I knew something had changed when I stepped out of my bunker and saw Polybotes standing on the opposite bank of the river.

My talk with Phlegethon had helped, a lot, but he didn't exactly come around often and in the weeks (months? Years?) since that had happened, I'd been finding it harder and harder to even get up in the 'morning'. I hadn't had any dreams with Annabeth lately, though I had seen Clovis once, and he'd connected me to Leo, which had been nice, but that hadn't lasted long and seemed so long ago.

I'd almost run out of monster meat, though, and had long-since gone through all of my canned goods from the shrine. I knew I needed more, so I managed to force myself out of my pool room, preparing to go hunting once I had my morning drink of Phlegethon water. Besides, I was still antsy and ADHD wouldn't have let me stay there for long, even if I'd just wanted to sit there under water forever… which I kind of did, but such was my life now. So I started my morning routine, shaving with one of the regular knives (they were getting dull again, I'd need to sharpen them soon) making my way through the bunker to the outside. That's when I saw him.

I froze at the sight of the (unfortunately) familiar giant's smile and my breath caught in my throat. After a moment when he didn't move, I gulped and looked around. I'd already used up all of my Lethe and Delta water again—had even had to break out the Styx water, even if I hadn't enjoyed that one, but more Titans had shown up and it had been necessary. I'd planned on heading down to replenish my supplies, but had put it off. Of course that had come back to bite me.

To be fair, I wasn't even sure if he would be vulnerable to the rivers' waters. It was still water, after all, and this was Polybotes. And if I still had permission to use the waters (which I assumed I did as the river's god wasn't there to stop me), then it likely wouldn't be a huge advantage because he could control it just as I could.

I really just wanted to go back into my bunker and pretend that the bane of my father hadn't come for me.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.

"Hello, godling." I really hoped the fear I felt at his words didn't show on my face. I doubt I succeeded, though, because he grinned wider. "I've come for my revenge. Father finally let me."

I swallowed and looked around again. "Who did you come with?" Because if they could team up I couldn't let my guard down.

He laughed, loud and booming. The orange light of the river made his skin look gray and dead. It didn't do much for his hair either, even if in the river's light it looked more brown than green. I could still see basilisks moving through it, though. Disconcerting, as always.

"I came by myself. I don't need any help to take you on, child of Neptune. Or was it Poseidon? I always forget."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Does it matter?" I asked.

He grinned and took a step towards the bank. "No."

I managed what I hoped looked like a cocky smirk. "You've been waiting this long for revenge? Kinda sad, dude. And you ain't getting it today. You're the bane of my father. Don't know if you noticed but I'm not him."

He nodded and took another step, then the river parted and he began to walk through the river bed. Wonderful. Confirmation that he could control the river water too. Lovely. I didn't take a step back, but it was a near thing. I forced myself to stand there, watching to see if the water from the river would turn to poison. It didn't. I wondered for a moment if that was because the giant hadn't tried to make it poison or because Phlegethon resisted…? Or both?

"You admit it then?" the giant asked.

Admit what? Eh, whatever he wanted from me, I wouldn't give it to him, so I shook my head.

"Only that my… domains—" it was hard to say that, okay—"have evolved."

"So I have heard," he conceded, stepping onto my side of the bank and letting the water fall back into the river behind him. "So will you prove it? Show me your new power?" his grin, somehow, widened, "It won't be enough. I finally get to kill you! And then I will find where you regenerate and kill you again… and again… and again." I winced. His words hit deep, but I didn't want to show him that. So I reached out with my power and tried to get ahold of his ichor, just in case, but it kept slipping away from me. I felt a lump in my throat.

He must have sensed my attempts. "Ah, ah, ah," he said as he pulled out his black trident. "Ichor and poison are two different things. You can control someone else's poison, from what I hear, and even someone else's ichor… but for me? Who also has control over liquid? Please."

I swallowed and pulled out Riptide.

So he wanted a fight? Fine.

I kept mental hold on my own blood, though. I remembered how I'd felt when I'd first seen Polybotes, like all of my powers meant nothing, and what I did have was being sapped away. I didn't feel that now, though. That was good, and I wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

I also noticed, as he approached, that my seawater turned to poison, bleeding green. I felt it change but didn't lose any control over it. Part of me felt relieved. Part of me despaired.

Polybotes laughed. "So it is true, you have changed domains." He paused. "Or grown them, I suppose. You know, I have to admit I'm impressed." He tilted his head, considering.

"With what?" I asked, unsure what he meant.

The giant rolled his eyes, reflecting the orange-gold of the river strangely. "With your growth and your supposed coup. It sounds impressive."

I winced. "I'm not the child of the prophecy. I'm not overthrowing the gods. I'm not some little toy for you all to play with. I'm my own person and will make my own choices."

He laughed again. "Tell that to the Fates."

I grit my teeth. The giant snorted.

"You are so close to being one of us—on our level even. But you keep holding back… why?"

Because I still had some humanity left. I had to believe that. Besides, Annabeth was coming. That was none of his business, though, so I said nothing.

"Perhaps, when you reform, you will remember this lesson: Never hold back. Against. Me."

Then, much like Krios, he vanished. I could still sense him as he rushed forward.

I met his trident with Riptide, but had to roll to the side to avoid being pushed back. Wasn't I supposed to fight people in my own weight class? Not people five times taller than me?

I reached out and grabbed the river, lifting it in a giant wave, superheating it as I did so. It fell on Polybotes, and apparently he couldn't wrench control from me because his skin sizzled. Good to know. That also meant he could probably do the same to me, so I'd have to keep that in mind, but it also meant that he couldn't stop the water from touching and burning him as long as I held it.

The resulting scream was very… satisfying. Unfortunately, it didn't do much more than superficially burn him, which healed quickly. I got flashbacks of Echidna, honestly.

He managed to pull himself out of the river water, despite my best efforts.

"So the rumors are true. You can control Father's blood too."

"So can you," I said back.

"He's my father. What is he to you? Your adopted father now?"

I felt my lips thin. "No."

"He'll be so upset," the giant mocked.

Then Polybotes frowned. "You could do so much with your power right now. You keep growing and changing, Why? Mortals are weak, powerless, even demigods. So why are you so different?"

I thought about that for several seconds, as he didn't seem to want to attack and I was fine with that, before something from the book Nico had given me came to mind.

"I don't think I'm so different as you think," I finally said. "As weak as humans are to you—as frail as mortals seem—we've managed to excel at something we were meant to do from the time we were created—something that most immortals just don't understand. We survive. To survive, we have to adapt. And there's far more strength in that than you can understand.

"Maybe not everyone survives," Luke, Bianca, Zoe, Selina, Beckendorf… Jason, "but as a race… that's what we do. I'm half human. I adapted."

Well, that was my closest guess in any case.

That was also the most I'd actually spoken aloud since speaking to Phlegethon, and my throat already hurt a bit. I probably needed more river water than I'd realized. Goody.

The giant just stared at me for several seconds before a sharp, vindictive grin split his face. I did not like that expression. He'd figured something out. But what—?

"You said 'we'. You still think you're mortal! Father was right! You're still holding onto the idea that you can leave this place! That you won't have to return! You still think there's a chance you haven't become one of us!"

I felt my blood freeze at his words, not due to either one of our powers though. I hadn't said it aloud—hadn't even really thought about it—because it hurt to think about but… he was right.

"You're no better than any monster! Tied to Father like we all are. Perhaps I should call you brother now?"

"I'm not your brother! Or nephew or whatever! I am the son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon. No matter what happens to me, that will never change!"

His smile only dimmed slightly. "Perhaps but that doesn't stop you from being one of us now. I wonder, do you feel that, son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon?"

I frowned warily. "Feel what?"

"Aren't 'mortals'—humans—made of water? You know what happens to water when it gets close to me down here. Feeling sick… Brother?"

I swallowed, because no, I wasn't. "It's my own control over my blood," I said, a little too quickly.

"Is it?" he pressed ruthlessly.

I… I didn't know. I tried not to panic, but doubted I succeeded when the giant cackled.

"Or is it your natural aura as one of us? I wonder if you will be adopted into the Titans? A rare generation all your own. And what will change as you continue to remain in Father's domain? How long will you look like those mortals you seem to care so much for?"

It took everything in me to not let my hands shake. I focused on them. They looked human… now. Except my nails seemed to grow a little sharper than they should… and my teeth had been too sharp for a while now… Di Immortales! Was he right? Would that change? Would I end up looking like Echidna or… or Kampê or something?

I thought I'd come to terms with my potential transformation but Polybotes' words shook me… deeply. Annabeth had said I could keep my humanity even as a monster. But… for how long? Would I just continue to change over the millenia? That hadn't even crossed my mind! It was getting hard to breathe again.

Polybotes saw my reaction and laughed harder. He always had been sadistic. "Oh, this is rich! How easily you lie to yourself! Let me spell it out for you—you. Are. Not. Mortal. You can never truly leave Father behind again. You are tied to him now, just like the rest of us. Brother."

With that he lunged forward, his black trident almost invisible in the darkness as it shot towards me. It was only decades of honed reflexes that stopped me from getting skewered. I grit my teeth again as he pushed back, but he'd caught me off guard. I slammed against a rock behind me, unable to cry out as the impact cracked several bones and knocked the breath out of me.

"Even like this," he whispered from where he stood over me, "you will always be weaker. So much for the one who would overthrow the gods."

"Not… me," I managed to get out. Why didn't anyone realize that I wouldn't do it?

He laughed. "Oh, I know."

Wait… what?

He went on. "I always knew you were too weak. And if you still have any friends left, do you think they would care if I killed another monster? Maybe they would have come looking for you… only to realize how you've changed."

He was right and even if his powers could no longer pull and sap at mine, his words did. It was getting harder and harder to hold back his trident. Spots danced at the edge of my vision and… it hurt. Deeper than just my chest.

"Now there's an idea," he went on. "Should I keep you alive, I wonder? So you can watch me kill them in front of you? Knowing you can't do anything…"

Annabeth. He'd try to kill her and anyone else she brought with her. And if they didn't have a god with them, he'd likely succeed. I would not let my friends die like that.

I knew I would give up anything to save them, up to and including my humanity. I'd jumped into Tartarus just for the chance they wouldn't be dragged into another war. It wasn't even a choice for me.

I felt my gut burn. I'd accepted that I'd become a true denizen of Tartarus. I'd become a monster. But in that moment, it didn't even matter.

Fine. I was a monster? Then I would be their monster too. I could make it hurt. And I would.

That was something I could get behind.

I looked up at the giant, close enough I could make out the eyes of the faces in the larger being's armor.

He'd distracted me from the fact that I still had water bubbles floating more or less everywhere. He was counting on the fact that he knew how to hit home with his words—knew how to make it hurt.

I'd make him regret that.

"Procrustes implied that I wouldn't have a weakness as a monster," I said, just loud enough for him to hear. "But I think he was wrong. Demigods have fatal flaws. Why wouldn't that transfer over? But what makes me different?"

I reached out with every ounce of power I had. Every bit of liquid I could sense within a hundred feet of me coalesced into spikes. Not ice spikes, hard water. Especially the Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Acheron water.

His eyes widened with realization just before I turned him into a pincushion, aiming for anywhere that wasn't covered by his armor.

"Mine is also a strength."

He shrieked in pain and I used that to knock his weapon aside, leaping forward so fast the world blurred around me. I swung at his legs and ankles, trying to hamstring him.

It worked, but only on one leg and he hopped back. Stupid scales stopping me. I'd have to try harder next time.

With his concentration broken, due to most of his face being full of Phlegethon water spikes, I wondered if I could control his ichor now and, without an ounce of hesitation, I reached for it. I couldn't do much more than slow it down, but it was something, and I grinned.

He looked shocked.

"How…?" he asked, trying to wrench full control back.

I felt my own mouth break into a wide, sharp grin (and ignored the tears running down my cheeks—were they glowing, like Phlegethon? Or was that just a reflection?) on my face.

"It really wasn't that hard," I commented nonchalantly before continuing to stab and slice where his armor didn't cover. The Giant roared and swung wildly to get at me. I still had enough control over his ichor to stop him from reaching full speed and thus skewering me, but I could have fought him anyway. The world around me had slowed somewhat as I fully fell into a battle haze. But I didn't let go. I wanted him to know he didn't have the upper hand here.

Not anymore.

Never again.

He was trying to use his own power over poison to pull my spikes out of him, but he only managed a few, and I used the distraction to push the others deeper, including the Acheron and Cocytus spikes. That was probably getting to him just then, if not the negative emotions, then the spikes themselves.

My own grin widened.

I rolled to the side and rushed behind Polybotes' scaly legs again, this time putting my power into swinging deeper, needing to break through the scales to really succeed. I grabbed a hold of my own blood and pushed myself harder, faster, farther, not caring if I burst vessels now. It hurt, a lot, but it was worth it to hear the Giant's roar as I finally managed to sever both of his Achilles tendons. Polybotes fell to the ground with a mighty crash.

I didn't stop.

"Isn't this what you wanted?!" I shouted angrily as I jumped onto the expansive breastplate, rushing towards the head, ready to finish this once and for all.

Part of me wanted this—wanted it so badly. Reveled in the feeling of being able to take down a giant. Something even gods couldn't do! It felt good. So good but…

Part of me was silently begging, pleading, screaming, shouting, desperately yelling at the world and the gods and the Titans and the giants and the Primordials and the Fates especially. That part didn't want to believe this was happening; didn't want to kill Polybotes because then I'd have to accept it all. I'd have to accept that I'd become my worst nightmare.

But I had to do it… to survive.

The world slowed again. I reached his neck. He tried to sit up, tried to swing his trident. I stabbed down into the blue flesh of his throat.

Everything froze.

The giant spasmed… and fell back.

I couldn't hear anything. My ears didn't want to work again. Not even the blood rushing in my veins. I could still sense that, but not hear it…

An eternity (that likely lasted only seconds) passed as I just sat there, tears racing down my cheeks in near rivers now. His body went still. I could still sense the ichor now spilling out of many places as I let the water and poison spikes melt away, forming into bubbles. He gasped and his ichor slowed, but I didn't want to sense him die so I cut myself off.

I needed to keep control of my stomach anyway, concentrate on not throwing up. I didn't have much to throw up anyway but…

I couldn't deny it any longer.

I was no longer human, no longer a demigod… I'd hoped, so desperately but…

I screamed. The giant shuddered.

Then I sobbed.

It felt both good and absolutely horrible to cry again. To know monsters could cry. Truly cry. Out of utter agony.

I don't know how long I sat there, expecting the body below me to disintegrate. It shuddered again and I prepared to fall except…

That hadn't been a death throw. It had been a chuckle.

What?

"You should have cut off my head!"

My brain couldn't seem to comprehend what was going on as the giant sat up, knocking me off balance. I fell hard, landing on too many of the sharp rocks and wincing as I felt them pierce my skin. I still had broken ribs too, I realized.

I looked up in time to see the three prongs so like my own father's weapon fall towards me. My brain finally kicked into gear and I went to roll to the side but… too late! Too late! Too late! I wouldn't make it!

Annabeth… I thought.

"NO!" Someone screamed—such a familiar scream… but it couldn't be… could it?

Then a figure appeared, blinding in a resplendent white peplos* under shining, gold armor and a matching cloak flowing behind. The figure slashed through the giant's neck, and then vanished. For a moment that lasted much longer, nothing happened, and then Polybotes burst into gold dust and I just sat there, gasping. Tartarus seemed terribly quiet after the noise of the battle and the shriek and I'd almost died and…

What… what had that been?

I couldn't seem to look away from the spot where the dust had fallen—all that remained of the giant stirring in the slight breeze. Nothing seemed to compute and I couldn't figure out what had just happened.

Eventually I managed to force my eyes away from the pile of golden ash, searching for that blinding figure. I could see nothing in the dimness of the realm around me.

Then I felt two arms come around me from behind. I stiffened and reached for my sword where it had fallen beside me, but then whispered words reached me.

"Seaweed Brain."

I froze.

Because that was…

"Wise Girl?"

"Ask me anything," she said.

I had several questions prepared… which was the only reason I could get my sluggish mind to come up with something.

"Th-the three animals… in the truck… on our first quest?"

She answered immediately. "A lion, an antelope, and a zebra."

The world blurred with even more tears, though for a completely different reason this time.

"Annabeth?" my voice broke.

"It's me," she whispered, hugging me tighter. "It's me, Percy."

I knew I was almost thirty years old. I knew I was raised to be a hero and a fighter and had become a monster but… in that moment, I was not ashamed to admit that I collapsed into the arms of my girlfriend, a crying mess.

Because she'd come for me. At last. She'd come.

xXx

*Long garment worn by both men and women of ancient Greece.

AN: Sooo, she finally got there! I know there are some people who don't like Annabeth in this fandom. Fair. You're welcome to not like whoever you don't. I do like her though. A lot. If you couldn't tell. ;)

Now, I don't have enough time to really address everything people have been asking me about Percy. I think I have what I want down, but yeah. The 'sequel' is going to be a series of one-shots that goes into little things, world building, ideas, continuations, etc. We're also going to get viewpoints from Hermes, Athena, and Thalia during and after this story. So, stick around for that. I'm really looking forward to tackling some of the ideas I have for that one. Got out my shovel and am happily filling plotholes. LMHO Creating more while I'm at it, but that's writing for you. ;)

Thank you for all of your support on the reading contest from last week. I really appreciate it! :D I got word back from another contest that I got an honorable mention, so that was cool. Gonna revamp that one and enter it again though. We'll see how that goes. :)

Lastly, next week you get a double post. ;) So we're getting two chapter titles here.

Thank you to my beta readers! Berix, Ajax, Asterius Daemon, Starlight3 and Quathis!

Next Chapter Title: Emma

Subsequent Chapter Title: The Prophecy

Discord: Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)