AN: Alright, so this update was supposed to come a week or so later, but I found myself losing motivation to write the next chapter of DSM, so I thought I should get two chapters out here, so that I would have a lighter workload when I return here again. You should be thankful.

This chapter is one of the few action scenes I have included in this book. I was thinking of making this fluff again, ideally, keeping in tandem with my earlier chapters, this should have been fluff, but eh. I feel like my action writing abilities might get rusty if I don't use it frequently, so here you go.

Happy reading!

Time: Whatever time suits your imagination

"Alright, not that I'm complaining in any way," Percy started, his voice muffled as he stuffed his mouth full of blue pancakes, practically drowning in what seemed like gallons of maple syrup overflowing his plate, and ignoring the way Hestia pursed her lips in disapproval of him talking with his mouth full. "But why are we here? And why are they here?"

He gestured towards all the Romans, Amazons, minor gods and the other Olympians that had gathered in the small dining pavilion at Camp Half-Blood, partaking in a grand feast that was breakfast.

"They're all here for the show, as am I." Poseidon smiled at him from across the table, his sea-green eyes glimmering. "Well, I think today's gonna either earn me or lose me a lot of money. You better work hard, Percy!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna work hard. I always work hard." Percy muttered to himself, frowning at Poseidon's cryptic words and angrily stabbing his pancakes. "If I knew what work I'm supposed to be doing. And what fucking show?"

Chiron laughed into his own plate over at the head table, his tail swishing from side to side in happiness at seeing his favourite demigod- or was it god now?- after so long. He could almost see Percy's thought process, being as familiar as he was, with the Dark god.

Every time the people around him went all cryptic and secretive, Percy knew that there was some shit about to go down, though now, it only relieved him that they were all so jovial. That meant whatever was going to happen was possibly bad only for him, and not something apocalyptic.

He regarded his surroundings with a suspicious frown, hiding behind his mountain of pancakes. He felt Hestia slide into the seat next to his, with her own little stack of regular pancakes, and he pressed himself against her soft body, seeking her comfort.

Hestia seemed to understand, though she did not say anything, as she allowed him to press closer to her and share her warmth. Her soft brown eyes, as ignorant to what was to occur as Percy was, shined with a mixture of worry and curiosity, able to see all the excited whispers and glances that passed through the crowd, everything ultimately converging on the Dark god beside her.

"I think you need to be wary, Percy." Her voice was soft, like sweet honey to the ears of all who could listen to her soft, meek voice, making Percy growl softly in agreement.

The sweet aroma of food wafted over to everyone, who were having breakfast with him and adding to the great mix of lovely fragrances that hung thick in the air, courtesy of Hestia's delicious cooking that they had the great fortune to enjoy every day. Well, maybe just today, he would let everyone enjoy the delicious cooking of his goddess, he mused as he looked around the dining pavilion with a small smile tugging at his lips, drinking in the sight of all the campers attacking their breakfast as ravenously as the Hunters did every day.

It was a fine summer day to be at camp, when the sun was not too hot, yet there wasn't a single wisp of clouds in the clear azure sky, bathing the rolling emerald hills of the Camp in golden sunshine. It was an idyllic day, making Percy feel nostalgic for all the summers that he had spent there, lounging about lazily underneath the shade of the trees, amidst the soft, green grass, flirting with the shy naiads and dryads, and annoying the other campers out of their freaking minds. The leaves rustled in an invisible breeze, and the plants in the sprawling fields- strawberries and grapes and whatnot, drooped heavily with delicious, luscious fruit with soft skin and ripe, juicy flesh.

The day would have been fine for a great Olympian get-together at Camp Half-Blood, but that couldn't possibly be the reason they had all gathered there.

To clarify, for some reason, all of them, including him, had been summoned to Camp Half-Blood early that morning, for purposes of a social 'experiment', as Thalia had so eloquently put it as she dragged his half-asleep ass out of bed that morning. She seemed almost excited out of her mind as she hurried everyone, her electric blue eyes shining with barely concealed anticipation, though she refused to meet his eyes nor explain any further, a fact that Percy took careful note of, adding to his mental list of things that the daughter of Zeus should be punished for.

The other Olympians were here as well, along with innumerable minor gods, along with the Amazons and all the Romans, led by the powerful Praetor couple of Frank and Hazel, along with Grover, Tyson and Ella, and practically every single friendly person that Percy had ever met during his adventures.

He looked over at Aphrodite, Athena and Asteria, who were sitting with their children at their respective tables at Camp Half-Blood, feeling his heart growing warm as he watched them interact, slightly awkward and slightly cheerful and happy, with their children, chatting amicably with them, sharing stories and trying to solve their problems, having some much-needed bonding time with their sons and daughters. They all looked happy to be finally together as a proper, big family, free from Zeus' tyrannical reign, and to a certain extent, from the Ancient Laws, as the Greeks and Romans mingled freely with the gods that they worshipped, and bonded with their parents.

Eventually, his gaze followed Asteria's worried glances over to the silent Hades table, and he watched with amusement, stifling a laugh as Hades tried to burn a hole into Will and Frank's heads with his typical cold, dead and unflinching gaze, ignoring the way Hazel and Persephone were tugging at his sleeves, trying to get him off the protective father act. Nico was blushing profusely at the typical 'grilling the boyfriend' act that Hades had put on so effectively, ignoring the fact that he himself was male in favour of threatening Will to always treat Nico as well as he possibly could, and embarrassing said subby son of Hades out of his mind.

Speaking of the father act, was it weird that Percy was now the stepfather to many of his friends, like Malcolm? A list that included a few of his current lovers, like Piper, Drew and the Huntress Ruby?

He didn't want to think about that, especially not right now, when Leo was creeping the fuck out of both him and Hestia, as he cackled like an evil witch, sitting opposite him at the Poseidon table and eyeing him with glimmering brown eyes, as if he was about to shove a poisoned apple down Percy's throat. His hands were shaking, from caffeine, drug withdrawal or sheer excitement, Percy couldn't tell, but the little Latino elf was definitely up to something. And normally, Percy would have been excited about that, too, for Leo's trembling excitement usually meant chainsaws, tanks, or AR rifles that shot chainsaws, the wet dream of every hot-blooded man. The last time Leo had been this excited, he had gifted Percy a super shotgun that could play the Doom OST on inbuilt loudspeakers.

So forgive Percy for looking forward to much to what surprise the Latino elf was about to spring on them, though he guessed he shouldn't be so eager, for whatever show the others were talking about surely involved him. And it couldn't be anything good, considering how none of them were eager to tell Percy exactly what he would be doing.

"Alright, Leo, that's enough." Piper, seemingly the only one who could ever tame Leo when he was in this half-crazed state, fortunately, came to his aid, winking at him teasingly as she sauntered over to their table from the Aphrodite table, a seductive sway in her hips that drew his eyes to her wide, child-bearing hips as she smacked the son of Hephaestus right back into shape. "No more caffeine for you."

Leo seemed to whimper for a moment as the steaming mug of espresso in his hands was snatched away by the daughter of Aphrodite, unable to talk back against his longtime friend.

Beside him, Hestia leaned closer to Percy, until her lips were barely brushing his ear and making him shiver as he felt her warm breath on his skin. "Is he always like this?"

Percy smiled softly, nostalgic for times long gone, as he watched Leo recompose himself and stand up, extending an accusing finger toward him.

"Today's the day you finally taste defeat, Jackson!" Leo declared proudly, making Percy groan loudly. "We've had enough of your tyranny! Today, in front of the entirety of Olympus and all your lovers, I will thrash the fuck out of you until you have to beg for mercy!"

"This is the seventy-sixth time you have challenged me to a battle, Leo. And I've won all the previous bouts, even with handicaps." Percy sighed as he finished his pancakes, his fork scraping against his plate as he tried to clean it of any last stray drops of maple syrup that might have been stuck to the porcelain by any chance. That done, he stood up, stretching himself to his full height, and towering over the short son of Hephaestus.

Leo barely reached to Percy's chest, making him tilt his head backwards to look into Percy's dark, sea-green eyes, filled with an unspoken challenge. His muscled packed chest and broad shoulders were almost double the width of Leo's torso, making the Latino elf feel like he was but a toy in comparison to the Dark god.

But Leo was alright with that. He had lost many times to Percy previously, and he knew that a single punch from Percy was enough to knock the living daylights out of him.

No, he would win where Percy lacked.

Leo had a sharp brain and a scientific mind that he could use to improvise, adapt and overcome. That had been what had kept him, and on some occasions, his friends as well, alive for so long. The Dark god and his brute strength and physical skill couldn't outshine Leo's genius, and he was sure of that.

"Alright then, what's the handicap this time?" Percy asked, a small, arrogant smile tugging at his lips as he looked down at the son of Hephaestus. "Should I go in blind? Tie my hands or feet? Or do you want all these people to fight me all together?"

Percy spread his hands in a challenge. "I won't be defeated. Not now, not ever. Not by you, not by Tartarus, even if the Fates come down themselves, I will emerge victorious."

Maybe he was being arrogant, but Percy hadn't tasted defeat in so long. He was beginning to grow dull, the taste of adrenaline and the thrill of battle was growing alien to him, and that was something that Percy dreaded.

Leo smiled.

"No handicaps this time. I will defeat you, fair... and square."

Percy tilted his head, a small smile on his lips, meeting Hestia's worried brown eyes and ignoring everybody else, even his own lovers among them, bristling at his arrogant tone.

"Yeah, he's always been like that."

He returned his gaze to Leo. "Is this the... social experiment everyone's excited for? I don't know what's different this time, I have defeated you so many times before, now, I will just beat you up once again in front of all these people."

He turned towards Thalia, who was glaring at him from all the way over at the Hunter's table, shooting her an arrogant, teasing smile. "You will be disappointed if you're hoping to defeat me."


"Murder him, Leo!" Thalia cheered loudly, joined by so many others, all hungry to see Percy defeated and broken. The chant reverberated through the stadium, thousands of voices, Greeks and Romans, friends, lovers and strangers, all clamouring for his defeat.

Percy basked in it, drank it in, the feeling of the entire world seeking his loss, their desperation strong enough to make the arena tremble. It was so tantalizing, the feeling of everyone trying to pull him down as he stood before Leo, confident of his victory. Behind him, there were only a handful that had come to support him, Poseidon and Hestia, Aphrodite and Piper. Even Artemis and Athena had joined Leo's side, eager to see him knocked off a few pegs, though Percy could understand the sentiment. They were warriors as well, and their warrior pride sought to see him, who had stood above them all for so long, knocked off his throne. If Percy had been in their shoes, he wouldn't have been any different. He didn't mind.

They would be disappointed, anyway.

He smiled at Leo, standing across from him in the arena. The loud cheers of the crowds all clamouring for his blood reverberated through their beings, and he could feel it in his bones, but he stood unfazed.

"So, no powers, as usual?" Percy began. The no powers condition was something that he always gave his opponents, given that there were so very few, immortal or not, that could match his godly powers. Maybe it was also born partly out of his arrogance that he could never be defeated when it came to hand-to-hand combat, but his opponents never complained, and neither did he.

Leo nodded, a small, smug smile tugging at his own lips. "Yep, no powers."

"Weapons?" Percy offered.

"Anything you want." Leo returned back.

Percy grinned, knowing that Leo was about to pull some sick shit out of his ass. He had the skill and the ability to back up his statement, because Percy knew that only relying on superior weapons against Leo was a surefire way to lose, for the son of Hephaestus could make weapons better than the average godly weapon. No, it was only Percy's superior strength and skill that was giving him the arrogance to go toe to toe with the son of Hephaestus so nonchalantly.

He tilted his head, eyeing the silver cube, almost as tall as Leo himself, that the son of Hephaestus had dragged into the arena. He had an inkling what it was, but he couldn't be sure.

"What's that?"

Leo smiled at him, a smile that he didn't like one bit. He pulled out his monster-proof smartphone, tapping the screen a few times before looking up finally.

"This is my weapon." Leo slapped the metal cube jovially, as one would slap the roof of a beloved car.

Percy snarled at him, feeling his hair stand on end as Leo tapped again at his smartphone, following his instincts that were calling for him to defeat Leo right then. He would have to finish this bout before the son of Hephaestus even got a chance to show everyone his new 'weapon'.

Tensing his legs, using a bit of his godly strength, Percy jumped at Leo, prepared to knock him out. A small sonic boom rang across the arena, providing company to the loud chorus of gasps that emerged from the stands, as Percy cleared the length of the arena in less than two seconds and in three steps, swinging his fist in a lethal right hook.

Every fibre of his being was calling for him to defeat Leo without delay, and Percy believed in his gut, as usual. Maybe it was his own disorientation or the fact that he had become tunnel-visioned, able to think about nothing but Leo and how to defeat him, but Percy failed to register the glimmering, motionless silver metal cube beside him as he swung at Leo with all his strength, blind to the fact that this was a friendly spar.

Leo yelped loudly, barely able to roll out of harm's way at the last moment, closing his eyes to shield himself from the shower of rock chips that accompanied Percy's fist lodging itself deep into the wall of the arena. He lay sprawled on the ground, crawling backwards desperately, his brown eyes wide in fear at the blow that he had barely been able to dodge. His eyes were stuck to Percy's fist buried in the stone walls of the arena, painfully aware of the fact that even Poseidon couldn't even dent the magical walls with his trident.

And Percy had just made a massive, fist-sized hole in the same wall with his bare fist.

Leo gulped, knowing that Percy wasn't holding back in the slightest. The blow was aimed to kill, and he suspected that if it had connected, then Piper and the others would have been picking pieces of him off the bleachers while he would be learning how to play the harp from Jason.

Percy whirled his head to stare at Leo, and their eyes met, and what Leo saw surprised the son of Hephaestus.

He had never seen Percy so worried, to the point that he almost seemed scared, his wide, wary eyes darting around, searching blindly for an invisible enemy that he seemed to treat worse than Tartarus. Leo had seen Percy lock blades with Gaea herself, he had seen him go three-on-one against Athena, Artemis and Thalia and emerge victorious, and never did he look even remotely worried as he did now. The arrogant, cocksure smile that always accompanied him whenever he fought, was nowhere to be seen, and his entire being was like a spooked, very violent deer.

Leo didn't know whether the crowds could see his expression- they probably couldn't- and he wondered what it could mean.

It filled with him a sense of pride that he had managed to scare Percy, not any riff-raff minor character, but Percy fucking Jackson himself.

The overwhelming sense of danger that Percy was feeling only grew with every second that passed, and his eyes didn't move from Leo, unblinking and unwavering like a predator locked on to its prey, his single-minded, reptilian brain capable of one single thought- kill Leo, remove threat. A small part of him wondered why his faithful instincts were screaming so at him- Leo was harmless, but it was drowned out by most of his being that only sought the son of Hephaestus' immediate death.

He quickly pulled his fist back, ignoring the rocks crumbling to his feet and the decent hole in the wall of the arena, as he jumped at Leo again, prepared to snap his neck.

Percy couldn't connect, however, as a great force slammed into his side, tossing him to the side like a rag doll. He rolled mid-air so that his feet landed first, crouching low, his legs tense in preparation to jump away again and dodge whatever had hit him, his eyes scanning the arena.

He didn't have to search for long, as his dark, sea-green eyes immediately honed in on the large metal figure standing over Leo protectively.

The arena was silent, all the spectators torn between shock and awe at the sight of Leo's latest ultramodern automaton, which looked like something out of a dystopian sci-fi fantasy.

Percy felt a smile tug at his lips as he looked over the tall machine. "That your weapon?"

Leo grinned back at him as he scrambled back to his feet. "Yep, Percy, meet the Percy Square version 3.1.097. I completely revamped the hydraulics and circuitry, making this one fast, strong and durable. Besides, I have fed it with high specs optics, heat vision, motion scanners, godly signature detection and target lock on." He stopped, counting off his fingers, muttering to himself as he kept recounting all the features that he had added to the automaton. "I have also uploaded to its interface every single move Thalia, Piper, Frank, Nico, Hazel, Reyna, Lady Artemis and Lady Athena could do, along with every single martial art in the world for hand-to-hand combat that I could find on the Internet. It also comes with inbuilt weapons, and it can wield anything with ease. Square's optics and circuitry are all cutting edge, it can perceive and process a million times faster than anyone. It can perceive, analyse and find any situation's best solution by the time your brain even realises what it's seeing."

"Your plain vanilla biology can't win against my death machine, Jackson." He grinned at Percy, noting that his eyes had zoned in on the advanced, Ultron-esque automaton with killing intent. He could practically see the cogs grind in Percy's head, every single hint of fear gone from his body, replaced with determination and rage that simmered beneath his skin, exposed in his thinly set lips and his tense jaw. Maybe the fear that he had seen hadn't really been there at all, just Leo's mind playing tricks on him, but he guessed that it might have been because Percy couldn't really see the enemy that he would have to face off against.

Percy growled deeply in his throat, a rumbling sound that rang through the silent arena. "I'll be damned if I let a stupid chunk of steel like that beat me."

Percy watched keenly as the machine zoned in on him, the bright red slits of its optics and motion sensors, scattered all across its gleaming, sleek silver body glowing sinisterly. Percy Square's limbs were slim and lithe, mainly made of exposed wiring and carbon fibres from what he could see, with armour plates on its long, exposed parts such as the thighs and legs, shoulders and arms, leaving the joints exposed as thin slits that enabled rapid movement. The head of the automaton was an expressionless chunk of smooth silver, interspersed with glowing red slits of its optics, and where its neck should have been was a large chunk of metal connecting its shoulders to its head like a thick, armoured collar. The automaton's chest was plated with silver, though it left the abdomen and the hips, and all its wiring exposed. Did that help in mobility?

Probably.

Percy resisted the urge to snort at the great lengths that Leo had gone to protect its neck- it was born either out of a concern for a possible weakness, or the knowledge of Percy's fondness for going for the neck and head right off the bat.

Possible plan?

Percy mused that he could bash and dent the armoured chest or head with his bare hands. It should shatter something- machines were awfully fragile and susceptible to the smallest of injuries, after all. If that didn't work, then he would try ripping out the exposed wiring and fibres of the abdomen and the limbs.

If even that didn't work, then he would have to get serious.

He allowed a small smile on his lips, brimming with determination, as he raised his fists, prepared to pound the automaton to kingdom come, his dark, sea-green eyes meeting with emotionless, glowing red slits.

Leo decided to give the two their space, as he moved aside to one corner of the arena, stowing away the automaton's controller in his enchanted tool belt, out of a slight fear that the Dark god might go for that if he couldn't defeat it.

And the battle began.

The crowd cheered as the Percy Square disappeared with a little sonic boom, kicking up a cloud of dust much like the Dark god had done earlier, as it appeared almost immediately in front of Percy, even faster than he himself could move.

The Dark god reared back abruptly to dodge the swift punch aimed at knocking him out with one strike, his eyes wide at the speed of the machine as he leaned backwards before swiping at its feet.

Leo cackled at Percy's expression, "Percy Square is my masterpiece, it can move 0.7 times faster than Lady Artemis herself, and it is 2.6 times faster than you, Jackson."

Percy gritted his teeth in anger as the automaton dodged his kick swiftly, jumping up and swiping a slender metal leg toward Percy's head in an aerial kick, forcing him to duck.

He didn't allow the automaton time to reorient itself, as he swiped at the exposed, black carbon fibres at its hips, but his palm met open air, as it used inbuilt jet thrusters to move mid-air, delivering a scissor kick towards Percy's head.

Percy dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way before springing back to his feet. Flesh collided with metal as the two exchanged blows, trying to deflect each other's hits while seeking gaps in the opponent's defence.

Percy was definitely having trouble with the machine's high specs functions, especially since the machine wasn't defending at all, instead relying on its sheer armour for defence.

Not that it didn't work, Percy gritted his teeth angrily as he jabbed at the robot's armoured neck, only to hurt his fingers.

His opponent was unyielding and tough, did not get tired or scared, and didn't get hurt either. All of the little tricks that gave Percy an edge were taken out of the equation with a single stroke, putting him at a great disadvantage. His only saving grace was the few obvious flaws that he could see in the machine's otherwise impeccable, almost impenetrable fighting style- firstly, he was only just slightly stronger and heavier, giving him two important advantages in close quarters bare-handed combat, though it didn't amount to much when Percy was left dancing around the much faster attacks of the automaton, exhausted out of his fucking mind.

But all was not lost. He had definitely landed more hits than he had taken, he was sure of that. The plain, emotionless metallic face of the automaton was slowly but surely getting dented with every punch that he managed to connect. For all the talk of uploading every single martial art in the machine's AI to neutralize and counter him, Leo had definitely ignored defence in favour of attack, opting instead to trust in his newly invented metal armour.

That arrogance was something he could exploit, just in the same way Leo had exploited his own arrogance- he could definitely bring the Square down, given enough time.

Percy ducked beneath a mean right hook, bashing it in the chest with his shoulder. The automaton staggered back, shrugging off the force of his shoulder as it quickly righted itself back on its feet with its jet thrusters, treating the blow that could crush boulders as if it were nothing.

He knew that the time frame was small if he wanted to land a hit, but Percy took full advantage of it, again disbalancing the Square with a swift jab to its knee, making it stagger again as it tried to right itself, only to have its face meet Percy's fist.

The dented, cracked metal plating that covered its face finally gave way, after taking Olympus knows how many of Percy's lethal, overpowered punches right to the face, but it did, and the metal plate covering the left half of its face went flying, ripped from its welded seams and carrying with it half of the optics and motion sensors in its head.

It wasn't a lot, but it was still something, Percy mused as he watched the exposed black fibres and sparking wires that lay beneath the now missing silver plate of the machine's face.

He felt an exhausted smile bloom on his lips as he staggered on tired feet, his fists raised to protect his face. His arms hurt, and sweat rolled down his tanned skin, dripping from his sharp jaw and making his damp hair glisten.

And the two combatants, the Dark god and the genius inventor's masterpiece, tangled together once again, exchanging blows and grappling each other. Percy threw a wild right hook, ducking beneath the automaton's swing before trying to sweep it off its feet once more.

The machine, with its inhuman processing power, dodged the blow, before bringing its arm down in a sharp, mechanical chop on Percy's shoulder, forcing him to dodge to the side before he threw another punch.

He felt it connect, making the automaton stagger back again, and he immediately pounced on the opportunity, landing two hits in quick succession on its armoured chest, and leaving a decent dent in the machine.

But still, the Percy Square did not go down, somehow as tenacious as he was himself, and refusing to accept defeat.

Its optics and motion sensors still glowed red on the one side of its face that was still intact, the smooth silver plate offering a sharp contrast with the sparking black wires and coiled fibres.

The Dark god breathed heavily, blinking to keep the sweat out of his eyes, as he again tried to land a right hook and cave its face in, hoping that once he could crush the head, it would finally succumb to all its injuries. That was a big problem with machines, one could never be sure what exactly could kill it, unlike animals and monsters, but Percy was sure that if he could just rip away enough of its circuitry, he could win.

The people gathered in the stands around the arena cheered wildly, no longer as openly antagonistic to Percy now that they were enjoying the show so much. A few were watching intensely, they had money staked on the victor after all, and Hermes looked busy trying to collect as many bids as he could before the fight was over.

The Square slapped away Percy's right hook, but he was quick to follow up with his left hand, whirling around the machine to get close, but it was faster, ready to face him with metallic fists raised before he could even complete the manoeuvre.

Caught off guard, Percy took a harsh uppercut right to the jaw, a blow that physically took him off his feet, making him crash to the ground a few feet away.

"Percy!" The shrill, worried voice could only belong to a number of his lovers, maybe even Thalia, who would've been the happiest if he finally got defeated, making Percy smile slightly even as he grimaced at the sharp, throbbing pain that shot through his entire being. His hand immediately came up to caress his jaw, feeling it get swollen almost immediately, his eyes still locked onto the gleaming Square, resisting the urge to search through the stands for his lovers, just to enjoy the view of them supporting him.

Percy briefly tore his eyes away as he touched his stinging lips, watching as he pulled away his fingers, glistening with sticky blood. His eye twitched at the sight of the crimson fluid, and he couldn't help the growl that escaped his lips at the sight of first blood.

And the fight continued. Percy rolled to the side, dodging as the automaton rushed in to capitalise on his momentary immobilisation, immediately springing to his feet and raising his fists to meet the machine halfway. Percy's muscles ached and throbbed from exhaustion, and he was having trouble moving, able to feel the cramps that were beginning to set in as his muscles were strained to their very limit. Harsh bruises and cuts littered his battered body, the thin, sleeveless t-shirt that he was wearing drenched with sweat and further restricting his movements as it clung to his skin, and pain shot through his feet with every step that he took. His breath came in short, ragged gasps, his lungs burning from exhaustion and his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he collided again with the Square.

Yes, this feeling, the feeling that he could be defeated, the knowledge that he was going all out and still couldn't win, this was what Percy had been missing for so long. Despite the situation, he felt a small smile tugging at his lips at the rush of adrenaline in his veins, the thrill of battle as he rushed into the fray headfirst without a plan but his fists.

The two, man and machine, exchanged blows harder and faster than even gods could ever only hope to comprehend, the force of their blows sending shockwaves through the arena, their speed leaving cracks on the barren ground with every step.

Realising that dodging and attacking wouldn't yield any result, Percy finally decided to finish it, throwing a little gamble that he hoped the machine would take.

He left a double opening purposefully, exposing the left side of his head and the right side of his abdomen to the Square, hoping that it wouldn't be able to cancel a motion that it was halfway through executing.

And the Square, despite its high specs functions and all, fell for the feint- something that Percy had been trying to avoid the entire fight, knowing that he wouldn't be fast enough to stop the blow.

Left with no other option but to take the harsh punch straight in his abdomen, Percy gritted his teeth, staying on his feet without doubling over through sheer willpower alone, swallowing the bile that he felt rising up his throat as he watched the metallic leg flying up to the exposed left side of his face.

Now, this, he would be fast enough to dodge, seeing as the previous blow, which he had taken, had given him enough time to dodge this one.

He ducked beneath the lethal roundhouse kick, before his left arm shot out, grabbing the metallic leg and pulling the automaton down to earth with every single ounce of strength that he could muster, seeking to overpower the machine when he couldn't outspeed it. It went crashing in a loud sonorous sound of metal and sparks against the tough, rocky ground of the arena, and Percy didn't waste any time grappling with it down on the ground.

The two exchanged harsh blows and punches that left the ground indented from their sheer force, and everybody watched in silent awe as Percy was pushed to his limits, his muscles straining and veins popping as he tried to put an end to the machine.

The Dark god growled in his throat, dodging another fist from the Square, feeling it graze past his ear as he used the opportunity to flip it, straddling its back and pulling its arm back until the gleaming silver metal and the fibres of its shoulder joint groaned in protest.

He was ruthless, as he brought his elbow down on the machine's shoulder with all the force that he could muster, but to little avail. Maybe someone else, had they been in Percy's place, would have been surprised at the small dent that he left behind on the metal from the blow from his elbow- which he had used effectively before to crush monster skulls and shatter Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold and Stygian Iron bars.

It meant that whatever silvery metal that Leo had invented for the sole purpose of standing against Percy Jackson, did its job better than anyone could have expected, for mere metal, divine or not, to be stronger than Celestial Bronze was a feat in and of itself. Now, the only thing that could be stronger than this new metal was probably the divine weapons of the Olympians, though Percy suspected whether even Athena's Imperial Gold spear or Artemis' silver dagger would hold up against Leo's automaton.

But Percy, high on his adrenaline rush, didn't even stop to register that, as he brought his elbow down again on the automaton's shoulder, ignoring the metallic crunch, unsatisfied until he could separate the shoulder from the body.

A third hit came raining down on the struggling machine's shoulder, and the metal finally gave way, shattering under three of Percy's overpowered hits, and he took the opportunity to rip the arm off and toss it away, the wires and thick carbon fibres that connected the arm to the main body offering little resistance to his colossal strength.

His knee held down the automaton, now lopsided with only one arm, taking advantage of its weakness as he brought his fist down with as much strength as he could muster, denting the metal chassis and shattering circuits.

Percy pulled his fist back before bringing it down again on the Square'd chest with vengeance, making the automaton's metallic parts groan loudly as he managed to punch through the thick metal with the blow. He didn't waste any time, immediately grabbing hold of as many fibres and wires as he could, ripping it out of its chest and tossing it away, ignoring the slight shocks of the electricity that merely stung him- the electricity was leagues below Thalia's overpowered lightning bolts, to the point that Percy barely even felt the sparks as he continued to lay waste to the automaton's inner workings, ripping apart circuits and wirings with his bare hands.

The automaton's inner workings were all sparking and crackling with electricity, as it continued to move in slow, dying jerky movements, and Percy took advantage of its losing strength as he put both hands on the fist-sized hole he had made, before ripping the metal apart with his bare hands.

Well, he didn't really rip the metal apart, rather he ripped the armoured metal plates off its chest, where it had been welded on, exposing all the vital inner workings.

He looked up at Leo, trying to hide his obvious crippling exhaustion to the best of his abilities as he raised a questioning eyebrow, watching the son of Hephaestus roll on the ground in despair. "You want me to go on and rip out everything, or do you yield?"

"...yield." Leo looked up at him, his eyes slightly watery and his voice low. "That was the best automaton I ever created, it defeated Thalia, Frank, Piper, Hazel, Reyna..."

Percy stood up, ignoring him, feeling the sparking machine beneath him finally give a lurch and a last dying burst of sparks as it was finally killed off. He dusted his slightly torn clothes, ignoring the dull, throbbing pain shooting through his bruised and battered body, and the blood dripping from his bust knuckles, splattering on the dusty ground beneath his feet.

His hand reached up to gingerly touch his jaw, sore and swollen from the few hits he had taken to the face, and wondering if he had fractured it or something as he looked around the arena, at all the people gathered in the stands, shocked silent that even Leo's mechanical masterpiece had failed to finally put an end to Percy's tyrannical reign in the arena. His tongue darted out, licking off the blood that coated his torn lips, and he only felt grateful that he hadn't taken any hits to the eye. However the same couldn't be said for his cheek, which was throbbing painfully, swollen and bruised purple, making him wonder how he looked at that moment, barely victorious over a machine built with the sole purpose to defeat him in unarmed, hand-to-hand combat.

He felt a small, arrogant smirk tug at his lips as he raised his broken fist, dripping and covered with his own blood, in a victorious sign. "I win."

"Oh fuck you, Jackson." That shout was definitely Thalia, and he buried the urge to flash next to her, bend her over his knee and spank the shit out of her right there, in full view of everyone. That could come later.

He couldn't bother searching for her through the crowded stands, as he staggered from exhaustion, swaying unsteadily on aching, tired feet in the middle of the arena, blood moistening his bust lips as he watched Will immediately making his way over to him, first aid box in hand.

"I win," Percy repeated again in a low voice as he allowed himself to crash to the tough ground, making the son of Asteria rush to his side, as he closed his eyes, ignoring the bright flashes that he could see through his closed eyelids, that signalled his goddesses flashing to his side.

He smiled as he felt their hands caress his broken body lovingly, the sound of his rapidly beating heart drowning out their worried and comforting whispers, as he buried the fear deep in his heart.

Percy was eternally grateful that Leo was one of the good guys. He might have won this time, with his brawns overpowering Leo's brains, but how long would that be the case? Everyone knew that smarts always won over strength, and as much as Percy hated to admit it, he didn't really have the smarts to go toe to toe with the likes of Annabeth, Leo, Athena, or any of the other strategists that he had come across during his adventures.

The son of Hephaestus had come ridiculously close to defeating Percy in hand-to-hand combat, albeit with an automaton he had constructed, but still...

Percy was still only one man, and even three of these Percy Squares, and he feared that he would have been killed. There was only one of him, a biological masterpiece born once in a few millennia through a combination of divinity, biology, luck and hard work, while Leo, given enough time and resources, could mass produce mechanical Percy Jackson's at the rate of a hundred per day- a scary thought to him. He himself was no stranger to the terror that others regarded him with, as a warrior, and to think hundreds of such destructive Percy Jackson's milling on the battlefield, for both good and evil...

And he sent another prayer in thanks to all the gods above and below, that Leo was on their side.

AN: Wooh! Finished this chapter! It's a 7K word long action chapter. What do you think? I feel like this one was a bit abrupt, but I really wanted to write an action chapter again. Comment your thoughts on the chapter.

Now, obviously, the next chapter will be a lemon chapter. Who do you think it will be? Here's a hint: They're four people, five including Percy, and Thalia's not one of them.

Also, before I go, I almost ran over someone today with my motorcycle, lolz.

So, I was going down the road behind the stadium near my house, heading back home. The road was mostly deserted and well lit, it's straight and without any side alleys or anything, so one can see any other vehicles or pedestrians from miles away. Given those conditions, I was going at a reasonable speed of 45 Kmph, alright? And there were cars parked along the sidewalk. This is when a jobless, stupid middle-aged woman- one of these stereotypical, fat Indian aunties- just walked in front of me from one of these cars' blind spot- I couldn't see her, because she was hidden behind these parked cars, and she didn't bother looking up and down the road before crossing. I slammed the brakes as hard as I could, and almost crashed thanks to her. I have hurt my leg and am applying ice, while Lace is alright, thankfully.

And when we do crash, it is always the drivers who are blamed in the media. The faults of the pedestrians around us, who jaywalk, do not wait for any lights and do not care for vehicles on the roads, who think that the roads are their personal property, are never taken into consideration.

Anyway, I should leave before I lose my cool and get worked up again.

Keep calm and headbang!