CHAPTER 3:
Percy tried to ignore the grin on his mother's face. He really did. He tried to include more gruesome details into the story of what had happened back at Olympus, but his mother's smile never wavered. She simply sipped from her warm cup of tea.
When he yet again brought up Annabeth's name, Sally's brow arched and Percy groaned at the knowing look in her eyes.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"Oh, you don't know? I am simply trying to embarrass my darling son into realising what has been in front of him all along," said Sally with a not-so-subtle wink.
Percy groaned again and hid his face behind his hands. His long fingers clutched at the roots of his dark hair as he tried to hide his red face from his mother's prying gaze.
"There's nothing going on between me and Annabeth," he said, but his voice shook just enough to have Sally laughing.
She untucked her folded legs from the comfort of her chair and walked over to sit beside Percy. Her long brown hair curled behind her ears and it tickled Percy's hand when she leaned forward to pry his hands away from his face.
"I'll not mention it again if it makes you this uncomfortable. But then again, when the goddess of love thinks that the two of you have a great love story in the making, I'm inclined to believe her," said Sally with a twinkle in her eye.
Percy just shook his head silently, wondering why he had shared that particle detail with his mother. He had already thought about it. He had concluded that he saw Annabeth as nothing more than a friend and any romantic notion towards her had simply been placed in his head by Aphrodite herself. After all, the goddess of love loved to play games.
But there was another voice in the back of his head that thought that he was simply making excuses. Percy tried hard not to listen to that voice. So what if he was relieved that she hadn't joined the Hunters? So what if he had loved being able to draw her into his arms as they danced? So what if he had vowed to himself that he would never lose her again? Okay, so what if he loved her?
Percy scoffed at that thought. She was just his friend. Albeit, a very pretty one whose hair shone even in the darkness, whose smile made his heart warm, but she was just that. His friend.
Percy didn't even have the opportunity to respond to that revelation. No sooner had the Titaness proclaimed her name, a winged monster lunged at him with a screech. He fell back against the cavernous wall, his breath hitching as he felt the claws rip the front of his shirt.
The spartus growled beside him. Phoebe stood silently, not breathing, not making a sound, as though she could just ignore the problem and make it go away.
Percy ducked as the claws came at him again. The monster's face was grotesque. Its body was pulled tight over its bones, and fangs the size of his fingers featured its face. He rolled on the ground and came up behind the monster, which whirled around with unnerving speed.
Percy had no weapon. He mourned the loss of the comforting weight of Riptide in his hand. When he looked around for a split second, he noticed that Phoebe had disappeared, as though she had never even existed. Percy wondered if he had perhaps hallucinated her.
The spartus' presence though, made him think that the interaction had been very real. As it leaped from the ground, it shed its form as a small cat and grew into an adult saber-toothed tiger. Percy, at once, recalled what had happened at the Smithsonian when he had been thirteen.
The tiger sunk its jaw into the body of the monster, holding on even as the monster tried to throw it off. Percy looked around him and noticed the stalagmites rising from the ground.
He had paid enough attention in school to know that they were mounds of mineral deposits, but the ones in Tartarus seemed covered by the same skin as the walls and the floors. The tiger let out a low groan as it was flung from the monster.
Percy, realising that he had very little time before the monster came for him, dodged around the winged creature and put in all his energy into breaking a piece of the stalagmite.
For all his effort, he acquired an elongated triangular piece that was slimy to the touch. It was sharp and felt like stone encased in wet skin. It was not as long as Riptide but long enough to function as a knife.
He jumped to his right to escape from the monster headed his way. The tiger was knocked out next to the wall where Percy had first seen him. Percy faced the monster, bracing himself for the fight.
He saw that the winged monster was alone. It came at him quickly, making a grating sound as it swiped his claws at him again. He could feel the dry air of Tartarus further blister his skin, but his body hardly registered that.
Maybe it was the Curse, maybe it was just because he was a demigod, but his entire body was focused upon the fight before him. He felt alive in a way he hadn't felt since his fall into Tartarus.
He slashed the weapon in his hand at the monster who ducked just out of reach. Its wings beat against empty air but the monster didn't rise above the ground. It seemed content to trouble Percy on land itself.
He gripped the shard in his hand and raced towards the monster. He swiped at its torso with all his remaining strength. The shard caught onto the monster's skin and it made a sound like a groan.
He pulled the shard out and aimed it again closer to the place where he thought the monster's heart would be located. One clawed hand clutched the side of his torso, and he could feel its fingers sink into his skin, blood flowing out through wounds that could have been a lot worse.
He twisted his body out of the monster's grip and drove his weapon deeper into the body, feeling the flesh give way as the monster fell to the floor. The monster soon crumbled to dust and Percy saw as the very spot where the monster had once laid give way to a shallow pit.
Percy scrambled back as he realised that this was how Tartarus regenerated his monsters. His relief was short-lived though, as he felt a hand brush his back. He whirled around only to be faced with Phoebe again.
She spared him a glance before vanishing, reappearing moments later beside the wounded spartus. She ran a hand over its coat, working her power as she healed her companion.
"We are not safe here, Perseus. The monsters are on the hunt for you, and my presence in your company will not make it any better for my family."
"Your family?"
Phoebe's eyes snapped up to his, her hardened eyes looking at him seriously. "You'll see," she said, as she gathered the spartus—now in its reduced form, into her arms. She headed off into the darkness, and Percy knew it was reckless, reckless in a way he had never been, but he followed her. "Come with me, and don't speak."
She may not have attempted to kill him, but he knew that she was one of the original Titans. He knew nothing of her role in Ouranos' demise, had no idea about her past, but more than anything, he didn't know if she was aware of the part he played in Hyperion and Kronos' defeat.
In the darkness that surrounded him again, he could only focus on his breathing. There was slight movement ahead of him, and since Phoebe said nothing, he had only that to keep track of the path they were on. He clutched a hand to his side, feeling it coat with blood, but he had no idea how serious the situation was.
There was a whoosh of wings somewhere above him and his body straightened as his eyes flicked over to the figure walking in front of him. He opened his mouth to ask her where they were going but he heard the spartus hiss as though in warning.
What could have been minutes or even hours later, Percy stumbled as his head started to pound. If he wasn't already surrounded by eternal darkness with just a few rays of light, he was sure he would have been a victim of black spots in his vision.
A hand reached out and brushed his arm, startling him. He tried not to jerk back in surprise. The hand directed him to what felt like a closed cave. As they headed in deeper, he could see a light glow brighter. His eyes narrowed.
"We need to see how injured you are. My powers won't mask the scent of your blood for much longer."
Percy nodded slowly. Perspiration beaded his forehead. He could feel his body burning up as the hand supporting him disappeared and he sank to the floor of the cavern.
"Why are you helping me at all? Not that I'm not grateful, but you are the second goddess to help me in the past day. That really never happens."
There was a hint of a smile on Phoebe's face, "Who says I am? You are not going to like what I have to say anyway, so perhaps I am not really helping you."
There were other voices that seemed to come from behind a wall of the cave. The last thing Percy needed was more Titans, but that is precisely what happened. A man with hair streaked with white and a woman with hair so dark it looked blue stepped out, her steps as tentative as the look on her face.
She looked kind and her pale blue eyes were alit with curiosity. The man's gruff voice rang out, "Bringing in strays now, are you, Phoebe?"
Phoebe rolled her eyes even as she smiled. "Aren't you the least bit curious about what a demigod is doing in this pit?"
"Curious? He is the spawn of Poseidon, that usurper. I will be damned if curiosity is the first thing I feel when I look at him."
The woman standing next to him hooked her arm around his, "Oceanus, he is a guest and he seems to be hurt. Lay off of him."
She dragged him with her. As she drew nearer to Percy, Percy noticed the weariness in her eyes. Every step this couple took was measured and slow. It seemed unlike any Titan had acted before.
Percy's eyes lowered to his own side. He drew his shirt up and his hands, sticky with blood, wiped more blood across his skin. He could see a few tears in his torso, none as deep as he initially believed them to be.
"You seem to be confused. May I ask why?"
Percy looked up to see the woman standing in front of him. "Confused? No, I don't think so. Well, I am a little. This entire situation is messed up. Tartarus. Titans. Wounds that shouldn't have occurred in the first place."
The woman's eyes twinkled, "I am Tethys. I wish I could say it is nice to meet you, but I suppose I would be lying. Phoebe wouldn't have brought you here if it weren't prudent. And that wound, what do you mean it shouldn't have occurred?"
"I am still confused as to why I was brought here. And I meant that this shouldn't have happened, not after the Achilles Curse. The curse is supposed to make my skin invulnerable, and it already seems to have failed in that aspect."
Oceanus snorted, "Pity, that. You never stop talking, do you?"
He walked away to sit on a smoothened rock. Tethys followed him and ran a hand over his arm, whispering soft words to him that Percy couldn't hear.
Percy turned to face Phoebe.
"Looking at you, one wouldn't think you bear the curse of Achilles," Phoebe said with a frown. "I couldn't see it even as I looked at you the first time."
Percy rolled his eyes, "Isn't that the point? Fool the monsters into thinking I am their next meal when really, I can match them in a fight."
Phoebe shook her head, "Even so, something is different about you. Never mind that. Let's take a look at that wound and let me say my piece before you go on your way."
A part of Percy froze at that. Just because these three Titans hadn't killed him, but had almost been sweet and kind to him by comparison, didn't mean that he could stay here forever. This hospitality would be short-lived and he would soon have to venture out into Tartarus alone once he heard what Phoebe had to say.
Percy mutely nodded. His wound didn't appear as bad as it had a few minutes ago. Maybe the curse was just helping him heal slowly. He winced as Phoebe ran a hand over it and healed him. His breaths came a little easier after that, but his lungs still hurt each time he took a deep breath.
Phoebe stepped back, her forehead now caked with sweat. She noticed Percy's attention on her and smiled weakly, "Tartarus may be home to the monsters of ancient Greece and Rome but it was never our home. We are quite weakened in this land, and with no way to get out, we make do with what powers that haven't abandoned us."
"What do you mean, 'no way to get out'? The Doors of Death have been open for quite a while. If you really needed to get out, you could have done it already."
"Yes, yes, we could have. But Gaia's armies would make it very difficult to get anywhere near the Doors and I am not on friendly terms with some of the people in-charge. And you, you have more to do here than just get out to your world."
Percy cocked his head to the side, "If you Gods and Titans tried to explain anything without speaking in riddles, it would make it a whole lot easier on me."
Phoebe gingerly sat down on the jagged floor, looking him in the eye, and Percy adjusted his stance to accommodate her larger-than-life presence. He needed to think of the long-game, something which he had never been good at. He needed to rest up while he could, and then make his way to the Doors. As if sensing his thoughts, Phoebe shook her head.
"You cannot go to the Doors just yet. Granted, when I saw visions of you centuries ago, I couldn't understand it, much less infer what path you would take. Now that our paths have crossed, and now that I know all that I do, I understand what you need my help with."
Percy leaned back against one of the walls; he could feel himself growing more and more tired with each passing second, "Again, cryptic."
Phoebe sighed, "You must take this seriously, Perseus. The fate of the world quite literally rests in your hands. There is a reason the prophecy came into play with your fall into Tartarus. If you thought that the purpose of this quest was just for you to get to the Doors of Death, you are wrong. You needed to come here to start the Last Prophecy and fulfil the Prophecy of the Seven."
Percy's eyes widened, "The Prophecy of the Seven mentioned just the Doors of Death, and that is where I need to be so that my gir— friends and I can close them and put a stop to this war before its even begun."
Phoebe gave him a sad smile, "The war has already begun. There has been great unrest in the past decade. It's why Kronos' rise set off Gaia's. 'To storm or fire, the world must fall,' those are the words of the prophecy. Did you really never even try to interpret them?"
Percy shook his head in false denial. He had thought about it, had thought of it more so than normal from the day he and Jason had combined their powers to create a storm. Of all the lines in the prophecy, those words seemed to be the only ones that mattered, because it seemed to foretell that Gaia would lose. But it was never easy to interpret a prophecy, and there was no guarantee that Gaia would lose.
"I am the Titaness of Prophecies. Even I cannot see how everything will play out, but I do know more than most. And this I know more than anything: that you can be the only one to defeat Gaia and send her into a slumber she will never wake from again."
"But, if the Great Prophecy has brought the seven of us together, shouldn't our combined powers be the ones capable of taking Gaia down? How could one demigod like me defeat her? She has no form, she is nothing but the earth."
Phoebe's eyes glinted, "Yes, you are right. The only way to defeat Gaia is by waking her up first. That is when she will take on the form she once had, and that is when you can strike."
"Strike? Just what will I do? Throw the ocean at her? That will work out well. As for waking her up, you are nuts if you think that is what any of us will do."
Phoebe tsked, "I know you haven't made the connection yet, but you are exactly what is needed to defeat her. Do you remember what Chiron said to you the day you were claimed by your father? There are many things Poseidon is known for, but the entirety of his powers can be summed up in two titles: Earth-shaker and Storm-bringer. As the mortals say, the answer's always been in front of you."
To say Percy was shocked would be an understatement. Distantly, he heard Chiron's words from that night, words that he hadn't even focused on as the world around him had changed. Poseidon. Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.
If what Phoebe had said was true, it did seem quite obvious once it was pointed out. Poseidon could create earthquakes and Gaia was the goddess of earth. Percy had only ever paid attention to how the cities around the world were razed with floods and storms in Poseidon's anger. He'd never paid attention to the other part of his father's powers. He'd never given any thought to just how powerful his father was, and how powerful he himself could be.
"I see you're understanding it now. It's fate that you should be the demigod with the powers to defeat your greatest foe to date."
"But I don't know how to use these other powers, if they're even something I have. I can't imagine that a demigod has the capacity to choose whatever powers they want from their godly parent."
"No, they cannot choose. It should be a gift freely given. Contrary to what you may believe, there is something to be said of the love your father has for you. There is a reason he broke the oath he made with his brothers to have you. He has loved you all your life, and love is precisely why he has given you everything you could possibly need."
Percy was confused, "If you're saying what I think you're saying, why don't I know of these powers? And what I am even more confused by is how okay you are with plotting Gaia's demise. She is your mother, right?"
Phoebe gave a slight chuckle, "Yes, she is. I am on no side but my own, and perhaps my siblings. There is a reason I never took part in my father's slaughter. There is a reason the three of us were banished to this dark world. But she is my mother, and as much as it pains me, I can see how it is my fate to lead you on the path where you can defeat her."
"Well, as long as this is not some elaborate plot to trick me and then kill me, I'm all up for a plan that will defeat her and the giants."
"I suppose you are. I understand how she is your enemy, but she is not mine. I am only fulfilling the role I've been given. All those centuries ago, she did what she did to my father because he hated his children and threw them into this place. She gave the Titans our time to rule, and now she wants to do right by her other children. Whatever she may have done, however misguided she might have been, I know she has done all that she did because she loves her children. You can't fault her for being a mother, but you can fault her for sacrificing your world to get hers."
He would never have thought of Gaia's story this way had it not been for Phoebe's words. Gaia was wrong to go about things the way she did, by trying to raze the world that existed now, by trying to defeat any and all who stood in her way, and maybe over the eons she really had lost her mind, but she also did it with no intention of having this world to herself; instead she wanted to give it to the Giants.
"And you would be fine with us ridding this world of her ever-growing presence?"
"She is hardly 'Mother of the Year'. It has been a long time since we have spoken, and even longer since we did anything together as mother and daughter. I bear no ill-will towards you, even though you did defeat my husband. He was in quite the rage when he came to life again."
"Husband?"
Phoebe laughed. Oceanus and Tethys looked up at her in surprise. "Are you telling me that you had no idea that Hyperion was my husband? I'd thought you brave in coming with me after I'd made my identity known, but you didn't know at all?"
Percy's cheeks flushed. Annabeth had always been the one with the knowledge of all things Greek and Roman. He had had a hard enough time learning of the Gods that existed, and it had only gotten worse when he had realised that he needed to know of the monsters too so that he would never be caught unawares again. He had hardly thought learning about the twelve Titans would be of any use in the future. But of course, everything seemed to be coming back to haunt him.
"Well, never mind that, then. I never liked him much anyway; you probably did the whole world a favour, for those few short minutes."
Percy's eyebrows rose in surprise. He had been sure this would be the end. There was something to be said of the state of his mind which, at every turn, expected that that moment would be his last.
Just then, the ground shook. There was a faint roar as if someone was shouting from quite far away. Whatever relief he had found left his body at once as his hand clenched around invisible handles, his face set in determination.
Phoebe laid a hand on his fist, "You still have some time. Polybotes is a lot farther away than you think. I cannot provide you any nourishment, for we do not need it. Before you go, you must know something. You may not like it, but you must accept it."
Well, this day could not have gotten any better. Now, he was on the run from Polybotes. Great, he thought sarcastically. Keeping that thought aside, Percy was surprised that he hadn't felt hungry all this time. At this point, with all the problems his body was continuously facing and fighting in Tartarus' air, he was just lucky to be alive and in control of his faculties.
Phoebe might have told him that he needed to be the one to defeat Gaia, but she hadn't given him much else. He still intended on finding the Doors after leaving this cave, because she hadn't given him any reason to hang around and wander aimlessly. If he needed to defeat Gaia, the only way would be to get back to Annabeth, to his friends.
"You can't go the Doors yet. If you find them, don't go out unless you have all the answers. Promise me that."
"Way to go being cryptic again. You know I can't promise you that. If you have something to say, say it. It would really make the lives of any demigod easier, if all of you didn't hide the larger truth at every turn."
"Believe me, you're not going to want to know this. But if I don't tell you, you may very well leave and face my mother, only to die."
"Gee, thanks."
Phoebe's eyes flashed, "This is no time for jokes. Now, listen to me carefully. There is a reason why Gaia hadn't been the one to kill Ouranos. She enlisted her children to help her because in those days, power mattered above all else. Gaia gave up a large part of her power in creating Ouranos. To defeat him herself would mean that she would have had to reclaim that power as her own again, and even though she hated him for what he did to their children, she still loved him enough to not want to carry him around with her forever."
"Reclaim?"
"Yes, the transfer of power from the one who is defeated to the one who makes the kill. That is why Zeus is the king of the cosmos, because he was responsible for the cut that destroyed Kronos. It is why Poseidon, even with his control over the vast majority of this earth, hasn't challenged him. It is another matter altogether that Poseidon is content where he is and has no intentions of overthrowing his brother. Neither does Hades. But yes, reclaiming one's power is just taking back what they once gave up."
"So, now, Zeus can kill Gaia? This is not making any sense. If the Gods have the power that can defeat her, defeat any enemy actually, why do they insist on sitting on their thrones and watch as we, the demigods, flounder about trying to put them down?"
"There is such a thing as too much power. It's why the Gods can't fully intervene. They can just tip the scales one way or another through gentle intervention. There are many things even the Gods have done wrong, but at least this Age is better than the ones that came before."
Percy had always harboured resentment towards the Gods for treating their children the way they did. He hadn't liked seeing Beckendorf, Silena, Ethan Nakamura and countless others dying. He hadn't liked seeing even Luke die, and while he did know that there was good even in these Gods, it was just hard to deal with the fact that he was stuck in a place the Gods themselves had been afraid to come to, with no help from them. He knew they were now making an effort, and it was all he could do to focus on those positive things.
Phoebe's eyes softened, "They are immortals, as am I. Things that matter to you don't matter as much to them. But they are the only ones among any of us who have grown closer to the mortals, learnt to depend on them. At the height of our power, mortals didn't stand a chance. You should learn to love the Gods for doing what they can."
Percy nodded and Phoebe continued, "As I was saying, Kronos took on the power of Ouranos himself, which is nothing but a part of Gaia's power. When he was struck down, this power went over to Zeus. But for the time Kronos inhabited Luke Castellan's body, he began to reclaim the power that was rightfully his. His power, even in Zeus' body, sought him. It's another reason why Olympus was briefly shut down, as Zeus lost most of the power that was not his own. When Luke Castellan sacrificed himself to prevent the rise of Kronos, that power had nowhere to go but to Tartarus. It's here, this essence of Kronos, constantly seeking him out even though Kronos will never again be able to regain consciousness. You, however, as the blood of Kronos, you can take that power for your own. With the powers your father has passed down to you, and with a fraction of Gaia's power, you can defeat her once and for all."
"Oh."
Word Count: 4,956 words in the main content.
Date: 17th August, 2021 - In honor of Percy Jackson's birthday tomorrow.
References: 'The Prophecy of the Seven', 'The Titan's Curse', 'The Last Olympian', 'The Mark of Athena'. Deviating from canon, Oceanus' role in the events of 'The Last Olympian' has been altered to fit in with this story. He has been in Tartarus all this time for the purpose of this story.
Author's Note: Due to the global pandemic, my exam has been repeatedly postponed. Next update will come as soon as I am done with my exam, so see you in a month. After this month, I can promise more regular updates. Let me know if there are any errors in the content. Also, in a month's time, would anyone be willing to work with me on this story as a beta-reader? Let me know what you think of this story in a review. :D