A telekhine waddled forth with a spear in its hand. Old, dried blood stained the point. The light of the magma made the spear point glitter with orange light.
"Light the forge." Another telekhine barked.
A fire lit in the center of the underground room. The first telekhine held the spearpoint above the fire. A cup was placed below the spear. Slowly, as the heat began to melt the blood, it started to drip into the cup.
Drip.
A minute of flickering flames passed.
Drip.
Another minute.
Drip.
Fifty eight seconds.
Drip.
As time passed, the blood dripped faster into the cup. Soon, all of the blood had melted off of the spear point and the telekhine threw it to the side, discarding it. It had no more use to them.
Another telekhine grabbed the glowing, red hot cup and almost dropped it.
"Careful!" Barked the Lead telekhine. "We don't have much to begin with, If we lose any, the Earth Mother will take our heads."
The telekhine quickly placed the cup on the anvil. The lead telekhine waddled over to the cup and looked inside. Deep, dark, crimson red liquid glowed inside. The telekhine grinned as much as it could with its dog face.
Once the cup had cooled down, and was within holding temperature, the lead telekhine put a lid on it and picked it up. He presented it to the other telekhines in the forge. "Behold!" It barked. "The King shall award us for such a good job!"
The other telekhines cheered. The lead telekhine lowered the jar and turned around.
He walked out of the room and down the hall. He went up the stairs and walked into the main hall of the underground complex.
On the throne sat the King Giant, Porphyrion. The room was underground, and devoid of light, so one could only see him as a dark figure in a dark room. Like a sleep paralysis demon. He watched carefully as the telekhine came forward with the cup.
The telekhine bowed before the giant and presented the cup. "My lord, it is done."
Porphyrion leaned forward and rested an elbow on his knee. He held out his hand to take it. The telekhine gave it to him. His hand was so big, the cup looked like a tic tac in his hand.
"Good." The giant's deep voice rumbled. "With this we are one step closer to waking the Earth Mother. Now we need one more person's blood. That of the husband, Lucifer Morningstar."
LINE BREAK
The Argo II hovered above Sparta. They had arrived in the morning. Piper had a vision in her knife, showing fire consuming a room. And so, they elected Percy and Leo to go, since they were both immune to fire.
They stood on a hill, overlooking Sparta. The ancient ruins, that is. They had already been to the modern city and found nothing but a nice little restaurant called Factory Coffee & More.
Percy got a club sandwich and a can of Amstel. Leo got a can of Ultra Blue Monster. Percy paid for them both. They sat down at a small booth. Percy opened the can of Amstel and took a sip. He put the can on the table.
"I've never been one for beer." Percy mused as he unwrapped his sandwich.
Leo didn't say anything as he opened his Monster and took a long gulp. He sat it back down on the table and wiped his mouth with his hand.
"You need energy?" Percy asked, a small, teasing smile on his face. "Besides, you know what's in those?"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Don't you smoke?"
Percy shrugged. "I'm an angel. Doesn't affect me in any way besides calming me sometimes. I mostly do it for the aesthetic. And I can take out all the harmful things with a snap of my fingers." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Leo nodded hesitantly. He seemed to scoot back. He took another sip of the Monster and started to fidget with his hands.
Percy put down his sandwich. "Alright, what's wrong?"
"What?"
Percy gestured at him. "You're all quiet and fidgety. Something is wrong. What is it?"
Leo looked around. There was a quiet muttering that filled the restaurant. He leaned in and whispered, "Did you really kill Frank?"
"I admitted it during the meeting. Yes, I did."
Leo slunk back. His Monster didn't look appetizing anymore. "Are you going to kill me?" He said, his voice low.
"No, Leo. No, I'm not going to kill you." Percy took a sip of his beer.
Leo didn't meet Percy's eyes. He ran his finger around the edge of his monster.
Silence settled over the restaurant.
Fifty minutes later, they found themselves poking around a collection of old ruins. Crumbling stone columns, randomly assorted rocks and debris, and yellowed mosaic tiles dotted the overgrown meadow. Ants crawled in a line across the ruins, disappearing into the grass and reappearing on white marble.
The sounds of tweeting birds came from the distance. A gentle wind blew through the air, swaying Percy's unbuttoned suit jacket. "Shame." Percy said, looking over the ruins.
"What?" Leo asked, squinting as he looked around, the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky.
"This." Percy gestured to the ruins. "This was once the most influential city in all of Greece. After the surrender of Athens, no one could rival them. Not until Thebes at least. And now, it's nothing more than rubble, with overgrown grass, and lines of marching ants. Gone, like that." He snapped his fingers. "Gone in the blink of an eye."
Percy looked around. "Could you imagine what it looked like, Leo? When Sparta was in its' prime?"
Leo looked around, trying to envision it. He shook his head.
Percy looked down and smiled sadly. He waved his hand. An image overlayed the ruins. An image of a bustling Ancient Greek city. Tall white buildings, made with columns, out of marble surrounded them. People walked around, wearing tunics, togas, and the like. Kids ran in the streets, playing games. They were young, but they had more muscle than Leo already. Most weren't above the age of six. They ran around, playing tag.
Through the crowd, Leo spotted Percy, dressed in a tunic himself, a sword hanging at his side. His sword, the one he still used today, Riptide. It didn't look any different. He must've take good care of it.
Leo watched as Percy interacted with the people. He bought fruit from a vendor, apologized to a kid when one ran into him, and sat down at a stairway and watched the people pass by.
"By this time, Zoë had left for the Hunters, and I was growing bored of Hell. So I found myself leaving often, taking breaks. Dad didn't mind, as long as I returned back after." Percy explained, as the Percy in the memory took a bite out of the apple.
A snake slithered up to Memory Percy. He looked down and smiled. He offered the apple to it. The snake lunged forward and plunged its fangs into the apple. He chuckled and let go of the apple. The snake slowly digested the apple, and slithered away.
The city continued the hustle and bustle. Suddenly people started cheering and clearing the streets. The sounds of feet marching in time echoed off the marble columns. Marching in a parade through the streets was a line of men dressed in bronze armor with swords hanging at their waists, and spears slung over their backs. Shields hung off of their left arms.
The Spartan Warriors kept their eyes forward, dismissing the applause of the residents as if it wasn't for them. Their faces remained stoic.
And just as soon as the illusion was created, it dissipated, and all that remained was the ruins of what was once a powerful city-state. Just a bunch of white marble rubble. Time spares none.
"Wow." Leo breathed out.
Percy nodded. "Yeah. It was something to behold."
Their moment was interrupted by the sound of roaring flames coming from about a mile away.
"Did you hear that?" Percy asked, turning towards the sound.
Leo looked at him weirdly. "There wasn't a sound?"
"Yes there was. Fire."
"Fire? Like–"
"Piper's vision." Percy finished. "Mm-hmm. My thoughts exactly."
They rushed over to the sound. Leo followed behind Percy as only the angel heard the fire. As they approached, Leo could hear the sound of roaring fire, only for a few seconds before it went away. They crossed over a hill just as a column of fire rose from the ground before dissipating. A few seconds later, another column of fire roared upwards, this time to the left of the one before.
"Strange." Percy said as he studied the fire spouts.
"There's no logic to this." Leo said.
Percy nodded, agreeing. "It's random. There's no algorithm, no system."
Percy stepped closer to where the fire was spouting from. There was a circular hole in the ground, laid out in clay bricks that had become black with soot. Just as Percy leaned forward to look down into the hole, flames filled the air and surrounded his head. It tickled.
When the flames died down, the Devil turned towards Leo. "The fire is coming from below. There's a chamber down there."
"So how do we get down there?"
Percy looked around. "If I had my wings…" He muttered.
He knelt down and picked up a bunch of the tall grass. He started to weave the grass blades together. As he worked, the grass turned into rope, the strands bound tightly together. His hands glowed slightly as he weaved the grass together. When he finished, he was holding a rope a hundred feet long, wrapped around his arm. "This should be long enough.
"Do you have a metal stake in that tool belt of yours?"
Leo reached into his tool belt and rummaged around. He pulled out a metal stake a foot long. He also brought out a mallet and handed both items to Percy. The Archangel pounded the stake into the ground and tied the rope to it before throwing it down the hole.
"You want to go first?" Percy offered.
Leo shook his head. "I'm good."
Percy shrugged. He grasped the rope and threw his legs over the edge of the hole. He climbed down swiftly, reaching the bottom. He looked up to see Leo just barely grasping the rope and beginning his descent.
As Leo shimmied his way down, Percy took the opportunity to look around. There were three statues, one underneath each hole in the ground. One in the center, just below the hole Percy had climbed down, and one on either side. The statue in the middle was made of solid gold, and was carved into a full body statue of Ares, chained to the ground. The other two statues were made of stone, and were of his children, Phobos and Deimos.
There were three doorways, one in front of him, and one on either side of them. The inside of each one was pitch black, with a dark mist gathering at the base of each doorway.
All of a sudden, two deep thuds resonated throughout the room in quick succession, almost like a heartbeat. Then another deep thud, this time a singular one. Another two deep thuds, then another singular thud.
"The hell?" Leo asked.
"The heartbeat of the chained God." Percy muttered.
Another heartbeat.
"It's a little wonky for a heartbeat. Why's there only one beat following the two?"
Another single beat. Standing closer to the statue, Percy could hear that the singular beat wasn't coming from the statue, but rather the dark hallway in front of it. It wasn't the heartbeat of the Chained God, but rather a heavy footstep of someone large approaching them. It sounded like the creature was trying to hide their footsteps behind the heartbeat, but was doing a bad job at it.
Percy pulled out Riptide and ignited the Flaming Sword with Amenadiel's necklace. The flames lit the doorway, exposing the long hallway in front of them. The walls were made of black bricks, and the ground was made of the same bricks. At the very edge of the circle of light the sword casted, a dragon leg, dark as charcoal entered, a resounding boom accompanying it.
Percy raised the sword, exposing the body the leg was attached to. The dragon legs were black, as was the Giant's skin. Keeping with his theme, his hair was also black, were smashed circuit boards and copper wires braided in it. He stood at twenty five feet. In his hands he wielded a giant sledgehammer.
A wide grin split the giant's face.
"Another fuckin' giant. What's this one's deal?" Leo asked.
"Despair, Leo Valdez! I am the breaker of plans, the destroyer of the well-oiled machines. Nothing goes right in my presence. Maps are misread. Devices break. Data is lost. The finest minds turn to mush! I was born to kill your father! I am MIMAS!" The giant declared. He turned to Percy. "And you, Lucifer. You should also worry, for I will be your undoing."
"I've killed many of your brothers and sisters, and you're not even an a-lister."
"How are you going to kill me? Got a plan?"
Percy shook his head. "No."
Percy leaped forward with blinding speed. He thrust his sword forward and stabbed the giant in the knee. Mimas fell on his other knee and grunted. Percy pirouetted and slashed with his flaming sword. Ichor leaked out of Mimas's wounds.
"Look at that." Percy said. "Two strikes and you're already on the ground. What did I say, not even an a-lister."
Percy stalked closer and tossed Riptide to his other hand. He took his now free hand and landed a right hook square on Mima's jaw. Mimas fell on his side and knocked his head against the floor. He rolled over onto his back and groaned. Percy climbed the giant's body and stood on top of his chest. He walked across it, dragging Riptide behind him, cutting a thin line into the giant's flesh. Ichor slowly seeped out of the line.
Percy jumped onto the giant's face. "Pitiful."
The Devil stomped. The impact sent Mimas's head slamming into the ground with such force that the bricks underneath cracked.
"Not even a challenge." Percy muttered as Mimas laid there, groaning. "Would you like to do the honors, Leo?"
Leo pulled a sledgehammer out of his toolbelt and swung it over his head. He brought it down on Mimas's nose, right where Percy had stomped on it. Percy leaned down. "You're so useless, I'm not even going to kill you so I can revive you, like I did your siblings."
Mimas groaned as he dissolved into ash.
Percy dusted off his suit and turned to Leo. Let's get that heartbeat."
They walked back down the hallway and into the main room. The heartbeat was still beating throughout the room, a slow, measured, deep thud every couple of seconds. Percy set fire to his hand and held it out to the golden statue. The gold began to melt. Once a hole had melted, Percy noticed that the statue was hollow. Not even a second later, a powerful wind filled the room. It swirled around Percy.
"So, the Devil wants us." A breathy voice came from the wind. "He wants the Makhai, to help cheat death!" Another voice, but also the same voice, said. "But is he worthy?" "Has he felt hatred?"
A scene filled Percy's mind. He was standing trial before his father, all that time ago. When his father banished him, sent him to hell. A feeling filled his body, a feeling he knew at once. Hate. Hate for his father, for what he had done to him.
"He has felt hate." One of the voices said. "Has he felt bloodlust?" Asked another.
Another scene came to his mind. He was back in Tartarus, in front of the doors of death. He was slicing through monsters left and right with his flaming sword in hand. He was surrounded by monsters. He remembered this moment. He remembered the blood splashing over him, bathing him. And he remembered how good it felt.
"He has felt bloodlust." The previous voice said. "What about fear? Has the Devil felt fear?"
Percy found himself back to when he woke up and Rory was gone. When she wasn't anywhere to be found in the entirety of his universe. When he discovered who took her. He remembered the feeling that overtook him.
"He has felt fear." The voice sounded surprised. A fourth voice entered. "Has he felt love? Has Perseus felt love?"
Many scenes filled his mind. His wedding, when he saw Zoë in her black wedding dress. Later that night when he took it off. A bunch of little moments that one doesn't think of when they think of love. The time she comforted him in the penthouse. All of the times she stood by him.
"He has felt love." The fourth voice said. "Love deems him worthy."
"Fear deems him worthy."
"Bloodlust deems him worthy."
"Hatred deems him worthy."
"We will answer your call, Lucifer Morningstar. Once only, when you need us, Hatred, Bloodlust, Fear, and Love will answer. We shall complete your cure."
And suddenly, the wind was gone. The Makhai were gone.
"Come on, Leo, let's get back to the Argo. We still have to get the Curse of Delos."
A/N. No, I'm not dead, even though I certainty feel like it. The last month and a half have been really hectic. It started with my English final (Which I posted on Youtube, and if you haven't watched it, you should. It's called BoyWolf, the channel name is the same as my username here!) Anyways, so that took up most of May. And then I had graduation on June 2nd. That's right, your boy is done with mandatory schooling, and will be attending College in the Fall at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
After that, I went on vacation for two weeks. And while we were there, my great aunt had a stroke, and my grandma broke her shoulder. And after that my fish died. (It was a goldfish and it was alive for like, 6 years or something). And yeah, shit's been crazy.
But everything should be better now. Updates might not be as consistent as they were during the school year since I no longer have a schedule, which really helped me write. But I'll try to at least update once every two weeks. Every week if I can.
Thoughts?