Annabeth smirked. Artemis had fallen for her trap perfectly. Now all she had to do was wait for the hunters and demigods to arrive. She walked back into the ruins of Mt. Othrys. Atlas, the General, was standing over a table going over plans. She bowed before him. He never looked up. She walked around him and went down a side corridor where her room was. Ethan Nakamura was sitting on her bed playing with his sword. She glared at him, her hands on her hips.
"What the Hades do you think you're doing here, Nakamura?" Ethan put his sword down and stood up. He walked around her, though she refused to look him in the eyes.
"Our master has a plan for you, Chase." He ran a finger down her neck. She tried her hardest not to shiver. Ethan made her sick to her stomach. "I think I have plans for you too." Annabeth elbowed him hard, catching him in the gut. He doubled over and she turned and kicked him in the face. He fell to floor clutching his now bleeding nose. Annabeth smiled warmly.
"Well you tell our master that I'll be there as soon as I finish with Artemis." Ethan couldn't do anything but moan in pain. Annabeth rolled her eyes in disgust. She walked back out of her room taking her time to stomp on Ethan's crotch on her way out. She smiled with satisfaction when he began crying. She walked back into the chamber where she had last seen Atlas, but he was no longer there. She went outside hoping to have some fun taunting Artemis when she saw Atlas standing there watching the goddess struggle.
"I wonder what I will do with you, Artemis," said Atlas. He pulled out a dagger and pointed it at the goddess. "I could find another to take your place and force you to become mine. Oh how I would love to get my hands on you. I wonder what my daughter would say if she knew." Artemis managed to spit at his feet. Annabeth continued to watch, amused. Atlas grimaced at the wad of spit on the ground. "Tsk, tsk I had hoped you had more manners than that." He walked right up to her. He put his dagger under her neck, pressing it so close that a bead of golden ichor dripped onto the blade. "I will have you soon, goddess. When the demigods come for you I will show them just how powerful the Titans really are. Then I will stop at nothing to raze Olympus to the ground." He pulled the blade away and wiped the ichor on his shirt. He turned and finally noticed Annabeth standing there. "What do you want?" he growled. Annabeth walked up to him confidently, as if boasting that she were above him.
"Remember, Atlas. You can't disrupt our master's plans. There will grave consequences for you if you do." Atlas came right up to her and looked her in the eye. Annabeth began to grow nervous, but her pride wouldn't let her betray anything.
"I do as I please. Our master isn't back yet. Until then I am in charge." Atlas shoved her to the side and walked back up to the ruins.
"We will see about that," said Annabeth under her breath. She looked back at Artemis who was struggling to keep the sky up. Annabeth shook her head and followed Atlas.
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Percy and the others followed Rachel outside where a rather large limo was waiting. When they got there, Rachel turned around to look at them.
"Do you guys have your stuff at the hotel?" The looked at each other sheepishly.
"We don't have anything other than this." Rachel looked at them confused. They only had a backpack each.
"Are you guys backpacking across the country?" Percy turned to the others and nodded.
"Yeah, we decided to go cross country. It's more fun like that." Rachel smiled. A rather large man got out of the front seat and walked up to them.
"Ms. Dare, are we ready?" Rachel turned to the man and nodded.
"Yes, thank you. These are my friends. They need a ride to San Francisco." The man nodded and walked back to the driver's seat.
"Real talkative isn't he?" asked Clarisse. Rachel laughed.
"He can be when he wants to be. He's got tons of great stories to tell." Rachel climbed into the limo and the others followed. Percy sat directly across from her and felt her staring at him. The tension in the room began to build and he began to feel incredibly uncomfortable and Rachel must have noticed since she looked at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I've just never seen anybody with golden eyes before. I noticed them earlier but didn't think it was appropriate to ask about, I'm sorry." Percy just laughed and waved a hand.
"It's alright. Lots of people ask about them." Clarisse and Thalia both raised their hands to show that they too had asked him. Rachel looked relieved and the tension flooded out. Soon the six of them were laughing and telling stories. The demigods and hunters were careful not to give anything away to Rachel. For Zoe and Phoebe it was much harder than Percy who had grown up as a regular mortal. Despite their difficulty Zoe and Phoebe really began to enjoy talking with Rachel. She fit easily into the group of friends. Percy was a bit saddened to think that they would never see her again once they reached San Francisco.
Nine hours later they finally arrived outside of the city. They saw the Golden Gate bridge and Rachel pulled out a camera and started taking as many pictures as she could. Percy, Thalia, and Clarisse were impressed too having never seen it. Zoe and Phoebe had come this way frequently with the hunt. Rachel had her butler take them to the beach. They parked and she got out with her friends. She gave them all a hug. Percy smiled at her and stuck his hand out.
"If you really want to learn more, take this," he said handing her a golden drachma. "Find a rainbow and throw this into it saying 'O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering.' Then say my name and you'll be able to see and talk to me. I won't be able to talk for a while but maybe in a couple of months you can call." Rachel thanked her new friends and got back into the limo. She rolled down the window and waved as she drove off. The questers continued towards the beach, though Clarisse and Thalia kept teasing Percy about his "new girlfriend." Phoebe pulled him to the side.
"Artemis is going to love hearing about this," she whispered. Percy paled and tried to show her that he was pleading for her not to say anything. She just smirked and caught up with Zoe at the head. After a while and many wrong turns, they finally reached the coast.
"What are we looking for?" asked Clarisse.
"Nereus, the old man of the sea. Legend has it that if you can catch him he will answer any question you might have," said Zoe. They nodded and started looking around the beach. Finally, Percy found who they were looking for. He recognized Nereus from his past. He pointed him out to the others.
"That's Nereus?" asked Thalia. "He looks like Santa's homeless brother!" Percy smirked.
"Yes, but he is actually incredibly hard to catch. He can turn into anything he likes. We will have to get close to him. Who wants to catch him?" The girls backed away leaving him standing by himself. He frowned. "Oh no, come on I don't want to!" Zoe smiled innocently.
"Come on Percy. Do it for us," she said. Phoebe nodded. Percy glared at them. He knew they were doing this to him as punishment.
"Fine," he said. He stomped over to Nereus and the old man into a head lock. Nereus was so startled and confused that he didn't even attempt to escape. "Answer my question, old man." Nereus growled.
"Stupid brat! How dare you grab an old man like this? Police! Police!" Percy put his other hand over the man's mouth, muffling him.
"Shut up and just answer my question and I'll let you go. I've got places to be." Nereus finally stopped squirming. "Where is Artemis?" Nereus scoffed.
"That's your question?" he asked incredulously. "She's on Mt. Tamalpais. You should know that Mr. God of Balance." Percy dropped the old man.
"How do you know who I am," he asked dangerously. Nereus backed away slowly, his eyes wide in fear.
"I know many things, my lord." Percy glared at him.
"Swear on the Styx that you will not reveal who I am unless I permit you." Nereus swore and wasted no time in diving into the water. Percy shook his head. He didn't know what Artemis was doing on Mt. Tamalpais but it couldn't be good. He walked back to the girls who were sitting on the sand laughing. He glared at them.
"Har, har, har," he said. "Really funny. Next time you tackled the fat lobster." He pointed at Zoe and she just laughed at him. The girls stood up with him.
"What did he have to say?" asked Zoe.
"He said that Artemis is on Mt. Tamalpais," he responded. He looked at them. "Any of you happen to know where that is?" Phoebe and Zoe nodded.
"It's just north of here," said Zoe. The questers put their backpacks back on and began the long hike to the mountain.
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Ethan could not describe his glee. He hated Annabeth Chase and he would prove to her he was their master's favorite. He had convinced the master to let him torture Annabeth. The master had not needed much convincing at all. Ethan dragged a struggling Luke down from Othrys to where Artemis was holding the sky. Annabeth was standing there making little cuts all over the goddess's body. Artemis was covered in sweat and ichor. Ethan brought Luke up to Annabeth. Her eyes widened in surprise. Luke glared at her, though he couldn't talk due to his gag. Ethan smirked at her.
"Master wants to test your loyalty to the cause," he said. Annabeth stood up a little straighter.
"Go ahead," she said. "I'm the one that will be leading our master's army into battle." Ethan smiled.
"We will see about that." He dragged Luke over to Artemis and forced him into a position to take the sky. He kicked Artemis out from under the sky letting the full weight fall on Luke's shoulders. Even through his gag they could hear his screams of agony. Annabeth turned away. Ethan put chains on the goddess though she was too tired to resist. He walked up to Annabeth and grabbed her face and put his dagger up to her throat. "Prove your worth, Athena spawn." Annabeth glared and shoved him off. She pulled her dagger out and dragged Artemis back towards Othrys. Ethan didn't know what to do.
"Where do you think you're going?" he called out. She didn't look back. She just kept dragging the goddess of the hunt towards the Titan stronghold. Ethan stayed out enjoying watching the demigod struggle under the sky. Even from this far away he could hear the goddess screaming in pain. Good, he thought. She's making herself useful, finally.
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Zoe led the way across San Francisco. They found a small boat to take them across the bay towards the mountain. When they arrived they looked up in awe. The mountain was two thousand feet high and dark clouds were swirling around. It was a terrifying yet incredible sight. They stopped briefly to eat before they began their trek up the mountain. Percy hummed trying to lighten the mood, but it did little. They were all growing increasingly nervous. They reached a small clearing on the mountain. A beautiful tree stood in the middle. On its branches hung golden apples. Percy's eyes widened.
"Hera's tree of immortality," he whispered. The others looked at it in awe, but Zoe just glared at the tree. Percy didn't understand what was making her so upset. They found a path that went past the tree and began walking on it. Suddenly, four beautiful girls appeared before them. Zoe gave them a look so angry that Percy paled.
"What do you five want?" They asked in unison.
"Get out of our way," said Zoe. She tried to shove her way past but the girls blocked her. "Get away now!" The girls glared at her.
"Do you hear something?" asked one. The others shook their heads.
"No. All I see and hear are three demigods and a hunter." Percy and the others looked absolutely confused. "You are no one to us, Zoe Nightshade." Percy stepped up, angry that they were treating his best friend and daughter, well she had been like a daughter long ago, like that. He pulled out Anaklusmos and pointed it at them.
"You will get out of our way," he commanded. They did not look at him but responded.
"We are the Hesperides. We guard this tree from any that might try to steal from it. It is our duty. Even when some betray us," they glared at Zoe. Zoe returned the look. Percy started to see the resemblance. Zoe must have been one of them, he thought. He tried to remember Zoe's story of how he had met her. He knew he had rescued her and brought her to the hunt, but he couldn't think of where or how he had found her.
"I don't care who the Hades you are. I said get out of the way." This time the Hesperides turned to look at him. They were about to tell him off when they saw his eyes. They shrunk back in shock and fear.
"Right away, master." Percy smirked.
"Good girls, now run back to where you came from and leave us alone." The Hesperides nodded and disappeared. Zoe looked at Percy in amazement.
"They never do that!" Percy just shrugged. He knew he couldn't give a real explanation since Clarisse still didn't know everything.
"I guess they just saw how awesome I really am." The girls glared at him.
"You sound like Apollo," said Phoebe. Percy smiled innocently at her.
"Come on, we still have a ways to go," he said. The girls grudgingly left him alone and followed him up the mountain. It took another hour of hard, rigorous climbing before they finally reached the top. Zoe and Percy's eyes widened in fear.
"Mt. Othrys," breathed out Percy. Zoe nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. This was not good.
"Wasn't Mt. Othrys destroyed after the Titan war?" asked Phoebe. Zoe nodded.
"Yes, and if it's already this far repaired it means that the Titans have returned and are preparing for war." The demigods paled and pulled out their weapons. Zoe started them on the path towards the ruins when they heard a laugh.
"Welcome! We have been waiting for a long time for you five!" Percy uncapped Anaklusmos and the hunters aimed their bows at the ruins. From behind the walls came Annabeth. Thalia glared at her old friend.
"Annabeth! How could you betray us?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"The gods are weak. I have more power and intelligence than the Olympians. The Titans know this and have given me power. I am more powerful than any demigod, Thalia. Join us. You could feel the same way I do." Thalia glared at her with disgust.
"I will never join you!" Annabeth shrugged but before she could respond two more figures joined her.
"That is a shame, little demigod." Zoe paled. Atlas walked out, great sword in hand. "You are making a grave mistake if you think you have a choice." Zoe stepped forward. "Ah, daughter. I have missed you immensely. Your sisters told me you had betrayed them. You seem to know what betrayal feels like. Join us. I will restore you to your former glory." Zoe pointed her bow at him.
"Never," she hissed out. Atlas frowned.
"Ethan, show them what they came for." Percy finally recognized the other figure as the kid he, Luke, and Clarisse had faced in the Sea of Monsters last year. The boy smiled and pointed to their right. The looked over and Zoe and Phoebe shrieked. Artemis was under the sky, ichor dripping off her body into a puddle on the ground. Her face was bruised and Percy could see she had several broken ribs. His eyes grew hard in rage. Zoe and Phoebe rushed to their mistress's side. She could barely lift her head to look at them. Percy began to shake. He couldn't bear to see Artemis in such a state. He looked back at Atlas and the others. They were smiling and Ethan was even laughing. Percy felt his eyes begin to glow a dark gold. His arms and legs began to tingle and he felt his godly power coursing through his veins. Clarisse tried to follow him, but Thalia held her back shaking her head. Zoe left Phoebe by their lady to try and heal her as well as she could. She ran to the side and aimed an arrow at Ethan. They never looked at her. All three were watching Percy in trepidation. As he got closer, his entire body began to glow. He put Anaklusmos back in his pocket and pulled out Isorropia and his golden shield. Atlas' eyes widened in shock. He now truly felt fear.
"Impossible," he whispered. "They said you were gone. That you faded." Annabeth and Ethan just looked at the Titan confused.
"He's just a demigod," said Ethan. Atlas glared at him.
"He's no demigod. I've only known one person to have eyes like that, and that sword belongs to only one man. That's Gabriel the God of Balance." Ethan and Annabeth just looked at each other. They laughed.
"Right. Percy Jackson is the god of balance. And I'm Athena," said Annabeth. Atlas just glared at her.
"Quiet, girl. You know not what you speak of." By now Percy was half way towards them. His anger growing quickly and his body glowing brighter and brighter. Zoe turned to Thalia, Clarisse, and Phoebe.
"Close your eyes! He's turning into his godly form!" Clarisse just looked confused, so Thalia dragged her to the ground and forced her to close her eyes. Just as they closed their eyes they felt an explosion of power. Thalia could see the light through her eyelids, but refused to open them no matter how tempted she was.
Percy was angry. No he was beyond angry. He felt his godly form straining for release. He barely heard Zoe tell the others to close their eyes and that's all it took. He exploded in a bright golden light. Annabeth and Ethan were thrown backwards against the wall, knocking them out. Atlas raised his sword fearfully but walked towards Percy.
"You dare raise your sword against me, Atlas?" Atlas closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Aye," he said. He opened his eyes and glared at Percy. Despite being in godly form, Percy could not grow any bigger than normal. Being a demigod limited him in that regard.
"Then prepare to feel the sky once more." Percy charged the Titan. He leaped into the air and brought his sword down in a powerful arc. Atlas raised his great sword to defend himself. The clashing of the swords together sent a shower of sparks against them. Atlas kicked Percy in the stomach sending him sprawling against the ground. He stabbed at Percy, but the god managed to roll out of the way. He slashed Atlas' arm causing golden ichor to gush out. Atlas roared in pain. He struck at Percy with his sword. Percy ducked one swing and blocked another with his shield. Percy stabbed at the Titan, catching Atlas in the wrist. The Titan dropped his sword. Percy kicked the sword away and swung Isorropia. Atlas jumped out of the way and a spear materialized in his hands. Percy returned his shield to his wrist and pulled Anaklusmos out. He uncapped the sword with his mouth and attacked the Titan with renewed vigor. He twirled, swinging both swords. Atlas parried each strike but was unable to launch any offensive. Percy rolled to the side and made to stab Atlas with both swords, but Atlas was expecting it. He threw his spear at Percy. The spear shot through the air and Percy couldn't stop it in time. The spearhead impaled him in the stomach knocking him backwards. Instantly, he reverted back to his normal form. Atlas ripped his spear out of Percy's body. When he didn't move, Atlas smirked.
Zoe noticed the change and looked up.
"Percy!" She screamed. She pointed her bow at her father and began firing arrow after arrow at him. Several of the arrows hit him in the chest, but none of them really hurt him. Thalia and Clarisse stood back up and charged the Titan with their spears. Thalia pointed her shield at him. He recoiled slightly when he saw the copy of Medusa's face on the shield. One of Zoe's arrows found a chink in the Titan's armor penetrating his back. Atlas clutched his back.
"I will kill you for that," he roared. Zoe stood her ground defiantly. Atlas attempted to charge his daughter. He lunged at her with his spear but it was blocked by a golden sword. He looked down to see Percy standing there. Where the spear had previously been there wasn't even a trace of blood or ichor. Atlas recoiled in fright.
"I killed you," he said backing away. Percy glared at him.
"You cannot kill me. I am more powerful than you can even imagine." Percy knocked the spear out of Atlas' hands and lunged at him. Atlas tried to defend himself, but Percy's attacks were fast and with both swords. Atlas felt the blades cutting into his flesh all over. He tried backing away but Percy did not relent. Finally, Percy smirked at him and kicked him hard in the chest. Atlas fell backwards crashing into something. Suddenly, he felt the weight of the sky on his shoulders once more.
"No!" he bellowed. Phoebe pulled Artemis to the side, finally able to fully clean all of her wounds. Percy returned Isorropia to his watch, and capped Anaklusmos. Zoe ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
"I thought you were dead!" Percy just shook his head. He pointed to his Nemean leather jacket.
"The spear hit me but didn't actually impale me. I grabbed onto the spear making it look like it had. He fell for it, thankfully." Zoe nodded and hugged him again before joining Phoebe in helping Artemis. Percy looked around for Thalia and Clarisse and found them putting Annabeth and Ethan in chains. Thalia had also found Luke in the ruins and had brought him out. Percy frowned. His friend did not look good at all.
"I'm sorry I didn't let you guys have any fun." Thalia gave him a playful glare, but Clarisse's glare was anything but a joke.
"You lied to me, Percy. I thought I could trust you." Percy ran a hand through his hair. He felt something sticky and pulled it back to find his hand covered in blood. He shook his head and looked at Clarisse.
"I never lied to you. I didn't have all of my memories for a long time. I got them all just before this quest, but to protect you all I had to hid myself. Zoe and Phoebe recognized me from my past, and Thalia unfortunately stumbled in on my conversation with the hunters. I swear on the Styx that I did not mean to lie to you, Clarisse." Thunder boomed in the distance. She gave him a watchful look but nodded.
"I expect to hear about everything when we get back to camp," she said. Percy smiled at her.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Clarisse smiled back at him before picking Ethan up and throwing him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Thalia resorted to dragging Annabeth by her hair. Percy picked Luke up and carried him back. They returned to the hunters who had managed to feed Artemis some godly food. Percy noticed her wounds had healed. Slowly the goddess gained consciousness. She looked at the heroes then at Atlas.
"You saved me," she whispered. Zoe and Phoebe smirked.
"No, we didn't do anything. He saved you," they said pointing at Percy. Artemis looked at Percy who was covered in blood and ichor. She smiled warmly at him. Phoebe helped her to her feet. Artemis hugged her hunters, before looking at Percy.
"We must go to Olympus. They need to know what has happened. It is time for you to return, Gabriel. It's time for you to come back home."
A/N: I'm back again. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was hard to write since I wanted the battle between god and Titan to be well done. Tell me what you guys think. Thanks for all the reviews. They have all been great help and very encouraging.
Also, to those who are disappointed in Rachel leaving so soon do not worry. I have big plans for her in the future. Thanks for reading!
I apologize. I realized looking back on this that the last line of the chapter did not get published. It doesn't change much but there you guys go.