Titan's Curse: Must Both Withstand

Nico almost felt his jaw drop until he remembered from his Titan deluxe set that the Hesperides were daughters of Atlas. Although they were weak cards, the combined attack points of the Hesperides boosted up Atlas' own attack powers. How could he have forgotten such important information? He hadn't been playing Mythomagic in a while...maybe he needed to brush up on his skills after the quest.

The horrible thing was: Nico could see the family resemblance. Atlas had the same regal expression as Zoe, the same cold proud look in his eyes that Zoe sometimes got when she was mad, though on him it looked a thousand times more evil. He was all the things Nico had originally disliked about Zoe, with none of the good he'd come to appreciate.

"Let Artemis go," Zoe demanded.

Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."

Zoe opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you."

Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.

"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."

"From holding the sky," Nico heard Thalia mutter to Percy and he glanced to where they were looking at to find Annabeth. She looked pale and worn down like Artemis and Nico thought her hair had a few grey streaks scattered in her dirty blonde hair. "The weight should've killed her."

"I don't understand," Percy said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"

Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."

He approached Nico's group, studying Thalia and Percy. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."

"Fight us," Percy suggested. "And let's see."

"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."

"So you're another coward," Percy said. Nico was amazed to see Percy insulting a huge Titan like Atlas as if infuriating immortals was a hobby he was used to.

Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia. "As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."

"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. Nico kinda felt sorry for him. He still didn't understand why such a sickly person was even doing here. "Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"

He waved his hand and next them a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus.

Percy had a conflicted look on his face as if he were arguing with something...or someone— Nico couldn't decide.

"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods."

"Luke..." Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"

"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"

Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."

"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree..."

His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."

Whatever this sickly boy's issue was, Nico could hear the fear in his voice and figured this Luke character must be really in danger. His life depended on Thalia joining his cause and Nico wondered how they could save his life without having Thalia to choose.

"Do not, Thalia," Zoe warned. "We must fight them."

Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame.

"Thalia," Percy said. "No."

Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, Nico saw images in the mist all around them: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around them, made of fear and shadow.

"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."

He pointed toward the ocean, and Nico's eyes widened. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where a white ship was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hell hounds, harpies, and other things Nico could only remember from his Mosnter card pack. They were marching toward them. In a few minutes, they would be here.

"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."

For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."

"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me... Don't make him destroy you."

Nico didn't really understand what was going on but from the looks of things: Luke used to be a friend of Thalia's but now he's turned against the gods, joined the Titans and wants Thalia to forsake the gods as well. The situation was rather dire and probably very heart aching for Thalia. The tension in the air rose and Nico thought it would be a good time to intervene at this point.

"Thalia would never go against the gods! If you were once her friend then you shouldn't put her up to make such difficult choices!"

Luke blinked and even Atlas looked stunned for a moment. All eyes shifted to him and Nico felt as if he were under a spotlight with the amount of attention he was receiving. After a second passed, the Titan started laughing and he walked right up to Nico. Though he didn't get that far with Thalia and Percy standing protectively in front of him.

"And who is this little runt? You're back-up? I apologise that I overlooked you with how tiny you are." Atlas released another booming chuckle and some of the monsters laughed along with him.

Nico glared, insulted. "I'm not a runt! You're just so freakishly huge, you overweight Titan!"

Percy chuckled while Thalia groaned and face palmed.

Atlas gritted his teeth in irritation, "Seems like more annoying little pests are being spawned by those arrogant gods. I care not whoever sired you, demigod but I will make sure to make them cry as I crush your tiny bones in my fist."

Nico, not one to back down, angrily retaliated, "My father wouldn't cry! He's—," but a hand slammed against his mouth, preventing him from further speaking.

He looked questioningly back at Percy who shook his head in response. He pushed Nico behind him and before any of the enemies could make their move, Percy shouted, "Now!" And together, Thalia and Percy charged.

Thalia went straight for Luke. The power of her shield was so great that his dragon-women bodyguards fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving him alone. But despite his sickly appearance, Luke was surprisingly quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counterattacked. When his sword met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.

And Percy, the great hero that he was, went straight for Atlas.

He laughed as Percy approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armor. "Go on, then!"

"Percy!" Zoe shouted. "Beware!"

Percy swung his sword, and Atlas knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. He flew through the air and slammed into a black wall that hadn't been there before. Nico watched as the palace rose in front of his eyes, brick by brick. The illusion from the Mist was becoming real.

"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoe's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?"

Percy got up and charged towards him again and while they were distracted, Nico edged towards Artemis who was still straining under the weight of the sky.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Artemis." Nico said, as he used Thalia's dagger to cut through the goddess' chains.

"Boy, what are you doing here? You must run. It is too dangerous here for a child." She told him urgently.

"Not until we save you and Annabeth first."

Nico had just finally freed Artemis from her chains when Percy suddenly slammed into the ground next to him. He looked up at Nico with a dazed expression, seeming to realize that he was at the feet of Artemis. Nico couldn't see his sword anywhere and Atlas was approaching them with a sickening smile on his face.

Nico felt that foreboding feeling rising up inside him again. He glanced around for help but Luke and Thalia were fighting like demons, lightning crackling around them and Annabeth was on the ground, desperately struggling to free her hands.

"Die, little hero," Atlas said.

He raised his javelin to impale Percy and Nico did it without even thinking.

He slammed his hands hard on the earth and something in the ground seemed to respond to him because jagged fissures of black rocks suddenly erupted from the ground and it cracked a crooked line towards Atlas.

The Titan wobbled under the quake of the earth and jumped aside in time to avoid falling into the chasm below but at the same time, a volley of silver arrows sprouted from the armpit chink in Atlas's armor. Zoe's doing.

"Hades..." Artemis said awestruck as she gazed at Nico's doing with a conflicted look.

"ARGH!" Atlas bellowed and turned towards Nico. "So...you were a child of Hades all along. I should have known from the start. You are practically oozing death all around you. Oh how the gods have blundered a third time. The Great Prophecy will be ours!"

Atlas laughed. Nico didn't understand why he was so damn happy but he was tempted to smack it off the Titan's smug face.

Nico jumped and stabbed the dagger at the Titan's side but it seemed to do nothing more than aggravate him.

"I will handle you later." He smacked Nico with his javelin who was too slow to avoid it and he went sailing through the air.

"Nico!" Percy shouted.

Nico readied himself for a painful landing but instead of rocks and marble, he collided against something softer and human as they both rolled and tumbled roughly on the ground. Nico coughed, his back aching and glanced around to find Zoe sprawled on the ground beside him.

"Zoe! Are you okay?" Nico asked.

"That was... for earlier." Zoe grunted, sitting up and rubbing her shoulders since she had taken most of the crash.

It took Nico a moment to realize what she meant until he recalled saving her from the dragon. He blushed and muttered a "thanks," as he helped her up.

When he looked back towards Atlas, he found the Titan engaged with Artemis instead of Percy. She was like a blur of silver. She had two wicked hunting knives, each as long as her arm, and she slashed wildly at the Titan, dodging and leaping with unbelievable grace. She seemed to change form as she maneuvered. She was a tiger, a gazelle, a bear, and a falcon. Nico almost couldn't believe his eyes.

But then when he searched for Percy, he found the older demigod holding the weight of the sky over his shoulders. He was braced on one knee and was already breathing heavily from his burden. At that moment, Nico realized two things: that Percy was definitely the bravest and most amazing demigod he had ever met and that even the bestest of heroes needed some saving as well.

"Zoe, you help Artemis. I'll help Percy!" Nico said. He didn't wait for her answer as he immediately turned and rushed towards Percy.

"Percy!" Nico shouted.

Percy didn't seem to hear him or if he did, he chose not to respond as he concentrated all his efforts to keep the sky from touching the ground. Nico didn't like seeing the obvious pain Percy was experiencing so he did the only thing he could do.

Nico kneeled beside the older demigod and shared the burden with him.

He couldn't really describe what he was experiencing at that moment since he had never carried anything this massive in his entire life. It was as heavy as one would think the weight of the sky would be but it felt slightly bearable as Nico held it. Maybe because he was carrying it with Percy.

"Nico? What are...you doing?" Percy panted, finally noticing his presence when he felt a bit of the pressure lifted from his body.

"Helping you, of course." Nico responded trying to grin but it felt more like a grimace with how his muscles were protesting at him angrily. He concentrated on breathing. He thought about Bianca, who had given her life so that they could get here. If she could do that, then Nico could hold the damn sky.

Nico caught glimpses of the battle, though he wasn't sure if he was seeing clearly. There was Atlas in full battle armor, jabbing with his javelin, laughing insanely as he fought against Artemis who was jumping and attacking around like a silver bird or cheetah. Zoe shot arrows at her father, aiming for the chinks in his armor. He roared in pain each time one found its mark, but they affected him like bee stings. He just got madder and kept fighting.

Thalia and Luke went spear on sword, lightning still flashing around them. Thalia pressed Luke back with the aura of her shield. Even he was not immune to it. He retreated, wincing and growling in frustration.

"Yield!" Thalia yelled. "You never could beat me, Luke."

He bared his teeth. "Well see, my old friend."

Sweat poured down Nico's face. His hands were sweaty but Nico persevered as long as he could.

"Nico...you should...let go. This is too...much for—"Percy started to say but Nico wouldn't let him finish.

"Percy...shut up. I'm doing this...to help you so...I will. You've saved me...so many times before...I'm not going to...abandon you now." Nico could see Percy grinning at him through his pain and Nico felt as if he could bear anything if Percy looked at him like that.

Meanwhile, Atlas advanced, pressing Artemis back. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leaped over it and kept pursuing her. She was leading him back toward where Nico and Percy were.

Get ready, she spoke in his mind. If Nico weren't so preoccupied right now, he would have exclaimed in excitement that a goddess had just spoken telepathically to him.

"You fight well for a girl." Atlas laughed. "But you are no match for me."

He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged.

"When I say go...you have to let go, okay?" Percy said.

Nico, at this point, would do anything to let go of the sky but not without Percy. "Only if you do as well."

Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis's legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill.

"No!" Zoe screamed. She leaped between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks.

"Zoe..." He may not like her much but she was an ally and someone who had befriended Bianca before she died. Nico wanted to run and help but he couldn't leave behind Percy and even if he did let go, Nico didn't think he'd have the energy to do anything afterwards.

Then Atlas turned on Artemis with a look of triumph in his face. Artemis seemed to be wounded. She didn't get up.

"The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated. And he stabbed downward.

As fast as thought, Artemis grabbed his javelin shaft. It hit the earth right next to her and she pulled backward, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her.

He was coming down over them and when Percy said, "Go!" Nico loosened his grip on the sky, and as Atlas slammed into them, he let himself be pushed out of the way and rolled for all he was worth.

The weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas's back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late.

"Noooooo!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Not again!"

Atlas was trapped under his old burden.

When Nico opened his eyes, he found himself wedged between the ground and Percy's weight on top of him. Nico would usually have complained but Percy was like a feather compared to the sky so the younger demigod didn't say a word. And for some reason, he felt a blush rise up his cheeks.

"S'rry, Nico." Percy said, dazed from the pain as he tried to stand but fell back again, this time beside Nico.

Thalia backed Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still they fought on, next to the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat. He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat.

For a moment, there was silence.

"Well?" Luke asked. He tried to hide it, but Nico could hear the fear in his voice.

Thalia trembled with fury.

Behind her, Annabeth came scrambling, finally free from her bonds. Her face was bruised and streaked with dirt. "Don't kill him!"

"He's a traitor," Thalia said. "A traitor!"

In his daze, Nico sat up and grabbed the hand that Percy offered him. Nico realized that Artemis was no longer with them. She had run off toward the black rocks where Zoe had fallen.

"We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He... he'll be useful."

"Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"

Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.

"No!" Annabeth shouted. But it was too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror on his face, and then he fell.

"Luke!" Annabeth screamed.

Nico and the rest rushed to the cliff's edge. Below them, the army had stopped in amazement. They were staring at Luke's broken form on the rocks. Despite Nico not having any relations with Luke, he still felt a stab of pain at seeing another demigod fall to his death. However, something felt odd here; it wasn't like Bianca's death where Nico was certain his sister had died. The fall was fifty feet at least, and he wasn't moving but Nico got the feeling that they wouldn't be seeing the last of him yet.

One of the giants looked up and growled, "Kill them!"

Thalia was stiff with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. Percy pulled her back as a wave of javelins sailed over their heads. They ran for the rocks, ignoring the curses and threats of Atlas as they passed.

"Artemis!" Percy yelled.

The goddess looked up. She had a tired expression on her face but none of the grief that Nico expected. She had just stood up with Zoe laying in her arms.

"Is she okay?" Nico asked as he went to check on Zoe himself.

"She will live. Atlas blow just managed to damage her a bit but nothing so severe that nectar and ambrosia couldn't fix." Artemis said.

All of them sighed in relief. Nico didn't think anybody could handle another death so soon after Luke's...fall. Nico was still undecided about that. However, they couldn't relax just yet. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. They needed to get out of here. But then, they heard a strange buzzing noise.

Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.

"Get away from my daughter!" Dr. Chase called down, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.

"Dad?" yelled Annabeth in disbelief.

"Run!" he called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by.

Artemis stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking around for another strafe.

"A brave man," Artemis said with grudging approval. "Come, We must get Zoe away from here."

She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoe's eyes were fluttering.

"Hang in there!" Percy told her. "It'll be all right!"

The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed. Nico realized with amazement that somehow Dr. Chase must've gotten hold of celestial bronze to fashion his bullets. The first row of snake women wailed as the machine gun's volley blew them into sulfurous yellow powder.

"That's... my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.

"And he's so cool! " Nico added in agreement as he watched Mr. Chase destroy the enemy flanks two by two.

Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by the most beautiful deer Nico had ever seen. It landed right next to them. Nico almost thought Santa had come to save them. Clearly, he was still delirious from the pain.

"Get in," Artemis said.

Nico helped Annabeth get Thalia on board while Percy helped Artemis with Zoe.

"Wait!" Nico shouted as he suddenly remembered something. He jumped out of the chariot, ignoring their shouts of his name and went straight for Atlas. The enemy monsters still had to get their way around the chasm Nico had created earlier so he didn't worry about them reaching him yet.

"This is for my sister, you gigantic ass!" Nico shouted as he used Thalia's dagger to stab the Titan in his underarm, the same spot that Zoe had volleyed her arrows into.

"ARGH!" Atlas bellowed more in rage than pain. "You insolent, impudent little shit. I will flesh your skin and eat your bones for..." he continued insulting him in a furious tirade.

Nico had enough time to smirk and flip the finger at him before Percy pulled him back into the chariot where they collapsed in a tired heap. Artemis pulled on the reins and the chariot sped away from the mountain, straight into the air.

"Like Santa Claus's sleigh," Percy murmured, and Nico couldn't help but smile at the similarity of their thoughts.

Artemis took time to look back at Percy. "Indeed, young half-blood. And where do you think that legend came from?"

"Sorry Thalia, I left your dagger impaled in Atlas' armpit." Nico said though he didn't regret his action.

"It's alright. Whatever brings more pain and annoyance to that Titan for all that he's done." She seemed to come back to herself a little bit as she smiled at Nico briefly. "You did great back there, Nico."

"Yeah! He opened that great fissure without any training at all." Percy said in agreement.

"I can't believe he's the same Nico that I saw days before I was captured." Annabeth muttered, still looking worn down herself but managing to hold conversation with her friends.

"That's because he's got more backbone than Percy." Thalia said.

"Hey! I held up the sky!"

"And who held it up with you?"

Seeing them safely away, Dr. Chase turned his biplane and followed them like an honor guard. It must have been one of the strangest sights ever, even for the Bay Area: a silver flying chariot pulled by deer, escorted by a Sopwith Camel.

Behind them, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as he struggled under the weight of the sky.

Nico looked back at them as the chariot flew through the sky, the sound of Thalia and Percy's arguing in the background, and he sighed, finally thinking it was all over.

A/N: or is it? ;))

Anyway, next chapter will be last chapter of this book (FINALLY) so yay! Can't wait to finish that and I hope you guys like this! I wonder if you guys caught on to the significant change here from canon?

Anyways leave reviews pls because I get more motivated and when I'm motivated you get your chapters earlier so go go go!