Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Divided Soul
Chapter 34: A Secret Revealed
Mount Olympus - Original
Jason and Leo stood in front of the cave; they watched helplessly as the final few rocks fell as the cave entrance finished its collapse. The two demigods hung their heads in sadness at the loss of their two friends.
"It's all my fault," Jason uttered, his voice laced with guilt.
Leo looked up at his best friend. "No it wasn't. It was Percy's decision," Leo reassured.
Jason shook his head. "What about Nico?"
Leo didn't say anything. Jason scowled. "See, even you blame me."
Leo never got a chance to reply. Two people burst out of the shadows near a couple of trees only a few yards from the two demigods. They fell onto the ground. A boy around thirteen knelt over another older boy who was around seventeen.
"Nico," Jason said as he rushed to the boy's side.
"Percy," Leo yelled as he ran to the unconscious form of his friend. He knelt beside the son of Poseidon. He reached down and felt for a pulse. He sighed when he felt the soft thump of Percy's heart. He looked up at the son of Hades and gasped. The entire left side of Nico's face was covered in thick, dark blood.
Jason helped Nico sit on the ground. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some crushed ambrosia and gave it to his young friend. "Eat this," he said.
Nico put the entire ambrosia square in his mouth and chewed slowly. He could feel the gash in his head close before he became dizzy and collapsed onto the ground. Jason was there to make sure his head didn't hit the ground.
"Is he going to be okay?" Leo asked worriedly.
"I think so, shadow travel wears him out," Jason explained. "What about Percy?"
'I don't know. He's invincible, right?" Leo asked.
Jason's brow furrowed in thought. "Except for his mortal spot," Jason informed.
Leo looked around Percy's body for any sign of an open wound; if his mortal spot had been hurt he wouldn't last very long. When he couldn't find any visible injuries he sighed in relief. "I don't see any injuries; I think he'll be fine with some rest," Leo replied.
Jason looked at their surroundings with a worried expression on his face. "I need to go find the others; can you stay here with them?" Jason asked.
Leo was worried about the others too, but he knew someone needed to stay with their two friends. "Don't worry; I'll stay with them," Leo said.
Jason smiled at his friend. "Thanks, I'll be right back," He exclaimed before running off to look for the others.
Leo sat on the ground. He took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He looked at the two injured demigods before him. "Why do I always get the repair jobs," He said before rolling his eyes in frustration.
Annabeth and Piper
The two demigods stood back to back watching the earthborn move toward them. They were outnumbered five to one and their enemies weren't even really alive. They were just pieces of rock and dirt formed into monsters by Gaea herself.
The first earthborn lunged forward. Annabeth blocked its strike with her dagger. Another took a swipe at Piper, but the love goddess's daughter ducked under the slash before stabbing into the creature's rocky belly. Her dagger cracked the rock that comprised the abdomen of the monster. The creature fell apart into a pile of rocks and dirt on the ground. Suddenly, the rocks and dirt began to spin around inside a small vortex. The rocks and dirt formed a new body. The vortex stopped as the earthborn stood before Piper as good as new.
"We're screwed," Piper said.
Annabeth had to smile at her friend. "You're starting to sound like Valdez," Annabeth observed.
Piper huffed. "No, I'm not," she protested.
Annabeth was about to reply, but she was cut-off as two earthborn rushed toward her; each with a dagger made of rock. They slashed at her chest, but she was two quick. She ducked under the first slash as she saw the second one come toward her she dropped to the ground sliding her right leg with her. Her leg struck the leg of the other earthborn sending the creature colliding with the other. The two creatures fell to the ground hard.
Unfortunately for the daughter of Athena; they couldn't be defeated that easily. The two earthborn rose to their feet and joined the circle of monsters around the two demigods.
Annabeth growled in frustration. They just kept coming.
Suddenly, an arrow struck an earthborn that was just about ready to charge Piper. The arrow struck the head of the earthborn; the arrow was ticking.
"Down now," Annabeth yelled. The two demigods dropped to the ground. A second later the arrowhead exploded sending fractured rock and pieces of dirt flying out into a cloud of dust that surrounded the clearing. The dust cloud gave Annabeth and Piper the chance they needed. They stayed on the ground and crawled away from the earthborn. Annabeth made sure that the two crawled toward the direction where the arrow had come from. They stood up once they were far enough away from the creatures. They raced toward the nearby trees. Annabeth saw a flash of long golden hair. Gwen stood behind a tree with her bow in her hand. Annabeth pulled Piper with her as they joined their Roman friend.
"Thank the gods you both got out of there," Gwen exclaimed.
Annabeth and Piper were out of breath, but a few moments later Annabeth said, "Thanks for the help; I thought we were done for."
Gwen smiled. "No problem," she said.
Piper looked around curiously. "Where's Alex?" Piper asked.
Another explosion rang out from the clearing and two earthborn exploded into dust. The three demigods looked to another group of trees on the far side of the clearing. The son of Mars stood there with his bow. He didn't look happy using a bow, but it was hard to fight earthborn with his sword or spear when they could just reform, if injured. However, the creatures didn't reform when they were blasted to bits.
Alex waved to Gwen with one finger in the air. "What's he signaling?" Piper asked.
"He has only one exploding arrow left," Gwen explained.
"How many do you have?" Annabeth asked warily.
Gwen looked into her quiver. Her eyes narrowed at the sight. "One," she replied.
Piper shook her head. "Great," Piper said sarcastically.
The dust finally cleared around the battlefield. Eight earthborn remained. Prometheus was now at the other side of the clearing. He sat on a large boulder with a devious smile on his face.
Annabeth felt her blood boil when she saw the look on his face. "Damn him; I hate that Titan," she growled.
Piper smiled. She didn't like her angry tone, but she was satisfied to know that even Annabeth could get flustered by an enemy. She was like any other demigod; even though she was a daughter of Athena.
Alex fired his last arrow striking an earthborn in the torso. The arrow exploded a few seconds later turning the monster to dust.
"Seven left," Gwen said before firing her last arrow. The arrowhead pierced the neck of an earthborn. The arrow exploded destroying the monster completely.
Piper, Annabeth and Gwen stepped out from behind the tree. Piper and Annabeth held their daggers, while Gwen held an imperial gold sword. They looked across the way. Alex had his sword and spear ready. He walked slowly towards the earthborn. The three demigoddesses followed his lead. The last six earthborn charged the demigods.
Alex impaled a monster in the face with his spear before cutting the creature in half with his sword. The monster began to reform almost immediately.
Annabeth and Piper slashed and stabbed with their daggers, but the earthborn would reform as fast as the two demigods could tear them apart.
Gwen crouched and swung her sword at the earthborn's legs cutting the creatures legs off. After she completed the cut she stood up quickly and slashed upwards slicing through the monster's shoulder and out its neck. The remains of the creature hit the ground before dissolving into the ground. However, the ground morphed around the dissolved body and began to reform into the creature once again. The four demigods stood with their backs to each other.
"This would be fun, if they'd only stay dead," Alex said.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "You Mars kids are nuts," Gwen chided.
Alex laughed. "You seem to be having some fun, Gwenny," he said with a wry smile on his face.
Gwen's cheeks turned pink at the sight of his smile. "Don't call me that War Monger," Gwen protested. Alex laughed.
Annabeth and Piper both looked at the two with amused grins on their faces. "No time for flirting," Piper said.
"We're not flirting," Gwen denied.
Annabeth chuckled. "I'm a daughter of Athena and even I can tell when two people are flirting," she said. Piper grinned at her friend.
The six remaining earthborn surrounded the four demigods. They kept their distance, waiting for their chance to attack.
Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky and lightning flashed from cloud to cloud. The smell of ozone filled the air. One earthborn stood away from the others. A bolt of lightning struck the creature turning it to ash. The monster didn't reform. There were five creatures left; they closed in on the four demigods.
Annabeth looked around and realized what the monsters were doing. They were close enough to the demigods to keep the lightning from striking, but far enough away to keep her and her friends from attacking them. She looked around for Jason and then she saw him floating in the air about a hundred feet off the ground. She looked down and around the clearing and the surrounding trees. Where were Percy, Nico and Leo? Something in the back of her mind made her feel uneasy. She prayed to her mother that they were alright.
Suddenly, her mind cleared of all worries. She looked at the five earthborn and she began to see patterns and more importantly, possibilities. She could see vulnerabilities in the creature's bodies. The creature in front of her had a stress fracture in the rock that made up its chest. The one in front of Gwen had a left leg that was held together with vines. The creature in front Alex had a neck with a crack just above where the shoulder blade would be on a human.
Jason floated in the air above his friends. He cursed as he realized that the earthborn were too close to his friends; he couldn't destroy them with lightning without hurting them. He really wished Percy was here; he'd know what to do. Jason had to wait for the appropriate opportunity.
Annabeth couldn't believe that she could see these patterns, these opportunities, did this special ability come from being a Roman/Greek hybrid. She could see these vulnerabilities in their enemies, but how could she tell her friends without the enemy overhearing. She looked at Alex and Gwen; she focused on their minds. Suddenly, she felt a connection; she couldn't read their minds, but maybe she could project a message into their minds. She thought about the appropriate information, and then she projected it into the minds of her two friends. Alex and Gwen looked at her strangely before nodding in understanding.
Annabeth looked at her friends, and then yelled, "Now." Alex and Gwen attacked striking the creatures in the areas Annabeth had found. Annabeth struck the earthborn close to her in the chest with her dagger. The three earthborn fell to the ground. Gwen and Alex ran away toward the trees. Two earthborn remained and they had Piper stuck in place. Annabeth had no idea what to do.
Piper was surprised at first when her three friends attacked the earthborn closest to them. She watched as Gwen and Alex ran for the trees. She knew Annabeth wouldn't leave her, but she couldn't think about that now. She was trapped between two earthborn. Piper racked her brain for an idea, but she was a daughter of Aphrodite, not Athena. A light went off in her mind at that thought. She was a daughter of Aphrodite. She was a charmspeaker. Could she charmspeak the earthborn? She focused on the earthborn closest to her. The creature turned to look at her with its coal-like eyes. She didn't dare speak out loud. Could she charmspeak without speaking? It seemed impossible, but something in the back of her mind told her that she could do it. She focused harder than ever before until the creature stared at her harder. Suddenly, its eyes glowed with a slight pink aura. The creature turned away from her and struck the other earthborn next to her. The two began to fight.
"Piper, move," Annabeth yelled as she pulled her friend away from the two fighting earthborn. The two demigods ran to the trees where Alex and Gwen had run.
Jason's eyes narrowed as he saw his friends attack. He was shocked when one of the creatures attacked the other one. Jason narrowed his eyes waiting for his friends to make it out of the clearing. Once they were safe Jason focused on the sky around him before lightning began to shoot across the sky.
The earthborn could feel the electricity in the air. They looked up at Jason; that was their fatal error. Lightning shot from the sky like laser beams. The area around the creatures exploded as multiple lightning strikes struck the ground and the monsters standing around the clearing. A dirty cloud of dust settled over the ground. The sky was hazy with ozone. When the sky and ground cleared, the field contained several patches of scorched earth. All the grass was gone and nothing was left of the earthborn. Jason lowered himself to the ground. Annabeth and the others joined him.
"That was awesome," Alex exclaimed as he clapped Jason on the back.
Piper beamed at her boyfriend. Jason's cheeks turned red at the sight of the beautiful daughter of Aphrodite.
Annabeth and Gwen walked up to the son of Jupiter. "Where are the others?" Annabeth asked worriedly.
Jason's smile disappeared. "Leo is with them," Jason said.
Annabeth's patience was wearing thin. "What's wrong?" she asked. Jason tried to answer, but he couldn't; he didn't like the dangerous look in Annabeth's eyes. She grabbed Jason by the shirt collar with both hands. She lifted him off the ground making the son of Jupiter's eyes widen with shock. "What happened?"
Piper put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. She made sure to concentrate on her powers. "Annabeth let him answer. Jason is your friend, remember?" she asked.
Annabeth shook her head. The anger faded. She dropped Jason to the ground. Jason wiped the wrinkles out of his shirt. "They were hurt in the fight with Alcyoneus. Leo is with them. They're just unconscious. No serious injuries," Jason said.
Annabeth sighed. "I'm sorry Jason. I was just worried about Percy," she explained.
Jason nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I understand, but when did you get so strong?" Jason questioned.
Annabeth's brow furrowed in thought. "I don't know," she conceded.
Jason gave her a quizzical look. "We better go find the others," he said.
Everyone turned to leave, but Gwen didn't move. Alex looked at her worriedly. "What's wrong?" he asked. The others all stopped to look at the daughter of Apollo.
"He's gone," Gwen said.
"Who's gone?" Alex asked.
"Prometheus," she replied.
Annabeth and Piper looked around the remains of the clearing. Annabeth cursed under her breath.
"He's slipperier than an eel," Piper said.
Annabeth's grey eyes flashed in annoyance. "More like a snake," she said. She turned to follow Jason. "Let's go find Percy and the others."
Mount Olympus
Hestia sat on the ground with her friend by her side. It had been a long time since she had seen her in person. They would communicate by Iris Message, but that was it. She was the only other immortal besides the Fates that knew the secret, but not for long.
The doors to the throne room opened revealing Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena. The King of the gods was livid. His daughter and brother had just explained about their experiments of trying to have children that were Greek and Roman. "I still don't like it. I would expect as much from my brother, but not my daughter," Zeus spat. He was about to continue his rant when he saw Hestia and the woman at her side. He stopped in his tracks. Athena and Poseidon nearly ran into him. They turned to look at Hestia and her friend as well.
"Lady Styx," Athena said.
The woman turned around. Her dark blue eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying. Hestia stood up with her friend.
"Lady Styx it is an honor to see you. My brother told me what happened in the underworld. We are all happy that you're free," Zeus said.
"Hestia, what's going on?" Poseidon asked as he glanced between the goddess and the immortal personification of mortality.
Hestia looked worriedly at her friend. Styx nodded. "It is time that he knew. It's time that I reveal this secret," Styx said. Lady Styx began to glow. Her body changed shape. Her hair became shorter and transformed from a beautiful black to a beautiful brown color. Her eyes lightened from a dark blue to a lighter shade. Her facial structure shifted until a new woman stood in front of the gods.
Athena and Zeus both stood in wonder not really understanding what was going on, but Poseidon was frozen in shock.
"Hello Poseidon," the woman said.
Poseidon blinked a few times. "Sally," he said in disbelief.
AN: Many of you said it was Sally, but did you guess that Lady Styx was actually Sally Jackson? More will be revealed next chapter, including an explanation from Sally and the potential impact this revelation will have on a certain son of the sea go, so stay tuned.