Chapter 24: Reading the First Battle
"I can't sense or see them in Australia," Apollo said, and Athena nodded, marking a cross over Australia.
"Anyone else?" She asked as she looked around the council. "They're not in India or any other Asian country, and now we're sure they're not in Australia."
"We could be concealed in plain sight you know," Hyperion said and looked at Oceanus, who had decided he wanted to read, his voice was calming, like the ocean…
Luke glanced at Thalia who sat opposite him with a frown, it wasn't filled with anger… but empathy? He wanted to know why, Percy sat not to far from Kronos, supporting hickeys on his neck that weren't allowed to be hidden. He also had a few bruises which had been healed immediately. Ares sat on his throne with a broken leg and drained energy.
Three hours ago, just before breakfast, Ares and Annabeth had strike-d a plan, they would attack Percy, their anger/betrayal had led them to being almost killed by an avenging father and lover.
Athena had come when she had seen the Titan's rush forwards, they were anxious to see a fight and were nervous on what would happen.
"I checked France," Aphrodite said helpfully. "They're not there either."
"Hephaestus can you, Apollo, and Hermes scour Africa for any sign of the Titans?" Zeus asked.
Hephaestus nodded. "Of course."
"What if they're blocking their presences?" Artemis asked. "We won't find them unless we're within metres of them if they are."
"They'll slip up eventually," Hera said confidently. "And we have eyes on Othrys in case the Titans decide to pay the place a visit. We'll be prepared for them coming."
"No, you wont," Kronos smirked and fiddled with Backbiter, his hands, cleaned all along the swords sharp blade, he blew his breathe on it and inspected it for any dirt,
"You've been saying that for the last few days, Hera," Poseidon snapped. "They're not going to hide somewhere we'll find them easily, and you know that."
"We will find them, Poseidon," Hestia promised. "Don't worry."
"Nine days," Poseidon said as he stared at the holographic map of earth which hung in the middle of the throne room. "It's been nine days. How is Kronos able to stay hidden for nine days? I'd have thought he'd have destroyed something by now that would've alerted us to him."
"We have been hiding forever, we've roamed the earth in spirit without you knowing, Krios even managed not bang up a girl!" Atlas said and laughed as his father reprimanded him with a smack.
Hermes summoned his caduceus to his hand in mobile phone form, George and Martha curling around the antenna as he turned his attention to the screen. "Obviously he's trying to lay low," Artemis said calmly. "But we'll find him. The Titans aren't exactly inconspicuous."
"You're right," Hermes announced. "There's a category five hurricane over Miami, Poseidon. I thought you liked Miami?"
"Apollo likes it as well, that is why there is sun their most of the time, so it's a perfect place to go to the beach." Poseidon said and smiled at his nephew, who now wore: Was at Miami, now I swim like A dolphin!
Poseidon narrowed his eyes. "I do. That's not me."
Hermes grinned and summoned a screen of mist in the middle of the council with a wave of his hand, showing them what he'd looked up on the internet. Along the west coast of Miami, a hurricane was sweeping up houses and cars and causing general chaos. "According to the mortal news," Hermes said, "it just appeared out at sea only ten miles off the coast." He pulled up another screen. "And this. Wildfires in Thessaly. Near the original Olympus and Othrys."
"Are they near the Acropolis?" Zeus asked worriedly.
Hermes shook his head. "No. They've got pretty close, but they're skirting around it."
Zeus relaxed slightly. "That tells us the Titans don't want to destroy our roots," he mused.
"My roots are already grey, I just like my hair black rather then cloud grey," Zeus muttered and saw Hades laugh at something Jackson said, he scowled.
Yes, the Fates had informed him that the future they have been reading about needed to stay that way, but he wasn't ecstatic about it.
Ares snorted. "They want to draw it out and get their hands dirty. The complete opposite to Gaea's tactic. They'll be letting us wear down our resources trying to seek them out and they're probably hiding out of our reach, or under our noses."
Athena stared at him for several seconds before smiling slightly. "I forgot you can sometimes be smart. You act so stupid all of the time."
"I am the god of war, I know how to do battle strategy- "At everyone's incredulous looks, he defended himself. "I just don't care about the consequences most of the time, I'm a god, I'm immortal, I can't die." He finished.
"There's worse things then dying you know?" Percy asked, he was looking at Kronos with a far away look in his eyes, it was of terror, horrors he wasn't ready to face. And then the look was gone as soon as it had came.
It made the Titan king sad for a briefest of moments, but it had to happen, this was all part of a bigger part of everyone's life. Now he had Percy, and he was never letting go. Not unless Percy didn't want him back, and yes, he knew it was going to come soon, Percy was born mortal and his brain would have to come to terms with that he was going to be alive forever. Most /gods/titans were born with no knowledge that it mattered that they would have an expiry date.
Ares scowled at her. "This is to do with war. Of course, I know what I'm talking about."
"It's merely a surprise," Athena said with a slight smirk. "And my domain is wisdom – I think I know more than-"
"Hold on," Hermes suddenly said, and Athena frowned at him. Hermes turned to Zeus, his eyes showing clear worry. "A large group of monsters have been spotted near the borders of Camp Half-Blood. The campers are preparing to defend. I just had a prayer from Annabeth."
Zeus nodded slightly, not looking too concerned at the thought of the force of monsters. "The campers will deal with it," he said dismissively. "We have to find the Titans before much more time passes."
"I think it is a pov switch because now we begin with Annabeth." Oceanus said and read on.
Annabeth glanced at Thalia who was standing at her side. "Well, this is the moment when we test our training," she murmured as she watched the lines of monsters the other side of the barrier.
Thalia nodded. "We'll manage," she said confidently.
"Hey, Annabeth," Leo called as he stopped beside her. "The grenades are all ready. So are the Apollo campers and Hunters."
Annabeth smiled slightly. "Then we'd better get this started," she announced, and Leo grinned. "Campers!" She shouted as she turned to face the dozens of demigods. "Today marks the first battle in a new war! Those monsters are sent to destroy us and burn our home down to the ground! The Titans think they can push us around! They think this small force of monsters will kill us!"
"What do you think?" Jason roared from his position at the front of the demigods. "Will we die today?"
"NO!" all the demigods yelled, and Percy did inwardly as well, demigods were strong and were not afraid of monsters, and if they died, well it was an honorable death.
"NO!" The demigods shouted in response.
"Then fire!" Annabeth yelled, and a wave of fire arrows leapt up from the group of Hunters and the Apollo cabin at the back of the group.
Fires started along the lines of the monsters, instantly incinerating several of them. Leo shouted for the few grenades he had remaining from the trip down the Tartarus to be thrown, and nearly two dozen more monsters were sent to Tartarus as the campers charged towards the monsters.
Jason was the first to meet the monsters and immediately hacked an arm off a dracaenae as he sidestepped a stab and followed through, cutting the head off an empousa lunging at him. He ducked a sword swinging towards his head and stabbed the offending dracaenae in the gut. Behind him Clarisse stopped any monsters from attacking his back, her spear frying all the monsters it touched.
"Jason!" A voice shouted, and Jason glanced around to see Frank waving at him. "Look!" The son of Mars pointed down the road out of Camp, and Jason faltered. A giant snake slithered down the road towards him, its eyes a hypnotising green.
"What is that?" He heard Clarisse exclaim beside him.
Jason shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered as the snake hissed, the ground vibrating underneath their feet. Green liquid dropped from its razor-sharp teeth, each the size of Jason, and sizzled when it hit the ground. "Whatever it is… it's got to go," Jason said firmly. He started fighting his way through the monsters with Clarisse at his side, making sure he wasn't hit by a stray arrow or weapon.
Thalia appeared out of the mass of fighting beings several dozen yards to his left and ran to catch up with him, wielding her spear and shield with ease as she slid to a stop beside Jason. "Stop," she said. "Jason, you can't beat that," she said as she pointed towards the snake with the point of her spear.
"You know what it is?" Jason asked even as he continued towards the snake.
"It's Python," Thalia said, and Jason's eyes widened.
"You're joking," he breathed as he studied her before turning to look back at the monster that looked big enough to curl completely around a skyscraper from the bottom to the top.
Thalia shook her head. "We can't beat it," she said grimly. "The only being that ever managed to is Apollo. And he's not allowed to interfere now."
"Usually then in stead of the god, it would be his descendants who will take the burden, Apollo children will take over," Athena said.
"Then we'll take it," Jason said firmly. "We're the kids of Zeus. We should be able to, right?"
"That is also true I guess," Jason agreed with himself.
Thalia sighed in resignation before raising her spear. "Then we'd better stop it from getting any closer to Camp."
"Don't you think sending in Python was overkill?" Hyperion snorted as he watched the battle at Camp Half-Blood.
Kronos ignored him as he studied the Arke-Message of the battle, and Koios turned to answer Hyperion. "We needed to see what they're capable of."
"But Python?" Hyperion protested. "Even that upstart sun god could barely take him on."
"What?!" Apollo said outrageously, he was so offended! He had battled him very fast!
"They have immortal campers for a reason, Hyperion," Iapetus growled out. "And in case you've forgotten, they almost defeated Kronos."
"The Titans had escaped Tartarus and were still healing, and since they didn't have many worshippers like they used to they couldn't heal as fast, they were strong yet weak.
Kronos tensed slightly at the reminder of his battle with the campers. "They did not almost win," he growled.
"They did," Iapetus nodded. "Because you weren't taking it seriously. You underestimated them and paid the price."
"He was arrogant," Iapetus said and ignored all the glares he got, some where shocked some were confused.
Kronos raised an eyebrow. "I am aware of my fault in that skirmish. And as you are likely aware after the events that occurred a week ago, I will never make that mistake again."
Iapetus grimaced and nodded slightly. "Yes," he sighed. "I know."
Kronos smirked as he turned to attention back to the Arke-Message, watching the two children of that stupid god that called himself a King. His smirk widened as he glanced up at the demigod above him. "What do you think, Jackson?" He called up.
At this part everyone looked between Kronos and Percy, wondering how this once demigod could love a Titan that had hurt him so much, yet what they didn't know was that yes Kronos had hurt him and yes that was basically Stockholm syndrome, but he loved Kronos, it was his choice and he wasn't under any influences.
He could practically hear Perseus trying to decide what to say, whether being sarcastic would be worth it, or if he should at least try to be respectful. "I… I can't…" he took a shaky breath as he stared stoically at the wall in front of him, "I don't think they can win," he finished with obvious nervousness and reluctance.
The demigods deflated as they knew their hero was right, yes Percy had betrayed them and yes it hurt, but this was their Percy and not there Percy.
Kronos' mouth twitched up into a full-blown smug smile and he raised an eyebrow at Iapetus. "Strong-willed," he said, repeating what Iapetus had told him a day ago. "I think you're wrong, brother. He's already breaking for me. It won't be long now."
Iapetus sighed as he looked up at Percy who was still hanging in his cage. He could sense the fear and resignation leaking off the demigod, almost a tangible spectre spreading its icy touch over the throne room. Kronos hadn't been torturing him as much as he previously was in Tartarus, but Percy was breaking down rapidly, at a pace that Iapetus definitely hadn't expected after how long the son of Poseidon lasted in Tartarus.
"Established that it was Tartarus had helped him with that and now that he is out of the Pit it has gone, the protection in his mind. Once were strong and now were weakening, nightmares had also beat down his barriers.
Iapetus had been sneaking him food and water during the night, when Kronos dropped his vigil over the Camp's activities and his current challenge, and he'd been managing so far to keep Percy from giving in to the Titan Lord, but Iapetus knew it was just a matter of time until Percy would break down completely. And Time wasn't exactly on Perseus' side.
"Pun intended," Iapetus said, using the Time joke on his brother he glared at him but said nothing.
Though, Iapetus thought as he glanced at Hyperion, watching as the Titan of Light sneered up at the demigod, maybe there was something he could do. Indirectly, of course. He didn't want Kronos to find out about his involvement.
There was a loud roar from the Arke-Message as Python vaporised, spitting poison at the two children of Zeus as a last effort to kill at least one more being before it was sent back to the depths of Tartarus. Koios glanced at Kronos, tensing slightly as he did so, waiting for the infamous anger to erupt, and Kronos just tapped the hilt of Backbiter thoughtfully as he leant back in his throne and watched the demigods as the last monster fell.
"That was easy," Jason said as he landed beside Annabeth, his golden gladius shimmering in the sun as he sheathed it at his side, and it faded away.
"Of course, it was," Thalia said, softly whacking him on the back of the head.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked as he rubbed his head.
"Being a Praetor I thought that you would know a test when you saw it," Reyna said speaking up for the first time
"They're testing us," Annabeth answered. "Seeing what we can do."
"Then what will happen next?" Jason asked warily.
Annabeth frowned down at Camp Half-Blood, raising her hand to cover her eyes from the sun's rays. "I don't know."
A small smile slowly grew on Kronos' face. "Oceanus," he said, turning to his eldest brother.
Oceanus was switching his voice when others were speaking, making it seem like a movie was happening and he used emotion in it making all of them see what was happening clear as day. When he got to this part he went anonymously, mysterious.
"Yes, My Lord?" Oceanus asked, his body tensing almost imperceptibly.
"Release the Kraken," Kronos ordered. "Perhaps their weakness may be from the sea."
At this part Apollo went an emerald green, his voice going eery and it wasn't his voice that spoke, a prophecy.
"Death is most certain
Life was never a promise
Do not wait to live" Apollo said and once the green mist parted, he slumped forwards and was caught by Artemis.
A/N: updates will be biweekly, I will do my best to update asap, but with this COVID19 going on, my boss wants me to work as much as I can. I hope this virus is over soon, and anyone who is sick feels better
JIO