Alright guys let me give you a pro tip. This is premium demigod knowledge that comes from years of experience and hard work.
When you see a giant standing in front of you with a mini army of monsters behind him, it's ok to start running around and screaming. Sadly, I had two gods behind me that I wasn't supposed to embarrass, so let's just assume I did it in my head.
Where were we? Right the giant.
This mission was never going to be easy, and I knew something was wrong when it turned out to be much easier than expected, but this was just had to be worse than we expected instead. During strategy meetings, we knew that we might have had to fight through many monsters in order to rescue Leo, but we never thought that there would be a giant here. I mean, shouldn't they be out celebrating in a world that's theirs now?
Either way, I stared at the smug face of the giant looming over us. He was just as Annabeth described him from all those years ago. Huge, easily 25 feet tall giant, with completely charcoal black skin. He had the standard draganoid legs that all of his brethren had, though he did seem to be a tad bit shorter than them. His hair was braided down the side with wires and smashed circuit boards. And hanging by his side was his large war hammer.
He spread his hands, "Welcome my friends" his voice boomed and echoed along the walls of the large chamber they were in.
He looked down at Leo, and tutted, shaking his head, "I am disappointed Leo. I thought seven years was enough to break your spirits, and here you are, defying me. Don't worry once we put down this little joke that you've brought up we'll get you back to your little room and teach you some manners won't we?"
I glanced towards Leo to see that he was gritting his teeth, trying to look angry and annoyed at Mimas, but I could see the fear in his eyes. Whatever Mimas promised, I knew I couldn't allow it to happen.
He glanced towards the gods to my side and sneered, "My, my how the mighty have fallen. You two should not still be alive but I have to say it makes me happy to see the state you're in. You're looking almost as pathetic as those children of yours Apollo, though I hoped to have heard them scream when they were hunted"
"You bastard!" Apollo screamed ready to pounce on the giant. I held him back to stop him from being killed, his body starting to warm up, smoke rising from his body.
He looked back at me, pure rage in his eyes as I slowly shook my head at him.
I looked back up to see Mimas looking at me with a contemplative look in his eyes, "I have to say I did not expect you to be here Perseus. Everyone had thought that you had been the first to die. It's saddening that you think you still have a chance, but it is ever so amusing to see a little demigod try and face those he has no power to defeat"
He spread his arms and gestured around the room, "So what is your plan heroes?" he spat out, "the four of you against all of us? I must say that exceeds any amount of stupidity I expect of you all. Now it's been a while since I've been able to experience any fun. Put on a good show for me won't you?"
With that his mini army behind him began to charge.
Now I'd like to say that the odds were slightly against us, but that would be a bit of an understatement. There was way too many to be hopeful. It was over hundred monsters against two weakened gods, a demigod who could barely stand and me. I mean, I've won with less, but that was with the curse of Achilles. Sadly, I made the executive decision to have that removed.
Stupid Tiber making me vulnerable again.
Almost immediately, the two archer gods beside me whipped out their bows and started firing at the approaching monsters at ungodly speeds (godly?). I gave a war cry as I leapt forward and lunged into the monster crowd, the satisfying feeling of my sword sinking into the belly of an empousa, causing her to explode into a pile of dust.
I rushed into the little army and swung my sword around like a maniac, each swing taking out a monster, a deadly arc leaving no remains in its wake.
Very soon I found myself surrounded by a hoard of cyclopes. I charged towards one of them and sidestepped a punch heading my way and stabbed it in the knee, it keeled over, and I stabbed it through the skull, sending it back to Tartarus. I turned around only to be met with a punch straight to my gut that lifted me off of my feet and sent me sprawling backwards, skidding painfully to a stop. I got up wincing and readied myself as the cyclopes charged at me.
I ducked under the first one's punch and stabbed it in the gut, immediately I stepped back as another punch came at me, but instead of striking back, I grabbed onto the cyclopes' hand and used it to vault over it and swung my sword in a deadly arc, taking out the heads of two cyclopes standing behind it.
I turned around and widened my eyes at the cyclopes that was about to grab me until a gold sword materialized through its stomach and it burst into flames. In its place stood Apollo who winked at me and rushed off into the fray.
I stood back up to catch my breath and I looked around me. I saw Artemis running in between the monster lines, her blades twirling and leaving a large pile of monster dust in her wake.
I loud roar of flames directed my attention to Leo who was holding back some monsters, with his fires, some burning to crisp and others trying to find a way to get to him. Sweat covered his face as he struggled to keep up the flames. I knew he must still be tired from his years in captivity.
I dashed towards him and used his fire as a distraction to take out all of the monsters that were trying to get to Leo. By the time they realized they were being attacked from their back it was too late, and they had all been reduced to ash. Leo was panting and nodded towards me in thanks, trying to catch his breath.
His eyes widened and he screamed, "Watch out"
Before I could head his advice, I was tossed backwards as a giant hand came out of nowhere and swatted me away. I looked up, gasping to see the grinning giant.
"You haven't forgotten about me already, have you demigod?" came the smug voice of Mimas, a smile still evident on his face.
"Trust me I ain't gonna be happy until you're gone" I grunted, standing back up.
"Well now Perseus", said Mimas, "I've heard a lot about you from my kin. Let's see how good you really are"
With that the giant swung his hammer down at me as I yelped and dove to the side, narrowly being crushed into immortal pulp. I regained my footing only to jump up as high as I could in order to escape the hammer that Mimas had dragged across the ground from where it impacted.
The bottom of the hammer however slightly clipped my left foot and I could feel my ankle pop. It didn't look like I was going to be using that until I got Apollo on me.
I slowly stood back up, leaning heavily on my right ankle and glared up at the smiling giant. His smug face was absolutely beaming at the thought of crushing just one more puny demigod.
A small fireball burst against his face and an angered Mimas turned towards Leo who had his hand out forming another fireball and launched it towards the giant again. This time he swatted it away with his hammer and it soared and hit a battalion of monsters closer to the wall, exploding and incinerating all of them. The wall next to it caved in too.
"YOU BRAT" Mimas snarled, "It's time I put you down once and for all". With that he started storming towards Leo without a care for his own monsters he was crushing underfoot. Leo had a panicked look in his eye. He must have experienced this too many times over the last seven years and I saw the almost broken look on his face. He was unarmed and about to face a giant without anywhere to run.
I looked around hastily until I saw a very familiar looking package hanging from Mimas' waist. I looked around and spotted Artemis finishing off a surge of cyclopes that had backed her to a wall. "Artemis!" I shouted and she looked up. I gestured over towards Mimas's waist and with wide eyes she nodded and drew her bow. Her arrow flew true and caught hold of the package and landed against Leo's feet. He jumped away from the arrow and looked up incredulously at Artemis wondering why she had just tried to kill him until I shouted, "Leo look down"
He looked down towards the arrow and after seven years that old glint in his eyes and his impish smile returned as he knelt down and picked up his old tool belt and latched it around his waist. He caressed the belt one more time before he reached in and pulled out his own hammer. He looked up at a surprised Mimas and lit his hammer on fire and charged.
I smiled and turned back around. There were still too many monsters around and Mimas couldn't be beaten unless one of the twins could get over to him. But with the number of enemies both gods were tied down and busy thinning down the numbers. I charged off towards the wall Leo blew up where monsters had gathered again and launched into action. I swung my sword left and right, pirouetting through the monster's ranks and turning them to dust, however having reached too far through their lines and found myself at the wall and turned around finding myself surrounded by an array of empousai, hellhounds and cyclopes.
I took a step back, readying myself to fight my way out until I felt something weird against my feet. I looked down and found that I had stepped in a puddle of water. I looked behind me at the destroyed wall and found a glint of metal where an exposed and damaged pipe seemed to be dripping slowly. I grinned and looked back at the monsters
"Oh, you guys are so screwed now"
I closed my eyes and help out my hands and the pipes rumbled beneath me. Knowing what was about the happen the monsters charged towards me and with a yell I opened my eyes and the pipe exploded as water roared out and towards the monsters. The force of the water instantly caused the monsters to crumble to dust. I redirected the water and felt a tug in my gut as more water burst through the pipeline as a felt the water churn around me.
With my injured leg there was not much more fighting I was going to be able to do, so I tightened my fist and pushed my hands forward, commanding the water to flow through the atrium and push against all of the enemies. I saw the waves crash against the enemies fighting Apollo and disintegrate them. He looked up towards me and grinned as I nodded towards Leo who was still holding out against Mimas. He nodded and rushed off towards the giant.
I pushed myself to my limits and spread the water as far across the room as I could until the tightening in my gut got too intense and I let it go, slumping forwards on to my knee. I looked around the room and found that a significant portion of the monsters that were there had now been killed and stragglers were now coming to from the disoriented state the harsh waves had left them in. They found my struggling to get up and reformed themselves and rushed towards me. I uncapped Riptide again, but I was honestly getting too tired to even stand for much longer. Even immortal stamina had its limits.
Silver arrows came flying towards the monsters as Artemis charged from the side, knocking and firing arrows and sublime speeds. She stopped by me, "Rest Perseus. Knocking yourself out from exertion will do nobody any good" I sighed and nodded at her and lowered my sword as I watched on as Artemis casually decimated the mini army in front of her. She was like a silver blur, never in one place for long enough for the enemies to strike her. But soon enough that ceased when the last cyclopes standing was able to club her in the side to launch her against the wall.
As the monster lumbered towards her, in a desperate attempt to do something, I threw Riptide and it arced through the air and impaled itself in the cyclopes' back. It lurched forward in pain which gave enough time for Artemis to gain her bearings and summoned her bow and launched an arrow straight into the beast's eye, turning it to dust. She looked at me and nodded in gratitude as we both looked on at the final and only remaining battle taking place.
Leo and Apollo were doing well enough holding back the giant. There was an annoyed look on Mimas' face at the situation he was in. There were no monsters left and it was just him against two gods and two immortal demigods, albeit it me and Artemis were a bit too banged up to join in on the action.
Mimas swing his was hammer down towards Leo but was met with the impish demigod's own hammer as a loud CLANG was heard. At the same time two golden arrows flew from Apollo and lodged themselves in Mimas' arm as the giant roared in pain.
"YOU GODS WILL NOT WIN. You're an extinct race and now it is the Gigantes' time to rule!" Mimas roared.
"Don't believe everything you hear you oversized dragon reject" Apollo shouted as he launched forward with his sword, "This is for all of my children that you psychopaths MURDERED"
Apollo engaged Mimas as Leo backed away far enough from the Giant so that his aura wouldn't muddle his mind. He reached into his tool belt and started tinkering away, his hands moving at a pace almost as fast as I'd seen Hephaestus do himself.
At the same time Apollo was dueling the giant and it seemed all was evenly matched. Mimas had arrows sticking out from many different parts of his body and cuts littered his scaly skin. Apollo too however was looking a little beat up and was panting in exhaustion. They charged towards one another to resume their fight when suddenly Leo threw whatever he was making towards Mimas' face. It was a small metallic orb with an antenna on top that flew through the air and as soon as it made contact with Mimas' chest seemed to release an electrical pulse that shocked the giant and made him tumble over.
Quick as lightening, Apollo ran over and slashed at the giant's legs, severing his feet from his body, causing him to be unable to stand upright anymore. Following this Apollo walked up to the giant and stabbed him in the chest, a loud wail of agony being released from his mouth.
"You may think killing me will do you any good, but you are alone in this" Mimas gurgled out, "The four of you cannot stand against all of my brethren, much less Mother now that she is awake"
"You giants are drunk on your victory Mimas that you cannot see what has grown right under your noses. We are not alone and your time in the limelight has come to an end" Apollo replied coldly.
Leo slowly limped his way towards Mimas, glaring at him the entire time. "You tortured me for years Mimas. It's quite fitting that my face is the last one you will see for all eternity, and you bet that I'll make you sure you never come back again"
And with that Leo raised his hammer and smashed it into Mimas' face, turning it to dust.
Huh. Right so….. It may have been a year since I updated. Not gonna lie I kind of forgot this story was there. I had half of this chapter written and kind of left it be. But now I'm back! I can't guarantee how soon I can get out another chapter because the entire reason I left the chapter be is because I was having trouble figuring out some of the future plot points. So I will say that right now I am looking for a beta to help me figure this stuff out so as soon as I find one, I will go straight back to updating this regularly, or even if I get inspiration for a chapter I'll right it up. This is by no means abandoned and I really hope that it won't take me another year to get a chapter out.
On other matters, what did you guys think about the chapter? I've never been a writer that can delve too deep into action scenes, but I think I did a decent job of filling up this chapter with it. Anyway, see you all hopefully soon!