Chapter 24: Together Against Hell
The silent, dimmed atmosphere of Olympus was interrupted by a muffled echo. The denizens of the godly city spilled out into the streets, anxious chatter hanging in the air. The echo rang again, and all heads snapped in the direction of the closed throne room. Since the news of Typhon's return, the doors had remained shut as all of the Olympians were off to battle, which only led to more confusion when the clanging echo became louder and more frequent.
"Who could possibly be in there making that racket?" a naiad asked.
Her question was answered with an explosion. A golden projectile ripped a hole through the doors from inside, shearing the thick marble designed to withstand Titans. The shining blur rocketed east at blinding speeds, leaving far behind the bewildered inhabitants of the city.
(Line Break)
Pegasus gasped shallowly as he tried to stay conscious, wincing while Reyna struggled to dislodge herself from beneath him. The pair had been slammed into the sand by a devastating punch from the rampaging giant king. Reyna groaned as she slid away, her hip very obviously broken. The demigod's jaw dropped when she saw Pegasus' collapsed torso, the horse god having at least half of his ribs shattered.
"Oh gods," Reyna whispered, limping to cradle his head.
Pegasus whinnied weakly as ichor spilled from his mouth. Behind them, Jason zipped around the giant as quickly as the winds could carry him. Porphyrion shuddered and groaned with every step due to his crippling wounds, but he would not go down. The demigod pair grew increasingly frustrated by his refusal to die; Hercules remained permanently out of commission, and Pegasus just didn't have the offensive strength to deal a godly fatal blow.
Their only hope was to stay alive long enough for one of the other gods on the battlefield to reach them. But, with night having fallen over the desert, they didn't see themselves surviving that long. Every one of the thousands upon thousands of monsters present thrived in the comfort of darkness, gaining confidence as a collective. They were pooling at a greater rate through the roaring pits of hell as Tartarus turned up the heat against the defiant army of Olympus.
Jason shouted as his left arm shattered while blocking a deadly swing from Porphyrion. The demigod had parried the brutal backhand, but intense shocks sparked across his arm as he tumbled into the sand.
"You… die… Roman," Porphyrion groaned tiredly, speaking his first words while he ripped his spear from Hercules' limp body.
The giant king was slowly stumbling towards the crippled trio when a sonic boom ripped through the air followed by a blood-curdling scream. Pitch black arrows poured from the sky like a torrential rain as monsters exploded into dust by the dozens. A familiar earthshake of blue lightning exploded at the deepest center of the still-amassing monster army as a figure crashed to the ground.
An incinerating wave of blue electricity followed, cremating over a thousand monsters before anybody could react. Pandemonium broke out in the middle of the monster army as they trampled each other to escape the roaring demon that'd descended from the sky.
Atlas, far from the impact, stood momentarily stunned while bringing a fatal fist down on the trapped daughter of Athena. The titan shrugged the scene away to accomplish his current objective. Annabeth looked up at the monstrous creature defiantly before her face shifted to surprise. The titan mirrored her expression, looking down to find the bronze tip of a sword protruding from his sternum.
Atlas faltered, stumbling forward, before the figure behind him roared and lifted him off of his feet using the weapon the titan was impaled on. Annabeth's eyes widened further as the man behind the monster was revealed. Percy lifted Atlas overhead, twisting his sword, making the titan shout in agony. Annabeth leapt forward and grabbed his sword hand, meeting his rageful eyes.
"Percy, please don't kill Atlas. I don't know what's wrong, but you can't kill him. Damasen's stuck in his place; we need him," she pleaded quickly.
The new god's eyes softened before he ripped his sword out of the titan. Atlas groaned as he fell face-first into the sand, only to howl as Riptide severed both of his legs at the knees. Percy stomped against the titan's nape, and the monster fell unconscious.
"Are you alright, Annabeth," he asked, his voice gentle as he checked over her wounds.
"Mhm-yeah. I'll be okay," she answered groggily before her legs gave out and she lost consciousness.
Percy's eyes shot wide as he thrust his hands outward and enveloped the pair in a purple bubble. He gave her one last worried look as Rachel, the hunters' medic, appeared, and he vanished into the sky again.
Jason staggered to his feet in front of Reyna and Pegasus, facing Porphyrion alone. He winced as his head throbbed, but he didn't take his eyes off of his hulking opponent while some unknown carnage took place in the background. Jason just hoped it was one of the gods on their side. As the giant stumbled closer, the demigod groaned and fell to one knee. His vision blurred as the fatigue of the battle caught up to him.
"Get back!" a voice shouted, and Jason could almost physically feel his heart drop out of his chest.
Piper ran into their battle ring wielding her blade and positioning herself between the giant and her friends. Both Jason and Reyna begged her to run, but she stood firm while neither of them could even climb back to their feet. The daughter of Aphrodite felt her legs start shaking as Porphyrion raised his spear.
Percy barreled forward bare-fisted, launching his entire body into the giant king and flattening him against the sand. He kneeled on the blubbering monster's neck and began whaling on him wearing the same look of rage as before. He hit him again and again until Porphyrion's face was indistinguishable from a bloody crater. Piper eyed it in disgust before she sunk Katoptris into where the giant's neck was supposed to be and, to her shock, he disintegrated.
"Percy? You're a god?" she asked in disbelief.
"Not by choice," he started vengefully, "but now I need to get to Typhon."
"Dude, that's too far away, even with your wings," Jason groaned, alerting Percy to his position, "He's probably almost at Mount Olympus by now."
Percy ran over to the Roman demigods, placing his hands on their wounds and releasing an orange light. He was shocked to see the awful injuries mend right before eyes.
A newly powerful ability, Percy thought to himself as he tried the same on Pegasus.
It didn't work to even nearly the same extent, but he watched the horse visibly relax as the warmth spread through his broken body. Percy stood up and concentrated on an idea about his powers. He felt himself start to melt into nothingness as his form dematerialized into the night. His audience stood awestruck at the former demigod that'd faded into shadow.
(Line Break)
Typhon spun his spiked tail and shattered Athena's chariot, who had seemed to lose focus just moments earlier. The Goddess of Wisdom joined Apollo and Hephaestus, both flattened only minutes before, as additional Olympians that'd been decommissioned from the fight against Typhon. The gods' numbers were dwindling, and their grasp on hope slipped again.
The hellish monster grew bored as the Olympians stood on the brink of failure. He turned from his earthen perch and lowered himself into the Mediterranean for the final stretch to Greece.
Zeus suddenly stumbled forward before he caught himself on the railing of his chariot. He shivered uncontrollably as Artemis pulled up next to him.
"Father, what is it?" she asked, her eyes full of concern.
"I… I do not know, daughter, but I feel as if I have lost a part of me," he answered miserably.
Confused, Artemis' eyes darted between the remaining Olympians orbiting the demonic being. Hades clutched his chest as he used his other hand to brace himself upright. Hera did the same. Hestia's flame avatar vanished as she fell to her knees. The Goddess of the Hunt looked around in elevated confusion, as did Ares and Aphrodite, until every deity present simultaneously straightened their backs.
Artemis' body shot to high alert as she felt the balance of power shift among the gods. It only added to her confusion that the new presence felt familiar, yet it was far too powerful to be any deity she couldn't immediately identify.
Typhon was not exempt from freezing alongside the gods. The Father of Monsters paused as he sensed the universal scales shift. Waist-deep in the sea, the being exuded his first ever signs of fear as his previous defeat rose to the forefront of his mind.
The water around him churned violently as an empty chariot rocketed into the air from the depths of the sea. Typhon flailed and released a deafening roar. It was answered by a scream that shook the sky, and the blackness of the night coalesced into a figure overhead.
Percy thrust his hands forward as he fell towards the speeding chariot, and chains as dark as the night itself materialized from his grasp. They were large enough to anchor battleships, and hundreds of tons worth of them fell across Typhon's shrieking form.
A sonic boom erupted from far west of the giant monster, and a weapon revealed itself rocketing forward. Typhon unleashed a foreign scream, one of pain, as a golden trident ripped into his skin and out of his opposite side, returning to the grasp of the God of the Seas.
The ocean exploded with movement as thousands of sea creatures erupted from it, kneeling in the direction of the blinding light suddenly emanating from the sea green chariot.
Call, and the sea will answer.
Hippocampi rallied by the hundreds as they wrapped themselves through the chains and dove deep, wrestling against Typhon's immense strength. Cetae, dragon-like sea monsters, rose from the depths and coiled the blackened binds, dragging them down with their sheer bodyweight.
The Olympians watched in awe as creatures that hadn't been seen in decades seemingly materialized in the Mediterranean, heeding the return of Poseidon. Ares stumbled back when he saw hulking tentacles rise from the sea to rip down a dozen massive chains themselves.
Even Typhon's unparalleled durability wasn't enough to slow the return of the godly symbol of power to its master, and he poured a river of black blood for the first time in his millenia of life. The sea churned darker as the liquid pooled around him, and he sank lower into it. The surrounding gods shouted and renewed their efforts to ensure their victory while Typhon glowed from Tartarus' active blessing.
Through their onslaught, the gods tried to gain a glimpse of the returned Olympian but had to avert their gaze from the light of his form. Artemis, petrified by the fact that she didn't feel a demigod's presence in Poseidon's chariot, took a moment from firing thousands of arrows to pull up alongside her uncle.
"Poseidon!" she shouted into the deafening storm raging around them, "Where is Percy?!"
The blinding glow around the figure dulled, and Artemis bored into it before she stumbled back.
"Oh my gods," she whispered.
Percy stood firm with his father's trident in his hands, eyes shut as he commanded the ocean below. Tears seeped through his closed slits while he concentrated on subduing the buckling monster ahead.
The goddess clasped a hand over her mouth as she realized what must have happened, having experienced the same with the former Goddess of the Moon, Selene. But she was brought out of her stupor as Olympian cheers erupted across the sky.
Only Typhon's head remained above water as a fissure ripped through the bottom of the ocean to condemn him to the depths of hell. The armada of gods continued their assault while cheering for "Poseidon" when the earth shuddered under the weight of crackling laughter.
"Yes! Return him to me!" Tartarus roared, manifesting on the Egyptian banks.
He launched blood-red spears with pinpoint accuracy, splintering Olympian chariots one after another. Artemis dove into Percy's moments before Tartarus shattered hers.
"Percy, we can't just send him back down there; we need to figure out another way," she said.
"Never planned to," he answered in a level voice, "I'm going to kill him."
One after another, Zeus, Hera, Hades, Ares, Aphrodite, Hestia all flashed to the banks of the Mediterranean to escape their tumbling chariots. They spun around to watch Typhon's condemnation. As the sea green chariot rushed past them, the change in the Olympians' expressions ranged from abject shock to vindication to instant tears.
Hestia began to bawl immediately as she caught a glimpse of her formerly dead son rocketing past her as he took on the Father of All Monsters.
"H-how is this possible?" Zeus stuttered as he identified the chariot's rider.
"I knew it!" Hades shouted, "I knew there was a reason I couldn't find his damn soul before his funeral!"
All of the gods whirled on him, irritated that he hadn't shared the crucial information earlier. The God of Death raised his hands in resignation.
"In my defense, my working theory was that his soul was destroyed, which was not unreasonable at all considering the circumstances of his 'death.' But we can only learn how he is here after the battle is won."
Typhon craned his head to keep it above water, flailing as he tried to paddle through the thousands of tons of force behind the chains dragging him into the sea. Through the corner of his eye, Percy took note of Khione still flying next to the thrashing creature. The sea god held a hand out in front of him, and a thick channel of blooded-black water rose from the sea. Typhon groaned, and Percy flicked his wrist downward.
The channel of water carrying the monster's own blood exploded towards him, hundreds of thousands of cubic feet at a time barreling down his gaping maw. Typhon choked as it filled his throat and lungs. The pressure burgeoned as the neverending wave began to spill over itself, asphyxiating him.
"Khione!" Percy shouted, "Freeze the water!"
The goddess looked up in shock before a malicious smile spread across her face. Typhon began clawing at his own throat, tearing through his skin as he tried to free himself from his oceanic trap. Khione slipped as close as she could get without being struck by the berserker and concentrated on the millions of gallons of water inside his body.
"No!" Tartarus roared, running towards the ocean.
The army of Olympians intercepted him, attacking the Primordial of the Pit with everything they could. Tartarus snarled as he whirled towards them, unsheathing his sickles to defend himself.
Behind him, Typhon roared in agony at the center of the sea before a raucous crack ripped through the air. The sea channel clogging his body froze solid and silenced him. Tartarus gritted his teeth as he darted a look, feeling the physical strain of the blessing he'd permanently attached to the choking creature.
"I will kill you all myself!" he shouted, dragging his sickles across the banks while stalking towards the Olympians.
The monstrous primordial emanated unparalleled power and malice as his face returned to a dark whirlpool. But his trudging shape stopped in its tracks when violent, echoing crackling erupted from the sea.
Percy stood in his chariot, holding his breath, with his fists clenched in front of his face. He shut his eyes in concentration as he slowly pulled his hands apart, shaking under the burden of his task. The crackling grew louder, and Typhon spoke again, growling weakly. Percy didn't relent as he slowly separated his fists further before ripping them in opposite directions.
The frozen river inside Typhon exploded. Khione, the closest to the monster, looked on in disgust as hundreds of massive, jagged shards of ice pushed against his impenetrable skin from the inside. Typhon didn't make a sound as his body fell limp, rendered powerless against the anchors wrapped around him, and he sank like a rock.
Artemis caught Percy as he fell forward, exhausted. He raised a closed fist, shaking the underwater fissure closed, and Typhon's body fell to rest on the seafloor.
On the banks of the Mediterranean, the Olympians stared in awe. Not at Typhon's gruesome defeat, but at the Primordial of the Pit struggling to stay upright as he fell to one knee. Tartarus braced himself with his sickles, burying them in the sand before he stood back up.
Even through the hellish whirlpool that the gods themselves had to avert their gaze from, they could tell the primordial was in pain.
"Artemis and Athena were right," Zeus said quietly for only the Olympians to hear, "Typhon's blessing was not independent; Tartarus established a connection between them. He felt all of the pain, all of the damage Typhon bore, and is now suffering from it. He is weakened."
Tartarus' head snapped in the direction of the Olympians, exuding rage at the overheard statement.
"YOU BELIEVE I NEED MY FULL POWER TO DESTROY YOU?" he roared, shoving to his feet.
"Even the form you see in front of you is not my remaining strength. I am separated between here and that desert riddled with all of your spawn, who seem to have turned the tide," Tartarus spat resentfully.
The hellish being continued.
"That front of mortals and lesser gods is of no consequence; once you are gone, I will raze them in an instant."
Tartarus inhaled, drawing the rest of his power to him as the present Olympians shifted in nervous anticipation.
(Line Break)
Leo's battalion of dragons blazed forward in formation, unleashing unending columns of fire into the retreating army. With the strongest monsters utterly decimated, the demigod commanders and accompanying gods had turned their full attention to the lesser ones.
Aeolus darted through the air as an invisible attacker, ripping monsters apart with scathing tornadoes. Nemesis did what she did best as she exacted revenge on the monsters for every demigod that'd been killed during the battle, the goddess shredding through the enemy. Tyche continued her awful jokes as she ran through the monstrous mob unscathed while decimating them.
Together, Thalia and Jason unleashed hundreds of tendrils of lightning at a legion of cyclopes, killing them all instantly. Frank flailed as the Erymanthian Boar, crushing a hundred monsters at a time under his sheer tonnage with every hop. Leo laughed like a maniac as he launched a fireball the size of a city block into the heart of the monster army.
The demigod army had shrunk to less than a thousand and was still outnumbered more than ten to one, but the fearful monsters didn't care anymore. Even under the cover of night, terror stained their faces as the army trampled itself rushing towards the roaring pits that led to Tartarus.
"Don't leave a single one on Earth!" Hazel shouted, corralling the monsters on horseback.
If a single one strayed away from the brunt of the sprinting army, Arion ground them to dust under his hooves and darted away before its friends could strike back. Clarisse's Berserkers bottlenecked the entrances to Tartarus, feeding their bloodlust while the monsters also tore through their own ranks to return home.
Suddenly, the furthest left hellhole shuddered and groaned as it circled closed. The hundred monsters standing in the entrance wailed in agony as the blazing gateway collapsed on them, getting stuck on their bodies until it slowly sheared its way through them. As the first gateway shut, the demigods descended on the abandoned segment of monsters and slaughtered them all.
They continued to advance, but Reyna aptly took charge as she realized what was happening. The Roman Praetor bounded forward, clawed herself atop Frank's squealing transformation, and shouted to the Olympian army from the back of the rampaging hog.
"Tartarus is consolidating his power! Remember that he couldn't keep the gates open when he appeared in front of us at the battle's beginning! The Olympians must be fighting him now, and he's searching for more strength! We're going to do our part and HOLD THESE GATES!" she commanded.
The Olympian army roared in reply and doubled their charge. Calypso and Leo shared a look as they both had the same realization. The son of Hephaestus groaned aloud.
"Fine, but we're saving Festus for last."
The monsters' numbers dwindled as the remaining crowds shoved their way through the gateways or were massacred by the demigods. Leo pressed his hands against Festus' neck, sending out a signal to his fleet of autonomous dragons. Calypso jumped and landed behind Leo as her dragon jerked up and barreled forward.
Eight gateways remained, shuddering as they began to shrink. Eight dragons tore ahead as Festus rode behind them, surveilling their destinations. The hulking metal creatures lodged themselves headfirst in the openings, positioning themselves halfway in the overworld and halfway in Tartarus.
As the gates closed, sizzling hisses against the dragons' bodies tore through the Saharan landscape. The openings collapsed against the bronze machines, binding them in place. The dragons creaked and groaned as the hellfire burned their metal skin, but the mechanical beings were a hundred times more durable than individual monsters.
Still, slowly, the Celestial Bronze began to melt as the primordial continued to will the doors shut. The demigods and gods present jumped in to assist as best they could. Triton doused the portals with steady streams of conjured water, keeping the dragons' skin cool for precious extra seconds. Aeolus, Nemesis, and Tyche each tried to pry open the portals with their bare hands, slowing their closure.
Frank turned back into a Hundred-Handed-One and had his limbs spread across multiple gateways. The blazing fire tore through his skin, but he grimaced as he held on. The rest of the demigods shouted their encouragement and beat on their shields.
"It's all up to the Olympians now," Thalia said, praying for their success.
(Line Break)
"What. Is. This?" Tartarus hissed slowly, exhaling and breaking his concentration.
The primordial grew frustrated by his failed attempt to empower himself. He growled and ripped his sickles from the earth.
"All of you die today."
The Olympians raised their weapons, shuddering as the overwhelming whirlpool drew nearer. A careening object rocketed to the earth as Tartarus jumped toward the gods. The sea-green vehicle splintered against his purple flesh and blood-red armor. Tartarus stumbled back before slashing through the chariot like it was silk.
"You should not be here, Pos–"
The primordial stopped in his tracks when the dust cleared and revealed Percy standing before him draped in black armor. Artemis stood next to him, equally surprised by the wardrobe transformation. Switching weapons to Riptide, Percy's eyes never left Tartarus' draining whirlpool.
"An Olympian stands, preserved or raised…"Tartarus thought aloud, his jarring voice rippling across the banks, "Poseidon was never the one I had to stop from being 'raised.'"
Percy disregarded the primordial's realization.
"You're going to join your brother soon," he instead replied in a deathly calm tone.
Tartarus gnashed his teeth while Zeus and Hades stepped up, flanking Percy on either side.
"It is fortunate to have both you and the oceans back, Perseus," Zeus said, placing a hand on the new god's shoulder.
"I couldn't save him," Percy answered harrowingly.
"Yet, we can sense our brother within you, nephew," Hades replied, "but this is a discussion for later. For now…"
"Yes…" Tartarus said, bounding forward, "Now you die."
The primordial sliced downwards, striking his sickles against Percy's sword. Zeus and Hades sidestepped, slashing their own weapons at the monster. Zeus' Master Bolt arced towards him, only to be ducked under as the hellish deity kicked the god in the side. Tartarus shoved Percy back, overpowering him, as he caught Hades' spear and snapped it in two.
The God of the Underworld donned his Helm of Darkness as he unsheathed his scimitars. Tartarus paid him no attention, instead spinning around and slicing an arrow out of midair. Artemis had already circled to his opposite side, and her calculating eyes were searching for openings. She faltered when he deftly caught her second projectile and vaulted towards her. The goddess braced, already swinging her bow.
Darkness consolidated in front of her and Percy appeared, catching a kick to the chest from the primordial.
"Foolish heroism. You are destined to lose, insect," Tartarus snarled.
Percy shot to his feet, holding a death glare against the primordial's terrifying face.
"You won't take anyone else from me."
Tartarus laughed as he swung his sickles, but Percy caught them on his sword. He bucked against the primordial's weapons and quickly thrust a hand forward. A black spear ripped from underneath Tartarus, stabbing into his thigh. He snarled as he jumped back.
"My damned sister's abilities as well," the monster spat.
Tartarus didn't have time to think as a bolt of lightning ripped into his back. Shadowy hands rose from the earth to pummel the monster while columns of fire enveloped him. Artemis released a volley of arrows into the fray as Percy mirrored her with his own black bow. Even in the heat of the intense battle, the couple shared a glance as the formerly abysmal demigod archer seemed to be holding his own.
The moment was cut short when Tartarus shouted and unleashed a wave of force, pushing everybody back. Zeus recovered immediately, bounding forward with his weapon. The King of the Gods clashed against the Primordial of the Pit, and electricity arced in every direction. Hades joined his brother, bringing his scimitars down on Tartarus' left arm.
The blades dug into his purple flesh and the monster gritted his teeth. He shoved Zeus away and flexed his arm to hold Hades' weapons in place. The God of the Underworld struggled to dislodge them, suddenly roaring when Tartarus buried a sickle into his stomach.
Hestia rushed forward, erupting a volcano of fire and knocking the primordial back. She threw Hades' arm over her shoulder and helped him stumble from the fray. Percy barreled ahead, accompanied by a flurry of silver arrows, and locked blades against Tartarus. The primordial huffed as he renewed his attack, his sickles inching towards Percy's neck. The newest Olympian dropped into a lunge, ready to feint his attacker.
Tartarus sneered, leaning forward with his dual blades. Percy narrowed his eyes as he shifted his weight to misdirect the primordial, a terrible mistake. Tartarus' ancient strength was nothing like he'd ever fought against before; the monster didn't hold back like Nyx did. Percy's back knee buckled under his monstrous enemy.
"Fall!" a sweet, feminine voice shouted.
Percy and Tartarus reacted simultaneously, the hulking primordial collapsing against the stumbling Olympian. As the pair crashed to the ground, Percy held his sword upright. Riptide buried itself in the primordial's gut, eliciting a grunt as he shoved off of Percy.
Tartarus shouted, grasping at his head as he tore to his feet again. Percy shook himself violently as he regained his senses. The primordial whirled around towards where the voice had come from to find Aphrodite with her hands cupped around her mouth to amplify her words. He roared as he ran towards her, and the goddess stumbled back.
Ares met the monster wielding his own blade, and they clashed briefly. Zeus tore towards the primordial from behind, rearing back his Master Bolt. As Tartarus shoved Ares back, he whirled around to meet the King of the Gods.
"Stumble!" Aphrodite shouted.
Tartarus tripped for a moment, as did Percy. Zeus ran his bolt through the off-balance monster's shoulder, unleashing lightning directly into his body. As Tartarus groaned, Artemis caught Percy and turned him to look at her.
"Block out her voice, Percy. Without our proper training, Aphrodite's charmspeak is nearly irresistible, even if you are not her intended target."
Percy shut his eyes tightly as the immune Olympians engaged their enemy in combat. Every time Aphrodite spoke, Tartarus froze for a moment, but Percy did too. The Olympians landed their blows while Percy remained in the backline. He felt powerless; his body seemed to react on its own. Suddenly, his head snapped back to the Goddess of the Hunt as she landed another arrow on the primordial.
"Artemis, I need you to speak when she does. Shout your own commands," he said.
The goddess' eyes widened, but she nodded. Percy sheathed his sword as blackened bronze knuckles materialized on his fists. He shut his eyes, feeling for the malevolent presence in front of him. The young god broke into a blind run as Tartarus found his footing, slicing deep gashes across both Zeus and Ares' chests. Tartarus grinned, kicking the two and Hera away before Percy closed the gap between him and the monster.
"Freeze!" Aphrodite shouted.
"Cross!" Artemis commanded at the same time.
Tartarus froze. Percy didn't. The only focus in his lucid mind was Artemis' voice and the monster's presence as he raised his fist and slammed it against the primordial's jaw with a resounding crack. Tartarus stumbled backwards, ichor dribbling from his maw alongside the wounds all across his body.
He snarled as he charged Percy again.
"Slide!"
"Hook!"
Aphrodite quickly caught on to what was happening, a twinge of jealousy that any man heralded a voice above her own. Tartarus slid forward, catching a shattering fist to his chin followed by an uppercut courtesy of his voluntarily blind opponent. Recovered, Zeus and Ares charged toward the duo as Artemis and Aphrodite continued to shout in unison.
Percy delivered violent blows to Tartarus' sternum, then liver, then neck. Zeus electrified the monster's form again and again, frying his nerve endings. Ares sliced as quickly as he could, dealing shallow cuts that quickly started adding up. The primordial roared, shoving the trio away as he shuddered. He whirled towards the Goddess of Love, launching both of his sickles.
Artemis instantly fired two arrows to intercept them. One arrow sent a sickle ricocheting into the distance while Tartarus jumped in front of the other silver projectile, allowing it to sink into his shoulder. Aphrodite choked as her eyes shifted down, settling on the blade buried in her throat. She collapsed as Hestia darted to her side, already applying her healing abilities.
"That is ENOUGH!" Tartarus roared, flexing his taloned hands.
He raised a razor-sharp digit in Percy's direction, breathing as heavily as the trio before him.
"You are much more exhausted than you are letting on, boy. Even in death, Typhon may still have served a purpose."
Percy knew he was right. He finally opened his eyes, and it took his remaining concentration to stare defiantly back at Tartarus' hellish "face." The mad deity darted forward at blinding speeds, and Percy was too slow to block.
A silver blur moved even quicker, slashing her twin hunting knives across Tartarus' outstretched arms. The monster recoiled as Artemis stood protectively in front of the stunned son of the sea.
"Eager to die for a dead man walking?" Tartarus sneered at the goddess as ichor dripped from his form.
Percy steeled himself, and his eyes narrowed. He reached behind him and unveiled his Void Ether weapon. Tartarus took a single step back before his eyes focused on the jagged blade, and he instead let out a crackling laugh.
Percy put a hand on Artemis' shoulder, softly stepping past her and trudging towards the primordial. All of the gods fell silent while Percy neared him. Tartarus' face morphed into a humanoid one, bloodied and bruised but holding a malevolent grin. He flexed his hand as Percy stepped within effective range. Tartarus shouted, rearing back, and Percy thrust a hand at the ground. As the monster struck down, a black dome enveloped the pair.
(Line Break)
Tartarus' claw slashed harmlessly through air as he was plunged into abject darkness. The primordial spun around, still seeing nothing but black while his divine eyes tried to adjust. Percy silently circled the primordial, holding his jagged blade ready as he searched for the right moment to strike. He also closed his eyes, sending out his senses as he searched for something else.
"Reveal yourself, boy," Tartarus grated, slashing his clawed hands erratically in search of Percy.
The young god remained quiet, still waiting. Finally, his head perked up, finding what he was looking for as he felt a somber gaze fall upon him.
Outside of the dome, Zeus reared back his Master Bolt to try and break the dark barrier. Artemis stood frozen as she relived the last time Percy had been enveloped in one with a primordial. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a soft twinkling emanating from the black outline: stars. Her eyes shot open as she caught Zeus' arm mid-throw.
"Father, stop! It's Percy's; he fabricated the dome himself," she said.
Zeus looked at her stunned, asking what she meant. As simply as the goddess could manage, she regurgitated Percy's explanation of being torture-trained by Nyx and receiving her blessing, citing it as the probable cause behind the new ability. The Olympians were stunned that yet another primordial was showing interest in their conflict. The goddess smiled internally at just how many surprises Percy had had in store for them over the years.
In the pitch black domain, Tartarus roared as he continued his untargeted onslaught.
"FACE ME!" he shouted into the darkness.
Percy focused on the ground beneath Tartarus' feet, and a spear shot out, impaling the monster's knee. The primordial gritted his teeth, ripping the weapon out immediately and throwing it at the encircling field. Percy audibly grunted when the rocketing spear shattered against his dome. The primordial perked up, releasing roaring laughter as he realized how to hurt his hidden opponent.
"Why have you done this, boy? Why have you guaranteed your death?" he asked, clawing the dome.
Percy spat out his own ichor as he inched closer to the blind primordial.
"Because it would've taken us too long to destroy you alone," the Olympian responded, "You'd have hurt more of my family."
His eyes hardened as Tartarus laughed again.
"Hurt? I am going to KILL your family!"
The primordial poked a clawed digit deep into the domain's black wall. Percy shuddered as he felt its burning pain.
"I will not pretend that I still do not respect your strength, boy, but you are well out of your depth. It will be my pleasure to show you why, exactly, I am the original embodiment of Torture."
I know I'm out of my depth, Percy thought to himself, looking around as he spat up more of his own blood, and I know you're watching me. I also know you don't want to see me die, as much as you pretend you'd easily get over it.
Percy felt the observing presence resist him. He fell to his knees as Tartarus continued to slowly rip into his domain, exactly hard enough to cause him impossible agony while keeping him conscious. Old scars opened up and poured ichor as Percy's vision became fuzzy.
The Olympian resigned that any help was coming, and he fought to his feet. He shouted as he barreled forward, the jagged blade raised overhead. Tartarus whirled towards the sound, still blind, but he grinned as the thundering body grew nearer. Percy vaulted into the air, bringing the weapon down at Tartarus' throat.
He never got the chance to strike as Tartarus' fist closed around his neck, instinctively detecting his descent. Struggling against his spiked grip, the Olympian dug into the primordial's forearm with his nails. Tartarus gritted his teeth as Percy's beyond godly strength slowly fractured his bone. He threw the Olympian to the ground, and Percy fell sprawling as he choked on his own ichor.
"My war was always going to end this way, boy. You may have defeated Erebus yourself, but I am not my brother. Take solace in the fact that your story will always be remembered by my mother and that ungrateful wench, Nyx."
The blackness silently coalesced behind Tartarus, and Percy snorted as he felt the presence in his mind rage and vanish.
"I thought she'd wait until right before I died. You really did this to yourself, monster," the Olympian laughed, shuddering.
Tartarus gnashed his teeth, only confused by the statement and the crippled figure's lack of fear. The primordial tensed his legs to bound forward before he was forced to let out a gurgling howl. The blade of a silver scythe protruded from his collarbone. Tartarus' face shifted to one of horror as he stared down at the weapon that had run him through.
The primordial tried to spin around, but was caught in place by the steel grip of the weapon's wielder. Ash and smoke billowed through the darkness, choking Tartarus' further bloodied form. Percy climbed to his feet, bounding forward as he again raised his serrated blade.
Tartarus raised an arm to block the descending god, only for his appendage to be cleaved through by Riptide in Percy's other hand. The primordial shouted as the Olympian roughly landed on his shoulder before stabbing what remained of his Void Ether blade into his neck.
Tartarus fell to the ground as Nyx dislodged her scythe and stepped back, staring down at her brother in her calmer form. Percy had fallen with him, laying atop the bloodied monster. The young god lifted himself, twisting his knife on its way out and eliciting more gurgling gasps from Tartarus as his primordial ichor turned black. But Percy didn't stop moving, stabbing like a jackhammer while the Primordial of the Pit flailed under the rudimentary blade.
Minutes later, the Olympian collapsed from exhaustion, breathing heavily. The Void Ether stump clattered to the ground at his side. Percy slowly realized that Tartarus' body had gone limp long before he'd stopped his onslaught. Nyx stared down at him with an unreadable expression.
"Thank you, Nyx." Percy said, his eyes closed as he shot a lopsided smile into the darkness.
The primordial simply nodded, her face becoming tranquil before she vanished. The dome dematerialized while Tartarus' body slowly faded. Artemis immediately darted forward, followed closely by the rest of the Olympians as she slid down next to Percy. The young god was covered in both his own ichor and Tartarus' black blood.
The Goddess of the Hunt lifted Percy's head into her lap as she silently prayed for him to open his eyes. The god gave her a small smile as his chest heaved rhythmically. Relief washed over Artemis' face while Hestia came and knelt down next to her son.
"It's over," Percy whispered as he finally let himself fall asleep.
A/N: So, that's my "realistic" take on how even someone as freakishly powerful as Tartarus could be defeated and I hope you guys are happy with it. I don't enjoy when Percy gets some unbelievably insane boost in power that he basically solos the big bad, so here's my version where basically the entire army and Olympian lineup really had to work together to win their war while Percy still got super cool highlight moments as the protagonist. Anyways, that's like 15k+ words straight of that war. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't insanely excited to move on to the fun fuzzy stuff coming (there's still a good bit). I'd love to hear your thoughts on the way this ended!
kaya: OH MY GODS! this story is amazing! like i just stumbled across this one randomly and i was hooked! so how often do you update it?
Thank you so much! I update every week, generally on a Thursday or Friday. :)
PokemonAndPJOFanboy: Noooo not my boy Poseidon! Wait… is Percy an Olympian now? You are amazing at writing heart-wrenching cliff hangers. It's impressive and frustrating at the same time lol.
Yes, our boy is really an Olympian now; he's come a long way. Haha thank you for the compliment, no cliffhanger this time just for you.
Blue: absolutely love the story... the only issue I have with this chapter is that we don't have a translation for the Greek that was said... Is there any way that we can get that?
Oh yes, sorry. Percy implies the most important part in the next sentence so I didn't explicitly translate but it's "I have chosen an heir. I willingly submit to return to the Void of Chaos." I just settled on that as how gods are able to pass their powers forward.
chefcurry9909: This is an amazing story, absolutely one of my favorites. I was hooked since the very first chapter. This is my first time reading a Pertemis (I'm more of a Percabeth fan), but you made an incredible first impression. I started reading it at 8 am and read the entire thing straight without stopping. Btw, amazing cliffhanger, I can't wait for the next chapter.
Thank you so much, I'm so glad I was able to leave an impact with one of my favorite pairings. Stick around after this story too, because the next one I write is going to be Percabeth!
levisorus:You son of a bi— MMMM, My boy. My lovely boy, poor Poseidon. But now we have one hell of an angry Sea God. I'm kind of curious, is this going to be like The Last Olympian where Poseidon comes out of nowhere and just drowns the hell outta Typhon LOL. Man, this chapter was definitely a pleasant sight to clear my clouded thoughts cause now I can sit here and brain storm the ideas. The Blessing of Ultor is actually dope ngl and Tyche? Her character made me laugh like an idiot for a minute with that luck joke but I laugh at everything so lol. I guess this just brings me back to the point I made in a previous review where you mix seriousness and humor together and it just slots together very well. It doesn't seem forced or anything and that definitely makes your story so much more pleasant to read. There's violence, of course, but it's not excessive like some of the past books I've read. It's really up my alley and I am continuing to love it. Keep up the good work man, glad to hear you love uni and have the time to enjoy yourself.
As always, thank you so much for the review. I didn't want to have an exact repeat of TLO but it was obviously very heavily inspired by it. I like my version a little more for the circumstances, though, so we could have that extra oomph and it being integral to Tartarus' defeat. I'm glad I can mix a little humor in effectively, because fully serious/gruesome stories aren't really my thing. Also, I got a couple reviews about Tyche, so maybe she makes another appearance soon? ALSO, when's your next chapter coming? We're all excited :)
I couldn't get to everyone, but thank you all so much for the reviews! They're the reason I can get the chapters out at my current rate and quality. Hope you guys are excited for the nicer stuff coming.