AN

Luna: Hello loves! We are back at it again with a new chapter and hopefully the final or at least second to the last chapter of Percy Jackson and the Forethought Five: Against All Odds.

Darion: Yeah we are going to be covering a handful of crap here, might get lost but please do forgive our shoddy writing.

Niya: Sure for you, fucking amateur.

Darion: *forced smile* I would like to introduce-

Niya: Name is Niya Evans, I was a friend of Jake, cousin of Twista and a damn good friend to Roy.

Darion: She has agreed to help us in our story and I think her...insights? Will be helpul?

Niya: Bugger off you little shit, I am here to help as much as I can. I'm guessing a lot of you want to get to know Luna and I?

Darion: Me too?

Luna: Well we will give a short summary of us soon. Focus on the story please?

Darion: As you wish. We will be skipping a bit over Annabeth's thing since its pretty much a carbon copy of what happens in the book. To any Annabeth fans, sorry but she will have her moment soon.

Disclaimer: PJO and HOO are not ours, they are owned by Rick Riordan!

Zoe 3rd Person

Leo pointed to the front of the ship and said, ""Thanks to Vorn, we are right on time. Welcome to Rome!"

Everyone gathered up to the head of the ship to see the monolith of history before them which was Rome. Taking it all in, Percy could appreciate the difference it had to Camp Jupiter's version of New Rome.

The entire landscape gave of an aura of unsettlement as so much had and will have unfolded in this ancient land. It was an amazing sight to behold but Percy could feel it. He could feel the sinister things below the surface and the dread within him knowing that somewhere here, amongst this darkness, were his teammates and soldiers, Nico and Riley.

Bianca and Hazel gave Percy a look and Talon gave a grunt and said "Hm, I'm guessing you three feel something I don't but I sure as hell can smell it."

"Smell what?" asked Leo,

"The things that lurk beneath," murmured Vorn as the last of his crows perched back and merged into his cape,

Fecilia nodded and said "Gaea's grasp on Rome runs deep. It's not going to be easy claiming Rome back."

"When is it ever easy?" asked Ara in an exasperated tone,

Zoe smirked and said "Well, best we get to it then. We have a lot to do."

Leo landed the ship over an undisclosed park as everyone huddled together with Percy's call. The Son of Poseidon raised his hand and called "Alright listen up! Eyes on me!"

With everyone's focus on him, Percy nodded and said "We have three base operations here!"

He raised his pointer finger and said "Top priority is to find and save Nico and Riley. They are right here in Rome and are in grave danger."

Vorn shuddered as Percy continued, "Nico is being kept by the Giants. We find him; we find them, so people going to be looking for Nico are me, Zoe, Jason, Piper and Bianca."

The Son of Poseidon raised his head and said "Bianca can hone in on Nico's energy and we will follow that trail right to the Giants."

"Wait!" said Hazel, "I think I can feel the Giants better! I can lead us to Nico."

"You forget sister," said Bianca in a rare stern tone, "He is my brother too, my little brother in fact. I'll find him, don't worry."

Hazel gave a shaky now as Percy said "Those on the hunt for Riley will be Frank, Talon, Hazel, Leo and Vorn."

Percy smiled at Hazel and said, "Hazel, I'm depending on you and Talon to track down and find Riley. You can hone in on Riley while Talon can track Chain if he was here. Vorn and Leo will serve as protection."

Leo nodded while Vorn seemed to stagger away as he said, "Allow me to scout the area, I'll meet my team soon."

He leapt of the deck and turned into a flock of crows as Percy said, "Third and final operation, the Athena Parthenos, Annabeth is to find it and she has the map. Fecilia will guard and guide her to the starting location then make her way back to the ship."

He grinned at his older sister and said, "I'm sure you are more than enough for any threat in your way."

Fecilia gave a smug grin and said "Of course Percy,"

Annabeth gave a curt nod to Percy while Ara piped up, "What about me?"

"You stay here and guard the ship with Hedge and Asteron," said Percy as he pointed at her then at the boat's deck,

"What?!" said Ara with a furious expression, "Percy you can't expect me to just sit here and wait! Riley and Nico need my help!"

Her brother's face grew stern and said, "You are staying here Ara. I'm guessing they will have to be going underground and you aren't too fond of that yet. Besides, you are not just going to be sitting around here; you will be on guard duty."

Percy turned and said "That and Leo tells me you know more than your share of how to fly this thing."

Ara looked down with contained sadness and anger as Percy said "Five minutes then move out!"

Everyone went to prepare their gear while Zoe walked over and gave Ara a consoling hand on her shoulder and said "Ara, you ok?"

The daughter of Poseidon looked at her sister figure with tearing eyes and said "He doesn't trust me. I want to help find Nico and Riley but he won't let me off the ship."

The huntress cupped Ara's chin up and said "Look me in the eyes Ara."

The younger girl followed as Zoe said, "Your brother trusts you. More than you know. It's just that he picked the teams to be well equipped for their mission."

Ara sniffed and said "It's probably because Allen died because of me. If only I fought better, we wouldn't have been captured."

Zoe sighed as she said, "No Ara, never blame yourself for that. If anyone does, Percy blames himself for not being there."

She rubbed Ara's raven head, messing up her straight long hair and said "You gave the best you could and that alone stands for valor. Now go along, do your duty. We have to go save Nico alright?"

Ara wiped her eyes and nodded as she headed for the control room while Asteron perched on her shoulder. Zoe took in a breath as Talon gave a small chuckle and said "You are such a mom."

The huntress gave a chuckle back watching Ara dash away and said "Looked like she needed it. Besides, she feels that way because her friends are in danger."

"For now," said Talon cracking his knuckles and baring his signature sharp toothed smile, "we will save them, fuck shit up and kick Gaea's ass."

Fecilia then slapped the back of Talon's head with her hand and said, "Get packing."

The half dragon gave her a toothy grin and said, "Excuse me but I am packed."

"No you're not." Said Fecilia frowning,

The taller warrior just smirked as he held out his hand and Fecilia handed him one of the bags she was carrying. She laughed and said, "Jackass."

He lifted his small backpack and said, "Don't worry, I'll find her."

Fecilia smiled as Talon was called over by Hazel, Frank and Leo who had their things. They called out for the King of Dragons and Fecilia pulled his shirt, gave him a short yet firm kiss, shoved him back and said, "Go."

The man winked at both females as he stepped to his team and proceeded to get off from the ship. Fecilia handed Zoe a bag and said, "I had everything ready since a while back."

Zoe gave her a smile and said, "Thanks sister."

Fecilia hugged Zoe and said, "Watch each other's backs out there alright?"

The huntress nodded as Fecilia approached Annabeth who seems to have pocketed a pistol. Checking inside the back, indeed everything had been prepared by Fecilia and Zoe gave a small laugh closing it and said, "Good luck."

Looking up at the darkening sky, Zoe sighed and slung the bag over her shoulders. She silently took in the air and thought, "Lady Artemis, please I need answers. I need your help. I need you old friend."

As usual of late, nothing came but silence and the gust of air. Releasing her breath, Percy carrying the same bag walked up to her and said, "Someone's looking worried."

Giving him a brow raised look, she said, "And you're not?"

"A bit," grunted Percy, "but I would like a little faith you know? That this all will end well. I can feel it."

He stepped a little closer and said, "That and I got my certain lucky charm with me."

Zoe extended a hand and help Percy in his place and said, "Not a step closer Perseus, we need to focus. Besides, you know we all too well. I am worried because after all this time, milady still has not answered my prayers or calls."

The Son of Poseidon nodded and said, "It's not her fault, Zeus has decreed an absolute silence. I doubt she would go breaking those orders."

"Not even for an old friend huh," grumbled Zoe, "I have a lot to ask her."

"I'm sure you do," said Percy moving her hand came closer in a whisper, "but we can only wait or act."

The huntress giggled inwardly as Percy's face came closer and she leaned in but before they could connect, Jason cleared his throat, catching the attention of Zoe and Percy. The huntress shoved Percy away as the Son of Poseidon laughed and said, "Jason, you have the worst timing."

Jason nervously laughed as Percy leaked a bit of his intent. Zoe laughed along with Piper and Bianca who said, "Come on, we need to find Nico. The sooner we get him, the sooner I can breathe."

Talon 3rd Person POV

With the Argo 2 at least half a kilometer behind them, Talon walked beside Leo and Frank while Hazel had her hands forward with an open palm as if she was trying to feel the air.

The half-breed could feel Hazel's concentration as she tried to hone in on Riley's familiar energy but there was so much under Rome that if effectively blocked her out from getting a clear read.

The girl gave a frustrated huff and opened her eyes to an infuriated look. Frank put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You got anything Hazel?"

She faced the group and said, "Nothing, well, not exactly."

Hazel pointed at the ground and said, "It's more of feeling everything all at once. It's not that I can't find anything, it's that I can't find a specific thing in all the chaos underground."

Leo scratched the back of his head as Talon said, "Don't worry about it too much. Let me give it a shot."

Like he practiced, Talon took in a deep breath as his orange reptile eyes flared with alertness. He had to track Riley's scent or Chain's. Riley was easier to funnel out compared to Chain as she was a demi-titan and that scent was quite rare but with another whiff, Talon could find no trace of her scent.

"I can't find Riley," said Talon, "It's like she isn't here."

"That or she was never on the surface," said Leo feeling the ground with his fingers, "maybe that's why you can't smell her; how about her Griffon?"

Talon shook his head and said, "Nothing elf. The tip-off said they were here but I can't get a whiff of them at all."

Frank froze in place as Vorn appeared in a storm of crows and said, "Leo is right. They were never on the surface. That is the reason you could not smell them."

"Where have you been?" asked Frank, "We need to start looking."

Vorn faced away from them and adjusted his gauntlets as he said, "I was clearing out the monsters in the area."

"I don't see any," murmured Hazel,

"You're welcome," replied Vorn dryly,

Leo nervously tapped Vorn on the shoulder and said, "I get that you scouted a bit too. Find anything?"

Facing them with his scratched crimson mask, he answered in his rough voice, "Nothing noteworthy, only the common rabble of monsters on the surface; though I did notice something."

"What's that?" asked Talon crossing his arms,

The Champion of Nemesis pointed to their east and said, "The positioning of the monsters seemed to span out and feel like a web like formation and near this area, they seemed to encircle the Pantheon which means-"

"They got something to hide," grinned Talon with an excited gleam in his eyes,

"Exactly," grunted Vorn,

Frank smiled as Hazel said, "It's a start."

The group then made their way towards the Pantheon with Hazel and Frank in front, Leo and Vorn in the middle and Talon at the end of their party. The half-dragon focused his gaze on Vorn as his worry for Riley boiled inside of him.

Talon instinctively clenched his fist tight remembering the battle that had happened a few weeks ago. It was a crushing defeat at the hands of his sibling's murderer and some mystery adversary. It was a deep blow to his ego but there was no avoiding that defeat. They were ambushed and their opponents were prepared to systematically take them down.

As his role of an older brother was often practiced, he was genuinely worried for Nico, Riley and even Chain when he felt their defeat coming. He was the senior in that battle, he had told them to escape, but damn kids, they were either cocky or had the guts to stick by his side in that losing fight.

Placing his focus on Vorn, Talon's thoughts drifted over the masked stranger. He didn't talk to him much and at most, he only regarded him when necessary. Percy and Zoe were the ones who often spoke to him but it was only for matters involving the quest. To put it simply, he was still one giant question mark.

Though to Talon's instincts, it didn't matter. He could feel the power radiating from Vorn and the monster part of Talon agrees that his raw power alone demands respect. Talon may not have seen him in action much considering whenever Vorn would do his thing, he was either off the ship or out of action. He has heard enough from the rest of the crew to determine that Vorn could be trusted though his methods are unorthodox.

Taking a directed whiff of Vorn's scent, Talon shook his head as the only way Talon could describe his smell was empty. This didn't bother Talon much but the fact that he had been a reliable crew member up to this point meant something and according to the rest of the crew, he threw himself in the way when it was dangerous to make sure that the others wouldn't get hurt.

Vorn was a warrior and a dependable team member. That was what Talon's verdict was and though he was odd with his entire get up, serious personality and unnerving silence, the King of Dragons had already placed his trust in Vorn in helping him save his teammates.

Eventually making it to the Pantheon, the crowd was thick as it was hard to focus because of all the buzzing, flashing lights and talking. Hazel gathered their attention and said, "I feel something, over there."

She pointed her finger to the small entryway which seemed to just pass over the mortals' eyes. Talon and the group followed Hazel who touched the entryway and pushed but the door wouldn't budge. She grunted and said, "It's locked. We need to get through here, this entry leads down to the tunnels underneath, and from there maybe we can follow Riley's trace."

"Give me some room," said Leo gesturing for Hazel and Frank to move out of the way,

He pulled out a pin from his belt and put it in the keyhole trying to unlock it. Talon leaned forward and focused on the door and took in a deep breath and from that, Riley and Chain's scent tickled his nose. He opened his eyes and said, "Elf, they're down there. Can you go any faster?"

"I'm trying man," snapped Leo as he felt the pin snap, "Damn, must be enchanted against lock picking."

With a frustrated growl, Leo started to smoke a little but Talon put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Step aside kid."

Frank whispered, "I didn't know Talon could lock pick."

The Son of Godric cracked his knuckles and said, "Enchanted huh."

He gave a fanged smile and said, "Enchanted lock, meet brute strength."

Talon gave the entryway's door a powerful punch and with a bang, the door blew off from its hinges and was sent crashing down the dark staircase for a few seconds leaving powerful clanging sounds until it came to a dead stop.

"Well," said Frank with a small smile, "Guess it wasn't Talon proof."

Flashing Frank a quick smirk, Talon said, "Got that right mincemeat."

Vorn put a cold hand on Leo's shoulder and said, "Well Son of Hephaestus, after you."

Leo's grin faded as he took an audible gulp and said, "W-What? Me?!"

Talon gave a hearty laugh and said, "You're the fire guy! Go ahead Leo, we're right behind you."

Standing in front of the team, Leo froze before the dark stairway. Talon rolled his eyes and kicked Leo and said, "Get a move on elf!"

Leo stumbled forward and pulled out his enchanted hammer and raised it as it gave off a powerful glow like a torch. The rest followed him in as Talon stood by the open entrance and manipulated the mist like he was told and formed a pseudo-door to keep the mortals out. He then faced the direction Leo was going and proceeded to continue to venture the dark below.

Zoe 3rd Person POV

Venturing the darkness below, Zoe raised her bracelet to illuminate the area around them. Percy and Jason raised their swords to provide any light they could while Piper trailed behind Bianca who seemed to be in a trance as she silently followed her little brother's energy.

Percy gave a cough as the dust above them fell. Jason fixed his hair and asked, "Are we getting any closer Bianca?"

"We'll get there when we get there," answered Bianca, "Just keep up."

Continuing down the path into a more defined spiral staircase, Zoe noticed that the stairs they were taking had been sculpted well; meaning this path they were taking is part of something important.

Soon enough, the group came to a stop where the spiral staircase ended into a dark open room where the far end, a sealed marble door was at the far end. Looking up, it was pitch black and the ceiling was nowhere in sight. Bianca felt the moldy marble walls and said, "This is where we need to go, through that door."

Percy knocked on the marble door but no reply came but looking up, the Son of Poseidon narrowed his eyes and golden fire erupted from his left hand as he shot it up revealing a nonagon shaped ceiling where an unlit torch hung from each side. Percy snapped as his bolt of fire split at its peak and caught onto the torches, illuminating the nonagonal room.

Piper took a deep breath as she said, "Guys I saw this in a vision. This room is definitely on the way to Nico."

Observing the room, the room was crawling with mold, vines and rubble revealing it to be quite old and unkempt. Near each torch was an statue which water used to pour from making this a fountain of sorts.

Jason came to a stop from poking around the door and said, "There is something here."

Looking up, on each statue where water was to pour from, stood a shriveled up old woman with purple eyes and a murky blue dress. The women looked so old and brittle and it looked like they were mummies. Zoe gasps and said, "Oh Gods, this is a Nymphaeum. Those women up there, I recognize that one. Hagno, is that you?"

The old woman said in a raspy voice, "Niece, it has been so long."

"They're the nymphs who cared for Zeus when he was a baby right?" asked Bianca, "They were described to be beautiful. What happened to them?"

Piper nervously looked around and said, "I'm guessing they are tied down to this place. They were Ocean spirits but this place looks like it's been devoid of water for so long."

The hags cackled and Hagno spoke, "You are correct daughter of Aphrodite. It has been so long since we have felt the water. We have grown old, withered and bitter."

"Honored nymphs we once were!" screeched one of the Nymphs, "Now we are forgotten!"

Zoe could feel the animosity they were leaking and said, "Hagno please, we are to save a friend. We need to stop the Giants otherwise Rome will fall."

"Romans!" spat Hagno, "They forgot all about us! Down with Rome!"

The hags all screeched and agreed. Percy glared at them while Hagno softly said, "Gaea has promised us freedom if we are to keep you here. "

"No," muttered Zoe, "Hagno please!"

"Sorry my niece," said the old nymph, "but it's you or us."

A loud gushing was heard and from each of the statues, powerful torrents of filthy water started to come down and fill the room. Percy glanced at Zoe as he said, "Release us now you hags or else!"

"A son of Poseidon!" said Hagno, "You have no power here! While here, the water is ours to control!"

Percy glanced at the statues as they wouldn't stop filling the room with water. The level was rising fast and was already at their knees. Percy softly said to Zoe, "Sorry Zoe, your diplomacy failed. It's my turn."

She was surprised as Zoe said, "Perseus wait, don't!"

The Champion of Hestia tensed up as the water rose and Jason said, "The water won't stop rising! I can't float or control the flow Percy! My powers are gone!"

Piper and Bianca banged at the marble door while the water rose to waist level. Zoe desperately looked at Hagno and said, "Hagno please! Let us through! I don't want you to get hurt!"

Silence was given to Zoe as Hagno and the rest eagerly watched the water rise to drown them. Percy shook his head at Zoe and said, "My apologies in advance."

His eyes flared their purple hue as he raised his hand and clenched it in a fist as the Nymphs fell on their knees screaming and writing in pain. The water stopped flowing as Percy took a few steps forward watching the nymphs scream and cry out in pain.

With a tug in his gut, the nymphs fell hard on the marble floor before them. They were screaming and writhing in pain as Percy twisted their minds to his will. Zoe had tears in her eyes as her relatives were being tortured by Percy who cranked it up.

With black markings spreading from his eyes, Percy stepped closer to Hagno and said, "How do we open this door Hagno?"

"We open it!" screamed Hagno in pain, "We must open it for you!"

"Then do it!" growled Percy, "Open it!"

The water was starting to recede into the cracks on the marble floor. Hagno and the others were still writhing in agony. One of the nymphs said, "We cannot! We surrendered our control of the room to Gaea!"

The torture stopped for a second as Percy felt his power over water return. He growled with a furious expression and said, "Liar..."

He continued the mental agony while lifting his left hand into three fingers pointing at the nymphs. Percy felt the water in their systems and proceeded to make it rise in temperature.

Jason, Piper, Zoe and Bianca stayed silent as they witnessed they nymphs seem to bubble up until they started to steam and scream even louder in pain. Percy revved up his powers as the nymphs were frantically begging for death.

"Yes!" screamed Hagno, "We lied! We lie! We will open it just make it stop!"

The marble door rumbled and slid down into more stairs as Percy gave a manic grin and said "Good nymphs."

Zoe watched in horror as despite fulfilling their end of the bargain, Percy continued his power over the nymphs. They were screaming even louder now and their faces were being deformed due to the excessive boiling Percy was doing to their system. Their cries were no longer audible as Percy had basically crushed their minds. The huntress shook her head in terror as Percy continued to torture them with an insane grin on his face while the black marks were rapidly spreading.

Piper had covered her sight by hugging Jason while the Son of Zeus closed his while resting his head on Piper's head. Bianca's eyes were wide as she barley recognized the man before her. Zoe grabbed Percy's arm and said, "Perseus stop it! Spare Hagno! The door is open!"

Zoe felt her arm being electrified as she ripped her arm away from Percy with a jolt. Percy muttered, "Very well. I will spare Hagno."

Hagno stopper writhing as she was released but her sisters continued to scream and cry out for death as Percy did not release them. He gave a small chuckle and said, "but the rest will die."

Zoe and Bianca gasped while Jason continued to comfort Piper while Percy clenched his fists causing the statues of all the nymphs except Hagno's to shatter violently. Their debris landed before him as the remaining nymphs just stopped screaming and writhing into a dead silence.

Their old and withered forms crumbled into dust while Hagno was hugging her knees in fetal position. She could be heard crying as Percy's eyes focused on her and said, "Be grateful! Zoe asked me to spare you."

"S-Sisters..." whimpered Hagno in a broken voice, "m-my s-sisters..."

The black marks receded and his purple irises returned to their joyful golden rimmed green. Zoe was mortified of what happened before her. That man a few moments ago was not Percy. That person before her was a sadistic madman.

Percy's expression was blank as he glared at Zoe and said, "What?"

"You killed them!" screamed Zoe, "Perseus you killed them!"

"They were trying to kill us," defended Percy,

"They had already opened the door Perseus!" argued Zoe,

Piper, Jason and Bianca remained silent, not wanting to invoke the already raging ire of both warriors before them. Zoe shoved her finger to Percy's chest and said, "You had them at your mercy and they did as you asked. Why did you have to kill- no torture and murder them!"

"They were being stubborn," grumbled Percy, "Come on Zoe!"

"That's not all that bothered me!" spat Zoe, "You seemed to be bloody enjoying it too!"

"What?" asked Percy seriously,

"When you were torturing them," said Zoe softly, "Breaking their minds and boiling their bodies. You had this smile I had never seen on your face. The only way I could describe it was pure joy. You were enjoying their pain Perseus!"

Shaking his head, Percy growled, "I don't remember that Zoe! Besides, if I hadn't done anything, we would have drowned!"

Zoe jabbed her finger once again to Percy's chest and said, "You were scaring us Percy. That was not you! That power you have must be controlled Percy."

Golden fire burned in Percy's eyes as he said, "I can control it Zoe! We wouldn't have made it this far without it!"

He shoved past Zoe and the rest into the staircase and said, "I promise to control it better next time Zoe but we can talk about this later. We have to save Nico."

Jason, Piper and Bianca silently followed Percy with a few steps behind. Zoe stepped forward to follow them but turned one last time to see Hagno holding herself audibly crying and whispering, "Cruel eyes...horrible death..."

Zoe gave her one last look before following her group whispering, "Sorry Hagno..."

AN

Darion: That is it! For now at least, next leg should be hella interesting!

Niya: Please, I loved writing this last scene. It was fun. Next chappie is all about wrapping this up!

Luna: Hope you all enjoyed this. A little reveal on what Percy is capable of and what his powers are doing to him. Hope you all enjoyed! Leave a follow, favorite and a review to show your support!

Darion: Love you guys!

Niya: Darion you're a faggot!

All Together: Argent Crusade Out!