Thalia felt a tear roll down her cheek even as her expression remained impassive. There was something deep inside her, buried by the webbing and threading of ancient Greek magic, something that screamed in pain and frustration as she watched Percy Jackson disappear into nothingness, but it was not strong enough to break free. Aphrodite's machinations kept a solid hold on the daughter of Zeus.
So, in the end, Thalia just stood there and watched as the smoke cleared and rubble fell, as the blinding light gave way to a harrowing darkness and Kronos laughed cruelly in Luke's voice.
She had no mouth, but she had to scream.
Annabeth yelled as loudly as she could, but gagged and muffled as she was, the demigod had little ability to make herself heard. Tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking into the cloth rag that covered her mouth. Kronos' slow, cruel laughter echoed off the high vaults of the chamber, filling the void left by the searing event.
The guards that had brought out Annabeth were stock still from the sight before them, as was Victor. In the latter's case, he was thoroughly taken aback. In all of his years of living and serving under Kronos, he had never seen anything that came close to what had just happened.
Aphrodite pouted a little. "That's a real shame. I had high hopes for the boy, you know?"
Kronos stopped laughing as he turned to the goddess, a smile still playing on his face. "Oh, my dear goddess, I'm sure you'll get over it sooner rather than later."
Aphrodite chuckled in response, a light twinkling sound that was at odds with her present company. "Of course. I had high hopes for Percy, I truly did. Unfortunately," the goddess continued, her voice turning darker as she turned to the docile Thalia standing beside her, "he had poor taste. Even I couldn't fix that." After a momentary dark look played itself on the beautiful goddess' face, she eerily brightened up with a dazzling smile. "On the other hand," Aphrodite slickly continued as she slid an arm over Kronos' chest, "that means I have more time to spend with you."
Kronos – using Luke's face – smirked. "Better?"
"A definite improvement," Aphrodite seductively purred.
"Quite the silver tongue you have on you," Kronos muttered, though he did not object to Aphrodite's physical proximity.
"But the best tongue – that I can assure you…"
The two were broken out of their quasi-embrace by Annabeth's muffled screams, which were increasing in intensity and duration. Kronos sneered as he saw the young demigod cry and scream at the sight of Luke Castellan's body being used by him.
"You can take that out," he half-heartedly ordered, gesturing at the guards. "Let's see what she has to say." One of them quickly nodded and ripped the cloth gag in half, taking it out of the girl's mouth.
"How dare you!" Annabeth immediately yelled, her gray eyes burning at the sight before her. "How dare you use Luke like that!"
"Silly girl," Kronos scoffed, shaking his head. "Luke Castellan is dead. I'm all that's left of him. He gave his soul so that I could live, and for that, he will be immortalized… in me."
"Bastard!" Annabeth screamed. "I don't care what kind of lies you told him! You killed Luke and then you killed Percy – fo-for that, I will never, ever stop fighting you!"
"Weren't you going to oppose me anyway?" Kronos replied dryly, a wry smile on his face at the young girl's rant.
"Thalia!" Annabeth continued, ignoring Kronos speaking in Luke's voice. "Thalia! Please! This isn't you – fight it!"
The daughter of Zeus in question stood impassively, unresponsive to Annabeth's pleas.
"Well, that was amusing," Kronos noted as Aphrodite laughed behind him. The two Ancient Greek beings turned to face the thrones of the Olympians, ignoring Annabeth. Kronos stared at Zeus' platinum throne with an almost reverent expression, barely breathing as he examined his son's seat of power.
"For millennia my brethren and I have labored in pain over the consequences of my children rising up against me. I made my mistake then – I should've finished the job more thoroughly." To his side, Aphrodite shifted uncomfortably – after all, had Kronos done what he said he should've done, she wouldn't exist at all.
"Now," Kronos continued, "it is time for us to step back into the world. It is the time for our revenge. At last, we will cast down the Olympians and throw them into the dark pit of Tartarus, banished to the furthest corners of history as relics of a bygone era. We, the Titans, will reclaim our rightful spot at the height of the world!" He drew another dagger, one identical to the one he had thrown at Percy, and raised it above his head, poised to strike at the seat of Zeus' throne.
A loud crackling sound shook the Titan out of his stupor. He quickly turned around, but the light before his eyes was so bright that even he and Aphrodite had to cover their faces. It was like a beam of light stretching from the heavens to Olympus – a strange thought, considering how high up Olympus was already. The beam of light smashed into the ground, but even as the light faded backward, the column of blue-white energy that it had been emitting from remained, streaming upward like coursing electricity. After a few moments, the column became less opaque, and with his powers and enhanced vision, Kronos could almost make out the figure of a person – a man – in the column.
The beam of light faded completely and left a room of silence.
Annabeth's eyes widened.
Victor's nearly bulged out of his sockets.
Aphrodite's jaw dropped.
Kronos felt his heart stop – in surprise, mostly, but he would be lying if there wasn't the ever so slightest twinge of fear somewhere deep inside his soul.
Percy Jackson stood in the center of the room, on top of the blackened marble where he had been whisked away in the first place. His head was tilted upward, but his eyes were closed. Slowly, he took a deep breath in, savoring the air of his own time, before letting it out slowly. He lowered his head as he opened his eyes, viewing the scene before him.
The room was deathly silent as Percy took in his surroundings.
"P-Percy…" Annabeth whispered, unable to comprehend what she had just saw. He looked radically different – his facial hair was grown out and he wore a tunic and pants that looked medieval, if not older. The demigod smiled at his good friend, but he turned back to face his enemy without a word. His friendly expression melted away into a mixture of emotions. It was a face that chilled all those who saw it turned toward them, and even Kronos, the ancient Titan that he was, felt a quiver of something inside him. It was an almost primordial expression, one that was a strange combination of fury, pity, and determination.
"Kronos," Percy growled, his voice low and deadly. "We have business to settle."
The Titan had nothing less than a dumbfounded expression on his face. "How?" the immortal muttered, hardly believing what he saw before him.
The Percy Jackson who stood before him was nothing like the Percy Jackson that had disappeared just moments earlier. That Percy Jackson was little more than a boy, only growing into his demigod powers and without any control. All he had was raw, untamed power.
This Percy Jackson was nothing like that. If that old Percy Jackson looked like a boy, this one looked like a fully-grown man – complete with beard. He wasn't much taller than before, nor considerably more muscular, but the way he carried himself told a deeper story. His unruly black hair and slightly tanned skin were two of the more visible indicators to this new Percy Jackson. Something had happened to this particular son of Poseidon, and Kronos could feel in his bones that it was nothing beneficial for him.
"Perseus Jackson," Kronos intoned, steeling himself as he stared at the demigod. "You survived. I'll admit, I am surprised by your tenacity. Tell me, what has happened to you?" Kronos gestured around the room. "I'm sure we're all wondering."
"Enough." A single word chilled the room's air. Annabeth stopped struggling to stand up, staring at her friend with wide eyes. Percy had uttered that single word with such pain and emotion that it had shocked the normally logical daughter of Athena.
"That's enough," Percy repeated himself, staring at Kronos. "All of your plans, your schemes, will end today. All of them. It's high time for you to pay for all the people you've killed."
"Oh," Kronos nodded, twirling his dagger around. "And I suppose that you, Perseus Jackson, hero of Olympus and heir to Poseidon, will be the one to do that?"
The two of them circled around the chamber, with Percy's back now toward the gods' thrones and Kronos' to the throne room's grand doors.
"I'll do what I have to," Percy replied defiantly. "If that means I have to stop you, then I will."
"Then you will die!" Kronos suddenly roared, throwing his dagger at Percy in a redux of their previous encounter – minutes earlier for Kronos, but for Percy, it may as well have been a lifetime earlier with all of the experiences he had faced since seeing that dagger fly toward him.
Percy pulled his sword off of his back, snapping the cloth binds that kept it on him. Extending it out, he grimaced as he felt power surge through his arm and out of the sword to collide with the oncoming dagger. It was almost magnetic in nature, the feeling of repulsion between the two objects. Time slowed in the space between them, suspending the dagger in mid-air.
For a moment – one that felt stretched out to infinity – Percy could see surprise and confusion blossom onto Kronos' expression. Then the moment ended and the dagger spun around to shoot toward its owner. It caught Kronos in the middle of his chest plate, eliciting a low grunt from the Titan as he was picked up off his feet, smashed through the marble throne room doors, and down the hillside of Olympus all by the force of the returned dagger.
Aphrodite gasped as her co-conspirator was blown out of the throne room altogether, whipping around to Percy with a frightened look. She had not expected Percy Jackson to ever be able to match Kronos in combat, and yet here he was, standing triumphant in the first of blows between the two. The goddess of beauty staggered backward toward her still and unwilling servant Thalia, who stood where she had been ordered to be.
For his part, Percy was also surprised by what he had just done. Half of it was hopeful, with him wishing what he wanted to happen. The other half was instinctual, like he knew what he needed to do. The sword that he held in his hand was unlike any other. His hand slipped into its wood-entwined hilt, and it felt as comfortable as Riptide ever had. The blade, with its engraving, almost whispered to him, giving him unconscious instructions for how to use its mighty power.
"Who's next?" Percy whispered. He asked it quietly, but the room was silent enough after Kronos' unintended rapid exit that everyone could hear him.
Slowly, Victor unsheathed his own weapon and strode over, standing where Kronos had been moments ago. Percy stared at the older demigod – even though he felt stronger than he had ever felt before, he was still wary of the Victor. The man had, after all, brutally defeated him in their last fight.
Victor gestured with one hand for Percy to attack, but this time, Percy stayed still. He remembered exactly how attacking first had turned out, and instead, he raised his sword and took a defensive position. The older demigod frowned, and after a few moments of inaction, ran forward, sword brandished and ready to kill.
Perhaps it was innate property of the staff-infused sword, or maybe it was just Percy's growth as a fighter, but unlike the last time they had fought, Victor's sword was not a blur of metal in the air. He could see every slash, cut, and thrust in almost slow motion. Parrying the blade was easy. Dodging the massive sword was child's play. For the first time in a swordfight, Percy felt free and unburdened, outmaneuvering his opponent at every juncture.
Victor yelled in frustration as he continued to swing – and miss. Even his more precise combinations of "fast" attacks failed. It wasn't even his fault; he was fighting as well as he ever had. The problem, if it could be called that, lay with his opponent. Percy Jackson had somehow turned from a regular demigod, one like any that Victor had faced and beaten before, into someone – no, something – that a mortal simply couldn't match. Considering how Kronos had been soundly humiliated just moments earlier, Victor wondered if even immortals could match Percy's newfound prowess.
Another swing from Victor's sword ended in another miss, this time leaving the blade embedded in the marble floor that Percy just vacated. Spinning quickly, Percy moved his own sword more nimbly than his size and his sword's size would've suggested was possible, slicing deeply into Victor's upper arms and legs. The older man roared in pain as he fell to the ground, energy leaving his limbs through the cuts he sustained.
Percy whipped around to face the assembled group of people – Annabeth, Aphrodite, Thalia, and the two guards who had long been scared witless. His sword was slightly behind him, with only the faintest hint of blood tracing the edge of the blade. With narrowed eyes, he glared at Aphrodite and slowly moved forward to the goddess with clear intent.
Free Thalia.
That thought reverberated in everyone's mind. It was unspoken, but the idea was clear. Annabeth waited with bated breath as Percy strode over to Aphrodite, stopping just a few yards away from her and Thalia.
"I'll be honest;" Aphrodite began, "I did not expect you to come back here. And definitely not like this."
"I don't care," Percy quietly said, ignoring the goddess as he looked slightly downward. "I only want you to do one thing – free Thalia from your control." He looked upward to stare into Aphrodite's wide eyes. "You can do whatever the hell you want after that."
Aphrodite tilted her head toward the ceiling and laughed. It was not a laugh like any Percy had heard from the goddess before. It lacked the perfect tone of an actress' practiced laugh. It didn't have the lyrical quality of a warm friend's. Rather, it was cold, cruel, and above all, impersonal. It was entirely at odds with Aphrodite's carefully crafted image of beauty, but when she looked back down at Percy, he could see in her eyes, swirling with madness and burning with rage, that she no longer cared about the vain things that had driven her for so long. Something had irrevocably changed about the Greek goddess of beauty, and Percy felt his hairs stand on end.
She was dangerous, and he didn't know what that meant.
"You sweet, stupid little boy," Aphrodite growled, her smile, twisted as it was, still at odds with her words even as her fingers twitched. "You have no idea what you are getting involved in."
"So what?" Percy yelled, raising his sword to point at the goddess' chest. "I know that you've done something to Thalia, and that's all I need to know." He retracted his sword and held it with both hands, taking a fighting stance as he glared at the goddess.
"Foolish boy," Aphrodite cursed under her breath. Beaming a wide smile at him, she suddenly perked up. "That's it! I know exactly what you need. Oh, Thalia!" the goddess cried out dramatically, causing the unresponsive girl beside Aphrodite to turn and face her. "Why don't you get… let's say, reacquainted, with Percy here. You are, after all, his lover, are you not?" When Thalia failed to respond to that, Aphrodite snarled and grabbed both sides of the girl's head, grotesquely nodding it like Thalia was a doll.
"Yes, master," Thalia whispered under her breath, her normally bright blue eyes dull, cloudy, and unfocused.
"Well, go ahead girl!" Aphrodite ordered, shoving the demigod forward.
Percy stood frozen in his fighting stance. He was prepared to take on Aphrodite in a fight to the death – and he had been pretty confident about his chances, considering how he had once fought against Ares himself and came out in better condition – but as he watched Thalia slowly walk over to him, he couldn't move a muscle.
Thalia. The one person who he had longed for when he was in the past. The person who tied him to the present, who gave him strength and will to move forward and do what he needed to do to make it back. If only just to hear her laugh once again, to stare into her eyes one more time…
Thalia pulled out her can of Mace and unsheathed it to reveal her spear. On her other arm, her replica Aegis shield was fully expanded.
Thalia. The girl who fell out of a tree. The friend he had made over the course of a grand adventure.
The woman Percy had come to love.
He couldn't do it. He knew he couldn't. He couldn't fight her. But as Thalia continued to move toward him, Percy knew, deep in his heart, he would have to. He would have to overcome that block, or he would die. He would have to raise his sword against the person he had sworn to love.
With a low grunt, Thalia leaped forward and thrust her spear, forcing Percy to quickly jerk out of the way. Even as he did, he was too slow – the spear cut through the cloth of his tunic and sliced his skin of his side. Percy hissed as he felt the pain, but ignored it as best he could, readying his sword for the sole purpose of defending himself. He could not bring himself to attack Thalia, but he would still try to defend himself.
Thalia followed up her initial thrust with one of her more traditional maneuvers – a one-two combo from her two pieces of equipment. She quickly turned to face Percy again after he leapt to the side, lunging forward with a shield bash. Percy threw his arms up and jumped backward as much as he could, taking the impact of the shield's face on his forearms. Knowing Thalia's next move as well as he knew his own, Percy raised his sword vertically in front of him, twisting sideway as Thalia lunged forward again, this time with her spear. The spear's tip narrowly missed him, scraping against the metal of his blade and going past him into the air.
She withdrew, and Percy repositioned himself, holding out his sword in front of him with both arms.
"Bravo!" Aphrodite cried from behind the two. She clapped as she yelled. "Keep at it!"
Percy tuned out the goddess as he used one hand to gingerly feel out his wound. It wasn't particularly deep, but he couldn't twist his torso without pain erupting. Such an injury would only serve to be a detriment to Percy's fighting ability.
Thalia fell into a more esoteric combat stance – shield out front with her spear leaning on the top of the shield's frame as she stood horizontally. After a short pause, she began her attack anew, and Percy felt himself being pressured backward, barely able to keep up with the ferocity of her moves.
"Now would be a good time," Percy whispered under his breath to his sword. He ignored the fact that he was talking to an inanimate object – it was, after all, enhanced by Greek magic, so it was fifty-fifty on whether it would actually respond. Unlike with Victor or even Kronos earlier, Percy's sword was doing little to help. Its time-based abilities that had allowed Percy to gain the upper hand against both of his previous opponents were a no-show, meaning that Percy was on the backfoot. His hefty sword was powerful, but against Thalia's more robust spear-and-shield combo, he had little reprieve; her spear was simply nimbler and wieldier than his sword in their fight. His only saving grace was that he had fought alongside Thalia so many times that he had basically learned her fighting style, allowing him to predict some of her moves and keep up with her as she pressed the attack.
"Thalia!" Percy yelled, falling back for the umpteenth time. "Please, stop this! You know me!" The girl gave no indication that she did as she swung her spear in a wide arc, forcing Percy to duck.
"Her mind and soul are mine," Aphrodite crooned from a distance. "The Thalia you knew and loved is long gone."
Percy shook his head. "No! I don't believe you." He looked back up at Thalia, sweat dripping down his forehead as he breathed heavily.
"Thalia!"
Somewhere, out of space and out of time, Thalia Grace floated in nothingness. Her eyes were closed as she drifted in the cosmos. It was like a warm blanket, enveloping and comforting her. There was nothing in the world that could make her care anymore, nothing that could rouse her from her quiet, peaceful slumber…
"Thalia!"
"Wh…" Thalia grumbled, her closed eyes quivering as she struggled to open them. "What's that? Who's there?"
Try as she might, her body simply refused – her mind was split in twain, and while some part wanted to see what the world beyond darkness was like, another part – a greater, larger, and stronger part – was content with the status quo. And so she lay in nothingness, her brief struggle forgotten and behind her.
Until a jolt passed through her body like a bolt of electricity. Thalia's eyes snapped wide open, and for the first time in a long while, she saw her surroundings or lack thereof. There was no comprehending her environment – it was faint, light, and completely devoid of feature. A chill passed through her as she contemplated it all.
"Hello?" Thalia asked out loud, hearing her own words echo endlessly.
"Am I dead?"
Silence.
"No, my dear," a voice suddenly cut through the void. "You're not. Not yet."
Thalia spun around, trying to pinpoint where the voice came from. It was impossible – the voice seemed to permeate from everywhere, yet nowhere, at the same time. There was no way to find something in a place where space and time meant very little.
"Show yourself!" Thalia cried, her breathing quickening in pace as she began to panic. How could she get out of this place?
"Don't be worried," the voice replied. Unlike the last time it spoke, Thalia could distinctly hear where it came from, and she turned around quickly to face a beautiful woman clad in an stylish, form-fitting dress.
"Aphrodite," Thalia whispered. "I should've known."
"Thalia Grace," Aphrodite said as she smiled. "There is nothing to worry about, my dear girl. Sleep – it will not hurt."
"What is this place?" Thalia asked, ignoring Aphrodite's words.
The goddess huffed lightly as she looked around. "Oh, nothing too special. Really, it's just you – your inside, that is. And on a mental level, not a physical one. Could you imagine how nasty that would be?"
"Why am I here?"
"Do you not remember?" Aphrodite prompted, putting one hand on a chin as she looked at the demigod in faux-disbelief. "Please, do think back."
Thalia closed her eyes, trying to look through her memories like she was reading a book. It was all so scattered, like the pages of a volume ripped out and scattered by the wind…
An endless staircase. Running.
There was a palace. Gates. She entered through them.
Blue light. A two-faced man on the carpet.
Aphrodite was there.
And then she felt weak.
"You!" Thalia suddenly spoke up, opening her eyes with a fire her physical body didn't possess. "You did this to me! You've… you've stolen my body!"
Aphrodite laughed, filling the void with the melodious sound. "Did I? Honestly, I'd like to think that I've simply freed you from your responsibilities, as numerous and back-breaking as they are. You can rest here, in a world of your own creation inside you, while the you that's out there can do what is needed to- well, let's just say it can do what it needs to do."
"Rest?" Thalia growled, her voice trembling in anger. "Rest? How can I rest here? This is no world – this is a prison, and I want out!"
Aphrodite's smile faded as she examined the girl in front of her. "I had hoped that you would make this easy," the goddess snarled, her face contorting into an expression of frustration and hate. "I had hoped you would see the light and go back to where you came from, but it seems like you're unwilling to cooperate. Very well." Aphrodite floated backward, bathing herself in golden light. The light was intense enough to force Thalia to look away, and when she turned back to the goddess, she gasped. Aphrodite had shed her modern dress in lieu of battle armor – a gleaming bronze set styled in the same Ancient Greek fashion as the armor of the other Olympians. Her calves and forearms wore bracers, while her chestplate – favorably sculpted to fit her form – and metal skirt were rounded off by a white cape that hung loosely behind her. A helmet, ornamentally designed and decorated with jewels, protected the goddess' head.
"It looks like you will require some more persuasion," Aphrodite continued. "Let's see how you match up against me now." From nothing, the goddess drew out a thin, elegant sword - one that looked more fit to be displayed than to be fought with. Still, a weapon was a weapon. Thalia looked at the new threat with some fear. She had nothing on her to fight with, and while she was confident in her own powers and strength, she didn't fancy fighting against an Olympian – even Aphrodite.
The goddess flew forward, her sword raised for a downward strike. Hastily, Thalia pushed herself to the side, narrowly missing the slice as Aphrodite turned to face the girl. The goddess' eyes burned with rage as she looked upon Thalia.
"Stay still!" Aphrodite yelled as she thrust her sword forward, only to miss as Thalia dodged the second strike.
Falling back to create distance between them, Thalia took deep breaths as she tried to analyze her situation. After a few moments of thinking and watching Aphrodite glare at her, the girl noticed something: she didn't need to breathe hard at all.
In fact, Thalia didn't feel physically pained at all. None of the exertion from her evading moves that she would've normally expected was there.
"Why?" Thalia murmured to herself, trying to figure out what the nature of her discovery meant. As Aphrodite began advancing toward her again, she blinked a few times before she came up with a conclusion.
"This is all in my head, isn't it? You didn't just transfer my soul or whatever to some faraway place?" Thalia asked, yelling across the distance between her and Aphrodite.
"So what if it is?" Aphrodite replied, a dangerous smile playing on her face. "It's my prison, you're the prisoner, and I'm the one with the weapon."
Thalia silently thanked the goddess for confirming her suspicions. She looked down at her right hand, imagining as best she could. She closed her eyes and saw it in her mind. She could see it in her hand, growing from its mortal container into a full weapon. She could almost feel it. She could feel it.
Opening her eyes, Thalia Grace grinned at the shocked Aphrodite who had stopped in front of her. Brandishing her spear – an exact copy of the one she used in the real world – she fell into a familiar and comfortable stance, ready to fend off Aphrodite's attacks.
"Time for round two." And with that, Thalia lunged forward, taking the offensive with determination and a smile.
Percy had a confused expression on his face as he examined Thalia from a distance. She had been moving toward him, but out of nowhere, she had suddenly stopped and now looked forward with a blank expression. Her spear and shield hung limply in her hands. It was like a ship after the wind had been taken out of its sails.
"Thalia?" Percy hesitantly asked, unsure of what to do. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two guards that had brought Annabeth in earlier circling around him, but he put that thought in the back of his mind as he cautiously moved toward Thalia. He extended one hand to put on her shoulder, but when his hand came within inches of touching her, it was repulsed like two opposing magnets.
There was a faint golden bubble surrounding her body, and as Percy backed away from it, he noticed that behind Thalia, Aphrodite was also in a trance-like state with a sheer golden shield around her. Percy stood back and looked at the two, trying to think of what it could mean. There was nothing he could do either way.
A shuffle of movement – leather on marble – sounded behind Percy, and he instinctively reacted by raising his sword as he turned, parrying two simultaneous overhead strikes from the guards that had been lining up behind him for an attack. Both men's expressions showed the same surprise and fear, but Percy paid little attention to their faces. With a great heave, he pulled back his sword and slashed horizontally, breaking through both of their blades.
Percy ignored their dumbfounded looks and kicked the guard on the left, sending him flying back onto the marble floor. Percy stabbed his sword into the marble floor to stand as he strode forward to the fearful guard and took him by the shoulder with one hand. With the other, Percy balled it up into a fist and threw a heavy punch into his gut, leaving the groaning man to fall to the floor and into unconsciousness.
Picking up his fallen sword from its impromptu stand, Percy ran over to Annabeth, cutting off her binds and gently taking out her gag.
"Percy," Annabeth breathed as soon as she could finally speak again. She stood up and embraced him, taking him into a deep hug.
For his part, Percy looked a little stunned at the emotional display, but placed a comforting – or so he hoped it was – hand on the back of her head as she sobbed into his chest.
"I thou- I thought you were dead," Annabeth cried, her voice muffled and scratchy. "It was… just too much."
"I'm alright," Percy quietly replied, "I'm alright. How are you here? I thought you went into the Labyrinth with Grover and the others."
Annabeth didn't immediately respond, instead digging herself deeper into Percy's chest and warmth for comfort.
"We got separated," she finally said, looking up at Percy. "I don't know where they went, but there was a fight between us and some monsters, and I got split from the rest of them and captured by Kronos' troops. I- I saw everything; I saw Luke turn into Kronos…" she trailed off as her eyes unfocused.
"It's alright," Percy whispered, holding his dear friend close to him. "Don't blame yourself – he chose his path, not you. I wish that it turned out differently too, but now we have to fight him. We have to fight Kronos."
Annabeth looked up with a defiant look in her eyes, agreeing with Percy. She took a deep breath to steady her emotions, and Percy let go of her as she recomposed herself.
"Better?" Percy prompted.
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah." She looked past him to where Thalia and Aphrodite stood frozen in place. "What's going on with them?"
Percy turned to gaze upon the same sight. "I think I have an idea of what's going on. I just hope that Thalia's winning."
Thalia grunted as she blocked a wild slash from Aphrodite with the neck of her spear. She didn't feel physical exertion in the traditional sense in her mindscape, but there was still a level of effort on a mental level that she had to put in. It was more a battle of wills than a battle of skills, and the fight with sword and spear was just a representation of a process that was occurring on a more fundamental level.
"Why won't you just give up!" Aphrodite yelled, hacking away with abandon as Thalia gracefully maneuvered to dodge each strike. The goddess was becoming increasingly more frustrated by the fight, and it was showing – her once-perfect hair was frazzled, her dress was dirtied and ripped, and her smooth, flawless skin was slick with sweat.
It was a contest of their souls, and Thalia Grace was thoroughly winning.
She remained composed. That wasn't to say that she didn't show signs of being in a physical fight – she still showed signs of the mental pressure she was under, much like if she had been fighting in a real battle in the outside world. Sweat stuck her shirt to her skin and she felt hot from the fight. These were, however, normal for a real fight, and as such, they were quite normal for a mental one too.
Thalia showed signs of fighting. Aphrodite showed signs of a complete breakdown.
"You will fall in line!" Aphrodite shrieked as she lifted her sword – once ornamental and beautiful, but now pockmarked with scratches on the blade and chipping on the hilt – and sliced downward.
"No!" Thalia finally yelled back, blocking the blow above her head with her spear held horizontally in her two hands. The two strained as one pushed down and the other pushed up, but with a great yell, Thalia let go of one hand and used the other to pivot her spear vertically, wrenching the sword out of Aphrodite's hand and sending it flying into the void.
"What?" Aphrodite exclaimed, falling back slightly as Thalia floated above her, victorious with one hand on her spear and the other clenched in a fist. In her stupor, she failed to notice the fist shaking slightly.
"How? How did a half-breed like you beat me?" Aphrodite shook herself out of her confusion and back into anger. "You insolent whelp! I will put you back where you belong, with all the other trash that you associate yourself wi-" She was cut off by a scream as Thalia speared her right shoulder. Only then did Aphrodite finally look into Thalia's eyes to see the fire turn into a raging inferno. There was a multitude of emotions playing out in those blue eyes, and Aphrodite felt herself shake in fear.
"That's enough," Thalia said quietly, her voice slightly trembling. She looked down at the goddess, pulling out the spear. "This is over."
"Over?" Aphrodite replied. "This is far from ov-"
"This is over!" Thalia roared, her eyes brimming with lightning as some spilled out and arced around the sides of her eyes. "You've caused so much pain, for me and for everyone around me… I don't even know how to judge you for all of it."
For once in her life, Aphrodite stayed silent, digesting the demigod's words. What could she say? She had no response to pure, unfiltered truth, and now that she was at the demigod's mercy, she had no counterattack either.
"I want revenge," Thalia solemnly said. "I do want revenge. For everything that you've done. I want to take my revenge for everything you've destroyed." She hoisted the spear above her, ready to impale the goddess in the middle of her chest. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife as Aphrodite looked up with begging eyes, silently pleading to be spared. After a few moments passed, Thalia lowered the spear.
"But I won't," Thalia finally said. She threw away the spear, letting it dissipate into the void. "because that would make me exactly like you. I don't want to be the evil and vindictive person you are. I want to be better."
Aphrodite trembled in fear and anger. "You think you're so much better than me, don't you? You're a mortal, a half-breed! You're nothing compared to me!"
Thalia sighed. "No. I know I'm better than you."
"Agh!" Aphrodite yelled as she lunged forward at Thalia with her bare hands. The electricity that had been dancing around Thalia shot forward, ensnaring the goddess like rope.
"That's enough," Thalia repeated, looking around. "It's time for this to end." She closed her eyes and drew as much power as she could from within her, extending tendrils of lightning out from her body. They shot off into the void, striking the fabric of the false reality that had been created. Thunderous booms echoed in the distance until finally, a small crack appeared in the void.
"No!" Aphrodite screamed as the cracks widened and enlarged. "It can't end like this!" The void disintegrated, and Aphrodite cracked and shattered like a mosaic along with it, leaving only Thalia, her eyes still closed in concentration, in nothingness. And then she was gone too.
Thalia's eyes snapped opened as the golden shield faded away. She fell to her knees, panting as she tried to inhale as much air as she could. For the first time in a while, she felt clearheaded. The fog that had obscured so much of her mind had faded away, and she could finally see the real world clearly.
In front of her, she could finally see Percy clearly.
He was just as shocked as her, and after a few still moments, he was the one to cross the gap, helping her rise to her feet. The two of them locked eyes, unsure of what to say – indeed, what they could say at all.
Thalia leaned in place her lips on his, and Percy reciprocated, putting one hand on the back of her head as he fell deeper into it as well. Behind them, Annabeth smiled as she saw her friends reunite.
They broke apart and looked at each other once again after sharing the moment.
"Your beard is itchy," Thalia finally commented. "I'm not a big fan of it."
Percy stroked his beard. "Really? I thought it added a lot of character to me. Makes me look more mature and cooler."
Thalia rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Kelp Head."
The two faux-glared at one another for a few seconds before they broke out into laughter, unable to contain themselves. Thalia clasped her arms around him.
"It's good to be back," Thalia whispered.
"Oh yeah," Percy replied, thinking back to everything that happened. "It definitely is."
A coughing sound shook them out of their small world, and the two turned to see Aphrodite shakily rising to her feet. No longer did she seem like the goddess of beauty that Percy had butted heads with so often. Her composure was destroyed – physically and mentally. Her gait was unsteady, and her breathing erratic.
Percy readied his sword as Thalia picked up her spear. For good measure, Annabeth grabbed a sword from one of the fallen guards, readying herself to fight.
"I- I can- I can't believe," Aphrodite rasped, her voice weak and hollow. She gazed directly up at the ceiling. "I can't believe… I can't believe…" After taking a few steps, she fell to the ground, one of her heels' strap breaking as she did so.
"It's over," Thalia spoke out. "You've lost, Aphrodite."
"I can't believe…" Aphrodite croaked one last time before she fell silent. Suddenly, she stiffened, straight-backed as she shook slightly. As quick as it began, it ended, and Aphrodite's gaze fell to the marble floor.
"Lost?" she uttered. The voice immediately caused goosebumps for all three demigods. There was something eerie in it, something that had not been there before.
"Lost?" she repeated, Aphrodite rising as she spoke. "Hardly. This… is just the beginning." With that, Aphrodite looked up and Percy felt every alarm in his head go off as he felt stricken by fear.
Aphrodite's eyes were not her eyes. They were windows to no soul, a portrait of madness. They were kaleidoscopes of disorder, twisting and turning into never-ending patterns that threatened to suck in his soul if he stared too long. There was no way to explain it – they just were.
They were Chaos.
"Oh, not so brave anymore, my dear heroes?" Aphrodite's voice crooned. Even in the same mocking tone, there was something underneath the voice that caused Percy to shudder. There was power, there was weight, and there was mayhem. There was no logical way to put it, no analytical explanation for it.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I… am Chaos." Aphrodite's face leaned forward, a crazy grin on it. Chaos took a deep breath and smiled, closing its eyes as it savored the air.
"It… has been so long since I have tasted this. Not since I was scattered to the void, never to return." Chaos extended both arms, gesturing wildly. "Well, I have returned! When I was disembodied, no one ever imagined this – not even me. This time, I don't intend to leave."
Percy trembled in the face of Chaos. It was unlike anything he had faced before – there were equal parts of fear and determination coursing through him. Brandishing his sword, Percy readied himself. Beside him, both Thalia and Annabeth followed suit, preparing their respective spear and sword to fight.
"Ah," Chaos sighed, looking at the three young demigods with an exasperated look on Aphrodite's sculpted features. "You are all so young. I did not come here to fight – not that I could, at any rate, with my current strength. No, you will have to make due with someone else. If my timing was correct…" Chaos trailed off as the sound of marching feet growing in the distance from outside the throne room.
"And that's my cue," the protegenoi announced, snapping the demigods' attentions back to him. "I have things to do, and I can't waste any more time being tied up with the likes of you all. That's why I have him to keep you all busy."
Percy growled. "Stop!" he yelled, rushing forward with his sword. Chaos flashed him a bright smile before exploding into a ball of light. When Percy could finally turn back and look, Chaos was gone.
"What… was that?" Annabeth asked, her voice shaky from fear and confusion.
"Chaos, the primordial being," Percy announced, turning back to face her and Thalia. "I don't know how he has done it, but he's back from wherever he had been put, and, well, his name kind of explains what he wants."
"A protogenoi?" Thalia asked incredulously. "How are we supposed to stop that?"
Percy looked down at the marble floor, sighing. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we sho-" Percy was cut off by the sounds of men starting to chant. All three demigods suddenly remembered why Chaos had left in the first place.
The sound of marching from beyond the broken throne room doors only grew louder, and as Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth took defensive positions, the air only got more tense. The sounds were getting louder, and closer…
The tops of their heads could be seen marching up the stone stairs, and as they began clearing the stairs, Percy grimaced. The lead figure was none other than Kronos himself. His chestplate bore a dark burn mark, but otherwise, he looked fit to fight. His expression was dark and angry, and his sword – Luke's Backbiter, which was Kronos' Scythe's alternate form – was ready in his hand. Behind him was a whole host of men, armed with swords and clad in armor.
Percy began to walk forward to meet them all in battle, steeling himself to fight the good fight, when Thalia's arm was extended in front of his chest, impeding his path. He looked to her in confusion.
"No," Thalia quietly said. "Let me do this. I need to be the one to fight him."
"Thalia," Percy began, "that… isn't Luke. There's no way to tell if he's even still in there.
"Please, Percy," Thalia whispered. "I need to do this. If not to try one last time, then to give myself closure."
Percy looked back at the veritable army headed by an angry, dangerous Titan, before turning back to his girlfriend. He sighed. "Alright," he whispered back, stepping back. "Go ahead."
Thalia gave a small smile to Percy and began to walk forward herself to meet Kronos in battle. As she began walking, Percy felt his sword heat up. He looked down at it, trying to figure out where the odd sensation was coming from. When he held the sword up to look, he swore he could hear whispers from the weapon. The golden blade hadn't changed, but it was as if the sword itself was trying to tell him something.
"Thalia, wait!" Percy suddenly said. He had a bare understanding of what it wanted him to do. He wasn't one-hundred percent sure, but it was a strong feeling inside of him, like it was something he needed to do.
Thalia turned around, an expectant look on her face.
"Here," Percy said, walking forward to hand her his sword. "Something tells me that you should use this." Thalia blinked a few times before hesitantly taking the weapon.
"Are you sure?" Thalia asked.
"Yeah," Percy replied, nodding his head. "I think that's what it's trying to tell me."
"Alright then…" Thalia held out her spear. "Take this – I'm not going to let you be defenseless in this fight."
Percy gratefully accepted the weapon. "Never used a spear before. Guess there's a first time for everything."
Any further conversation was cut off by a simultaneous roar from the assembled group of enemies. The three demigods turned to see their about-to-be enemies preparing themselves to fight.
"Perseus Jackson!" Kronos snarled. "Face me!"
Thalia placed a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder and locked eyes with him for a moment before turning away, wielding the sword in one hand as she confidently strode out to the center of the throne room.
"I'll be your opponent, Kronos," Thalia announced, holding her sword at the ready.
Kronos narrowed his eyes. "You, daughter of Zeus, are hardly my match."
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "What, too scared?"
Kronos twirled Backbiter before settling into a stance. "Very well, then – I will kill you, then him, and then the rest of the Olympians and their spawn before taking my rightful throne at the top of the world." The two of them stayed in their stances for a few seconds before Kronos lunged forward and the fight began in earnest.
Behind them, Percy and Annabeth readied themselves to fight the horde of men that had been with Kronos. He counted nearly three dozen of them.
"Kronos must've assembled all of his troops in Olympus for this," Percy muttered.
"Can we take them?" Annabeth asked, wielding her sword. "I mean, you're probably going to have to pull a lot of the weight."
Percy grinned as he looked at Annabeth. "Oh, I think we'll be just fine. Just protect my sides."
Striding forward with Annabeth to his side and one pace behind, Percy spun his new spear a few times to get used to the feeling of it. As he saw the group of men in front of him, he couldn't help but be struck how similar this situation felt now. Whether it was Athenian guards, Dorian invaders, or pirates, Percy had plenty of experience fighting against groups of enemies.
The warriors closest to Percy were taken aback by his confident demeanor, but they charged forward nonetheless as he got closer. Percy simply readied his spear for the attack.
His enemies had no idea what they were about to be in for.
Thalia grunted as she locked blades with Kronos once again. She had instinctively understood what her new sword was capable of – it had come easily the moment she grasped the hilt – but many of its powers were negated by Kronos' own. He was, after all, the Titan Lord of Time. However, in Thalia's favor, it worked both ways – the sword largely negated the Titan's vast set of powers, leaving him to be just a super powerful immortal with millennia of experience and skill. Had Percy not given her his sword, the fight could've turned out very differently.
Kronos seemed frustrated against Thalia. She was not quite at Percy's level in terms of sword fighting skill, but she was nimbler and more agile, dodging more of his strikes and getting her own in at weird positions and angles. It took much of his own skill, and that of Luke Castellan's, to keep up with her. Even so, he was not accustomed to fighting with a sword at length and Luke Castellan was not Thalia Grace's equal. Only his own vast library of knowledge and skill kept him in the fight.
Thalia sensed her advantage and pressed it, going on the attack and throwing out combinations of slices, slashes, and thrusts. Many of them slipped through Kronos' faltering defense.
Kronos simply backed up and laughed.
To Thalia's surprise, none of her attacks – some of which were quite heavy – did anything more than cut his clothing. Kronos' skin was unblemished, like her sword could do no damage to it.
"My skin is invulnerable to your attacks," Kronos boasted, twirling his sword. "There is nothing you can do."
Thalia didn't respond, and instead she stared at Kronos' left forearm. The Titan frowned and looked down as well. From a slice on his left forearm, a trail of golden ichor mixed with red human blood ran down the length of his forearm and past his hand, dripping on the marble floor.
"How?" Kronos barely managed to utter before Thalia resumed her attacks, continuing to rain down as many hits as she could. All she knew was that her sword could somehow negate parts of whatever Kronos had done to gain such defense, and it was her only chance to defeat the Titan.
"Luke!" Thalia suddenly cried out, looking straight into Kronos' eyes. The Titan did his best to ignore it and focus on taking advantage of Thalia's relative lack of attention, but even with Thalia pleading to his host body's soul, she was still a more than formidable fighter, and Kronos had little opening against her to counterattack. Instead, he chose to focus on protecting his core and weak spot, leaving his periphery open to attack.
"Luke, please!" Thalia pleaded. "I know you're in there!"
"Luke Castellan is dead!" Kronos snarled. "I am all that's left!"
"Luke, come back," Thalia continued, ignoring the Titan. "There's still a chance for you to come back to us."
Krono sneered. "What makes you think he would want to back? Why would he want to go back to your rundown little camp, where he is left to be forgotten by the gods as he rots away?" He followed up his harsh words with a counterattack, and for a few moments, it seemed that Thalia was the one on the back foot.
"No," she defiantly replied. Thalia looked up at Kronos. "I don't think Luke wants to return to Camp Half-Blood. Somethings can't return to the way they were, and that's one of them. But it's not too late for other things. Luke can still be a hero – help us defeat Kronos! Be the hero that you always wanted to be!"
"Never!" Kronos yelled, ferociously attacking. "You will never come out!"
"What?" Thalia whispered to herself, confused.
Kronos seemed to struggle with his own body. His left arm refused to obey, swinging wildly to block his freedom of movement with his right arm.
"Stop!" Kronos yelled – with a hint of fear, Thalia detected. Noticing it, she pounced, throwing out another round of attacks. Sweat coated her skin and she felt physically fatigued, but nevertheless she pushed through to try and defeat Kronos.
"E…nd this," Kronos stuttered – or was it Luke? "No!" Kronos yelled.
"P-please, Thalia." Luke again.
Thalia stepped back for a moment, solemnly nodding. Kronos screamed as both of his arms were wrenched out of position. His chest was completely exposed, and Kronos knew it. In that moment, Kronos summoned what power he had left and regained control of his right arm. With a quick throw, he flung Backbiter toward Thalia before he lost control once more.
"This is for Luke and all of the lives you've selfishly destroyed," Thalia promised, before thrusting her sword forward with both hands. Kronos' eyes widened as the blade passed cleanly through his chestplate, through his flesh, and out the other side. She stayed in that position for a few seconds before looking away as she pulled out the sword, flicking away the Titan-human mixed blood onto the floor from her blade.
"B-but, the Curse," Kronos whispered to himself in disbelief as he sunk to the ground. Luke's body writhed for a few moments like he was hooked up to an electric current before finally falling still. A smoke, little more than a wisp, floated up from Luke's body, before being scattered by a divine wind. It was like a scream echoing in the wild – barely heard, and gone before it could be understood.
"Luke?" Thalia hurriedly said, kneeling on the floor by his head.
Luke opened his eyes and grinned, albeit a bloody and unconvincing grin. "Hey there, Sparky," he whispered. His voice was low and weak, a result of his chest wound pouring out massive amounts of mixed blood.
"Stop talking," Thalia muttered. "I'm going to try and bandage you up." Luke held out a hand to stop the daughter of Zeus, instead lying back and looking at the ornate ceiling of the Olympian throne room.
"There's no point," he rasped. "I'm going to die anyway."
Thalia put her hands down and just looked at Luke.
"I-I'm sorry, Thalia," Luke quietly said. "I was so scared. I made so many mistakes. I shouldn't have ev-"
"No, no," Thalia replied. "There's no point talking about it now, not with you like this."
"D-do you forgive me? Can you forgive me?"
Thalia pursed her lips. "No, I don't. I can't forgive you for everything you've done. In the end, your actions caused a lot of destruction and pain. What you did before and after that doesn't mean you're free of that."
Luke nodded his head on the ground. "That's what I thought. I wish I had a chance to redeem myself, but it seems like that's just not in the cards." He closed his eyes for a few seconds and Thalia thought the worst, but he re-opened them right after. "So, Percy?"
Thalia nodded. "Yeah, Percy."
Luke looked away. "Good choice. I can't think of anyone better."
"Yeah," Thalia agreed, her voice cracking slightly, "neither can I."
Luke's hand slipped into Thalia's, and he turned back to face her. "Don't cry, Thalia. It doesn't suit you. Talking about what could've been is as useless as trying to change the past."
"I know."
A few moments of silence passed between the two as Luke's breathing became shallower and more strained.
"Promise me that after all of this," Luke finally said, his voice barely audible, "you'll… you'll remember me. You and Annabeth. Percy too. Remember the me that was the hero, not… this."
Thalia nodded silently, and Luke smiled one last time as he closed his eyes. He never opened them again.
Percy swung the spear in a big fan motion, smacking multiple enemies to the ground. Another charged at him with his sword above his head, and Percy silently turned to let the man impale himself on Percy's spear. Pulling the spear out, Percy examined the battlefield. None of the enemies were on their feet anymore. Some were on the ground, unconscious – many more were bleeding or dead.
Annabeth looked around. "That was… something."
Percy grimaced. "I know you're not used to killing, but this is what we need to do now. This is a war."
Annabeth sighed. "I know that. It's just… it's not something I'm going to be able to get over that quickly." Percy nodded.
"Understandable." He turned to find Thalia, and he saw her kneeling beside a body. In his heart, he knew what had happened, and as he walked over, he prepared himself. As he approached, he found his suspicions confirmed – Luke Castellan was dead, and Kronos, hopefully, with him. Percy placed a hand on Thalia's shoulder as he looked at Luke's peaceful expression. She didn't react.
A hissing sound shook both of them out of their own reverie. Percy turned to see where the sound was coming from, and as he spun, he quickly found it.
Kronos' sword, Backbiter, was embedded in Percy's dad's throne.
The double-edged sword had pierced the leather of Poseidon's throne, and a golden mist was dissipating from it. To Percy, it looked bad, so he ran up to it and put a hand on the hilt of Backbiter.
"Ah!" Percy yelled, quickly letting go. The hilt was scorching hot – he couldn't grasp the sword's hilt, much less pull it out. All he could do was back up and watch what happened.
The mist continued to emit until the throne itself began to lose its luster. The black leather became wrinkly and ripped. The metal of its swivel and pedestal rusted, giving the throne an overall dilapidated look.
And then the throne exploded.
Percy was thrown back by the force of the explosion since he was so close, barely reacting fast enough to cover his eyes and face. When he looked back, he saw with horror how where his dad's throne had once been, little more than a crater still existed.
"Percy!" an elderly voice called from the entrance of the throne room.
The demigod in question spun around to see an old man clad in armor with a trident limping on the marble floor, barely making it a few steps before collapsing to his feet. Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth all rushed over, unsure of who it was.
As he got closer, Percy's heart froze. The old man in front of them was none other than Poseidon himself – his dad.
"Dad!" Percy yelled. "What happened?"
Poseidon breathed out, spitting out golden ichor. "Oceanus. It took everything I had to defeat him, but he still managed to get a blow on me." Poseidon unbuckled and took off his chestplate, revealing a nasty gash on the front of his chest.
"Oh my god," Annabeth whispered, seeing the extent of the injury. It was deep and wide, bleeding incessantly.
"There is nothing that can be done for it," Poseidon murmured, barely able to keep coherent. "But Oceanus taunted me near the end. H-he told me that Olympus was the 'real prize', so I came here as quickly as I could. I had only just made it to Olympus when I felt what was left of my power collapse." The Olympian looked past Percy's shoulder to see the ruined crater that used to be his throne. "That explains why."
"How… how can we help you?" Percy asked, unsure of how to go about healing the Olympian.
Poseidon cracked a smile. "You already have, Percy. One of my wishes was to see you again, and now I have. That's more than I could've asked for."
"No. No, no, no," Percy began muttering, futilely putting his hands on the gash to try and stem the bleeding. Poseidon gently removed his son's hands and held them in his own.
"Percy," Poseidon said seriously, getting the demigod's attention. "This is fine. It's normal. Everyone loses those they care about at some point. Even us immortals are no exception to that rule."
Percy just shook his head.
Poseidon smiled sadly. "I wish I could've been a better father. My greatest regret was leaving you and Sally alone. I should've stayed, pacts be damned." He pulled Percy into a tight hug.
"Promise me one thing, Percy," Poseidon whispered in his son's ear. Percy nodded. "Promise me that you won't lose your way. That you won't fall and fight against everything you swore to uphold. Promise me that you will always be the hero."
Percy swallowed heavily. "I promise, dad."
Poseidon leaned back and nodded to himself, and with one hand, picked up his trident and placed it into Percy's.
"This is yours now, Percy," Poseidon solemnly said. "With it comes the responsibilities of the sea. You must carry those responsibilities and shoulder them in times of peace and hardship alike."
Percy slowly nodded, his expression distraught.
"You are my heir, my successor. But most importantly," Poseidon leaned in close again, "you are my son. And for that, I am forever glad. I am proud to have been your father." Poseidon's grip slackened, and he closed his eyes. "I love you, Percy."
"Dad, no!" Percy yelled as Poseidon fell backward onto the marble floor. "Dad!"
Poseidon lay unmoving on the marble floor of the throne room of Olympus, a small smile on his face.
Percy screamed in frustration, anger, and most of all, pain. It almost felt too much – how much did he have to lose before the Fates had enough? Why, even now, did he lose someone? Percy hadn't even gotten to know his dad as well as he had hoped he would one day, and now that opportunity was gone forever. He yelled again.
Annabeth stood, unsure of what to do. Thalia knelt beside Percy, taking him into her arms. She rocked her in her embrace, doing her best to comfort him.
You must carry those responsibilities.
You are my heir.
You are my son.
I love you.
"It's okay to cry," Thalia whispered. "It's not weak. It means that you cared."
Percy let it all flow through him – all of his emotions, pent up and tumultuous as they were. He held nothing back, opting instead to let it all out. He cried. He sobbed. His tears flowed freely.
In his mind, he knew what he had to do. Even as he cried and sought Thalia's warmth and comfort, he clutched his trident in his hand, tightening his grip. He knew what he had to do.
And the arms around him reminded him that he didn't have to do it alone.
Today, they had fought. The enemy had attacked, and they did their best. There were victories and losses.
Tomorrow, Percy and Thalia would bring the fight to the enemy.
They were going to end this, once and for all.
End of Arc II
A/N: Well… that was something. Chapter 25 was the longest chapter in the story at 7,000 words, beating out the previous longest by 400 words. This chapter, 26, is 10,500 words – over three thousand words longer. It's by far the longest single piece of writing I've ever done and probably the longest single chapter I'll ever write.
I apologize for the delay on this chapter. I found it particularly hard to write and school started quickly this year. I'm still a week behind on this update, so I'm not sure how to fix my schedule. Right now, I'm thinking that I'll either a) do a double update next week, or b) cut one of the final chapters so there's only three more. I'm leaning more toward the first option right now.
At any rate, this is the end of the second arc. I hope you all liked it! Stay tuned for the beginning of the finale arc next week!