9/3/20

Gods, I am REALLY sorry about the wait you guys, a lot has been going on and I didn't have much time to write, and I didn't even know what to write.

Reading the reviews never fails to bring a smile to my face. Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to leave a review.

Wordcount: 1999

The Doors pt. 1

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Argo POV:

The gods arrived at dinnertime.

The remaining Seven, plus Reyna, Nico, and Hedge were sitting at the dining table. Leo was in the kitchen whipping up his signature Tofu tacos, which went just as fast as he could make them. A map of Europe covered the table, plates pushed to the edges. After they reached the Doors of Death, which were still two days away, and closed them, Nico, Reyna, and Hedge were going to make their way back to the States via shadow travel, Athena Parthenos in tow. If everything went to plan, they would be at camp the day before Gaea rose.

Festus was guiding the ship, an occasional creak or groan letting Leo know about any potential threats. Leo had tried to stop him from pointing out every flock of birds he saw, but Festus insisted. After the "incident" with Khione, Leo made sure to keep Festus on at all times. He wasn't taking any chances.

They had been near-constantly harassed by everything to Stymphalian birds to a stray pegasus who snatched a donut out of Leo's hand while he was at the helm.

The deck above them groaned, and there was a loud crash, most likely from one of the storage boxes they moved up there to make room for the giant statue that currently took up the whole bottom level of the ship. Without a second thought, the crew grabbed their weapons and rushed up the stairs, ready for a fight. They had been near-constantly harassed by everything to Stymphalian birds to a stray pegasus who snatched a donut out of Leo's hand while he was at the helm.

There was a rather hilarious sight that greeted them. There were a dozen or so figures dotted around the top deck of the Argo, one of which had knocked over one of the storage boxes. They all radiated power and held themselves like gods, which they very well might be. The figure which knocked over the box, spilling silverware all over the deck, glowed slightly. Another figure, which seemed to be a prepubescent girl, was laughing at the fallen figure. All the others seemed to be in various states of amusement, ranging from snickering to chuckling.

As the crew gathered at the top of the stairs, Nico grabbed Jason's arm, holding him back before he could charge, recognition painted on his face, "Wait, don't." Jason looked at him confused but held his hand to stop the rest of the crew. They all stopped, albeit reluctantly, and glanced around, just in case.

"Why are the gods here? Now?" Nico muttered, just loud enough for the rest of the crew to hear him. They sent him wide-eyed looks, but Frank, Hazel, and Leo nodded slowly, the only ones to have seen their parents.

The gods, having finally realized they have company, straightened up and faced their children. The god who had knocked over the box stood, dusting off his jeans, giving the crew a blinding smile.

"Demigods," one of the gods, who had a large grey beard and electric blue eyes, thundered, "We have arrived to accompany the quest to recapture the Doors of Death, and put Gaea back to sleep."

The demigods, who under most other circumstances would have kneeled or bowed, stayed standing. Nico was outright glaring at them, which was ignored.

"I am Jupiter, king of the gods," he continued, "and my brothers, Hades-" he gestured to one of the gods at the back of the group, standing next to the mast. He wore a dark cloak and held his helm between his fingers like it was nothing more than a paperweight. "and Poseidon," He pulled forward another god by his forearm, and his appearance startled the demigods. The king of the sea looked deathly. He looked around fifty, and his bloodshot eyes had deep bags under them. He leaned on his trident like it was the only thing keeping him standing. His Hawaiian shirt hung off his frame as if it were several sizes too big.

Zeus continued on, "My children, Apollo and Artemis,-" Artemis nodded at the heroes, wearing her usual silver hunter uniform. Apollo grinned at them, briefly blinding everyone except Nico who, having met the god before, knew to look away. Apollo wore casual blue jeans and a white t-shirt with bold black print that read, 'Apollo is Awesome.'

"Hermes,-" The messenger god smiled kindly at the teenagers. He wore khakis and a plain brown shirt. "Mars,-" The god nodded at the demigods. He had on U.S military fatigues, complete with a ballistic vest. "Dionysus,-" The pudgy god ignored the demigods, instead drinking a cup of Diet Coke. "Hephestus,-" The forge god grunted in acknowledgment, his bronze leg braces creaking as he shifted, "And Minerva,-" The wisdom goddess seemed infuriated that she was stuck as a Roman, and seemed dead set on taking it out on the members of the quest, glaring straight at them.

"And lastly, my sister, Ceres." The goddess snapped her fingers, and bowls of cereal appeared in each of the demigod's hands, despite it being nearly eight at night.

Silence reigned as the two groups stared at each other, unsure of what to do next. Leo finally broke the silence, asking, "Do-do you want any tacos? They're tofu!"

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Percy POV:

Up close, the monster horde didn't seem any less intimidating. They had managed to get 20 yards away from the swarm, and he was making his way up a ridge to where Zoë was. The terrain, which had looked mostly flat from their vantage point, was really a constant series of ditches and hills, and purple "veins" the size of his thigh stuck out of the ground every few feet. He had put his hand on one, and a tingling sensation crept up his arm. It was filled with water from the Styx. He touched another, and he could feel the Lethe water running through it. The rivers of the underworld must all end up here, he mused.

He pulled himself up the last ridge and crawled over to where Zoë was. She was lying prone, partially hidden by a rock. There was a small slope leading down to where the monster horde began, maybe 35 or so feet away.

He nudged her with his elbow, "Remember the plan?" It wasn't a very good plan, really. They were going to carve a path through the horde until they reached the doors, which they would exit through. Zoë didn't know that someone had to stay here, but she didn't need to know. Preferably, she wouldn't know. Not until she was on her way back to the mortal world.

Zoë nodded, " I remember. Ready?" Vengeance appeared as he tensed, ready to leap up and charge the monster closest to them. Shadows reached towards him, forming around him until he felt the cool touch of metal cover his body.

"Now!" Zoë hissed, and they both lept up, sprinting down the hill.

They made it around twenty feet before they were spotted. A cyclops bellowed in alarm, causing the surrounding monsters to turn around, drawing weapons.

The monsters barely had time to react before they stuck. Percy drove his sword deep into the stomach of a cyclops, ripping it out before slicing its head clean off. He turned, catching a dracaena's sword on his blade. He grabbed the monster's wrist, pulling it closer. He shoved his sword through her chest, the tip piercing out of it's back.

He pulled his sword free, the weapon elongating until his scythe sat in his hands, which he swung at a row of Laestrygonians, toppling them like dominos. He risked a glance at Zoë, just in time to see her decapitate an empousa with Riptide.

He turned around just in time to see a dozen Drachane archers launch a volley of arrows at him. There were too many to cut out of the air and not enough time to duck under them all. There was a sudden throbbing behind his left eye, like whenever he had one of those gods-awful migraines, and a golden glow surrounded the arrows. They began moving through the air like it was pudding, or syrup maybe. It gave him enough time to duck, and as soon as he was clear of the path of the arrows, they zoomed over his head, impaling some unlucky monster behind him. The pounding in his head faded as he stood back up.

He needed a way to take care of those archers, and he didn't like the odds of somehow slowing another volley of arrows. There was a large, purple vein behind them, and he could feel one of the rivers running through it. He smirked. Perfect. With a wave of his hand, the vein exploded, covering the snake ladies in liquid fire. They instantly exploded into golden dust and were subsequently washed away.

He felt something bump against his back, and he almost turned around until he heard Zoë's voice, "You were glowing gold." Despite her best efforts, he could still hear the fear in her voice. His face morphed into a scowl. He hated it when he scared his friends, but he didn't have much of a choice right now.

They continued pushing towards the doors, Percy leading the way and Zoë watching his back. Veins exploded, dousing monsters in water from each of the rivers of the underworld. Vengeance struck, again and again, felling handfuls of monsters with each swipe of the scythe, but even it wasn't enough. There were simply too many.

He had gotten a hundred or so yards when it all went wrong. He was knocking a stray arrow out if the sky when a cyclops blindsided him, slamming its club into his ribcage. It sent him flying in a random direction, thankfully in an empty space.

The armor absorbed most of the hit, but when he stood, he had to lean on the butt of his scythe to stay standing. The coppery taste of blood infected his mouth as he watched a curtain of monsters descend, separating him from Zoë.

A red tinge tainted his vision. He would NOT let Zoë die again. A guttural scream tore it's way out of his throat as the ground erupted around him, sending geysers of water high into the hazy red sky. Water from all the rivers if the underworld swirled around him, forming a deadly hurricane. Arrows and javelins were thrown, but the storm blew them off course.

He stalked forward, the storm pelting any monsters who dared stand in his way. The storm itself disintegrated most everything in his way, and vengeance struck down the ones who survived.

The wall of monsters that separated him from Zoë broke apart, and he caught sight of her again. The storm was swirling around her, blowing her hair around, but the water didn't touch her. She was staring straight at him, Riptide held loosely in her right hand.

He shouted something, but the wind took his words. He gestured for her to come over, and it took a moment for her to move.

They stood shoulder to shoulder facing the doors, which were still nearly a mile away. They began to walk, and no monster wanted to stop them.

Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I wanted to split this chapter into 2 parts. I wanted to get something out soon, but if I finished what I wanted to do it would have been another week before I posted something. Really sorry about the massive btw.