"This place is coming along quicker than I expected." Nico said through a mouthful of food as he and Percy overlooked the valley from a cliff they were sitting on. Percy could only nod his head in reply as he took a sip of water. The camp was being built at a rate he hadn't expected. The walls were already done much to his amazement. It circled most of the area inside of the valley and had many defenses such as archer stands, ballista emplacements, and even more to fend off any attackers. Both demigods were in awe at how quickly the Cyclops, Leo, and his crew could build.
"Dad said he would send his best builders and it looks like he delivered on that." The son of Poseidon replied. It wouldn't be too long now until they started building the cabins again which he couldn't wait for. He, along with everyone else, was tired of sleeping on the ground. Thankfully, it wasn't too cold during the night but that would change here in the next couple of months or so. It also meant they had two months of preparation until the next attack came. Percy grimaced as an image of that boy he had killed green eyes suddenly flash through his head, remembering his words.
"You good?" Nico asked, seeing the slight pain his cousin was in.
"Y-Yeah." He instantly responded, causing Nico to give him a doubtful stare.
"Something happened back in town, didn't it?" The son of Hades said more as a statement rather than a question. Percy rubbed his eyes in exasperation at how Nico was able to discern that. Was his stone mask beginning to crack again, allowing people to see what was truly going on in his head? Nodding his head, Percy took the last sip of his water before replying.
"We only have two months, Nico, before they attack again."
Those words caused the air around them to turn solemn. The younger cousin slowly nodded his head, realizing how Percy was able to find that out. He could smell the death around his aura. He must've had a run-in with someone looking for their camp again.
"That doesn't leave us much time to get things ready. We still need to build camp, get more supplies, and more numbers in our ranks." He replied, doubtful as to how they were going to accomplish that in such a short amount of time. The son of Poseidon nodded in agreement. There was no time for them to do all that before the enemy arrived at their doorstep.
"I've contacted Grover about moving all new demigods to our camp. Thankfully, he agreed but it wasn't me that convinced him. Had to get Artemis to get him to agree." Percy said with a slight smile. He remembered just how smitten Grover was about the Goddess. It had taken easily over an hour of conversation for him to get his old friend to even consider doing that but one sentence from Artemis made him turn into jelly. Percy couldn't blame Grover for that though. Artemis just had that effect, he couldn't lie.
"Ok, but that still doesn't solve anything. Of those that are brought to camp, there will be even fewer that are willing to fight. Not to mention how will we arm them? Poseidon's supply of weapons isn't enough, you know that."
Percy sighed, knowing Nico was right. His father's weapons wouldn't be enough to take on an army of that size. They needed more. More weapons, troops, allies, time, they needed it all.
"What about your father? Can we go visit him to see if he would join us?" Percy asked, causing Nico to shrug his shoulders.
"Maybe, I haven't heard from him since we've been in Alaska but I'm sure he'd be willing to help." The pale boy said, jumping to his feet and putting a hand on Percy's shoulder. The son of Poseidon was confused for a moment as he looked at the hand before giving a sharp look at his cousin.
"Now?!" He asked incredulously.
"Time isn't on our side so why not." Those were the last words he heard before being sucked into the dark shadows of the underworld. It wasn't even a second later when they reappeared at the black gates of Hades's palace. The shrill cries of the damned filled their ears and the hot, damp air matted their hair.
"Let's get this over with." Percy said, not enjoying being there for the umpteenth time. Walking past the gates with a purpose, it looked as if he himself was a son of Hades by the way the knew where to go. Nico smirked as he walked closely behind his cousin, enjoying the swagger he displayed. Not paying attention to the gardens, the souls that flew past them, or even Alecto who looked less than pleased to see Percy again, the pair continued down the path before arriving at the throne room doors separating them from Hades.
"How do you think he'll react?" The son of Poseidon asked.
"I'll be surprised if he doesn't kill you for what happened to Hazel."
With that promising outlook, he opened the throne room doors. Immediately, the air changed. It became ice cold and somehow the almost non-existent light became even dimmer. Nevertheless, Percy could see Hades and Persephone sitting on their thrones, each staring at him with unblinking eyes. Walking to the center of the silent room, both demigods knelt before the immortals. Percy could feel the shadows practically suffocate him as he knelt before his uncle. He could tell he wasn't pleased at all, feeling his harsh glare burning the top of his head.
"You've got some balls to show your face around here, Perseus." Hades broke the silence.
"Father-"
"SILENCE!" Hades screamed at his son, a rush of power flooding into the room causing the weight on Percy's shoulder to increase. "HOW DARE YOU BRING THE PERSON THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF NOT ONE BUT TWO OF MY CHILDREN BEFORE ME!"
"Father, that's not fair-"
"No, Nico. He's right." Percy was the one to interrupt the time, causing his cousin to sharply turn to him with a look that said "Shut up!". Craning his eyes upwards to Hades, Percy continued.
"I understand what you're saying, Uncle. In some ways, I am responsible for the deaths of Bianca and Hazel. I think about that every day." He said, causing Hades to ruthlessly sneer at him. "But I am not the one you should be blaming."
"Oh yes, I should be blaming Zeus, Ares, the whole fucking world for their deaths according to you. I know what you've been doing, Jackson! Going to Alaska to escape the Gods, bringing all the demigods, and building a camp. I've heard it all!" Hades spat, causing the demigod's eyes to squint.
"Then you should know what Ares did to your daughter! I am not the one that killed her!"
"But you are the one that put her in that situation! Just like Bianca!" Hades replied, causing Percy to stiffen. The air became still as the demigod tried to control the rage inside of him. He couldn't fight Hades, if he did they could forget him being an ally in the war.
"It was the Gods and Fates that killed Bianca. You know that. Those damn quests, made only for demigods to be your lapdogs, are the reason she died. Not me!" The son of Poseidon replied, biting his lip to the point of drawing blood. "And if you've heard about me so much in Alaska then you know that I want to stop demigods getting sucked into those quests. To stop your children from being killed along with the rest of the demigods!"
"Bha, a fairy tale." Hades exasperatedly waved his hand. In his eyes, there will always be quests or fate that kill his children. Nothing would ever be able to mitigate that. Not even this so-called sanctuary Perseus was building.
"A fairy tale?" Percy replied with anger in his town. He could see Nico in the corner of his eye telling him to stop while he still could but he just couldn't. He has worked too hard, sacrificed so much to get camp where it was and he wouldn't allow some stuck-up God to take that away from him.
"I'll tell you what's a fairy tale. You caring about your children! If you had a shred of love in you, you would realize the potential this camp has!"
Hades snarled as he sent a tendril compiled of shadows directly at Percy's face who immediately pulled out Riptide and swiped it in half with his sword.
"Guys, stop!" Nico begged but his words fell on deaf ears as God and demigod battled it out. Jumping off his throne, Hades summoned his sword as he charged at the son of Poseidon who got into a defensive stance. Raising his sword he blocked the overhead strike before delivering a kick to his uncle's torso. It was close to hitting but at the last second, Hades spun away while delivering a side swipe immediately. Percy parried it before backing away but didn't realize that the God had summoned two skeleton warriors behind him.
Trapping him in place with their boney arms, Percy tried to get out of their vice-like grip as Hades ran out with his weapon raised. In a last-ditch effort, the demigod relied on his power of blood bending as he tried to lock Hades in place. Much to his horror, however, the God only slowed to a jog for a moment before shaking off Percy's ultimate ability.
"You dare?!" Hades snarled, preparing to swipe down at Percy's head who was only now able to defeat the skeletons trapping him. He knew he wouldn't have been able to raise Riptide in time to block the attack but at the last second a vine shot out of the ground, wrapping itself around Hades's arm and preventing him from delivering the final blow.
"Why must men always solve things with violence?" Phersopone asked no one in particular, waving a lazy hand around.
"Release me at once, wife! This vile boy dishonored my name!" Hades yelled, but his wife was having none of it, only tightening her hold harsher.
"Yes, I can see that but I for one can see past my grudges towards people. And I can see what Perseus means." She said, causing both demigod's shoulders to relax. It seemed it would be her to convince Hades, not them.
"Surely you see that what they're saying is untrue. That camp, Jackson's promises, they're all fake! He's only doing this so that he can convince me to join the war and help Poseidon become king once it's over with!"
"That's absolutely crazy, uncle! My father has never wanted Olympus's throne!" Percy tried to defend Poseidon's name.
"You're too young and naive to know what your father truly is! I've seen the lust for power in his eyes over the years and I see it in yours as well! The sons of the sea are even worse when it comes to unleashing hell upon the Earth than the sons of both Zeus and myself!" Hades snapped back.
"But by now you should know I don't want power! If I did, I would've accepted Godhood a long time ago. I swear to you uncle that all I truly want is for my people and our future to be at peace. And I won't be able to achieve that if you don't help us win this war!" The son of Poseidon pleaded. The room went silent as everyone awaited the God's response. Persephone released her hold on him letting him walk back to his throne. Leaning over she whispered some things in his ear that Percy could not hear but judging by Hades's eyes, he seemed to agree with her words, even becoming somewhat jolly over them.
Leaning back on his throne, Hades smirked at the demigod before him.
"Ok, Perseus. I'll join the war and help you." He said, causing both Nico and Percy to look at one another in relief. Thanking him, Percy almost began to walk out of the room but it seemed the God wasn't done.
"Only if you prove that you're serious about winning it."
"Of course I'm serious about winning this war, Hades. Why else would I come down here." Percy replied with a somewhat sarcastic tone.
"No, No, you're not. All that you've shown me so far is that you're too weak to go to war against Zeus. You can't even win against me! How do you expect to win against him if you can't even defeat his "lowly" brother!"
"I defeated Ares. I'll find a way to defeat him as well." Percy replied but Hades only shook his head.
"If you can't grow more powerful, I won't join this war. I will not be on the losing side. This is non-negotiable, Jackson."
Percy gritted his teeth in anger. Hades was playing with him, he knew that. Becoming more powerful in less than two months was impossible which is why Hades was making him do this. The God of the dead didn't want to help him out in the war which is why he demanded this of him. It was a get-out-of-jail-free card basically.
As Percy was about to open his mouth, he had a flashback of the last time he was here. It was before the Titan War. During that time, he needed to become more powerful just like now. And what did he do…well, it was something that he just might have to do again. Looking up at Hades sitting on his throne, he gave the God his signature smirk which irked him.
"You swear on the Styx that if I become more powerful, you'll join me in this war."
"I swear." The God said, sealing the deal. Without another word, Percy exited the room, causing Nico to look back and forth between his cousin and father before running after him.
Catching up, Nico matched Percy's fast pace as he exited the palace.
"What are you doing?" Nico asked worriedly, dreading the direction they were currently heading. Surely Percy wasn't planning on doing something as crazy as that, right?! But as they got closer and closer, Nico could only groan out at the sheer audacity and stupidity his cousin displayed.
"No. No. No. No! What in the absolute fuck, Percy! You can't do it! No one has ever attempted it twice!" Nico cried out, but to his dismay, the son of Poseidon kept moving forward.
"I have to, Nico. If I can't then either way we lose the war. We need Hades on our side."
"We can think of something else. We can still get Hades on our side but if we lose you then it's game over!"
"I need to do this. He's right. I'm too weak to take on Zeus. If we're to win, I need to be more powerful."
"Percy, you're not thinking straight. This-This is something no one has ever attempted before. If you do this, you will die."
Percy knew that what he was about to do was the most foolish thing he could've ever done in his short life. But what else could be done to get more power besides becoming a God which is something he refused to do? No, this was the only way. If he died, well…the war was never meant to be won. But if he survives this then it could only mean that destiny wanted to play out a little longer.
After walking for a few more minutes and Nico's pleas falling on deaf ears, the two boys finally arrived at the dreadful river.
"The River Styx." The son of Poseidon whispered to himself as he stared out at the hopeless water, its aura filling his heart with sorrow, hopelessness, and pain. The last time he was here, it was one of the worst days of his life. The pain he experienced was next to none and the chances of dying were great. Now, however, his chances weren't just great. It was most likely certain.
"Percy, please…don't do this. If you die in there, that's it. All is lost. The war, your friends, your soul! Not even Hades can do anything about it if you die in this! Styx will reap your soul for eternity." The younger demigod pleaded one last time but Percy shook his head in response.
This needed to be done. No amount of reason could persuade him because if there was even an inkling of doubt in his mind when his skin touched this water, he was dead. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Percy prepared himself to jump in when suddenly a familiar voice he hadn't heard in a long time spoke to him.
"Nico's right, Percy. You won't survive this."
Turning around, the son of Poseidon felt his heart come to a stop as he came face to face with someone he hadn't expected at all.
"Luke." He whispered in awe, staring at the mist-like ghost figure of his once friend-turned-enemy.
"In the flesh err…or mist…I don't know how to describe this." The son of Hermes gestured to himself.
"Where's Achilles? I thought he was the one to do this." He asked, looking around for the infamous warrior of the past but was nowhere to be found.
"He does that for first-timers who want to dip in the Styx but you my friend are not. So Styx wanted to change things up a bit to try to dissuade you."
"So that's why you're here." Nico finished, walking around the ghost of Luke.
"Exactly but we don't have much time so let's get this done quickly." The blonde said before looking over at the styx. "Percy, you know how this river is. You know the pain it inflicts and you know the power it gives in return. So why in Gods name do you want to go through this again?"
"I have to do this. If I can't grow more powerful then I'll never be able to take down Zeus." Percy replied causing Luke to give a mirthless laugh.
"You sound exactly like me when I was alive. If I remember correctly you killed me for doing what you're doing right now." Luke pointed out.
"I know it's hypocritical of me but as the years went by and more quests and wars were put on our shoulders, I couldn't help but agree with you with your views about the Gods. I don't agree with how you executed it with reviving Kronos but I could see how you were right."
"Percy, I…I don't think there's anything I can say to persuade you to not do this. You were always this stubborn, scrawny little kid who somehow always had trouble looking for him. But I want you to know that what you're doing now is looking for trouble. Taking a dip in the Styx will be like falling down a rabbit hole. It will give you the power you want but you'll only want more and more until it consumes you."
Percy stayed silent as he looked out at the black water. Luke was right. This was only a temporary solution to a much bigger problem but what other option did he have? The attack will come in two months and they needed everything they could scrounge to somehow win. If he could survive this then it could give them a fighting chance. Bathing in the river was his best option. His only option. Opening his mouth to reply, he turned around to find that the ghost of Luke Castellan was nowhere to be found. It seemed his time up was up. Glancing at Nico who was sitting down on the rock, he gave a nod of his head.
"I hope to see you again, man." Percy said to his younger cousin who couldn't look him in the eyes. Taking a deep breath and trying his best to relax, Percy began to fall backward into the river. Clenching his eyes shut, Percy prepared himself for the cool water to touch his skin but as he made contact he didn't expect it to feel like he was bathing in the Phlegethon back in Tartarus.
Immediately, he could feel his skin begin to shred and tear in agonizing pain. His mouth opened involuntarily, causing the water to rush into his lungs. Now both inside and out it felt like he was on fire while simultaneously going through a meat grinder. He tried his best to find a point on his body to anchor himself to the mortal world but his mind wasn't there. In fact, he didn't know if he was even physically there either. He might've already dissolved into the river, his soul now belonging to Styx. He would now forever feel this agonizing pain with no chance of reprieve. The war would be lost and his friends would soon die. What was the point of trying anymore? What was the point of fighting this river and instead just letting the current take you away? What was the point of holding onto hope?
"No!" He mentally screamed out. Now was not the time to give up! The river was influencing his thoughts, planting seeds of doubt and hopelessness in his head. He needed to shut his mind off and cut himself off from any outside influence. There was no time to think about anything else other than getting out of the river alive! There wasn't much time left. He could feel his skin begin to dissolve.
Trying his best to relax as much as possible and focus on a point of his body was easier said than done though when your body felt like it was being crushed.
"Fuck, come on!" Percy said to himself as he thought of a rope tying itself around the spot on his back. But it wasn't working for some reason, causing him to still be in the Styx for far longer than last time. Now he was really starting to worry. Nothing was working and the pain was getting even worse to the point he couldn't even form a coherent thought. Panic surged through his veins as he flailed around in the water, his skin physically being ripped off and his bones cracking beneath the pressure now.
Screaming out, more water filled his lungs causing them to feel as if they were about to burst in a great ball of fire. He could feel himself sink further into the murky water with any visible light from the surface being cut off. Now it was as if he were trapped in Nyx's mansion with no help of escape and an eternity of damnation. He couldn't bear the pain any longer. It was too much. Closing his eyes one last time, he realized he had failed. He was dead now. There was no hope. He should've listened to Nico. No one was able to survive the River Styx twice.
The son of Poseidon felt like weeping if he were physically able to. He had failed everyone. He left them to fight Zeus alone. He left Annabeth. Flashes of her face raced through his mind, causing a surge of hope to flood his veins. Maybe she would save him again and get him out of the river.
"Come on, seaweed brain. You can't stay in there forever." Annabeth said from above him, extending out a hand for him to grab. He tried to reach out, he really did but he didn't have the strength to move. He didn't even know if he had an arm anymore.
"Annabeth." He tried to speak to her as he watched her get farther and farther away as he sunk into the water.
"Annabeth!" He screamed out, trying to grab her hand that was already too far away to reach. Her face etched with sadness and disappointment was the last thing he saw before she disappeared. Screaming out in desperation, Percy clawed at the darkness surrounding him, desperate in hopes of being able to somehow get out of the water. Desperate to survive.
"Percy…" Another voice called out to him.
"Percy…" It said again in the faintest of whispers. The son of Poseidon opened his eyes and looked around for any sign of life. Squinting he noticed a faint light in the distant darkness, appearing to get bigger the closer he got. Focusing on the light, he noticed that it transformed into a picture of Camp Freedom but it was different in a way. There were beautiful buildings built, farms and cattle in the distant landscape, and demigods roaming about with smiles on their faces.
"Remember what you're fighting for."
"Remember all of those that have died in hopes of you continuing on their legacy."
Percy began to feel a mixture of emotions flood his veins as he listened. The voice was right. He couldn't give up. He couldn't fail. People were relying on him. They needed him. Dying was not an option. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with the owner of the voice. Her eyes, although pale and dead, stared at him with vigor and determination. He couldn't tear his eyes away as he gazed upon her, the woman who he had loved his entire life. The woman he failed to save.
"Mom." He said, choking up. Sally caressed his cheek with a soft smile on her face, making him lean in to feel her touch.
"We need you, Percy. All of us need you." She said, gesturing to the picture behind her that now transformed into every person he loved throughout his life. Tearing up, he gazed at all of his friends that were alive and dead. Jason, Piper, Leo, Grover, Bianca, Hazel, Zoë, Beckendorf and so many more. They were looking at him with pride in their eyes and a smile on their face. They were saying something he couldn't hear but he guessed it was something similar to what mom was saying.
"W-What if I fail? Like I failed you." He asked, doubt seeping into his bones.
"You won't." She replied.
"How do you know?"
"Because you're Percy Jackson. Slayer of Monsters and Titans. Bearer of the sky. Prince of the Seas. The most powerful demigod of all time."
That was all the son of Poseidon needed to get any remaining doubt in his mind. A mother's word of encouragement could make any man believe he could do anything. If mom thinks he can do it then why shouldn't he? Peering over her shoulder, he watched his friends wave at him one last time before fading away, leaving only him and his mother in the darkness. Grabbing his shoulder, she made him look her square in the eyes. There wasn't much time left. His body was barely there anymore thanks to the river's dominating presence. Only a couple more minutes until Styx reaped his soul for good.
"The only way this gets done, Percy, is for you to kneel down. Dig deep. Find the rage. The hatred. Find it and unleash it upon any that stands in your way. You've been holding back your true power all these years in fear of what others would think of you."
Percy could feel the power surge through his veins with every word. He clenched his fist as he listened. Sally was right. It was time to show them. Time to unleash his true nature. Time to finish this last quest and bring peace to all the lands. It was time. With not even a chance to say goodbye to his mom, he could feel his body shoot out of the water at incompressible speeds. The last thing he heard before he broke the surface was her voice saying-
"Show them what you truly are."
That was the last thing he heard before he shot through the air and landed on the river's bank. Coughing water out of his lungs, he rolled to his side as he tried not to pass out from the pain that still encompassed his body. It felt like he had just been hit by a freight train. His skin was blistering red and his muscles were aching to the point that they were cramping. Despite all this, he smiled through the pain. Why? He survived. Somehow, someway, he had managed to survive. It looked like destiny and fate still wanted to play out a little longer. Raising his hand in front of him, he looked at it and noticed that it had a faint, almost undetectable glow. It seemed he had really managed to gain the curse again. What really irked him, however, was that he didn't know where his vulnerable spot was. He didn't remember thinking of a spot to tether him. So how did he manage to get out of the water?
"Percy!" Nico's voice cried out from somewhere. Hearing frantic footsteps to the right, he turned his head to look at his cousin who was more than happy to see him.
"I-I thought you were dead!" Nico exclaimed, helping Percy to his feet.
"How long was I down there?" Percy groaned.
"Ten hours!" The son of Hades replied, causing Percy to look at him with disbelief. Ten whole hours down there in the most deadly river known to man.
"Thanks for waiting for me." The older demigod could only reply as he slugged his way back to Hades's palace with his cousin's help. Along the way, Nico tried to get some answers out of him like what he saw down there but he didn't answer because honestly, he didn't really know. There were the visions of his friends and mom but was that really them? Or just a figment of his imagination trying to keep him alive? Did Mom truly want him to unleash his full power? There was a lot to unpack which hopefully he could do later but for now, he needed to show his uncle what he had accomplished.
Walking through the dark halls of the underworld palace, Percy did his best to stand tall and strong as he entered the throne room where the king and queen were still sitting. Both Hades and Persephone gained wide eyes as they looked at the son of Poseidon, now shrouded in the river's invulnerable curse, standing in front of them with a determined posture.
"He actually did it!" Hades thought to himself. Never before had someone been able to gain the curse twice. Never before had he seen such a demigod like Perseus. It astounded him how a demigod was able to acclaim such power and escape death so many times.
"As you can see, I've gained power. Now honor your side of the deal." Percy exclaimed, his tone not wavering in the slightest. Hades cleared his throat as he looked on perplexed.
"Very well. I shall fight on your side, Jackson. But tell me. How? How were you able to survive?"
"I-I really don't know. I'm surprised myself. I remember my body dissolving to the point that I thought I was dead. But when m-" He caught himself before saying more. He didn't want anyone to know what occurred down there. If Hades or any other Gods heard what was told to him, they might become paranoid of his power if they already haven't. It was best to keep this to himself.
"Styx showed you something down there, didn't she?" Hades asked although it was more like a statement. He could tell by his nephew's demeanor that something or rather someone showed themselves to Jackson. And judging by his fierce expression and aura of power, he had a feeling that whatever words were spoken to him down there awakened a slumbering dragon. But the question was, how awake is that dragon? Throwing a hidden stygian iron dart directly at Percy's face with speeds not even a demigod could comprehend, the God watched as the son of Poseidon grabbed the projectile in mid-air, without even blinking.
Looking up at his uncle with green eyes that held such immense power, he crushed the stygian iron with his bare hands before asking-
"So…How about we do a rematch?"