Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter 22: Return of a Hero

AN: Well when I posted the last chapter no one had guessed the hero, but guess what several people guessed correctly right after I posted, you'll see.

Gough Island

Percy's POV

Leaning against the gate to the underworld and looking like he just battled his way through Tartarus stood Luke Castellan; former friend, former hero, former traitor or reformed hero take your pick. I saw the surprised looks on everyone's faces. Malcolm and Chris were unconscious still. Terra had no clue what was going on. Nico looked like he was going to faint, which I don't know if it was because of the hit from the cyclops or the hero standing in front us. Clariise looked like she was ready to rip the head off a drakon. Thalia's face showed mixed emotions; I saw pain, sadness, happiness and anger all rolled together it was a pretty disturbing sight. Annabeth on the other hand looked surprised, but incredibly happy. I wasn't sure what to make of that. She ran to the gate and picked her knife off the ground on the way. She used her knife to pick the lock to the under world and opened the gate. We were all surprised when Luke fell into Annabeth's arms, he wasn't a ghost, he was alive. He had to be the hero that Hades talked about. That means he must of beat Prometheus and his ally. Everyone else had stayed in the tunnel and didn't make a move to help Annabeth. I walked over and Luke look up at me with a curious look then I remembered I still had my helmet and armor on. I touched my gauntlet, the armor and helmet disappeared. Luke's eyes grew wide with recognition.

"Percy?" Luke asked. I knew I had changed a lot in five years. Annabeth had as well, but you could still recognize the girl from five years ago. I was alot different, same dark hair and green eyes, but I was over six inches taller and no longer the boy that I was before.

"It's me Luke, good to have you back." I said sincerely as I looked at Annabeth. She smiled when I said that. I closed the gate behind him and I heard noises coming from the underworld, Luke turned around and had a worried look on his face. "What's going on?"

"He's coming, I only slowed him enough to get here first. We have to close this tunnel permanently." Luke said.

"Thalia get the Hades over here and help Annabeth." I yelled, my voice snapped Thalia out of her daze. She ran over to us and Luke looked at her with a surprise on his face as well as something else, hope. I saw a faint blush on Thalia's face as she helped Annabeth carry him back to the tunnel. "Everybody get out of here." I yelled snapping everyone else out of their surprise states.

Annabeth turned toward me and gave me a worried look. "What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked. I touched my gauntlet and my helmet and armor reappeared, then I touched the trident symbol and it appeared in my hand. I held he trident in my hand and the power glowed surrounding me and the weapon.

"I'm closing this opening, now go!" I yelled. Annabeth gave me a dirty look, but begrudgingly helped Thalia carry Luke out of the tunnel. I stepped back from the gate and then I saw Prometheus run into view, when he saw me, I saw the fear in his eyes. I held out my trident and fired. The beam of power struck Prometheus directly in the chest sending him flying back into the darkness. "Back to Tartarus, you piece of shit." I stepped back into the tunnel, but before I left I raised the trident again and aimed for the ceiling over the gate to the underworld and fired several quick blasts of my trident. The ceiling of the tunnel collapsed shaking the tunnel. I stepped back further until I was at the opening at the edege of the cavern. I aimed again and concentrated on the trident, the power increased three fold and I fired sending a powerfull blast that completely collapsed the tunnel sending tons of rock down into dark passageway. I stepped out of the tunnel and pulled my dagger from the rock and the entrance to the tunnel closed in front of me. I willed my trident to disappear and I touched my gauntlet, my armor and helmet disappeared as well.

"Percy, you're alive." I heard Terra say. I ran over to her and hugged her. I looked down as she was holding Chris in her lap.

"Is he o.k.?" I asked worriedly. Terra looked up with worry in her eyes.

"He has a concussion and some broken ribs, he needs a doctor." Terra said.

"We'll get him some help." I said.

"What are you and Annabeth doing here. What are you?" Terra asked, but I knew she already suspected.

"I think you know." I said. I saw the realization appear on her face.

"You're demigods." She said not asking, she knew what we were.

"I know that your mom was a daughter of Demeter." I said. I saw a smile stretch across her face. "I know Chris's dad is the son of Thetis." A surprised look crept across her face. She didn't know that. "You didn't know?"

"No, I knew I had to keep my secret, but Chris never told me." Terra said sounding a little angry and sad.

"Don't worry his dad was pretty adamant that he never tell anyone, but Chris doesn't know that his mom was a daughter of Athena." I said. Terra's eyes lit up with that realization.

"He's like me." Terra said. What does she mean by that? Terra must have seen my confused look. "My father was a son of Apollo." I smiled, it looks like another demigod was my friend, so much for thinking that I had regular mortal friends. I smiled inwardly at the coincidence.

"Well let me introduce myself, I'm Percy Jackson son of Poseidon." I said. Terra's eyes grew wide when she heard I was a son of one of the big three. "Don't worry I'm not stuck up like some children of the big three" I said loud enough for Nico and Thalia to hear. I smiled fiendishly when they both gave me dirty looks. I left Terra and Chris, I walked over to Luke who was sitting with Annabeth on one side and Thalia on the other.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. Luke looked me in the eyes and smiled, but I could tell he was in a lot of pain.

"I'm good, I can feel pain, that means I'm better than good I'm alive." Luke said.

I smiled back at him and said, "Well you look like you went two rounds with Cerberus, but you sound good" Then my smile faded and a look of worry krept across my face as I looked at the large building in the middle of the cavern.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"Atlas is still here and he has that special prisoner with him still." I said. I looked around at my friends. "Thals, Clarisse come with me, we need to check out the building Atlas may still be there." I doubted he was still there. Thalia, Clarisse and I ran into the building and checked all three floors. No one was there, then I saw a video monitor on the desk that I had seen Atlas sitting at. I looked at it closely and noticed that it showed a helipad with a helicopter sitting on it. I didn't see Atlas, but I saw the pilot frantically trying to get it fueled up. I looked around and I saw the ocean only a hundred yards from the helipad and then I saw the dirt road leading to it. This has to be part of the road network that Annabeth found, we could follow the road directly to the helipad. The three of us left the building and made our way over to the others. Annabeth looked at us curiously when we arrived. I explained the situation and I saw her trying to think of a plan.

"No time to plan, we need to get to that helicopter and stop Atlas." I said then I closed my eyes and sent another message to my dad and brothers. When I opened my eyes I saw Annabeth and Thalia looking at me worriedly. "I just sent a message to dad and my brothers, they should be on their way soon. They will get here and take everyone back to the research ship."

"What about Atlas?" Annabeth asked. Then she saw the determined look on my face.

"You're not going after him by yourself." I was about to argue when she continued. "Clarisse take care of Malcolm, Terra will stay with Chris, Thalia will stay with Luke, Nico are you o.k. to help?" We both looked at Nico and he kept looking between Luke and Thalia, even wihout the ability to read emotions I could see anger and more importantly jealousy in his eyes. "Nico!" Nico broke out of his mental daze.

"Yes, I'm all right, I can shadow travel us to the helipad as long as I can see it." Nico said.

"Not a problem there is a security screen in the building it shows the helipad." I said.

"Let's go." Annabeth yelled as she ran toward the building with Nico and I hot on her heels. We ran inside and I directed them to the video monitor, on the screen was the helicopter still being prepped for takeoff, but now two people walked into view; one I recognized instantly as Atlas and the other was a young woman with chocolate brown hair and tanned skin, suddenly I froze in place.

"It can't be." I said. Annabeth saw the surprised look on my face and then she looked closely at the image and I think she knew who it was.

Nico looked at both of us like we were crazy. "Are you going to tell me who that girl is?" Nico asked frustratedly.

"Calypso!" Annabeth and I said at the same time. My face turned red from embarrassment, but I knew Annabeth's red face had everything to do with anger.

"Shadow travel us there now, dead boy!" Annabeth yelled. Nico grabbed my shoulder with one hand and Annabeth's with the other, we all ran into the nearest shadow and disappeared. We reappeared a moment later on the beach near the helipad.

"Perseus!" Calypso said when she saw me. Atlas turned around with anger and hatred on his face. I winced at the sound of my full first name. I saw an amused smile on Annabeth's face, Nico on the other hand was frozen in place with the site of the titan before us. Atlas grabbed his daughter and held her tightly in front of him, I knew the bastard would kill her, he had already killed Zoe and she was his daughter as well.

"Atlas you bastard let her go." I yelled. Atlas smiled and then threw Calypso across the beach where she hit hard against the wet sand.

"Well, I guess I will have to hold you three off until my brother arrives." Atlas said. I smiled at his statement.

"We might be waiting a while since I threw him back into Tartarus and closed the entrance." I said confidently.

"Jackson, you dirty bastard child of that arrogant sea god." Atlas said, I knew he was trying to goad me into a fight, it didn't work.

"Give up, my father and brothers are on their way. You have lost accept defeat and your entrance into Tartarus will be less painful or would you rather have us take you back so you can hold up the sky again?" I said with hatred in my voice. Atlas glared at me angrily and then he pulled out a remote control and I knew exactly what that was. I could tell by the look on Annabeth's face that she knew as well.

"My remote detonator here tellls me that you will let me go or I will blow the volcano." Atlas said fiendishly. I knew he would do it too.

"We won't let you go and you might not die in the explosion, but my father and brothers will be here to pick up your pieces and send you to eternal punishment." I said angrily.

"So we are at a stalemate then Jackson." Atlas said through an evil smile. I concentrated and thought quickly I looked around at my surroundings and I knew I might have a chance to win. Annabeth would probably hate me after this, but it was the only way to keep Atlas from blowing up the island. I could feel that my father and brothers were still far away. I had no other choice.

"I have a proposition for you Atlas." I said. Annabeth stood close to me and whispered in my ear, "What are you doing?"

I looked at her and sighed, "Saving everyone's asses." I whispered.

I looked back toward Atlas. "I will fight you one on one with no weapons. If you win my friends and family will let you leave in the helicopter with your pilot. If I win you will be sent to Tartarus with your brother. First you will have to throw away the detonator." I said. I could see Atlas working over this proposal in his mind, he never was the smartest titan.

"How do I know your friends will keep their side of the bargain?" Atlas asked.

"They will swear on the Styx, you and I will as well." I said in return. Atlas nodded. Annabeth and Nico walked close to me and whispered together at the same time, "We will not swear on the Styx this idea is stupid." I glared at both of them until they flinched, I was surprised that Annabeth flinched.

"Do either of you have a better idea to keep him from blowing up the volcano?" I asked bitterly. Nico shook his head and I could see Annabeth struggling in her mind to find another way. After a minute or two she looked into my eyes hopelessly, then she shook her head as well. I directed all of us to swear on the Styx that if I lost they would let Atlas go, then Atlas swore on the Styx that if he lost he would go to Tartarus willingly. Atlas and I walked down to the beach.

"No weapons remember." I said.

"No use of the water in your opponents body." Atlas countered. How did he know about that? I nodded in acceptance. This would be one Hades of a fight, but on this day and in this location I knew I could win, I think.

AN: I know Luke coming back is cliche, but it does open up some room for drama and Calypso opens up even more, [Insert Evil Laugh here] I hope you enjoyed this chapter, stay tuned.