As the three companions trekked through the treacherous, battle-scarred landscape of the fictional world, the Doctor explained what was going on,
"So, basically, when the Celestis hit me with the energy blast, the TARDIS had activated its newly repaired telepathic circuits and spliced fictional generator at the exact same time. The blast jarred the components and transported us into the TARDIS, which is molding itself with the fictional generator. Now, we just need to find one of the now multiple sets of doors. Adventure time!" With that, the Doctor plunged ahead into the gloom of the battle zone before them.
They continued onwards for the next hour, encountering no beings, and only catching glimpses of the occasional lightning blasts. The air was burnt and ashy, and hung around them like a damp cloth. Soot blew past their wearied forms and heat scorched their already wounded bodies. The harsh wind picked up as thy approached the foot Mt. Olympus; the top was shrouded in black smoke, and peals of thunder could be heard from within the palace.
"Just in time for the party," the Doctor chuckled to himself, "and I haven't a thing presentable to wear. Well, no matter. All right, River, Annabeth, let's go and have a look, shall we. Never hurts to peek about."
"Alright Doctor, but let's get out of here, I feel like the sky is about to fall," Annabeth responded curtly.
"That's because the sky is about to fall Annabeth, we're not in the real world anymo-" the Doctor responded, but River cut him off.
"'Here there be monsters,' isn't that how the old saying went? We're off the map now sweeties, and we have nowhere to go but up," River purred as she began to climb up Olympus, laughing all the while at her pun. The Doctor and Annabeth joined her on the climb, and the three of them ascended the rock face and reached them top in a matter of minutes. The sight that greeted them at the top was sobering. The magnificent throne room was rubble, and the vaulted ceiling had collapsed on itself. Crumbled masonry covered the ground in irregular, grey chunks. A weird golden smoke clung to the ground, and the bodies of several Titans were strewn about the battle-scarred landscape.
"Looks inviting, shall we go and meet the victorious gods? I've always wanted to meet Zeus," the Doctor stated as he held out a hand to both Annabeth and River.
"Doctor, you already did, you know, when you picked up me and Perc- Percy? What happened to him?"
"I don't know, Annabeth, but the sooner we get out of here the sooner we will find out." Their pace quickened as they walked forward, toward the Olympus citadel, and the gods that lay within.
They walked through the doorway, and Annabeth stared in awe at the chamber within; where before had been ruin and rubble, now stood a completely rebuilt chamber, layered in gold and jewels. Five of the thrones had occupants, terrible beings, glowing with power.
"Speak, mortals, what is your purpose here? Why have you come before us, on the morn of our victory over the dreaded Titans?" boomed Zeus' voice.
"Oh, don't get all 'high-and-mighty' with me," the Doctor shot back.
"Doctor, please don't rile them up. We only just got here," hissed Annabeth and River at the same time."
"Who are you to speak to us in such insolence, help? Answer me!" roared Zeus in response.
"I am Uranus! I am your progenitor, and I am here to help clean up things. I like what you've done with the place, a lot better than the grotesque ornamentation of the Titans."
"You, Uranus, HA!" laughed Zeus, "I cannot believe you would l-"
"Peace, brother, listen to what he says. I can sense no lie in him. However unlikely it sounds, he is telling the truth," cut in Hestia. The other gods nodded in agreement, and Zeus backed off.
"What can we do to help you, oh illustrious grandfather?" intoned Hera.
"I am in need of an exit from your glorious realm, as I have to get back to the sky," the Doctor responded, "But, along with my companions, I am lost. It is hard to navigate the ground, when all you have known is the skies."
Our realm is not yet solidified in its connection to the Earth we protect, but there is an exit through Hestia's flames. Go in peace, grandfather," replied Poseidon to the Doctor.
Behind the three companions, the hearth flared up in an explosion of dazzling colors. The flames spilt apart, revealing the shape of a TARDIS door. The Doctor quickly walked out, and Annabeth and River followed directly on his heals.
As soon as they passed through the doorway, it slammed shut behind them. Outside, the ground was pristine. Floating near the exit they had emerged from was the Amaranth, which had obviously completed its reordering of the surrounding countryside; it was spinning slowly in the air, occasionally letting off a burst of energy into the ground.
"That's not right…" the Doctor mumbled, but didn't finish his thought.
"If it's alright by you, sweetie, I'll be leaving now. Places to go, things to explore, memories to cherish. You know the drill," River whispered to the Doctor as she vanished in a flash of Vortex energy.
"By River…" the Doctor absentmindedly said to the empty patch of ground where River had been standing, then he continued mumbling to himself. "What could the amaranth be rationalizing, the collapsing TARDISes and timelines should be stable now, I don't understand?"
"You don't understand because you delude yourself. Did you really think I would pass up a chance to return, to bring my Faction back to power? You have been a naïve fool, Doctor, and your human pet has paid the price," hissed a voice from behind Annabeth as the Doctor's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Annabeth spun around, and saw Percy. Only, it wasn't Percy, it was something in Percy's body. The voice that came from its mouth was a deep, demonic voice, full of loathing and hatred. Annabeth nearly died in shock.
"Human female, you had… feelings for this bodies former occupant, I understand. A pity you were unable to her his final thoughts: they were all about you," cackled the not-Percy.
"Grandfather," the Doctor spat, "give the boy his body back! NOW!"
"Now, now Doctor, don't get angry with me. You're the one who caused this."
"What? How did I cause this? I was here to save the universe from a temporal implosion, and I nearly saved the boy. Why, Grandfather," raged the Doctor. Suddenly, his voice became like ice, "Why?"
"To have my revenge on you, of course. Do you really think that my followers could have set this up alone? I've had help, from a being who hates you beyond all else. Speak his name, Doctor, you know who I am alluding to…"
The Doctor's face contorted into a mask of abject horror, and he hoarsely whispered, "The Black Guardian."
"Yes Doctor, the Black Guardian. He will have his revenge on you, as you watch the War reappear before your very eyes. And then, watch you be continually killed and resurrected in the City of the Saved. He has been planning this for eons of time. Now is the time of your defe-"
But the Grandfather's final words were cut off. Annabeth had lunged for him, and plunged her dagger into the small of Percy's back, his one weak spot. As the Grandfather fell to the ground, Annabeth stood over the bleeding body, tears streaming down her face; the Faction Paradox members near Annabeth backed off quickly, as if something told them to not interfere.
"Annabeth, I'm sorry ab-" began the Doctor, but Annabeth cut him off: "Shut up, monster! You caused this! You're the reason this happened to Percy!" she screamed as she spun around to face the Doctor, "You're the reason this happened! I hate you." She wept uncontrollably as she took off running, unknowingly directly for the Doctor's TARDIS.
While she ran, Annabeth locked herself in with her thoughts. Her whole world had just crumbled around her. She had discovered the gods to be mere constructs of a machine and been forced to slay Percy in an act of self-defense. Behind her, she could here the Doctor racing to catch up, but Annabeth forced herself to run even faster.
Annabeth stopped suddenly when a TARDIS materialized in front of her. A hooded figure stepped out and threw the hood off his head looking straight into Annabeth's eyes.
"Do you wish to avenge your friend? Do you wish to strike back at those who have taken your love from you?" the man asked in a youthful voice. He was tall and well-built, with a thick crop of blonde hair on his head. "My name is… Abschrift, yes, that's it. My name is Mr. Abschrift, at your service. Now, I ask you again – do you want to avenge your friend?"
Through her tears, Annabeth was able to mumble a response. "Yes," then, firmer, "Yes, help me strike back at them."
The robed man smiled as he put his arm around Annabeth's shoulder. "Come with me, I have just the thing that will help you," he said in his oily voice, "and me." He gestured toward his open TARDIS door, and they both entered. The machine began to whir and whine as it vanished into the Vortex.
"No, CWEJ!" the Doctor howled as he sprinted toward the spot where the TARDIS had stood. "I didn't mean for this to happen to you, you or Annabeth" He choked back a sob and looked up into the sky. Somewhere, another universe away, the War continued, and there was no Doctor to stop it. The Doctor continued to stare, but finally walked back to his TARDIS, resolving to never again involve others in his affairs if they didn't know the risks.
The Black Guardian took a Klein bottle and mirrored the Spiral Politic into it; the Guardian made sure to place Annabeth in the new universe, forever out of the Doctor's grasp – a permanent agent of the Great Houses. He turned to his accomplices, the Faction Paradox, who took the bottle and entered it. They were able to stop the Doctor from annulling the War, and stop the future Faction from traveling back to Gallifrey, creating the continued environment of the War that allowed the acausal Faction to exist. With the Faction members gone, the Black Guardian allowed the universe to fix itself, knowing that he had won; he had brought the Doctor down, and kept him there. The Spiral Politic formed back into shape, and continued to exist, as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, in the recently formed universe of the continued War, Annabeth was on a mission: beneath burning skies and cities of song, within sleeping oceans and dreaming rivers, out in the galaxy, fighting a War while the tea got cold…