Helloooo. This chapter is kind of like a filler. But I hope it isn't boring :P
So the next chapter will probably be Leo's point of view. I've written it already, just need to revise it. Another quick question, do you think I should continue with the Annabeth POVs? Also, if yes, for how long? I do love Annabeth but I love Percico so much and I'm quite excited to write the end
PERCY:
Poseidon drew out his trident out of thin air and the air around him shimmered. A sea green armour appeared on him and his eyes blazed. He looked frightening.
All the times Percy had seen his father, he had never seemed a warrior. He commanded, planned, plotted, ordered. Turned monsters into fishes, yes. But in the form of a warrior? No.
Polybotes laughed. "What a nice little party! I can't wait to turn your blood into poison"
He seemed to be growing larger. He was definitely larger than he was in Camp Jupiter.
"And you", he said to Thalia, "I will hand over to my brother" Looking at Nico, he added, "How would you like to go back to the titans?"
"Nobody is going anywhere except you", Thalia told him, "You're going to Tartarus"
Poseidon looked at her and nodded.
Thalia ran at Polybotes with her shield raised. Percy was sure she was nuts. Who in their right mind would charge straight at a giant alone?
Nico must've thought the same thing but he was more useful. He ran after Thalia and ducked around Polybotes's legs, plunging his stygion iron sword into any flesh he could find between the gaps of the giant's armour.
Polybotes laughed again and tried to swat at Thalia clumsily but Thalia was quicker. She jumped on his arm and started climbing upwards.
Poseidon touched Percy's shoulder and said softly, "Be brave, Percy. Be proud of who you are."
Unable to bear his father's kindness he charged, aiming straight at Polybotes' naval. But Polybotes had expected that. He shoved Percy away with the heel of his palm.
Percy felt a stinging pain in his chest and gasped. He could feel it. He could feel the poison spreading through his body, killing him slowly and painfully.
"You think you're the only ones more powerful at Mt. Olympus?", Polybotes asked as he tried to grab Poseidon, who waved his hand a tentacle of water wrapped itself around the giant's arms.
The god ran to Percy. Instead of healing Percy, he touched Riptide along the sharp edge. The blade gleamed and for a moment it appeared as if the blade was made of liquid. Poseidon picked the blade up and touched the point at Percy's heart and the blade slipped through his armour as soft as water. The blade pricked Percy just over his heart and instead of feeling pain, he felt as if he could breathe again.
Before he could say something, Poseidon had left. The tentacles of water holding Popybotes's arm had turned into a poisonous green and blast, spraying them with filthy water.
Just then Thalia rolled over, drenched in golden blood and offered her hand to Percy. "Damsel in distress?", she asked smirking.
Percy was astonished how she could joke right after what had happened. He took her hand nonetheless.
Poseidon kept making a hurricane around the giant but to no avail. In a few moments, the water would turn green and fall to the floor.
"His navel", Thalia whispered to Percy, "We have to strike him there and he'll be dead"
"He's heavily armoured", Percy commented.
"Yeah, no shit", replied Thalia, rolling her eyes.
Before they could come up with something, something caught their eyes.
It was Nico, perched quietly on Polybotes' shoulder, while the giant was busy fighting off Poseidon. He looked like a panther, quiet and dark, lean and dangerous.
Everything that followed, happened in the fraction of a second.
Poseidon bound the Giant's arms and legs with water, restricting him movement.
Nico swung himself and attacked his face, coaxing a cry from the giant.
Thalia threw bolts of electricity at Polybotes' breasteplate as Nico proceeded to strike the metal, leading it to crack at the centre. He slid down the broken breastplate and screamed at Percy.
Poseidon tossed his trident at Percy and the demigod only managed to grab it. The trident felt heavy in his hands and radiated power like a gravitational field. It gleamed sea green and he could almost see the sea itself reflecting on it's surface.
"Percy", his father called, "Now"
Poseidon pulled the ropes of water and the giant landed on his back.
"No!", he screamed in a terribly inhuman voice. "No. He was supposed to despise you. He was supposed to give himself up."
Percy didn't know what Polybotes meant but he had a bad feeling about it. He lunged at the giant's belly and pierced the trident in his naval.
Sea water burst from where the trident touched his skin and with a final cry of anguish, Polybotes dissolved.
Percy came down hard on his knees and the trident clattered out of his hand. Nico and Thalia rushed to him.
The trident flew to Poseidon.
Thalia and Nico managed to pull Percy to his feet. He felt a little dizzy. The burst of power he had felt when he killed Polybotes was a new height of elevation.
"We don't have time", Poseidon urged.
"What do you mean", Percy groaned, "We just killed that son of a-" he stopped, looking sheepish.
"The poison", Poseidon told them but Percy was clueless.
Thalia smacked the back of his head. "That's gonna destroy the roots of Olympus, the bane created by Thoosa and Polybotes"
Oh. That. Completely forgotten about that.
Percy's eyes found Nico's face. He looked troubled. His gut ached in return.
"What's wrong?", Percy asked him just as Poseidon stiffled a groan.
"Let me take over from here", said a voice from behind Poseidon.
"Why are you so sneaky?", Poseidon asked rolling his eyes.
"It's in my job description", the man replied, ruffling his long soft black hair. His tshirt was black, made out of a hundred damned souls. They shifted and gave a fascinating three dimensional affect to the design. He looked younger than Percy had ever seen him. Half the age Poseidon appeared to be. He look handsome in a gaunt way. Like some tortured rock star.
"Talking of sneaky", Hades continued, "You haven't told him yet, eh, Posy?"
Poseidon's face was expressionless. He ignored Hades and walked to Percy and touched his shoulder. "You always make me proud. Do what needs to be done, you have my blessing"
Then he vanished, leaving only a salty breeze in his wake.
That was weird.
"What hasn't he told me?", Percy asked sharply to no one in particular. The person Hades mentioned to Poseidon could only be him.
Thalia looked like she was contemplating whether to kill Percy or hug him, Nico wouldn't look at him since he was very fascinated by the wet floor and Hades looked like his face would suddenly break into a creepy grin.
"Tell me", Percy insisted.
Thalia walked over and slapped him. "How stupid are you?"
Percy's face must have been incredulous because Hades snorted.
"She's not dead, you moron", Thalia told him, "It wasn't her. How could you not notice?"
A chill filled him, turning his insides to ice. His brain was refusing to acknowledge whatever was being said to him.
"I saw her die", he said in a low voice, quivering with emotion.
"It wasn't her", Thalia replied grabbing his arm. It was a very dangerous thing of her her to do. He was on the brink of losing control.
He turned to look at Nico, who had finally decided to meet his eyes. He looked uncertain.
He glared at Nico, waiting for him to confirm or dismiss whatever Thalia had said.
"It was weird when she died", he admitted, "generally I can feel the soul finding it's way to the Underworld but this time I couldn't even feel her soul."
"But why would they do that?", Percy asked hoarsely, unable to decide how to feel.
He had thought Annabeth was dead. He thought it was his fault she was dead. He had decided to go on with his life and do the right things.
Wait.
Was he really thinking as if Annabeth being alive posed a problem?
AND HIS FATHER KNEW?
"Of course he knew", Hades sighed. He almost looked sorry. "He didn't tell you because he needed your rage and anger directed towards Polybotes"
"Why would Polybotes do that?", Percy asked Hades. If he needed answers, he'll look for them from the immortal.
"Has Poseidon taught you nothing?", Hades sighed. Percy wanted to punch Hades.
"He wanted to trigger you", he replied simply, for the first time looking genuine, "He thought if it appeared that he had killed her, you'd think the gods let her die and in your anger help in our demise. Obviously he couldn't get hold of the real girl. She's got her own problems right now"
He didn't know what to feel or how to feel. He was ashamed. He was angry. He felt raw, uncontrollable. He knew he had decisions to make but he had so much energy, he didn't want to become unnecessarily violent.
Timing was just epic. He felt violent after the fight was over.
He was angry at his father. How could he have let him believe that Annabeth was dead?
Unless
"He wanted you to come to a realization. You should've known it wasn't her", Hades told him. There was something very strange about his expression.
Was it reproach?
Percy looked to Thalia.
"She would've never asked you to save her", Thalia told him, "She would've never sobbed like that"
Had he been so blinded to do the right thing he never noticed? Was he stuck in the world where there was only one right thing and if he didn't do it, the world itself would crumble?
What was happening to him?
"So what do we need to do?", Percy asked Hades blatantly. "What are you even doing here?"
"You underestimate my kindness", Hades said grinning at which Thalia snorted, earning a disgusted look from the god. "I don't think you've noticed but my contribution always makes a big difference in every war"
He dug his hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small packet. He tossed them to Nico.
Nico wouldn't meet his father's eyes, Percy noticed.
"You're looking better", Hades said to his son but got no reply.
"What is that?", Thalia asked, breaking the silence.
"Seeds", Hades explained, "You throw them into the damned water and they'll suck it all up and send it to the Tartarus"
Percy looked at him suspiciously, "You won't have access to that liquid later, will you?"
If Hades got hold of something that powerful, there was no saying what would ensue.
Hades rolled his eyes, "No, of course not. Demigods these days", he tsked, "So suspicious"
"Where are we supposed to go?", Nico asked finally. His voice seemed thick and his eyes unsure. He looked ready to melt into the shadows.
Percy wondered what could've happened to him. Something nagged at him but he found himself shoving that away. He just wanted to hold Nico and tell him that everything would be okay.
The only problem was that he didn't know if it would.
Hades gave Nico a soft look which lasted for a second. Percy wondered if he had imagined that.
Hades led them to a corner where there was a tunnel in the ground which led somewhere further underground. It was dark and damp. Also, it smelled funny.
It was quite narrow.
"We have to go down there?", Percy found himself asking.
Hades gave him a 'duh' look and waved his hand. "Off you go"
"Dibs on going last", Thalia piped.
Percy looked at her and gave her a small smile.
Then he jumped in.
The tunnel was dark and dank and he was falling. He couldn't breath, he felt claustrophobic. He was faintly aware of the two people who jumped in after him.
His breathing got heavier and he didn't know why he felt so sick.
It occurred to him that it could be because of the liquid. It had been created by Polybotes, who was technically his father's bane, even if he had been defeated thrice.
His head felt dizzy and he heard himself mumble something that echoed. He was overwhelmed, physically and emotionally. His face was wet, but he didn't know where the tears were from.
He felt a hand tug at his body armour and he was hoisted upwards.
Percy waved his arms frantically to find something to hold on to. His hands found a pair of strong arms that raised him a bit more and wrapped around him, steadying him.
He turned his face and ran it into soft, fruit scented hair. The smell cleared his mind and he found himself clinging to the younger boy.
Nico smelled of sweet fresh grass and lime. The smell overcame Percy's claustrophobia and calmed him to the point of becoming drowsy. There were a hundred things he wanted to do right then but his mind wasn't working.
He felt a kiss on his eyebrow and within a few seconds, his consciousness slipped away.