Chapter 16: Kronos

Looking around at the clearing, I checked my watch. "He's late." The gods were nearby, but far enough away not to scare Zeus off. With a frown, I motioned Annabeth to come closer to me. "Keep an eye out. Zeus is cornered. He may lash out."

"I do not appreciate being talked about like I am a wild animal, Jackson." Zeus appeared right in front of me. He scowled at me. "You have taken my queen. What do you want?"

I sighed. "I want this war to be over. Many have gotten hurt. Demigods are being hurt. Mortals are lost and confused. You've killed at least a hundred mortals because of your storms and lightning strikes. Zeus, make this fight between us alone. You desire my power. But this isn't even my power! This is Kronos! He's tricked you and the rest of your followers. This chaos is exactly what he wants!"

I could tell that I wasn't getting through to him. I sighed and shook my head. "You're defenseless now, Zeus. Surrender."

"And what will you do now? If I surrender, then who will be king?!"

Annabeth swallowed slightly and then lifted her chin. "Whoever needs to be. Olympus needs to be governed, not torn apart! You are forgetting your duty as King! Please Grandfather! Please! You have to think of the family!"

Zeus stared at her. "Do you realize what you're saying? I AM thinking of the family, child! Percy Jackson has the ability to grant us power! Power beyond measure! It would make Olympus great again!"

Annabeth shook her head. "At what cost! Please Grandfather! Can't you see? The bigger picture is more than just power. It's Kronos! He's going to rise again!"

Scoffing, Zeus took a step back from us. "How? Luke Castellan blew Kronos to oblivion! How could he be back?"

"Because he cannot die." I stared at Zeus. "You know it's true. You just don't want to admit that you are wrong. Is your pride so great that you're willing to sacrifice your people? You duty? Your family?!"

He rubbed his beard slowly and then sighed. "Provide me actual proof that Kronos is indeed alive, and then I will stand down and cease this attack. If my father is actually alive, then he must be stopped." Zeus stared at me harshly. "However, as soon as he is dealt with, I will deal with you."

I sighed. "That's the only thing we can work with. You won't give up any other way." I motioned for the other gods to come closer. "Kronos has been speaking to me. He threatened that the time was coming for him to attack. I believe that moment is soon. Within this week."

"Nope." Apollo hissed and shook his head. "It's now."

Hades and Poseidon hurried to stand beside their younger brother. I looked at Annabeth. "Go!"

The ground started shaking violently. She frowned and then nodded. "Please, be safe, Percy."

Smiling, I nodded to her. "I will. Get to my palace. Stay there. You can watch from the roof." She nodded again and rushed off.

The ground kept shaking. The buildings were collapsing and falling onto the deserted streets of Olympus. It reminded me of San Francisco almost.

Finally Kronos appeared. I winced at the bright light. It was harsh and invading.

The gods were staring at him in shock. Zeus was staring at his father. His siblings stood next to him. They clenched their items of power tightly.

Kronos started laughing. "Thank you, son, for helping me rise again!" He lifted his right hand and smiled. Slowly he looked at Hestia. "Ah…my eldest daughter, I think it's time that you returned something of mine." He lifted his hand and gestured towards her. She screamed and glowed. Suddenly a scythe appeared in her hand and it flew to Kronos. Kronos chuckled. I growled and summoned my Trident.

I blasted Kronos across the plain. He stumbled back to his feet. He grimaced. "Jackson, what a pleasure it will be to kill you." He sent a shockwave of power at me. I grew into my godly form and jumped away. Apollo and Artemis started shooting volley after volley at their Grandfather. Kronos just kept incinerating the arrows, laughing all the while.

Zeus and Poseidon started blasting him with their power. Kronos just kept laughing. He slammed the butt of his scythe onto the ground. A wave of power knocked the gods down. He lazily advanced towards us. The gods hastily created a circle as if hoping that they could keep him pinned. I growled and raised my hands. Time to do something I had been practicing for a while.

I sent tendrils of my power, without skin contact, to all the gods. They breathed out in relief, their auras glowing brightly.

Kronos focused on me and grinned. "Perseus, I'll have that power back now. You've been very helpful keeping it for me."

I laughed and flipped out of his reach. "Come and take it then."

He smiled and froze time. I chuckled and kept moving. "God of time, Kronos. God of time. You've gotta do better than that." I smirked. "You don't want a repeat of last time, do you?"

He growled and launched a volley of attacks on me. I just laughed. I was the best swordsman. Luke had been teaching me again after Hades brought him back.

Kronos knew nothing new. I block his downward chop and blasted him with my Trident.

I somersaulted over him and brought my Trident behind my neck and blasted him again and again. I vanished my Trident and used Riptide to stab downward.

Kronos shouted in rage and grew larger. I grew as well. Now the frozen gods below us were Barbie size to regular humans. I kept a careful eye on where I stepped. Blocking his thrust, I punched Kronos across the jaw, sending him flying. He shrunk in size as he landed in the lake. I lunge after him, shrinking as well. The lake split in two for me. I felt like Noah.

Kronos was the Egyptians. I launched the water at him with a scream of anger. I was done with him. I was done with his taunting, his evilness, his treachery, his darkness, his whispers in my mind.

He burned the water away and the air was filled with steam. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was backhanded and sent flying back against the gods. I landed at Ares' feet with a groan. I felt the presence of the demigods approaching. NO! No! They shouldn't come here! How could they even come up to Olympus?! It was on lock down!

I shouted in effort, and I broke Kronos' control on Time. He growled in anger and jumped towards me. Hades lifted his hands and black fire grew out of the ground. Dionysus started hindering Kronos' progress with vines.

I stared at Athena tiredly. She shook her head. There was no way to stop Kronos. I sent more power into the gods, feeding them, urging them on. Eros joined Apollo and Artemis in shooting at the Titan. I looked around. Kronos was cutting the vines to pieces. Dionysus, despite my power, was slowing down.

There was too much chaos. Kronos was too powerful. This was his real body. He wasn't weak anymore. It was the gods who were weak this time. I stifled a groan.

"Percy!" Apollo shouted at me.

I jerked away from Kronos' hand. How had he gotten so close to me?

I flipped away from him and tried to grab the water from his body. He grunted. His eyes widened. I grinned and twisted the water inside him. His body obeyed me. I tried to force him to blow apart by boiling the water inside him. He gave a scream of absolute agony as he ripped himself apart while disobeying my will. In that one instant, he shot me with a blast of power, and I flew across the meadow again. Groaning in pain, my golden blood was pooling around me. Gods couldn't die, but I was getting damn close to it.

Kronos froze everyone again. He chuckled and grabbed my throat. "Time to give me back what's mine, Jackson. You've lost." He winked.

I felt his power being drawn from me. I screamed a guttural scream of a dying animal. I heard him laughing.

His voice was in my brain. "You dared to try and control me with water. How invasive of you! I shall repay you. Your body is stronger than mine. My power is already quite comfortable inside you. I suppose I'll just take control of you."

Suddenly, everything seemed clear to me. Telepathy…mind control…Luke…he said it worked both ways. He influenced Kronos. I grinned slightly. Why not take it a step farther.

I didn't put up much of a fight. I allowed Kronos inside me. The battle was no longer physical but mental. The only way I could destroy Kronos was obliterating his mind so much that he wouldn't rise again even if the world fell apart. Like Gaea.

Kronos' victorious feeling was short lived as I start fighting him. Pushing him back, pinning him in place with my mind. My will had to be strong, undaunted.

"Oh Kronos, Kronos, Kronos…when will you ever learn? You fool! This is my body. My territory. Your mind is mine now! If I can't destroy you physically, then I will simply obliterate your conscience."

He started struggling. "No!" He started screaming as I flooded the bond he had just created between us. I delved into his mind, his feelings, his secrets, his fears. I started laughing. His power was mine. His knowledge was mine. It was glorious when I was no longer losing. It was glorious when the battles were easy to win. No struggle. No useless fighting. He had lost to me.

Do any of you guys remember this story?

I hope so. Two years is a long time. *winces*

I'm…sorry. I'm alive, I promise.

Ink…