Chapter 5 – Ice
The initial burst of overwhelming panic settled quickly.
It was one thing for Kronos to know they were in the Labyrinth, but another thing entirely to know where in the Labyrinth they were. Hades pointed out that the Labyrinth was constantly shifting and changing and ultimately, even Kronos would struggle to find them down there.
Percy relaxed slightly, but not completely. "We can't stay down here though," he insisted. "He said he was going to smoke us out."
Hades stared at Percy. "And how will he do that? The Labyrinth is far too large to pump smoke or gas into it. There are far too many exits for them to watch. By pushing us out of the Labyrinth, he will force us back to the surface where he knows we will be causing problems for him."
Percy just shook his head slightly. "I don't like it," he said.
"My dad's right, Percy," Nico pointed out. "What can they really do? The Labyrinth has a life of its own."
"As long as we watch all the corridors around us we should be fine," Thalia agreed. "They can flood the Labyrinth with monsters, but there are enough of us down here to take them out."
"Until we all die," Percy muttered. "Once they pin down where we are, they can just corner us down here and take us down one-by-one."
The others had to concede that point.
Hades scowled.
But Percy didn't have any answers either as he stared around at all of them. He didn't want to stay down there, but if they went up then the monsters could track them all down. There was no easy route for them to take.
"What if we split up?" Percy asked finally. "The guys who are injured, we can get them out while maybe those of us who can fight can hold off the monsters? We can meet up somewhere else at a later time or something."
"And so many demigods in one place," Annabeth pointed out, glancing around at the demigods with them. In total, there were maybe thirteen of them left, two of them so badly injured that they likely couldn't move very quickly, and one god. Far too few. Percy could only hope that some others had managed to escape from the Titans and had hidden themselves.
Clarisse nodded slightly. "I'll stay back," she firmly said.
Percy glanced to her and nodded slightly. "I will too," he said. Percy turned to face Annabeth. "You've got to go with them," he said. "You're smart – they'll need you." It went without saying that with Malcolm's death, she was the only child of Athena that they had with them.
Annabeth looked ready to argue, but Percy insisted and she backed down.
"So we try to hold any monsters off when they come for us," Percy said. "At least long enough to let everyone escape." Percy paused briefly when he heard the low growl of a hellhound down a darkened tunnel. "Should probably start moving soon," he murmured.
"We should move away from D.C.," Thalia said. "Somewhere closer to the West."
"Why west?" Percy asked. "That's closer to Othrys."
"They'll be expecting us to move East and stay close to Olympus," Hades answered as he watched the demigods struggle to their feet. "But there's nothing there anymore."
Percy nodded slightly. "I knew that," he said. He took a deep, steadying breath. "Okay," he said over a low hiss. Percy eyed the corridors around them, feeling his stomach churn. He really didn't want to fight again, but his friends needed to be able to get out, so Percy uncapped Riptide and let the celestial bronze blade spring to life in his hands. "We'll meet… somewhere in the middle? Between Othrys and Olympus?" Percy realised that wouldn't be very helpful when Othrys was on the West coast and Olympus on the East. "Wyoming?" He offered.
Annabeth nodded to Percy. "Somewhere in Wyoming it is," she said.
Hades however looked to Nico. "You recall what I told you?" He questioned.
Nico paused briefly. "About – yeah, I do," he said.
Hades nodded slightly. "Remember it," he firmly said to Nico. "It's likely you'll all need their help before this is over." Nico nodded to his father. "I'll stay with Jackson. I suspect a Titan or two may be sent down to us. Lead them out and to safety, Nico."
Nico grimaced. "Okay," he said, looking like a massive weight had just been placed on his shoulders.
Percy just hoped that he'd be able to get everyone out. He doubted Nico would be able to, but decided to not mention his doubts. "You should start going," he said, turning his head towards one corridor was he heard a low growl and saw two burning red eyes around head height part of the way down the corridor.
An arrow whistled past him and the hellhound yelped and dissolved. Thalia grimly strung another arrow in the moment of silence that passed – and then a chorus of barks and howls sounded in the Labyrinth, along with the thundering of paws against the rough ground.
Percy tensed and planted himself in the corridor, glancing behind him and watching as Nico led the others down a different corridor. The son of Poseidon eyed Thalia and Clarisse next to him before returning his eyes down the corridor. "Should probably save your arrows," he said to Thalia. "No idea when you'll get more."
A low snarl from a different, empty corridor made Percy twitch. "Fuck," he breathed. Thalia aimed another arrow as a hellhound formed, bounding towards them in midleap. It yelped and the golden dust floated and settled gently on the ground, only for another to burst through and stir up the remains as it charged at them. This one, Percy slashed Riptide across it's muzzle and coughed as dust imploded over him.
Hades was standing behind them and Percy grunted as he backed up a pace, watching four hellhound smash into each other in their eagerness to reach the demigods. Arrows appeared from two of them, and the remaining two surged forwards only to be cut down by Percy and Clarisse.
A howl next to Percy's ear had him turning and hacking one down which had lunged at his side.
Before long, there was hardly any time to thing and even breathe between monsters. Winged harpies and other flying monsters came over the heads of the hellhounds at them, surging from two corridors. Percy's heart was in his throat as he backed up before the onslaught, Hades hovering behind them and watching.
Percy wasn't sure how long had passed before Thalia reached for another arrow only to find there weren't any left in her quiver. Percy grit his teeth and hacked down a harpy, ducking instinctively as an arrow whistled past his head.
Fighting in a corridor was difficult. There was little space to move to avoid claws or weapons, but at least the monsters couldn't overwhelm him. They fought between themselves to reach the demigods, irritated by the small corridors and little space.
Percy had just stabbed a hellhound in the face when something slammed into his side from the final corridor, tearing the breath from his body. He gasped, eyes wide as a scream tore from his throat. While the Curse of Achilles kept his skin from breaking, it didn't stop blunt impacts from winding him. And there was something terrifying about the sight of a hellhound's mouth half around his torso. Percy felt the teeth on his back horribly close to his Achilles Heel as the hellhound shook it's head like a bulldog with a bone and yelled, stabbing the hellhound in an eye and scrambling to his feet, only to feel something stabbing his thigh and knocking it out from underneath him.
He made sure to fall so his back hit the ground, protecting his only mortal spot. A spear bounced off his stomach and Percy yelled, hacking away at the dracaena it belonged to. He spluttered as dust fell over him, panicking as another monster came at him from the side, then two more – and a wave of lightning shot over him, frying all of them at once.
"Get up!" He heard Thalia scream at him, her voice pained. Percy used the short second she'd given him to lurch upright, gasping. He glanced over at her, worried when he saw the blood seeping from several wounds. And Hades was just standing there and watching them. Percy backed up further into the room, gasping – Thalia and Clarisse were doing much the same elsewhere.
"Fuck," Percy choked out through a sob when he saw the unending wave of monsters coming at them. "Do something," he snapped at Hades.
The god looked genuinely pained. "I cannot," he quietly said.
"Then why the fuck did you stay?" He demanded as an arrow bounced off Percy's arm and he decapitated an empousa.
A sudden, cold breeze whistled through from one corridor towards them, immediately setting Percy on edge and making him shiver. The temperature dropped to freezing, and a hellhound stalking along towards Percy stopped in its tracks and sat.
Percy narrowed his eyes at the monster. He felt Thalia bump in his side, Clarisse next to him as they backed up. The monsters had suddenly stopped advancing, instead keeping the three trapped – Hades still behind them. A disturbance down one corridor made Percy turn his head, and he tensed when he saw a flash of light blue – one which was blocked by a fiery blast from Hades.
Percy's eyes cut towards Hades and returned to the corridor as a humanoid shape sauntered through the silent monsters. Cold blue eyes fixed briefly on the demigods and then onto Hades. The Titan Lord Koios, who'd been with Kronos in Percy's dream, smiled coldly. The freezing temperature was coming off him, making the demigods shiver. Though Hades seemed fine.
"Nephew," Koios' chilly voice said, though firm and resonating. "I must confess surprise – assisting a half-bred mongrel? And I thought gods could sink no lower."
Percy shifted his grip on Riptide. He knew nothing of Koios beyond that he was Kronos' brother, and clearly a Titan with a domain relating to the cold, perhaps snow and ice or something along those lines. Percy couldn't be sure.
Koios continued. "But Kronos, my ever merciful brother, would like to offer you a hand once again. Stand aside, or strike down these demigods where they are, and Kronos can and will return your domain to you – I swear it by Chaos."
Hades paused briefly, and seemed to genuinely be considering Koios' offer. Percy turned to glare accusingly at the god, but he was observing the monsters around them, cornering all four of them. Percy knew that if it were just the monsters, Hades could disintegrate them in an instant, but with Koios there it complicated everything.
Koios' lips curved into a smile, once that didn't quite reach his cold eyes. "Accept your father's offer," he urged. "You know it is the only option for you here. Accept, and you will have everything back that you have now lost. Your domain, your throne, your strength. Everything – and perhaps you may even be given a position on the Council, if Kronos so chooses. Join us, and usher in a New World that you can influence to your leisure for the first time in your long existence."
"Hades," Percy slowly said. "Come on, we've got to kill them."
Hades just sighed. "Sorry, Jackson," he said, "but we don't have a hope of beating them."
Percy tightened his grip on Riptide. "Don't," he whispered, but Hades looked entirely unapologetic as he nodded to Koios.
The Titan Lord smiled and summoned an icy spear to hand, one that dropped the temperature even more. Percy's breath came out in a mist as he lunged forward. Koios laughed and swept his spear in front of him, effortlessly batting aside Riptide – the strike dislocated Percy's elbow and he screamed in pain even before Koios' spear came back and the shaft slammed into his stomach, sending him flying. Percy had the sense to twist so he hit the wall with his side, coughing as he lay there winded. He heard both Thalia and Clarisse attack the Titan and be dealt with just as easily.
Footsteps sounded against the ground, and Percy groaned as he was rolled onto his back. Koios probably cracked a rib or two with that hit. The Titan smiled down at him. "Kronos has looked forward to meeting you properly, Jackson. It will be my pleasure to introduce the two of you." The Titan held out a hand and Percy watched as it glowed an eerie blue, before a similar blast of blue light slammed into his face.
It didn't do anything, and Percy only felt confused as he stared up at Koios – until the chill sank through his skin and into his bones, and Percy felt his limbs grow stiff from the cold. In only a few seconds, Percy found himself completely frozen, unable to even blink as he stared up at Koios.
He tried to force the ice to turn into water, but was baffled when he couldn't.
The Titan Lord merely smiled coldly before he disappeared from sight as Percy lay there, completely unmoving on the ground of the Labyrinth.
I hope everyone enjoyed this! Yes, Hades is still Hades and immortals are still immortals. They serve only their own interests, whether they're gods or Titans XD.
thegoldraven: haha thanks. That is a long time! Kronos is my favourite boy XD, he's so much fun to write! This plot is going to be a rollercoaster lol
Guest: well, everyone loves a little cliffhanger XD. This one might be even worse though.
Erin Dark Masters: yeah, small chapter to tryt o get back into it and get the story moving a little.
BlueFireRunes: thanks!
