PART 1: The City Of Gold
CHAPTER 8: Preparing For War
Rusting gears twisted in Hephaesteus's workshop.
The god of forges hummed a pleasant tune as slammed a giant hammer into a large flat sheet of Celestial Bronze.
Working relentlessly, he then cut the sheet into 5 smaller pieces and handed them over to the master Cyclops craftsmen.
They were forging enough Armor and Weapons for the entirety of their army, including themselves.
Olympus would soon be at war and it was their job to make sure they were best prepared for it.
While they were craftsmen, they also happened to be fighters and would be critical in the plan to save Olympus from one more major threat.
In the past, they had been saved by demigods and the stupidity of their opposition, but now there was no such luck. The demigods would still be there, but their opposition was moving quite slowly and they had no view of their plans.
The Cyclopses in charge left the forges, covered in soot and smelling like burnt rubber, walking towards the throne room of the gods.
No one was there, everyone was busy doing everything they could to prepare.
He changed directions and made his way to the war room. He shoved the sturdy iron door open and saw Athena, Hermes, and Hades examining and making edits to the various maps, laid down on the table.
" We currently have enough armor for 500 fighters plus a set for each Olympian," he said, inclining his head down toward them.
"Thank you General Regyos," Athena said before motioning for him to come to the map."
"Would it work alright if we had your forces come through from this area?" she asked placing her index finger down onto a specific spot.
"Our spies say that the palace is in the center of the city. We will have a large advance force coming from the front and 4 smaller groups from the side, the main goal is to get 1 group to the palace so they can find the enemy. Destroy as much of the city as possible because then it will take longer to recover from the attack. We also need to remember that it is a city that houses the army we are fighting. There are no civilians."
Regyos nodded before asking. "So would taking prisoners to be advisable or just getting rid of everyone."
Athena seemed to contemplate it, but Hades responded "Getting rid of them, they will spawn in the underworld as a part of my army, each person you leave alive is one less undead fighter we have."
Regyos nodded "Do your forces need armor or can we Cyclops focus on preparing ourselves now?" he asked Hades.
" Prepare yourself, we march in 3 days."
* * * * * FRAGMENTS - PART ONE * * * * *
Dragon scales scraped the hard stone floor as the prisoner attempted to break free. The dragon hissed and tugged at the chains, but they wouldn't budge.
The roof of his prison was open and he would be free of the metal around his legs, the clamps on his wings, and the smell of rotting flesh if he could simply summon fire.
However, his flames had been extinguished when he summoned enough fire to burn all of the House of Night.
"You will never be able to escape." a teen with a cocky smile said, smirking at the dragon.
He hissed at his jailer angrily and attempted to bring forth the fire in his belly but to no avail.
"Things will become easier when you accept your fate and are willing to aid us in our quest for world domination." the teen said calmly, not at all fazed by the dragon's vicious nature.
The dragon snorted as if he found it funny before growling and attempting to fly out of his jail.
There was a loud snap as one chain snapped and the left-back leg broke free, flailing itself at the teen.
The teenage boy covered his mouth with his hand before pulling out a bow.
He knocked an arrow and fired at the dragon's wings. "Yield Draco!" he screamed before firing another arrow.
The dragon hissed as the projectile hit his armored wings and he tugged again at his chains angrily.
"Down!" the boy yelled and quickly retreated from the room.
The dragon felt the fire in his belly again and managed to light a small fire in front of him.
The boy came back with reinforcements soon after and was met with a wall of fire, spreading around the room.
There was another loud crack as multiple chains snapped and within a few moments, the clamps around the wings were melted.
There was nothing that could be done to stop the dragon.
He was free.
* * * * * FRAGMENTS - PART ONE * * * * *
"You aren't the leader of this camp." a 13-year-old daughter of Hecate hissed at Annabeth Chase.
The daughter of Athena shook her head "I have the most quest experience out of anyone here. I fought in both the Titan and the Giant war. I held the weight of the sky, I have walked through the depths of Tartarus, tell me, have you?" she asked her hand nearing closer to her waist where her knife was kept.
The daughter of Hecate scowled before saying "I wouldn't accept you as a leader even if you beat Tartarus in a fight."
"Then it's a good thing I am not in charge of the camp, Chiron is," Annabeth said but brought out her knife and held it at the girl's throat.
"However you might live longer if you showed people the respect they deserve," she said intentionally drawing a drop of blood before pocketing her weapon.
The girl stood in shock but before the daughter was out of earshot, she shouted "Better watch your back Chase, never know when a stray weapon might impale you."
Annabeth turned around, her stormy Grey eyes filled with anger, "You too, but I'm more worried that you'll do something dumb and kill yourself before that is even a possibility."
The daughter of Athena stormed off without another thought as she headed to the Big House, nowhere was safe, not even camp.
* * * * * FRAGMENTS - PART ONE * * * * *
"Are we ready to strike Olympus?" a grey-haired man asked his companion.
"No, we want to wait for them to come to us, my spies tell me they will come forth in 2 days and attempt to wage war, keeping us away from their base. One of my generals foolishly attacked the camp, alerting them of us, which is why this entire ordeal is happening." Erubus explained, in a half-exasperated tone.
Chronos nodded "Now, in terms of the discussions of giving me a replacement. Is it more important to have my aid, or have Nyx above the surface?"
Erubus put his hand in his face "Look, man. Is there any other demigod you want? Nyx has had a fascination with him ever since he and his girlfriend trespassed in her abode during the recent gigantomachy."
Chronos smiled "I think having someone for me to transfer my powers to is more important, you can let Nyx have a chat with him after I complete his training, and I pass on."
Erubus scowled "She has the patience of a small infant, she is already annoyed that I didn't simply send a group after him to abduct him."
The smile on Chronos's face faded, and his expression suddenly become serious "How much do you want to win this war?"
" A lot." Erubus admitted, "The damage that Olympus has caused to this planet is enormous, I am willing to give up as many demigods as necessary to usurp them and allow the real rulers of this place to rise."
"And if we Primordial's all actually wanted to rule the world, do you not think that we would have already banded together to eliminate the gods?" Chronos asked the darkness deity.
"That is a fair point, however-" Erubus paused for a moment "-one last time, for old times sake?"
A hint of a smile appeared on Chronos's face. "Fine, but I still want the boy."