Response to a review - Yoshi1911
Thank you for reading and reviewing, but I would like to clarify something. I know I said in one of my ANs that a reason was having her break that oath felt odd, and you're right I was unaware of the original context. However, there are more reasons than just that for why I picked Calypso. The biggest reason I picked Calypso over Artemis is that Percy is a warrior, and he has been through a lot of crap. Calypso is a healer, she is everything he isn't and she is what he needs more than a 'replacement' for Annabeth. The second biggest reason is that it would feel weird to me to have the Hunters of Artemis sworn off of romantic love and the company of men just for their mistress to seek exactly that for herself. I love Percy and Artemis stories but for the story I wanted to tell it needed to be Calypso, not Artemis. I am sorry you were disappointed with the outcome and hope you can still enjoy the story.
It's good to be writing again and I am so sorry for the long gap. Vacation, work, and some unfortunate events in my personal life made the last few weeks a mess. Thank you for reading and once again apologies for the big gap in content. Also, I had written this chapter completely and fully edited it but at the last minute scrapped it almost entirely and started over. So that was fun.
As always I own nothing you recognize from officially licensed/published works, only my imagination.
Chapter 12: The River Roars and the Sun Burns
Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. There was a very slight tremor running through him as though he had a fever and he could feel the effect he was having on his surroundings. Already the very beginnings of a storm were beginning to gather overhead, clouds beginning to shade the earth. Percy focused on maintaining control, as well as expanding his senses as far as he could. He could feel the Colorado River flowing in the canyon even here, over ten miles away, and much more. There were vast rivers over water deep beneath the surface of the earth that he could only barely feel, smaller but less deep collections, and what he had to guess were the remains of long-buried stone weapons.
Percy for the first time realized that he could not just feel these things. They were a part of him just as the ocean was, or the river of promises that flowed unending through his mind. Just like the ocean, there was a sort of will in the water, and in the long-forgotten weapons. They held the collective ideas of all the people who depended on these waters to live, and the warriors that had fought and died by the weapons. He could feel it all, but he couldn't sense his friends, no trace of Apollo even with the arrow that should shine like a beacon against a night sky. Gritting his teeth in frustration Percy felt the air pressure around him drop as his power flared with his anger and fear. The darkening clouds thickened and rain began to fall ever so gently in the beginning but as Percy sought any sign of his friends the rain grew into a deluge of water that poured from the sky. Lightning began to flash, each bright flare of light illuminating the rain and the already massive, and still-growing, banks of thunderheads far above. The wind was beginning to pick up now driving the rain into nearly horizontal stinging projectiles that pummeled the earth and everything else it could reach.
Percy gave his best New York Cab whistle, and the sound, augmented by his power, sliced through the sounds of the storm. Within moments there was a distant whinny that was followed shortly by the massive black wings and body of Black Jack. The Pegasus looked at home even amongst this tempest, and Percy felt a grudging grin twist his lips for a moment.
'Yo Bossman, you called? Wheres...'
'Sorry Blackjack, no time for fun. Apollo and Calypso were taken.'
'Not the sun dude and your girlfriend!'
Despite himself, Percy felt his cheeks flush momentarily with heat.
'She's not my girlfriend, but yes. They got taken and I have a guess who has them but not where they are exactly.'
'Who took em' Boss?'
'Python, or at least someone or something that serves Python.'
'When you say Python Boss. Do you mean like a snake or what?'
Percy looked at Blackjack who must have gotten something of what Percy was going to say before he said it. Blackjack snorted nervously and shuffled his wings as he started moving restlessly.
'The big one Boss? Do you really gotta...?'
'Yeah. I do buddy. I only need you to help me find them. After that, you're free to go find some donuts.'
Percy climbed onto Blackjack's back who hadn't answered him. For the first time since Percy had met him, Blackjack was quiet as they began to fly toward the Grand Canyon and Python.
When Calypso opened her eyes it was to utter blackness, so complete it seemed to press on her eyes. She could hear someone else breathing near her and odd echoes in the distance but little else.
"Apollo? Is that you?"
She tried to whisper as quietly as she could but whatever room or cave they were in magnified the sound of her voice. Her words repeated themselves repeatedly back to her through the darkness but no response came. Only then did she realize that there was some sort of manacle on her ankle connected to a chain. A sense of creeping horror began to fill her as her imagination began to run wild. It filled her head with ever more terrifying ideas each harder to bear than the last. 'No, stop it Calypso. Percy is looking for you, and Apollo needs you. Get it together.' She repeatedly told herself those words again and again but they never seemed to stick. The darkness was too deep, the silence too complete, and the possibilities too endless for her to talk herself down. What felt like hours later she heard stirring nearby and a groan of pain that she recognized as Apollo.
"Apollo? Are you ok?"
She whispered again despite knowing it would echo, there was no point in being louder than necessary. When Apollo's response came his voice was filled with doubt and fear much as she felt.
"Calypso? What...What happened? Where are we?"
"I don't know. I woke up a while ago but nothing has happened. Are you chained up too? Do you still have anything useful on you? Whoever captured us took my bag and everything that was in my pockets."
She heard some clumsy shuffling for a minute or so then the clank of a chain and a sigh of defeat. Hearing the sound she felt her heart sink before Apollo could even respond.
"Nothing. But maybe I can..."
She heard a sharp snap of fingers that seemed to be louder than it should be. A tiny spark of light appeared over what looked like Apollo's hand before it flickered out. The next thing she heard was Apollo's breath coming in great heaving gasps as if he had just run a mile in half a second.
"Apollo? What's wrong?"
There was a grunt of effort and Calypso thought that Apollo might have just sat back up.
"The... chains... they must be... must be Celestial Bronze..."
Calypso knew that Celestial Bronze chains suppressed immortal abilities of all kinds. Her first thought was to curse their situation with some of the more colorful words that Percy was fond of. Her second reaction was curiosity, she had magical abilities as well so the chains should have been obvious when she first awoke. Unless for some reason her chains were not made of Celestial Bronze, it was possible their captors didn't know who she was. Before risking testing her theory they needed more information, and they needed a plan.
"Apollo, we need to get out of here. Percy is probably losing his mind out there."
At that moment, as if saying his name had caused it, a faint tremor ran through the stone all around them. Calypso could hear tiny stones and grit falling from the ceiling of the cave in the distance as well as nearby. The cave grew still for a handful of seconds but the vibrations returned and this time they didn't stop.
"Do you think...?"
Apollo's voice was slightly shrill and full of what could only be awe. Calypso was sure that he was thinking along the same lines as her, whatever was causing that rumbling was either excessively large, exceedingly powerful, or both. Which meant in all likelihood at least one of, Percy or Python was involved. Calypso grabbed the chain and slowly followed it, scrabbling along it in the dark until she found where it was looped through a ring attached to the wall. To her surprise the chain wasn't just attached, she continued to follow it and found the other end was attached to Apollo's ankle. 'Well, that answers two questions.' Calypso found Apollo's hands and squeezed them reassuringly.
"We will get out of this and help Percy. We have to."
"Help Percy? What help can we give him? It's Percy he doesn't need us."
Calypso felt like a cold wind had just swept through the cave, and her skin crawled. Percy had told her Apollo's prophecy and one section was coming back to her now. 'Apollo, so proud and sure of his might, Believes he'll slay the Serpent without a fight...' She knew that prophecies often had alternate meanings and Apollo's words worried her.
"It doesn't matter what we think we can do. We need to get out of here!"
"How Calypso? How?! I'm FUCKING USELESS!"
She could hear his voice cracking as he came to the edge of his self-control, fear, and desperation evident in his voice. Calypso knew how he felt, at least in part, but she also knew she couldn't help.
"Don't say that. You can't give up! You..." Calypso was starting to get angry now, "You don't get to just give up and let someone else fix everything for you! I thought you wanted to be better than you used to be! You don't have any right to sit here moping while Percy of all people is out there possibly fighting your greatest personal enemy on his own!"
She couldn't see him and didn't care if her words upset him. Thousands of years of frustration, and hurt were once again coming to the surface, all of it caused by the Olympian council. She knew it wasn't exactly fair to lay all of her hurt on Apollo this way but she didn't care. He was doing the one thing she had promised herself she would never, ever, do again after Percy had done that which no hero could have, freed her from her island.
"Here you are doing exactly what the rest of Olympus not only expects you'd do but has absolutely no issue with you doing. Have a problem? No, you don't, just get a hero to deal with it!"
"I GET IT OKAY? What would you have me do? Huh? I'm powerless, I'm not strong like Percy, and I don't have much magic like you. What little I had is being suppressed by the chain..."
"Apollo?"
He had stopped suddenly and he didn't respond to her, but she could hear him moving. It sounded like he was running his hands over the ground like he was searching for something. She heard a grunt of effort then sounding strained, Apollo's voice.
"Face the other way and close your eyes."
Calypso realized what he was doing and knew it couldn't work. She turned but started to speak even as the first heavy blow of stone on stone snapped into the air.
"The chain will never break, you know that right?"
He didn't answer her question but continued to bring the stone down again and again. She realized that he was hitting the stone around the anchor, not the chain itself and she felt a spark of hope. Apollo's breath was coming in huge gasps now as he labored to break the rock around the metal that anchored them to the wall. She heard a shattering sound followed by cursing and then more scrabbling on the floor. After several minutes and a break to catch his breath, Calypso heard the sound of stone hitting stone started again, and to her surprise, the clanking sounds of chain falling to the ground.
"Apollo? Did it...?"
"I...need...a...minute...but...yes..."
Each word was punctuated with a heavy breath as he waited to regain his breath. Calypso scooted herself along the wall until her fingers encountered Apollo's which made her gasp. Even in the pitch black, she could tell that the skin on his fingers was shredded and blood was dripping from them. Reaching down and under his hoodie she began to tear strips of cloth from the bottom of Apollo's t-shirt to bind his fingers as best she could. He didn't make even a sound of protest as she began and as she worked he started to talk.
"I'm sorry Calypso. I shouldn't have... I'm sorry I yelled at you. It just feels so hopeless when I think about all the things we have to do. It doesn't help that..."
Calypso interrupted Apollo before he could continue speaking, she hated to shut him down but she was getting more and more on edge. The shaking had seemed to stop for a little while but had started again.
"I accept your apology, but we can talk more later. We need to get out of here."
Apollo agreed and they helped each other stand up in the darkness. Moving slowly they felt their way along the wall until they came to what felt like an ironbound door. Surprisingly it seemed to open from their side which gave Calypso pause. She lifted the handle slowly and then pulled the door toward her as slowly as possible to try to avoid making any sound. She inched it open until a very dim light came through the crack she had opened. Pressing her eye to it she looked out to see what was around them.
"Do you see anything?"
Apollo was whispering but he seemed overly loud, especially for her raw nerves. Logically she knew that if no one had heard the rock smashing then they wouldn't hear his whisper but she still shushed him. She returned her attention outside the door and saw only a bare stone tunnel and a torch mounted on the wall about twenty feet away. Nothing else moved and she could hear nothing so she eased the door closed and told Apollo what she saw.
"Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's go."
Calypso bit her lip as she thought about it and she was about to agree when Apollo interrupted her thoughts.
"On second thought let's wait a few minutes, keep an eye on the tunnel then move."
Calypso couldn't see Apollo and he couldn't see her but she still found herself making an incredulous expression.
"Few minutes? Don't you feel the shaking? We can't wait."
"Think about it Calypso. Whatever that was probably has wherever we are on high alert. We need to make sure we don't get caught or killed right?"
She, unfortunately, knew that she couldn't argue with his logic especially given how little they knew about who had them, and where they were. Cracking the door open again she settled onto the floor to wait, watch, and listen for anything of interest outside the door. Even as she did a particularly heavy rumble traveled through the stone around them, and she could swear she heard a distant monstrous roar. Several minutes passed in which the rumbling still hadn't stopped and Calypso was reaching the end of her patience.
"Apollo? Can we go now?"
"I don't know. I knew we needed more information but we have nothing except that no one came to investigate. I think we can go but first things first get the door open and let's grab that torch. Wouldn't hurt to check this cave for anything we might be able to use."
That seemed reasonable to Calypso and soon enough they had done just that. They both had a couple of small rocks in their pockets and were carrying fist-sized rocks as very crude weapons. Apollo stepped into the hall first, rock held ready to strike in his right hand and the chain in his other. Similarly, Calypso followed after him but with her rock in her left hand and the chain in her right. They moved as quietly as they could, doing their best to avoid rattling the chain more than necessary as they moved along the narrow passage. The good news was that the tunnel only had one direction to go, and the bad news was that the farther they walked the vibrations seemed to be getting more distant. Now the tunnel was beginning to slant upward while gently curving to the right which seemed to make Apollo slow down.
"I don't know why but this bothers me."
"What does, Apollo?"
"The tunnel, I can't remember what it is that's bothering me, but if that's the case it must be from somewhere between the fall of Rome and fifteen years ago."
"Wonderful. What year is it again? No, it doesn't matter. Just be careful and tell me if you remember."
Apollo shrugged but the thought still bothered him as he began to move down the hallway again. After another fifty feet or so Calypso watched as there was a flicker of movement ahead of them.
"Apollo, get down!"
Without hesitation Apollo dropped to his knees and the blade of a bronze sword swung through the space his neck had so recently occupied. Reacting on instinct Calypso threw her rock at the arm and wrist that had appeared around the curve of the tunnel.
Blackjack's wings carried them to the canyon in short order. Soon enough they were circling the canyon from high above and Percy could see cabins and a few other buildings on the rim to the north.
'Blackjack swing west.'
'You got it, Boss.'
Blackjack was more subdued than he had been since Percy had saved him from the Princess Andromeda, but Percy barely noticed. His attention was solely on finding his friends before it was too late. As they flew westward over the canyon Percy began to feel a vague sense of heaviness. It pulled at his mind making him feel as though there was a massive weight pushing against his power. Looking down he spotted the Colorado River churning far below and he made a decision.
'Blackjack.'
'Yeah, Boss?'
'Get some donuts for me.'
As soon as he knew Blackjack had heard his mental words he tipped himself off of the Pegasus plunging headfirst into the canyon. The wind whistled in his ears, his clothes whipped and snapped, but he remained focused on the river. He dragged the water up into a pillar to meet him and it absorbed his fall as it always had. Despite his immunity to the cold the swing in temperature briefly shocked him and he gasped. The water rushing into his lungs settled his nerves and filled him with renewed energy as his body thrummed with power. He allowed himself to settle to the bottom of the river finding stone beneath a very thin layer of silt, at least compared to the Mississippi. Percy closed his eyes and focused on expanding his senses, godly and mundane, as far as he could. With a start, Percy realized that not only could he sense everything living in the river simply because it was in the water, but he could feel every tiny shift in the eddies and currents around them. Any shift in the water, interruption in the flow, or vague disturbance was as easy for him to sense as it was to count his fingers and toes.
Percy focused his power on the river now, it was like he became a part of the currents that flowed around him, and eventually, he felt a sense of triumph. Far downriver from where he sat, there was something massive disturbing the water, something massive and powerful. He no longer cared about hiding, he no longer cared if the whole world witnessed this battle. Python had threatened his remaining friends and his family, but another person filled his mind though he refused to admit it even to himself. Percy rocketed to the surface and willed the river to carry him toward Python. As he rose and gained speed the water of the river came with him. He began to drag the river downstream with him, far faster than it would naturally flow and a wave began to build. Percy rode the swell of water and concentrated on maintaining control of his power, he needed every bit of it and he knew he couldn't afford to waste it on anything.
Miles began to fall away before the still-growing tidal wave that was beginning to grow beyond the banks of the river. Trees were ripped from the earth, rocks were torn apart, and still, the wave grew. Percy could feel the massive disturbance in the river fast approaching and he began to draw the storm with him as well. The clouds began to form a massive spiral as the winds began to race around Percy, a hurricane that rivaled the canyon in size was beginning to grow. He was going to unleash every ounce of his elemental fury on Python, even if that meant his physical form was scattered to reform or worse. It was the one sobering thought that he had left, that he would not survive this fight. He shook the thought off, he had gone into every fight before this knowing he could die, knowing there was almost nothing between him and his final rest. He had still fought and he would always fight, for his friends, his family, for those he had loved and lost. As he approached the final twist in the canyon before he beheld whatever was disturbing the current he felt his blood burn once more and one more person enter his thoughts.
"Im coming Calypso."
Dust rained from the ceiling of the tunnel as the rock vibrated. Apollo scrambled back as Calypso threw the rock over him at the arm that had tried to behead him. It missed by a mile and Apollo heard the rock bouncing down the tunnel beyond their sight. He managed to get to his feet still backing down the hall as the Dracanae continued to advance toward them. Even as he evaded her sword he began to realize that he was able to see where she was going to strike. Her skill paled in comparison to Percy and Apollo felt the opening before it came. The Dracanae was growing frustrated and was recklessly advancing which provided the perfect opportunity for Apollo. Leaping forward past her outstretched sword Apollo brought a fist-sized rock down on her scaly wrist. With a shriek of pain, the Dracanae dropped the sword and retreated hissing in anger at them both. Apollo hurriedly scooped the sword off the ground and settled into the ready stance that Percy had drilled into him through weeks of training. His breath was coming in ragged gasps as his heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline surging already, and the Dracane moved to attack again. She had drawn a long dagger with her other hand with her injured wrist held close to her body.
As soon as she moved Apollo was ready for her and after a short exchange Apollo spotted his opening. After a set of wild, desperate slashes that Apollo managed to fend off, the Dracane was overextended and off balance. Apollo stepped inside her guard and brought the short sword down on her arm above the elbow and before the limb had hit the ground he swung again. The sound of sand falling to the ground filled the hall momentarily as the Dracane's last scream faded into silence. Apollo tried to catch his breath and when Calypso moved forward he tried to smile and break the tension.
"Guess Percy is a half-decent teacher."
Calypso smiled and picked up the dagger that was all left behind and hefted it experimentally.
"I never was much of a fighter. You're better than me, and I..."
A heavier shudder ran through the stone and they heard the sound of falling rock somewhere in the tunnels. They took one look at each other and started to move up the tunnel faster than before though Apollo being in the lead thought grimly, 'If I lose my head...' After a couple of minutes, they reached a fork in the tunnel where they could either continue forward or turn right, both seemed to slant upwards and more dust was falling from the ceiling. The shaking was growing more intense and now Apollo thought he could hear the echoes of distant thunder and a howling wind.
"Calypso? Any ideas? This is starting to get a little too intense for now."
Calypso laughed nervously and she exhaled through her nose.
"Give me a second, I'll try something."
Closing her eyes Calypso focused on her surroundings, she had rarely used her power over the mist but she called on it now. Chanting in Ancient Greek she sent tendrils of mist into the tunnels and rather than changing the world around her with it she used the mist to extend her sight. She gasped aloud as the mist she controlled neared something old and powerful that ripped her control of the mist from her like a wind blowing out a candle.
"We have to go right, I think that way leads toward the Temple. At least it leads toward something that interfered with my powers."
"So in other words you have no actual idea do you?"
"You have a better plan?"
Apollo shrugged and moved into the tunnel moving faster even than before, all but running up the tunnel. As they ran the tunnel began to grow closer and the smell of snakes began to fill their noses, blanketing the smells of damp and stone. They rounded a last corner and before them was a narrow fissure in the rock, beyond it, they could see nothing but blackness. They squeezed through the gap and Apollo felt his breath catch in his chest as he beheld the temple of Delphi. Despite his mortal state, he felt something resonate within him, this place belonged to him, it had for thousands of years. It was as if his connection to the temple was filling him with memory, like a bolt of lightning his memory of his original fight against Python came back to him. Apollo was filled with a new determination to reclaim this place as he had once done.
"Come on we need to go this way."
"Oh, now you know your way around. Isn't that convenient?"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, it sounded as if Calypso was making a joke but Apollo decided to ignore it. He was once again feeling a swell of burning power deep inside and he knew that he needed to get to the surface and help Percy as fast as possible. He led the way as they ran through the temple and they began to encounter more monsters, mostly snake women though there were a few others as well. Apollo managed to slay them because for the moment he was only encountering single monsters as they moved through the temple he was worried that his luck would not last. As he rounded another corner he felt it, a faint but familiar power that he knew could only be one thing. Skidding to a halt Apollo turned down a different hallway and ran flat out toward the room at the other end. Tearing the door open Apollo registered many things in quick succession. First that he had been right, this room contained their weapons, but, it also contained many, many more weapons. Like the attic of the Big House, there were damaged and broken weapons everywhere. A fist seemed to close around Apollo's throat as he realized that many were likely born by other heroes who had fallen to the serpent's minions, and still others would have belonged to the nymphs and other nature spirits that had guarded the temple for thousands of years. The second thing he realized was that they were not alone in the room, and Apollo thought he heard Calypso squeak slightly as she peeked into the room past his shoulder. Curled around the legs of the table their weapons had been dumped on was a massive snake, its diamond-shaped head was resting on the floor, and the rattle at the end of its tale was unmistakable. Though it still appeared relaxed, the massive diamondback rattlesnake's inky black eyes were fixed on them and Apollo froze.
"Apollo..." Calypso tugged at his back, "Apollo we need to move."
She was barely audible but despite that the snake still snapped around and looked at her, its tale beginning to shake. The rattle that came from the tail sent a shiver of fear down Apollo's spine and he knew that it could probably strike far faster than he could even try and attack. The sword he had taken from the Dracanae felt bulky and unbalanced to him compared to the comfort and familiarity he felt from his swords. Moving as slowly as he could Apollo began to bring the point of the sword around so that it was no longer pointed at the floor beside his right foot. Percy had drilled it into him every chance he got until he felt that he had learned his lesson, 'Sword down, eyes down, you're down. Sword up, eyes up, you stay up.' Apollo had scoffed at him at first but Percy had demonstrated just how important it was to be ready for a blow from your opponent at any time. The lesson saved Apollo from the first strike, but Calypso saved him from the second.
With a flicker of movement, the diamondback coiled and struck so fast that if it were not for the months of training Apollo thought that his head would have probably been swallowed. As it was he reacted just in time and deflected the snake to the side almost like an arrow and it dropped heavily to the floor beside him. The next thing he knew Calypso was all but dragging him off of his feet backward as the snake's tail whipped around and shattered one of the blocks of stone that made up the doorway to the room that held their weapons. Even as Apollo managed to catch himself on the wall he felt his senses beginning to open up and he felt like he could see the slightest movement.
"We need to split its attention."
"Oh Hades no, Calypso. Do you have a death wish? You do don't you?"
Even as he said it he knew he had made a mistake as in his infinitesimal lapse in attention the Snake struck again, but this time the snake struck its target, almost. Apollo managed to turn the snake's head again with the sword, but it was nearly ripped from his grip as he did. The snake's body slammed into him knocking him off of his feet and flat onto his back, the sword flying out of his grip down the hall. He managed to get his hands around the snake's neck but it was far stronger than he was and he could feel a drop of liquid land on his face. He could hear the scuffle of feet on stone, a hiss of frustration, and the rattle began to shake again. The next thing he knew a spasm went through the length of the snake and he felt hot blood pour from it and onto his upper body and arms, then the snake collapsed on top of him. When he was able to roll the snake off of him and sit up he saw that Calypso was standing holding one of the swords from the room just beyond the damaged arch. Even as he struggled to his feet the blood and the body of the snake began to dissolve into sand, falling to the ground and then dissipating into nothing. He was bruised, his hands, stomach, and chest were scraped from wrestling with the snake, and the skin on his forehead felt hot and tight. He rubbed the back of his head where it had struck the stone floor while looking at Calypso.
"You saved me, I can't..."
Once again they were interrupted by the shaking that now seemed even more intense, more dust falling from the ceiling around them. Apollo ran into the room and retrieved his swords as well as his bow and quiver, slinging them over his shoulders and strapping the sword belt back on. Calypso held onto the sword that she had used to kill the snake and picked up the small shield that Percy had made for her. Apollo was glad the arrow his sister had brought him was still in the quiver, but now he was filled with doubt once again. He couldn't do this, how could anyone think he could do this? He wasn't even as strong as some of his children, and even with some of his power back he still felt woefully inadequate. How could he not? Especially when Percy Jackson of all people had been sent along to join him on his quest. Apollo wasn't stupid, he knew Percy was here to keep him from dying, and to finish the job when he failed. The negative voice in his head kept it up even as he lead them out of the temple and it was only silenced as he stepped into the hall that held the entrance doors to the temple. Apollo skidded to a halt as he beheld the front doors of the temple. They lay flat on the ground, the frame shattered just as Percy had described them and he felt the power growing within him burn even hotter. 'How dare Python destroy his temple?' Something of his feelings must have shown on his face as Calypso grabbed his arm and forced him to face her.
"Apollo, you need to calm down. Remember the prophecy."
Her words had an immediate sobering effect on him though the burning power within him didn't fade, not yet. Now that they were nearly to the surface they could hear the sounds outside even more clearly, and feel the power too. The realization that what they both felt was the influence of Percy made Apollo's spine tingle, it was a raw, wild power and they could feel the rage in it. Even here in the tunnel, they could feel the effect of the winds as they blasted into the tunnel and brought fresh air down where normally there would only be the stagnant smell of stale underground air, now they could smell rain. They began to race up the tunnel as fast as their legs would carry them and when they came out of the tunnel they both stopped dead. The devastation that surrounded them was widespread and utterly terrifying. Everything around them was a waste of debris and crushed rock, the air was filled with howling wind and pounding rain that seemed to be flying almost directly sideways. However none of that is what truly drew their attention, in the center of the storm they could see the massive bulk of Python who was partially in the river as he struck again and again, and each time he did stone flew and they felt the ground shake. A massive pillar of water shot from the river and suddenly they realized that Percy was riding it like a surfer riding a massive wave, Riptide flashing in his hand every time lightning struck. Watching Percy fighting against Python, controlling the river, and the storm, filled Apollo with a strange combination of renewed confidence and fear.
Each of Percy's blows was as strong as anything that Python could have generated but it seemed like no matter how many times Percy struck Python didn't even slow down. Apollo knew what he had to do but even with the power burning within him he was afraid, afraid of failing, of missing, of dying. His conversation with Percy came back to him then, the burning passion in Percy's eyes when he told Apollo that it was not a mistake to save Harley and he knew he couldn't fail now. He stepped forward a half step taking a stance as he had thousands of times before, his muscles finally beginning to remember the ages of practice he had spent developing his skill. He knew Artemis was more renowned for her skill with the bow but there had been none save his sister that could match his skill with the bow in ages past. Now he hoped for even a fraction of that skill, he knew he would need it, especially with the wind that Percy was generating. Drawing on the power that had been building inside him he drew the arrow that she had brought him from the quiver, and as soon as it touched the string it ignited with golden light. He could feel the power fighting him, and he knew he needed to release it soon or he would lose control of the power. He only had one shot and he needed to make it count so he fought to calm his racing heart.
"Calypso, get clear, this might go sideways."
Before she could respond he drew the arrow to full draw and the golden light began to grow more intense. Apollo could feel it beginning to singe his skin as the power was too much for his mortal body but he didn't care he needed to do this. He realized what the prophecy meant now, he needed to help Percy, despite all his limitations it was Python's fate to die at his hand not Percy's. If he sat by confident in Percy's abilities as so many of the gods had for so long he would have to watch his friend scattered to reform and maybe even fade. He took one last breath and as he always did released the arrow as the air left his lungs and his body grew still. Glowing with a golden light it arced into the air, splitting the wind like the prow of a ship splits the waves, spitting tongues of burning energy around it as it flew. Apollo watched as the arrow streaked toward Python, a streak of golden light that lit the gray and brown world around them with a magnificent solar radiance.
Artemis watched from far above as the wave began to build, she felt a savage satisfaction seeing it, knowing that Percy was going to hit Python with everything he had. Even from here, she could feel the storm beginning to grow in strength as Percy raced downriver, her only worry was that as of yet she could not see Apollo or Calypso with him. It was unlike Percy to leave them behind and she worried that maybe there was more to this than she realized. Turning her attention away from Percy for the moment she focused on the connection with her brother, searching for him, and felt her worry grow. While she could still feel him it was as muted and indistinct as if something was blocking her. She realized that something must have taken Apollo and possibly Calypso too, and much as her brother would experience in a few minutes, a shiver ran up her spine. Percy wasn't just going to fight Python, a worry began to grow in her stomach as she had seen too many fall when they lost themselves to their emotions. She turned her attention back to Percy and saw that he had more than halved the distance from his original position to Python's. The storm too was beginning to rival many of the storms that struck the southern united states every year. Projecting her power to communicate she contacted Poseidon.
'Uncle, you may need to step in and contain this, if you don't it may soon be an issue for the mortals.'
'It's a little late for that niece. I am already doing my best to limit its impact, if I do more I may interfere with Percy's ability to direct the storm.'
Artemis felt a mix of emotions hearing those words, an odd combination of awe and fear that she was unused to feeling. There was little in this world that could unnerve her, but seeing the raw power that Percy was able to exert on the world even with his relative inexperience with his domains did it. It reminded her of the memory she had once witnessed when she had asked her father what fighting in the original war against the Titans had been like, his power combined with his brothers had far exceeded the storm Percy was creating but it still felt eerily similar. Artemis knew that it had to be Apollo that dealt the final blow but she wondered for the first time how that would be possible, even if he managed to release the power in the single divine arrow he had how could he possibly land a shot in this storm? She watched as Percy began to do battle with Python, the blows they traded changing the landscape of the canyon around them as they crushed rock and gouged the earth. Percy with wind and water, Python with maw and blows of his massive tail. Their fight only grew in intensity as she watched, gargantuan snake against water and god. Then she felt him, Apollo was on the surface again, and she realized the temple must be directly below them. It was the only thing that could have been interfering with her connection to her brother. Even as she watched she saw a tiny glimmer of golden light spark into life.
Moments later the spark bloomed into a much more familiar sight, and she could see her brother now. Not as he appeared to those around him, to her immortal eyes she saw him as he truly was. Tall, strong, and powerful, her twin, and she felt a sense of satisfaction now as the golden light shot away from her brother toward the snake locked in combat with Percy.
Percy felt them come into the open even as he was slamming a pillar of water into the side of Python's body. His strength was fading fast and he knew he could only keep this up for so much longer if he didn't change something. Even as he thought that Python struck back at him sending him flying back toward the canyon wall. He only just managed to use the river to break the impact, but even so, the initial blow felt like it had broken something. Percy felt a flare of power, glancing toward where he knew Apollo would be standing, Percy saw the golden glow that he recognized as Apollo's power. A sudden fear coursed through Percy and he stopped feeding the storm, he fought to slow the wind, but this storm was beyond anything he had created before. The storm that he had created and fed had taken on a life of its own, without him driving it on it would eventually die but the wind was not slowing fast enough. Percy launched himself at Python now, knowing he had to keep him from dodging the arrow, their one shot at defeating him. But he was too late, the golden streak that marked the flight of Apollo's arrow was already in the air before he was even halfway to Python. He watched in horror as the massive snake moved his bulk out of the way of the deadly shaft. He watched as the arrow struck the canyon wall and detonated in a sunburst that shook the earth even more than Python's blows.
Then it clicked, he had held that arrow, there was a chance, a chance that he had enough power to replicate it. He slammed into Python full force and fell toward the river where he would have a few seconds before Python was on him again. As soon as his head broke the surface he focused as hard as he could, focused on manifesting a secondary aspect of himself with one purpose: Summoning whatever power he had left and giving Apollo just one more shot. He felt the other aspect appear and he used his control over the currents to turn himself back around and launch himself out of the way of Python's gaping mouth as he struck. Percy felt like his mind was somehow moving a million miles an hour at the same time as he was half asleep. Every second that passed he felt more of his remaining power draining away as his other aspect fought to recreate the arrow, but he still had one last task, even if he could create the arrow. He needed to ensure that this last shot would not miss, he needed to chain Python in place, he needed to give Apollo something to shoot at that even Percy couldn't miss. He stretched out his hands in front of him facing Python and took one long deep breath. He focused on the currents again, feeling them flow around him, feeling the loyalty of his friends fill him with a warmth that he knew he would never forget, he even felt the oceans rise and fall, or was that just Artemis watching him?
Python whipped his massive tail around and Percy simply let himself fall into the river below, he needed to conserve his power even more now than he had thought. The river felt good, it felt like it was giving him strength but it wasn't the ocean and he knew he couldn't just wait Python out. He moved upriver farther which drew Python's attention farther from Apollo. Percy knew that he needed to keep Python away from Apollo and his other aspect so that he could not interrupt or harm Apollo, but Python it seemed had a different idea. Turning to face Apollo, Python raised his tail to sweep it across the back where Apollo stood, but Percy knew what he had to do. He let his consciousness flow back together and rejoined his other aspect. His right hand still open to Apollo he dug his heels into the ground and braced himself for the impact he knew was coming. The closest thing he had ever felt to the impact of Python's massive tail slamming into him was when he had taken the sky from Artemis so that she could fight against Atlas in his stead. It felt as though the bones on his left side had turned to molten sand but he had managed to hold his ground, just as he had managed to hold the sky all those years ago. With one final burst of power, the arrow shimmered into being on his open palm and he felt Apollo lift it from his hand. His left arm and leg were all but useless now but Percy didn't care, he threw his right arm out and the river responded, wrapping itself around Python like a rope tying him to the earth. Even as Percy felt blackness overtaking him he bellowed to Apollo.
"Do it! Now! No matter what happens to me!"
The last thing Percy saw was the golden light blooming and then the sensation of flying through the air.
With a final earth-shattering thud, though it was already beginning to turn to sand, Python's headless body fell to the ground. Apollo had fallen onto his knees again, cradling his hands which were severely burnt from the two shots he had fired one after the other. Soft hands caught him before he could fall farther and Calypso's concerned eyes appeared above him.
"Apollo? Stay awake, whatever you do, don't fall asleep. I need you to stay..."
There was a flash of light nearby and she fell immediately silent her face growing pale. Apollo turned and saw his father standing before him in his usual attire when he walked among the mortals, a stormcloud gray three-piece suit that looked almost more out of place here in the canyon than even the dissolving corpse of Python did.
"You have done well my son. I am glad to see you have survived, and earned your reward." Glancing at Calypso he waved his hand dismissively. "Move titaness, or I will move you."
Calypso stumbled away fearfully and Apollo could only glare at his father, his treatment of Calypso was crass and entirely unwarranted but he knew there was little anyone could do to change his father's mind. As he had so many months ago in the throne room of Olympus Apollo found himself staring at the business end of his father's Master Bolt, which despite knowing what was to happen still made him sweat nervously. Hearing his father begin to chant in Ancient Greek once again Apollo tensed as his whole body began to feel as though it was on fire, and every cell in his body felt like it was exploding from the inside all at once. After another few moments Apollo felt everything rush back into his mind, the memories, the power, the prayers, and more that came with his godly domains. He felt whole again and yet even as his father vanished he felt his heart drop. 'Where is Percy?' Apollo leaped to his feet filled once more with strength many times greater than any mortal could match, and he began to search for Percy. He found him almost immediately though he felt as though someone had torn his stomach out. So little of Percy's being remained within his body that Apollo was amazed his physical form had not already faded. Rushing to where Percy was crumpled in the dirt he lay a hand on his friend's forehead and began chanting in Ancient Greek. Of the two hundred and six bones in Percy's body, less than half were unbroken, and of those most were heavily bruised. Apollo could feel the almost complete lack of power within Percy which was far more worrying than the broken bones. That power was the core of what Percy was now, this physical form was only a manifestation of that.
"Percy?"
Calypso's voice was quiet and sounded like she was on the edge of breaking, Apollo felt his heart clench all over again as he heard her. After everything they had been through together here they were at the end of the road and Percy was not here with them. Apollo slid his arms under Percy's limp body and stood up his heart a far heavier burden than Percy's body.
"Grab my arm Calypso."
"Apollo, why can't I feel his consciousness? What is happening...? He's not... He can't be..."
Apollo forced himself to remain calm despite the emotions that were filling him, Calypso needed him more than he needed to let his emotions out.
"Grab my arm, I'll take him to my palace. You can come."
Calypso grabbed his wrist weakly and stayed silent as Apollo willed the three of them to vanish from the devastated section of the canyon. They reappeared in what looked like a hospital ward though the walls glowed ever so faintly with golden light. Apollo set Percy down on a bed and drew a stool from across the room and directed Calypso onto it.
"Calypso look at me. I... I can't tell you everything is going to be ok, but Percy is going to recover. I need you to believe me. There are no truer words I have spoken than these: You will not have to say goodbye to him just yet."
Apollo passed a hand over Percy's body and a dome of dusky golden light seemed to grow over him as he lay on the bed still, and not even breathing. Apollo sighed heavily and laid a hand on Calypso's shoulder.
"You can stay in my palace if you would like but you need to understand Calypso, Percy may be here awhile. It's hard to tell but I suppose of all people you understand that don't you?"
Calypso nodded before standing up and throwing her arms around Apollo.
"Thank you, for everything. I..."
"You're welcome Calypso, but you should sleep. You need it. Trust me."
What Apollo didn't say was that he had several gods he needed to talk to. He was not going to forget the things he had experienced and there were things that he needed to do now. Looking back at Percy and Calypso he felt a small smile grow on his face, Calypso was fast asleep laying half on Percy's relatively unbroken side while still in her chair. He moved forward out of force of habit but then stopped himself from grinning almost giddy.
"Oh, it's good to be back."
He snapped his fingers and Calypso appeared in the next bed over so that she could sleep more comfortably. The last thing he did before leaving the room was to send a message to Poseidon and Hermes asking them to meet him in Percy's palace.
AN: Whooo that one is probably gonna be a bit controversial. I know that it might feel like I kind of rushed the build-up for this final fight with Python but I did it for a reason. That being that to be perfectly honest the adventure is kind of secondary in importance for me to the story. The main point of this story for me has always been about exploring how Percy would deal with this different reality and how he would eventually overcome his loss. For those of you wondering where the relationship is given that I claimed it would be a part of the story, don't worry it's coming the story isn't quite finished. There will be a few more chapters and to be honest, I've been thinking that a sequel may be a better way to go forward with the story. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it however as I want to make sure that the last few chapters of this story are good enough to deserve the follows and favorites this story has. Trust me when I say that I will do my best not to disappoint you because if I screw the ending up I will hate it even more than all of you.
