Chapter 15: A Promise to Return

Annabeth could have spent an eternity just staring at the sight. There he was, her Percy, a dream that wasn't confined to her imagination after all. He was alive, and he was here with her. Standing just feet away from him in silence, Annabeth felt all of the emotion hit at once. And with all she'd learned about their extraordinary dreams together, she understood that these cascading feelings were his.

The love was there, as it always was, and it washed over her like a riptide, overwhelming, all-encompassing in its reach. Her throat tightened as she basked in it, its warmth so otherworldly that the sun could have vanished, and Annabeth would have paid it no mind.

Longing accompanied it hand in hand, but its usual ache had dulled. She didn't feel the anchor that normally wrapped her tightly, threatening to swallow her into the earth. And when Percy closed his eyes for a moment, Annabeth understood why.

It had been replaced by a new feeling, one that instead threatened to lift her off of the ground. Euphoric didn't even begin to describe the sighing relief that wrapped her, latched to an invisible tether that pulled Annabeth's feet forward. Percy took the steps in tandem, and Annabeth couldn't tell if the feeling was more apparent in his eyes or in the beautiful, inexplicable magic that had constructed their dream.

As simply as Annabeth could rationalize, that feeling was peace. It was the release of a rope that hadn't stopped shearing your palms. It was the retracting of claws that you'd been forced to have out for too long. It was unending chaos finally stilled by the sight of exactly what you've been searching for.

Annabeth and Percy melted into each other, and, in that moment, Annabeth didn't believe for a second that an entity existed that could pull them apart. Still, she hugged him tighter, burying her head in his neck. Percy did the same, and Annabeth couldn't hold back her tears as she felt the burning warmth of his cheek on hers. His cheek, not a figment's, not a memory's. His.

Annabeth let herself indulge for a few seconds more, wholly embracing his emotions pooling over her and filling her and lifting her from the sand at her feet. But then she considered her own feelings, how she was reacting to seeing him. While she felt his love, his longing, his relief, his peace pouring in from all sides, what was Percy feeling coming from her?

Percy couldn't stop himself from sobbing into the crook of her neck. He'd never understood the meaning of pure like he did in that moment. It was the only word that came close enough to describing the unfettered love pouring into him. It coursed like a tidal wave, unbound in its fervor as it sluiced through his entire body and silenced any pain that otherwise may have made itself known.

Longing, a feeling never far behind in each memory with Annabeth, was nowhere to be found. There was no yearning to accompany the flowing love, no half-heart begging to be whole. Something new had taken its place, and the foreign feeling was an inferno that had emblazoned itself into his chest. As simply as Percy could manage, he understood it as freedom.

It was the ecstasy that flew alongside relinquishing your grasp on hope. Not because of any anguished surrender, but because the inkling of the dream that you'd been begging for had come true. The endless hope that carried itself through every one of his dreams with Annabeth had no need to be held anymore; its service had been done. His Annabeth was here. And she was real. And she was crying.

Slowly, Percy's arms released their iron grip around her, and his hands made their way to her cheeks. Annabeth's own unbreakable grasp left his back, her hands settling on his forearms. Percy looked down at her shining eyes as he wiped the tears from her cheeks, real tears, just as real as his own. His chest clenched as the well in her eyes receded, unblurring her grey irises that held no limit to their depth. Percy didn't understand a lot of things, but nothing came close to that stormy gaze that he always lost himself in; he was a ship adrift, more than content sinking into that grey sea.

But, for a moment, Percy caught a twitch in her eye. The movement was barely perceptible, and he would've missed it entirely if he hadn't felt something at the same time. Through all of the beautiful, perfect feelings bearing down on him, sliced a tinge of fear. It should have been nothing, but just that fraction of terror forced Percy's understanding.

That feeling was hers. All of these feelings were hers. Something, some memory, some idea between them had caused her a moment of fear. Percy's chest heaved as realization struck; it was him. Most accurately, it was what he'd become. Annabeth wasn't just alive, she was the warrior in white. She was who Percy had tried to kill at Camp Jupiter.

A lump formed in his throat, and he couldn't swallow as his vision narrowed. Annabeth caught his arms tightly, dragging him back into an embrace as she choked down her own fresh tears. Regret festered inside Percy, an acidic corrosion that threatened to tear its way through him in a matter of seconds. His thoughts became addled as they stormed inside him, dissociative in their direction.

Where was this guilt supposed to go? How should it be distributed? Was it all for fighting against Annabeth, for making her feel that fear? For eviscerating Atlantis? For killing his father? Ares? Dionysus? Tears poured from the suffocating demigod's eyes, and he couldn't break out of the arms around him. But words were clawing their way up his throat, and Percy tilted Annabeth's red-rimmed gaze to look at him. He opened his mouth to apologize, the only thought he could form, before she clamped her hand over his lips and shook her head vigorously.

"We–we don't have to talk about any of this today."

In truth, Annabeth couldn't bear to dwell on it. She hadn't meant to feel afraid of the person she loved more than anyone or anything else. But it hadn't been her decision, and it wasn't an idea she could shrug off; the notion shook her to her very core. From the first day she'd spoken to Hemera, the day she'd shouldered the burden of saving everyone who'd been complicit in their deaths, it had been because of Percy. Vividly, she could remember her burning rage that day, and it had only silenced because of what she'd believed Percy would want her to do.

And before her now, there was no way to completely block out what he'd become. But still, above that fear, that worry, that anguish, she couldn't put into words how happy she was that Percy was still alive. Her feelings reflected that, overwhelming her apprehension, and Annabeth could see her unending love drain the sorrow from Percy's face.

Through no conscious decision of her own, nor his, they gave into each other. As Annabeth kissed him, her fingers laced behind his neck, pulling him in further as he smiled into her lips. Percy's arms wrapped tightly around her lower back, ensuring not a fragment of a whisper could slip between them. And around them, the world changed.

The sand at their feet shifted to the transparent floor of the stables on the Argo II. The sun melted into the ship's maple walls and ceilings. The tides faded, vanishing with the smell of ocean spray as Percy and Annabeth found themselves in one of their memories. But the pair never pulled apart, uninterested in refilling a single breath, and the world changed again. They wound up back on the beach for a moment, the same towel at their feet from the day they'd promised to go to San Francisco together. Again, the setting melted.

One after another, the bound pair traversed every one of their memories that had been tainted over the past months. One in Poseidon's cabin, another in Athena's. The time they'd danced on Olympus after freeing Artemis from the sky. Their first kiss in the Labyrinth. Their perfect one in Camp Half-Blood's lake. Dozens more flew by before they were forced apart, breathless; apparently the magic of their dreams didn't extend to respiration.

Annabeth wiped her fresh tears, standing straighter than she had in months, as the horrible tortures that had marred their memories together were stripped away by the dream they stood in. She wiped Percy's eyes for him, and she caught a shine in them promising that his burden had eased as well.

They finally ventured a glance around, only able to look away from each other for a moment. The pair found themselves on a familiar bench beneath a shady oak. Students, all gripping the straps of their backpacks tightly, hustled on the nearby path towards a stretch of gorgeous buildings.

They were back on a college campus, except this time, Percy was the one wearing the USC sweatshirt.

"I guess we've decided on our next memory together," Percy laughed, his gaze returning to Annabeth.

She answered him with a smile, letting the breeze trace her face for a moment longer before she opened her eyes that found Percy again.

"It's unbelievable what this dyad can do. How it connects our memories together, lets us feel each other's emotions."

Percy gave her a wry smile.

"Of course you've already got this all figured out. Catch me up to speed, Wise Girl."

Annabeth smirked at him before her eyes became serious, like they always did when she broke down something complicated. And like he always did when she spoke, Percy unconsciously leaned in to try and hang onto every word.

It took several hours to recount it all, to run through everything that had happened to either of them over the past months, and it had taken several breaks where they'd done nothing but sob and hold each other. Annabeth exhaled as she finished her explanation of the events inside the throne room, saying that she was currently asleep on Nico's couch.

Percy laughed as he wiped his eyes again.

"Man, I miss that little death guy."

Annabeth smiled.

"You'll see him again soon. I wish it'd be under better circumstances, though. We've got both Tartarus and now Zeus' faction of Olympians to dea–"

A blade of unbridled hatred ripped through the somber atmosphere that Annabeth was feeling from Percy. An unwitting jolt of fear clawed its way out from inside her, and she could instantly tell that Percy noticed. The white-hot anger dissolved from around her, replaced again by regret, and Annabeth held back her welling eyes as Percy spoke.

"I– I know you said we don't have to talk about it today. About me, but–"

Annabeth cut him off again, shaking her head as she cupped his face.

"No, not while you're still down there. I can't talk about this knowing you're with him. Please."

Percy's arms slid under hers, mirroring his own hands on her cheeks.

"Alright," he whispered, kissing her softly, "I'll find my way back to you."

Annabeth smiled as she kissed him again.

"I'll be waiting."

(Line Break)

Percy's eyes snapped open, red-rimmed and throbbing as they recovered from his vibrant dream and adjusted to the near-blackness encompassing his far bleaker reality. Only fragments of hazy red inched their way through the thick, twisted wire composing his prison, barely giving him enough light to see the stake protruding from his chest.

The demigod's blood roared, for good reason, while his labored breathing granted him barely enough oxygen to keep him conscious. If he wanted even a fraction of a chance to escape his prison, let alone the palace, let alone Hell itself, he needed to heal. Ambrosia and nectar were a laughable thought in Tartarus; there was only one way to recover from injuries in the desolate realm. Thankfully, the remedial method would bend to Percy's will.

Shutting his eyes tightly and bracing for the coming agony, Percy angled himself forward. He groaned through gritted teeth as his suspended form tilted, slightly shifting the stake in his body, before the tip of his armored feet grazed the earth below him. Fighting to remain conscious as he held himself in that position, his gut tensed. The demigod tapped his foot. Nothing. He did it again, head throbbing, and felt a tightness in his stomach. Then again. A lurch. One final time, pouring every last bit of his strength into his foot striking the earth, and a crack resounded from somewhere outside followed by the roar of a tidal wave.

Percy's eyes dimmed from his exertion, his world fading to black. Just a moment before he fell limp, the demigod's vision sharpened exponentially and adrenaline ripped through him; Tartarus had unleashed a roar that had rocked his entire prison. No, the monster had roared for certain, but that had nothing to do with the lurching of the iron contraption he was bound in. It started creaking and groaning, shaking back and forth, before filling with light as a river of fire poured in through tiny openings in the twisted metal wires that formed the cage.

The Phlegethon pooled at his feet, dribbling in from all sides as it began to fill the prison. With a weak shift of his arm, Percy commanded the water to rise into his mouth. He choked down the gasoline-like liquid that could have passed for nectar itself regarding the circumstances. Instantly, the demigod's nerves set ablaze as new energy flooded his body. His prison continued to shake, and he continued to grow strong.

Slowly, painstakingly, Percy used his returned strength to lift himself from the stake driven through his entire form. The instant it left his back, his arms gave out, and the rising Phlegethon swallowed him as it finished filling the iron box.

Within the river of fire, Percy relished as the paradoxical water stitched his body whole. He breathed through the torrential river, still drinking as much as he could, as he willed the water inside to stop shaking him against the boundaries of his prison. Righting himself, Percy gritted his teeth as he found no weak spot to target on any of the serrated walls surrounding him.

He could maybe increase the pressure within the river, repeatedly exploding it to tear through the metal, but that would take too long, and that level of manipulation required too much stamina. Breaking out of his cage was only the first segment of his escape. The demigod agonized over any other options before he remembered his father.

Poseidon's last moments flashed through his mind, his apology, his fear, his pain. Percy silenced the memory an instant later. Swallowing a lump in his throat, the demigod knew now wasn't the time. If he wanted to dwell on it, maybe even regret his actions, he could do so at a later date. In the present, all he needed to remember was that he was still his father's son. Not only was Poseidon the Lord of the Sea, he was the Earthshaker, and the strength of iron didn't make it an exception to that power.

Percy interlaced his fingers, raising his arms above his head, and slammed his fists against the metal at his feet. A raucous groan ripped through the river, amplifying in its echo as it bounced around the iron cage. The twisting metal bent unnaturally, giving way as it flattened and dented, before it began to coil closed again. Percy gave it no quarter to reset.

He shouted as he slammed his fists against the walls again and again, shaking the entire prison that had begun to vibrate from the shocks exploding outward from the demigod. The enclosure fought to maintain its tight coils, and Percy couldn't see the cracks spreading through the iron itself. He relentlessly pounded the squealing cage, ignorant of the increasing vibration all around him. The blood in his ears reached a crescendo as Tartarus' booming voice joined the chorus of his shout. Percy unleashed a final explosive strike that shredded the iron itself, eviscerating an entire wall of the prison as the thick wire shattered like glass.

Percy clawed forward, ripping through the surrounding Phlegethon, and his eyes adjusted to the blanketing red haze atop desolate grey terrain. This wasn't the throne room. His confusion wasn't given a chance to settle before the river of fire continued to barrel forward, and the demigod realized with a single glance behind him that he'd created a massive flash flood. The roaring river had washed his prison out of the towering throne room and even past the fortress' entering courtyard.

Tartarus' palace loomed behind him, still unleashing an unending waterfall of flames from its uppermost chamber, and Percy watched as the leering Primordial of the Pit tore onto the balcony of that window. The monster shoved through the Phlegethon, glaring from hundreds of feet above, and Percy grinned before he rematerialized his helm and tore away from the palace.

"There is no escape from my domain!"

The primordial's grating voice bounced around Percy's head, but he shed the notion as he continued rocketing forward at an unmatchable pace. Around the demigod, and for miles ahead, monsters clawed their way out of grey earth or materialized out of nothing and converged towards him.

The red eyes of his wolf helm glowed brightly when the Minotaur took shape directly in his path. As the bull man raised his battleax, Percy's glaive materialized in his grasp. The demigod closed the distance before his grossly outmatched opponent could even begin his swing, and the hellish glaive vertically cleaved the monster in half.

The Minotaur unleashed a foreign shriek, and hundreds of monsters stumbled as orange cracks ripped across his burly shape before shattering him, leaving not even golden dust. None of the creatures needed to be explicitly told that the Minotaur would never reform again.

The thundering charge of thousands of monsters stilled before it reversed, carving out an arc for Percy to run unopposed, and the crazed demigod laughed aloud. As hilarious as he found their fear, the rocketing demigod was in the mood for blood.

"I'll put it away!" he shouted, his modulated voice forcing several monsters to wince.

Percy dematerialized his terrorizing weapon and beckoned the monsters forward, his legs still jackhammering across the domain towards an escape route that was based solely on a hunch from his first ever quest.

During his descent into the Underworld in his search for the Master Bolt, Percy had come across the entrance to Tartarus. It had tried to breathe him in, to force him into the gravitational well that connected Hades' domain to Hell itself, and Percy had an idea. Maybe it had literally breathed. Tartarus' palace was situated at the center of his head, considering the domain truly was his imperceptibly large body laid out. All the demigod needed to do was reach his mouth, and there should be an exit. A very big should, and he hadn't even considered how he'd get out yet.

One problem at a time, Percy reminded himself, barreling through the tide of monsters who'd regained their confidence.

Slashing claws shattered against his black armor, shoulders dislocated from sockets as their accompanying fists met his unbreachable chestplate. Percy's grin threatened to chip his teeth as he shoved heads together, crippling skulls and exploding them into dust, and he punched holes through the bodies throwing themselves at him.

But the weight burgeoned; thousands of monsters meant thousands upon thousands of pounds of weight, all shoving forward meant exponentially more pounds of force. The demigod slowed, unharmed but impeded, and his eyes emblazoned with rage. He needed more power, but he still wanted to kill them all. His mind settled on another hunch, proven right seconds later as a golden trident materialized in his grasp.

Godly spoils of war would always return to their rightful owners; a godslayer was worthy of a god's weapon. Percy roared as he shoved Poseidon's trident into the earth, and massive cracks exploded for miles in every direction. Terrored screams ripped from monsters as the earth swallowed them a hundred at a time. The ones remaining aboveground fought for their lives trying not to stumble into the gaping pits as all of Hell itself seemingly shook.

But the horrific screaming suddenly returned from the depths as the swallowed monsters exploded skyward, all of them carried by the five agonizing Rivers of the Underworld. The Styx sheared through a thousand monsters, dissolving them into dust and washing towards a thousand more. The Acheron slashed apart its own victims, an unforgiving scythe through a field of wheat. The Cocytus crippled unending waves of monsters, forcing them to their knees as they sobbed, before the Lethe ripped their memories from them. The disoriented monsters were given a moment of solace as the Phlegethon healed them, only to wail as they were ground to dust by the vibrating earthquakes emanating from the demigod carrying a weapon of Olympus.

Monsters exploded away from Percy as he returned to his journey forward, the demigod relishing in their agony before allowing the trident to vanish from his grasp. The retreating waves of monsters didn't notice the weapon had disappeared, all of them far too focused on their escape from the demigod that was nearing the mouth of Tartarus.

But the terrain suddenly became hilly, slowing their fleeing and allowing terrified glances backwards. They saw the unarmed demigod bounding straight over massive hills, his eyes glued to the sky, following the thinning blood red clouds as they swirled towards a certain point a mile ahead.

The monsters regained their bearings, indignation and hell-driven rage quashing their terror, as they coalesced from all sides towards the wolf-helmed enemy that was a monster of his own right. The nearing circle of monsters closed, surrounding Percy in a sea of razor claws and gnashing teeth and… bullets.

An explosion rocked the earth as the demigod unleashed a spray of bronze pellets into the tide of monsters. And, without reloading, he released another from the black and red shotgun in his hands. Then another and another. An infinite array of ricocheting bullets flowed from the weapon formerly belonging to the God of War. The Celestial Bronze projectiles might as well have been bombs considering their unbelievable spread, ripping massive holes in what should have been an unbreakable sea of monsters.

The creatures lost their collective nerve as scathing laughs released from the much greater monster who'd left a garden of golden dust in his wake. Percy's rocketing pace slowed to a jog before stopping completely, the hole in the sky almost right above him. And around him, the sea of monsters was ebbing behind the steep hills that encircled the ground beneath what Percy believed to be Tartarus' mouth.

He'd only ever been on the opposite side, being pulled towards its edge, and the demigod remembered the impending endlessness of the fall. Reaching the hole in the sky would be the easy part. Only after that would the climb begin, an ascension through the gravity well connecting Tartarus to the overworld far above. But once he was in that realm between realms, he was out of Tartarus' domain. The primordial would have to wait for him on the other side, and Percy liked those chances; he'd be free to teleport once he'd clawed through the well that bound him to Hell.

The demigod was ripped out of his optimism, realizing he'd gotten far too ahead of himself, when Tartarus manifested directly beneath the hole in the sky. To make matters worse, Percy watched as the opening above circled itself shut in an instant, almost a piston shoving its door closed.

He snapped his eyes towards his captor, finding the primordial's sickening humanoid face glaring daggers. Made more disgusting, his lips had been scrunched shut to further contort his expression, and his chest puffed out like a bird attempting a mating dance. Percy's brows furrowed, scrutinizing the absolutely ridiculous stance of the monster before him, before the demigod's eyes snapped open.

Percy doubled over laughing, an echoing crackle through his mask, as Tartarus' purple face further darkened its hue. Choking through his hysterics, Percy's gloved hands caught his knees to keep him upright. The demigod's hunch had been so much more accurate than he could have hoped for; not only was the opening Tartarus' mouth, the primordial had to hold his breath to shut the gateway. That made Percy's attack strategy much more simple.

His chortling cut off in an instant, the glaive rematerializing in his hands, and the demigod bridged the gap between him and Tartarus in less than the blink of an eye. Slashing towards his tight stomach, Percy was going to force his enemy to breathe and open his escape.

Tartarus was no fool, and his materialized sickle deftly slashed the glaive away. Percy recovered from the strike in an instant, bounding forward with the transformed Riptide instead, and swiped at the monster's head. Tartarus' eyes narrowed as he leaned back, and Percy lurched ahead as he dropped the feinting swing that he'd put no power behind. The demigod's shoulder struck his monstrous opponent's chest, but it was like running straight into a mountain.

Tartarus released the faintest of grunts, and Percy's armor dented from the explosive impact of his shoulder against the monster's sternum. He bounded backwards, and the Primordial of the Pit gave him no quarter. Tartarus tore after him, slashing with both of his twin sickles, and Percy rolled beneath the swipes that would have ripped into him, armored or not.

The primordial's stomach lurched, and Percy grinned as he noticed his opponent's face tinge further purple. It was a time game, and they both knew it. The question was whether or not Percy could live long enough to force a primordial to run out of a single breath's stamina.

The demigod somersaulted back, a powerful exertion that launched him dozens of yards, and he threw his glaive like a javelin. Tartarus smacked it out of midair, swinging one of his sickles like a paddle, and his jaws clenched in his rage. Before the primordial could traverse the distance between them, the earth at his feet shook, and Tartarus saw the trident in Percy's grasp.

The monster bounded skyward, narrowly escaping the combined rivers of his blood all ripping through the gap that had torn itself open beneath him. Suspended in midair above the combined tsunami, Tartarus was an unmissable target for an explosive buckshot courtesy of the shotgun that had appeared in Percy's hands.

Tartarus hissed through his teeth as pellets of Celestial Bronze tore through his manifested form, and the hole in the sky began to crumble. Percy pressed his attack, releasing his grasp on the rivers as he met Tartarus' shape crashing back down to earth. The demigod slashed Riptide in a wide arc, only to have it caught between the curves of his opponent's sickles.

Lunging back, the Primordial of the Pit unleashed a devastating kick into Percy's chest before releasing his latched hold on Riptide. The demigod shot like a runaway rocket into the hillside of the nearest mound in the terrain. He clawed himself out a moment later, coughing violently through his ragged breaths. Percy's wolf-helm dematerialized to reveal a bloodied grin and wild eyes. The demigod took a moment to exaggerate an inhale.

"Your turn," he teased, donning his mask as he exhaled and exploded forward.

Tartarus bit back the roar in his throat as he launched towards his opponent, bent on tearing a hole through his chest, one that couldn't be repaired. The primordial slashed both sickles downward, the swings carrying far too much strength for Percy to block with any weapon, godly or greater.

The demigod identified that immediately, freezing his own charge by kicking up from the earth. Avoiding the weapons' path entirely, he'd slashed Riptide into Tartarus' extended forearms before soaring onto the raging deity's shoulder. Midair, Percy had spun in a full circle to build the necessary momentum from his body. With a gut-churning squelch, Percy's armored elbow rocked against the unguarded throat of his opponent.

The Primordial of the Pit unleashed a choking hiss, stumbling back as he dropped one of his sickles. His razor talons folded into a hulking fist that crumpled Percy's chestplate as it exploded against the falling demigod. As Percy struck the grey terrain, Tartarus' eyes rolled back, and his clawed hand flew to his neck. Directly above the pair, the sky opened, and an undeniable jolt ripped through the demigod who should have been crippled by the blow. With his breath heaving, he tore from the earth. Percy ran straight up the hulking mound to his left and shot into the sky with all of the strength he could muster in his legs.

Percy's cheeks tightened against his face as he rocketed through the air a hundred feet at a time, nearing the opening that the blood red clouds parted for. But the glimmering hope that he could escape Hell suddenly vanished when the momentum carrying him hindered; he hadn't jumped hard enough, and he wouldn't reach the well.

The demigod's ascent slowed, and his failing body shook in indignation. Until a roar ripped through the blood red clouds he'd flown alongside. From the terrain below, Tartarus clawed through a recovering exhale as he shouted.

"Oryx!"

The sky parted, unveiling the horrific monster that Percy had spent far too much time with barreling forward. Somehow, he'd become much larger, easily thirty feet tall, and his gaping maw chittered as he neared the demigod that was slowing in midair. But the spark in Percy reignited at the monstrous sight, excitement burgeoning in his veins. Oryx must have sensed the strange feeling, because the creature hesitated as he reached Percy, and that was the opportunity the demigod needed.

Percy let the skeletal monster run into him, and he planted his boots against Oryx's heaving skull and protruding horns. Kicking off of the monster, Percy ripped higher with more than enough momentum to clear the rest of the gap, and he left the screeching servant of Tartarus in freefall towards the Hell below.

The demigod bridged the veil above the blood red skies and acidic haze, and his vision instantly plunged into absolute black. He couldn't see anything above him, a seemingly infinite climb, and the gravitational weight gripped him in an instant. Thankfully, the vector he'd launched into the realm at made sure that his momentum slammed him against the wall as it ripped him downward. Unfortunately, it meant that he hit said wall at speeds that should have crumpled the entire body of a normal mortal.

Percy maintained his composure, barely, and his gloved hands tore into the silty substance that made up the gravity well. The demigod shouted into the surrounding vacuum, and it exited his body as silence, the sound swallowed into Tartarus. But slowly, shakily, he dug his hands into the walls. Then his legs, and he began the climb. One hand after another, one foot after another, he steeled himself and inched upward through the endless tunnel. The gravitational drag was relentless, but his armor ensured that its intensity was bearable. Still, he knew for a fact that it wouldn't allow for a single misstep, or he would be ripped back into the domain of his malevolent captor.

The silent emptiness of the void pulled at him, both physically and mentally. His wounds from Tartarus throbbed, blood still trickling inside of his suit. The gravity on his shoulders forced them to tense, and the demigod gritted his teeth against the weight. It would be so easy to let go and allow the burden to vanish in its entirety, to fall into the natural pull and silence the pain in his body.

In response to those thoughts, more adrenaline tore through his mind and iced his nerves. His end goal wasn't as simple as his own freedom. It was much more meaningful, and there was nothing borne of reality, not in Heaven or Earth or Hell or anything in between, that would be able to keep him from it.

He was going to see Annabeth again.

A/N: Dude, in my outline for this chapter, it had 3 acts. There was supposed to be another entire segment where it would be ANNABETH's turn to show that Percy isnt the only one devastating monsters, killing gods, and even surviving against primordials. Then I saw the word count after I finished writing Percy's half, and it was already at 5.5k. But I guess you guys instead get a teaser for the next chapter. It starts with Annabeth's moment to shine and her own havoc to wreak. Hope you guys enjoyed that we're back to fights starting!

Avatar Vader: Sick chapter man! Exposition heavy, but… well… cant have a three way war without some talking and diplomacy. Do you think Annabeth might have had a PTSD style attack triggered when she saw Tartarus (think about it, she's seen so many horrible things down in yhe Pit) or was it soley seeing Percy captured like that? Wanna see Percy wreak Havoc again, you write the combat and (lets be honest here) massacres so frigging well! Also, as a note, dont forget that Percy has the ability of Earthshaker as well. Maybe that could help him out when he fights against… i dunno, Demeter i guess? Open the Earth to let that which she tended swallow her whole? I'm eager to see how the War will plan out, i especially want to see the Loyalist Gods (my HC for the ones that stay on Mt. Olympus) actually coordinate with their troops. This is a red-alert situation, the gods cant hang back a piss around at this point. Cannot wait for the next chapter!

Really appreciate you. Yeah, I was so excited to get through all the meetings and setup because the war is all but HERE. I think both Annabeth and Percy have serious PTSD, and I went just a little bit into it in this chapter. Not sure how deep I want to go going forward, but there's absolutely a lot of problems there. Hope my most recent havoc in Tartarus was up to par for you heh, and next chapter's may be even better. Now that Percy has claimed multiple symbols of power, I wonder how it'll translate in the coming war against so many more gods. Maybe he gives them away...

Dragon21356: Yo the idea sounds great! I think if you want to make the story make sense, you are gonna have to envision yourself as a 7 year old who's running away from monsters. Dialogue and interactions should be similar to how a 7 year old would interact (maybe some petty fights, some immaturity, etc.). I think if you can do that and then use time skips etc. to bring them up in age, it would be a brilliant idea! If there's anyone I trust doing a Perlia fanfic, it's you, so by all means go for it you have my full support. What a lovely read! I was expecting the throne room to get shot to hell in this chapter but hey it and it's timeless glory survives another day! Also can I just say it's really nice of you to remember my earlier review, makes me genuinely feel like we are friends and because of that I'm even more inspired to get around to writing it. I'm gonna try to think of a plot that I find interesting and personally relatable (on a metaphorical level of course) and when I do start I will let you know!can't wait for the rest of this story!

Yeah, one of the biggest "problems" I see in fics where characters are supposed to be younger (or honestly just in general) is that they speak almost like Zoe in Titan's Curse. I actually decided to reread PJO this week and I'm on BOTL rn, so I'm gonna do my best to emulate their levels of maturity in terms of how they interact with each other. Hopefully, it'll be a challenge and I'll improve as a writer. And I'm glad I can play a part in you starting your story. Feels so good to make friends on sites like these and support each other.

levisorous: damn, you're doing a great job with this story man. don't have a huge review today unfortunately, i'm happy to just ponder on what happened this chapter. wondering what comes out of this recent dream. regarding the new story, i'll read whatever you publish dude. you've got my full support. (also so sorry about my spelling errors on my last review, idk what happened there but i could hardly read it myself LMAO.)

Huge review or not, always appreciate seeing your user pop up in my mentions with a review. Hope this recent dream was up to par, and it's great to hear that I'll be seeing you along for the ride in my next story too.

1984: NOT ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! but great story great idea. im gonna guess that percy has gone insane and there is going to be an epic battle

Beastking2589: You just keep coming with the cliffhangers. I love it. And I hate it. You are such a good writer dude this is like Big Rick level stuff. I love how you always know where to leave it. Keep this stuff coming man and I'll read forever. Keep it up!

Heh I always feel a little evil when people review about my compulsive need to end so many chapters with cliffhangers. I think this chapter's end doesn't really count as a cliffhanger because Percy's already on the way up, and it felt like a complete thought. So glad you're enjoying the story so far and I'm so excited to continue it. Percy is really borderline deranged, and I'm afraid of what's coming next for him. I really appreciate the comparison, and I'm even more excited to write my next story for you all.