Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Divided Soul
Chapter 32: A Scaly Dilemma
Mount Olympus (original)
The two drakons watched the son of the sea god in fascination. They were used to people running from them, not advancing toward them, but here was this hero in silver armor walking towards them. The monsters watched the spinning sword in his hand. Normally the spinning of the sword would make a noise as the friction from the air moved against the metal, but this sword was different. The blue-green aura around the sword fascinated the monsters; they couldn't keep their eyes off it.
Percy knew it was only a matter of time before the drakons unleashed their flaming breath against him. He stretched out with his powers to the pond in the center of the ancient ruin. The water wasn't deep, but it would have to be enough. Percy had never used his powers this way before, but he knew it was possible. He or Scipio had read enough books about his father's powers to understand what he could really do. He knew that neither Zeus nor Hades really knew the true power of the sea god, but Percy did.
The water from the pond snaked its way toward the demigod. Percy could sense that his friends were locked in battle, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had to take out these drakons. The drakons watched the swirling sword as Percy continued to spin it. He knew that this was a distraction, but something about his sword intensified the effect. The water finally reached Percy's feet and inched its way up his body. Percy knew that the armor could only protect him so much, but water that could give him the advantage. The water rapped itself around him, but it stayed clear, so the monsters couldn't see it. Finally, he was ready.
"Hey, Red Hots (AN: You've got to love that candy), are you going to fight or just stare me to death?" Percy asked sarcastically.
That broke the drakons out of their haze. The first drakon lunged forward with its mouth agape, but Percy dove out of the way. At the same time the other drakon let loose a plume of flame toward the son of the sea god. Percy was already in motion. He ran toward the remaining group of Empousa. The female monsters froze as they saw Percy run toward them. The flames moved toward Percy's back, but at the last moment he leapt above and over the Empousa. The plume of fire engulfed the female monsters burning them to ash.
Percy landed on his feet and continued to run, but this time he moved in an arc behind the first Drakon. The creature swung its tail at Percy, but the demigod was ready. He jumped onto the tail and ran up its length toward the monster's back. He completed a forward flip as the monster's tail slashed under him. Percy landed on the dragon's neck. He grabbed a hold of a drakon scale with one hand as he slashed Riptide with the other. The glowing blade cut through the drakon's scales easily slicing a deep gash into the creature's neck. Blood shot from the wound like a fountain. The blood hit Percy's exposed hand, but the poisonous blood washed away as the water surrounded Percy like a second set of armor. He pulled Riptide out of the monster's neck flicking poisonous blood toward one of the Cyclops that was fighting Jason. The blood struck the Cyclops in the eye. The creature screamed in agony as it ran away from Jason, leaving only one Cyclops to fight the son of Jupiter.
Percy jumped off the back of the drakon before the creature finally turned to dust. He could feel the second drakon move behind him. Percy turned to see the tail of the drakon headed toward him like a bull whip. Instead of jumping to the side Percy moved toward the tail while slashing Riptide in a wide arc. The blade cut across the tail of the drakon as Percy bent his knees to crouch under the swinging tail. Riptide cut through the tail like a hot knife through butter. The drakon roared with anger and pain. The creature turned to move toward the son of the sea god. The drakon's severed tail shot poisonous blood that burned through rocks, trees, ruined buildings and the creature's few remaining allies.
Percy ran toward the mountain. The plateau that the ruined city stood on looked over a sheer rock cliff that dropped a few thousand feet to the base of the mountain. Percy stopped at the edge of the cliff. He knew that the drakon could just fly away once it ran off the cliff, so Percy would have to act quickly. The drakon surged forward as flames shot from the creature's nostrils. Percy waited at the edge of the cliff. He never took his eyes off the charging monster. The beast's burning red eyes tried to bore into the green eyes of the son of Poseidon, but Percy never flinched. He waited on the edge of the cliff as his plan raced through his mind.
Scipio always planned ahead, but Percy relied on instinct more than anything. However, now that Percy was a blend of Scipio and his old self; a merging of Roman and Greek, he could plan, but he also liked to improvise. He could be serious, but he liked to joke around. Some people may think he was bi-polar, but no, he was the perfect blend of a hero and a leader.
The Drakon moved at such speed that anyone else would have only seen a blur, but for Percy the world around him seemed to slow. At that moment it was like he was living in a slow motion replay. The drakon reached the edge of the cliff. The monster's mouth was agape. It so wanted to eat this pesky demigod, but Percy had other ideas. Percy stepped off the edge of the cliff. The drakon's momentum carried it over the edge. The drakon tumbled into the air, but it soon righted itself. Percy took his chance as he held onto the ledge that was just below the top of the cliff. As the drakon passed over him Percy pushed off the cliff and landed on the drakon's back. He crawled up the drakon's back until he reached the creature's neck. Suddenly, the drakon shifted in order to knock the son of the Poseidon loose. Percy plunged Riptide into the drakon's neck and held on for dear life. The poisonous blood erupted from the wound. Percy pulled out Riptide; he gave a mental call to Blackjack before he slashed one of the drakon's wings and jumped off the monster's back. Percy plummeted toward the ground, until he saw Blackjack appear below him. Percy parted his legs and landed on the Pegasus's back. Blackjack turned and flew back to the mountain. Percy saw the drakon flailing in the air as it plummeted to its earthly demise.
Jason hovered in the air as he willed the winds to keep him aloft. The last Cyclops jumped and swung his club at him. The other Cyclops had run away as the Drakon's blood burned through the creature's eye. Jason sighed a little at only having to fight one monster now. He would have to remember to thank Percy later on. Jason rose higher into the air as dark clouds formed around him. Lightning began to flash from cloud to cloud. Jason raised his hand towards the sky and a bolt of lightning shot down and struck the Cyclops sending the creature flying across the battlefield. Jason lowered himself to the ground and looked around for Alex and Gwen. He didn't see Percy, but he knew his friend could take care of himself.
Jason spotted Alex and Gwen in two trees that looked over the battlefield. Gwen was firing arrows into the few remaining monsters, but Alex was in trouble. Two Hellhounds circled the base of the tree that Alex was perched in. Jason crept up to the tree trying not to alert the two large canines. He accidentally stepped on a small branch that broke with a loud snap. The two Hellhounds turned toward the sound; they had hellfire in their eyes as they looked at the son of Jupiter. Jason cursed under his breath at his clumsiness.
The two Hellhounds rushed forward; Jason held his gladius at the ready. Jason slashed the first monster with his sword cutting straight through the creature's neck and jaw. The monster evaporated into dust. Jason heard the growl of the second monster, but suddenly it stopped in its tracks. The hellfire left the monster's eyes as it turned to dust. When the monster had disappeared Jason could see Alex standing with his sword thrust out in front of him.
"Thanks," Jason said.
Alex smiled and nodded. "Don't mention it; I owed you for getting them away from the tree," he said. Alex looked around as Gwen slid down her tree and ran to catch up with her fellow Romans. "Where's Sci… I mean Percy?"
Jason looked around worriedly. "Last time I saw him, he was fighting the drakons," Jason replied.
"What about the Greeks?" Gwen asked. Her golden blonde hair blew in the breeze. Alex just stared at her in wonder. Jason smiled; he knew that Alex liked Gwen, a lot.
"Nico and Leo are probably fighting the giant in his cave. Annabeth and Piper are taking out the Titan," Jason explained.
A noise from above the three demigods sparked their attention. They looked up into the sky and saw a familiar black Pegasus with an even more familiar rider. Blackjack landed only a few feet away from the trio. Percy climbed off his mount and walked towards his friends. The water that encircled his body turned to a fine mist that blew away into the mountain breeze.
"I see that you three are in one piece," Percy analyzed.
"Yeah, thanks for helping with the Cyclops," Jason said.
Percy's crooked grin widened. "I always like to use my enemy's advantages against them. Poison blood is deadly to everyone, not just us half-bloods," he said.
"We better check on the others," Gwen said.
Percy nodded. "Jason and I will check on Nico and Leo. You and Alex check on Annabeth and Piper," Percy ordered. The two Romans ran off to find their friends.
Jason turned to Percy. "I guess we better get to that cave," Jason urged. Percy and Jason ran off toward the cave of the giant. When they reached the entrance to the cave they heard the sounds of fighting inside. The two demigods looked at each other worriedly. "That doesn't sound good."
Inside the cave Leo was unconscious on the other side of the cave. Nico wasn't in much better shape. His vision was blurry and his head hurt. He could feel the sticky blood running down the side of his face.
Alcyoneus stepped toward the injured son of Hades. "I'm going to send you to your father. Say hello for me," he threatened.
Nico crawled behind the throne. He could use it as a shield. He prayed to his father that his friends would arrive soon.
A fireball flew through the air striking the giant in the back. Alcynoeus growled in annoyance as he turned to glare at the injured son of Hephaestus.
"Stay away from my friend," Leo said. Nico gave his friend a small smile and a sigh of relief. Leo's eyes grew twice their size when he saw the giant stalking toward him. He looked around frantically for his hammer, but it sat on the ground at least ten feet from where he stood. He reached down into his tool belt. He felt something long and metallic. He pulled out the tool and looked at it closely. A wide smile crossed his face as he lit the blow torch. The white hot flame shot out about four inches from the end of the tool. The giant stopped in his tracks. The monster narrowed his eyes at the boy's weapon.
"That little toy won't save you, boy," the giant warned.
Leo glared at his enemy. "Why did you stop then?" he asked pointedly.
Alcyoneus smiled down at the young half-blood. He raised his hand and a twelve foot long spear sprang from the ground. The pole of the spear was made of mortal steel, but the spear point was made of a three foot long sharpened diamond. Leo froze in shock. The diamond headed spear glowed in the dim light of the cave. Leo backed up until his back touched the cave wall. He looked around, but froze when he realized that he had back himself into a corner of the cave.
The giant's smile widened. "Time to die," he said. The giant readied his spear and threw it at an incredible speed. Leo closed his eyes awaiting the inevitable.
AN: Another cliffhanger, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More fighting to come next chapter, so stay tuned.