Chapter 17: Tartarus vs Camp Half Blood
(Third person POV from Jason's perspective)
As Lazarus was lying on the ground due to his injuries, Jason and the others noticed that Nigel's body was starting to change. As the nails popped out of where they were he stood up as the wounds healed and his body started to morph.
He grew to a height similar to the god of war ares, if not a couple inches shorter, with just as much muscle and well defined muscle tone, his hair grew longer, reaching the beginning of his thighs and his face became more adult-like. His attire also changed, he was now in a black skin tight leotard with short sleeves and leg parts that seemed to go to his calves. He also now had on elbow length silver gauntlets and thigh length silver greaves, and lastly he seemed to have a short cape made of green fire that reached from his shoulders to his mid back. And also a giant pair of Tartarus silver clawed hands that came from his shoulders.
Jason and the others could also see that there were glowing green symbols all over his arms, legs, the giant silver arms and one large one in the center of his chest, which was the symbol of Tartarus.
"No way…" Jason gasped.
"Impossible…" Reyna said in shock.
The new being cracked its neck and opened its eyes, revealing they were the same color as Nigel's, but had a very condescending and twisted look to them. The figures looked at its hand and flexed its fingers for a second or two before speaking.
"Interesting, so this is what it feels like to have a physical body." He stated as he looked at the Demigods and the boy lying on the ground.
"F-father…" Lazarus gasped in a weak voice.
The man looked at him with a look of disgust. "Do not speak to me, creature." He said as he stomped his foot on the boy's stomach. "This is what my creation has come to? Being beaten at the height of your power by two Demigods? You disgust me!"
He said this as he kept driving his foot into Lazarus's stomach, causing the boy to cry in pain before the man kicked him Across the scrapyard and then used his large Tartarus silver arms to swat away an entire stack of cars in anger.
"Damn it all! I molded that child to my liking and he was still beaten by a mere Demigod!" He roared as he punched through the concrete wall next to him. "But no matter." He then looked at Jason and Reyna. "I will take matters into my own hands."
Reyna was still in shock after seeing what this man just did, but her gaze sharpened as she glared at him so intensely it made him seem surprised. "Tartarus." She growled, pure unadulterated venom dripping from her words as she gripped her sword tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Tartarus was taken slightly aback by her vicious and visceral tone, but then a smug smirk was soon plastered on his face as he crossed his arms and the two silver arms on his shoulders dug into the ground on either side of him.
"Well hello, I don't believe we've met. You're the one who my son's final thoughts were about..,Reyna wasn't it?" Tartarus said. "I really must thank you, if you and those other Demigods had made him value your lives instead of his own, this would have never happened."
The girl was livid now feeling nothing but rage, his taunting and his usage of her friend's body was only adding fuel to the fire. "Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up!" She yelled.
Jason put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't listen to him Reyna."
"I won't forgive you! I'll kill you!" She yelled as she charged at Tartarus, but was swatted aside like a fly as he backhanded her with one of his extra arms.
Jason flew over to her and caught her. "You Okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine, now put me down." She said as she tried to get out of his grip. But Jason stopped her.
"Reyna, stop, calm down." He told her. "I know you're angry, I am too, but we can't let that cloud our judgment, it'll only lead to trouble, you know that."
Reyna looked at him and slowly started to calm down. She knew he was right. "You're right, sorry." She told him.
The blonde nodded. "No problem." He then turned to Tartarus with a sharp glare of his own. "Hey Tartarus!"
Tartarus turned towards them. Jason walked up to him and looked up at him as he gripped his sword. "Tell me something, since you took over Nigel's body, does that mean his soul was sent to the underworld?"
Tartarus gave a smug grin and he looked down at him. "No, in order to be able to control this body his soul still needs to be present." Tartarus stated.
'Wow, he actually just said that? Man he must either be stupid or arrogant.' Jason thought. He then looked at Reyna and Leo again as the two nodded. Turning back to Tartarus Jason rested his sword on his shoulder. "So what you're saying is that if we killed you, Nigel would get his body back?"
"If you could kill me." Tartarus said nonchalantly, crossing his arms.
"Figured you'd say that." Jason said as he took this chance to slash Tartarus in the leg, making him drop to one knee, then he whipped around and yelled. "Now Leo!" As he dived out of the way.
Leo then blasted the primordial with fire as Festus joined in, causing the man to roar in pain, and as the flames surrounded him Jason flew up as Reyna tossed him a spear and he summoned a huge lightning storm and brought down an absolutely enormous lightning bolt down on the man which caused his skeleton to be visible for a solid minute. Followed more roars of pain from Tartarus.
As the dust cleared everyone stood ready to fight in case their plan didn't work. One it settled Tartarus was still standing, but was visibly injured and seemed to be marveling at the feeling of pain from the attack he just tanked.
"So...this is what it's like to take damage. This is pain!" He said as he looked at the Demigods. "That was very interesting, Demigods, now I know what pain feels like. I should thank you for this, but...it'd be much more fun to destroy you…" He then turned and opened up some sort of portal. "And everything you care about." He said as he entered the portal.
"Come on! Stop him!" Reyna said as they all ran after him and jumped into the portal just by the skin of their teeth as the portal closed behind them.
(Third person POV omnipotent)
The portal opened as Tartarus walked through right into Camp Half Blood as all the campers saw the primordial and had no idea who it was.
"Who's that?" Asked Tyler Stoll.
"No clue." Conner said, shaking his head.
The commotion seemed to catch the attention of Chiron and Mr. D as they came running up, the both of them sensing an immense amount of power radiating from the man in front of them.
"Do you feel that Chiron?" Mr. D asked The Centaur.
"Yes." Chiron nodded. "It feels like the energy of young Nigel."
"Which means Tartarus has taken over his body." Mr. D added. This caused everyone to react in shock, this was their friend?
A second later, Leo, Jason, Calypso, Reyna and finally came falling out of the portal behind Tartarus. As the Demigods regrouped with the others Tartarus watched with an amused face.
"So, I see you gained a physical form, Tartarus." Chiron said as he got in front of the primordial. As the man looked at him in disdain.
"Very perceptive of you Chiron, Son of Kronos." Tartarus said, arms folded. He then looked and saw Percy standing with the others. "And now they're all here." He then raised his giant silver arms as he readied for a punch. "Now Heroes of Olympus, meet your reckoning!"
He drove his fist towards the son of Poseidon and his friends but was then suddenly stopped by a large hand catching the metal fist.
Standing there was a huge, muscular man with a vicious sneer. He was wearing black jeans, combat boots, a black leather duster, and a red muscle shirt under a bulletproof vest. He also has a large hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore a necklace made from a heavy padlock and thick chain as well as red-tinted wraparound sunglasses. Finally the man's features were handsome, but in a cruel and brutal way, with knife-scarred cheeks and an "oily" black crew cut.
The man was looking to the side as he had an aluminum baseball bat slung over his shoulder. "Hey asshole, where do you get off attacking my favorite punching bag? Huh?" The man said as he took off his sunglasses as it revealed that his eyes were actually flames. "Do you have a Death wish?"
Tartarus backed up a bit as he seemed to be surprised and visibly angry. "Ares, god of war." He growled.
"Yep, that's me." He nodded. "But I'm not alone."
That's when vines and roots suddenly appeared around Tartarus's legs and held him in place, then he was just barely able to block arrows that were sent at him, then a blast of sunlight hit him in the chest as he went to his knees and then several skeletal hands arms and held him in place as a massive torrent of water hit him and made him soaked to the bone. Then the primordial looked up as Ares hit him across the face with his bat, then thunder rolled as Tartarus was struck by an even bigger lightning bolt than what Jason hit him with, the water electrocuting him even more.
The man screamed in pain and as the attack subsided, he panted as his body steamed and smoked. Tartarus looked up as he saw all the gods standing in front of him with their weapons, and they all looked angry.
"Well Tartarus, you said you wanted to be the reckoning of Olympus, and here we are." Zeus said, looking down at him. "What will you do now?"
Tartarus panted as he shakily got up, his physical body's demi primordial nervous system making him feel immeasurable amounts of pain. He looked at Zeus in the eye as he spat in the gods face. "I...will be...your DOOM!" He yelled as a black aura surrounded him and the gods were pushed back from the force of the blast.