Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians nor do I own The Heroes of Olympus.
Story: Champion of Olympus: Child of the First One
Chapter 2: Escape from Nidavellir
Camp Half Blood
Third Person POV
Percy ignored the yells of his friends as he ran to the beach; he had to save Brokkr and Sindri. He reached the sand and looked toward the Tower of Asgard. The grey stone of the tower shined in the sun. Two large birds circled the structure as they peered down toward the sandy shore below. Suddenly, the two birds dove toward Percy; they landed on a large rock next to the grandson of Odin. Huginn and Muninn both looked at the young man before them curiously.
"You need our help, my lord," Huginn said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Percy frowned. "I thought I told you two to call me Percy," he said in an aggravated tone.
The two ravens seemed to smile at the young demigod before them.
"As you wish, boss," Muninn said. Percy glared at the bird in exasperation.
"You've been talking to Blackjack, haven't you?" Percy accused.
The two ravens hopped up and down on the rock excitedly at first before they each squawked at each other amusedly. "Who's Blackjack?" Huginn asked mockingly.
"No games you two. You both know who Blackjack is," Percy ordered.
"Yes my lord, no games," the two Ravens said in unison.
Percy shook his head and said, "If you're both done, we have a problem." The two Ravens became serious when they heard the tone in Percy's voice.
"What kind of problem?" Huginn asked.
"Loki has attacked Nidavellir, all of the dwarves are dead, except for Brokkr and Sindri," Percy said. The two birds stood stiff like statues at the news they heard.
"He wants them to create a weapon," Muninn said. Percy nodded.
"He has enough of the Uru metal, his broken staff and the scythe of Kronos to make a very powerful weapon," Percy said.
"You want to go there to stop him?" Huginn asked.
"And to save the dwarves," Muninn added.
"Yes, I might be able to stop them before they can finish the weapon, but it will take a while to return," Percy said sadly.
"Your friends are worried about what could happen when you are gone," Huginn proclaimed.
Percy nodded, and then he kept his eyes locked on the sand at his feet.
"There is another way," Muninn suggested.
Percy looked up at the raven. "What other way?" he asked hopefully.
"Mrs. O'Leary can transport you there, and then you can transport back with her," Huginn explained.
"She can do that?"
"She is most powerful; she has the magic to teleport, plus the power of shadow travel. Together, she has the ability to transport between realms," Muninn explained, "but she will be extremely tired after doing so."
"How tired?" Percy asked cautiously.
"She won't be much help to you in a fight," Huginn explained.
Percy nodded. He smiled at the two ravens. "That's great," Percy said. "Thank you."
"You're most welcome boss," the ravens said before flying off. The sound of their laughter could be heard as they flew off toward the horizon.
Percy just shook his head again as he walked to the massive door on the side of the tower that faced the ocean. He knocked on the door that was so large it could have belonged to an airplane hangar. The sound of gears and pulleys could be heard as the door slid open. Inside of the opening was pitch black. Suddenly smoke started to billow from the doorway.
A moment later the largest hellhound in the nine realms stepped out of the door. She was the size of a dump truck, the ones with the tires as big as a one-storey house. Mrs. O'Leary stepped fully out of the shadows. Her fur was coal black and her red tiger stripes seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her red eyes burned with flames and smoke billowed out of her nostrils. She was a sight to behold.
"Mrs. O'Leary, down girl," Percy said. The huge hound sat on her haunches causing the ground to shake. Percy rubbed behind her ear causing her tail to hit the ground. The noise was like machine gun fire inside a metal shed. Percy smiled at the hellhound affectionately. "We have a mission. Two of my friends are in trouble. Can you help me?"
Mrs. O'Leary nodded her head furiously as her tail hit the ground even harder than before.
"Good girl. I need you to take me to Nidavellir. Can you do that?" Percy asked.
Mrs. O'Leary eyes flared with red flames, and then she nodded. "Good girl," Percy said as he climbed onto the hellhound's back. The giant hound ran to the nearest shadow before disappearing from sight.
Annabeth and Thalia ran onto the beach out of breath. They watched helplessly as Percy disappeared into the shadows.
Thalia turned to Annabeth after catching her breath. "What do we do now?"
Annabeth stared at the place Percy had just disappeared. "We pray that he returns and that we don't have to fight the enemy without him," Annabeth said. Thalia nodded.
Suddenly, the conch horn sounded. "We need to get back to camp, the ceremony will start soon," Annabeth said.
"I don't get the need for a new cabin for Hades," Thalia said.
"Didn't the camp build one after your first quest with Percy?"
"Yes, but this cabin wasn't in line with the other Olympian cabins," Annabeth said.
Thalia's eyes widened with realization. "Zeus is going to make Hades an official Olympian."
"I guess he hopes that this gesture will show that he's truly sorry for what happened to Nico and Bianca's mother," Annabeth said.
"Do you think that it will?" Thalia asked.
"Maybe to Hades, but not to Bianca and Nico," Annabeth said. Thalia nodded, her eyes were filled with sadness at the thought of Nico. Annabeth could see the pain in her friend's eyes. "How are things with you and Nico?"
"We've been distant. He's only called me from the Underworld a few times," Thalia said. She looked down at her feet sadly. "I really miss him." Annabeth put her arm around her friend.
"Nico cares about you. Just give him time to remember that," Annabeth said.
"What about you and Percy?" Thalia asked.
Annabeth looked back at the Tower of Asgard. "I was away at school. I guess we've been… distant too," Annabeth answered. "I know he cares about me, but he's been preoccupied."
"I wonder why?" Thalia asked sarcastically.
Annabeth punched her friend in the shoulder playfully. "Let's go to the ceremony," Annabeth said, before the two friends began to run back to camp.
The Realm of Nidavellir
The hellhound landed on the rocky ground with her passenger holding onto her collar for dear life. Mrs. O'Leary knelt down to allow her passenger to jump off her back.
Percy landed on the ground. The rocky ground beneath his feet was rough and loose. The grandson of Odin chanted quietly. His sea green armor appeared on his body. He continued to pray in the language of Asgard as Mjolnir materialized in his grasp.
Percy stood on a plateau of brownish red rock. The rock was loose and flaked off under his feet. The sky was dark and the stars in the sky were feint and distant. The air was cold as Percy's breath was visible as he breathed.
Mrs. O'Leary slumped to the ground, exhausted from her use of energy. Percy rubbed behind her ear as the great hellhound fell asleep almost instantly. Percy looked around until he saw a worn path that led off from his location. The path was well worn and looked like it had been used for centuries.
Percy followed the path forward as it led him away from the edge of the plateau. The grandson of Odin walked for an hour before a great rock wall appeared in front of him. The wall was as tall as the great temple of Olympus and at the bottom of it was a great metal door. The door was a shiny bluish metal that was very familiar to the demigod. The entire door was made of Uru metal. Percy stared at the door in wonder. There was a symbol in the middle of the wall; it was the hammer of Thor. Percy held out Mjolnir and placed the flat side of the hammer against the symbol. Suddenly, the door began to creak and moan before it opened to reveal a dark passageway.
Percy looked into the dark tunnel. The sound of liquid dripping from the ceiling echoed through the passageway. Percy chanted and Mjolnir began to glow, the light was small, but it illuminated the path in front of him. The Champion of Olympus walked down the worn stone path. A small light illuminated the end of the tunnel, it flickered like a flame. Percy walked down the tunnel for several minutes until he stopped. The sound of drops of liquid hitting the ground sounded all around him. Percy couldn't see around the tunnel because it was still too dark. He held out Mjolnir and chanted in ancient Asgardian. The hammer began to glow more brightly until the room was fully illuminated. Percy gasped at the sight before him.
Hanging from the walls of the tunnel with large pikes sticking out of their bodies were dozens upon dozens of dwarves. Their lifeless bodies coated the walls. Percy placed a hand over his mouth and nose as the stench of death became more prominent. The scene was horrible. The bodies were pale and lifeless. Percy could still hear liquid hitting the ground. He looked closely to see blood dripping from the bodies onto the stone floor of the tunnel. The sight was almost too much for him to bear. Tears stung his eyes, but he blinked them away quickly.
Percy willed himself onwards; he tried to avoid the sight of death around him, but it was overwhelming. He walked faster down the corridor until the light became brighter. He eventually reached a wooden door. Heat emanated from the room. Percy peeked through the door.
Near the other wall was a pool of lava that bubbled and belched out gas. Brokkr and Sindri were tied up against one wall. Their faces were black with soot; they were covered in sweat and deep scratches that dripped with blood. Percy looked closer and sighed in relief when he saw their chests rise and fall. They were breathing.
Percy pushed open the door quietly and entered the room. Brokkr and Sindri were still unconscious. Percy walked up to his friends and shook them softly. Brokkr's eyes opened. His eyes widened when he saw Percy standing in front of him.
"My lord," Brokkr whispered. Percy motioned for him to be quiet.
"I'm going to get you out of here," Percy whispered.
Sindri stirred and finally opened his eyes. His face filled with surprise when he saw Percy.
"Don't make a sound," Percy warned softly. Sindri nodded.
Suddenly, a noise echoed behind the grandson of Odin. Brokkr's and Sindri's faces both paled in fear at the sight behind Percy.
Percy turned around to see two metal giants. They were each as tall as a Cyclops, but the surprising and scary things were their hands, or in this case the lack of them.
Percy stared at the giants in disbelief. Instead of hands the giants had weapons on the ends of their arms. One giant had a large menacing blade for one hand and a spinning circular saw for the other. The second giant had a metal hook for one hand and razor sharp axe for the other. The grandson of Odin just stared at the two monsters in awe as their weapons gleamed in the low light of the room. The only sound was the spinning circular saw that whined with a high pitch squeal.
The giants moved toward Percy slowly.
"What are they?" Percy yelled.
"They are the protectors of our forge. Loki must have reprogrammed them," Sindri said weakly.
"Be careful my lord, they are made of Uru metal," Brokkr said.
Percy cursed under his breath as he dodged the massive blade of one giant, but unfortunately the second giant hit him with its large hook. The hook cut Percy's cheek even with his helmet on. The impact was just a glancing blow, but the cut burned like acid. Percy rolled with the strike as he held Mjolnir in front of his chest protectively.
Percy was not on Earth, so his godly powers wouldn't work here. Instead, he would have to rely on his weapon and the power of the Aesir that flowed through his veins.
A large metal spear made from Uru metal caught his eye. The grandson of Odin blocked a strike from the axe hand of one giant as he concentrated on the spear. The spear began to move, and then it sailed through the air like an arrow. The spear pierced the metal armor of one giant just above its left leg imbedding itself in the stone floor. The giant struggled to break free from the spear.
Percy sighed in relief, but then ducked out of the way as a large circular blade sliced across his back. The spinning blade cut through his armor cleanly. Blood splattered the wall behind him. Percy howled in pain, but was still able to hit the floor and spin out of the way as the giant's bladed hand struck the wall next to his arm. Fragments of stone exploded into the air from the impact.
The pain of his two wounds made Percy's blood boil. The anger and pain seemed to make his strength increase three fold. Percy ran toward the one giant that was still trying to walk with the large spear stuck in its leg. Percy pulled back Mjolnir holding it with both hands. He swung the blade just as the giant lifted its head toward the last son of the Aesir. The magic hammer hit the giant cleanly. Sparks flew from the strike as the giant's metal head exploded off its neck and flew across the room. The head bounced twice on the rocky floor as fire poured out of the giant's neck. The massive body of the metal giant hit the floor with a clang that echoed off the stone walls of the room.
Percy turned just as the other giant thrust forward with its blade. Percy deflected the blade with Mjolnir, but the green tip of the weapon imbedded itself into Percy's left shoulder. The champion of Olympus screamed in agony as the giant ripped the blade from his shoulder. Green slime dripped from the weapon.
The metal monster moved forward with its circular saw, but Percy willed his armor to make him fly straight up into the air. As he took off from the ground Percy sliced forward with the sharpened edge of Mjolnir. The great weapon sliced into the chest of the giant revealing its internal mechanisms.
Percy landed on the other side of the room near the lava lake. The giant rushed forward as sparks flew from its opened chest. Percy waited for the last moment and jumped out of the way. The giant stumbled at first, trying to stop its forward momentum, but it was too late. The giant fell over the edge of the lava pool. The metal monster hit the lava and disintegrated immediately upon impact.
Percy crumpled to the ground. He was losing blood quickly from his arm and back. His blood boiled in his veins. He crawled to Brokkr and Sindri. He used his telekinetic powers to release the two dwarves from their shackles. His two friends hit the floor, and then rushed to their savior.
"My lord, you are hurt badly," Sindri said worriedly.
"Need to stop the bleeding," Percy panted. "My back and shoulder."
Brokkr stepped forward holding a red hot iron that he found in the forge. "I'm sorry my lord, but we need to burn the wounds closed," Brokkr said.
Sindri held Percy as best he could as Brokkr cauterized the two wounds. Percy screamed in agony as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Percy stood up gingerly at first, but then started to walk toward the door. The two dwarves helped as much as possible, but Percy was too tall. After almost falling three times, Percy and the two dwarves walked into the outside air.
Mrs. O'Leary walked over causing Brokkr and Sindri to cower in fear.
"Don't worry, she's a friend," Percy said. "Get on her back." The two dwarves carefully approached the hellhound and climbed onto her back.
Percy held Mjolnir high above his head and began to chant in the ancient language of his ancestors. Suddenly, a portal of water, lightning and magical power appeared in front of them. Brokkr and Sindri took one last look at their home before Mrs. O'Leary bounded into the portal.
Percy stepped forward; every step seemed to cause him immense pain. He struggled to move forward until he was at the edge of the vortex. He looked up at the spinning maelstrom of energy before him, and then collapsed into the magic portal.
AN: A big thank you to Starlit Reader for another outstanding job betaing this story. Stay tuned more to come.