how serious Percy was and decided not to reply to his joking insult. "Anything," He said. "Just tell me."
Percy nodded seriously before pointing to the others. "We need Nico to get the girls out of here, they're in and shape and will be at risk. I've got a plan." Without warning he darted off to intercept Kampê as she tried to slice him with her scorpion tail again, dodging and weaving as he avoided her colossal body. She received an avalanche of rock and snow to the face for her actions.
"But what's your plan, Percy?" Jason asked as he ran over to the cliff and started to summon more wind and lightning.
"To quote Connor, I'm gonna bring down this damn mountain on top of them! Hopefully Zeus won't be too pissed. If I'm right then I should be able to ask the mountain for help. Help keep the Titans back for as long as you can!" With that, Percy shouted his orders to Nico who looked weary at his plan, but shadow traveled to Annabeth anyway, took her by the arm and said something to her that couldn't be heard because of the distance before shadow traveling away and appearing next to Piper and quickly began morphing back into a shadow with the two girls. Nico was about to shadow travel off the mountain with Piper and Annabeth, but was stopped when Percy grabbed his arm tightly.
"Take care of them for me, Nico." Percy said seriously, looking to his younger friend with a shaking jaw, hard face and worried eyes. "I- I may not… make it… so look after Annabeth for me, please. Protect her for me."
Nico squared his jaw and nodded solemnly as he helped Piper stand next to him. He wanted to tell Percy off for coming up with this plan, did he even think about how Annabeth was going to react? But he knew that honestly, this was their best option, and that there was no way to talk Percy out of it. Nico just prayed to all the gods that were listening to look after his best friend. The son of Hades nodded solemnly. "I will, Percy, you have my word." Nico held out his free hand. "You just do what you gotta do."
Percy shook his hand tightly, nodding with a tight smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, bro. Don't come back for me, you focus on getting everyone out of here alive. Try to call the gods for backup once you do, there's no telling how long I'll be able to hold them back. Go back to the Pillars of Heracles, try asking him for some help. He's the closest god since the rest are in America, having him in the fight couldn't hurt. If that fails try calling your dad or Thanatos, with all the deaths happening here, at least one of them should be around here." At that Percy turned around and bolted further up the mountain, calling the Titans offensive names that neither Nico or Jason feel like repeating, getting their attentions and making them chase after him.
oooOooo
Nico had only left with the girls twenty minutes ago, but it felt like several hours had passed. After seeing more than half of their enemies flee, the minor Titans and Kampê seemed to get a second wind, believing that their victory was even closer. But Percy and Jason weren't going to go down without a fight. Percy could see the son of Jupiter soaring through the air like a fighter jet, bringing down the largest lightning storm he had ever produced while Percy stayed on the ground, taking a more hands on approach to fighting the Titans. The son of the Earthshaker barreled at the attacking Titans like an out of control berserker, swinging his sword and shield around like a maniac, screaming as he charged them like an out of control locomotive. The very mountain beneath them rumbling at each step of the demigod as he got ever closer to his opponents. Percy slammed into the closest Titan with all of his might, thankful that his Curse of Achilles protected him from dislocating his shoulder when he ran into the Titan with enough force to shatter tempered steel.
"Gaaahhh!" The Titan bellowed in pain, watching as his leg was suddenly facing the wrong direction. The colossal Titan fell, flailing his arm wildly, trying to hit Percy, but none of the blows made contact. Taking advantage of his enemy's pain, Percy drove Riptide into the Titan's neck and jerked his arm back, slicing through the flesh and killing the Titan.
Percy quickly faced the line of Titans and Monsters, walls of earth and snow rolling like waves towards the group with Percy at the epicenter. Percy thrusted his sword into the sky, the heavens rumbling and the earth shaking. "Who else wants some?!"
oooOooo
(June 1, 2010 - Mount Olympus, NY, Council Room)
"Tell me why in Chaos' name we aren't down there! The demigods are dying and need our help!" A voice roared from a throne resembling a fisherman's chair. The god on it was seething and the crashing oceans around the world showed that.
"You know why, brother." Zeus said with an irritated tone, his stormy eyes narrowed at his older brother. "And you know why we cannot-."
"To Hades with your reasoning!" Poseidon yelled, his hands slamming down on his seat, causing the earth to rumble and the oceans to rise slightly. "The Promised Day isn't even a year away yet! We have more than enough power to flash down there, kill those Titans and save our children!"
"I agree with Poseidon, husband." Lady Hera spoke from her throne of dazzling peacock feathers, looking to her husband with pleading eyes. "I may not be fond of some of them, but the demigods are our family. And as the goddess of family-."
"As the King of the gods I forbid it." Zeus cut her off, looking from his wife to Poseidon. "I do not care how fond you are of your child, brother, but the life of one demigod is not worth the lives of the entire pantheon!"
Poseidon jumped to his feet, the impact causing the ground beneath them to shake. "My son's life is worth ten of yours, brother!" He spit out the word like poison, his aura fluctuating dangerously. "And I cannot sit idly by as I watch the demigods- no, our children," He scanned the hardened faces of the council around him before looking back to his brother. "Die because we ordered them to their deaths!"
Zeus jumped from his throne, summoning his Master Bolt and symbol of his power and pointing it at his brother. "Sit. Down. Now!" He bellowed, the sky around them rumbling dangerously. "As your king I order you to stay in Olympus! If you leave to help the demigods then you will be committing treason!"
"Do you even hear yourself, brother?" Poseidon cried, gesturing to his younger brother. "Try thinking of them as children and not as nameless things! You won't even call them anything except 'demigods'. They. Are. Our. Children."
"That is of no consequence!" Zeus retorted, his neatly trimmed beard shaking from his roars. "As I said, we must ensure the safety of the pantheon, nothing else matters!"
Poseidon pointed to the floating ball at the center of the room that was displaying the battlefield in real time, thanks to Hecate, over the Hearth where Hestia quietly sat. "Your son, along with mine, are fighting for their lives against any army of Titans not even one of us could defeat single handedly." The other gods silently watched as the orb showed Percy standing further up the mountain storing power as Jason flew below him summoning down lightning bolts on the massive horde. "You see that?" Poseidon stepped closer to the orb and hovered his hand over it. "I can hear my son, he's praying to us for help. To grant him the power necessary to win!" The god of the Seas eyed every member of the council as they sat with pained faces watching the battle. "Do you not hear his desperate cries in your heads? Feel his terrified please in your bones? Do you all feel nothing?!"
From the other side of the room a lithe girl of twelve stood, dressed in a silver hunting cloak, her silver bow appearing in her hand. She looked to Zeus. "Father, allow me and my hunters to flash to Greece, I can assist Perseus and Jason-."
"No, sit down." Zeus spat at his daughter, the girl hesitated a few seconds before complying. "We can not risk our lives to assist the demigods, the danger is too high. If it is their Fate to die-."
"Their Fate?!" Poseidon roared, the floor beneath them vibrating as he stepped towards his brother dangerously. "You are sending them to their deaths! Do not claim that it is their Fate!"
Zeus stepped forwards as well, his Master Bolt gripped tightly in his hand. "Sit down, brother," He warned, the air around him growing thick with electricity. "You are bordering on treason-."
"And you are bordering on madness!" Poseidon countered, summoning his Trident and slamming it to the ground, causing the earth to rumble. "When will you realize that we cannot survive without the demigods? If you allow them to die here then it doesn't matter if we make it to the Promised Day or not, because we would have already lost."
"Lower your Trident," Zeus ordered, his own weapon in his hand. "There is no need-."
Poseidon stepped forwards so that he and Zeus were almost nose to nose. "Make me-."
"That is enough!" A voice called out as two arms pushed the brothers apart a few paces. A second later Hera bravely stepped in between the two, her eyes looking like she was scolding a child. "What is wrong with you two? Olympus is on the verge of destruction and you two cannot behave! You are acting like children!"
"You dare-." Zeus started but was cut off when a wall of flames burst from the Hearth and prevented him from moving towards his wife. The council silently turned to where a little girl of nine rose from beside the Hearth. She was dressed in an earthy brown dress and her usual calm eyes were literally blazing with rage.
"Sit down, little brother." Hestia ordered, her young voice low with rage before looking to everyone around her. "All of you, sit." Poseidon and Hera sat immediately, Artemis, Apollo and Ares- who had all jumped to their feet in preparation for a fight- sat down a second later. The only figure daring to defy the first and last Olympian was Zeus. Hestia narrowed her eyes dangerously at the king of the gods. "I said sit." The flames of the Hearth flared to life around her, scorching the floor and ceiling and causing the other gods in the room to pull back in their seats. Zeus sat a second later. "We are gods, not children. It is our duty to govern over this world and protect it from those that would wish harm upon it. But we cannot do that if we are fighting each other."
She looked between Zeus and Poseidon. "We will end the council meeting here to allow ourselves to regain our composure. We cannot allow our emotions to control us." Her eyes flickered to Poseidon. "I am sure that you have flooded some small island somewhere and dropped a few cliffs into the sea, brother." She waved her hand in dismissal to Hera. "Sister, take your childish husband to your palace and calm him down." Hera quickly nodded and rose, grabbing the arm of her husband and flashing them out of the room. While she very rarely gave them, every god on the council knew to follow Hestia's orders. She was the eldest Olympian and therefor had the most power, she could raze a nation to the ground with a torrent of fire faster than the gods could blink if she wanted to, so the gods knew to respect her.
Finally, Hestia looked to Poseidon. "Come with me, brother, you require peace of mind as well. I too do not wish to see young Perseus to die."
oooOooo
Back on the rumbling mountain in Greece the two most powerful sons of the Big Three battled the approaching army. If the blood dripping from Jason's slacked arm was anything to go by, the two wouldn't last long. As he sent down lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the Titans and Monsters, Jason could feel a mass of swirling power above him right before he heard someone yell his name.
"Jason!" The voice cried. Jason instantly recognized it as Percy's. He turned in the sky to face his best friend. Percy was a hundred or so feet up on the mountain, his arms shaking as he held them over his head, if his quaking knees were any indication, he was straining his body as he controlled something. "Get out of here!"
"I just can't leave you-."
"Do it!" Percy cut him off, his body shaking under the strain. "If you don't, you'll die too! Don't make Piper go through that too!" Jason was about to say something but those last words make his heart stop and his eyes widen.
"Oh gods…" He muttered under his breath as the realization hit him. "No…"
"Get to the others and take them home! Don't wait for me. I might not..." Percy ordered, his voice tight with strain. "Protect- protect Annabeth for me. Tell her…"
Percy didn't look like he could finish so Jason nodded silently, understanding. After summoning down one last powerful lightning bolt, he performed a hand gesture over his heart like was warding off evil. "You have my word, Perce." He whispered as he flew higher into the sky and out of the reach of the army. "May the Fates be with you." With that the son of Jupiter shot away from the mountain, leaving behind his best friend, leaving him to die to save his own life. Jason bit back tears as he broke the sound barrier to chase down the retreating Argo II. I'll tell Annabeth for you, he thought. I promise.
As soon as he knew Jason was out of the way, Percy let out a primal, pain-filled cry as he released the swirling vortex of snow, water, stone and wounded Titans from the sky and threw them at the army as they climbed up the mountain after him.
"Aaah!"
"Arrgg!"
"By the Primordials!"
The cries of the Titans and Monsters could be heard as they tumbled down the cliffs, roars of pain and anger. Percy almost dropped to his knees but determination and adrenaline kept him standing, he wasn't done yet, not even close. They were still breathing.
"Father!" Percy cried into the heavens, his veins protruding from his neck as spit flew from his mouth. "Hades! Hephaestus! I beg you, grant me your power over the earth to level this mountain down around the Titans! I don't care what happens to me, just let me end this and avenge my friends, please! Let me kill these Titans!"
But no reply came. The mountain air around him continued to blow around him like it hadn't heard him. Letting a few curses escape his gritted teeth, Percy hobbled to the cliffside behind him and placed his hands on the exposed earth, sensing every minute rumble, every minor fluctuation under the earth, gathering all of the power he could to level the mountain under him.
"Guess I gotta do it myself…" He mumbled as the cliff started to rumble under his touch. With another cry he pulled back before slamming his closed fists on the mountain with all of his might, causing the earth to rumble around him. Massive stones the size of elephants crumbled and fell down around him, all of the snow in his area shooting down the mountain towards the army.
Pulling back his fist, Percy cried as he threw it into the cliff with a deafening blow, the falling dust and snow blowing back from the sheer impact. His Curse of Achilles protected his skin from breaking and hardened his bones, but each haymaker he sent at the mountain still shook his bones and made him bite his lip and curse in pain, it felt like he was repeatedly shattering every bone in his hands every time he punched.
"Ahhh!" He cried again as he drove his shoulder into the cliff, causing more stone and snow to fall, most missing him but a few boulders and piles of snow managed to hit him in the head. "Gaaah!" He fell to one knee under the weight, his skull feeling like it had burst in two after the last impact, but he forced himself to his feet and charged at the mountain again, screaming.
"Come on, Percy!" He bit out through bloody teeth as he made himself stand again after his last shoulder check made him stumble to his knees. He looked up to the mountain, he could sense he was making an impact, he didn't know how, but he knew that if he kept this up that the mountain would fall and the Titans and Monsters would die. He only had to keep it up. "You can do this!" With that cry he charged again, putting all of his strength into the tackle and drove his crossed arms into the mountainside.
'Crrraaaccckkk!' The mountain shook like a flying cruise ship had struck it, causing it to rumble and break down around him. But too slow.
"Get the demigod before he kills us all!" A Titan yelled from a few hundred feet below Percy, a few other Titans behind him brandished their weapons and threw themselves at Percy.
"Kill the demigod!" The cried as they flew at them. Percy forced himself to a knee, not able to stand. He summoned Riptide and used the weapon to help him stand before rising to his shaking feet and pointing the blade at the horde.
"I am Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon! Slayer of Kronos and Champion of the gods! Come as much… as you want, but I will not yield, I will not surrender! And I… will not die until I send you all to Tartarus even… if I have to bring Mount Olympus down on top of us!" He roared, a feat that required a good amount of his limited energy but he held firm and ordered his body to hold despite the screaming in his bones and and the pounding in his head. He would die here, he knew that, he had come to terms with it when he sent the others away. But being in the moment? Now knowing for certain that he was going to die, what was going through his mind? What was he feeling? Only a sickening pang of guilt and sorrow for leaving his loved ones too early. "I'm sorry, mom… Annabeth… I'll see you in Hades." He was about to leap off of the cliff and launch himself at the ground to put his last embers of strength into his attack when above him the sky rumbled and a second later the air smelled of saltwater and something flew down from the clouds and landed in front of him.
It was a Trident, but not just any Trident, but his dad's Trident. His godly weapon that granted him complete and total control over the seas and earth. Percy instantly understood, his dad was watching but couldn't help directly, so he sent him his Trident. Percy eyed the godly weapon cautiously, with this he might be able to win, but even just sitting on his dad's throne as a kid felt like it was going to vaporize him, could he even survive controlling, let alone holding the Trident? The sky rumbled lowly above him and Percy received his answer. His dad wouldn't have sent it to him if he didn't believe in him. With a trembling hand, Percy reached towards the Trident. He could feel the aura of power the weapon gave off increase by every centimeter as he got closer until he finally thrust his hand forward and grabbed the Trident.
It felt like he was blown apart atom by atom, he couldn't describe it in words. They couldn't do it justice. He felt every wave across the world, saw every fish in the seas, sensed every foot as it stepped on the earth and could feel his body growing in tune with the storming sky above him. Only a few paces away the nearest Titans thrust their weapons forward, believing that the still and crouching demigod had either died or was beyond his breaking point, not recognizing the weapon in his hands until it was too late.
"Oh no, that's-!"
"GAAAHHH!" 'BOOOM!' The air around Percy exploded as the prongs of the Trident made contact with the Titan, causing the creature to burst like an exploding grape and shooting his remains back at his brothers with enough force to knock them to their feet.
"What the-?"
Percy was losing consciousness, he could tell by the way his vision blurred and his bones quaked. But he wouldn't let himself die before he killed the Titans, so he thrusted the Trident over his head and found himself flying on a spinning column of snow, air and earth as he hovered over the trembling Titans, primal roars escaping his lips without him knowing as the sky around him darkened. With every move of his fingers the waves hundreds of miles away slammed against the rocks and beaches. With every shout the entire mountain below him shook and rumbled, threatening to crumble in on itself. With every breath the air around him fluctuated, the heavens bristling with electricity and rain and hail bore down on the countryside.
His vision was fading, he had to do this now! With one last final cry Percy thrust the Trident above him into the sky and swung it over his head like a sling. Within seconds the rain, hail, earth, snow and storm halted from falling in the air around him and started to rise and circle the heavens.
Several dozen tons of stone, earth and snow lifted from the mountain, breaking apart and forming into the swirling mass above them. From the peak of the mountain a deafening rumbling shook the sky and Percy cried, echoing the sound as his voice reverberated against the mountaintops and cliffs, causing rocks to shatter, snow to evaporate instantly and all mortal life within the mountain range to lose consciousness from the sheer amount of pressure, energy and power flowing around them.
With what he thought to be his last, the Son of the Seas cast the massive swirling vortex of stone, water, snow and bodies down at the mountain. The deafening impact sounding like the earth had split in two because of the force. For thousands of miles around him, the earth shook from the impact, the seas leapt into the heavens and the sky rumbled like the very atmosphere around him burst.
And then there was nothing but darkness and silence throughout the world as the earth stumbled from the power he unleashed. The heavens darkened and every mortal being, human and animal alike, collapsed to the ground, asleep, a second before the god of Sleep fell to it in exhaustion, causing the world to forget the titanic display of power.
oooOooo
(May 5, 2011 - Percy and Annabeth's bedroom)
The sound of shattering glass and a shriek woke Percy, causing him to quickly sit forward on his bed and look around the dark room with worried eyes. "Anna-?"
"Oh thank the gods." A mass of blonde hair engulfed his vision as he came to. Annabeth hugged him for a half a minute before letting go and pulling back so that her face was in front of his. "Are you okay, Percy?" She asked, her grey orbs searching his. "You were shaking and crying out in pain."
It was only now when he noticed the spikes of ice jutting into the walls and the frost in Annabeth's hair. "What happened?"
Her eyes darted to the shards of glass in a small puddle on their nightstand. "My glass of water… you… made it explode."
His eyes widened as he began to check her all over for injuries. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No," She reassured him, shaking her head slightly before dropping it on his bare chest. "But I was so worried for you, Percy." She paused to snake her arms around him and pressed herself as close to him as she could. "You were shaking and crying out in pain for ten minutes, I tried everything but I couldn't get you to wake up. I almost went and got Clovis from Hypnos to wake you up." She admitted.
"I'd appreciate if you didn't." He muttered under his breath. "The camp can't know about this."
Her head tore from his chest. "Why?" She demanded. "And before you lie, I know what you were dreaming about, Percy." Her eyes softened and so did her voice. "Just because you have nightmares about the Third Titanomachy doesn't make you weak or anything. You are allowed to be afraid of things."
"But as the leader of camp I can't show that fear." He told her, leaning back onto his soaked pillows. "They're just bad dreams, I'm fine-."
"If you were fine I would hear you crying in your sleep almost every night." She gave him a hard look. "If you won't talk to me… then go see Katie-."
"And join her group crying parties?" Yeah," He scoffed. "No thanks."
"It's called Trauma Therapy," She said calmly, trying to maintain her cool. If she started to raise her voice when he was like this they would end up getting into an argument. This very subject had been the cause of a few of them over the months and she didn't feel like getting into one now. "And they get together to help each other get through things. Not all of them are there because of the Third Titan War-."
"Most of them are." He cut in, letting out a long breath through his nose. "And I don't need to talk about my feelings."
"That's bull and you know it." She leaned in close, her face a few inches in front of his. "Percy, there's nothing wrong with having PT-."
"Oh there you go again about me having PTSD." He cut her off again, pulling away and climbing out of bed, pausing to look at her before he walked out the door. "I'm fine, Beth. Now let's just drop it, okay? Get some sleep, I have some camp paperwork to do."
She sat up in the bed. "You're not coming back to bed?"
"Pfft," He let out a soft breath of air. "You know I can't sleep after those dreams. I don't want to keep you up anymore than I already have."
"But-."
"Night." He was about to close the door when he paused and looked back at his girlfriend, his face betraying him as it watched her with pained eyes. He whispered, "Sorry. I love you, Wisegirl" before shutting the door and heading to his office to try to make a dent in the stack of work he needed to do. The entire time berating himself for treating Annabeth like that. After a few minutes of staring blankly at the papers in front of him, Percy let out a curse as he rose from his desk and made his way into their microscopic kitchen, turned the stove on and started to dig through the fridge. He'd apologize with breakfast in bed when Annabeth gets up in a hour. And then apologize more and promise not to snap at her like that again. And then most likely have to sign up for private sessions with Katie to talk about his dreams.
Domestic life sucked some times when you lived with someone else, but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
oooOooo
(May 5, 2011 - Unknown location)
A tall, slim figure with a wild mane of red hair that went out in every direction stood facing a stony rock wall in a dimly lit cave. The figure swayed back and forth methodically to an inaudible song, side to side endlessly, its striking green eyes rolled back into its head, its arms waved to and fro as it dragged brushes against the bare rock watching an unseeable story play in its head, trying to bring to life the visions dancing in its eyes, trying to glimpse some meaning from the images that had been flying through its mind for the past few weeks.
Its bare, rainbow colored toes danced on the rock as it swayed and darted on the stone floor, reaching out in every direction at once to paint the pictures from its mind. All around the figure, colorful, striking markings lined the walls of the cave, not a single inch of the walls spared from the paint. Blurry, distorted golden streaks cut and slashed over the purple blotches along the walls, the two colors trying to overtake the other. All along the cave the two colors danced and battled for dominance, fighting for the upperhand though never gaining an inch for longer than a few seconds. Every night now for a solid week the figure rose to paint the colors, each hand commanding a color as the two participated in an endless, whirling dance of death, each stroke of the brush a detriment to the other color as they endlessly fought for the upperhand.
Among the streaks of gold and purple, tiny, almost unnoticeable swirling blotches of orange and light green dotted the walls watching the two other colors, waiting for the right time to challenge the victor for dominance. The figure, its lithe body drenched in the colors, desperately tried to represent the ever changing tapestry of visions dancing in front of it unseeing eyes until the early hours of the morning when the sun just started to creep over the horizon. The early morning rays shining onto and through the gaps of the large velvet curtains blocking the entrance of the cave and making their way into the cavern and filling the previous darkness with an ethereal glow. Once the light snaked its way through the room over the weathered stone, ancient brittle bones and rusty swords it touched the skin of the figure, snapping it out of its trance, causing it to collapse to the floor with exhaustion from dancing around and painting all night.
The mass of frizzy red hair let out a few audible groans as it came to, released from its duty, tired, sore and nursing a splitting headache. After letting out a few curses under its breath, the figure slowly rose from the stone floor and climbed to its feet, holding it's head in it's paint stained hands as it blinked and focused it's emerald green orbs on the myriad of purple and gold streaks staining it's stone walls. After the few seconds the figure let out a defeated sigh and made its way further into the cave where it's chambers lied, desperate for a few short hours of respite before its visions plagued it again and forced it to wake once more to paint the colors once again that night.
With shaking legs and trembling hands, the figure made it to its chamber and collapsed onto the bed, burying its face into the mattress and immediately succumbing to the spell of Hypnos and falling into a deep slumber.
Back out in the paint stained cavern, the fresh paint streaked and ran from the walls, the two main colors running over the other to the floor, the streaks and blotches of gold and purple now washing over the other as gravity pulled them to the earth.
But the walls weren't the only surface to be covered, up in the eerie darkness of the cave, hidden and blocked by shadows, another collection of colors rested. Along the stalactites and stone was an ever flowing swirl of golden red and orange/light green mix like a vortex. At the center of the swirl stood two crude figures crafted out of sharp lines and paint blotches, one twice the size of the other, they were standing in front of the other, thin, straight streaks like weapons held over their heads as they swung them down on the other, one a large streak with a blocky end while the other was thinner and ended with three points. Though they remained unmoving, the figures seemed alive with a sort of ominous aura surrounding them, the power flowing from their images alone was enough to cause the insects and animals to flee from the cave and dart into the woods, the painter being the only creature willing to go near them. Each set of colors, golden red and orange/light green danced on the ceiling around the other, among them were several scenes crudely worked around the rock and stone. A rough, crumbling mountain could be seen around the two, the two figures in front of or on it. Dark blue, almost black waves rolled up along the sides of the ceiling behind the smaller figure wielding the pronged weapon. Massive stones lined the heavens around the two as they fought, almost like they were dancing in the sky. The aforementioned sky, was abyss black above the two figures and was lighter the further it got from the two, with streaks of soft red dancing at the edges of the black mass, trying to power it's way through to the two battling figures but not being able to gain an inch against the power of the blackness.
The glorious and ominous scene above went completely unnoticed by the painter as it made its way to its chamber, however, unaware that it had been working on that specific piece for the past month every night, only remembering vague glimpses of the gold and purple fighting below on the walls. Not knowing that the scene above its head was there or how crucial it would soon be to its friends, humanity, the gods and the very fabric of the Tapestry of Fate itself.
(Author's Note)
How did you like that ominous foreshadowing at the end there? Let me know what you think of it means and who you think the mysterious painter is. It's a canon character, btw.
Let me know what you thought of the chapter with a Review, Follow and Favorite and follow me on Twitter.
Fun Fact: Leonidas killed the Nemean Lion when he was fourteen, same as Percy, but he did it alone and with his bare hands and not with the help of the Hunters or disgusting astronaut food.
Question of the day: "What do you think is Leonidas' Fatal Flaw?" If you don't remember, they were introduced in 'The Sea of Monsters' and are flaws or weaknesses that people have. For example Percy's is Excessive/Personal Loyalty while Annabeth's is Hubris or deadly pride. Using what you know about Leonidas so far in this story, what do you think his flaw is? I'm actually curious to know what you guys think. His Fatal Flaw will be expanded on throughout the story and is a major part of his character, obviously. It'll be obvious by the end if you don't have an idea yet, no worries. Let me know and I'd love to talk about it.
