Chapter 9: Heartrending Poison
Camp Olympus East (formerly known as Camp Half-Blood)
"Leo!" a shrill voice rang, shortly followed by a muffled explosion and a billow of black fumes.
Out of a smoke-filled room tumbled a skinny, pointy-eared mechanic giggling like a goblin. Except he wasn't skinny anymore. Hard work in the forges and training for the coming war had transformed the captain of the Argo II into someone to be physically reckoned with. He'd nicely filled out his frame with dense muscle, a testament to the labor in metallurgy. But with the massive change in his physique, his personality hadn't shifted in the slightest.
Leo wiped the soot from his face as he continued laughing and running away from the smoldering room. Behind him emerged an angry Titaness whose face was just as blackened, her white dress horribly stained. She thundered towards him, tackling him before he could escape Cabin Nine's new forge. Sitting down on his back, Calypso flattened his face into the floor. Leo groaned and thrashed, but even with his newfound strength, he was no match for an angry Titan.
"I'm not getting up until you promise me that we'll finish these minibots without any more ashen explosions going off in my face," she demanded.
"But you look so pretty like that," Leo said earnestly, still muffled as he talked into the ground.
Calypso's face softened at the moron she couldn't believe she'd fallen for. The Titaness stood and kicked him in the side before walking back towards the room.
"No more funny business," she called behind her as Leo writhed on the floor, "The hunters get here in just over a week; we need to be done by then."
The entire renovated camp was bustling against similar deadlines for the hunters' arrival and for the impending war. In the year since Camp Half-Blood began preparations, the landscape had become almost unrecognizable. Trademark training facilities were scrapped and turned into state-of-the-art war simulators. The climbing wall had been replaced by a monster fight ring, where all kinds of creatures were captured and kept to practice against. The sword fighting arena had tripled in size, and it housed hundreds of automatons built by Leo and Hephaestus that could be customized to any skill level. The godly cabins had been built larger, and there were twice as many as there used to be. But what hadn't changed at all was the Big House, still the camp's base of operations.
In the ping-pong room, where daily meetings were held, sat two familiar demigods milling over a map of Long Island Sound. The woman in a purple cape pointed at a region of the estuary.
"We should dredge up underwater ditches here and here. Gods, this wouldn't even be an issue if Perc– I'm sorry, this would be much easier with someone that could control the seas," Reyna corrected.
"No, it's okay, you're right. But we need to get started on those trenches this afternoon," replied the daughter of Athena, a small smile on her face.
"With our tasks out of the way, Annabeth, how are you?" the Roman Praetor asked.
Just over a year ago, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had temporarily and unwillingly merged per request of the gods. Both camps still existed independently, but a facilitating tunnel had been built by Annabeth using the reopened Labyrinth, connecting them with a measly ten-minute walk. The Romans had decided on minimal contact with their counterparts, balancing their recent law of separation while still serving the gods.
But when Cameron was outed as a traitor and the perpetrator behind Percy's disappearance, they became more understanding. Still, the Romans held their pride, absolutely certain they never would've been manipulated like the Greeks were. In spite of that, camp relations significantly improved. The remaining crewmembers of the Argo II reconnected, to a certain extent, and new relationships strengthened such as Reyna's with Annabeth, the latter the de facto leader of Camp Half-Blood.
"I'm alright," Annabeth replied, "But I do miss him. Wherever he is, I hope he's doing alright."
(Line Break)
Percy whirled like a cyclone through the ranks of surging monsters. The more experienced hunters took positions in and around the sparse trees as they fired from behind him. Fighting in flatlands was less than ideal, but they did their best to make do. Thalia was surrounded by a ring of hunters that were letting off arrows faster than any normal human could dream of, ensuring no monster could even consider coming close.
Cleaving Riptide through several monsters at a time, Percy ducked claws of empousae, fists of cyclopes, and jaws of hellhounds as he fought towards the hulking drakons. Every so often, he'd see an arrow come straight down and silence a monster attempting to sneak up on him, and he'd marvel internally at Rachel's ability.
The drakons split off from each other. One trailed behind the thinning mob of monsters while the other two wrapped around either side to encircle the hunters. The four-headed hydra hung back behind the middle drakon, setting up like a turret. It spat acid into the air, arcing it towards Percy and the mob alike. Somehow, the poisonous liquid did nothing but mildly irritate the monsters it fell on, but it burned gaping holes where it touched the earth.
Taking note, Percy attacked with renewed vigor. He needed to handle the monstrous acid fountain before it got close enough to fire on the hunters. Out of the corners of his eyes, he watched a dozen girls break off and intercept each drakon flanking the mob on either side. That left less than ten hunters standing near Thalia and providing support to Percy. The demigod's head started to throb, and he couldn't get the image of a shield out of his mind as he thought about the thin ranks around the injured huntress. He forced his focus, reverting his attention to the monsters ahead of him.
The hydra released another spurt of acid high into the air. Tracking it on its way down, Percy made sure to avoid the spittle he was certain could burn straight through him. The poison hissed onto a duo of Cyclopes, and both winced before they realized it had dissolved less than an inch above their skin. Percy picked up on what looked like thin black film forming around them when the acid hit.
They must have some lite version of Erebus' protection. The poison's probably seriously enhanced by a real blessing, and that weird black lining might neutralize it from hurting friendlies, Percy inferred as he cut down the one-eyed duo.
The demigod ripped through the rest of the monsters with Riptide, sustaining less than even minor injuries. Besides a couple punches to the face and an empousai scratch on his side, he was unscathed. Percy dispatched the lone hellhound in front of him, but his victory was short-lived. When he realized he'd ended up several dozen yards from Thalia and the hunters, he spun to retreat. But as he started to run, he was rammed in the back by something that had to have been several tons.
The crippling force lifted the demigod from the earth and launched him careening towards the group. He came to a stop mere feet from Thalia's body as Anna, who'd stayed with the huntress, knelt at his side.
"Percy, are you alright?" she asked shakily.
The demigod turned away from her as he lifted himself to his hands and knees. Nodding weakly, he spat blood onto the flat grass. Even with his own condition, he couldn't help but feel horrible for the young huntress. Less than ten years old, she'd been thrown into a world where the two people closest to her lay battered or dying just feet apart. Percy looked back and found Anna visibly trembling as she tried to hold a brave face. Behind her, Thalia was barely breathing. The image got the demigod back to his feet as a new wave of adrenaline poured into him.
The rest of the hunters around Thalia were unleashing hails of arrows into the drakon that had hit Percy. He knew that the projectiles weren't doing serious damage, but they were keeping the serpent at bay, if only briefly. On queue, the drakon coiled itself before releasing an earth-shattering roar. It charged. Again, Percy was overwhelmed with the mental image of a shield to protect them. The drakon continued to tear towards the group.
Percy closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and embracing the visual. He crossed his arms in an X before he exhaled sharply and thrust them out towards either side. The demigod felt a lurch in his chest as if he'd just expelled something from inside him. Hearing the shouts of the hunters, Percy's eyes snapped open to find a glowing purple dome that'd encompassed the entire group. They watched through the transparent semi-sphere as the drakon reached them, still charging full speed.
The monster lowered its head, unfazed by what it'd seen, and rammed into the barrier. It only realized its mistake after a thunderous crack left the drakon's head bent unnaturally to the side. Screeching as it fell over, neck very obviously broken, it was enveloped in a black aura. The massive serpent had still ruptured the barrier, but the break started to repair itself. Rachel was the first to recover from the shock of whatever the new power was.
"The monster is not dead; look at its neck reshaping. This 'bubble' is strong, but it cannot withstand more than another hit or two based on that crack."
"Yeah, you're right. First use ever, so it's probably the weakest it'll ever be. I'll keep that snake away from here while you guys do what you can for Thalia and then help your sisters with the other two drakons. Also, I like 'bubble'," Percy responded.
"We'll remove the arrow and seal her wound for now. Good luck, brother," Rachel replied.
Percy's eyes widened as he spread his wings and took flight from inside the barrier. Her comment only further strengthened his protectiveness for the hunters, even the ones that may not have accepted him yet. They'd become his sisters, and Percy had no choice but to kill anything that threatened his family.
He flew over the hulking snake, goading it back towards the hydra to get it away from the bubble. The drakon was back on its feet, or talons, tearing after the flying demigod. Relieved that it'd taken the bait, he set down when he was far enough away from the hunters. The drakon covered the distance less than a second slower, snapping its jaws at Percy almost immediately after he'd touched earth. The demigod had to parry and roll on the ground to narrowly avoid its razor-sharp teeth every time it struck. Whenever the drakon got too close, Percy would fly back into the sky and hover just out of reach, ensuring not to get so high that the drakon lost interest.
He wanted to tire out the monster and give enough time for Rachel and Anna's group to split off against the other drakons. From his vantage point in the air, he could see all three of the serpents and the fights ensuing against them. On his right was the group led by Phoebe, and on his left, Atalanta stood with the others. All three drakons were dimensionally identical: well over two hundred feet long and as thick as a city bus, equipped with thick claws on four legs, and rows of teeth that seemed to have no end.
Their only difference was their color: Phoebe's was an ocean blue, Atalanta's a bright green, and Percy's a blood red. He thought his opponent looked exactly like the one Clarisse had killed, except his had legs. Both hunter groups seemed to be holding their own, corralling each drakon however they wanted them to move, using arrows to block their vision, and getting close with long hunting knives to find chinks in their scales. Percy didn't notice the next geyser of acid falling towards him until it'd nearly reached him.
He instinctively folded his wings above his head, causing him to immediately drop altitude. Most of the poison missed as he hunched his form as tightly as he could, but several drops found themselves burning on his wings. Percy's vision blurred from the pain as he gritted his teeth, trying not to scream. The liquid seared into the wings, and he was convinced they were dissolving off of his back. It took all of his concentration to not be mauled by the lurking drakon as he fought to remain conscious.
His vision slowly sharpened, and the pain began to subside. Between parries, he glanced at his wings, and they appeared to be fully intact. But when the demigod tried to flap them again, he was momentarily blinded by new agony. Percy realized he was the problem.
Chaos-level durability shoveled into a human nervous system is gods awful. The wings are completely fine, and I'm still stuck with the searing pain regardless of any actual damage.
Straining, he successfully retracted his wings. Percy started quickly breathing in and out, rapidly reoxygenating his blood; it was a trick he'd taught himself to trigger an adrenaline rush. Strictly on offense, he charged the drakon. The demigod needed to reach the hydra as quickly as possible now that he'd had a taste of how dangerous its poison was. Slipping into the drakon's guard with ease, he unleashed strike after strike into its blood red scales. But each blow seemed to glance off of its coarse skin that'd been paired with the blessing of Erebus.
Unrelenting, Percy swung harder and harder. None of the slashes broke skin, but he knew the drakon could feel the pain. Realizing he was essentially attacking with a bat or another blunt object, he swapped to his Bronze knuckles and continued anew. The demigod whaled on the creature that weighed over a dozen tons, but he quickly grew frustrated. His knuckles started to blister, and he had minimal progress to show for it. The drakon only needed to catch him off guard once, whereas Percy would need several hours worth of punches.
'Chaos-level durability…' the demigod recalled his earlier thought.
He wanted to save his Fist of Havoc for the hydra to be done with it in an instant and not give it a chance to spew any more acid. But he still had his mysterious dagger. Percy slipped it out of his sheath, praying he'd found its use. The drakon reared its thick neck, ready for another strike. As Percy locked eyes with the monster, he remembered how Clarisse had killed its nearly identical counterpart.
It shot towards him, and he leapt to meet it halfway. The demigod struck its upper jaw with a left hook, veering the monster off course by mere inches. With the same hand, he grabbed a ridge on the drakon's nose as he brought down the dagger with the other. He'd stabbed as hard as he could, realizing shortly after that the excessive force wasn't necessary. The dagger ruptured its skin as if it were any other monster.
Percy swore he saw fear in the drakon's eyes as he first ripped through its scales. He gave the monster no time to roll him off or claw at its own face before he purged the knife and rampaged. The drakon could only shriek while more adrenaline made Percy move even faster. He ripped apart the monster's head with the dagger, starting with its eyes just like Clarisse had. In just moments, the drakon shuddered as it shed its black aura and vanished into nothing, not even dust, likely a result of the weapon used to kill it.
Percy clamored to his feet, high on the rush of what had just happened. He looked to his right just in time to see Atalanta's group defeat their green drakon. It'd been on its last legs, definitely blinded in both eyes considering the dozen arrows pricking out of each one, and Percy realized how much easier his fight could've been with a ranged weapon. He watched as Atalanta launched a thicker, glowing arrow straight through the drakon's right eye. It exploded inside the serpent's head, covering the hunters in a plume of golden dust.
Admiring the shot, Percy turned back towards the hydra. He broke into a sprint towards the monster, his heart pounding as his fist glowed bright blue. The four reptilian heads trained on Percy as they built another volley of acid. Instead of an upward arc, they shifted to shoot straight at him while he closed the distance. The demigod realized he'd have to use his wings to have any chance of avoiding the poison. Gritting his teeth, he extended them, and his excitement slightly dulled the pain. Lifting off the ground, he took a glance at how Phoebe was handling the remaining drakon.
His expression shifted to horror. Like Percy, Phoebe had jumped onto the head of the drakon with her dagger. Though it'd also had its eyes dimmed by arrows, the monster still writhed violently. She stabbed between the serpent's eyes, dagger held with both hands and her legs locked around a ridge on its face. But her massive blow bounced off its skin, the glancing impact likely fracturing Phoebe's arm. As her leg lock loosened, the huntress lost her balance, and the serpent whipped its head to the side. She careened off of its face, and the drakon lurched towards her midair form with jaws wide.
Percy jerked his flight path in a split second; it'd be impossible for anybody to survive the bite, likely shearing any mortal clean in two. His wings accelerated him at world-bending speeds towards the outstretched serpent, and he disregarded the hydra that was raring to fire. Percy extended his arm so his glowing fist would collide with the drakon as quickly as possible. He narrowed his eyes to keep his sights steady against the winds he tore past closing the gap. For a moment, he was certain that he'd get to the drakon before it reached Phoebe. His internal relief vanished when his vision turned black from the worst agony he'd ever felt.
The hydra had shot its acid. To compensate for the speed he was moving at and the distance between them, the monster hadn't launched much, but it was more than enough to kill a mortal. Percy screamed as the acid burned through a section of his back unprotected by his wings. He thought his soul was shearing from his body. Undoubtedly, the demigod was dying. His arm dipped as his eyes began to close. No. If he was going to die, he'd die, but he had a job to do first.
It took less than a second more for Percy to collide with the drakon, but fighting to stay on course made it feel like an eternity. The demigod's resolve to stay conscious faded the instant he struck the serpent. Burying into the side of its head, his glowing fist incinerated the monster, and the flatland was enveloped in a brilliant blue hue followed by a shower of dust. Percy hit the ground facedown, unconscious and barely breathing. Phoebe fell next to him, wide-eyed and clutching her shattered wrist.
"What the Hades is your deal, Jackson?" she whispered, barely audible.
Another hunter called to her as the group that'd been with Thalia arrived.
"The bubble disappeared. What happened?" Rachel asked.
"Not now, go handle the hydra! I'll stay with Percy," Phoebe commanded.
Rachel stumbled, unsure if it was because of a fist-sized hole in Percy's back or because Phoebe had called him by his name. But she grimaced and nodded before all of the hunters grouped and advanced on the hydra. Phoebe examined his back, horrified. How could he have done that after she'd been nothing but awful to him the entire time he'd been in the Hunt? The huntress had never seen a wound like his and didn't know the first thing about complex surgeries. All she could do was pray that he woke up. Tears stung her eyes as she realized she was helpless to do anything for the man that, more than likely, would die because he'd saved her.
Hunters against hydra, regardless of any dark blessing, was a one-sided massacre. Several of the girls had been around for centuries and knew everything there was to know about battling any kind of monster. They understood hydras were glass cannons: all attack, no defense. And the hunters specialized in agility; the hydra could do nothing with its slow-building acid but spray and pray. The hunters lit each of their arrows on fire, timing their shots with when the heads opened their mouths. In just minutes, each appendage was burned from the inside out, and the hydra slumped over, body scorched from within.
Amongst the rest of the hunters, wounds included a few with broken bones and essentially everyone riddled with bruises, but no deaths. They split between the two majorly injured parties, Percy and Thalia, both still unconscious. Rachel had removed the arrow from Thalia and done her best to seal both sides of the wound, but blood heavily stained her bandages. As for Percy, what could they do? All of the hunters clasped their hands, praying to Artemis for their safety.
On Olympus
Artemis tapped her foot from her throne as Zeus droned in the background. It was another routine meeting where she felt nothing of importance was ever accomplished. The goddess' only role was to confirm that her hunters were on schedule for their rendezvous at Camp Olympus East, a name she detested.
But she realized she was being unfair; the meeting only felt especially trivial because of what had happened in her tent immediately preceding it. Artemis was ready to get out of the throne room and back to her camp, curious to see what would happen next. She was lost in her thoughts when she felt a surge of strength, a sign of her hunters' prayers. Immediately worried, the goddess excused herself and flashed out of the meeting.
Artemis materialized to find her hunters huddled in two groups on an open field that was littered with golden dust. She didn't see Thalia or Percy standing among either mass. As she rushed to the nearer one, the hunters made way for their mistress. Before all of the girls could speak at once, Atalanta hushed them and briefed the goddess. Artemis knelt next to her lieutenant's body with tears in her eyes, unsure of whether she was alive or dead, but Atalanta seemed to read her thoughts.
"She's alive, Milady. We may need you to take her to Olympus for treatment from Apollo's nurses, but we are hopeful. The arrow ran all the way through her side, so most vital organs should be unscathed."
Artemis grimaced at 'most,' but felt mostly relief before Atalanta continued.
"What does need to be worried about is Percy," she finished, pointing.
Artemis stood abruptly and appeared next to the rest of the hunters. They mirrored the first group, moving out of the way to let Artemis see what'd happened. The goddess found Percy on his stomach motionless, his head resting on Phoebe's leg, as the huntress sobbed with Anna beside her.
"Milady, I'm sorry. The last thing I did was ask you to kill him. And now–" Phoebe choked out.
Artemis felt the ichor rush in her ears. She couldn't process Phoebe implying that he was dead. Closing her eyes, she sent out a mental call with all of the divine energy she could muster.
'APOLLO.'
"Yeesh, that made my head spin, but thanks for the invitation out of another snoozefest. What's with the urgenc–"
The sun god had appeared with his fingers on his temples and his bright smile, but his face quickly fell. His voice took on a dead serious tone after one look at Percy. Apollo barked for the huntresses to move back and they did, having never seen him so humorless. The god's hands emanated a blinding glow, and he placed them over the opening in the demigod's back. Percy's shoulders seemed to relax, but Apollo's lack of reaction gave away that he was still in grave condition.
"Bring Thalia, too," Apollo instructed, not looking up from his patient as he vanished with his body.
(Line Break)
Wake.
Percy jerked up at the behest of the voice. He scrambled to his feet while his mind tried to comprehend the scene before him. The demigod stood in what he could only assume was the center of the universe. In every direction, he saw an infinite expanse of planets and stars, nebulae and supernovas, asteroids and comets. He could feel his brain malfunctioning as it tried to comprehend where he could possibly be.
Beautiful, isn't it?
"Y-yes, Lady Chaos," Percy said, finding his voice as a stream of questions flowed, "But how am I here? Where is here? How can I breathe?"
This is where I am now. And that planet there? a microscopic shape sparked before him, That is where you are. Only your spirit is here to speak to me.
Percy felt overwhelmed by the small taste of the expansive universe. He couldn't help but feel absolutely insignificant. A hopeless thought formed within him.
"Lady Chaos? If you have all of this, why do you care what happens to us on Earth? Aren't we kind of nothing to you?"
Maybe it was because his actual body was on the brink of death, and that he'd been suddenly faced with infinity itself, but Percy felt so weak. To his surprise, Chaos laughed softly.
If I did not care, what kind of Creator would that make me? You humans have shown a propensity for love, courage, and loyalty greater than I could have wished for at your inception. I have watched you all overcome the most tragic of times and flourish after having nothing but your own hope at your backs. I feel immense pride in my creation; how could I not care for it?
A warmer sense of belonging replaced his initial despair, but Percy snapped to attention as Chaos continued.
But the matter at hand is that you are nearly dead. Your sun god, Apollo, has been working tirelessly to save you, and I believe he has finally discovered how. But it is up to you to survive. I have brought you here to tell you that Erebus has become aware of your newfound powers, and he is very familiar with them. They originate from another universe, one he previously attempted to and failed to conquer. As they had been proven to be effective against his forces, I granted them to you. There is one more power for you to unearth, and it is the strongest of them all. But with even those abilities, you must take caution, because your battles will become more difficult. I believe the woman who cares for you has already told you the same. Return to your planet and to her.
Percy's face tinted red as he finished soaking in Chaos' words. But he nodded and bowed before his vision faded to black.
(Line Break)
Artemis sat in a chair beside a hospital bed, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. It'd been two days since Apollo completed whatever experimental surgery he'd come up with. In total, Percy had been unconscious for six, brought back from death a dozen times over within that period. She'd visited him every day, desperate for any update. The goddess had been ecstatic when Thalia was back on her feet, making a full recovery, and it only left Percy to do the same.
She sat at his bedside, silently cursing that her departure to Olympus had been just moments before the battle. Despite his dire consequences, she felt incredibly proud of the demigod's actions that she'd heard about from Phoebe. Artemis reached out and softly touched Percy's hand, running a finger down his open palm.
Artemis closed her eyes and just sat for a few minutes. The only noise in the room was the rhythmic beat of a heart monitor. Then an extra blip sounded, and Percy's fingers softly closed around hers. The goddess released a sigh that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and she laughed quietly. Though the rest of his form remained still, Percy's soft grip held a silent promise that he'd be alright.