HELLO EVERYONE!
Welcome back for another chapter of Chaos Rising. This is Infamous Pig, and I'm back. Yet again, I am sorry for the long wait. I got work to do... again.
As I've said before, English is my second language, so bear with the bad grammar :D
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PC: 1 (I think)
Chapter 5: Power
The hunters were astounded. Kelly looked at Linda and saw that she has that same relieved expression on her face. Observing her squadron, all looking downcast, she decided that they needed some motivation. 'Cheer up. It's not like you guys did anything wrong. You did your best.' The alpha squadron's faces instantly brightened. Patting one of her hunters on the back, she looked at delta squadron and sighed at their unbearable leader's behavior.
'They were right there! How did you let them escape? How?' Holly demanded, glaring at her squad. 'We are supposed to be the best in business, and I won't let such err-'
'Holly. That's enough.' Artemis said from behind, wiping the cut that was bleeding ichor with her hand. Looking around, she could see the hunters completely exhausted but otherwise unharmed.
'Milady.' Holly mumbled, glancing at her superior. 'On behalf of delta team, we apologize for the failure in the capture of Thalia Grace.'
Artemis and Kelly looked at each other for a second before Kelly's eyes rolled and then lowered to the golden splatter on Artemis' parka.
Artemis, understanding Kelly's message, decided to ignore Holly and summoned some nectar and poured it onto her wound at her waist. She gave an order about spending the night in the ship and Phoebe in temporary command while she reported back to Zeus. Artemis swiftly flashed away while Kelly grinned. Smart girl. She thought. That oughtta piss the bitch off.
Sure enough, Holly's expression went from apologetic to furious, and Kelly knew that her prided position as being the leader of the 'best' squadron has taken a big blow indeed. She yelled at her poor squadron a bit more and stormed off to the cabins.
'Hey Kelly!' She turned and saw Linda grabbing the wheel. Flashes of chariot, plane, ship, and car crashes combined with Isa's and her screams from the past floated up to Kelly's mind. as her face settled into a face of horror. Linda grinned innocently as she looked at Kelly's frightened expression. 'I'm the captain now!'
'You get your hands off that wheel, or else I'll-'
PERCY
Percy tumbled out of the spinning rune to the rocky ground. Hard. A thousand voltages of pain shot up his left arm as Percy's momentum made him roll for a few meters before he was stopped by an invisible force. He coughed and spluttered, grasping at his mental equilibrium and failing miserably. He glanced at what stopped him and saw a shimmering barrier stopping his tumble towards a very sharp sword that was uncomfortably close to him.
'Thank you.' Percy moaned out to Thalia, who floated towards him.
'No problem.' Came the reply, and Thalia landed with a graceful thump. 'Now I'm glad you taught me flying. I don't have to roll around like an idiot.' Thalia grinned triumphantly, grabbing Percy's hand to help him up. He yelped when he felt his dislocated shoulder being pulled.
'Sorry.' Thalia said in all awkwardness, with Percy getting up on his own with his good hand.
'It's 'kay.' Percy grunted out as he rested his shoulder to a rock in front of him. Bracing for the pain incoming, he threw his entire bodyweight forward, against his busted shoulder. He'd had to do that a few times in the past, and none of them had been pleasant; he let out a brief cry of pain as his shoulder popped back into its socket with a snap.
Thalia winced. 'That's unpleasant.'
Percy shrugged. 'It works.' He tested his shoulder and then looked at his surroundings. 'Where the hell are we?'
'In another realm, my dear Percy.' A voice said from everywhere around them. Percy instinctively popped open the cap of Riptide as he surveyed the area. 'Who are you?' Thalia tried cautiously, picking up a sword nearby that's just stabbed into the sand for some reason.
In fact, Percy noted. There were weapons everywhere in front of us, just stabbed into the sand. What is going on with this place?
'You shouldn't be that hostile, you know.' The voice complained. 'I'm merely trying to help.' Percy's eyes widened as he watched Riptide disappear from him hand into a shower of blue sparks. 'But to be honest I'm very satisfied with what you've done just to be here.' The voice continued. A swift twirl of sand indicated someone's arrival, and surely in an over- dramatic fashion, a woman wearing casual T-shirt and jeans emerged from the sand. 'Not everyone would go through the entire process just to see me.' She giggled, putting her finger on her lips.
Thalia gagged at this as Percy's eyes only narrowed. 'What do you want.' He asked cautiously.
'Me? Nothing. Just wondering many things about you two, that's all.' She opened her arms. 'To answer your previous question, I am Ananke.' Percy's and Thalia's eyes widened at the name. 'It's nice to meet you.'
'We're so sorry, Lady Ananke, for our insolence earlier.' Thalia said, looking at the ground whereas Percy just stared at her dumbly.
'No worries, my children. In fact, I am quite curious about you.' Ananke walked towards them and put her hands on the demigod's shoulders. 'Why don't you two humor me and take a walk with me, eh?' She gave the shoulders a pat and walked by.
Percy gave Thalia a look of bewilderment but then instantly responded to that unspoken command, rushing to follow the Mother of the Fates.
ISA
Isa grimaced as she turned her head aside and evaded the strike of a beam of light that came towards her neck. Quickly realizing that rolling on the ground isn't an option, she raised her knees to her chest and lashed out at the knight with dark armour, creating a bit of distance between them. With a burst of wind power she floated upright, her hands in front of her, ready to fight.
'Why, you want hand-to-hand combat?' The knight said. 'I am as skilled as my swordsmanship in that area but don't want to accidentally hit your… regions.' He finished, and Isa can just hear the smirk in his voice. She recognized the person, and to be frank quite surprised yet bit unnerved that he would come to a place like this. Ignoring that disgusting remark, she addressed the person before her. 'Ryth. What are you doing here?' She composed herself. 'Why are you stopping me? I aim to prevent the destruction of this world. You should join us, not fight us.'
'You know why, queen of the Deathless. I care not about this world's destruction, nor the Gods.' Ryth said in that dull tone of his. 'What I do know is that we still have a score to settle.' In the blink of an eye Ryth made a grab for her, the same way he did as she leaped out of the rune and threw her quite far away, isolating her from Percy and Thalia. She saw his hand coming this time though, and instantly slapped it away.
'Don't try and touch me, you pervert!' Isa snapped.
'You flatter yourself, Isa, I merely want to kill you.' Ryth brandished his Solar-Trans DX with two hands as his weapon flashed a dark purple. 'So are you going to cower in fear or just die like that?' He asked, noting Isa's absence of a weapon on her hand. He jumped back to the top of the sand hill, giving him a height advantage. Isa cursed- she should have seen this coming.
'As if.' Isa feigned dismissal, summoning Moulbage from her datapod and materialized in her hand. 'I can kill you just fine with this.' She brandished her sword in the same two-handed fashion and held it to her right. 'Let's finish this, shall we?'
'Yes, we shall. Underestimating and getting defeated the last time by a mere thief was humiliation, to be honest. I would not be making the same mistakes ever again.' Ryth put his glowing sword in front of him. 'You shall not live beyond today.'
THALIA
The two demigods and the primordial goddess, true to her word, walked along the smooth sand of the desert. Percy and Thalia shifted uncomfortably as they stared at the numerous weapons scattered along the place.
'Erm, Lady Ananke?' Percy asked timidly.
'Yes, Percy?' Ananke responded, using some of her powers to rid her clothes with sand. 'You don't need to be that scared, child. Let's start by just calling me Ananke? How does that sound?'
'If you say so, Ananke.' Percy agreed, and Thalia was just a little bit shocked at how easy it was for her to like a Primordial goddess, while she couldn't even just be content with her own father.
'Anyways,' Percy continued, breaking her chain of thought. 'why are there weapons scattered all around this place?'
'Curious, are we?' Ananke smiled, turning her whole body around. 'You can take anything you like, really, this desert has unlimited weapons here.'
Thalia grinned in relief- she needed a replacement for her broken spear.
'You still haven't answered my question, Ananke.' Percy pointed out.
'All in good time, Perseus.' Ananke replied, picking up a sword nearby. 'Why don't you answer your own question? You should know what this is, I think.' She gave the sword to Thalia who widened her eyes at it. Grazing her fingers at the thin handle and the half-bronze half-iron design, she looked in awe at the goddess. 'What? B-but how is this possible?'
'This desert is known as the Sands of Fallen Heroes, demigods.' She explained, leaning downwards to scoop up a handful of sand. 'Each grain of sand represents every drop of blood spilled for the better, and the weapons you see materialized here whenever a hero has fallen.' She plucked the weapon back from Thalia despite her protests and stabbed the sword back to the ground. 'Luke Castellan made a noble sacrifice, but sadly it is all but futile.'
'No, it's not!' Percy said indigently. 'He brought us peace for a while! He ended Kronos!'
Ananke chuckled. 'Child, you still have much to learn. Have war stopped in the Middle East? Have Thalia stopped hunting monsters after Luke's sacrifice? Have you stopped saving demigods from threats? I believe not.' Turning her back towards the demigods, Ananke continued walking. 'Peace is merely an illusion, especially to the world of Gods.' She said, the winds starting to billow as she talks. 'War is always going on- no matter how big or small, either we fight it, or someone else does. As long as there is evil, there will never be peace.'
Thalia thought about this for a moment. What the goddess said rings of truth, but yet very confusing. She voiced her questions inside her head. 'Then what are we fighting for?' She inquired. 'If peace is not real, then what is?'
'Power.' Ananke said simply. 'The reality of it all is this. The side with the most power wins, and that so-called peace emerged to the winning side until another side emerges. That is the true meaning of peace.' She looked at the two demigods and their dull faces. 'Do you not believe me?'
ISA
Isa grunted as she redirected Ryth's blow with a parry on her own. Instantaneously, she leaped forwards, swinging the rapier with astounding speed, the wind element installed in her trusty blade howling in her ears, when the unholy screech of the purely elemental power installed in the Solar-trans weapon interrupted the song sung by her winds as the two powerful weapons clashed with staggering ferocity. The sand beneath them rose up at the power of the two weapons, unleashing a shockwave that shattered some innocent rocks above the ground.
Ryth and Isa ignored the things that were happening around them as they exchanged furious blows with each other. One can tell without question that these two are evenly matched in terms of power and skill, each fighter a veteran on the battlefield, holding no emotion, each blow precise, oozing calmness and class.
Isa frowned and started to pick up the pace as the height disadvantage started to remind Isa of its importance in a fight, forcing her to be pushed back a bit. Ryth's relentless blows obviously used his height advantage into full use, utilizing his superior strength to force Isa into defense, and ultimately, land the killing blow. Isa tried to strafe side-to-side, but Ryth instantly knew what she was doing, cutting off any chances that Isa may utilize in turn gain the higher ground.
Not if I could help it. Isa thought grimly. She charged up her wind power of her sword in an attempt of opening some space between them to get a striking opportunity and also pushing Ryth off the top, but sadly, she was one step slower than Ryth. He powered up his sword and a wave of darkness swept across the desert. Isa was blown back to the bottom of the hill, and deep down in her heart, she knew that Ryth had her where he wanted.
Ryth leaped, surprisingly high for someone wearing that heavy armor, and to Isa's horror, the handle he was wielding previously extended and reconstructed itself into something entirely different. Isa gasped in realization as she instantly knew everything about that particular Solar-Trans DX, and where it truly got its powers from.
'Armageddon...' She muttered, staring at the spear made of pure darkness that's radiating energy at the tip. When released, it amplifies the wielder's fury, making the Earth itself fragment, apparently… She made her sword disappear back to the datapod behind her back, and took a stance to maintain better balance. Throwing a spear requires pinpoint accuracy, and it's unlikely that Ryth would let me have a chance to escape such a high-powered attack, so taking it head-on is the only chance. She glanced at her hands. My wrist shield won't work… Argh that leaves just that I suppose. Looking on at the impending strike that she would face in the next few seconds, she took deep breaths as she readied herself.
Ryth's visor flashed as he unleashed the anti-army spear towards the deathless queen. The area around the spear created ripples around the area, and darkness oozed out of the spear in humongous amounts, screaming their way towards Isa.
Isa faced the spear and closed her eyes, and charged up the ring she wore. The ancient magic glowed on her armored hand, twirling and twisting around her wrist as she prepared the spell. Everything slowed for Isa as she muttered the incantation for her one and only hope from her utter demolition. 'Come Forth,' Isa chanted, her eyes firmly shut as her palm reached out towards the incoming spear, 'Protect me, oh great shield. Spare me from danger.
Her eyes opened as her magic flared up and yelled the last piece of the incantation to the heavens. 'Sanctius!'
And so, Sanctius- the Shield of Light, and the pinnacle of Akkadian weaponry, awakened. Although long since lost in the winds, the ancient shield's spirit still remained, and willingly sprang open for Isa's protection.
A tiny triangle appeared in front of her raised hand, and it quickly duplicated -into eight even pieces, forming a perfect Octagon. It expanded quickly enough, and then eight different colored domes appeared on top of the square. The ancient Akkadian magic topped it off with a shield-shaped image appearing on top of the first square, and Isa braced for the impact of the incoming Armageddon.
The unholy spear collided with the magical manifestation of Sanctius, and darkness spread all around the spell, the sand that the darkness hit just gave up existing and evaporated into mist. Isa grunted in exhaustion as she felt the magic take its toll on her, withholding the Shield Spell as long as she could.
But true to its name, Armageddon is not easily defended against. The first layer of Red shattered into a million different pieces, followed quickly by the next two colors of the rainbow-colored shield. Fragments of her shield rained down upon her as layer after layer of the spell were broken, until the last white shield remained. The two forces rammed against each other, creating a battle between darkness and light.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryth looking on at the collision, obviously not prepared that she had known such a spell that can defend against his trusty spear, but still smug that not even that magic can defeat his invention. And at that moment Isa knew, that after all this time, she finally had him.
The last layer broke, and Isa instantly used her shield on her forearm to parry the horrifying spear while spinning to the right. With the shield taking the most of the power out of the attack, she is dead certain that the spear can be deflected. Showing a flash of grace and flourish, Isa summoned Moulbage, still fully charged, and pointed it to the sky.
A shockwave erupted from Moulbage the moment its power was unleashed. The unimaginable force of the gale had the entire area under its mercy in an instant- and Isa had no intention of letting it stop. With a grand wave of her beloved sword, Isa directed an arc of destruction towards Ryth's general direction. Isa, in turn, was blown back a bit by the sheer energy her weapon released-but it was a small inconvenience compared to the damage she did.
The entire sand dune was easily obliterated by the arc- it simply vanished into thin air. In fact, the friction the wind created with the sand was so huge that it scorched the hard rocky ground under it. Dust and sand alike floated into the air like a miniature sandstorm and billowed at the area that Ryth stood moments ago. Ryth stood no chance on withstanding the strike; with his weapon gone, he had no defense strong enough to withstand her Moulbage. He was blasted far away from her, until the ripple in the sunny sky signaled that a being had escaped the realm by force.
With the threat gone, Isa stared at her sword that was gleaming to the blistering sun above. 'What could I do without you, Moulbage…...' She sighed, rubbing her sword lovingly as she sent it back inside her datapod. She was still walking absent-mindedly into the distance when she froze and stared at the carnage she and Ryth created. 'Where the hell am I?' She asked out loud.
THALIA
'Nope.' Thalia muttered, stabbing the sword back to the ground. Plucking another spear from the ground and twirling it about, Thalia made a few jabs with the spear and shook her head. While Percy and Ananke continued their conversation, Thalia decided to make a better use of her time and kept trying out different weapons along the way, swords, spears and bows. She finally decided on one that she likes and asked the goddess for permission to take it.
'Ananke?' She asked.
'Yes, Thalia?'
'Can I take this? I like this spear.' She said simply, holding a spear of a golden-white design. 'Perfect balance, perfect weight... What is it called?' She asked twirling it about
'You do have a good taste on weapons, Thalia.' Ananke smiled, not even looking back as she kept walking. 'And to answer your question, that's the original Lightning Bolt.'
'What?' Thalia asked, startled at the answer. Staring at the spear's white staff she can clearly see some lightning designs on it, but it looks nothing like Zeus' weapon that he is holding the last time she was Olympus.
Thalia cringed. I don't need a reminder of Olympus anytime soon, thank you very much.
'He based his lightning bolt he uses on this spear, Thalia. Let's put it this way: this model is the original, and Zeus' as version 2.0.' Ananke said, stopping to turn around and look at the weapon and Thalia's stunned face.
'And you're just giving it to me? I mean no disrespect, and I do want it so badly, but that's awfully generous of you.' Thalia said, looking at her spear.
Ananke scoffed. 'I'm always generous. I gave the necessary luck and willpower for all people nowadays to live their lives happier, after all, so generosity is a must.' She looked at the spear pointedly. 'It suits you, Thalia. It will help you greatly with your journey.' Ananke continued walking and the demigods quickly followed.
They enjoyed a few minutes of casual talk about the human world and technology before Ananke stopped walking, drawing a skeptical expression out of Percy. Turning around, she waved a hand towards the two demigods, and an aura of purple encased them. Thalia's dry throat was instantly nourished, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 'I'm afraid here is where we part ways, as sadly my physical from only allows me to reach this point.'
'Where are we going?' Thalia asked, suddenly panicking at the idea of being left alone in the desert.
'Head east until you see the floor has fully changed from sand to marble, and you shall reach your destination shortly. I trust you will meet sweet Isa on the way. This spell I have just cast upon you will keep you from being dehydrated for the rest of the journey you will be travelling in this desert.' Sands around her feet rose up like a tornado as she began to disappear. 'I wish you good luck for all things to come.'
'Goodbye, Lady Ananke. It's been a pleasure talking to you.' Percy said politely.
'Thanks for the spear.' Thalia added.
'No problems, you two. In fact, I should be thanking you, seeing that you demigods have thoroughly entertained me today.' Ananke said in the same jovial tone she used when she met them. The winds moving the sand was more powerful now, covering most of her body. 'Oh, and do try to defy fate at times, it will really make your thread more colorful don't you think? After all,' she added, the last of her image disappearing in the scorching sun. 'What's life without a bit of bravado and excitement?'
After Ananke flew away, Percy and Thalia looked at each other for a moment, in a bit of awe at what just happened. 'So, err, what do we do now?' Percy asked, breaking the silence.
'We keep walking, I think.' Thalia said, looking at her spear. I wonder... She thought about Artemis' ability to point to where she wants to go with her symbol of power.
'Point me.' She ordered, and the Lightning Bolt's tip flashed once, and to her delight, a flash responded in the distance. 'There it is.' She said. 'Let's go.'
'Your new toy is so cool.' He complained. 'All I have is a sword.'
'Which can be retracted into a pen and returns to your pocket if you lost it.' Thalia pointed out. 'And also it's actually a weapon that can slay immortals forever, so you know, totally not cool enough.' Thalia crossed her arms.
'True.' Percy agreed. 'Not nearly cool enough. You know what you should do?' He added, 'You should name it.'
'Okay...' Thalia agreed, seeing the point of it all. Her old spear is nothing extraordinary- it's just a spear that can retract into a canister of mace. But this Lightning Bolt is something special- it has that power, so it needs to be named in order to be something significant.
'Hey, I know.' Percy suggested. 'How about Ignis?'
Thalia grinned. 'Spark. I like that.' She held her palm out to him.
Percy laughed at the childish gesture, and slapped the open palm for a high-five. 'Let's go, Sparky.' He grabbed her forearm, and together, they trudged towards their destination.
'Are you sure about doing this, mother?' I asked, holding the tapestries that were sewn with the threads of Thalia Grace and Percy Jackson. It was heartbreaking to let these go - I spent so much time working on it, after all. I cannot bear the thought that I'll be burning them like all the other people that died. We fates never gets to enjoy our own work- we were given the thread, we measure, we sew, and we cut, but then that tapestry was then burnt, forever out of our reach ever again.
People always think that their entire lives are in our hands, deciding on what they encounter, what they do, and ultimately, how they die, and that was tragic, in my honest opinion. They seem to neglect the fact that it was their actions that provides the color and number of thread to make their tapestry. That is what makes their lives colorful, and fulfilling. We only nudge, but do not force, them to their actions. What they ultimately decide on is out of our hands.
Looking at the two colorful pieces of work I've done, Lachesis patted my shoulder. 'We enjoyed it long enough, sis. At least we have had the chance to do that.'
Atropos agreed by just nodding her head. She was always the most conservative and emotionless sibling; after all, she is who decides the death of everyone. Sometimes she just... cut my work into two because a person has committed suicide. It was sad, really.
Going back to Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace, their cases are the most extraordinary. All the thread we needed was provided to us when they were born. As usual, we finished the tapestries- Lachesis all mad because she didn't even need to measure anything- and Atropos cut the thread, sealing the deal. This happening prompted us to hang the artwork to the wall, where we can admire our own work for the first time in our lives. Then something extraordinary happened. Every day, our work changed in front of our eyes. A shade of red here, some blue there, it morphed by itself day by day, changing into something more beautiful than we could ever imagine. That human ingenuity is utterly unique in both works. For Mother to say that we got to burn them is like cutting the Eiffel Tower to pieces!
'Yes, Clotho. I'm ever so sorry, but their development must stay unhindered by these tapestries.'
Still, we need to. She's our mother after all. She's the one with infinite wisdom and foresight.
'We understand.'
With that, my sisters and I placed the tapestries carefully into the fireplace of the little hut. Looking at the now-blue flames burning brilliantly with a smell of hot chocolate, I smiled as I went back to my previous work. Now, I have no regrets. The children will prosper, I am sure of it.
Looking at the half-finished tapestry of Annabeth Chase, I shook my head. Well, this girl is going to be one dull piece of work... again.
I eyed my sisters - yes, they are also not really interested with this piece of tapestry, and they will help me with this. I have decided on one thing there and then- We need something to cheer me up while we work, or even we will be bored to death.
'Mum?' I asked.
'Yes, sweetie?'
'Can you bake me some more chocolate-chip cookies while I work?' I pleaded.
'What happened to your last plate, Clotho?'
Sisters, on the count of three. One, two...
'Pleeeeeaaaaaassssssseeeeeeee?'
'Oh alright.'
... And This chapter is finished!
I really hope I did the fight scene well enough, that literally took me hours to write it! Leave a comment on how I can improve it, or whether you like it or not, please.
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And this is Infamous Pig, Over and Out.