The Titan War had unofficially begun the same year in which Alex Pond arrived to Camp Half-Blood; the same year that Luke Castellan betrayed his home and affiliated himself with Kronos. The following years would be very eventful, with the poisoning of Thalia's tree, Artemis being trapped under the sky, and the Battle of the Labyrinth, there wasn't one year in which demigods could experience peace. In fact, during the last summer, almost every demigod had been issued unofficial quests in order to fight monsters and hopefully delay the titan final uprising.
During one of those summers, the demigod Alex Pond accidentally made the Mt. Saint Helens explode. With this "harmless explosion", the most destructive force of all the war was unleashed upon the world. His name was Typhon, the son of Gaea and father of all monsters. His power was astronomical and his drive to destroy Olympus was even bigger.
A great number of the Olympians took it upon themselves to fight such a being. Even if they were very egocentric and idealistic, the gods knew that the demigods were no match for the literal Father of all monsters. Amongst these Olympians were Zeus, Athena, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaestus, and surprisingly Dionysus. However, even with all of their forces together, Typhon was just too powerful for them to be able to defeat by themselves. They needed some extra help, especially help that took the form of someone with full control of the oceans.
Unfortunately for them, the god of the sea, Poseidon, was currently battling his own wave of attacks on his kingdom. Atlantis, the kingdom of the sea, was being attacked by Oceanus forces. Poseidon couldn't leave his post because if he did, then his kingdom and strength would be forever lost. This meant that as much as he wished to aid the Olympians and his son on the surface, he would need to deal with his fair share of attacks.
He had fended the attacks for weeks now, but the number of his forces seemed to just decrease by the hour, and the attacks didn't seem to stop. At this rate, he would have no kingdom to look over to. Poseidon couldn't allow this to happen, after all, his kingdom was the only thing he had. His loyal subjects, who were literally giving their lives for their home, deserved a better end, they deserved to live longer lives.
The lord of the seas did not know what else to do. He couldn't ask the Olympians for help, and he couldn't sacrifice more than he already had. At the same time, he knew that the Olympians needed help to defeat Typhoon. His brain was in turmoil, many big decisions having to be made in a short amount of time. Wether or not to stay, that was his biggest dilemma.
"Sir, infantry 75 has fallen" a messenger came swimming towards the god.
Poseidon cletchened his fist and closed his eyes. That was the second infantry that had fallen in just a day.
"Tell the soldiers stationed west and north to retreat" Poseidon ordered
"What about those on the East and South?"
"They can endure a little more. Keep me updated" the merman bowed and swam away fast, leaving Poseidon alone in his chaotic throne room.
The lord of the seas rubbed his temple, the stress of the war already getting to him.
"Milord, there is an intruder that wishes to speak with you. He claims to be your son" a merman with brown hair told Poseidon from the entrance of the room.
Poseidon looked up, "did he tell you his name? Is it Alexander?"
"No sir, he didn't seem mortal. He held a godly aura" Poseidon nodded
"Very well, send him in"
"a-are you sure milord? What if it's a Oceanus spy?" the merman stuttered
"Then I will deal with him accordingly. Send him in at once"
"b-but-"
"NOW" Poseidon raged at the insubordination. The merman quickly bowed and swam away.
A couple of second later, a man being held by two mermans entered the Throne Room. Unlike every other Olympian or Atlantis soldier, the man wore a simple white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, along with a helmet and a simple breast-plate.
"Who are you?" Poseidon questioned
"If I can take my helmet off then maybe I could show you" the man said sarcastically.
Poseidon recognized the voice, but he wasn't sure from where. "Guards, release him."
The mermans released the man, who shook his arms as soon as the Sea God told the orders of his release. Looking directly at the sea-green eyes of Poseidon, the man took off his helmet, revealing the unruly black hair and same shade of green eyes. He held a slight smirk, big enough to show his personality, but still reflecting the seiousness of the situation.
"Perseus, long time no see my son" Poseidon hugged the god, who stiffened at the embrace.
"Yeah, can we talk alone...please?" Perseus asked, motioning at the guards with his head.
Poseidon nodded, discharging the mermen guards from his throne room. Once alone, Poseidon smiled at his son with a lot of mirth.
"What brings you here Perseus?" Poseidon asked his son, patting him on the shoulder
"You need to aid the Olympians" Perseus said without any delay.
"I know I must, but I have my own problems here. As you surely know, Oceanus has been attacking us for quite some time now"
"Yeah, I've heard." Perseus nodded, "but if Olympus falls then we will all meet our doom"
"Are you suggesting I abandon my kingdom for the sake of Olympus?"
"I'll stay here with a few troops, but you must go and help defeat Typhoon"
Poseidon scoffed, "How can you lead my troops?"
"Trust me father, I've studied Athena's battle plans and even read the Art of War by Sun Tzu, I'm more than ready"
"No, I won't let you"
"Father, please do it, I'm begging you. If Olympus falls it will only be a matter of time until Atlantis follows suit. If we do this, then both kingdoms can be saved. Please, it's the only way" Perseus begged
Poseidon thought about it, very deeply. He could not leave his people alone in good consciousness, but they wouldn't really be alone, they would be with Perseus. The sea god didn't know his son very well, granted, but something about him made him very trustable. He did not know if it was his determination or the actual logic behind his words, but the words of the God of Tides drilled their way into the mind of Poseidon.
"Fine, I'll leave with my army. There is only going to be one infantry left here in Atlantis, I trust you will do good work with them."
Perseus nodded, "Of course, a sacrifice is never in vain."
Poseidon left the throne room with Percy following right behind him.
"Tell the East and South soldiers to retreat at once. All members of the army must meet in front of the castle for a special announcement." Poseidon told one of the guards, who bowed and swam as fast as he could.
Two hours later, all the soldiers from Atlantis stood waiting impatiently for the announcement that their king would declare. Every single private, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and general were looking straight at the King of Atlantis. In front of everyone stood Poseidon, who was standing tall despite his tiredness, and Perseus, who was earning confused looks from every soldier present.
"My Army!" Poseidon began to speak, "First of all I need to congratulate every soldier of the army. You have all fought valiantly and have shown the true meaning of being an Atlantenean." the soldiers began to roar loudly, which was an incredible feat considering they were underwater.
Poseidon held his hand up, making the soldiers decrease the ruckus. "We all know that Atlantis coexists with Olympus, and if Olympus falls then that would be the end of our kingdom. These past few weeks, Typhon has been making his way into Olympus, and if we don't help the Olympians defeat him, then all our efforts would've been null. Furthermore, I have decided to send help to the demigods, as they are greatly outnumbered in their fight. That is why I have made the radical decision of sending my army to the surface"
"But what about our home? Oceanus will surely destroy Atlantis!" a merman soldier yelled in outrage, making many other soldiers follow suit.
"Atlantis won't be left unattended. The 65th Infantry will remain and defend our city from our enemy. They will be lead by my eldest son, Perseus" Poseidon explained
"How can an unknown person lead us?!" an unidentifiable soldier from the crowd asked
"This is not up for discussion! My decision is final. The cyclops will be waiting for Typhon on the Hudson River while I fight him alongside the rest of the gods. The rest of the army will unite with the demigods and follow the orders of my son Alexander Pond, who is the child of the prophecy. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir" the soldiers said in unison, as if it was just one entity that had somehow acquired hundreds of voices. The soldiers began to disperse, all getting ready to make their way to Manhattan, where the final battle was taking place.
"Father," Perseus said as Poseidon turned around
"Yes Perseus?"
The god of tides reached into his right pocket and brought out a small clock. It was about a quarter the size of the palm his hand, and it was held on by a gold chain. Perseus looked at the locked longingly before handing it to Poseidon.
"Give this to Artemis and tell her I love her and that I'm sorry, please"
"No, you can do it yourself" Poseidon rejected the clock
"Please, father, I know this is a suicide mission. The chances of me not ending up in Tartarus are very slim. Just please, give this to Artemis" Perseus said as silent tears fell out of his eyes
"Perseus, what are you saying?"
"I'm the god of sacrifice, I know what I'm doing. It's a sacrifice I must make for my family and for Olympus"
Poseidon shook his head, "No, Perseus, you do not need to do this. The army can stay here."
"I cannot allow more innocent demigods die while I can do something in my power to prevent this. Just, please dad, give this to Artemis"
Poseidon looked at his son, and for the first time, he saw something that he had not seen before. His son may have looked very similar to him, but there was something in him that gave away his similarity to his mother. He would risk everything for his family, even his own happiness and life. With his hand shaking, Poseidon took the clock and put it inside his tunic.
"I will. I will Perseus" Poseidon hugged his son, as the god of tides slowly put his arms around his father for the last time in a long time.
"Thank you father" Perseus whispered on his fathers ear.
The Lord of the Sea flashed a small smile before flashing away to join his fellow Olympians on their fight against Typhoon.
Perseus rubbed his eyes, not allowing himself to be seen in such a moment of weakness. He knew from the beginning what was going to happen, the reason why the fates gave him those domains, it all made sense. Being the god of sacrifices made him basically obligated to do such an act of bravery. He despised it to be honest. He wanted to help his son directly while he fought whichever monster came his way, but now he was stuck in a suicide mission, to protect Atlantis.
The god walked over to the 65th infantry, noticing how there were only 50 mermen. They didn't look particularly strong, and they all spoke a different language of dialect from what he had heard around Atlantis.
"Soldiers!" Perseus announced his presence. The mermans all stood up and saluted at their commander. "at ease"
"This is everything? The whole 65th infantry?" Perseus asked
"Yes sir, the rest of us were killed" one of the mermen told with a thick accent. He had black hair and a dark skin complexion.
"I'm sorry for your losses. If I may ask, where are you from?"
"This infantry was made specifically for soldiers from the Caribbean waters " the same soldier replied
Perseus nodded, "well, at least you have people who are like you around, so it's good you have an infantry for your kind"
"Forgive me for my rudeness, but that is not true sir. The 65th infantry has had more combat time than any other infantry, and the generals always give us the hardest missions, the suicide ones." another merman with blonde hair said.
The god of tides eyes widened at the news. Here they were on yet another suicide mission, and a suicide mission that had no escape. This mission was to fight until your death, or until the enemy dies off, which would be a very unlikely scenario. Even Sun Tzu said that if the numbers are greatly unequal, one should flee. But that was not an option! They could not run from their position.
"I guess you all already know the nature of this mission right?" Perseus said solemnly, earning many nods from the soldiers. "You also know that there is no way to flee, right?" again the soldiers nodded.
"We have to be strategic, and what better way to be strategic than to play with the mind of our opponent. So here's what we are going to do..."
Perseus explained his tactic to the poor infantry, and with every word, the spirits of the soldiers began to lift exponentially. The tactic was worthy of even Athena herself, and if all went according to plan they could actually win the battle. From a psychological standpoint, it was perfect, and from a tactical standpoint, it was the best they could do with their numbers. Adding to that the fact that he was the god of technology, Perseus made many adjustments to the simple "defend" plan. After going over the tactic for the fifth time, the soldiers cheered at the great tactical capability of the Son of Poseidon.
"You're even better than Poseidon himself" one of the youngest mermans said
"Don't let him hear you say that" Perseus grinned, "Alright, now that we are done, let's get into our positions. Remember, if we fall, we fall with honor, and that's the greatest gift a man can receive"
The soldiers bowed and ran to their positions. Around 5 hours later, the sound of monsters were heard on the outside of the city. Perseus swam to a small dune and saw the enemy, a 2,000 individual monster army, with Oceanus in front of his army. He had a blue fish tail and green eyes. His hair was green, even his beard.
"Poseidon! Surrender and your people will not need to die" Oceanus said loudly
Perseus swam back at where a soldier was situated, nodding his head in confirmation. The soldier pushed a button, making a loud roar sound throughout the kingdom. Sunsequently, many other roars began to take place on different strategic places.
Smirking, the god of childhood grabbed a megaphone and cleared his throat. "Oceanus, why do you ask us to surrender? May I remind you that not only do we have a surplus of weapons and amo, but we also have various brand-new never-before-seen beasts? So unless you want them to debut with the flesh of your soldiers, I suggest that you swim away" Perseus said in his best Poseidon impression.
"You sound like you have a cold Poseidon. Are you sure that you can sustain to fight now?" Oceanus asked
"I'm fine, but thank you for worrying about me"
"I must. After all, I wish to have a fair fight" Oceanus smirked
"Of course, it is very important. But, before anything, may you look behind you?" Perseus said smirking.
Oceanus raised an eyebrow at the sudden comment, but as he looked, he noticed how many of the Giant Squids and Sea serpents laid dead, each of them turning into golden dust.
"H-how?!" Oceanus asked
"Literally just controlled the water so that little Celestial Bronze blades would cut them in strategic places. It was really easier than what it sounds" Perseus smiled. "Be-tee-dubs, around 70% of your army will fall in 3...2...1"
As soon as he said one, little submarines with cyclopses faces drawn on the front were launched towards the enemy army. The monsters, abnormally afraid of the cyclopses, all got very close together. Upon seeing this, the infantry began to launch numerous spears, all of them killing the monsters instantaneously. Around ten members of the infantry then swam forward, their shields covering their stomach and fatal areas.
To Perseus surprise, the mermen knew how to fight very well. They moved swiftly and held great technique, knowing how to kill the sea creatures. However, when the time came to face the Leviathans, the merman knew nothing about the ancient being. They tried to fend for themselves, but for some reason everything they did was null. The leviathans were stronger, faster, and very scary for the mermen to be able to compete against. The small platoon that so bravely ran to fight was annihilated in a matter of seconds.
"Hey! Oceanus! Why are you using Jewish monsters in a Greek fight?" Perseus asked
"They're hard to kill" Oceanus replied
"Yeah, I know that. But I thought you said you wanted a fair fight"
"It is fair, as long as you have an army I will consider us equal. Everything is fair in love and war"
Perseus was fuming. He had just lost some of his best men and the battle was barely starting. There were still hundreds of monsters standing by Oceanus, all whom were waiting for a signal to attack.
"Sir, what now?" The merman at his side asked Perseus
"We will appear to be weak" Perseus replied without looking down at the merman
"But sir...we are weak. Shouldn't we do the opposite?"
Perseus shook his head, "no, appearing strong will only make them better prepared. If they think they have already won, then their hubris will ultimately be their downfall"
The merman began to shiver, feeling scared about the next few minutes. He knew that this may be his final stand, but he didn't want it to be that way. Being a solider had meant that he could no longer spend much time with his family. His three year old son who would never see his father again, would grow up without knowing how to provide for his family. He didn't want to die, he wanted to get out of this situation and return home.
"Lugo" Perseus said, bringing the merman out of his thoughts
"Yes sir?"
"Gather the remaining men and get as far away from here as possible" Perseus said looking straight at the enemy army
"W-what?" The soldier, Lugo, asked
"Gather everyone and get as far away as possible. I'm going in"
"Sir-"
"I'm not going to repeat myself. Gather the soldiers and run. It's time I end this" Perseus grabbed his soldier's shoulder and smiled lightly. "You guys have been the best infantry I could've ever asked"
The soldier nodded with tears eyes and saluted his commander. Perseus saluted his soldier, mantaining a serious face so that nobody could see how broken he really was. Lugo swam away, and Perseus saw how his comrade gathered the other members of the infantry.
Waiting three minutes, Percy decided that it was time to fight the Titan. The god of tides strengthened his back and cracked his nuckles, taking deep breaths before the final battle. He swam slowly, examining the sight in front of him. Oceanus stared confused at the god. He didn't recognize him, although he resembled a young Poseidon very much, but with faint features from Hera.
"Who are you?" Oceanus asked the god
"I'm Perseus, and I've come here on behalf of the Atlantis army. Our numbers are low, but your monsters will not hold much longer. Every great general knows that a prolonged war is not good for anybody, and I bet that you are a decent leader. It is better for us to end this now, a final battle per sé, pardon my French"
"Are you challenging me boy?"
"I was simply putting the idea out there. Your decision tho" Perseus grinned as he saw Oceanus enraged face.
"Very well, we shall have a fight to the death. Whoever loses will have to go to Tartarus, while the winner gets Atlantis. Deal?"
"Sounds fantastic. Now let's get this over with" Percy summoned his sword while Oceanus conjured a long axe and a snake. Perseus raised his eyebrow at the weird choice of weapon, but quickly realized that the Titan of the Sea would know how to use those weapons; after all, it was a fight to the death, and Oceanus didn't seem to be in any desire to die.
Perseus grabbed on tightly to his sword on his left hand, his knuckled turning white in anticipation. Deciding not to delay the fight any longer, Perseus swam forward towards Oceanus, yelling his heart out. The titan of the sea raised his axe, coming down in contact with Perseus sword. The titan's strength was much more than Perseus had anticipated, and so he couldn't hold the axe much longer.
He sidestepped, letting Oceanus' axe complete its motion. The god then decided to slash towards Oceanus side, which was uncovered from any protection. However, as he did this, the snake jumped into Perseus hand.
"Agh, what the fuck is this?!" Perseus yelled as he shook his arm trying to get rid of the snake
Oceanus laughed, "Her name is File, and it's going to be your downfall Perseus"
"So you brought a snake to a blade fight? Isn't that a little...weird?"
"If you consider using resources weird, then yes. However, this is a fight to the death and I will spare no expense if it means victory" Oceanus then swung his ace at Perseus, who could only try to evade. His left arm, in which his sword was grabbed, was in complete control of the snake. The axe cut Perseus on the right arm, drawing a lot of golden ichor from the wound.
"Son of a-"
"Well, it seems Perseus isn't that good of a fighter. Here I thought that the Atlatenean army would send their best fighter for the final battle, but they just sent a mere godling who is no match for a titan." Oceanus laughed sarcastically, making Perseus face rush with ichor.
Perseus switched the sword from hand, grabbing it with the severely cut right arm. He swam towards Oceanus and evaded his axe, doing a twirl of some kind and slashing on Oceanus abdomen. Oceanus then tried to cut Perseus legs with the axe, but Perseus just swam up and cut the titan on its cheek. The titan roared as his cheek was cut, as he immediately backhanded Perseus. The god was sent back by the intense force of the titan, but quickly gained control of his body as he stopped moving and glared at the titan.
"Hey look, the great Oceanus was cut my a mere god with a severed arm" Perseus boosted trying to get on Oceanus nerves.
The Titan of the Sea glared at Perseus. He raised his free hand as his eyes turned completely white. "Filas, trap the body"
On command, the snake that was grabbing Perseus arm grew in size and wrapped itself around Perseus whole body. The god's eyes widened in realization of his impairment, his body being compromised by a mere snake. He tried to move, but his arms were bound to his side by the snake, and as much as he tried to escape, his movements were impossible to make.
"Oceanus, are you such a coward that you need a snake to do all your work for you?" Perseus asked
The Father of the Waters smiled, "It's nothing personal Perseus, but as you said, nobody benefits from a prolonged war"
"So you would rather fight without honor?"
"I will do anything to win, including getting rid of your army." Oceanus moved his hand. The water around them obeyed the command, moving around into the city of Atlantis. One by one, the remaining members of the 65th infantry were floated around by the water. Their faces were full of terror as they were powerless to move away from their impending doom.
"You really thought you could hide them from me? The Titan of the Seas?"
"What are you going to do with them?!" Perseus asked desperately. His eyes were filling with hate, feeling powerless to help his comrades.
"I do not trust that they will not rebel once I get ahold of the city, so the best thing is to get rid of them. No hard feelings" Oceanus winked at Perseus.
"No..YOU BASTARD! LET ME GO!" Perseus tried to move, but the hold of the snake was simply much for him to handle.
The Titan of the Sea swam slowly towards the remaining soldiers of the infantry. All of them were wearing their armor and helmets, but that didn't stop anybody from noticing their eyes filled with terror and their trembling bodies. It wasn't long before the soldiers died by the hand of Oceanus.
"Now that that's over with, I can finally end this war with your death. Remember this day Perseus. This is the day where you failed to keep your father's kingdom safe, the day where you failed to keep your soldiers safe, and the day where you died. What are your last words?" Oceanus put his axe on Perseus neck, giving a psycho smile to the god.
Instead of being scared, Percy's eyes showed fury. He had promised his father that he was going to defend his city to the best of his abilities, but he could not feel anything but ashamed at how fast Oceanus had beaten him. Sure, his tactics had destroyed a great part of his army, but the result was the same. The god of tides would not be there for his son or parents when the battle ended, but worst of all, he would not be there to hug Artemis one last time.
His time with her was so much yet so short. Being with her was the happiest he ever felt, and he couldn't help but resent himself for not having enjoyed it as much the last few years. He had promised her that he would always be there for her, and that he would always do everything in his power to turn. But now, as he was held powerless by a puny snake, he could not help but resent himself.
The memories of him and Artemis alone together, the memories of them on the island, everything was repeating on Perseus head. Her smile, her hair, her eyes, her laugh, everything that he would miss was playing in a constant movie on his mind. He felt sad, of course, but he felt mostly mad, for as he did not want to part ways just yet. Their story had been short, and all due to external forces.
"Perseus, use that fury for good"a female voice said on his head
"With anger comes destruction," another voice said
"and with destruction comes victory" a final voice said
Perseus knew who they were. The fates had just basically announced his last domain, the domain that he would need to know in order to destroy the titan. The domain that he would get to know with Artemis help, and even if she wasn't there physically, it was her memories that triggered his anger.
"Oceanus, fuck off" Perseus said as he glowed an intense blue-green aura. Oceanus turned angry at the comment. He raised his axe, ready to cut the head off of the puny god. As soon as he was about to make contact with the neck of the god, however, the aura that was emitted from the god became much too intense, blinding everyone for an instant.
"My name is Perseus, son of Poseidon and Hera, heir to the Olympian and Atlantis thrones, god of Tides, Childhood, hospitality, feelings, secrets, humor, sacrifice, time, and destruction. Oceanus, you have killed my comrades, now prepare to die" Perseus said in a low voice before exploding himself. Every being from the Oceanus army fell dead at the explosion. From titans to gods to monsters, the explosion did not discriminate on its victim. Everything in a 1-mile radius had gone straight to Tartarus or were simply faded from existence, the explosion destroying everything they were.
For those of you who don't know, the 65th infantry of the US army was an infantry made up of Puertorican soldiers which served as bait on many missions, and had the most amount of combat time in the Korean War. I wrote them in because I got reminded of them when I was writing this fanfic, and it's an extra history lesson for you guys :)
I'm really bad at writing right scenes, so sorry if it sucked
Thank you for the reviews but I must ask...wtf SexLover2000?! I mean thanks for reading but...