AN: Here is the next chapter, hope you all like it! We're slowly approaching the end of the first part of the story, i.e. the events covering the Titan's Curse. Suffice it to say, things about to hit the fan, and everything is going to get very chaotic. Big canon changes abound!

But anyway, for now, I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me.

Another thing while I am at it, is this. I am a part of a discord group, there are tons of others there, plenty of writers, admittedly mainly PJO, but other stuff too, including a growing number of writers form other fandoms. Feel free to pop along and say hi, I'm always happy to chat about the stuff I write. So if you fancy it please do join by sticking this: discord .gg / elibrary into discord, with no spaces, or using the link on my bio.

Thanks for reading and please do leave a review, or feel free to PM me, I am usually much better at answering those!

Betaed by Arch_Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.

( - )

(Last Time)

"They're being idiots," Phoebe cut in, rolling her eyes as she breezed past them, her expression grim as she led the way into the visitor centre. "Ignore them."

"Spoilsports," Thalia muttered.

Percy smiled in response, even as they followed Phoebe's lead.

Twenty minutes and a quick lunch break later and they were on the road again without any issues, only now they were driving a sporty, silver Mercedes that quickly ate up the remaining miles between them and California.

Hopefully, their next stop would be San Francisco and Artemis.

( - )

Chapter 15

( - )

Sighing, Percy couldn't help but gaze listlessly out of the window as the outside world whizzed past in a colourful blur.

They'd been on the road a while now in their stolen car – nearly eight hours by his reckoning – and in that period of monotonous waiting his mind had started to wander into dangerously introspective territory.

What was he still doing here with these people, and on this quest?

It was a question that had begun nagging at him ever since they had left the scrapyard, and honestly, he wasn't sure of just what the answer was any more.

Initially, he'd only tagged along on the quest for selfish reasons. He hadn't cared about Artemis or the girl, Annabeth.

Instead, he had joined up as a means to an end. After all, the isolation, danger, and freedom that came with going on the quest had provided him with the perfect opening to steal Bianca away from her new companions without suspicion. Additionally, getting her away from Camp Half-Blood and its protections had also provided him with the ideal opportunity to quietly deliver her to Alecto and thus fulfil his other 'quest' from Hades.

But things quickly changed once he had found out more about the quest, and just where they would be headed. His plans had been in a constant state of flux since that moment. This was originally why he had decided to stick around for a bit longer, even after he had returned Biancato her father.

After all, back then, even only a few days ago, it had all felt so easy.

The quest had been a convenient way of getting what he wanted, and his companions had just been people that he could use and then throw away once he was done with.

But now…

His gaze shifted to the side, and over to where Thalia was softly dozing on his shoulder.

Her eyes were closed, and her spiky, black hair was a mess with her fringe partially covering one side of her face, even as a few tufts tickled the side of his face.

A soft smile spread across his face as he saw how peaceful she looked, even as she softly snored into his shoulder. If she were awake, she would probably deck him just for thinking that.

Gently moving her fringe away from her face, he sighed.

She looked exhausted.

But then again, the same could be said for the rest of them, even the Hunters didn't look as composed as they usually did.

They were all pale and had dark bags under their eyes.

On the other hand, maybe that wasn't surprising considering they'd been on the move pretty much non-stop since leaving Camp Half-Blood several days ago, and had been constantly either travelling, fighting or fleeing during that time. It might not sound like a lot, but three days of constant activity and little to no meaningful rest, took its toll, even on the hardiest of individuals.

Frowning, he turned and looked out the window once more.

The last time any of them had any sustained rest had been a couple of days ago, on the freight train from Washington D.C., and even that hadn't been all that restful, what with the noise of the train, the humidity in the cargo hold, and the general discomfort that came with trying to get a good night's rest while sitting in the cramped seat of a supercar.

It wasn't at all healthy.

They were all physically and mentally tired and sleep-deprived, and most of them were emotionally drained following the 'death' of Bianca, and the high stakes involved.

Yet despite that, the rest of the party was committed to what they needed to do next.

They all knew where Artemis and Annabeth were being held, and furthermore, they knew roughly who was holding them – the traitorous son of Hermes, Luke Castellan, and the Titan General, Atlas.

But at the same time, there were still things they didn't know.

For example, they didn't quite know the forces arrayed against them on Mount Othrys, as presumably Atlas and Luke had other monsters and traitorous demigods backing them up. Nor did they know what the monster Artemis had been hunting prior to her capture was.

There were still a lot of unknowns, and yet despite that they continued moving forwards.

Their resolve was admirable.

But at the same time, what they were doing complete madness. Or at least it was in his mind, after all, he hadn't survived this long in the supernatural world by being foolish or reckless. No, he'd only survived as long as he had, because he'd compromised on his morals by targeting other demigods as well as monsters, and had only ever engaged in fights that he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could win.

He had not been a good person, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he'd been a survivor. From the beginning, he had recognised that the world was shit and that the people in it, both mortal and divine alike, were likewise shit.

Growing up in a poor orphanage, he had seen just how vile humanity was.

Many times he had lain awake in his bed, listening to the other kids whimpering and crying as they suffered through night terrors. No matter the distance or the time that passed, there were some wounds that never healed. Instead, they merely festered and started corrupting everything they touched.

In many ways, humanity was far more monstrous than even the worst monsters.

He had watched as children were lined up like obedient show dogs as would-be parents inspected them and assessed their potential. Just as he had seen the other kids get adopted, only to then get dumped back in the orphanage only a short while later due to having 'too much baggage' or 'having problems settling down'.

The world he had learned, at a very young age, was a cruel place.

Especially, when you were a demigod.

During his travels, he had watched from afar as fellow demigods were hunted down like rabid animals and slaughtered by monsters. He had seen kids his own age and younger get ripped apart and eaten, and those were the lucky ones, after all, they had a quick death. Some of those he had heard about, and some he'd later come across, hadn't been given that luxury. After all, many of the monsters that roamed the world were former humans that ha been cursed by jealous, bored or vengeful deities. They were the by-product of the gods' arrogance and wrath, and so often times chose to vent their own spleen on the offspring of the very same gods that cursed them to their eternal and miserable existence.

Thinking back on some of the things he had seen over the years sent a shiver down his spine, even now, years later.

The life of a demigod was short, brutal, and often immensely painful.

They were nothing more than the gods' pawns, or even worse, they were just the gods' version of reality television.

His lip curled up at the thought of some fat, arrogant god lounging around in Olympus, watching on dispassionately as their children were tortured and eaten.

The gods were inhuman, and alien in a way that mortals just couldn't understand.

There was just something fundamentally missing within them, something wrong at the very core of their being that made them twisted and distorted, in ways that went beyond mortal comprehension.

Despite this, and despite the realities of life, however, so many of his kind still continued to have hope. They continued to foolishly cling to the idea that their godly parent actually gave a shit about them. More than that, many of them actually made plans for a future that would most likely never come.

It was all so stupid and pointless and thus annoyed him to no end.

Yet at the same time, it made his heart clench.

The hope in their eyes, and their idealism.

It sometimes hurt to see it, especially when he knew that it would one day be quenched when reality came knocking, and they met their inevitable, swift, brutal and messy end.

He'd learned that the hard way through personal experience.

Just as he'd learned the value of 'tactically retreating' if the odds weren't in his favour.

He wasn't the type to sacrifice himself, in some kind of stupid last stand.

He wasn't a hero.

Hell, he wasn't even a good person.

The only positive thing about him was the fact that he'd never broken his word.

That was all he had, his one redeeming quality was that his word was his bond.

He let out a bitter chuckle at just how pathetic he was.

Tearing his gaze away from the window, he looked over to where Zoe and Phoebe were sitting.

None of them was in any condition to fight monsters or Titans, and yet here they were driving to Mount Orthys to do just that.

They were going to their deaths, and yet they didn't flinch or back down.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably, as he went back to looking out of the window.

Everything seemed so simple at the start of the quest – go along for the ride, wait for the right opportunity, grab Bianca, hand her over to her father, and then ditch the losers.

He'd had it all planned out, and yes his plan had evolved since then, which was why he had stuck around as long as he had.

But at the same time, the circumstances and danger involved had also changed. Only now it had reached the point where the risks outweighed the rewards, and yet here he was, still going through with it…

Letting out another sigh at his circular, nonsensical thinking, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His thought process was getting repetitive and was just taking him in circles.

He was tired, and it was messing with his head.

"That was a big sigh," Thalia muttered from beside him.

Flinching slightly, he looked down and saw her tired blue eyes peering up at him from beneath her spikey fringe.

"Y-yeah, just tired, I guess," He replied lamely, as he forced an unconvincing smile onto his face.

"Same," Thalia mumbled, pushing off of him and sitting up straight. "What time is it?"

"Around six o'clock in the morning," Percy replied, glancing up at the sun.

Rolling her shoulders, cracking her neck, and rubbing her bleary eyes, Thalia nodded. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Some," Percy muttered softly.

They'd been taking turns driving to San Francisco, with them rotating driver every few hours. His own turn had been and gone several hours ago.

Thalia sent him a doubtful look. "You still look tired."

He forced a smile in response. "I'm fine."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction.

Looking away quickly, Percy instead caught sight of a nearby road sign. "There's not far to go now anyway."

"Really, where are we?" Thalia asked, leaning forwards, so she was now half draped over him as she tried to look out of his window.

Pushing down the rush of warmth he felt at her proximity, Percy started to answer, only for Phoebe to cut him off abruptly before he could so much as say another word.

"We've just reached Oakland, California," Phoebe said, glancing back at the pair of them disapprovingly from the front passenger seat. "We are not far off the mountain now."

Sitting back in her chair, Thalia began to fiddle nervously with her silver bracelet. "Right okay, good."

"But we won't be going straight there yet," Zoe cut in, her dark eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror, so she could look back at them. "We are going to be making a stop in San Francisco first before we go on to Mount Othrys."

Thalia's eyes widened in surprise, her hands clenching into fists at her side. "But we're so close!"

"I know," Zoe said softly. "And I understand, Thalia. I too desperately want to save Lady Artemis just as you do thy friend. But there is still much we don't know."

Percy's eyes widened at that admission.

He too had thought that there wasn't a plan and that they would just be going straight to the mountain.

He hadn't thought that there was another plan.

Then again, communication wasn't really either of the Hunters' strong points or at least communication beyond the two of them anyway.

"And where are we going?" Percy asked his gaze on Zoe.

"The pier in San Francisco." She answered shortly, glancing back at him for a moment. "It won't take us long… hopefully."

Glancing sideways, he could see that Thalia looked as confused as he felt.

"That's a bit of a detour, isn't it?" Thalia said curiously. "And what's even there?"

Zoe sighed in response, even as she started to turn off the highway. "Answers, Thalia."

Thalia gestured for her to go on.

Letting out a soft sigh, Zoe nodded.

"There is still much we do not know about what awaits us on the mountain." She said, glancing back at them. "Before we move to rescue Lady Artemis, we will first need to figure out what it is that she was hunting."

"And why do we need to know that?" Thalia asked with a confused scowl.

"Because, from what Lady Artemis told us, the monster has only recently awakened and is intrinsically tied to the Titans. Before she left, she didn't tell us what it was, but what she did tell us was that it would have been too dangerous for us to accompany her while she hunted it. And, considering she was taken while hunting the monster, it could be waiting for us on the mountain along with who knows what else when we get there." Phoebe replied.

"And how exactly will we find the answer on the San Francisco pier?" Percy asked, some of the tension in his body easing away as Zoe and Phoebe both gave voice to some of his own concerns.

"Nereus," Zoe replied softly, her attention once again on the road.

"The Old Man of the Sea?" Thalia asked, her eyes widening in understanding.

Percy raised an eyebrow, as he looked over at her quizzically.

"Annabeth," Thalia shrugged.

"Okay, who is this Nereus guy?" Percy asked, turning his attention back to Zoe.

"He's an ancient Sea God that has a tendency to know things he shouldn't…." Phoebe answered in her Lieutenant's stead. "He also only ever answers one question at a time, and that question is normally incumbent on the questioner catching him first."

"Which from what I've heard is easier said than done," Thalia added, her brow furrowed as she fiddled around with her silver bracelet.

Percy looked between the three of them. It seemed he was the only one that didn't know anything about the old Sea God.

Zoe glanced in the mirror again, "I think between the four of us we should be able to handle it, don't you?"

"I guess," Percy said slowly. He was still not certain about the specifics, but it at least sounded like there was more to the plan than he had first thought. Which was a damn sight better than just attacking the mountain head-on.

On top of which, his lips curved into a smile, he also now knew the name and location of a potentially useful source of information. Which would probably be quite useful in the future.

Settling back into his seat, a smile continued to play around his lips as they continued their journey to San Francisco.

Yes, he already had some ideas for what he would be asking this Nereus in the future.

( - )

Parking the car near the pier a short while later, the four quest members got out of the car and headed for the nearby beach, with Zoe and Phoebe leading the way.

"So, how are we going to handle this?" Phoebe asked abruptly as she nodded down the pier to where a ragged, homeless old man could be seen sprawled out sleeping on the beach.

Looking in the direction she pointed, Percy frowned.

Considering Apollo had chosen to appear as a homeless bum called Fred, the idea of a god cosplaying as a hobo wasn't that much of a surprise. But at the same time, Apollo at least had a reason behind his aesthetic choice. After all, the Sun God had wanted something of them, and so had subtly approached them in a way that would not draw attention.

Nereus though, despite being known as 'The Old Man of the Sea' surely had no reason to dress up as a homeless person, which of course begged the question of just why Phoebe and Zoe were so sure that he had.

Zoe hummed thoughtfully in response, her onyx eyes narrowing for a moment before she glanced over at Percy.

"Perseus." She said, a quick smile flitting across her lips.

"Yes…," He answered cautiously.

"Phoebe, Thalia and I will approach from the front and sides. Whilst we do that, I would like you to turn invisible and come at him from the sea. When he spots us, his immediate reaction will be to flee. I want you there to catch him." Zoe said, quickly outlining her plan.

"That seems pretty simple. Do you really think it will be that easy?" Percy asked with a frown. He didn't know anything about the guy, but from what the others had alluded to, he was supposedly pretty slippery.

"Often times the simplest plans are the best ones." Phoebe shrugged dismissively. "When hunting your prey, it is sometimes necessary to send the dogs in to scare them out of hiding, and into our waiting arrows."

"Okay, so in this analogy, you are the dogs…?" Percy asked, only to freeze up when three sets of eyes suddenly fixed on him.

Grinning, he quickly nodded his head and began to shrug off his armour without another word.

He had enough common sense to know when to stop digging.

Narrowing her eyes a fraction, Zoe gave him one last look before she turned to the others. "Once Perseus moves into position, we'll wait a few minutes and then follow. Thalia, make sure that thou makes a bit of noise on thy's approach so as to attract his attention."

Thalia frowned at the underlying meaning behind the request but nodded all the same.

Ignoring the other four, Percy bent the light around him, hiding his form from sight, even as he slowly began to make his way towards the beach.

Stepping onto the sand, he kept his pace slow and controlled as he tried to edge around the sleeping god and over to the softly lapping sea. The sand was dry and loose, and with the sea breeze constantly shifting it about, his footsteps quickly faded.

As the wind shifted, however, Percy was suddenly hit with the sickening stench of rotting seaweed and dead fish.

Eyeing the wizened-looking old man on the beach, he immediately identified him as the source of the unpleasant smell.

The ancient god had a long beard that looked like it used to be white but was now a sickly brownish-yellow colour. He wore a mouldy-looking bathrobe and had a pair of dirty, fuzzy bunny slippers on his feet.

Holding back a grimace, he looked past the god and over to where the other three were now slowly approaching.

Thalia had her shield at the ready, and her extended spear in hand, as she prowled forward.

Both Zoe and Phoebe likewise had their hunting knives at their sides and ready to be used at any moment, as they danced silently across the sand.

Licking his lips, he felt his fingers twitch.

He was pretty much unarmed, as all his weapons including his khopesh and gladius were in his satchel along with his armour.

The only thing he had was his fire.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Thankfully, though, he could already feel his fatigue beginning to fade as the early morning sun washed away his aches and pains and refilled his flagging energy reserves.

Grimacing as he ignored Nereus' odour, Percy slowly walked towards the crusty old god, even as Thalia, Phoebe and Zoe did the same. With the trio quickly spread themselves out, as they tried to block off his escape routes, and box him in.

Despite keeping his gaze rooted on the snoring old man, Percy was almost taken by surprise when the man's eyes suddenly snapped open the moment the girls got within ten feet of him, a yellow-toothed smile swiftly spreading across his face, even as he leapt up with a cackle, and darted for the water.

"Nice try girlies!" The old man cackled as he ran, hazarding a glance back at the now rapidly pursuing trio as he high-tailed it toward the sea.

The old man was surprisingly spry on his feet, easily outpacing the daughter of Zeus and both of the Hunters of Artemis.

"But this was a pretty piss poor attempt," The old man continued, with a leer. His ancient eyes sparkled with glee as he got within a few metres of the sea.

Only for his smile to vanish as Percy spear-tackled him off his feet. His body rapidly reappeared as he rammed his shoulder into the old man's gut, and grabbed a hold of his foul-smelling bathrobe with one hand, and his long scraggly grey hair with his other.

"What the!? Get off! Get off me, you little shit!" The old man snarled as he hit the ground with a thump, wiggling and squirming as he desperately tried to escape Percy's hold. This gnarled fingernails bit into flesh as he thrashed about like a wild animal.

Gagging at the stench coming off the man, Percy channelled the fiery energy flowing through his body into his muscles and started to grapple with the franticly snarling god. He quickly wrapped the old man in a neck-breakingly tight, headlock, even as he took a firm grip of his greasy beard, and wrapped both legs around his thin reedy frame. As he grabbed onto the writhing god, Percy could feel heat begin to emanate off his body as he continued to redirect fiery energy into his muscles, causing foul-smelling steam to pour forth off of the two of them as all fetid, damp mould in Nereus' bathrobe began to evaporate.

In response, Nereus thrashed about and snarled as he got his feet under him and tried to stand up and stagger towards the nearby ocean.

Clinging on tight, Percy pulled down on his beard.

"Not the beard!" Nereus howled.

"Don't let go, Percy!" Thalia shouted as she came in from behind them and swept Nereus' legs out from beneath him with her spear.

With a yelp, Nereus fell to the ground with a 'whumph', almost knocking the wind out of Percy's lungs as he landed right on top of him.

"No shit, Sherlock," Percy gasped.

Following Thalia's lead, Phoebe threw her knives to one side and leapt into the air, her elbow extended and raised as she then proceeded to slam it down into Nereus' gut like a professional wrestler, incidentally, driving Percy further into the beach, even as some of Nerseus' filthy unwashed hair got in his mouth.

Gagging, Percy tightened his hold around Nereus' neck his muscles thickening almost noticeably and veins bulging, as Phoebe rolled away from the winded god, even as Zoe ran over and deliberately pointed the tip of the blade at Nereus' heart, stilling the previously thrashing god.

"What do you want?" Nereus growled, suddenly going limp.

He didn't sound at all tired or pained.

Instead, he just sounded mildly irritated.

"What does anyone want with you?" Zoe scowled back.

Nereus stuck his tongue out in response, "You know the deal, one question per capture."

"But four of us caught you, so that means one question each, right?" Percy asked, loosening his hold around the crusty old man's neck, and spitting out a few strands of hair.

"No," Nereus growled back at him, his aged eyes narrowing in distaste. "And get off me, you little shit. You've already caught me, and I've already promised you an answer!"

Percy glanced at Zoe, who merely sighed and nodded.

With a relieved sigh, he released his hold and rolled away, allowing Nereus to scurry back to his feet.

From above him, Thalia gave Percy a sympathetic look at his plight and offered him a helping hand.

Taking it, he allowed her to pull him to his feet, even as he took in his current state.

His clothing was covered in sand and seawater, and he stank of rotting fish and seaweed.

As he made it to his feet, Thalia took a noticeable step away.

"Thanks," Percy said dryly.

Ignoring him, Zoe focused her attention on the ancient god.

"What was the monster Lady Artemis was hunting when she was captured?" She asked bluntly.

Nereus's eyes widened as he laughed, "That's it? That's all you want to know? Ha, that's an easy one. It's the Ophiotaurus of course. I would have thought the daughter of a Titan would know its history well!"

Percy frowned in confusion.

He was pretty sure that he had never heard of such a monster before, but at the same time, the name also… resonated with him.

It felt like he should know what it was, but for some reason, he couldn't remember…?

Zoe, however, seemed to know exactly what Nereus was talking about as her eyes widened at his words.

"What is the Ophiotaurus?" Percy demanded, as he scowled at the smirking god, and grabbed the collar of his filthy bathrobe tightly.

"You get one question per capture; child of the light, son of the heavens." Nereus sneered back as he easily slipped out of his bathrobe, and bolted into the sea and out of sight.

Percy scowled at the god's words as he threw the rotting, stained dressing gown onto the sand, his hands clenching into fists at his side. It was too late, though. The ancient god had already vanished into the waves, and probably wouldn't re-emerge until after they were long gone.

Fortunately, he was patient, and could always return another time.

Smiling at that thought, Percy turned back to the others only to frown as he found Thalia pointing her spear menacingly at a stationary and deathly calm-looking Zoe, even as Phoebe glared at the daughter of Zeus flintily, her own knives at the ready.

"Wha…" Percy started to say.

"You're the daughter of a Titan?" Thalia interrupted, her eyes locked on Zoe accusingly.

"Yes," Zoe replied curtly.

"She's also Artemis's most fanatical follower," Percy added, ignoring Zoe's scowl. "So, you know, cool it with the hostility."

"Did you know? Did you know about this, Percy?" Thalia demanded as she turned to look at him.

"Yes," Percy nodded.

Thalia's eyes widened at his admission before they narrowed in his direction, "And you didn't think to share that information?"

Percy scowled back at her, he didn't understand why she was so angry. "Yeah, because first things first, it didn't, and secondly, I didn't give a shit about who her dad is. It's not my secret, and so not my business."

Thalia continued to glare at him.

Holding back a sigh as he saw the confusion and anger in her eyes, he raised his hand diplomatically. "Look, put the spear down. I don't think Zoe's gonna betray us, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Thalia growled as she glanced back at Zoe.

From what he had seen, the two of them had really never gotten along. But at the same time, they usually just traded barbs and snide comments. There had never been this level of hostility before.

"Choose your next words carefully, little girl." Phoebe snarled back, her knives raised and only a scant few inches from Thalia's throat.

"Right, everyone calm the fuck down!" Percy finally snapped, a wave of heat rippling off of his form and buffeting both Thalia and Phoebe, knocking the both of them back a step.

Zoe meanwhile remained steady on her feet, her eyes shifting from the sea and instead over to Percy, with her eyes narrowing a fraction – there was a hint of something indiscernible in her gave – before finally, she looked over at the other two.

"That's enough. We have lingered here too long already. We need to move." Zoe said bluntly, completely unperturbed by Thalia's actions or accusations.

"Oh, so we're just skipping past the whole 'daughter of a Titan' thing, are we?" Thalia demanded, scowling at Zoe for a moment before she then turned a gimlet eye onto him. "And what was that last comment from Nereus all about, huh? 'Child of Light', 'Son of Heaven'? I'm pretty sure Melinoe the Goddess of Ghosts doesn't have a thing to do with either light or heaven?!"

"How the fuck should I know what that crazy old man was talking about?" Percy snapped back, his own temper flaring, and another wave of heat rolling off of his form.

"We don't have time for this," Zoe spoke up again, already turning away from the two of them. "Any issues you have, you can talk about while we drive."

With that said, she started heading back to the car, her steps steady and her posture stiff.

Phoebe grunted in response, before with a last baleful glare at Thalia, she followed her lead.

"Come on," Percy muttered, reaching out to Thalia only for the dark-haired girl to flinch away as his hand neared her, her electric blue eyes locking with his as she eyed him suspiciously.

"What?" He asked, raising his hands in surrender.

"Why didn't you tell me about Zoe?" She demanded.

"Because I didn't think it mattered." He shot back defensively.

He really didn't get what her problem was.

Thalia's expression hardened in response.

"Look, I'm sorry. But I honestly don't see why it is a big deal. I mean, it's Zoe Nightshade, she is one of the biggest Artemis fangirls on the planet. Do you really think she'd turn traitor? The only way she would, would be if Artemis ordered her to, and considering what you know of her do you really Artemis, your dad's most loyal stooge would turn her back on Olympus?" Percy asked his own temper flaring. "And besides, in case you forgot, your dad is the child of not just a Titan, but the biggest and most badass of the Titans, the figurative Satan of Greek and Roman Mythology! Which, in case you didn't realise, means that you're the grandchild of one! Did you ever think about that!?"

"No," Thalia finally relented, her tone softening and her gaze shifting away from his. "I suppose not. But I still think you should have told me!"

"I'll remember that in the future," He replied dryly, setting off now as he started following Zoe and Phoebe. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Thalia said reluctantly.

A few moments later, she jogged after him, before slowing to a walk at his side.

"What about the other thing he said?" Thalia asked her attention once again on him.

He didn't need to ask what she was talking about.

"I really don't know," Percy replied honestly. "He might just be messing with me…. But considering what the Naiads said…"

Thalia frowned, but said no more on the matter, as she instead let out a tired sigh and shook her head.

"Whatever, I'm sure it'll all work out in the end" She muttered tiredly.

She didn't sound at all happy to be letting the subject drop…, nor did she sound all that confident in her prediction for the future.

"Yeah, hopefully," Percy said hollowly, his gaze shifting so he was now looking out across the bay and off in the direction of Mount Tamalpais.

"Hmm," Thalia grunted, following his gaze for a moment, before looking back at him, only for her brow to furrow in confusion. "Have you gotten taller?"

"What?" Percy asked.

"No, never mind," Thalia replied, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head. "I think I'm just tired."

"Yeah, me too" Percy muttered, giving her a speculative look for a moment, before with a sigh he gestured over to where Phoebe and Zoe were getting back into the car. "Well, I suppose we better go."

"Yeah," Thalia nodded, following his lead as the both of them jogged back to the car.

( - )

A few minutes later and they were back on the road again, only Zoe was driving far faster and far more recklessly than she had been before.

Something had her spooked.

"So, are you ready to tell us just what the 'Opiotaurus' is?" Percy asked into the silence.

Phoebe was once again in the passenger seat, while both he and Thalia were in the back. Though noticeably, Thalia wasn't sitting as close to him as she was before.

"Ophiotaurus," Zoe corrected. "As for what it is…, well… aeons ago, the Fates ordained a prophecy when the creature was born that said whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed the beast's entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods. In the first Titan War, an ally of the Titans killed the beast, but Zeus sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be thrown into the fire. With another Titan War looming, the Ophiotaurus has been reborn."

"Huh," Percy muttered, his brow furrowed as he tried to imagine what such a monster might look like. "That's not good."

The idea of their being such an easy way to get a power-up was as intriguing as it was horrifying.

"No, it is not." Zoe agreed.

"The power to destroy the gods?" Thalia muttered from beside him, her mood shifting slightly as she too clocked onto the possibilities of such a path to power.

"Yes, and it is a power that should never be unleashed." Zoe cut in sternly.

Thalia's eyes narrowed in response. "I wasn't thinking of unleashing it. Hades, I don't even know what it looks like, or where it is!"

Zoe's expression darkened. "Let's hope the Titans have the same issue. I dread to think what would befall Olympus should the Titans find it first."

"So, what are we doing now? Finding the Ophiotaurus and getting shot of it, or rescuing Artemis?" Percy asked into the uncomfortable silence that followed

Phoebe turned in her chair and glared at him. "We are rescuing Lady Artemis, of course. Out of all the gods, she alone is best suited to hunting the Ophiotaurus down and disposing of it."

"Right, good, I was just clarifying," Percy replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

He was really getting sick and tired of the Hunter's antagonistic attitude toward him.

Phoebe grunted in response.

"There it is," Zoe said darkly a tense while later. "Mount Othrys."

"Also known as Mount Tamalpais," Percy muttered. "A real-life Mount Doom."

He'd seen the mountain before, but only from a distance.

"Sounds lovely," Thalia said sarcastically.

"It's really not. Back in ancient times, the Titan's great palace was built upon the peak of Mount Othrys, and as such it became the beating heart of their dark kingdom, and a place cloaked in the despair and misery of countless thousands." Zoe said, her tone dark and sombre. "Thankfully the palace was raised during the Titanomachy, and after the Crooked One fell his most loyal servant and the general of his forces were imprisoned on the mountain's summit, within the very ruins of the palace, and forever trapped beneath the weight of the sky. Or at least… he was supposed to be."

Percy held back a grimace, after all, unlike Thalia, he knew that the general she was talking about was her father, Atlas. The very same Titan that they would soon be facing off with.

( - )

Parking the car along the side of the road as high up the mountain as they could drive, the party of four quickly got out and equipped themselves for the battle to come.

They were now close enough to see the mist shrouding Mount Othrys in the distance.

Sharing a look and a nod, the group of four started walking.

Reaching into his satchel as he walked, Percy quickly withdrew his bow and a sheath of arrows.

Thalia meanwhile expanded her bracelet into a shield and extended her spear, even as the other two strung their own silver bows and nocked arrows.

None of them fully knew what they were walking into.

After about an hour, they finally made it into the mist.

This was it.

The end of their quest was almost in sight.

( - )

AN: There are about two chapters left before part one ends, and things are going to get spicy, very fast, and probably in unexpected ways, even as some of the big questions are answered, while new questions get posed!

Also, now we are some ways into this story, what are people's thoughts on pairings? Any suggestions based on the story as it is now?

Let me know, either by review or PM!

Also, I am on discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio.

Thanks for reading and if you have any suggestions or questions feel free to PM me or find me on Discord.

Catch you later.

Greed720.