"Thalia Grace…?" Percy said quietly. "It can't be, everyone I know is dead".
"Well I'm not dead Kelp Head." Thalia looked at Percy with a grin even though he couldn't see it in the darkness of the cell.
"But… how? Weren't you at camp half-blood when the bomb dropped on New York City?"
"No… I was on Olympus training with my father. I saw the blast from all the way up there… I never realized how truly high up Olympus was until I saw the mushroom cloud below it."
Percy looked at the ground in anger and plopped down next to Thalia on the stone. "I was also training with my father. I heard the blast all the way from Atlantis. It shook the entire palace. I tried to go towards it but father wouldn't let me. He knew the radiation would have killed me."
"Everyone on Olympus flashed out immediately after it dropped. I don't know how they didn't see it coming."
"Perhaps the gods were not as strong as they would have liked everyone to believe. After all I did manage to fight a few of them one on one." Percy grinned for a second, although his smile faltered when he once again remembered all that he had lost. A pleasant silence persisted for a minute between the two, after a while Thalia reached over and held Percy's hand. Percy looked at her and smiled sadly.
"We have each other again Percy, I know we had our differences in the past. But… you're all I have now." Tears welled up in Thalia's eyes and she leaned into Percy's shoulder. "Please don't die in the arena. We're all that's left of the old world." Percy wrapped Thalia in a hug and comforted her.
"I won't die, in fact I'll do you one better than that. Not only will I not die, but I'll get us out of here. I promise." They looked each other in the eye, the sliver of light in the cell allowed Percy to see the glimmer of hope that had appeared in Thalia's eyes. He decided then and there that he would do whatever it took to fulfill that promise and keep her safe. Thalia sighed and held on to Percy, they both decided they were tired and laid down on the slab of rock. After reminiscing quietly about the old times for a little while they fell asleep in a friendly embrace.
Percy awoke to the door of the cell creaking open and light rushing into the room. Kryos stood silhouetted against the light outside the room, he had two lengths of rope in his hands. "Am I going to have to tie you up or will you come easily."
Percy quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes quickly and sat up. "I'll come…"
"Fuck you Kryos!" Thalia interrupted Percy as she also sat up. Kryos glared at her and started towards her with the rope. Thalia tensed up ready to fight.
"Wait! No need for that, we'll come without a fight." Percy grabbed Thalia and got a good look at her for the first time since they reconnected the previous night. Her hair at grown a lot since the last time he saw her. Her curls reached past her shoulders, and framed her face perfectly. Her face was bruised and battered, her lip busted, and bruises and cuts covered a good portion of her exposed skin. The sleeves of her hood were ripped at the shoulder, and the bottom dragged the ground ripping becoming dirty. Over all she looked like shit. "Yet still incredibly beautiful" Percy thought in the back of his mind.
"C'mon Thals lets just go, I won't let anything happen." Thalia's bright blue eyes met Percy's sea green ones and she relaxed.
"Alright…" she grabbed precis hand and they walked towards Kryos together.
He chuckled "how sweet". Kryos led them out of the prison flanked on each side by 3 guards with spears and Greek armor.
"Where are we going?" Percy asked even though he already knew the answer.
"That room isn't cheap you know." Percy scoffed "you have to earn your keep in the arena. Today will be your first fight." They walked down the path for a few minutes before arriving at a door. The guards all lowered their spears and pointed them towards the pair. One guard pulled out a sword and handed it to Percy along with his shield. Another handed Thalia his spear and shield.
"These are the weapons you'll fight with." He began to walk away but stopped after a few feet. "You better not die sea spawn, I looked forward to killing you myself." He started walking away again whistling to himself. The guards opened the door and the two demigods walked into a massive stadium that held tens of thousands of seats. All of which were completely empty, all except one. In which Are's sat looking angry and gruff as usual. He stood up and yelled to the demigods.
"Welcome to my arena! Here are the rules… rule number one, there are no rules. Anything and everything is accepted. You can even choose not to fight. Do that however, and you will die. If you fight and fight well, if you're fighting please me; it could win you your freedom. That is the only way out of this place. Fight!" Ares snapped his fingers and monsters began to flood out of doors at the sides of the arena. Thalia and Percy looked at each other and nodded, deciding to fight.
Once a small army of monsters and men had entered the arena they stood in a semicircle about 40 feet from the demigods. The monsters and the demigods just looked at each other for a few minutes in their fighting stances. Percy decided that he was tired of waiting and charged towards the monsters quietly with a smile on his face. The monsters got in a formation, shields locked together in the front forming a wall. Spears poking out ready to stab Percy and Thalia, more behind them with swords ready to charge forward.
Right before Percy came in range of the spears he leaped directly over the wall and behind the swordsmen. Percy stabbed a telkhine in the back of the neck before it even managed to turn around. He pushed through the monster dust and bashed another one in the face with his shield. It reeled back running into the monster behind him. A dracaenae to his left tried to decapitate Percy with a sweeping strike, but Percy managed to duck under it and jabbed his sword into its stomach; causing it to poof into dust. A hellhound jumped at Percy from behind, he heard it growl so he spun around throwing his shield and slicing the hellhound in half midair.
"He is the one… I'll be able to go see my family soon." Ares thought as he watched the battle
Thalia just watched in awe as Percy mowed through the small army of monsters. A hellhound lunged at her, snapping her out of her reverie. She shoved her spear into its mouth killing it with a whimper. Two swordsmen ran towards her thinking her to be an easier target than the male demigod. Thalia yelled and flung her spear into the chest of the closest one. He continued running for a few steps before his body realized he had died and he fell to the ground, his body only a ragdoll. The next swordsman reached Thalia and swung his sword at her in a horizontal slash. She raised her shield and the sword hit it with a clang. The man was relentless in his assault, barraging Thalia with strikes. Each one she managed to block, hiding behind the large shield. Sparks flew each time the sword clashed with the shield. Thalia fell back losing ground to the swordsman. The swordsman put all of his strength into his next hit and Thalia thrust her shield out to meet his strike. His sword bounced off the shield staggering him. Seeing her opportunity Thalia bashed him in the head with the front of her shield. He fell to the ground dazed, Thalia then raised her shield above his head and brought it down hard and fast. His throat was crushed and he died instantly. Thalia screamed and brought her shield down on the man's neck over and over until his head was disconnected from his body. Thalia fell to her knees exhausted and sobbing, blood covered the front of her shield and legs.
Percy walked over to Thalia, behind him were piles of monster dust and the bodies of Ares' men. It looked as if the floor had been painted gold and red. Percy knelt next to Thalia and placed his hand on her shoulder, she jerked at the contact but settled down when she saw who it was. Percy softly rubbed her back and comforted her.
"Hey it's over we're okay. We made it." Percy said softly.
A distant clapping could then be heard from the direction of Ares. "Well done! Now that is what I call a battle!" Ares let out a hearty laugh. Percy glared in his direction.
"So do we get our freedom?" He shouted at Ares. Ares chuckled.
"No… not quite yet. You are well on your way though. I'll have something nice waiting for you in your cell." Ares then got up "You can find your own way there. Do not try and escape." Ares walked down a set of stairs and out of sight. The door the demigods came in opened on its own.
Percy looked Thalia in the eye "we'll be out of here soon. I promise."