"This is a bad idea." Hecate said, staring into the eye of the storm.

They levitated a hundred meters above the massive hurricane. At its center, leagues below the dark waters, they would find Atlantis, Poseidon's Palace. But it seemed the god was in a bad mood. Whether he found out about Zeus' betrayal or some other trivial matter, they did not know. And that was why it was so dangerous. They could be walking into another trap.

"We needed Hades' Helm for this. Are you certain we can't go back and search for it?"

Zeus shook his head. His hair had developed a thousand white streaks. The encounter with his brother had not done his health any favors. "I sense he is dead but something went wrong. The Underworld has a ruler yet. Perhaps my sister or Persephone. Even if the Helm was not obliterated, which it most certainly was, we would have to dig through thousands of tons of rock and possibly face down the new Lord."

"Surely Demeter and Persephone wouldn't stand a chance against us."

"I agree. But I sense a Titan in their midst. A powerful one. And if it is who I think it is, the Fates have warned me not to meddle. They foretold a disturbing event at the end of that road."

She narrowed her eyes. "You never told me the Fates were advising you."

Zeus looked at her. "I didn't have to. You already knew. Don't play games with me. You are here voluntarily."

She pursed her lips. "Regardless, that Helm was a massive advantage. Are you certain you can take on your brother? In his own domain?"

Zeus leered at the hurricane. "If there is one god who I have kept a close eye on more than any, it is Poseidon. My brother is powerful and unpredictable. But I have always remained on top, even if only marginally. I have bested him before. I can do it again."

He turned to her, coming closer. "And I have you by my side. That is all the support I need."

Against her best efforts, she blushed and Zeus crept even closer. She stared up at him. "You are married, my lord."

His gaze penetrated her. "I know."

He opened some distance between them and she could breathe again. He placed a hand on his Master Bolt. "Let us not prolong this."

"My lord?" She quickly said before she changed her mind.

He paused.

"Why me?" She knew what the logistical answer was, but she wondered. "Why did you choose me?"

He stroked her cheek. "You are loyal, ferocious, and the most beautiful woman I have laid eyes upon."

This must be the word for word response he gave all the other women but she found it exhilarating and addictive. The King of Gods himself.

She found her voice. "That's good to know."

Without another word, he descended. She followed him into the eye. It was indeed a storm of gargantuan proportions, perhaps the biggest earth had seen. The mortals would think it was the end of the world. At the center, complete silence. Then they were in the water. It was cold and the currents were insanely strong. They powered through to the gates of the palace, swimming past the great city. It was just as big as Olympus but, in Zeus' opinion, much less magnificent. It felt alien. Zeus had never bothered to visit but immediately thought he wasn't missing out on anything special.

Hundreds of Ichthyocentaurs swam about, their eyes going as wide as possible once they spotted the King. They bowed in their own little way but kept a wide distance. There were dozens of blue whales parked or driving around. Their songs were admittedly beautiful to the ears. Zeus wondered how their screams would sound once everything went down.

The doors to the palace opened and a terrified merman led them to the throne room. Inside, not a drop of water wet the room and they found themselves dry. He stumbled over the steps, opened the set of doors for them, and scurried off.

Inside the room, Poseidon sat on his coral throne garbed in an ash grey toga. He looked even older than Zeus himself felt. His white hair reached down to his chest. His Trident was placed firmly on the ground and his eyes stared directly into his soul. Beside him his wife stood in a simple white dress. That didn't subtract from her beauty at all however. Zeus thought she was a close second behind Aphrodite. Another reason to resent his brother. She looked extremely worried and couldn't help but fiddle with her hands.

On his other side was Triton. He wore a seaweed colored set of armor studded with brilliant pearls, his black hair tied back into a ponytail. His skin was a bright shade of green, clashing horribly with his armor but the prince didn't care. A cutlass was sheathed on his belt and a conch horn on the other end, one hand placed tightly around it. His face was stoic. He and his father were the only ones not impressed by Zeus and his companion.

Poseidon opened with perhaps the only thing that could have surprised Zeus. "Leave us."

Triton's head whipped around, unnerved. Poseidon looked only at Zeus. His son hesitated but grabbed his mother and gently took her away. The doors closed behind them silently.

"That was..." He thought brave but decided against it. Better not to be so direct. "Respectful of you brother."

"I suppose."

"Poseidon. It is an honor." Hecate curtsied.

He inclined his head at her. Zeus started to walk closer but the god held up his hand. "You're close enough. Why are you here Zeus? Uninvited?"

The King of the Gods realized he wasn't entirely sure. Did he really want to kill Poseidon? Or did he just want the Trident?

"That's a big storm out there. What's troubling you, brother?"

He scoffed. "Like you care. If you must know, I just left my son stranded in the Sea of Monsters. I offered him a place to stay while we wait and he refused me. He asked me for help and I couldn't because of what you told us to do. I regret it every second that passes."

Zeus nodded. "Hmm. So you're being dramatic as usual."

Poseidon snorted. "I honestly can't tell if you're trolling me or if you're actually being unironic."

Hecate had to resist the urge to nod in agreement.

Zeus frowned, caught off guard. "Trolling?"

Poseidon waved a hand. "You're too high and mighty to bother familiarizing yourself with modern slang. Again, what do you want?"

Zeus crossed his arms. "I assume you've heard what happened to Hades?"

Poseidon sat back on his throne, pondering. "Triton came back with the news a few days ago. He says they don't know who killed him." His eyes bore into Zeus'. "I would consider this unwise, knowing the wrath of the Olympians would befall on the individual who committed this crime. Let alone upsetting the balance of the cycle of death. I wonder who took his place."

Zeus smiled darkly. "Charmed as always to be on the receiving end of your accusations, Poseidon."

"I rarely accuse anyone of anything, unlike you brother. But when I do, I'm right."

Zeus placed his hands on his waist and he felt Hecate secretly drawing strength. "You are not afraid?"

Poseidon laughed. "Of you? No. A power play must have been in your mind for centuries. After the Ichor Purge, I have been waiting. And you have as well for an opportunity. What better time? Not that you even care for the damage you would cause. As long as you get your power and remain King, right?"

Zeus made his decision. He was definitely tired of Poseidon. He sighed. "I really was hoping for little tremble in your knees. A gasp of shock wouldn't have been amiss."

Poseidon mocked a gasp. Over the course of the breath, his wrinkles disappeared and his hair shortened all the way to a black hectorean. His skin regained its bronze tone and his muscled body returned. He was as young and fit as the day they defeated the Titans millennia ago. "How's that?"

The King of the Gods grinned. "Perfect."

He let loose a surge of electricity. Poseidon aimed his Trident and a fire hose of a blast shot out, absorbing the lightning and flinging Zeus across the room.

The doors burst open and Triton charged in. "Mom, evacuate the city!"

Amphitrite's face was full of rage. She wanted to help but realized the importance of what he said. She extended a hand and shared her power with her son. She ran off, amplifying her voice. "GUARDS WE ARE EVACUATING THE CITY! ALL OF YOU NOW! LET'S GO!"

Hecate found herself locked in battle with the son of Poseidon. He was a formidable warrior. Skilled, fast, and strong. As a god, he had a natural resistance to magic and her magic attacks lost potency on contact. As Zeus and Poseidon raged around the room, Triton dominated the engagement. He was relentless and he had no qualms about hitting a woman. Once or twice she caught a fist with her face. She couldn't beat him physically but she had an ace up her sleeve. Hecate collected a ball of pure energy, making it seem as if she would toss it at him. When Triton swung his cutlass once more and she snapped her finger and the energy shaped itself into a lasso. She wrapped it around the length of the blade and he was bombarded with wave upon wave of energy, stripping him of his magical defenses. She kicked him away and whipped the sword across the room, out of reach.

The young god wouldn't give in so easily. He unclasped his conch horn and put the tip to his lips. The sound reverberated through the room horribly. She stumbled, clutching her head, gaping for air. This wasn't over yet.

Poseidon wasn't in his prime anymore but he could still put up one hell of a fight. Zeus realized how foolish he had been to neglect his training. He thought Hades could keep up in their match solely because of his Helm but really the King had grown complacent. His power had grown but his skills deteriorated. Lucky of him to have taken on Hades before this or he feared this fight would have already gone south. As it was, he just managed to keep pace.

Poseidon was hitting multiple thrusts per second with his Trident, forcing Zeus to retreat across the entire room on every exchange. With a throwing motion, Zeus sent a powerful wave of air to toss him around. Poseidon braced, braving the attack. Zeus summoned his personal sword made of adamantine, the metal of immortals. Cooled in ichor, this blade was made from the blood of gods to slaughter them. Poseidon grimaced. His Trident was made of gold. If Zeus managed to lock the two weapons, the Trident would give first.

He approached cautiously. "You wielding that weapon alone should've clued us in."

Zeus twirled the blade, scowling fiercely. "I don't expect you to understand. This world is doomed, brother. Too many Primordials, Titans, Giants, even Gods ourselves fighting over it. There is an entire universe out there. Don't you see? This, this Twin that's hunting us: he's only the beginning. It won't be too long before another comes along and another, each more powerful than the last."

"And this is your plan? You just slaughter your way through the pantheon? There will always be another. In the end, all that will be left is you and a sea of blood.

Zeus advanced, almost slicing Poseidon in half. The sea god somersaulted away, coming up with another thrust. Zeus' neck stretched back violently to avoid the three prongs and Poseidon rammed his shoulder into him. He recovered and sent a barrage of lightning, catching him full on. Poseidon tanked the attack but was left fried and gasping for breath,

Zeus stepped away, satisfied. "You're as much a hypocrite as I. You helped me during the first Ichor Purge. Each and every Olympian dirtied their hands."

Poseidon rose to his feet slowly. "That was different. We destroyed gods that deserved it. The dangerous ones. You're off killing your own brothers for power."

"If it calms your final moments to know, I don't plan on sticking around. Once I gather enough power, I'm leaving this world. I've found a nearby settlement. If I can survive the journey there, I can start over. Build a new pantheon devoid of the likes of you."

Poseidon's snarled, unfazed the radical revelation. "By all means, leave! But don't expect me to roll over for you."

Zeus popped his neck bones. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Triton managed to recover his cutlass, using it to deflect a spell. Hecate tried various angles but she was expelling too much energy. She hadn't expected the son of Poseidon to be this strong.

Outside, they could hear the whales' songs of calm harmony morph into panicked yelps. The merpeople shouted orders and blew conch horns of their own. Over the course of the battle, the city of Atlantis was evacuated and now Hecate could sense a raging Amphitrite heading back to the throne room. A plan snuck its way into her brain.

When the doors flew open. Hecate focused her mental energies into a projection, remembering a month ago how Hazel Levesque had taken on a Giant under the House of Hades. Poseidon's wife faltered at the door, finding a dark labyrinth in place of the brilliant room she knew so well. Even Zeus and Poseidon felt the effects, suddenly lost in the maze.

Hecate literally became one with the walls, traveling through them. Amphitrite stepped foot into the first corridor cautiously, her hands glowing with power. She only walked for a few seconds but to her, she explored the tunnels for minutes on end, shouting for Triton and Poseidon and promising vengeance on Hecate and Zeus. Turning a corner, she saw the Goddess of Magic and went into a frenzy blasting her with green energy. Hecate was too fast, darting up, down, left, and right, closing the distance between them.

When Hecate reached her she let loose a telekinetic banshee scream, blasting her into one of the walls. Amphitrite pulled out a dagger and jumped on the fallen goddess, stabbing once and twice before Hecate pulled out a cutlass and drove it between her ribs. She gasped, looking down at the blade. It was so familiar. Triton?

The illusion faded and they were back in the throne room. Mother and son found themselves staring at the other in horror. Ichor shined brightly on them both.

"Mother! I-" Triton broke down in tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't know. Oh gods!"

Poseidon let loose a terrible bellow. The windows shattered and millions of tons of icy sea water flooded the chamber. Zeus and Hecate were swept away violently. Triton grabbed his mother and swam off to either find a medic or try and heal her himself. Poseidon now fully unleashed his power. With the simple motion of closing his fist, the temple's walls and ceiling caved in, entombing them all. Poseidon found his way safely out of there, waiting impatiently. He knew they were not dead and they would have to surface sooner or later.

It took longer than expected but eventually Zeus punched his way through the rubble, leading Hecate out.

Baring his teeth, Poseidon summoned his favorite pet with another gesture. Dazed, Zeus turned to him and raised his sword. A true heart-stopping roar made his blood run cold. An enormous Leviathan rose from the darkest depths of the ocean and snapped him up like he was a goldfish. Chewing him up, his yells reverberated through the cold dark waters as he was swallowed in one gulp.

Hecate almost began sobbing on the spot. Poseidon was out for blood however. He grabbed her around the neck, fully intent on ripping her head off.

With an unearthly howl, Zeus uncaged a repulse of energy, annihilating the part serpent, part squid, part dinosaur monstrosity with electricity and telekinesis. Chunks of meat and blood sprayed across the sea. Suddenly, a rough sea current ripped Hecate and Poseidon apart, distracting the sea god momentarily. He hadn't done that. Then Zeus recaptured his attention, snarling like a rabid animal, ichor dripping from the massive bites that decorated his body.

Just as the Lord of the Skies started for Poseidon, he felt a massive presence enter the arena. It snatched up the Olympians like they were babies and flicked Hecate aside like a bug.

"Silly gods," Said Pontus. "Why do you wake me from my slumber?"

It was a little after sunset when they set eyes on Half-Blood Hill.

Coeus gave Nico the top spot in his chain of command. That earned the young new recruit a couple of enemies, chief among them Hercules. The vain god did not take kindly to competition. He felt he was more than capable of taking Camp Half-Blood himself with only a small force behind him. As it was, he could not protest when Nico ordered him to go in through the forests to the north of the Hill while he took the main entrance.

One small victory the son of Hades decided to grant Hercules was giving him the reins to their only pair of drakons. Coincidentally, one of the snake-dragons was actually the mother of the one Clarisse killed in the Battle of Manhattan and it knew she was here. She was restless, flapping her bat-like wings in agitation. Hercules wore his Nemean lion cape and stood with his massive club. Behind him, an army of hell hounds and laestrygonian giants lumbered around, goofing around. He didn't care to put them back in line. They were deep enough into the forest that any ruckus they made would go unnoticed.

Hercules never took himself for a traitor. But over the course of a millennia, he grew to realize what all demigods did; that the Olympians simply didn't care. They only stuck their hands into the mud when it benefited them. The Second Titan and Giant uprisings were proof enough of that. They were happy enough to let the demigod camps do their dirty work. And for the vast majority, the demigods took on the tasks well. Amazingly well. Whatever the odds, the heroes found a way. Coeus realized that and rightfully decided they had to go. It was nothing personal so Hercules was willing enough to get the job done. If it meant one step closer to dethroning the Olympians, it was a small sacrifice. Even if not all of them were bad, they were bystanders. And maybe, just maybe they could find a use for them if Coeus wasn't a complete idiot.

Hercules waited.

About three miles south, Nico and his forces kept a close watch on the patrols. They had enough sense to set up a few towers along the perimeter armed with ballistae. On the sea front, they had enough cannons lined to sink a battleship. And in the middle of the cabins, they found a new resting spot for the Golden Fleece. It was clear they felt vulnerable without Percy.

The name alone sent a tingle up Nico's spine. It was as if a trickle of emotion was unraveling the tight bonds of Coeus' puppet strings. But his influence was too strong. In seconds, Nico was once again wiped clean of any emotional attachments. It was truly remarkable how smart Coeus and his wife had to be to uncover the secret to manipulating the blood of the gods. As of yet, the only major breakthrough in that was thousands of years ago when the Mist was first used to warp the brains of mortals. Of course, to manipulate actual gods would take a lot more energy and power than Coeus possessed but it was a start.

The finale was already set. In all the possible outcomes Coeus foretold, only in the ones that Percy was present would Nico lose. Now that the son of Poseidon was stranded in the Sea of Monsters, they could move in. They only had a small window, however. Jackson would return soon enough with all the fury of a god. The last thing standing between the Ghost King and victory was the signal from Coeus.

It was exactly 13 minutes later that the Iris Message shimmered before Nico.

Coeus sat on his new throne deep in the Underworld. A celestial bronze chain was wrapped around one hand, the other end held Iris beside him, bloodied, bruised, and on her knees. "All is in position. The conditions are flawless. You have one hour, son of Hades."

Nico kneeled and bowed his head. "Thank you, my lord." His tone monotonous.

The image disappeared and he stood presenting an aura of death. Immediately, his army stiffened.

He set out, low and silent. They followed. A hundred yards from the tree line, he stopped. The patrols were lazing about, flirting, sparring. The guard in the nearest patrol tower was focused on the camp fire, listening to the faint melodies the heroes sang. Nico signaled and the first dozen catapults let loose.

They didn't react until the first two towers collapsed in a fiery blaze. The shots were so accurate it was frightening. The visible patrols were wiped out almost simultaneously. The second round fired was less accurate but Nico still heard a couple buildings take the impact. The next moment, the conch horn sounded and two hundred demigods were roused.

"BURN IT DOWN!" The Ghost King bellowed.

Three miles north, Hercules turned on his heel and mounted a drakon. He wordlessly pointed his free hand and spurred the beast on. A thousand howls and snarls and unintelligible roars resounded like the orchestra of death, They had to move quick to cover a mile of ground. The demigods would soon realize this was a losing battle.

Hundreds of Nico's dracaena, venti, centaurs, empousai, and harpies rushed up the hill. By the time they reached the peak of the hill, the demigods were organized. The attack last week had traumatized them for sure. They put together a solid defense in the minute of warning they had. From beside Thalia's Pine, Nico could see Annabeth and Clarisse at the head of the shield wall. Staring right at them, he sliced clean through the trunk. The old tree crashed on its side and rolled down the Hill out of sight.

Symbolically, was Camp Half-Blood still Camp Half-Blood without Thalia's Pine?

Whatever the answer, the shield wall broke and they charged furiously in a free for all. Heads rolled and monsters exploded into dust. Heroes cried out bravely one last time before they were cut down. Fire rained all around them. Nico took his time reaching the battlefield, simply taking in all the chaos. He figured the old him would be enraged and depressed at the scene before him. His whole life had begun to revolve around this camp. Just as he was being accepted for who he was, making friends, starting a life with someone, he was captured and made to destroy it. Whoever said the Greek tragedies took place thousands of years ago?

As he entered the fray, campers threw themselves at him. He killed mercilessly. They didn't know who he was under the mask but he knew them. That one he beheaded? Claire, daughter of Aphrodite, one of the first congratulate him on landing his first date with Will. That guy he sliced in half? Connor's baby brother, only 9 years old and cute as buttons. That harpy that dive-bombed him he remembered consoling over a break-up.

In a matter of minutes, his force was reduced to half. The demigods began to rally, scarlet and battered but still fighting. Clarisse stood in the middle of it all, various gashes all over her body. Maimer the II was still darting between ribcages and thrust into snarling mouths. Suddenly, she raised the spear to the stars and uttered a great yell. The campers begin to chant a war cry conducted by the daughter of Ares.

The morale was raised immensely and they started killing more efficiently. Unfortunately for them, Hercules burst through the trees into the clearing on a massive drakon. The second drakon rushed into the fray immediately spewing its acidic venom, dropping a half dozen campers. Behind him, the army of hell hounds and giants ran out. The chaos reached an all time high.

And that was when a column of bright orange flames erupted behind Clarisse. Ares had arrived.

The battlefield froze, monsters and demigods alike holding their breath, not sure which side he was on. The god grinned. "By all means, continue."

He waved his hand and an aura of blood lust overtook them all. They started back at it, stabbing viciously.

Nico began to fight his way to Ares. Coeus had neglected to mention an Olympian would show up.

Clarisse almost tripped over herself. "D-Dad?"

"Hey, baby girl. I know, I know, I'm not supposed to be here. But..." He spread his arms and leaned his head back. His eyes flared, burning hotter than ever behind his sunglasses. "This was too good to miss. And you're making me so proud!"

Clarisse stammered over her words, ultimately muttering nonsense.

Ares held up a hand. "Take a breath and speak soldier."

Clarisse straightened, like the word hit the right feels. "I lost Chris."

A confused dracaena threw herself at Ares and he bashed her aside without even looking. "Ah, yes your boyfriend. Tell you what, you go make daddy proud and I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

He touched her forehead and his blessing took hold, encasing her in a faint red glow. She slowly nodded and turned back into the battle.

Nico realized how dangerous Clarisse had just become. She could singlehandedly change the course of the battle now. He was so close. But with Ares watching over her, he wasn't sure he could win even with the power Coeus had bestowed upon him. He was suddenly struck with inspiration. They had another god, too.

"HERCULES!"

The son of Zeus pinpointed his voice and saw what Nico was pointing at. Without a moment of hesitation, he turned his drakon and charged.

Ares cocked his head. "Did someone say Hercules?"

Then the god of strength collided with the god of war. Nico set off at once, going for a backstab. Somehow, Clarisse knew he was there. She countered his sword, holding her ground and the battle began.

Annabeth realized the moment Hercules entered that they were doomed. They didn't have Percy or Nico or even Jason. They would not win this. The problem is they were boxed in. Hundreds of monsters were still attacking and their own numbers were shrinking. If she stopped to process the amount of people she just saw bleed out or get eaten, she would break down completely. She had to focus.

If she had to bet on one god, Hercules could mostly certainly defeat Ares. And Clarisse was facing off against the monster that killed Chiron, the monster that bled ichor. A god. They would not beat two gods.

She thought furiously. If they tried running, they would not survive. Maybe if they tried to get Ares to contact another god? But the gods demonstrated time and time again they would not interfere. They didn't have any reliable boats. What they did have...were pegasi. 25 of them. Nowhere enough to ride off even if they fit two on each.

And an idea began to take shape. It was an idiotic ridiculous idea but what other options did they have?

She channeled the same energy she used to take charge of the counselors. "Everyone! We have to move back! Move back to the cabins! Now!"

She spotted the Stoll twins. "Connor! Travis!"

They looked around wildly, running over, tripping over bodies. Connor was almost in tears. "Gods, Annabeth."

Just hearing the words took the air right out of her lungs. She breathed. "I know. I need you guys to round up the pegasi. We're getting out of here."

Travis was outraged. "What? We can't just abandon the camp!"

Annabeth grabbed him by the collar. "We have to! Look around! What are we gonna do? Die for it? Just do as I say or we'll all end up in a pile of burning corpses."

They ran off and Annabeth began helping everybody to the cabins. The monsters began to close in on the horseshoe. They didn't have much time.

Clarisse went off the deep end, attacking with everything and anything. Nico was right. With the blessing of Ares, Clarisse might as well be a minor god. It took all of his skill to keep her at bay but she was too good. Nips and cuts began to decorate his body. He began to bleed ichor. Just when he thought he was in real trouble, Hercules came through.

With the help of a drakon, Ares literally stood no chance against Hercules. The cowardly god retreated with a bashed in face and a broken arm, the bone sticking out. Immediately, his blessing disappeared and Clarisse was just a normal demigod and Nico overpowered her, kicking her twenty feet back. She gasped in air but stood shakily.

Off to the far right, a horrible scream rose above the rest. They both looked over and watched Chris Rodriguez on the ground, the drakon mother had stabbed him through the chest with a talon.

Chris choked out blood. He knew he was dead. He managed to growl, "Dale pues, cabron!"

The drakon looked her dead in the eye and began swallowing him up. Clarisse blacked, charging without thinking. The drakon spewed its poison and she ran right through it.

"YOU WANNA DIE LIKE THE LAST ONE? DO YOU?"

She rammed the spear into its eye, breaking the spear, and unleashing the energy stored within, same as before. The drakon collapsed, dying instantly. Clarisse dropped to her knees, the poison began eating away at her, same as Selina Beauregard.

"Clarisse!" Annabeth sobbed. She was standing in front of the Athena cabin where their last stand was taking place. Even the pegasi were gathered around, fighting off monsters. "Clarisse!"

It was poetic in its own way. That is until the second drakon, rode by Hercules, snapped her up and carefully swallowed her live.

Nico stared at Annabeth and slowly removed his helmet. Her sobs went silent. Her eyes went wide. She didn't have to say anything. Her expression said it all. He smiled.

Will appeared at her side. "We have to go, come on!"

He tugged her back but she wouldn't break eye contact. Will traced her line of sight all the way to Nico. His smile turned to a goofy grin when he saw Will's reaction. It was straight up denial. He saw with his eyes but his heart told him the truth: This wasn't Nico. This wasn't his Nico.

The pegasi took off as the two hundred monsters closed in. Nico's smirk faded as he saw Annabeth's plan. She had tied the powerful winged horses to the most structurally sound cabin in the Camp. The most efficiently built, the least likely to collapse, the one outfitted with ingenious dimensional magic. And it worked. The team of pegasi hauled with their mighty strength, all 25 of them, and lifted off into the night, Cabin 6 dangling between them.

Percy took 6 hours to trudge through the forest. It was a shame he wasn't born with the ability to swim at sonic speeds like Triton or he would have left this place behind long ago. The weird thing about this island was there were no animals or monsters in this forest. Nevertheless, Percy didn't let his guard down. After Janus, he wasn't taking any chances. This was called the Sea of Monsters, after all.

A thousand times Percy had whistled for Mrs. O'Leary and a thousand times more for Blackjack. Radio silence. The scariest part wasn't swimming over a vast ocean. The problem was he didn't know which corner of the triangle he was on. He could swim for hundreds of miles and for days on end before reaching shore. Janus had confessed South was the only path he could save all his friends. He figured he had no choice but to trust his word. The roman god could have been lying but Percy couldn't risk it. His only consolation was in the Labyrinth, he hadn't lied to them.

It was a very, very small consolation though.

As he stared over the water, a thousand thoughts raced through his head: He was worried about Annabeth and camp. Was Nico okay? He couldn't believe his dad didn't take the risk and help him. He had a sister coming. Chiron was dead and that would forever poison his warm memories. Janus said his next decision would influence the course of history.

He counted to five and waded into the lukewarm waters, leaving behind his worries. As he swam further and further out, the island shrunk smaller and smaller and the water grew exponentially colder. Almost unnaturally cold. The sun was directly overhead. It shouldn't have been this cold. With his radar sense, he could see big lifeforms below him. Krakens and Leviathans. Monster whales and hippocampi. He tried to reach out to them and send them a message.

Hey, son of Poseidon here! A little help?

Zip. Percy groaned. Of course he couldn't communicate with them. Because that would be too easy, right? That didn't stop him from trying again and again.

He lost track of the exact time but the sun was reaching the horizon when he felt a tingle crawl up his spine.

He stopped swimming and stretched out his senses to the max, about a mile or so. There were the usual sea animals but also something else. Something...ancient? It was making Percy uneasy. The island had disappeared from view hours ago. Nothing touched the horizon. Water and the sun.

He got the same feeling but dialed to 11. Something was definitely watching him. He uncapped Riptide. Suddenly, the sword was yanked out of his grip, seemingly out of its own accord. He grabbed for the reins of the waters but they were not there. Something was overshadowing his power. He hadn't felt this since he was in Tartarus, facing the Pit himself in physical form.

Fear.

For a chilling second Percy felt in free fall. It was then he realized the ocean had parted faster than the blink of an eye and he was actually floating in mid air. Then he fell, screaming. A horrible panic gripped him. The ocean floor was as far away as a fall from a skyscraper. It was then he remembered reading once that the ocean was so deep, you could throw Mount Everest into the sea and it would still sink out of sight into the depths. He was falling from the height of the tallest mountain in the world.

The walls of the ocean were so very far apart; The number squeezed itself into Percy's brain: 300,000 square miles. That's how far apart the ocean walls were. And suddenly Percy was even more terrified. Something had literally pushed all the water out of the Sea of Monsters.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshithsit!" He started praying to his dad, to fucking Zeus, to God himself.

Then a voice spoke. It filled the entirety of the empty space. "Around here, I am God."

Percy never thought he would ever beg anyone, let alone some self-proclaiming God...but he did now. "Please, I hate flying! What do you want?"

The voice was amused. "What do I want? I simply wish to observe."

"Observe how I go SPLAT?" He yelled.

The voice said nothing but Percy felt it there. And it sounded like a he. He thought he knew who it was. His dad mentioned whose territory this belonged to.

"Are you Pontus?"

Silence.

It was difficult to talk with air rushing into your mouth and nostrils but Percy did his best. At least there were no bugs. "Listen...I'm just trying to get back home, I don't know what you want!"

Silence.

Percy felt a deep pit of anger inside. The same anger he felt when he took on Akhyls. When he almost exploded that warrior's head off. It was starting to grip him and he was fighting. That was not something he wanted to give in to.

Then Pontus had the nerve to laugh. And Percy felt the pit of anger erupt. He reached out, trying to wrestle control of the oceans from a Primordial like an idiot. He didn't care if he angered the god. He would die anyway if he reached the bottom which a short time before had seemed so far away and was now coming up.

The first time the rope didn't budge an inch. And Percy dug deeper, drawing on fury. Slowly, the rope seemed to give but nothing changed.

"Oh, dear." Pontus ticked. "I hoped after everything I heard about you, you wouldn't turn out to be a half-blood filthy rich on luck. It seems I was wrong."

That was gasoline to the flames. Drawing on every fiber of his being, Percy yanked with all he was worth...and he actually felt Pontus stumble a bit. The oceans shook violently then reformed.

A hand grabbed him around the neck like a kitten and suddenly they were standing on flat dry ground. Immediately, Percy fell to his knees and barfed everything out. The remains of his mom's breakfast of blue waffles and coffee splattered onto the ground.

He wiped his mouth, growling weakly, "Can I not go a single fucking year without a god kidnapping me?"

Pontus' voice floated over, insulted. "God? I am breed of divinity unlike any you have ever seen, Perseus Jackson."

Percy turned, ready to chew him out and perhaps brag about surviving an encounter with Tartarus and just gaped. This thing was way worse than Tartarus.

The Primordial was truly enormous. Probably the size of the Empire State Building, if not taller. His flesh was a sickly sort of blue-green, if you could call it flesh. It felt like a cross between skin and scales. A thousand fat, thick, barbed tentacles came out of his back like peacock feathers but on the tips were a string of lights like angelfish. He had the upper body of a heavily muscled man, with spikes coming out of the shoulders and elbows. His lower half was a horror show. He stood on two massive snake tails lined with fins larger than a blue whale. His monster dong swung between his 'legs'. But it was not the penis of a man. This one had the tip like Charybdis with rows and rows of teeth going inward. A crown of blood red water, or perhaps it was blood or worse, floated and flowed around the shaft and tip, pulsing and splashing. It felt like if you didn't brace yourself, or if you lost focus, you would be sucked in to be lost forever. Percy didn't have the courage to look up but his eyes had to get away from the nightmare that was below. His head was straight up an entire kraken, like a sort of Cthulhu look alike. His eyes glowed red and the inner pupils were black. An entire aircraft carrier could fit comfortably across each eye.

Percy was fighting a losing battle against his gag reflex and possibly his sanity. "S-Sorry? If I may ask...sir...why did you summon me?"

Pontus spoke even though he didn't have a mouth. His voice was like the crashing of waves. Waves the size of tsunamis. The echoes filled the entire space. "I have heard much of you, little demigod. Never before had I seen a mortal of such potential."

Percy tried to speak but gagged violently. "C-Can you not..." He tried to vomit up his guts. "Can you change your form please?"

Pontus morphed into a regular old joe, literally. He looked entirely like a human with a massive grey beard, a long mane of hair, and muscled body except his Cthulhu eyes stayed. Percy's brain couldn't shake the image, no matter how hard he tried.

Pontus continued. "You were lucky enough to have been born with the full extent of your father's genetics. You could grow the divine flame within yourself to amazing levels. You could be a god, young one."

Percy breathed in and out and didn't speak until he felt completely sure he wouldn't gag again. "Thank you, Lord Pontus. Not to be disrespectful, but is that all you called to tell me?"

Pontus began walking off and motioned for him to follow. Percy didn't know what he expected from the bottom of the ocean but this wasn't it. It was barren. There was nothing noteworthy to take in. Just a bunch of giant stalagmites and caverns and possibly a few active volcanos, if his eyesight still worked properly after being scarred forever.

"You asked your father why they fled from the danger approaching. Well, to be perfectly sincere, they are wise to hide. The Fates themselves advised it. They foretold a massacre if they should attempt a fight. What they neglected to mention is a massacre is inevitable."

Percy began to normalize the situation. Just a god wanting to talk like always. Nothing special. "What exactly is coming? Everybody's freaking out about this. I've never known my father to be a coward."

Pontus chuckled and it was striking how normal he sounded now. "When we first emerged from the Void, we had no scale to measure our strength from. We had no idea where our place was in the Universe. All we knew was the Void existed. We knew it was a place to keep our distance from. And we knew it was a power far beyond any of us. We used to have nightmares of the Void. We used to throw rebellious protogenoi into it."

Pontus waved a hand and empty space became a vast city filled with merpeople and ithyocentaurs and humanoid sharks and freaking dinosaurs and all sorts of creatures he had never heard of. The buildings were mostly made of pearl walls and some were simply shells. Others were massive leviathans with their corpses still intact acting as homes. Percy's brain filled in the blanks. It was too much to take in.

"To put that into perspective for your mortal brain, any and all divine beings feared Chaos above anything else. And what approaches is on the same level as that Void we came from."

Percy tried to keep up but struggled to imagine the scale of matters. "Wait, so...there are two of Chaos? Didn't the entire universe come from him?"

Pontus raised an eyebrow. "Is that what the Greeks think? Boy, the universe is a massive place. Far beyond anything you can imagine. If you struggle to comprehend the wonders of my kingdom or the horrors of my true form, how could you possibly understand the scale of our existence? No. The truth is, we came from the center of the galaxy. The Milky Way you call it. That is 'Chaos' as you imagine it. That is where Primordials emerged from. Every galaxy has its own 'Chaos'. Its own Void. So if you start to piece it together, you realize that what is actually happening is the power or powers of another galaxy are taking a trip to our little planet."

Percy wasn't sure he understood but Pontus had just given him the actual truth, apparently. "Why couldn't my dad just tell me that?"

Pontus stroked his beard and Percy got an image of him stroking his Cthulhu tentacles. "Your father is bound by laws above his power to change. Such laws do not hold power over me. Regardless, what use would it be for him to tell you?"

Percy felt a little anger start to stir. "So then why are you telling me this? You just said there's nothing we can do about it."

"I never said that. Starting a Primordial War is never wise, especially between Primordials from two different galaxies. However, when things escalate to that level there are very few things anyone can do to avoid one."

Percy snapped for what felt like the hundredth time that week. "SO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" His voice was lost amongst the noise pollution of the city. Nobody paid them any attention.

Pontus was unfazed but a curious look came over his face. "Who was your mother, Perseus Jackson?"

Percy scowled. "What? Why?"

Pontus studied him and it was like he was looking right into his soul, looking at his entire life in the blink of an eye. "Over the years I have watched you. Your power keeps growing past all barriers. Children of Poseidon have always been powerful. But now I wonder...your mother was a mortal?"

Percy had never been more confused. "Why does any of this matter?"

Pontus held his stare. "The birth of a Primordial is always a curious thing to witness."

Percy counted to three. If he was going to keep talking in codes and hints...

"Look, I don't understand a word you're talking about. I don't even understand why you brought me here but if you can't help me then please let me go. There are people depending on me."

Pontus smiled for the first time. "As you wish, young half-blood. If ever you should want training, you have an ally with Pontus. Don't expect other Primordials to be so generous."

A/N:

Hey, if you read all the way through, congratulations you just finished a 7,800 word chapter.

This was a wild ride to write. I think I may have gone over board with some of the shit I included but whatever. It's done. I don't even want to edit. Half of the chapter was written in one sitting so if you keep seeing the same words or prose being used, my bad.

Let me know if you like this long short story format or prefer smaller word count chapters. I could've split this into three but since they all take place roughly in the same time frame, I just felt it was natural to continue. I also know chapters are a slog to get through if they're too long.

If you're confused on how Poseidon was attacked by Zeus in the beginning and at the end is talking to Percy, I intentionally put the scenes out of order. They just flowed better in my mind.

Thanks for all the support, seriously. See you guys next time. ;)