Chapter 21: I Break Into My Own House

The elevator doors slid open with a hiss to reveal a room in the midst of chaos. The receptionist, now with glowing red eyes and a forked tongue, stood upon a chair in front of the exit doors. Before her a host of people ranging from young girls to elderly men were keeping her occupied, whether it be throwing other chairs at her or spraying her with a fire extinguisher. They all wore the same grey jumpsuits to match Piper, and Scarlett quickly realised that these were likely prisoners that had been freed. All of a sudden all of the doors smashed in and ripped off of their hinges made sense.

"Stay back!" The receptionist hissed, "You dare revolt against your masters?"

"Master this," a buff black teenager yelled, hurling a printer at the receptionist and groaning when it bounced harmlessly off of her head.

"Your minds belong to us, surrender and we will make the process less painful."

The crowd didn't seem impressed with the offer and kept scouring the room for more weapons. A middle-aged woman held a mop like a sword while the man in the front held syringes like twin daggers.

"What in Zeus' name is happening?" Piper muttered.

"I don't know," Scarlett mumbled, "But it seems like they like her as little as I do."

"We should aid them," Belial pressed.

Scarlett shot a frown at him, "We? You speak French now?"

"The joke has passed the peak of its maturity," Lucifer sighed in the back of her mind.

"I got this," Piper said, stepping forward and approaching the receptionist. As the crowd realised where she was heading they stepped back to create a path for her. The receptionist glowered down at her, recognition flickering in her red eyes.

"I remember you…your wife…your daughter…tell me, does your heart still ache with guilt?"

Piper's eyes flashed, but she didn't raise her fists or brandish a weapon, instead she simply parted her lips.

"Get down."

Scarlett felt her knees go weak, and before she could react she found herself falling to the floor. Belial fell alongside her as did the rest of the gathered crowd. The receptionist shook gently on the stand, fighting against whatever unseen force had compelled them to the ground, but after a moment she stepped off the chair and collapsed to the floor.

"What do you think you're-"

"Silence." Piper commanded, and the receptionist did as she was told. Scarlett opened her mouth and tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. "Tell me where Percy Jackson is?"

The receptionist writhed on the ground, fighting against the words that were building in her throat. She began covering her mouth, desperate not to let the words slip out. Piper placed a foot on her chest.

"Tell me now."

Through convulsions the receptionist's arm twisted away from her body at an awkward angle, freeing her mouth to spit out a reply, "He went to the top floor."

"Why?"

"Mother and sister are there, he was going to try and defeat them."

"Was? What happened?"

"He was beaten, mother took over his body and now they are coming here to punish those who tried to escape."

Frantic whispering on all sides of the room picked up as the escapees realised they were in danger. One of them, the man holding the syringes slowly rose to his feet and called out to the rest of his fellow inmates, "Come on, let's get out of here."

The crowd, finding their feet once again as the force of Piper's command wore off, heeded his warning, joining him as they made a mad rush for the door. They stormed past the receptionist, some of them kicking her as she lay hissing on the floor, a small sense of satisfaction against a likely torturer. As the man leading them reached the door he pulled on it forcefully, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked," he yelled back, "Someone needs to find the key."

The escapees began scampering around the room and behind the desk, desperately searching for the key. One began accosting the receptionist as Piper continued her line of questioning.

"How do I free them from possession?"

"The Blood of Christ or eating the heart of the possessed."

"I'm fresh out of the Blood of Christ and I'm not eating his heart. What else?"

"That's the only way you can do it," the receptionist hissed.

"No it's not," a voice interrupted, and Piper looked up to see the man holding the syringes standing before her, "There's another way, but it's complicated."

"How complicated?" Piper asked.

"You would have to separate the succubi from the bodies and dissolve the ephemeral part of them. Destroy their essence."

"And how do you do that?"

"You can't. Percy needs to force the succubus out of his body, and then once the essence is floating in the air we have to contain it and destroy it."

The receptionist snarled, "Who told you this?"

The man glared down at her, "You did."

Realisation dawned on her face, and her eyes burned with hatred, "You're the one who broke into my mind."

"I'm the reason you're down here instead of up there. You couldn't handle the heat so you had to get out of the kitchen."

The receptionist snarled but Scarlett stepped forward, ignoring her, "Who are you?"

The man smiled, "Names Rich, Percy freed me. I'm guessing you're his friends?"

Scarlett nodded, returning the smile. Piper frowned, "How do you know so much about them?" she asked cautiously.

He held up his hands disarmingly, "I'm a magician, I specialise in mind magic. When they came to torment me I was able to break into their minds and get a sneak peak into who they are and what they do."

"Do you know any card tricks?" Belial asked.

Rich grinned, "I know a few."

Belial turned to Scarlett and Piper, "Okay we can trust him. The real magicians know card tricks."

Piper rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the receptionist under her foot. It seemed to Scarlett that Piper's commands were absolute on the specific target, but only had a lingering effect on those in her immediate vicinity.

"When is Percy arriving?" Piper asked, and almost as if on cue the elevator doors dinged behind them.

The doors slid open and Percy and Thalia stepped into the room, grins on their faces and eyes glowing red.

"Now," Percy replied. His ice armour was gone, but even without it he was intimidating.

"That is a problem," Lucifer hissed.

The two possessed demigods began striding towards them. Belial stood in front of Scarlett protectively while Rich readied his syringes. The other escapees began to back away or hide behind the desk while a couple of others pulled helplessly on the door, praying to every god under the sun that it would budge and they would be able to escape the horrors bearing down upon them.

"I got this," Piper said, her words carrying as much confidence as they had when she had brought the receptionist to her knees without raising a fist.

Percy and Thalia turned their attention to the daughter of Aphrodite and marched towards her. Piper simply took a deep breath and then spoke with a force that made Scarlett feel like her ears were going to pop.

"Stop!"

For a moment Scarlett forgot how to breathe, in fact the skip in her heartbeat suggested that her heart had stopped beating for a moment. For a second she stood there, suspended in place by the Pipers orders. Then the moment of initial panic passed and she was able to draw breath freely once again.

For Percy and Thalia the result was more extreme. They both froze in place, and for a moment Scarlett wondered if Piper was powerful enough to bring both demons to heel with just the uttering of a single word. That hope was shattered though when Percy began to groggily move again, drawing breath like it was his last. Thalia took a few moments longer, but soon she too was able to break out of the stupor.

"Damn," Piper muttered, "I'm rusty."

Scarlett's eyes widened in shock, "Who in my dads name are you?"

Piper winked at her, "One of the Seven."

Scarlett frowned for a moment, recalling the various stories she had been told at Camp Half-Blood before realisation dawned on her. "You're Piper McLean, the daughter of Aphrodite who journeyed to stop the Giants and the rise of Gaea. That's why Percy wanted to rescue you, you fought alongside him in the Second Giant War. You're a hero, like one of THE heroes."

"I'm not a hero," Piper argued, turning back to the demons "But I am a force to be reckoned with. Release them!"

Again the succubi paused, their assault halting as they fought against the intangible command to release their grip on their new prizes. Whatever ancient or biblical source of power they drew from was being challenged by the will and whim of the daughter of Aphrodite. Thalia fell to her knees, clawing at her hair as she struggled against Piper's order, but Percy pressed on, his eyes glowing maliciously as he bore down on his old friend. He pulled back an arm, readying a punch that likely contained enough force to rip a hole through Piper, who stood rooted to the ground, but as he threw out his fist Scarlett was already moving. Her stomach churned as shadows danced around her, twisting and turning until a fist of shadow encompassed her fist, and it was this fist that met Percys.

The shadows imploded as they met Percy's singular attack, collapsing in on themselves under the force of a blow that would certainly have killed Piper. It was enough though, the momentum behind the punch evaporated and Piper survived. Scarletts leap into action seemed to free Piper from being rooted into place, and instead of dealing with Percy she now bore down upon Thalia.

"Stay down!"

Thalia hissed, her eyes glowing with hate just as the receptionists had, but struggle as she might she couldn't get to her feet. Unfortunately Percy had already whirled back towards her, and this time the succubus began using Percy's powers against them. Water exploded from a nearby water fountain, snaking around Percy before firing as a torrent at Piper. This time it was Belial who leapt into action, moving at unnatural speeds to shove Piper out of the way, taking the brunt of the attack head on. He was thrown towards the elevator, slamming into it and creating a sizable dent as he did so. He seemed dazed, but Scarlett knew that simply meant he was downed, not out.

"Deal with Thalia," Scarlett yelled at Piper, "I'll deal with Percy."

Piper didn't seem convinced, but since her words had failed to bring the succubus controlling Percy to heel, she wasn't about to argue. Instead she turned her attention to Thalia once more, commanding the succubus controlling the daughter of Zeus to release her at once. As that took place in the background, Scarlett turned her focus onto the son of Posiedon. The succubus' interest in her kin had faded, and now her eyes, on Percy's face, were firmly locked onto Scarlett.

"A daughter of Hades," Percy hissed, "It's been a long time since I got to feast on one of his spawn."

The red eyes seemed to stare into her soul, and suddenly she felt very alone. She remembered the voices of the children that had been screaming at her not to enter this place, they returned now with a vengeance. Her head began to pound as child after child moaned and sobbed about how their lives had been cut short so cruelly, how they had been mere appetisers for these demons, how their families had abandoned them. She thought of her father, a distant figure, who had only stepped in to keep her alive but did little else. She looked at Percy, Thalia, and Piper, all heroes who had gone through more training and experience than she could ever hope to emulate. How was she supposed to stop THE Percy Jackson?

"You are not alone." A voice echoed in her mind, and the calming presence of Lucifer brought her mind back to focus. All of a sudden it wasn't just Lucifer, as the other demons tied to her made themselves known. Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Satan, and Abaddon. Not only wasn't she alone, but she wasn't weak either. As Belial staggered to his feet Scarlett summoned him back to her, his material form dissipating and merging with her. She had seven demons, Percy had one.

Still, when Percy moved the fight was almost over before it really began. One of the demons reacted for her, throwing her body to the side as Percy's fist grazed her cheek. "He's fast," Leviathan warned, "You must be faster!"

Her stomach churned and the shadows churned with it, dancing around her until they formed two large fists around both her hands. She punched out at Percy, but Leviathan was right, she needed to be faster. Almost as though she was going in slow motion Percy eased past the blow to land one of his own, an uppercut that sent her vision to black. She briefly felt weightless, and then a stab of pain ran down her body as she slammed into the ground. She crawled away, trying to blink away the black spots plaguing the corners of her eyes.

"Scarlett!" Lucifer's voice urged her, panicking, "You need to move!"

"I can't see," she whimpered, "I can't fight if I can't see."

"Let me fight for you," he offered, and Scarlett was about to rebuff him but could hear Percy's footsteps thundering towards her.

"Okay," she whispered, "You're in the driver's seat."

Almost instantly she felt like she jerked forwards, similar to the feeling of a roller coaster shooting forward after being at a standstill. As her eyes slowly focused after Percy's blow she realised she was no longer in control of her body. Lucifer moved for her, going toe to toe against a Percy that seemed far more fluid and elegant than he had been before, probably a benefit of the succubus having taken over. What worried Scarlett about this succubus was that unlike the one that controlled Thalia, this one had shrugged off Piper's commands like it was nothing. Both the receptionist and Thalia's succubi had yielded, which indicated that the one controlling Percy was more powerful.

"Great," Beelzebub muttered, "The most powerful demon takes over the most powerful demigod."

"Think I can get her number?" Asmodeus wondered.

"Silence!" Lucifer thundered, "Now is not the time for games. Lend me your strength!"

The other demons quieted down, and instead followed their leader's orders. Leviathan provided her body with speed and Belial with strength. Under Lucifer's command her body began to fight back against Percy, weaving inside of his blows and landing a few light punches of her own. They weren't enough to injure him, or the demon controlling him, but they were enough to keep him distracted and entirely focused on her.

"Girl!" A voice called in the back of her mind, which wasn't unusual for Scarlett, but the voice was one that she didn't recognise.

"Yo who the hell is this?" Beelzebub asked, also aware of the intruder into her mind. Scarlett waited for Lucifer to step in, but he, Leviathan, and Belial were too busy trying to stay alive against Percy to offer any assistance.

"Who are you?" Scarlett asked, trying to come across nicer than Beelzebub had.

"It's me, Rich. We just met."

Scarlett went to turn her head, but realised that she was no longer in control of her actions, and wasn't about to ask Lucifer to stop midfight to turn and look at the man they had met about five minutes prior.

"How are you in my head?"

"I told you, I specialise in mind magic. For the amount of demons you have in your head you should really work on your defences."

Scarlett sighed, "Lucifer usually keeps them out, but he's a little…"

"Preoccupied?" Rich offered, "Yeah I can see that, that's why I want to help."

"Help how?"

"I owe Percy one, I want to break the demons hold on him, but in order to do that I need your help. I need him distracted so I can slip past the demon and get inside his head."

"You're saying that fighting against him isn't distracting enough?" Beelzebulb argued, unimpressed.

"When you fight your senses are heightened, and you're more keenly aware of what is happening around you. I need something that will confuse and disorient the demon just long enough to give me an opening."

"How are you going to get inside?" Scarlett asked.

She might not be able to see him, but she could sense the smile on his face, "The same way I got in here. He left the door unlocked."

Scarlett turned her attention back to the fight between her body and Percy, one that her demons were losing. It wasn't complete annihilation, but in the battle of attrition they were losing blow by blow. Something to confuse and disorient the demon? What could she do that would-

"Lucifer," she called out, "Give the controls."

Lucifer seemed like he was about to retort, but he could sense the defiance and certainty in her statement. He kicked out at Percy and dove backwards, giving Scarlett enough time to resume control. It was a strange feeling, being put back in control of her body, but she didn't have time to waste contemplating the feeling.

Percy's red eyes locked onto her and he leapt towards her, bearing down on her like a lion to its prey. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, and a stab of fear shot through her, but she forced the feeling down. Her friends needed her, and she couldn't let them down. Her stomach churned and the shadows responded to her will, knitting together until she was holding a blanket of shadows. She held it like a matador in the arena, with Percy the bull storming towards her with fury. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to dive out of Percy's path, but that wasn't what heroes did. She steeled her nerves and sent a prayer to her father, if he wanted to take a more active role in her life, now was the time.

Percys moved with speed that bordered inhuman, but in that moment time seemed to move so slowly. The fear in her stomach morphed into something else, something she struggled to recognise due to how out of place it seemed. The buzz in her stomach, that spread to her chest and through to her fingertips, was something that made her do a double take. It was burning hot, and brimming with energy. It was excitement.

Percy was upon her, the red eyes and malicious grin unnatural on his typically handsome and kind face. She took one last breath, and reminded herself that she was a daughter of Hades, and she was no ordinary little girl.

"We believe in you." Lucifer whispered calmly, and she could feel the silent support of the other demons, all watching not with bated breath, but with steely confidence.

Her black eyes met Percy's red ones, and then she threw the blanket out between them, disappearing from his view. As she did so she leapt forward, willing herself through the shadows she had fabricated, and for a brief moment she felt like she was moving so fast that her face would peel off, but she kept focus. In her head she pictured Percy's trailing leg, and the shadow it left on the floor from the fluorescent reception lights. Like exiting a tunnel on a train her head burst into the light, out of the shadow of Percy's leg, and directly behind him. Her stomach churned and the corners of the blanket folded towards her, ensnaring Percy in a net of shadows.

"BELIAL!" she screamed, but he was already there, lending his strength to pull the blanket closed. Like a caged animal he lashed out on all sides, fighting desperately and with enough force that Scarlett thought her arms were going to be pulled out of their sockets, but Belial held fast.

She turned to look for Rich, and found him sitting with his back against one of the walls, eyes closed and glowing symbols floating around him. She had never gotten much of a mainstream education, but they looked like the symbols from her favourite movie The Mummy…hieroglyphics she seemed to remember them being called. She hoped that it had something to do with him breaking into Percy's mind, because she doubted he would get a clearer shot than right now. She gritted her teeth and turned her attention to the net of shadows, desperate to buy Rich as much time as possible.

The movies had always shown possession as being so scary and high intensity, but Percy just found it immensely boring. After struggling to find a way out and coming up with naught, he had settled into a feeling of helplessness. The screen with which he had been watching the demon through his eyes had gotten fuzzier and fuzzier over time, leaving him sitting alone in the darkness with nothing but his thoughts to keep himself entertained. The last he had seen was the elevator doors sliding open, and while he could tell something was happening he was unable to perceive it. He could hear the distant sounds of yelling and fighting, and what was maybe Scarlett's voice, but it sounded like it was coming from the other side of a very long tunnel.

He was helpless, the weakest he had felt since he had gotten out of the ice. He had genuinely believed that these demons were going to be a piece of cake for him, especially with his newfound powers, but it had taken the succubus mere moments to overwhelm him. He didn't get it, especially since the prisoners that had been able to fight off the demons for so long seemed so much weaker than he was. How had he been overwhelmed so quickly?

He was alone, surrounded by an oppressive silence that seemed to amplify the despairing thoughts racing through his mind. All the confidence that he had gained after demonstrating his Ice Kingdom, after finally aligning his post-ice body and post-ice mind were for naught. He was nothing in the demon's grasp.

As he stared at the flickering candle of light in the distance that tried to display what was happening in the outside world, he wondered whether his friends would be able to beat him. He didn't doubt Scarletts power, but she was also only 10 years old. The thought that he might hurt her, after she had warmed to him so quickly, scared him. Then of course there was Thalia to contend with, even if Scarlett could, by some miracle, beat him, she would still have to deal with Thalia.

There was a jerking sensation, and a sense of nausea passed over him, but the image was still too fuzzy for him to make out what had happened. After a moment the feeling passed, but there was a sense of frustration emanating from the demon that made Percy's skin crawl, if he could even have skin while locked in the confines of his mind.

"We don't possess bodies while inside our minds, that would defeat the purpose of being inside our minds." A voice calmly spoke next to him, but despite the voice's demeanour it still caused Percy to jump in shock. It had been so silent for so long that it took him a second to register the words.

"What the Hades was that?" he called out, wondering why the demon's voice had shifted from a woman to that of a man.

"Greek? Interesting, I pegged you as Norse."

Percy could feel the frustration building in his chest, "Are you taunting me?"

"Taunting you? Hell no brother, I'm trying to free you."

Percy paused, and if he had a face to frown he would have done so, "Who are you?"

"Forgetting me after less than an hour? That's just cold."

Less than an hour? "Rich?"

"The one and only, although y'know maybe not the one and only, there's probably other Rich's. Might go by Richard, or Richie, or-"

"How are you here?" Percy asked, cutting off Rich's tangent.

"I walked in," he answered nonchalantly, "You've really got no security in this place, gotta work on that."

"Security?"

"Yeah mental security, to stop people from getting into your head. You've got literally nothing, the door is not just unlocked, it's like the door was blown off of its hinges."

"I don't know what that means."

Rich went quiet for a second, and Percy suddenly missed his voice. Not being alone after being trapped in silence was a breath of fresh air. "Have you ever been possessed before?" Rich finally asked.

"No, certainly not like this."

"Are you sure?"

Percy stopped and thought back to his adventures. Had he ever been possessed? Circes transformation didn't count, but then there was that spat he had with Jason when they were both possessed by eidolons.

"I was possessed by an eidolon like 20 years back. It's an evil spirit."

"20 YEARS! HOW OLD ARE YOU?" Rich practically screamed in his ear.

"Chill, I was locked in ice for two decades, I'm only 18."

"Locked in ice? What is your life?"

"Complicated, now can you explain why me being possessed matters?"

Rich sighed, "If you are possessed it rots your minds defences, it's like a disease that eats at the foundation. If you never took the time to fix it after being possessed then it will remain rotten and broken, and it's basically a free pass for anyone or anything to come inside your mind."

Percy felt a chill as he remembered how quickly Chronos had gotten inside his mind when he fought the Kraken. It had seemed so effortless…maybe because it was. "How do I fix it?"

"Well first you have to take back control of your mind, no point fixing the defences if you're not the one they're protecting."

"Just tell me what I need to do."

"Well first thing first, we have to find your Mind Palace."

"My Mind Palace?"

"It's like the seat from which your consciousness rules your body, and its manifestation in your mind is how you view yourself. There's definitely some Jungian and Freduian psychology that goes into how your mind is constructed but it is supposed to reflect the state of your mind."

"How does one reflect complete confusion?"

"It sounds complicated, but I promise it's not, we just have to do a little breathing exercise."

"You're telling me we have to do yoga?"

"Hey, never disrespect yoga, now shut up and follow my lead."

Percy wasn't convinced of how effective yoga was going to be at kicking the demon out of his mind, but at this point something was better than nothing, so he went quiet and began to follow Rich's instructions.

He closed his eyes, and the rhythm of his breathing became a lifeline to stillness, grounding him in the present moment. Rich whispered in his ear, but the words faded away and his instructions fluttered at the subconscious level. With each breath, he felt the tension in his muscles, at least his metaphysical ones, start to release, like a weight being lifted. As he continued to breathe, he imagined a staircase descending into the depths of his consciousness.

As he began the descent the clamour of his racing thoughts grew quieter. He began to conjure up mental images of a serene landscape with a picture perfect scene. He envisioned himself standing on a quiet beach, feeling the warm sand between his toes and hearing the gentle lapping of ocean waves. The sounds of birds chirped in the distance, but when he opened his eyes there was no sun, instead a full moon hung proud in the sky, casting the beach in a silvery glow. He was at Montauk beach, right by the cabin where his mum took him when he was younger. His escape, his safe place.

As he stared out at the ocean the waves began to split apart, and from the cracks emerged a structure of size and scale that Percy staggered backwards. A palace rose from beneath the glistening waves, an otherworldly marvel of grandeur. Its towering spires and ornate archways, crafted from coral and iridescent shells, reached towards the moon, as though yearning for its embrace. The walls reminded Percy of his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, but its grandeur was something entirely new. Silver light reflected off the blue exterior, and Percy gasped in awe at the icicle tipped spires. The water around the palace was teeming with colourful marine life, seeming to wait for him to step towards the palace, towards his safe place.

As he drew closer, he noticed the entrance doors were crumpled against the wall. Intricate carvings adorned the massive doors, depicting scenes of his triumphs and tragedies. Many of these carvings were partially obscured by the damage that had been done to them, seeming to have almost rotted away in disrepair. He reached out to touch one of the palace's walls, feeling the rough texture of the coral and the delicate intricacies of the shells. It was calming, familiar.

"Wow," A voice breathed behind him, "I've never seen one like this before."

Percy turned around to find Rich standing there in the stand, looking up at the palace with awe. It was only then that Percy realised both of them now had bodies and were not simply two voices speaking out in the ether.

"What is this place?" Percy asked, even though he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew the answer.

"Your Mind Palace. Inside you will find the throne of your consciousness, and its current occupant."

"The demon is in there?"

"I'd say she's waiting for you, but hopefully she has no idea you're coming."

"You make it sound like you're not coming with me."

Rich smiled at him, "I can only take you so far. The battle for your mind is yours to fight…yours to win."

Percy turned back to the palace, "How were you able to do this?"

"I just showed you what you already possessed. The beauty of mind magic is that inside the mind one's power is only limited by their imagination. Remember that when you're fighting, this is your home turf, make that advantage count."

"Thank you."

"Good luck Percy," And with that Percy felt Rich's presence depart, leaving him alone on the beach. He took a deep breath, and headed inside.

As he ventured further into the undersea palace, he couldn't shake the feeling that this once-majestic structure had been corrupted by an unseen malevolence. The grandeur of its architecture was unmistakable, but it was now marred by an eerie darkness that seemed to seep from its very walls. The coral and shells that had once adorned the palace's surfaces had twisted and contorted into grotesque shapes. What were once intricate mosaics now appeared as distorted, nightmarish images, their vibrant colours replaced by sickly hues of green and black. The walls themselves seemed to pulse with an unnatural, ominous energy, as if they were alive with some dark presence. Percy couldn't help but be offended at what this demon was doing to his mind.

As he continued to explore, he came across what had once been opulent chambers and halls, but they now lay in ruins. The furnishings, once exquisite and regal, had decayed into eerie, skeletal remnants. Tattered tapestries hung like shrouds, their patterns depicting scenes of doom and despair. Puddles of water within the palace had taken on an unsettling, murky quality, almost as though it had been poisoned.

In one particularly foreboding chamber, Percy discovered a throne room. At its centre, a twisted throne made of coral and dark, unidentifiable materials stood as a macabre symbol of power. The walls were adorned with disturbing murals, depicting nightmarish visions of creatures from the depths of the ocean, their eyes filled with malevolence. This room looked as though it had once been magnificent, but it had been ruined, and Percy had a feeling that the person occupying the throne was the reason for it.

The demon was a grotesque amalgamation of nightmare and shadow, its form constantly shifting and contorting as if it were composed of living darkness, not too dissimilar to when Percy had glanced at the face of Typhon. Its eyes burned with a malevolent crimson glow, and its serrated, obsidian horns jutted from its head like jagged spears. From its back unfurled tattered, leathery wings that seemed far too frail to support its monstrous frame.

The demon's skin was etched with grotesque runes and symbols, their origins and meanings known only to the darkest corners of the abyss. Its hands ended in long, bony talons that scraped ominously against the armrests of the throne. The demon's eyes met Percys, and the air grew heavy and oppressive. The demon regarded Percy with confusion at first, but then this morphed into anger.

"What are you doing here?" it hissed with a voice that could have been feminine, but could have also been nails on a chalkboard.

"Just having a wander. I heard there was an open house."

The demon's eyes burned with anger, "You know…the most pathetic thing about you…is not your weakness. It's not your failure to live up to your own lofty vision of yourself, nor is it the fact that you bring shame on the entirety of the Greek pantheon. It's not that you were completely unable to repair your mind from a previous possession, nor is it that demigod powers were so easy to circumvent with the meagerest amounts of magic. No…it's your shitty little jokes."

Percy frowned, remembering Richs words about his power being limited by his imagination, before taking a deliberate step forward. "Knock knock."

The demon's face contorted, "What?"

Another step forward, "Knock knock."

"What are you saying boy?" the demon hissed, growing frustrated.

"Knock," Percy repeated, "Knock."

The demon seemed to be quite distressed now, especially as Percy grew closer and closer. "Knock knock? What does this mean?"

Percy smiled, "It's a joke…I say knock knock…you say who's there…and I answer. Now…knock…knock."

The demon growled, "This is ridiculous."

"A harmless joke. I just want to prove they're not that bad. Knock…knock."

The demon scratched nervously at the armchair of the throne, "Who is there?"

Like a bullet Percy flew towards the demon, throwing his arm forward and landing a punch to the demon's jaw that caused a sickening crunch to echo across the room and send the demon flying from the throne. "ME BITCH!"

The demon flew like a rag doll, smashing into the wall with such force that part of it collapsed on top of her. Percy gave her no time to recover though, as he was already on top of her. Moving in his mind felt like teleporting, enabling him to move at speeds that simply weren't possible in the real world. He grabbed the demon by the head and stabbed his fingers into her crimson eyes, before using her head like a bowling ball and sending her flying back towards the throne, using so much force that the throne actually shattered under the contact.

A howl of pain arose from the tattered remains but for Percy, this was personal. He was upon her again, and this time punch down with so much force that a crater formed from where Percy was smashing her head into a pulp.

"NEVER-" Percy screamed, grabbing the demon's wings and ripping them clean off.

"-EVER-" He snapped the horns off before driving them into the demon's neck.

"-TELL ME-" Now he grabbed the demon's jaw and pulled it down with such force that the demon's jaw shattered and ripped off from the top half of its face.

"-MY JOKES-" He punched the demon's chest so hard that his arm ripped through it.

"-AREN'T FUNNY!" With an almighty groan he slammed the demon against the wall so hard that the entire palace shook. But when the shaking subsided, the demon lay, mutilated and deformed, at his feet.

He turned on his heel and marched back towards the centre of the room where the destroyed throne lay. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, imagining a throne that was slightly more fitting to emerge in its place. When he opened them, he was stunned that an exact replica of that one in his mind stood before him, but then again…it WAS in his mind. He shook the thought away and took in his new throne.

Carved from an intricate blend of coral and mother-of-pearl, the throne had an otherworldly luminescence. Its frame was adorned with delicate shells, seashells, and luminescent pearls, which glimmered softly, mimicking the play of light on the ocean's surface. The armrests curved gracefully like the wings of pegasi, their tips adorned with finely detailed feathers that seemed to move with a life of their own. The backrest of the throne depicted a scene that captured the essence of the deep sea and the heavens above. Inlaid with shimmering lapis lazuli, it portrayed a majestic pegasus soaring among the stars, its wings outstretched as if to touch the moon. The moon itself, in its various phases, shone brilliantly in silver and mother-of-pearl, casting an ever-changing, mystical glow upon the throne. Around the base of the throne, intricate patterns of seashells and aquatic creatures were etched, creating a tapestry of life from the ocean's depths. It was as if the throne paid homage to the creatures of the sea and the celestial beauty of the night sky simultaneously.

Slowly, he approached the throne, his movements deliberate and filled with a quiet resolve. As he reached out to touch the armrests, he could feel the pulse of the palace's corrupted energy, a palpable darkness that had plagued this place for over two decades.

In awe of his creation, Percy took his seat, and it was like an electric shock shot through him. He felt like he was a phone that had just been connected to the charger, and his shudder felt like a buzz signifying its connection. All of a sudden he was completely in tune with the palace around him, and the first thing he set about doing was willingaway the corruption that had sunk into the palace from both the eidolon and the succubus.

As he concentrated, a soft, gentle light began to emanate from his very being, casting a warm, soothing glow throughout the chamber. The symbols of the pegasi on the armrests of the throne seemed to come to life, leading the charge of the light against the darkness. He envisioned the corruption melting away like shadows retreating from the morning sun. The twisted coral and grotesque symbols that had marred the palace's beauty began to transform, shifting back into their original forms. The walls of the chamber, once pulsing with malevolence, now seemed to breathe with newfound life. Percy's aura extended throughout the palace, purifying and restoring its beauty. The twisted and corrupted images in the mosaics transformed into vibrant scenes of life beneath the waves, and the oppressive atmosphere lifted, replaced by a sense of tranquillity.

As he continued to will away the corruption, the entire palace seemed to respond, as if rejoicing in its liberation. The doors, crumpled and broken, slowly rose from the ground, repairing themselves, and reattached to their hinges. With one last command they slammed shut, and Percy felt safe and at peace within his Mind Palace.

He looked at the demon crumpled in the corner. "Now," Percy said, already sensing himself rising back to the land of consciousness, "Respectfully…get the fuck out of my house."

Scarlett held fast to the shadow netting. While Percy's struggles had gotten weaker and weaker, she was still worried that at any moment he would resume his attack. Better to be safe than to be sorry. Rich had told her that all they could do was wait, but Scarlett wasn't thrilled at that answer.

Piper was keeping both the receptionist and Thalia under control, but they were all stuck in a state of limbo until the situation with Percy was resolved. The doors to the entrance were still sealed shut, and the escapees huddled behind the counter waiting to see what would unfold, their lives hanging in the balance.

"Shit," a voice mumbled from the blanket, "Am I still trapped in my head?"

Percy writhed around and Scarlett suddenly tensed and she worried that the demon-possessed Percy was about to resume his attacks.

"I definitely feel like I'm back but-ouch!" Percy yelped as he slipped and banged his head on the floor with the blanket.

"Percy?" Scarlett asked cautiously.

"Scarlett?" he responded, "You can hear me?"

"Are you still possessed?"

"Um…no I feel like me. But man does my stomach-bletch." The sound of puking emanated from the bag and while there was suddenly extra weight in the blanket, it felt much too big to be just vomit. It felt like the weight in the blanket had doubled.

"Oh nuh uh, not this bitch again." Percy groaned, and suddenly the bag started writhing. Scarlett, confused, decided to gamble on the fact that Percy sounded like old Percy and released her hold.

Out of the bag tumbled two figures. One was an older woman, but with grey skin and burning crimson eyes, while the other was Percy, the grin gone and his eyes restored to their normal ice blue. As they rolled out Percy lunged towards the woman and grabbed her by the throat, a shiver ran down the back of his spine and ice spread out across his fingers, encasing the demon's neck in ice.

"No sneak attacks in my head anymore. Time to tell me what you know about Enlil."

The demon hissed at him and lashed out, her claws nicking his cheek and causing a line of blood to dribble down and fall towards the demon. It hung in freefall for a moment, before splashing down on the succubus' face. The reaction was instant. The succubus let out a blood curdling screech, writhing desperately under Percy's grasp as the spot of the blood drop began to sizzle and burn the demon's face. Her screams filled the room and the other two succubi looked on in horror as the sizzling slowly spread across her body and burned it up. In less than a minute nothing remained of the succubus but ash.

"Um…what?" Percy asked confusedly, looking around at everyone for answers. The two remaining succubi screamed and tried to launch themselves at him, but Percy simply grabbed them both by the neck, holding them aloft. "Someone want to tell me what just happened?'

"You killed her!" Thalia screeched.

"Mother!" The receptionist cried out.

"Yeah I figured," Percy snarked, "I'm wondering how."

"His blood…" Leviathan whispered in the back of Scarletts head.

"The Blood of a Saviour," Lucifer muttered.

"What?" Scarlett asked them.

"We told you the Blood of Christ could kill demons…" Belial responded, "But it is not limited to the Blood of Christ…it's the blood of a saviour."

"If that's true then this boy's potential…"

"He needs to be stopped, we need to kill him now!"

"STOP!" Scarlett roared, "He is my friend. You won't hurt him." The demons quieted and Scarlett turned to Percy. "My demons say it's your blood. It's poisonous to them."

"Poisonous why?" Percy wondered. The receptionist spat in his face.

"Why is it poisonous?" Piper demanded, looking at the receptionist and Thalia. The two struggled briefly but then Thalia began to succumb.

"It's ancient blood. Chosen blood. You are a child of prophecy."

"Yeah I know I've already been through two."

"Not of the Oracle of Delphi," Thalia replied, "You are at the epicentre of a far more ancient destiny."

Percy frowned, "Does this have anything to do with the Annunaki?"

"I don't know."

"Tell him."

"I don't know, I swear. It's much older than we are. Maybe mother would have known, but you killed her, so your answers died with her."

Percy pouted, "Well that's unhelpful." he turned and seemed to notice Piper for the first time, "Oh hey Pipes, good to see you're back to your old self."

"Well I'm not quite my 18 year old self like you, but I feel back to normal again. Thank you Percy."

Percy grinned, "Anything for a friend. Speaking of, how do we free Thalia?"

Thalia and the receptionist glanced at each other, and came to a silent understanding with one another, "We have a proposal." Thalia offered.

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Go on."

"We will no longer possess these bodies, we will abandon this city, and allow all the escapees to go free…if you extend the same courtesy to us."

Scarlett frowned, "That sounds like a terrible deal."

Percy nodded enthusiastically, "I'm with her, this is the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals."

"The only other way to remove us from these bodies would be to kill us with your blood or eat their hearts." Thalia replied, "Either way your friends die. This way they live…and we will owe you one."

Percy glanced at Piper and Scarlett, trying to gauge their reaction to the information.

"If that's the only way," Piper said quietly, "As much as I don't like it…it's not a bad thing to have demons owe you a debt."

Scarlett nodded in agreement and so Percy turned his attention back to the succubi, "We have a deal."

In unison Thalia and the receptionists' heads were thrown back, and from their lips white smoke spiralled out. It slowly thickened until two succubi materialised in solid form. The crimson disappeared from Thalia and the receptionist's face and the grin dropped as well. Thalia rubbed her eyes and when she opened them again they were the regular electric blue.

"Why do I feel like I have a pounding hangover?" she groaned, slumping to the ground. The receptionist on the other hand just crumpled to the ground. She let out a deep shuddering breath, and then lay still.

"Woah," Percy said, turning on the succubi, "What happened to our deal?"

"We said we would free them," one of them replied, "But being possessed for so long can kill those not strong enough to handle it."

"That wasn't part of our deal!"

"There is no outcome where she lives…she was possessed for too long," the other succubus hissed.

Percy growled, technically they had held up their end of the bargain, even if the result had been far from ideal. "You owe me two then, and I'm cashing one in now."

The succubi looked at one another nervously. "What is it?" one of them asked.

"Why was she brought here, and by who?" he asked, pointing at Piper.

The succubi didn't seem keen to answer, and were looking everywhere but Percy. "ANSWER ME!" he yelled, and while he might not have Pipers charmspeak, his words carried a power and authority of their own.

"A cult brought her here," one of them answered hurriedly, "They worshipped a god named Enlil, claimed they wanted to bring him back and that she had the power to do it, but they needed to make her more amenable."

"What else do you know about this cult?"

The succubus shook her head, "Not much, but they paid handsomely for us, gave us a steady stream of doctors to feed on. They really wanted control of the girl. They said her…charmspeak I think they called it…would help them wake up something called the Annunaki. That's all we know."

"No it's not," the other succubus interrupted. "They said that war is coming, and that a new era is on the horizon. They said when a new dawn breaks, a new world will be born. THAT is everything we know."

Percy scanned their faces, and if the fear painted on them was anything to go by they were telling the truth. Still, it would have been nice to have a child of Apollo there to serve as a human lie detector. "Fine," he said, "Now go, and don't let me find you again unless I'm cashing in my other favour."

The two succubi sprinted towards the doors, the locks on them falling away, and disappeared into the night. The escapees waited for a moment for them to be some distance between them and their captors before following them out to freedom. Soon it was just Percy, Thalia, Piper, Scarlett and Rich.

Percy turned to Rich, "I owe you my life."

Rich grinned, "I guess that makes us even."

Thalia frowned, "Someone want to explain what happened?"

"We got possessed." Percy replied, "And apparently I got possessed so easily because I've been possessed before. What's your excuse?"

Thalia groaned, "Montana."

"That thing you said to Apollo?"

"I'm not talking about it, so zip it or send a lightning bolt up your ass."

Scarlett turned to Rich, "Those symbols…were they hieroglyphics?"

Rich nodded, "I'm a magician of the Egyptian pantheon. Got my training not too far from here in Brooklyn."

Percy frowned, rubbing his chin, "Weren't Carter and Sadie Kane from Brooklyn?"

Rich's jaw dropped, "You know the Kanes?"

"Yeah I fought an ancient magician back in the day with them. Good times. Actually I think that's our next stop. I have no idea how to get there though."

"If that's the case," Rich began, "Then would you do me the honour of allowing me to lead you there. I'm headed there anyway."

Percy grinned, "This day is starting to look up," he turned his attention to Piper, "You coming with us?"

Piper shook her head, "I'm pretty sure I've got to organise my wife and daughters funeral. And after that…I'm going to find out everything about this cult and burn it to the ground."

Percy nodded, "If you need any help with that, I'm an Iris Message away."

Piper smiled, "Same goes for you Seaweed Brain. When all this is over, we need to catch up over tacos."

Percy tried not to wince at the nickname, and instead gave her a smile, "See you soon Pipes."

Piper followed after the escapees and disappeared into the night. Percy turned back to his team, "Alright guys. First, let's call the police and get these people some help, and then let's go find out how much trouble Jett has managed to get himself in!"

Author's Note: I know I know I know, it's been 84 years since I last updated. My excuses are valid and numerous, but I won't bore you with all of them. The only thing I will say is that moving to a new place + starting the school semester is a recipe for not having a lot of free time. That being said, I'm going to get back into the swing of writing and try to write more regularly, but expect updates to take significantly longer than they did over the summer. Hope you're all safe and doing well and enjoyed the chapter. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews and I will see you in the next update!