The Long awaited, much anticipated chapter is FINALLY here. So incredibly sorry for the wait. I was being a lazy douche and spent not as much time on it as I had planned at first, but this last month I really worked my ass off to make this as perfect as I could. Let's hope I caught all the grammar errors, hehe.
Anyway, This is about 10k words or so, the majority of that 10k being battle and stuff like that. Hard to right that much in most cases, but 10k on battle was very difficult, so cut me a little slack for that.
Lastly, I want to say thank you for everyone supporting this story. It really means a lot to an aspiring, young, teenage author no older than 15 years old. Hell, for most of it I was 14, and the love and support for this is unreal. Thanks guys. This 1 1/3 year journey has truly been awesome. Let's hope there will be more stories to come in the near future!
Now, on with the story!
Disclaimer [the last one :(]: I do not own PJO or HoO, I only own my OCs and plot ideas.
The sound of steel clashing with great force rang throughout Long Island like loud bells piercing a calm, beautiful day. The roars of demigods and monsters alike echoed throughout the New York island and reached decibels that were nearly painful for the ears. Wave after wave of monster poured after each other like an army of ants, crawling out of their confinement in their pit, thirsty to get their teeth on the outside world. Spears and shields lay splintered on the ground as the already dead warriors were motionless on the grass. But although the campers and monsters were fighting an intense battle, one so legendary that not even the Olympians had ever seen such an awesome sight. Around them, however, was a magical dome, sealing in the leaders of each army into an all-out death match. Warriors and soldiers from both sides of the battle field attempted to aid their leaders, but were promptly propelled backwards by a magical force, and lo, the battle raged on.
The world had not seen an event like this since the Trojan War, where thousands of Trojans and Achaeans alike were slaughtered in dying glory by each other and by the gods. In fact, the gods had not even fought in a war since the Trojan War, but in times of crisis such as the events going on in their world right now, it was in fact time to break their old oath of not participating in these wars and to protect their throne from the Primordials. The Olympians would not give up so easily; their rule on Earth had laster millennia, if not longer, and their hold on the people and their influence on civilization had been far too great for them to back down and accept defeat. They would fight until the last breath.
It seemed as if all the leaders were fighting for their lives. Especially Percy Jackson. He was locked in an intense duel with Baticus, sparring with all his energy and might to carry out his masters' goal. They clashed swords, Anuklusmos pressed up against Baticus' battle axe, black eyes staring into those all too familiar gray eyes of the Nephilim. They pushed each other back, and circled one another, like sharks hungry for their next slaughter. Percy feigned a strike towards his neck, causing Baticus to raise in axe in defense, but then Percy suddenly disappeared, and reappeared directly behind Baticus, using the afternoon shadows to his advantage. Baticus, however, had lightning reflexes, and quickly spun around, knocked Perseus over with back-end of his axe. Baticus ran over to the Champion of the Primordials, ready to land a killing blow, when Percy kicked his boots against the Nephilim's shins.
"You think you can stop ME?!" Percy roared as he pushed Baticus away. He ran towards the Nephilim, jumping, and in midair brought down Riptide along with a dark energy that came crashing down towards Baticus' red and brown breastplate. The Nephilim brought his battle axe up just in time, as he muttered a protective spell that shielded his body from the black magic Percy had conjured up. Perseus and Baticus pressed with their strength, the power of the two warriors' magic suspending Percy in the air.
Percy roared sadistically as a small explosion propelled the two of them back twenty feet. Percy skidded across the grass, rolling head over heels as the world spun around him. Baticus flew backwards at incredible speeds but landed afoot, halting his backward momentum with ease. He smirked at the Champion of the Primordials.
"Just give up boy! You are no match for a veteran of war, especially a Nephilim!" he taunted, shuffling his feet in anticipation. Percy Jackson laughed a chilling laugh, smiling at Baticus with a bloodthirsty expression. His black eyes seemed to reflect all his darkest, vilest emotions, swirling in a vortex of death and despair.
"Never have you been so wrong! You can not stand in the way of fate, fool!" he growled in response. The two ran at each other at great speeds, clashing steel once more. Percy was impressed by Baticus' immense strength. It was ten times as difficult as fighting the Minotaur, who seemed like veal compared to this bull of a man. But Percy was crafty, and being blessed by Primordials, also very skilled in his art. He ducked under an arcing slash from Baticus' battle axe, and quickly countered by giving the Nephilim a gash along his left arm.
"Gahh!," he roared, golden ichor pouring out of his wound. He glared daggers at Percy before charging the demigod once more. Determination in his eyes.
Parry, thrust, sidestep, slash, duck, cut, roll, punch. The two were going at it, leaving everything they had on the battle field. Baticus managed to scratch Percy's armor, ranging along his breastplate. Baticus winked at him as Percy shadow traveled behind him and nicked the Nephilim's neck with his blade. The Nephilim growled in pain, golden Ichor starting to drip from the laceration. Percy smiled at the Nephilim, bidding him to go first, and the two of them continued with their battle as if not a moment had passed by otherwise.
Nearby, Azarad and Trelopades were battling Veric and Saldo. The two Wrath-Bringers started out the fight one on one, but decided to team up as they were a more formidable force as one. The two brothers used each to their own advantage, calling out each other's blind spots and double teaming their enemies as it seemed fit. Saldo took a step back from the onslaught of the Wrath-Bringers, twitching with lust for blood as his poison-coated blades dripped green venom onto the grass. The drakon venom killed the grass in seconds, much like it would do to a human if it entered one's veins. Veric's spiky silver hair shined in the sunlight as the afternoon passed on. He looked over at Saldo, and an unsaid decision was made between the two. Saldo laughed with malice as he charged the also sadistic Azarad, stepping side to side to increase his evasion techniques. Veric had his Katana out ready to strike, as he first charged towards Trelopades then redirected his course towards Azarad.
"Azarad look out!" he cried out. Azarad was much quicker than the Nephilim, however, and batted away Saldo's attack with his immense broadsword. He turned to strike at Veric, but he was not there. Azarad turned around to be met with the sound of weapons clashing, as Veric's Katana had been intercepted by a perfectly timed parry from Trelopades' spear.
Veric tumbled back from the strength of the Wrath-Bringer, landing awkwardly on his ankle. He let out a scream of pain as the snapping of bones boomed throughout the battlefield, causing the heads on monster and campers to turn and look on in awe at what was about to happen. The battle suddenly reared to a halt, as all the members of both sides seemed inclined to watch the leaders.
Azarad seized this opportunity and walked up to Veric slowly, laughing as he did it. The battlefield went silent, as all eyes gazed upon the sight. The monsters, campers, gods, satyrs, nymphs, naiads, monsters, titans, and even the automatons turns to look. Azarad smiled sadistically as he slowly taunted his prey, lurking up like a leopard ready to claim its kill. His face reflected no mercy.
"Any last words, Nephilim?" Azarad asked mockingly. The Nephilim defiantly stared at his enemies one last time, knowing his time had come. He looked around to his other Nephilim, and to everyone on the battlefield. Veric took one final deep breath, before uttering his final words.
"The reckoning is coming. Judgement day is here, Wrath-Bringer. Hail Chaos!" he responded, closing his eyes, ready for his death. Caogran nodded at his comrade, as did Redric, paying their respects. Azarad simply growled and ran up towards the body, ready to end the Nephilim's ceremony and get back to the bloodshed.
He picked up Veric by the throat, snapping his neck with ease. The crack echoed throughout the battle field as he held up the Nephilim as a spoil of war to his allies.
"IS THIS WHAT THE NEPHILIM ARE MADE OF! AHA! AHAHAHAHA!" he roared with energy.
The Primordial army cheered with renewed vigor as the fight pressed on, but it was shortlived, for briefly after this celebration, a scream bellowed from Azarad's now bloodied mouth. Saldo had sliced a hamstring of Azarad with one blade and punctured his chest with the other. The Wrath-Bringer fell to his feet, the drakon venom eating through his flesh, the acidic nature of the poison quickly destroying his body. Saldo growled viciously as he decapitated the Wrath-Bringer with his sharp weapon. The massive purple body of this ancient being crumpled to the ground, his head rolling next to him, now a face of shock clearly showing upon Azarad's now unmoving head.
"Azarad! NOOO!" Brutallus yelled out. He bellowed in agony, realizing his brother was gone, and quickly reengaged Redric with a thirst for their blood. He slashed away viciously at the Nephilim, using his incredible fighting skills and immense strength to quickly put mountains of pressure on his enemy.
On the contrary, the campers cheered, and Zeus cried out a commanding shout to renew the spirits of the battle weary campers. He brought down his master bolt on a platoon of enemy demons, vaporizing them in his glory, quickly rallying the troops of Olympus. Although the Nephilim had quickly taken over the battlefield, the King of the Gods and ruler of Western Civilization was not ready to let his perfectly shaped world crumble into a darkness so evil that all his work would be lost.
"Press on, my children! Push the scourge back into the abyss!" he cried. The Olympians and campers cheered in agreement and continued to fight with incredible force, retaliating well to the enemy assualt.
Trelopades turned towards Saldo, an intense look upon his face. His eyes glared green fire so bright that it rivaled that of the sun. He bared his fangs towards Saldo, readying his spear and shield as he gestured with his hand for Saldo to "bring it on". The two deities charged at each other and continued on, vengeance and destruction on their minds. He held his spear over his shield in an ancient Greek phalanxial position, waiting to counter the unpredictable and ruthless Saldo's strikes.
Likewise, Redric and Brutallus were evenly matched, Redric's prowess and skills clearly keeping him alive as he would not have survived against the hulking Brutallus' powerful onslaught. They exchanged blows, each being parried and each attack more cunning and aggressive than the last. These two were both incredibly experienced warriors, which clearly showed from their technique and the passion they displayed when fighting. Brutallus, albeit unorthodox in many ways, was an incredibly technical yet merciless fighter who displayed his fundamental skills in battle so gracefully that one would think Redric would be defeated in seconds. On the contrary, Redric new every fighting technique in the book, and portrayed this by countering, parrying, and dodging a good majority of Brutallus' swings and stabs.
Brutallus' giant serrated axes began to develop a more rhythmic swing to them, increasing in speed and power each time. Redric was now being forced backward by Brutallus' new approach to their bout, and was struggling to come up with a solution.
"It's time to meet your maker, Nephilim," Brutallus said with disgust, a scowl on his face as if Redric was not even a worthy opponent. Redric, offended at the demerit, responded by sneaking in two quick strikes the abdomen of the Wrath-Bringer, causing ichor to rise to the surface of the wound and slowly ooze out like steaming lava. Redric's eyes reflected that of a hungry wolf under his wolf mask, and he attacked once more with the same ferocity. Brutallus was bombarded with quick fang like attacks from Redric, but managed to defend himself by first parrying the Nephilim, then roundhouse kicking him across the jaw and to the ground.
"GAAAHH!" Redric roared in pain, ichor gushing from his mouth. His jaw seemed broken, but his focus was not. The two continued to fight the same intensity as they started with, exchanging attacks with speed, agility, and power.
Simultaneously, Erebus and his Lady Nyx were fighting side by side against Xeridu and Felcia. The blue skinned, ancient Nephilim alongside the younger looking, yet still very seasoned Felcia, were fighting with all their heart against these Primordial gods. Xeridu and Erebus were evenly matched in skill, though Erebus was more agile and powerful at the moment due to his younger age. However, Felcia was struggling under Nyx's powerful, insidious attacks from all around using shadows created by her husband.
The Lord of Darkness and Lady of the Night worked not only as husband and wife, but as if they were one being. Erebus would create dark areas where Nyx could bring in bits of Night to raise their power and harness the energies from the shadows, and would attack as a unit and almost breathe as a unit. Xeridu and Felcia relied on instinct at this point, as the unison and teamwork that the two dark deities shared was almost overwhelming at this point. It would have been overwhelming had Tartarus been fighting alongside them. Their only defeat as a trio came when Ouranous and his children defeated them alongside their Titanic children and other Primordial that were of kinder hearts.
In fact, Tartarus had no way of joining the two as he was engaged by Caogoran, who was actually seeming to turn out to be almost more powerful than Tartarus.
In his right hand he wielded a Morning star flail combo. The mace part of the weapon was attached to the blood red hilt by a retractable chain. The mace had 10 spikes around the equator of the Obsidian ball, and two large axe-heads fused into the top and bottom. The hilt also doubled as a dart gun, and it looked like Tartarus had several vials of drakon venom around his waist. In his left hand he wielded a shield that was about the size of a large human being, black as night. And he was working wonders with his weapons, and not only his physical weapons but his powers as well. His armor reflected the aggressive and merciless resonance that death, despair, and eternal damnnation reflect, as do his powers. He would shoot out dark and blood red balls of energy at Caogoran, who in turn seemed to rip through space and time in countering the Pit himself.
Caogoran, being of Chaotic creation, had little known powers. These powers, however, proved to be magnificent visually and so powerful that the immediate gravitational fields went askew, causing rocks and dirt to raise from the field's floor into the air, and for light to refract through normal air.
Caogoran swung his sword, and the attack seemed to travel through the air right at Tartarus, who was clearly out of range for a melee attack. Tartarus retaliated by filling the air with waves of dread, and in the confusion would sneak through the shadows, swinging his poisoned morning star at the demigod of Chaos. The scent of Ozone crackled in the air as sparks flew all around them like firecrackers on New Year's Eve. Tartarus' ever so brilliant mind was trying to pick apart Caogoran, looking for a weakness, while Caogoran was doing just he same thing to his opponent.
The two of them continued to clash with epic, cataclysmic power, sending flashing lights and visuals up into the heavens above.
"Why are you even on this planet. Father hasn't even looked at Earth in eons," Tartarus yelled to his opponent, weapons crashing against each other. Caogoran ducked under a swing from the Pit's morning star and counter with a shin-kick, before rolling backwards.
"We are here to preserve order in this universe, brother, from beings like you. He has other intentions on his mind for the future, involving one of this planet, but that information is classified," he mused. Tartarus scowled at the word 'classified,' and charge Caogoran once more, hatred emanating from his magnificent appearance.
All around the camp, the battle raged on as more and more monsters kept pouring towards the campers and those sided with the Olympians.
Meanwhile, Thalia, Nico, and Annabeth were holding off a group of cyclops and laistrygonians, their wits and skills pushed to the edge as they were being cornered against a large pile of rocks. Thalia brought down a lightning bolt on one, killing a rather large, ugly cyclops instantly, much to Annabeth's comfort. She had always hated Cyclops, ever since her encounter with one when she was seven She distinctly remembered how it cornered and tricked her by mimicking the voices of her friends, and it ended up getting Thalia pretty much killed. Thank the gods she didn't die, she thought, because Thalia had saved her skin countless times in the last several years. She nodded a thankful gesture to her friend, who embraced it with a wide grin.
"It seems like these monsters are still as stupid as before! And just as weak!" she exclaimed. Annabeth smiled at first, but then sensed something wrong in the air. Ironically, right as Thalia uttered those words out of her mouth, a gaping, ear piercing roar was heard above them. Circling overhead was none other than The Thracian Dragon, a black drake from ancient times. Moros was up above, hungry for his next kill, and spotted the triumvirate below. He recognized Annabeth as Percy's lover, but also as one of the schemers who ended up getting him killed. Naturally, that angered the dragon, and he swooped down from above, mouth open, baring sword like fangs at the three friends. A fireball began to brew inside the behemoth being's mouth, flaring as bright as the sun.
Right before the flames reached them, Nico tackled the two girls and shadow travelled to a nearby shadow under a great pine tree. The trio landed face first on the cold, hard ground, aching and groaning as the rose to assess what was going on around them. They could see Moros the dragon, obviously confused over the event that had just taken place, screeching and roaring a mighty, draconic sound. The beast breathed massive, scorching fireballs into the sky, making it clear that night was upon them, as the twilight sky begin to turn a deep orange from the setting summer sun.
"Thank you Nico," the two girls muttered in unison. The son of death just stared out over the battlefield, scanning the fighting between the two clashing armies. This game of thrones truly was a most gruesome battle. Hundreds of campers and Nymphs lay dead on the grass, their bodies scarred, mangled, and soaked in blood. For every dead camper there seemed to be even more dead monsters, which was easily made out from the thousands of gold dust mounds scattered across Long Island. Nico seemed disturbed by something, to the point where his pale complexion was pushing the boundaries of how pale a human being could possibly get. Annabeth noticed this immediately, and approached her friend.
"Nico? What's up?" she asked. Nico Di'Angelo just turned around, a grim look on his face. He was breathing heavily, as if he was expecting something.
"Night is coming…" he said with a grim expression. Annabeth gasped, realizing what this meant. If Tartarus, Erebus, and Nyx were to reach full power… she didn't want to think about it. It could very much mean the end of Olympus and... their world. Her world. The one she grew up in, thrived in... loved in. She shuddered at the thought, quickly forcing nostalgic memories of her lover Percy out of her mind. That pain was too much to deal with at this time, as clearly there were more important matters at hand.
"We need to think of a way to stop them," Thalia said, contemplating everything.
"And to save Percy," Annabeth added. Her friends nodded.
Nico perked his head up suddenly, kind of like a dog sensing a distant sound or an earthquake before it has struck. Thalia and Annabeth sensed something perculiar.
The area they were in suddenly grew chilled and seemed more ethereal. Dust started floating up from the ground as the presence of something like no other seemed to appear out of the night sky.
"Stopping and saving are two different things, my dear. I can promise you with one, in due time," a deep voice said. Annabeth's head turned up towards the twilight sky, a being seemed to be made up of the distant stars and lights, constellations forming his body and A ray of light descended from the heavens, and standing there the next second was an ancient deity. He smiled at Annabeth, and nodded to the others. He was covered in scars from head to toe, and seemed his body seemed very human. But his eyes had Annabeth in a trance. They were like swirling galaxies and nebulae in a bright, vibrant, and peaceful universe. She didn't want to stop looking into them they were so magnificent.
"Who… who are you?" she asked. The being just smiled, seeming happy to be there.
"Ah, it feels nice to be back on earth. It has been too long for me to reform over all this time. Now to answer your question. I am the night sky, the father of the Titans, Hekatonkheires and Cyclops. I am Father Sky. I am Ouranous, and I am here to help you. I defeated Tartarus and Erebus with my children before, and I know I can do it again."
"Just give up Percy! You're unarmed and cornered!"
Baticus was slowly walking up to Percy, who had been backed up against the forcefield wall in the center of the battlefield. Just prior to Baticus' words, the two had been fighting for almost several hours when Percy made a simple mistake, leaving his sword hand exposed, and Baticus disarmed him with the old technique that Luke Castellan had taught the Son of Poseidon years ago. Riptide was about 10 meters away from Percy, and Baticus was closing in on him fast. He needed to think, as he was out of energy.
"You might want to utter your last words. I'll let Annabeth know them before I tell her you died like a coward," the Nephilim taunted. Percy began to build a rage inside him that caused his mind to stir up strategies of escape and victory. He poured over constant memories in his head, reliving these moments in order to benefit his cause. He thought back to his early days at Camp Half-Blood, and all his sword lessons with Luke and Chiron, as well as all his experiences on his previous journeys, but nothing seemed to be beneficial here. He did, however, remember a very recent conversation with Nyx, Primordial goddess of the Night, who had told him something just hours before.
"You will find that at night your senses are more acute and that you will gain an immense amount of power as the sun sets. Use this gift well, Perseus. I feel as if you will need this very soon," she had said to him. Percy had noticed that night was almost upon them, as the orange tang of the sky was fading and the stars were shining with great luminosity in contrast to the darkness up above. Percy noticed that his muscles were no longer sore; his wounds no longer gushed blood as they once did, and he seemed to be growing in size with each and every second. Baticus stopped cold in his tracks at the sight, gaping upon the now 8 foot Percy Jackson. Apparently Percy preferred this size to his max size of fifteen feet, as it was the perfect balance of strength and maneuverability.
Percy winked at Baticus and shadow traveled to his sword, Anuklusmos, gripping the dark black blade in his hand. The sword grew to be proportional to his size, much to Percy's benefit. The Champion of the Primordials noticed that he could see infrared rays and UV rays, strongly heightening his senses in the nighttime. It was as if he had the natural senses of a cat and night vision goggles built into his brain.
The Nephilim gulped once before rotated his battle axe around, warming up his arms again. Their hours long battle had clearly taken a toll on Baticus, as his limbs seemed heavy and cuts littered his body. Nevertheless, the ancient warrior charred Perseus, in a David versus Goliath type matchup. This time around, however, Goliath was clearly outmatching David, as Percy fought circles around the now tired Baticus. He continued to litter the Nephilim with deep wounds, causing golden ichor to seep through his clothing and all over the grassy fields. Baticus' swings slowed down until the grey eyed, behemoth man was at a stand still, his energy drained from him. Percy Jackson slapped the axe out of his hands without any trouble, and proceeded to stare him down, his dark eyes seeping into his soul.
"It seems the tides have changed, Baticus. Goodbye," Percy muttered. Baticus looked over at Caogoran, noticing his leaders were starting to struggle slightly under the onslaught of the night fueled deities. He turned back to Percy.
"Chaos forgive me. May your judgement be sound and your reckoning true," he murmured. "HAIL CHAOS!" he yelled, right before Percy brought his sword to Baticus' neck. In one clean swing, Anuklusmos cut straight through the neck of the Nephilim, severing his head from his shoulders in the blink of an eye. The leaders stopped to look at what had happened, noticing that a now dead Baticus lay on the ground before him. Trelopades had been defeated by Saldo just moments before, due to sneaky poison darts delivered to the Wrath-Bringer by the crazy Nephilim's dangerous antics. Caogoran grimaced at the sight of his comrade, before continuing to engage Tartarus. Saldo walked over to Percy, still lots of fight left in him.
"Ah, the little blonde girl's boyfriend. I can't wait to hear her scream tonight after I force her into my bed. I guess wise men have similar taste in women; the attractive ones with the firm butt," he yelled to Percy. The Son of Poseidon instantly charged the Nephilim, his anger clearly apparent on his heated face. No one insulted Annabeth like that. No one threatened Annabeth like that, and to be honest, Percy had never heard words so vile spoken in his life. He knew what he was going to do: make sure Saldo never spoke another word.
"I'm going to cut off your tongue, swine!" he responded. Saldo merely laughed sadistically, dodging every one of Percy's attacks. It seemed his plan was to anger the demigod, because Percy's sound combat skills were beginning to become more sloppy.
"I'm the swine? Now that's not nice. It seems to me you're the one who is burning his former home to the ground and killing his own friends. Not very honorable at all, Perseus," he retorted. This made Percy think a little, but he quickly brushed aside his conscience and past morals as his face reflected his intent to kill the Nephilim in his tracks.
"Zeus did this the day he sentenced me to Tartarus, not me. Now come and fight like a man, and enough of these mind games!" he replied, challenging Saldo. The Nephilim bowed, smiling menacingly, before quickly hurling two razor sharp throwing stars with the flick of his wrist, with such accuracy that even when Percy's cat-like reflexes kicked in, one took a chunk of his ear cartilage off. Percy had blood gushing down his face, but he had no time to even think about it as the Nephilim relentless attacked Percy, truly testing his speed and endurance. Strike after strike came at the Champion at blinding speed, giving Percy no time to counter. Percy managed to distract Saldo when he kicked up a cloud of dust, and in the confusion shadow traveled first to the left of the Nephilim, landing a gaping blow on the entity's hip, then shadow traveled behind the Nephilim, cutting up his backside.
Saldo roared in pain as golden Ichor seeped through his wounds. The sadistic Nephilim glared daggers at Percy as hatred seemed to radiate off of him. Percy took this opportunity to strike down on Saldo with great power, this time hoping to raise the odds of the Primordial victory. The duo began to hack away at each other, neither of them landing a single strike for the next 15 minutes of the faces clearly displayed their fatigue and breathlessness, but neither backed down, standing their ground with great vigor and bravery. They slashed at each other, each attack more powerful than the last. As this Nephilim seemed to be much more experienced than almost anything Percy had ever face, he knew he would have to rely on his instincts and let nothing distract him. Saldo had the same thoughts going through his head, as a demigod had never been as powerful as Percy. Saldo was in fact amazed that the demigod had lasted this long, and was starting to doubt himself until Percy made a fatal mistake.
Percy had been focusing so much on Saldo's attacks that he had forgotten about the three large boulders directly behind him. He took a step back after parrying one of Saldo's onslaughts, only to trip on the rock behind him and hit his head very hard on a large, jagged rock.
"Argggh!" he grunted in pain, a wave of nausea and dazed confusion hitting him like a great tidal wave full of pain. It seemed that this was the end. Percy cursed himself for his stupidity as he saw a now hulking Saldo approaching him slowly, as to dramatically build his anticipation to kill Percy. The son of Poseidon had shrunk back to his regular height, as he felt much weaker than he had previously. Blood was trickling through his hair from the concussive blow, as another, even stronger wave of nausea hit him again. He gagged, but kept himself from vomiting.
Saldo had reached Percy's position. The Nephilim propped himself up on the rocks nearby Percy and opened a small flask to drink some dark beverage that was unknown to Percy. He gulped down about half of the vial, seeming to become more energized before throwing the glass against the rocks, sharp glass shards burying themselves in Percy's flesh. Percy Jackson roared in pain as he examined his cheek with his finger, thousands of tiny shard were lodged in his skin, much to his displeasure.
Now the Nephilim was just toying with Percy. He jumped off of the rocks, straight onto Percy, his bony knee striking the strong abdomen of the Primordials' Champion. Percy coughed up blood, unable to hold in his pain.
"You know Perseus, you were a worthy opponent. I don't believe anyone in my life has given me more trouble when I fought them to the death. But alas, you are a goner now. I'll make sure Annabeth knows you died like a little girl, begging for mercy, Percy," he taunted. drawing his two poisoned blades from their sheaths. "Any last words?" he asked.
Percy blinked once, realizing what was happening. He was losing blood fast, and either way he would die.
Defeat was imminent. Death was imminent. He remembered his one wish before the battle had even started: go down fighting.
A sexual squealing noise from a dying Empousai drew Saldo's gaze away from the immobilized Percy, and he knew this was his chance. Percy, with Riptide still in his hand slash off one of Saldo's legs with a powerful blow, drawing up the last of his energy. Saldo screamed in pain, falling right over Percy. The son of Poseidon raised his sword up, and Saldo fell atop the sword, Anuklusmos piercing the heart of yet another soul, the cursed blade soaked in ichor. Anuklusmos was not only a heartbreaker in the literal sense, but in the metaphorical, as the story of Zoe Nightshade clearly illustrates. Percy, however, believed he had betrayed no one as he slowly began to die. His life flashed before his eyes, as he realized that this was the end.
"Annabeth…" he murmured. "Forgive me."
He began to close his eyes when an instinctual thought raced through the demigod's mind. Saldo. The drink. His energy afterwards. Could there be more?
In a dying effort he raised his weak arm towards Saldo's tunic, laying still on the Nephilim's limp body. He search around the waist belt area, feeling his way around the body when his fingers came across an object that looked a lot like a flask. He ripped the bottle through the belt, examining it quickly before putting it up to his lips. The fluid in side had a mysterious essence. It was black with golden flakes in it, and smelled strange. It had a similar texture to it as Percy choked it down quickly, and had a strange, but pleasant taste.
Instantly Percy's eyes shot open. He could feel himself grow again in size, this time from his normal height to his full height of 15 feet. His wounds seemed to close up and his sense became alert once more. The pain fled from his cranium and seemed to dissipate. It was literally like he was on a drug; an incredible, healing stimulant with magical qualities. He pulled Riptide out of Saldo's chest, the black blade cloaked in golden Ichor, and held it firm in his right hand. The blade grew to an incredible size and was directly proportional to its size in his normal form. He assessed the battle field as the moon shined bright, illuminating the falling night with serene beauty. Artemis had put the job of pulling the moon on autopilot mode, as she had a battle to fight. In fact, she was fighting side by side with her brother Apollo, the two of them picking off monsters with ease. Her silver arrows gave painless deaths to her enemies while Apollo's flaming arrows incinerated the monsters in agonizing misery.
"What's your count at, little sis?" the Sun God asked, not seeming to be feeling any nervousness as the battle raged on.
"Don't ever call me little sis ever again. I helped birth you, idiot," she replied, a serious complexion shown across her face. "But my count in 101 monsters right now." She smiled at Apollo. Apollo smirked back, but there was a clear look in defeat in his eyes as he quickly glanced away.
"Damn, I'm only at 93. Not for long though," he laughed as he nocked 12 arrows, shooting them in fanlike way that took out 10 Wyrms all at once, only two larger ones surviving the shots.
"HA! Beat that sister!
DEATH TO THE PRIMORDIALS!
I am so epic!"he shouted.
Artemis rolled her eyes, being one of the few to realize that her brother had just spewed out one of the worst impromptu haiku's of all time, but was glad her brother was not displaying any fear and was acting brave. Artemis had put on a courageous persona, but was beginning to doubt the possible victory for the Olympians. There were too many monsters and it seemed that the Primordial leaders were slowly picking off their Nephilim one by one. She gulped though, and yelled out inspiring things to her hunters and the rest of the campers.
After all, this entire battle radiated courage from each and every camper, monster, and godly deity. Not a single soul, dead or alive, was illustrated cowardice this day. If a single soul were to lack courage, they would be slaughtered almost instantly, as death was in the air and fear implied the certain death of many.
Furthermore, it was in fact starting to get darker and darker. Night was finally upon them all, which was made apparent by the cackle heard from the Dark Lady, Night herself, which didn't benefit Artemis' conscience either.
Nyx doubled over, dark shadows swirling around her, seeming to add to her size, to her armor, and to her weapons as well. The night was empowering her.
"I haven't felt this strong in ages! Felcia, you have been a worthy opponent, but meet your doom Nephilim!" Nyx screeched, as dark shadows shaped like spears pierced the heart of Felcia, killing her in seconds. Nyx and Felcia had been very even matched, but apparently fighting Night herself at night is not a good idea. Caogoran, Redric, and Xeridu stared wide eyed at their fallen comrade, noticing that it was now a three vs. five bout between the Nephilim and the Primordial army. Nyx turned to the three remaining Nephilim commanders, smiling with merciless intentions in her eyes.
"Now, who wants to die next?"
"The only one dying here is you, sister," a deep voice announced. Nyx gasped. Tartarus and Erebus stared at each other in horror, knowing what this voice was. Their ancient enemy. Their brother and nephew, the lord of the sky, and king of the heavens. Ouranous had returned.
The four titans of the north, south, east, and west quickly rushed up behind their fathers, Hyperion being the most hesitant of them all. He did, however, bow before his father, begging forgiveness for assisting in his murder eons earlier.
"Father Ouranous, please grant me mercy. I am so sorry for my actions," Hyperion uttered in disbelief, his smug and intense persona quickly being replaced by fear. Ouranous nodded with a scowl, still scarred by his sons' betrayal, but forced a smile at his son.
"Son, although I do not forgive you, I will not kill you. We need you to fight to keep this world in tact. Now, Caogoran, Redric, Xeridu, the time has come to defeat these vile scum," he urged. The Nephilim nodded, but Xeridu raised an excellent point.
"Ouranous, there are only four of us and five of them. How do you plan on evening the odds?" Ouranous merely smiled. He flicked his hand, and the heavens shined bright, light pouring in through the night, piercing the shadows like arrows. A being emerged next to Ouranous, with similar features, except that he was wearing white robs and had gold locks streaming down his muscular build. His plethora seemed to weaken Nyx's energy slightly, as the Dark Lady shrank in size.
"Like that," Ouranous responded to Xeridu. Erebus scowled at the man in light.
"You would side against us once more, brother," he spat in disgust. Nyx scowled at the man, while Tartarus merely stared deep into his soul.
"You never knew when to quit, did you Aether? No matter, my Champion will take care of you. You were always the weakest one of us," he taunted. Aether smirked at his remark, pulling out a shining golden greatsword, beaming light. The heavy blade was carried by his strong arms, and Aether turned his attention towards Percy.
"Ah Percy. I always enjoyed watching you quest when you were just a lad. It's too bad you joined my brother's army instead of mine. You would have made an excellent commander. But, I digress. Time to kill you and rid the world of your filth, and your master of his prized champion," he responded articulately and with smug humor. He averted his gaze to Tartarus once more.
"You forget, brother, the army of light knows no darkness."
At these words, five thousand warriors came down from the heavens, spawning behind the great dome-forcefield that entrapped the Leaders. They ranked up with the campers, and led the charge agains the night-empowered monsters of Tartarus, evening the unbalanced odds. Tartarus' face glowed with rage, turning towards the Nephilim and his brothers.
"I have waited eons to kill you two. The time has finally come. I will take Caogoran, Erebus take Ouranous. Nyx, you will face Xeridu, Brutallus, continue fighting Redric. Perseus, I want you to bring me that bastard's head. KILL THEM ALL!"
Percy, still under the effects of the energy concoction he consumed, was the first of his own to sprint towards his enemy, leaping into the air mid-run, bringing down Anuklusmos upon the greatsword of Aether. They held their swords their, locked together like magnets, Primordial Obsidian matched up against the golden blade of the Lord of Light. Percy threw a shadow at Aether's legs while still locked up, knocking down the Primordial God. He brought Anuklusmos down quickly, hoping to end the battle quickly, but Aether sent out waves of light at the demigod, throwing him backward. Percy kipped up to his feet, growling in annoyance, the shadows mending his wounds.
Aether walked toward Percy as if this fight was nothing more than a stroll in the park. Percy's blood churned at this, as he ran towards the Primordial once again, this time shadow-traveling behind Aether while swinging Anuklusmos at his back, but Aether was too fast. He parried with his greatsword, proceeding to punch Percy in the stomach before disarming him of his weapon, using the same technique Luke Castellan had taught him over a decade ago.
"Come now, Perseus. I thought you were better than this. It would be a shame to end you here in front of your Mrs. right here," he mocked. Percy turned toward Half-Blood Hill, where he saw Annabeth watching the duel from behind the lines. She looked beautiful as ever, but slightly roughed up from the battle. Percy managed a smile, but knew her time would come. He needed to end this taunting God, and fast.
"And you wouldn't want to be defeated by a demigod in front of the world, would you, Aether?" he responded smugly, diving to Anuklusmos. He armed himself once more, and lunged at the Primordial. He feigned a strike to Aether's left quadricep, before angling his arm upward abruptly, cutting a gash on his abdomen. Aether stumbled back, clutching his side, almost in shock to see his blood. He glared daggers at the boy.
"You will regret that, Percy Jackson!" he yelled whilst charging at the boy. The two exchanged sword swings once more, continuing to fight with all their might.
Tartarus, Nyx, Brutallus, and Erebus had not even engaged their opponents, when suddenly Caogoran, Xeridu, and Redric stiffened up at the same time, their faces growing grim and a look of urgency upon them. They turned to Ouranous, walking towards him, each one of them placing a hand on the Primordial.
"Urgent orders from Lord Chaos, your father. We need to return to Highgard, now!" Caogoran yelled. The three of them, all grappling Ouranous, turned their heads to the sky, multi-colored lights swirling around them.
"No! Fight us like men, cowards!" Brutallus yelled. Nyx ran up to the four of them jumping out towards Ouranous with vengance, but before she could reach him, he was gone. Just like that the Nephilim were gone, which was not only a cure, but a blessing. The Primordials now had nothing standing in their way. And as for Ouranous, he was the last hope for the Olympians. He hadn't even showcased his skill, which from the Primordial standpoint was good and bad. It was good because he didn't have a chance to slaughter them like he did eons ago, but also bad because he was off the grid, and his whereabouts were unknown. The Olympians had a ray of hope in Ouranous, but like all fires and light, that hope became extinguished.
"Let's help Percy, shall we?" Brutallus asked, wanting to get one more kill before the day ended. Tartarus raised his hand, however.
"No. Let us see how our Champion holds himself against our brother. I want to see if he can actually defeat Aether," he ordered. Erebus nodded with approval, taking his wife's hand in his, as they walked towards Percy's battle.
Attack after attack, parry after parry, dodge after dodge the two clashed, and Percy knew what it felt to be under pressure here. He knew one slip and he would die. He had never faced a tougher opponent. This was a Primordial God! It would be like fighting Erebus! Percy kept trying to find and opening, but nothing was coming his way. All he knew was that he needed to defeat him before dawn, for if Aether were to be fighting with the sun and light behind him, there would be nothing stopping him and Ouranous.
"Think Percy. Think," he said to himself, trying to figure out a way to turn the tables on Aether. There wasn't much he could do at the moment but wait until he made a mistake, which would probably not happen any time soon, so he needed something else.
Percy dove to Aether's right side, swinging Riptide with great power, but was repelled backward once again by an explosion of light from Aether.
That's it! Percy thought. He needed to quell the light and begone with it. And Perseus had the perfect idea.
"Aether! Let's finish this battle like men, no swords, just fists! Prove who the real Champion is, eh?" Percy proposed, trying to hold back a smug look. He knew that he could take him without that enormous greatsword. Aether looked back at the back ranks of his army, still fresh from the heavens, who cheered him on. Percy noticed that Annabeth was no longer watching.
"If it's a boxing match you want, then you'll get one, Perseus. I'll have you know that boxing has been around since my time, and I was always the best bareknuckle brawler in my family. But once again, I digress. Let is fight it out like men!" Aether throw his massive greatsword aside, and Percy did the same with Riptide.
The two of them circled each other, fists in front of their faces, in a protective stance. Aether advanced towards Percy, faking a jab with his left arm, which Percy took the bait of, before slamming the demigod down with a mean right hook. Percy rolled to his side, getting up slower than he should have. Percy was still trying to hide a smug look while getting up.
"It seems you're a little in over your head, Percy!" Aether stated. Percy merely smirked before punching Aether in the abdomen five times, then tried to throw an uppercut at the God, but Aether merely caught his punch and threw the demigod aside. Percy groaned with pain.
The Champion of Tartarus and Erebus got up slowly once more, blood trickling from his nose. Aether grinned viciously, ready for more.
Percy threw another punch, making contact with Aether's nose, and tried to throw another, but Aether sidestepped out of the way and hammered down on the boy's spine.
"Gahh!" Percy wailed, falling down hard to the ground. Aether grinned at the sight, turning to his troops, raising his hands arrogantly. His men cheered loudly for Aether, feeding the attention-needing God's desires to his content. This is exactly what Percy wanted.
While Aether was distracted, Percy shot binding shadows at the Lord of Lights feet. The darkness crept its way along the ground, and latched onto the God's legs and ankles, shackling him down to the earth like great, powerful chains. Aether tried to turn towards Percy, but couldn't, as he noticed his legs were stuck. He tried exploding his way through the shadows with his light rays, but Percy continued to shoot shadows all along the Primordial's body, trapping his light underneath the empowered darkness from Percy. Aether wore a look of horror as the battlefield grew silent.
"You cheating little rat! I'll kill you! I'll-" Aether yelled, but Percy cut him off. The demigod walked up to the trapped Primordial, grinning, Riptide in hand. Aether was shocked once more.
"I saw you through your blade away! Where did you-" Percy cut him off once more.
"You talk too much, Aether. This blade is magical, and always appears in my pocket should I lose it," he responded, bringing his right army back, ready to lunge.
"But that's not fair!" Aether whined, frustration and rage getting the best of him. Percy smirked once more, ready to use a line he had been wanting to say as a child.
"All's fair in love and war." Percy pierced Aether's heart with one crisp motion, the Primordial Obsidian scattering the essence of the powerful Lord of Light and King of all things good. Aether screamed in pain, he soul being destroyed from within. A sonic boom rushed out, knocking back the campers and monsters and warriors of Aether, causing the sounds of war to turn into tranquil sounds of nature.
In front of Percy was a mound of golden ash. And on Percy's face was a look of determination and pride. He turned to Tartarus, smiling menacingly, not noticing that the Nephilim were no longer present.
"Where did they go?" he asked. Tartarus shrugged, and Percy merely nodded, understanding. There was not much known about the Nephilim, but it was odd that they took Ouranous with them. Percy turned towards the camp, and the morale-drained Olympians, who appeared to look like they were excepting their fate.
"Let's finish this."
"Zeus, it is finally time to destroy your blasted soul. Do you have any last words," Tartarus yelled before his army of monsters, the surviving campers, and the shackled, captured Olympians. It had been easy defeated the rest of the Olympian army after the perculiar departure of the Nephilim and Ouranous, seeing as the Primordials and Percy had no one nearly matching their power. The monster army led by Tartarus, Erebus, Nyx, Brutallus, and Percy, absolutely decimated Aether's leaderless army. Not a single Soldier of Light remained.
The sun had risen, and the morning looked beautiful over the Long Island Sound. Despite the thousands of dead bodies, of course. And the reek of burning flesh.
Zeus stood up from his kneeling position he was forced into, taking one last look at his brothers, sisters, demigod relatives, and his son and daughter, Zade and Thalia.
"You all have served Olympus with bravery and honor. Thalia, you are beautiful and the best daughter I could have asked for. Zade, your courage in Tartarus and bravery on the battlefield will not be forgotten. I swear to it. Now, everybody here, listen up. I will be gone after this day, that I have come to terms with. But remember your loyalties, your morals, and in the future, wether it be ten years, or thousands, remember to fight for what it right. That is all. Do away with me, Primordial scum," he finished. His kids had tears in their eyes. Tartarus merely stood there, still as the calm before a storm.
"What is the wait for. Finish it!" Zeus yelled at Tartarus. The Lord of the Pit merely smiled, his black and red body emanating hatred and discord. Zeus realized what was happening, as he was forced back to his knees on Half-Blood Hill.
"Rooooooaaarrrrrr!" went an all time familiar cry from a dragon. Moros swooped down, Percy riding atop him, and landed before Half-Blood Hill. The black dragon looked around at the surrounding monsters, almost daring anyone to pick a fight. The Champion of Tartarus and Erebus dismounted, and walked up to Zeus, not uttering a word.
"Poseidon's bastard Percy. What a way to di-" he started muttered, before Percy stuck his hand in Zeus' mouth, grabbed his tongue, and cut it off with Riptide with ferocity. The campers gasped, and the Olympians went silent. Never before had they seen such a vicious act take place on Camp grounds, especially from one of their own. Percy then, in one motion, brought Riptide back, and stabbed it into Zeus heart, twisting the blade as he entered it. Zeus screamed in pain as his soul was scattered into oblivion, similar to the fate of his father suffered about seven years prior. Thunder clashed from the sky one final time, until the pile of ash before Percy brought everyone to silence.
He just stood there, eye's still glaring daggers at the ash pile. Percy spat on his uncle's remains one final time, walking away without uttering a word.
Percy walked down to where the campers were, and his former comrades backed away from him with shock and disgust. Percy had ended the King of the Gods and ruler of Olympus, all without saying a single word. He gazed over the campers, looking for Annabeth, and without any luck did not find her. He scanned each cabin's campers, as suspicion began to creep in.
Percy looked up to Tartarus.
"Where is she?" he demanded. Tartarus looked at Erebus, and the two of them exchanged grins. The Lord of the Pit looked back at his Champion.
"Do not worry, Perseus. We... ehm.. modified her to suit you... better," he managed. Percy's eyes began to show fury towards his masters, but a sweet voice brought him back to earth.
"Percy? Don't worry, I'm fine!" the voice said. Percy turned around, his eyes catching Tartarus' one final time, and noticing a thumbs up from Apollo, who even when shackled and chained still showed his approval for the art of girls and everything related to it. What Percy saw next, however, blew him away.
There standing before him, like a perfect, gorgeous goddess, was the one and only Annabeth Chase. Except it wasn't Annabeth Chase in the fashion sense. She was clad in an all black, low cut dress, revealing her nearly perfect curves and flawless build. Annabeth's golden hair, curling at the bottom, flowed down to the center of her back, shining like Aether's sword. Her pearly whites shined bright as ever, and for some odd reason she hadn't slapped Percy yet.
She has been turned to our side, Tartarus' voice rang in his head. She believes that she has undergone everything you have, although her memory is still in tact. The only change is that she "thinks" that the gods turned on her as well, so she has cause to join you. Percy grinned at this, then at the beautiful blonde haired woman in front of her.
He ran up to his lover, lifted her up in his arms, and planted his lips on hers in a deep, passionate kiss. The two locked eyes afterwards, Percy's all black with her mysterious gray eyes. They both smiled, kissed once more, and walked up to where Percy's masters were.
Champion Perseus kneeled before Tartarus, Erebus, and Nyx.
"What is your bidding, masters?" he asked. Tartarus simply replied with an order for the demigod to rise.
"You see, Perseus. All these Olympians are to be brought down into my domain for eternal damnation at the hands of Brutallus and his brothers, if their reformation does not take millions of years like I anticipate. The Titans have gone into hiding, and we have decided to let them stay there. We have also decreed that should the campers not want to join us, they may live among their families, and if they do wish to join us, they may train and live her at Camp Half-Blood, or down with us in Tartarus for a more intensive routine. As for the monsters, they will patrol the Earth, guard Olympus, and enforce order in the underworld, which I will be controlling through along with Erebus. Erebus and Lady Nyx will rule down their, and I will become one with the pit, shedding this incarnate skin until it becomes of use to me once more," Tartarus started. Percy merely nodded, but Tartarus continued right away.
"There is just one more thing. Since Typhon did not destroy Olympus, and we cannot just leave it floating in the sky, we have come to the agreement that you will rule the earth above ground as king, and Annabeth as your queen." Percy's smile was one of joy at first, then of malice, as he realized what that meant. He had inherited Zeus's position! He would sit upon his own throne on Mount Olympus! And Annabeth right beside him!
"We have also decided that Olympus needs more of a dark flair to it, and its marble architecture will be replace with Primordial Obsidian, and your throne will be made of it as well. I suggest you two make your way up there right now. You do have a world to run," he suggested. Percy took Annabeth by the hand, and led her over to where Moros was dismounted. On the way over a glint of sunlight reflecting off of metal caught his eye. He quickly jogged on over to where his battle with Aether took place, noticing that the Primordial's blade still lay. He picked up the behemoth greatsword, strapping it to his back.
"This will make a fine souvenir," he said to himself, pleased with his victory. He ran back to Annabeth, smiling at his love, her ring still on her finger and his ring on his own.
"Percy..."
"Annabeth..."
Two gentle, pleading voices gathered the attention of the King and Queen of Olympus. They turned simultaneously to lock eyes with their parents, Poseidon and Athena. Tears ran down both of their faces, Athena's more so than Poseidon's. Apparently the king of the Sea had come to terms with his child's allegiance. Percy ignored his father, but Annabeth ran over to her mother. Athena cradles her beautiful daughter's face in her shackled hands.
"I love you, Annabeth. Be safe," she choked out. Annabeth nodded.
"I love you too mother, but your actions and your family's actions have caused a change of heart inside of me. I am happy with Percy. Goodbye mother," she responded, undaunted. She walked back over to Percy, where the two mounted Moros, Annabeth in front of Percy. Moros let out a great cry before taking flight towards the Empire State Building and a new tomorrow. The Thracian Dragon let out a burst of flame overhead, illuminating the morning sky like the rising sun.
Remember to further your family line, Erebus' voice rang in his head. Percy smiled, pleased with the idea, lust clearly taking over his thoughts. He bit his lip in excitement, memories of the two of them creeping their way back into his mind.
Way ahead of you,he thought back, caressing her hips. He kissed her on the neck, finally glad the two of them could settle down. He had other plans for reforms of the world, but that would come later. He had only one thought on his mind.
A night alone with Annabeth.
And by the Primordials, he got more from her than he could have ever dreamed.
Did somebody say sequel?!
Will make a survey/poll in my bio about possible (probable) sequel ideas and sequels to this in general. This will involve a contest that will be posted in the EPILOGUE that will be posted sometime this week; probably in a few days. I already wrote it, so don't worry about a three month wait time this time.
Thanks again everyone. Liked it? Advice? Review it below. And if you really liked it, share it with a friend! Write your own fanfiction! Send me a PM! If you ask other people who PM me, I give them feedback, read their stories, and offer criticism and advice to pretty much everyone.
For the sequel I will try to prewrite the first 5-10 chapters to avoid delayed postings like on this story. This was my guinea pig, but I love this story; it was a successful experiment and it truly brings me lots of joy to see people comment saying Rick would be proud or that I should write my own book. Honestly; thanks.
A little product placement and advertising here; if you like edm or dance music, I make mixes on my traktors4 djing thingy, and if you like that kind of music you should check it out. My soundcloud is DJ Lent, and the link is in my bio.
Anyway, later fools! See you when the sequel comes out. #hintsinepilogue.
