Welcome back readers.

NiHaR Op: "Nice chapter I think Hercules was too harsh but that's just how he is i guess. I legally groaned when Matt didn't reciprocate. Ik u said Reyna is gone somewhere is she going to be there in the future. Also I think it would be interesting if souls escaped because if Cerberus was influenced then who's to say the future aren't."

Response: Yeah Hercules is going to be tough on him in this story, but he won't be an asshole or anything. Matt will come around, don't worry lol. Also, Reyna might appear, I'll include Camp Jupiter at some point, so it's likely. We'll see about the souls thing, that's an interesting idea.

Shadowhunter2077: "Dude I not hating your story so don't think this is me bashing your story. I don't think you did this intentionally but don't you think you are making the gods your story too weak like they feel like glorified demigods and they have so many weakness, because I don't think the Alaska is a place were the gods lose their powers but their influence most likely because there is a place where western and estern civilization "converge" so they don't have authority there but still have their divine power.

Also if your are going with the apotheon storyline Zeus should be a monster in terms of power because not only you have to possess the power of basically of all the others olympians but even that was not enough to even fight him and ypu need to use his own power against him to win and even after you get his power, Zeus still comes back for a second round with you and he puts a big fight against nikandreos when he has the power of all the olympians gods including Zeus power, so don't you think Malachi may be wanting more than he can swallow, because to be honest I'm getting tired of Malachi feeling a big shot just because he defeated Hera of all deities, and please make the gods feel like powerful beings because right now they seem like canno fodder and like I said before I don't think this were your intention

And about Malach don't you think he is to powerful right now, yes I know that he have the power of Typhon but its like this seems unreal because at least for me takes part of the fun of the story to have a guy that power in the beginning of the story, because that means the gods power will become irrelevant since the main character will have a power that rivals Typhon, and Malachi at least to me (sorry from what I about to say) he seems like steppenwolf from the Josstice league (2017) in personality"

Response: We had a discussion in a PM about this, a lot of words, so I'm not gonna post it on here lol. Glad to see you're reading my story, means a lot.

thesuperone342: "Damn, bruh. Matt's got like no game lol. Anyway, nice chapter as always. This review gonna be a little short, my internets not too great rn so fast typing. Anyway, I can't wait to see the fight with Cerberus. Let's see if Matt beats it as fast as Zane. Also, nice take on Hercules, kinda like your one shot with Percy vs. Hercules.

PS. Apollo and Artemis are going to get obliterated lol. Also, what happened to Helios?"

Response: Thanks. And yeah, Matt needs to work on his girl talk. Helios will appear at some point, but since I am following Rick's basic storyline, Helios gave the duty as sun god and pretty much retired. So as long as Apollo is around, Helios won't appear yet. At least in this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Now then, on with the sixteenth chapter.

16. I Face A Three Headed Rottweiler

Turns out Talon doesn't know exactly where the fort is.

After a few wrong turns and us driving an hour out of the way, we got bored and decided the four of us would play Uno, while Talon drives in the right direction of course. Uno was fun, until Annabeth won four times in a row, then we stopped.

Things were still awkward between Harper and I. I hated it, but I couldn't focus on it at the moment, I was too concentrated on Colter's death, and how I would explain it to Talon.

I needed to tell him, and now would be the best time.

I was currently spinning my Nemean Lion shield on my index finger, Harper was on the couch, fiddling with her knives in boredom. I put down my shield, got up and said, "I'm gonna break the news to Talon about Colter."

She didn't take her eyes off of her knives, she muttered, "Alright."

I internally groaned, this sucked. I would really have to find a way to fix things between us. I was clueless when it came to romance. I had spent most of this quest trying to put my feelings away because I had thought there was no way she felt the same. But then she kisses me! I mean, maybe there were hints along the way, but I'm dense alright, sue me.

Anyway, now wasn't the time, I had to inform Talon of his master's fate.

I walked through the doors, nodded at Percy and Annabeth, and made my way to the driver's cockpit.

I opened the door and sat in the passenger's seat, trying to prepare for what I was about to say.

Talon glanced at me and groaned, "I ain't making more Uno cards for you. Just take a nap or something."

"No, no. I just...need to tell you something."

"I'm listening."

I sat there for a moment, giving him time to brace, then I said clearly, "I had a vision of the Island. Malachi...killed Jack. He put his head on a pike, the sick bastard."

Talon was silent for what seemed like forever, his lips tight, his eyes unreadable due to the sunglasses. "I expected it. We didn't see eye to eye always, but...at least he went out like a man."

I nodded. It was true, I had only known Jack Colter for like an hour, but I knew he was honorable and his death was undeserved.

Talon's voice was grim in what he said next, "I want you to know something kid. That...wasn't Malachi doing that."

"Oh...right. Sorry, I meant Ouranos."

Despite admitting it, Talon shook his head, "Malachi Stallard isn't anything like that. The kid I knew on the island was a true hero. This Malachi...it's not him. He's being possessed."

"I believe you. But there's nothing we can do about it. He didn't even snap out of it for you in Central Park."

"No, but remember what I said in Texas, the key to getting the old Malachi back is Sera. I'm telling you, Matt, if you go to the island, don't fight him, you need to free Sera. She'll force Ouranos out of him."

I slumped my shoulders, "I'm not going to the island, remember?"

"You need to. I think that the power's getting to Ouranos's head, he thinks he can take on Olympus itself. That's not true. The gods are too powerful. Ouranos is gonna get Malachi killed in the process."

"I don't know, man. I mean, he can transform into Typhon."

"Maybe he's being possessed by him too."

I was taken back. Talon was actually pretty smart. Smarter than me, because I hadn't thought of that. Now everything was a bit clearer, because how else would he be able to undergo such a transformation?

"That's...a really good guess," I said, "And say that I go to this island, how would I free Sera? Malachi's too strong. I'll just get beaten to a pulp before I can reach the cavern entrance."

"Don't do it alone then. Have Artemis and Apollo taken off yet? If they haven't, maybe they can go with you guys to distract him while you free Sera."

It sounded like a good plan, then I registered that he said you guys. As if he's not going.

"Wait a second, why does it sound like your not going?"

"It's because I'm not kid."

I was stunned, "Why? We need you!"

He chuckled, "You needed me for the tracking. Well, once we get to the Underworld entrance, that's the final stop."

"But you just proposed this awesome island plan! What if we free Malachi? Don't you want to see your old friend?"

He shook his head, "It ain't that. I just...can't go back to that place. If you are planning on going, then I should tell you how to get there."

I wanted to protest more, to tell him that we needed him more than just as a tracker, but as a friend. I know that sounds sappy but it's the truth. We had all grown surprisingly close to the assassin. At least I had.

I simply leaned forward, signaling that I was listening.

He started, "Alright, the only way to go the Island, is if you hijack one of Ouranos' boats. That's how his forces go to and from the Island, and that's how they used to transport slaves back in the Titan War. It's in a harbor in Florida, near Washington Oaks State Park. Remember that, because that's where they'll be. You'll need to keep one of the navigators alive so that he or she can take you to the Island. Otherwise, you'll never find your way there."

I processed all of it, "Harbor in Florida, Washington Oaks, keep a navigator alive, got it."

He smiled, "Good. I hope you kick the crap out of Ouranos."

"That's still not clear. What if Artemis and Apollo have already fought Malachi? What if they killed him?"

"Then an innocent demigod was killed. And we were too late."

I didn't like that, let's go with the other option.

"Oh-kay, and what if they haven't? Or what if he beats them?"

"Then you'd better hope they retreat, because if he actually kills one of them...he's dead for sure."

"But what about us? Who can help us free Sera besides Artemis and Apollo?"

He thought for a moment, then raised his finger like he had discovered something. "Your dad! He's a god right? And formerly the strongest hero of all time, why not take him?"

I grimaced, "He's stuck on his own stupid Island, guarding the entrance to Ancient Greece. I could never tell him in time, and he couldn't leave."

He nodded, then thought for another moment. After a second, he shrugged, "I don't know. Got any other godly relatives that come to mind?"

I searched my memory and knowledge of the family tree. My father was Hercules, Heracles, whatever. And his father was...

Zeus.

Zeus was my grandfather.

The light bulb went off, it was perfect. The plan had come together. If I could convince Zeus to help us, he could keep Malachi busy, hopefully without killing him. Meanwhile Harper, Percy and Annabeth will take care of the Big Four, and to top it all off, I free both Sera and Hera. Huh, those names rhyme, neat.

I relayed my plan to Talon, who raised his eyebrows after I was done. "What?" I asked.

"Zeus?"

I sighed, "I know it's a bit of a longshot, but there's reasons for him to go. First off, his wife and son are being held captive, by the former sky god! It checks out! I just need to convince him."

"Wait a minute. Did you say son? Zeus' son?"

"Well, yeah."

"Who would you be talking about?"

"Malachi."

He pursed his lips, and after a moment, he shook his head. "I was stupid not to tell you sooner, but kid...Malachi ain't a Son of Zeus."

I reared my head back in shock, "Wait, what? How? Who's his father then? He has lightning and wind-" I stopped, it hit me.

The enemy that we've been facing this entire time is the former sky god. Control over lightning and wind.

Malachi was Ouranos' son.

My first reaction was like a chill had gone over me, then a ringing sensation, like I was in a tunnel. It was crazy, but it made perfect sense. That's why Ouranos is so close to him, why he was able to get in his head in the first place, their father and son. Making Malachi a...demi-primordial. Half human and half primordial god. That was...just wow. Even without the whole Typhon thing, I still probably couldn't beat the guy based on that alone. He had to be the only demi-primordial in existence right now...maybe even in all history.

I processed this new information like I was hearing news of a car wreck, Talon only nodded grimly, keeping his eyes on the road.

I suddenly turned on him, a little annoyed. "Why didn't you tell us? That's kind of a big deal!"

"I should've...I didn't think it mattered at the time. I'm sorry."

"How does that even happen? How does a primordial god have a son with a mortal?"

"It can happen. The Primordials have just been inactive for a long time. Gaea had no reason to have demi-primordial children due to her control over the giants. But Ouranos...he did. He created his perfect specimen. An innocent child that he could corrupt, make his personal killing machine."

"Did Malachi tell you about his past? On the island I mean."

He hesitated, "Kid, I aint' sure I should be telling-"

"Oh come on! What the hell's with the secrecy? This could help us! This information could be used to trigger something and bring your friend back!"

"OKAY! I'll fucking tell you! Damn kid, I'll tell you. It's just...bad memories. I hated hearing about that shit. But you might be right, it could help you in your confrontation. So I'll tell you, but I'll keep it short."

I nodded.

He sighed, "Alright, and this is from his mouth. Twenty years ago, Ouranos had reformed from Tartarus just enough to take on a physical form for a couple of days. Long story short, he enticed and impregnated a woman named Julie Stallard. A daughter of a wealthy old business guy, and high class citizen, but she was a little on the rebellious side, you get the picture. Anyway, they have a son, they name him Malachi. Ouranos' plan is complete, and he no longer has any need for the mother, as it will only cause a distraction for the boy. So what does he do? He kills her. Malachi just a baby, but he witnesses it. Remember that, because it's important. Ouranos trains the boy and raises him, training his control over air and lightning in secret, because if the gods found out, they would come after him."

"Why?" I interrupted.

He groaned, "Think, Kid. Because Ouranos is fucking powerful, imagine how powerful his kid is. They would have feared what he would become, kind of like me actually, and I think that was why we bonded so quickly to be honest. Anyway, this goes on for years, young Malachi often questions the training methods, why he can't have any friends, and where his mother is. Valid questions, and Ouranos answers none of them. Finally, one day at the age of twelve, Malachi has a vision of his mother's death, and he sees the killer...it's none other than his father. Malachi gets angry and attacks Ouranos, using his training against him. But he's still a Primordial, and at full strength or not, twelve year old Malachi didn't stand a chance. Ouranos didn't want to kill him, so instead he punished him by sending him to the Island."

"So that's how he got there." I said, completely baffled at what I was hearing. Malachi was forced to be his father's puppet.

"Like I said in Texas, we met in the Pit on the Island. He had taken care of Sera for a couple of weeks, and I started doing the same. The three of us were inseparable. Then after five years I escaped, they got left behind, and after that...I have no idea what happened to him. If I had to guess, Ouranos decided he had enough punishment and brought him back. Or more than likely, once Kronos was defeated, Ouranos took residence on the Island, and possessed Malachi, forcing him to act against his will."

"But what about the Typhon thing?" I asked, eyebrows knit in confusion.

His did the same, "That I have no clue on. Maybe...he created some sort of link...or...I don't know. That's a weird one."

I decided to focus on what he had said, all of the things Malachi had went through, and still remaining a good enough person to protect a girl being harassed. It...actually sounded like something I would do. Not trying to be big headed, but I would do the same thing if I were on that Island. It was like I had some kind of awakening, my course of thought, the course of the rest of this quest had just changed. Malachi wasn't the villain...it was Ouranos. We had to free him, we had to get him back to normal. And I think my plan involving Zeus can do it.

"I need to talk with Zeus immediately after we free Cerberus." The labors weren't just the monsters, it was Malachi too. We had to free him.

This was huge. We needed to get to the Underworld fast. The sooner I stop Artemis and Apollo, then talk to Zeus, the better.

"How much longer until we reach the fort?"

"About fifteen minutes, why?"

I got up, opening the door leading to the middle compartment, "Because we need to be quick about this."

I walked quickly to the rear door, cracked it open and told Harper to get in here. She got up, and came into where Percy and Annabeth were. They looked at me expectantly, and I told them my plan. Saying it rather confidently and clearly. I thought for sure I would screw up, due to me being crap at speaking. But no, I said it pretty well. However, they looked uneasy.

"Matt, I don't know. How are you going to convince Zeus? He'll think that Malachi is too below him to interfere."

"I know it sound crazy." I was using my hands to make gestures, like those public speakers do. "But I think he'll go for it. I mean, his wife is being held hostage, and he cares about her a little bit, right?"

They shrugged indifferently.

I sighed, "Besides, Malachi has Typhon's power for some reason, and he's a demi-primordial. He's powerful, Zeus shouldn't consider him a fly."

Percy leaned forward, "You said he was Ouranos' son. How would the gods not know about that? I mean, I've never heard of a half human half primordial god."

Annabeth shook her head, "Neither have I." Okay, it was definitely a rare occurrence if Annabeth didn't know a time when it had happened.

"He is. And he's innocent. We just have to follow the plan, I'll free Sera, and he'll snap out of it."

"But what if it doesn't work? I mean, he didn't remember Talon." Harper pointed out.

"True, but remember when he said the name Sera. Malachi responded by saying Seraphina, her full name. He remembered it. It had triggered something. And I have no doubt that actually seeing her in person will bring him back."

They still seemed unsure, but ultimately agreed. My mood had lifted, we had a new plan.

"Alright." I said, "Talon told me we'll be at the fort in fifteen minutes, and that was seven minutes ago. So when we get to the Underworld, we need to..." I trailed off, a sudden feeling of nausea washing over me, I felt tingles in my fingertips, my vision tunneled, my knees buckled, and I passed out.

Of course, I had a vision. This one was not good, especially concerning the new plan.

I saw two giant figures flying in the clear blue sky at near light speed. They zoomed past miles upon miles of ocean and small land. One of the figures was a man shaped pillar of fire. It's warmth ten times greater than a volcano, it's brightness would have blinded and melted any other mortal, turning them to ashes. But somehow I was able to squint, a small burning in my eyes, which was saying something. I wasn't even looking at it in person, this was through a vision, and it's light was still blinding bright. That told me that whatever that was, it was like a miniature sun. Flames and giant sparks flew from the pillar. The figure itself was about ten feet long, turning the water below to steam from the heat, the flame bundles that flew off of it sometimes landed on a small island, the piece of land would catch fire, and almost immediately melt into the sea, this happened a few times. Sometimes they were small islands, sometimes they were big ones. I couldn't imagine if that thing flew into one, it could destroy an entire state, no a country in just a few passes. It's aura was immense, unlike any I'd felt. It nearly burned me, because I could feel my skin heat up just viewing it. Whatever this was, it had to be a god. No one else I knew of had this power.

Next to the strong pillar of fire flew a ten foot long chariot being pulled by silver deer. The chariot was a bright regal gold, it glimmered in the sunlight and seemed to make things even brighter, more calm. There were six deer carrying it. Each one looking like the Cerynian Hind, only these were pure silver, there eyes were full moons. Literally, each pupil was a tiny moon staring ahead with intensity. The deer themselves radiated a strong aura, let alone the driver. It was a female, ten feet tall as well. She glowed a combination of the chariot and the deer, gold and silver. Her hair seemed to be glowing a bright yellow, flowing like a smoldering fire behind her. She wore a greek silver toga, also letting off what seemed to be sparks of bronze. Next to her sat a huge bow. It was at least twelve feet long, it was glowing a white color, streaks of power coming off of it like mist. Her quiver and arrows sat nearby. The point of each arrow celestial bronze, some coated with an unknown substance. Either way, I would not want to get hit with one.

They both flew at insane speeds. Everything seemed to be in slow motion for me, just so I could view it. It was like the vision knew I couldn't comprehend the speed they were moving at, so it decided to take things easy. Either way, they flew in unison, the very ocean nearly splitting at their combined power. I could feel the ground shaking for miles, the waves crashing rapidly. These were gods. That was when I knew who it was immediately. The bows, the pillar of fire, the deer, the moon design...it was Artemis and Apollo.

Crap. I knew what this was, they were flying towards Malachi. Oh, this was not good. They would kill him! Their power together was an aura that nearly exploded my skull. Literally, I had a headache just from sensing their auras, that's how powerful they were. It was way beyond what Malachi had shown so far.

They made their way to a massive piece of land in the distance. For a second I thought it was the Cursed Island. But no, this was even bigger. It had to be larger than New York City. It seemed Malachi wanted a big place to fight so he could go all out.

The two deities quickly soared to where the demi-primordial was sitting on a rock at the shore. He had his usual get up on. The medium length smooth blonde hair flowing in the wind, coming down next to his eyes. Making him seem like some kind of beach male model. He was shirtless again, revealing a chiseled body with lean muscles and a six pack that put mine to shame. On his waist flowed a dark blue cloak that came down to his ankles. Underneath that, he wore baggy, silky pants, that I'll say again, belong on a ninja. I guess he wore them so he could have better mobility? I don't know. Either way, he looked intimidating. His aura suppressed, nothing compared to the twin gods, but we would see.

The two Olympians landed twenty feet in front of him. Causing a shockwave to uproot tons of sand and blow the trees backwards nearby, Malachi's hair and clothes flapped wildly. They reverted back to their normal size. Artemis now a good bit shorter than Malachi, and Apollo at about the same height.

"The twin gods have finally come. The Sun and The Moon, this will be quite the challenge." He stood up, standing casually, a sneer on his face.

"Wait a moment. You're not a half-blood...you're a child of Ouranos! No wonder you are able to connect with the beast!" Artemis said, shocked.

Apollo turned, confused, "Wait a sec. Like half-human half-pri? That's uh...pretty rare sis."

She rolled her eyes, "It is primordial, not pri. And do not call me sis!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is that I am the god killer. And I'm going to start by impaling the sun god, having my way with the maiden, then decapitating her. Putting her head next to the gunslinger."

Artemis didn't seem phased by that brutal statement, she must've known that it wasn't really him talking, it was Ouranos...and Typhon, I guess.

"Boy, this is not you. Think hard, remember your past. This does not have to happen."

Malachi put his hand on his chin in mock thought, then took it off, "Nah, I'm pretty sure this is me. Now let's fight. I've been waiting for this."

Artemis put her hand up, as if to calm a wild beast, "Please, Malachi. Do not do this, you can return to your formal self. Just-"

She didn't finish her sentence, Malachi rushed at her in a blur, attempting to punch her in the face, but these were full on gods that could fight, and Malachi's toying around would not work here. Artemis easily dodged and Apollo attacked, grabbing Malachi by the arm and slinging him into the ocean. He flew at the speed of sound, literally. A second after he was slung, a shockwave erupted around him, breaking the sound barrier. I was in awe. Malachi would really have to step up to stand a chance.

Seconds later, the skies turned gray, storm clouds gathered and swirled, a large lightning bolt struck the water a few miles away, then another struck the beach almost instantaneously. The bolt on the beach landed with a huge CRACK aimed at Apollo and Artemis. The twins dodged and the bolt created a shockwave, sending the nearby water flying as if a whale had done a cannonball.

Malachi appeared from the bolt, now wielding his Heavenly Diamond Spear. His aura spiked, Apollo and Artemis became alert at the spear and Malachi's risen power.

Malachi thrust and struck at the two, they used their bows to block and parry, once in a while firing off light speed arrow shots, only to be deflected by the spear or by a powerful wind surge. Malachi was holding his own, but he was sweating.

After a few moments, he swiped at the moon goddesses head, she ducked, then he stomped on the ground, causing a giant crater to form, the force sent Artemis airborne. Before she could even begin to drop though, she disappeared in a blur of silver light. At the same time, Malachi had landed a side kick on Apollo, hitting the god in the gut, sending him skidding back thirty feet, before he thrust his bow into the ground to stop himself. He stood straight up, and knocked three arrows, all of them made of great fire.

Artemis appeared beside him in a flash, knocking her own three arrows. Hers glowing silver and emitting a misty power. Malachi roared and sent a tornado like wind surge at the duo, they dodged by rolling on the ground simultaneously, not losing their bow positions, the wind surge blew a dozen palm trees from their roots, sending them flying into the distance, along with a dozen rocks and boulders sitting there.

The twins fired their six arrows in a perfect line at Malachi. His eyes widened and he dodged just in time. The arrows flew back and made contact with the water. There was a moment's delay, then BOOM! The loudest crash I ever heard, it was stronger than a missile barrage. Miles of water roared and flew in the air in a giant wall, at least four hundred feet tall. It crashed with ferocity and volume. Nearly dousing Malachi, until he avoided it by flicking his hand and using wind to blow the small water walls coming at him as a result from the giant one crashing.

The water where the arrows made contact swirled in a town sized whirlpool, a giant hole had been created from the strike, no doubt going down hundreds of feet, the water rushing in at all sides like Niagara Falls. I didn't know what was more surprising, the immense power these gods had that with a few arrows they created a town sized pit in the ocean, or that Malachi actually dodged it.

He was scowling, and I noticed on his cheek, he was bleeding...ichor.

Golden ichor from the gods. What?

Then it hit me, the needle marks on Hera in one of my first visions. Had Ouranos sucked ichor out of the Queen to inject in Malachi? That was the only explanation. But what did it do? Make you more powerful?

Artemis noticed. "You are bleeding the blood of the gods. This...should not be possible."

Apollo didn't seem to care. "Was there some god we forgot about. I mean, he looks pretty tough, he's got skill, maybe Zeus gave out free immortal cards or something?"

She swatted his arm, "Focus, you dimwit!"

Malachi wiped the streak of golden blood with his finger. He smiled wickedly and said, "This is quite fun. I'm actually fighting seriously, while you guys don't seem to be sweating yet."

Apollo smirked, crossing his arms. "No mortal could have dodged those arrows, or kicked me like that. You're pretty good kid."

Malachi's face reddened with anger, his eyes turned solid electric blue, his pupils leaving their sockets. He roared, "I AM NOT A KID, I AM THE GOD KILLER! DON'T THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU LANDED A SCRATCH YOU'VE WON, OLYMPIANS!" His aura grew and grew, the storm clouds swirled, lightning flashed in the sky.

Artemis prepared her bow, "Apollo, his power-"

He became alert, "I know, we need to end this."

They both leapt into the air, but were caught by a flurry of lightning bolts. I'm talking about fifty plus coming from the sky in a quick and thunderous burst. The bolts hit Artemis and Apollo, forcing them back down to the island, they seemed unphased, but the Island sure wasn't. It was falling apart at Malachi's barrage. Palm trees turned to dust by the dozens, pieces of the island sunk into the sea or exploded, never to be seen again. Artemis and Apollo dodged and weaved the bolts with grace, but running out of room, the Island was now five percent of its original size.

They nodded at each other, and in a flash of orange and silver, disappeared and reappeared next to Malachi, but he was ready. They exchanged blows in a speed to fast for me to keep up with completely. They punched, slashed, shot, swiped, you name it they did it. This went on for a minute or two, giant shockwaves with enough power to destroy Manhattan three times over erupted from the clashes, scattering the clouds and seas, shaking the nearby islands. And by nearby, I mean miles and miles away.

This was insane, I was literally witnessing two gods fighting against Malachi, and he was holding his own right now. His spear a delicate blue glint in the air, swiping and stabbing at the twins.

Finally, Malachi roared and a wind surge erupted from his body, sending the god and goddess flying back. They soared and flipped for a few hundred feet, before finally stopping in mid air and booming their way back. Malachi hefted his spear and aimed it at Artemis, a giant lightning bolt emerged from the sky, connected with the spear and zoomed at her with instant speed. She sidestepped, or side flew it in this case. Malachi growled and stuck the spear straight in the air, another large lightning bolt connected, then spread out in a a dozen deadly arcs on either side, all aimed at the two. They dodged and weaved through them. Malachi made a grunt of frustration before his spear dematerialized and he prepared his hands to block their attacks. I guess they were going for punches and he was planning on blocking them.

What happened was that Apollo punched at Malachi, who actually blocked the attack, catching Apollo's fist with a loud grunt and a powerful shockwave. However, Malachi's other hand was free, Artemis had feinted and tricked Malachi into thinking she would attack at the same time as her brother. The god killer's eyes widened as Artemis instantly disappeared from thirty feet at his side to directly in front of him in a silver flash.

"I am sorry for this, boy." Then her leg glowed silver, morphing into a doe's leg for a moment, and kicked Malachi in the chest. He went flying back a fraction of a second after, a nuclear shockwave resulting from the kick. Malachi had disappeared, but I knew where he was when I saw an Island explode in the distance. Sand, trees, and rocks flying everywhere, the sea behind it splitting and uprooting in a wall as high as the Statue of Liberty. Damn, she had kicked him hard.

Apollo threw his hands up, "Ah, sis! You killed him!"

She glared at her brother, "Do not call me sis! And he is not dead, surprisingly. I can still feel a faint aura."

They both disappeared in their own respective flashes. A moment later I was transported in my vision to the bottom of the ocean. It was nearly pitch black, but I could see Malachi on the sandy floor, his hair flowing upward in the water, both golden ichor and regular blood coming from his mouth. After a few seconds, a silver doe appeared and picked up Malachi, carrying him back to the surface.

The doe dropped Malachi on a small sand hump about twenty feet wide. Just enough for the three of them. Apollo stood upright, Artemis formed back to herself, Malachi lay on the ground, groaning and coughing, blood trickling down his face from his mouth.

Artemis said, "I am very surprised you survived that, boy. I hadn't meant to use my true form there. Any other would have been disintegrated."

Apollo nodded, "Yeah, Artemis has a mean kick, there was this one time-"

Artemis held up her hand in annoyance, "Shush brother, I think he's trying to speak."

Malachi coughed up more blood, it was oozing now, his stomach area was black and blue, his ribs were broken, I could tell. His face conveyed great pain. He tried to move but let out a guttural cry of agony.

"M-my ribs" He croaked. In a voice completely unlike I had heard before. It was still slightly deep, but softer, more...innocent.

Artemis noticed, and leaned down to him, motioning for her brother frantically. "Hurry!"

She placed his head on her bent knees and Apollo knelt next to him, his hand on his rib area. I remembered that Apollo was also the god of healing. He muttered a few phrases, and I saw a glow on Malachi's body. The black and blue marks went away, and his face returned to normal. He sighed.

"W-what happened?" He asked.

Artemis gently said, "It's okay. No need to worry, you are free now."

It was too good to be true, he did sound different, but it couldn't be that easy right? One full powered kick from a goddess and he's freed?

"Wh-where's Talon? Where's Sera? Have you seen Seraphina?" Malachi definitely sounded different. His tone wasn't evil or menacing, it was worrisome.

He sat up from the Moon goddesses legs and looked around frantically. "This isn't the Island...I remember now, Ouranos. My father! That bastard! He made me kill that man! He made me do awful things. I..." His eyes widened, a few electric sparks flew from his hands.

"Careful there." Artemis touched his arm, trying to calm him. Apollo motioned nervously like what do we do?

Malachi grabbed the sides of his head, "Oh gods. He made me rape Hera. Oh no, no, no. I didn't mean to. It was like I was outside of my body, watching myself do these vile things, but I couldn't stop it..."

"It is okay, we shall sort everything out. Now tell us, where is this Island? Can you lead us there?"

Malachi loosened his grip on his head, and looked at the goddess, "Um, yes. Yeah, I can."

"Excellent."

"But we can only-" Then he stopped, his eyes widened again, only this time they were turning red. He screamed in pain, his skin glowed a green and yellowish aura, his body seemed to be burning.

"NO! NOT AGAIN! HELP ME! I CAN'T CONTROL IT!"

"What? What's wrong boy?" Artemis asked urgently.

Apollo looked at him uneasily, "Artemis, I'm not getting a good feeling about this. We need to leave."

"Nonsense! He needs help! Malachi, listen to my voice, focus on me."

But Malachi was shaking and screaming, the shout echoing through the area, shockwaves emerging from it. The cries became deeper, so much deeper that it began to sound like a demon.

Then it changed back to Malachi's voice, "RUN! IT'S TYPHON, I CAN'T HOLD IT BACK! ESCAPE NOW!"

Artemis' eyes widened, she nodded to her brother, and as the two were about to book it, an enormous avatar emerged around Malachi.

I had never seen it up close like this. In the middle of the colossal figure was Malachi. His eyes were dark red, he floated there in a bundle of smoke and monster heads, whatever move he made, Typhon made. Although I don't think it was actually Typhon, more like an Avatar of him. The enormous figure looked physical enough, but his chest was transparent and Malachi could be seen in the center. It was like he was in a mech or something. Very strange.

An Island sized hand swiped at the two out of nowhere, smacking them across the water. They blurred away, eventually reappearing as they had before, in their true forms. Apollo was a giant pillar of fire, while Artemis was on her silver chariot.

The ensuing minute of battle was insane. The twins darted around, Apollo smashing into Malachi/Typhon with extreme force, causing the giant figure to stumble and a orange mark to appear on it's side, but after a few seconds the mark went away and the beast regained it's balance. Apollo also tried throwing bus sized fireballs at it in dozens. Malachi/Typhon swatted them away. Artemis was shooting bright streaks of silver at the giant, each heavenly arrow creating a giant shockwave and a silver gash on the monster. It swiped at them, but it was too slow, missing them and creating a wind gust from the swing that cause tsunamis in all directions.

Finally though, the monster caught them both, sending them crashing to the ground with extreme force, his fists on top of them, crushing them. They winced and groaned, after a minute of struggle, they both yelled and surges of energy blew the hands upward enough to allow them to slip free. They immediately reverted back to their true forms and soared away from the monster at incredible speed, the mixture of Malachi and Typhon roaring in rage behind them.

That was when I woke up.

My eyes shot open, I sat up quickly, nearly knocking my own head with Percy's. The other three demigods were kneeling over me, no doubt shocked at my sudden faint. I was processing what I had seen. I have to admit the first thought that came to my head was how did Artemis and Apollo use their powers if they were out of the states and on the sea? Then again, if where they were was near the Cursed Island, it would be in the Atlantic Ocean...which technically didn't belong to anyone. So I guessed it didn't count.

Other than that, I was in horrified awe at the destructive battle that had taken place. So many things to think about. Malachi had snapped out of it for a moment, and I got a closer look at the Typhon transformation.

"Matt, are you okay?" Harper asked with concern.

I breathed in and out, a bead of sweat coming down my forehead. "I...had a vision."

I told them about it, going into detail, especially on the normal Malachi part. They didn't look any more convinced than when I had first told them my plan.

"Come on guys. This proves it! Malachi can be turned back!"

"But he didn't. He transformed into Typhon. What if we go to this Island, and he does the same thing?" Annabeth pointed out.

"If I can convince Zeus, the most powerful Olympian to help us, he can deal with it. The key is freeing that Sera girl, I know it is."

"Why are you so hellbent on this? The whole quest you've hated the guy." Harper said.

"Because I wasn't sure that he was different before, but now I'm positive. I don't want an innocent demigod to get killed guys, he deserves a chance."

The two girls looked at Percy, who had been quiet.

He was deep in thought, then finally shrugged, "I agree. If he's innocent, then he shouldn't be killed for being a vessel of Ouranos' plans."

I sighed, thank the gods someone actually agreed. I was about to thank Percy when the truck stopped, and Talon poked his head through the door.

"We're here. We should walk the rest on foot, who knows what's lurking around these parts."

I turned back to the three, "After this, we need to get to Olympus so I can talk to Zeus, got it?"

They nodded, still a little uneasy, I guess I couldn't blame them.

The others exited the rear door of the truck, I told them I would catch up in a second. I walked to the corner of the room and gripped my Nemean Lion Shield, thinking about my father, and the vision that I had of him. He came off as kind of a jerk, but a part of me knew it was just tough love. For some reason the thought crossed my mind that it would be cool to train with him, learn some techniques.

I pushed those thoughts away, that would never happen.

I hopped on the ground and shut the rear door as quietly as possible, making my way to the group. We walked slowly, as to not alert anything, trudging up a hill, I was standing near the back of the group, Talon in front, I could see the very top of a gray brick building, it looked old and battered. After a few seconds, we emerged at the top of the hill, an opening in the forest displayed the old fort. It was large, but nearly destroyed, making it seem smaller than it probably was at whatever time period it was used in. It looked like a brick fortress, about twenty feet tall, with guard posts and pits dug in front, using the ancient strategy of trapping the enemy and shooting from above, it was a smart move. I could see Annabeth recognizing the Pit technique immediately, nodding with admiration. Rubble and ruins laid about in all directions, only a quarter of the actual fort still standing, a gray mist coming off of the nearly black brick.

Wait, gray mist?

Why was there fog coming in? Now that I noticed, that was not here before, it was coming in rapidly, overflowing the area.

"Uh, am I the only one seeing this creepy fog?" I asked sarcastically.

We all became alert, Talon replying with, "Nope, we see it. This could be an ambush, be ready." He whipped out his revolver, our respective weapons came out as well. Only I didn't take out the spear, instead I held on to my shield with one hand clenched.

After a moment, the fog became overwhelming, looking like something out of a Stephen King book, I was glad it wasn't night time, other wise it really would've been creepy.

We heard a moaning noise, like a ghost from our left, then a hissing noise to our right, like a candle being put out.

"What was that you said about dead people, Talon?" Percy said.

"Well, it's a damn fort, what do you expect? People died here."

"Is that why we're hearing ghost voices?" Harper said to my left, looking around the layer of mist and fog.

It was true, all around us, there were desperate faint voices crying out for us to help them, to save them from torment. They must've been the spirits of the dead. I tried to ignore them, but there were so many.

Then a second later, the dead spirits were the least of our problems. In the distance, a loud roar could be heard, shaking the nearby trees. A pond sat there, it was green and disgusting, like a vat of acid had been dumped in it. But that wasn't the crazy part. In the middle of it, floated a giant figure...a monster. It looked like a swan, or a crane or something. But it was way too big and bulky. What the hell was that down there?

I pointed to the green pond, "Guys, what the hell is that thing?"

They looked to it, eyes widening. I guessed the roar came from it, and I didn't know of any swans that sounded like that.

Our focus broke from the pond as the mist took the forms of a dozen storm spirits. Ouranos' soldiers surrounded us, their smoky bodies circling, small crackles of electricity coiling inside of them.

They charged the same time as we did, as soon as we took down five or six, an equal number appeared from the woods. It was like fighting a wave of zombies, only the wave never ended.

I destroyed as many as I could. Using strength in my legs to launch around at great speed and punch them in their center, immediately dissipating them. I must've killed twenty or so, the others in the teens rage themselves, but they kept coming. It was an army we were fighting.

No, not just that, because right when I had that thought, the center of the disgusting pond erupted in a bellow.

Murky green water scattered around the area, the swan monster standing there, upright. It wasn't a swan, it was far from it actually.

It was a cyclops, and a big one too. It stood at twenty five feet, bulky and huge. For some strange reason, it had a large celestial bronze beak where it's mouth should be. On it's arms, were two plane wing-like pieces of the same metal, shaped like a swan's wide wings. Only these were pointed, sharp, serrated like spear things. I stood there dumbfounded, the pieces of metal looked like they had been sewn on...or welded on. It looked dumb, and in normal circumstances, I would have laughed. But right now, I didn't, that thing was strong.

I looked behind me and saw my group standing back to back, mowing down a legion of storm spirits. I decided to handle The Swan myself. Yes, I was going to call it that.

I was standing on a rock, I glared down the Swan, it noticed me and roared, ripping a tree taller than it from the ground. It took it's right hand and closed it around the tree, running it along the shaft to get rid of the leaves and branches. The Swan then held it like a baseball bat, ready to smack me with it.

Bring it on. I leapt off of the rock, obliterating it in the process, and flew toward the Swan, I held my shield tightly in hand, rearing it back, ready to throw it like a disk.

I was still a good distance away, and in that time, the Swan reared back and threw the tree like a javelin at me. I yelled in defiance and punched the object, splitting it into a dozen pieces, bark flying everywhere. The Swan looked surprised, then grabbed another tree, not wasting time to get rid of the branches, it hefted it to throw again. But I wasn't going to wait, I had my own device to throw.

I put my shield behind my head and aimed at the thing's right arm. After a moment, I decided it would hit, and I threw. The shield spun rapidly in the air and shot towards the Swan almost instantly, it made contact and cut right through it's shoulder, lodging about halfway in. Blood spurted and poured down the Swan's chest, it roared in pain and anger.

I landed on the ground in a barrel roll, immediately getting up and closing the distance. The Swan swung it's tree at me with it's other arm, I easily jumped over it and caught a branch, hanging on to it in preparation. Once the swing stopped, I took my chance and ran along the tree toward it's bad shoulder. I jumped off and grabbed my shield, bashing it with the palm of my hand and yanking it one good time. The shield cut clean through, and the Swan's arm was severed.

I landed back on the ground again, looking at what I had done. My shield was covered in blood and small pieces of bone marrow, the Swan's large arm was laying on the ground, the Swan itself was bellowing in agony, looking at it's shoulder in disbelief, now gushing blood like a waterfall onto the ground. It was brutal I know, but who cares. I was done being a goodie two shoes, it was monster killing time.

I charged again, it swung the tree in a swipe, which I narrowly dodged by rolling under, making my way to the thing's arm. I reached it and grabbed two fingers with my hands, lifting it easily and jumping in the air at the monster's face. I brought down the beefy arm in an arc, making vicious contact with it's face. The Swan recoiled in shock and I let go of the arm, gravity bringing me down to it's face. I decided to lean my head back, and smash the two together. My head butt caused it to fall to the ground, roaring still.

I landed badly this time, not aware of how quick I was falling. I ended up splatting on my side, not feeling any pain, and getting up quickly as to not look stupid.

I was obliterating this thing, I had no idea how I was using my strength effectively, but now it was working. I had taken my dad's advice, and I was controlling my inner rage, letting it work for me.

The Swan pushed itself up with one fist, roaring directly at me, it's breath smelled like a year old landfill. I closed my eyes and wrinkled my face in disgust. But the thing wasn't stupid, because it took it's chance and whacked me with the tree while I was distracted. I felt the contact and went flying back thirty feet. I was angry at first that I had made a mistake, but then I remembered my father's words. Calm yourself, let the rage flow like a calm river, not a rapid one. I eased myself, and instead of rolling and skidding on the ground like I normally would have done, I flipped in mid air and planted my feet on the ground firmly.

Wow, I was making progress. I couldn't imagine how it would be if I actually got training from the guy. That didn't matter though, I needed to end this.

The Swan was shocked at my softer than expected landing, and roared wildly in anger. It dropped the tree and switched it with its own metal wing like things. I ran at it; calm as could be. Once I got near it, the Swan swung at me in swipes with its wings. I dodged them by rolling, jumping, and weaving, eventually blocking with my forearm, feeling a slight sting, but ignoring it. I clenched my fist, reared it back, and in one leap, I punched the thing in the chest at full base strength. Its chest caved in, and it flew backwards, mowing over dozens of trees and uprooting dirt. Finally after hundreds of feet, it came to a stop. I saw it stay still for a few seconds, then turn to dust, leaving its wings and beak behind. So long Swan.

I breathed in and out, proud of myself. That could have gone differently, but I finished it quick thanks to my dad's advice, which is something I never thought I would think.

I turned to the others in the distance, they were wide eyed at my display.

I ran to them, they were about to say something. Praise me or something, which I would have appreciated, but we needed to get a move on. I needed to talk to Zeus, and who knew what kind of chaos Cerberus was causing.

"Yeah, I know, we'll talk about it later, Cerberus is waiting."

That snapped them out of it. They nodded, and we began to look for the entrance. It was easier than I expected. We looked around the fort for openings, the area around the woods. Talon even created a giant shovel and dug from the pits at front. But after about ten minutes of that, I went inside and looked around at the center of the structure.

The flooring looked different where I was standing, it had a different color, and seemed to be feebler.

I called out, "Guys! I think I found it!"

They came running over, standing next to me.

"Well, open it!" Harper shouted impatiently.

"How? Do any of you speak Underworld?" Percy said.

Annabeth pulled out another drachma, "Should I Iris message Nico again?"

I put up my hand, "No, I...think I got it."

I simply smashed my fist onto the floor. After a moment of delay, it burst open, crumbling and revealing a long set of stairs into darkness.

I nodded proudly, "Super strength is so cool."

We were about to make our way down the steps, when I noticed Talon behind us, not budging.

Annabeth saw it too, "Hey, aren't you coming?"

He shook his head, "No, blondie. This is where we say our goodbyes."

The others were shocked, I had forgotten about him saying he wasn't coming with us the rest of the way.

Percy stepped to him, "Goodbye? But what about our duel? You can't leave!"

The assassin chuckled, "We'll have to save it for another time. I'm going back to the city, resuming a somewhat normal life. I can't go to the island with you...I just can't. And it appears you don't need me for tracking anymore."

I had agreed to him not coming earlier, but I still protested, "That's not true man. We need you for way more than that. You're a good fighter! And who's gonna make the sarcastic comments? Tell bad jokes?"

He grinned, "I'll have to leave that duty to goth girl. I appreciate it Matt, but no...I need to be going."

I hesitated, not wanting to say goodbye.

He shook hands with Percy and Annabeth, the latter actually looking sad despite scolding him many times throughout the quest. Finally, he hesitated to shake Harper's hand.

The Daughter of Nemesis rolled her eyes, "I know we had our differences, assassin-No, Talon. But you're a good guy, and we couldn't have done it without you. So...thanks." They shook hands.

Talon chuckled, "Appreciate it. And I hope things work out with your brother. The past can be hard if you dwell on it, but focusing on the present, what you have in front of you...or next to you..." He looked at me, then back at Harper, "Can be a good thing." Both of our faces turned a little red, I knew what he meant by that, and she did too.

He turned to me, taking his sunglasses off, he put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. "You're a strong hero, Matt. I know you'll fix things on the Island. And when you free Malachi, tell the bastard I said hey, huh? Sera too."

I nodded, then hugged him tightly. Out of character for me, but I couldn't help it. This might be the last time I would see him, any of us would see him.

He clapped my back, laughing. Then he whispered, "Save that for the girl next to you. Things will work out for you guys, you just gotta have hope."

I nodded, we pulled apart, and smirked at each other. He put his sunglasses back on and walked away, pulling a coin out of his pocket, he flipped it on the ground, it morphed into a motorcycle.

He put on his helmet, "Screw the truck, I've been waiting to ride one of these puppies again." We laughed, and waved at him.

He took one last look at us, "It's been a good one, kids. Give Ouranos a deck in the jaw for me." Then he cranked the engine, and took off down the hill, the roaring sound disappearing after a moment, and just like that, he was gone.

We stood for a minute, staring in the distance, before turning to the long set of stairs before us, the Underworld waiting below, it was time.

"Cerberus, here we come." I muttered. And with that, we began the descent.

You know how the Statue of Liberty has like three hundred and fifty steps for tourists to walk up and down on? Seems like a lot right?

Well, take a trip with us, we'll show you a fun time. These steps were ten times as long as the steps on Lady Liberty.

The first few minutes I was amped up, ready to fight Hades' pet, but after a couple of hundred steps, I got bored, and so did everyone else. We trudged and droned along, wondering if it would ever end.

Now we were on maybe step one thousand. I had no idea, I had lost count of both time and the number of steps.

It got to the point where Percy and Annabeth started idly chatting, walking beside each other behind Harper and I. Hearing that, I decided now would be a good time to attempt to break the ice.

I said lowly to her, "So, Talon's gone."

She replied, "Yep." Still looking ahead.

"Was hoping he would come to the Island with us, help you guys with the Big Four."

She hummed in agreement. Oh come on, this was getting annoying. What was with her? Was she...sad? Sad that I had rejected her? If that was the case, that couldn't be further from the truth. I didn't reject her, I wouldn't dare. I was just an idiot when it came to romance, that's all.

I didn't point that out though, "You agree with me right? That this Island plan will work?"

That seemed to get her attention a little. She stayed silent for a moment, then sighed, "What do you want me to say, Matt? That it'll go off without a hitch?"

"I just want some support. I would expect you of all people to do that for me." Crap, I could've worded that better.

She scowled, "I don't have to agree with everything you do. I'm not obsessed with you."

"I never said you were. I just thought you'd agree with me."

"I do. I just think you need to be realistic. That's all."

"Realistic about what?"

She sighed again, "That Zeus will say no, that Malachi won't snap out of it, that we'll die before we even get there. There's a lot of things that could happen, and I don't think you're taking them into account."

"Okay, maybe I'm a bit overconfident, but you've gotta have hope right?"

"Yes, but don't need to be blinded by what you want to happen."

I didn't answer, not wanting to argue any further. I kept wondering what she was thinking. She was obviously hurt and embarrassed by what happened in the forest, I know I would be. I tried to put myself in her shoes. I imagined that it was me that kissed her instead of vice versa. I pictured me pouring my heart out to her, telling her that she was the best person I had ever met, and that she was anything but weak, then kissing her, and getting no reciprocation, only awkwardness. Yeah...I deserved the cold shoulder. But It wasn't how she thought! I just froze. Had I been a smart person, I would've kissed back, or at least tried to fix things sooner, then maybe we would be a thing right now, holding hands as we descend into darkness.

I tried to start, "Harper, I-" But of course, something happened, you know how this works.

I tripped over something and faceplanted on something tough. I cursed under my breath, Harper helped me up, not even snickering. That's how I knew things were not good between us. Usually she would bust out laughing at me falling or something.

I muttered thanks and took in the scene around me. We were here, no doubt about it. It was very hot and cavern like, jagged black rocks covered the landscape, a dark, oily river flowed in the distance, I heard ghostly screaming and moaning everywhere, spirits running around and going nuts, trying to kill each other. It was like a prison riot in the Underworld.

Percy and Annabeth noticed right away, The Son of Poseidon saying, "It wasn't like this when I came here last. Everything was organized."

Annabeth nodded, "Yeah...these spirits have been driven mad..."

They were. Hundreds of souls and spirits flew around, ran around, screaming and attempting to kill each other, only to pass right through. Skeleton guards rounded some up, they were able to touch them for some reason, but even they were outnumbered.

"What the hell's going on?" I wondered.

Harper pointed, "Check it out."

In the far distance, I saw a giant palace. It was amazing, like something you would see on Olympus. I had to guess that was Hades' palace. Only it was being torn apart by a giant furry beast. The three headed monster was barking fiercely and destroying everything in it's path, a tall dark haired man was trying to calm him down.

"We have to get over there. Ouranos' influence is causing all of this, we need to free Cerberus now!" The others agreed and we began to sprint over to the Palace area. We passed hundreds of spirits, souls, skeleton guards, a few attempted to grab or stop us, but we managed to keep going.

Finally we stopped thirty feet from the Chaos. Cerberus was huge. Way bigger than I expected, and I figured Ouranos' had something to do with that as well. He was four times the size of a full grown African elephant, making him as big as The Swan I had faced, only leagues more powerful. His aura was nuts, more powerful than anything I had faced besides Malachi. However, the man trying to calm him was leagues above all of that times a thousand. He was obviously Hades, wearing a dark robe, long dark black hair and olive skin, he had skulls in some parts of his clothing. He was regular height, and was desperately trying to calm the dog. His domain was going nuts, why didn't he just calm them, or was Ouranos that powerful already?

We approached him, Cerberus smashing more items. "Lord Hades!"

He turned, eyeing us, noticing Percy and Annabeth, he groaned, "Oh great, it's you again! Come to take another dip in the Styx, Jackson?!"

We didn't have time for reunions. It was established that those two knew everybody and everybody knew them, we had a quest to continue. I said loudly, "Ouranos has control over your dog!"

"Thank you, I hadn't noticed!" He said sarcastically.

"Why don't you just kill him? He can't truly die, right?"

"Stupid Boy! Yes he would die! His soul would go to Tartarus! Thanks to my annoying grandfather, Cerberus has been corrupted and everything went crazy in response to him! If it was a random soul, I would have no problem relinquishing it, but this is my pet! I can't kill him!"

I had no idea Hades actually cared. Perhaps I judged the god poorly.

Annabeth had her finger on her chin, then the light bulb went off, "Oh! Lord Hades, do you have a red ball?"

The god looked like someone had just slapped him, "What?! What does that have to do with anything!"

She ignored him, "Maybe he still remembers me."

Percy tried to stop her, "Annabeth don't! It won't work, he's completely out of it!"

She walked forward though, "Cerberus! Remember me? We played fetch a long time ago? You wanna play again? I can get another red ball"

The three headed dog looked at her, and for a second he calmed down, seeming to remember whatever she was talking about, but then his eyes glowed red again, and he quickly struck at her, jaws open.

I took action before Percy could, I leaped between them and caught his large jaws. He was strong, but I was the Son of Strength, I threw his middle head upward, causing him to fall back, giving me time to explain to Hades.

"Lord Hades, I can free him, but I'll have to defeat him first."

"Defeat him? Are you insane? You are a mere demigod!"

"I'm the Son of Hercules. My father defeated him with his bare hands, and I plan on doing the same."

He was shocked at my declaration, before he could say no, I continued to reason, "Please Lord Hades. If I defeat him without killing him, I can free him from the manipulation, causing the other souls to go back to normal too. Since if you attack him you'll kill him, you should just let me do it." I then realized I messed up saying should to a god, I quickly added, "Please?"

He hesitated, then looked at the destruction of his palace, and how angry Cerberus was, now getting up and growling loudly, shaking the area. He finally caved, "Ah very well, I will allow it. But do not kill him, if you are even powerful enough that is. I shall be repairing my palace. If you are successful...I suppose I shall know when the annoying screaming stops."

I nodded, and motioned for the others to step back, "You guys take care of any souls or skeleton guards that come around, I need some space for this." They agreed and stepped back.

Cerberus had gotten up from his fall and glared down at me, red eyes boiling like a bonfire. I clenched my fists, took off my shield and held it firmly. We stared each other down for a moment, he seemed to recognize me from my father, and got even angrier. We both charged at the same time, he swung his left head at me in a sweep, I blocked the attack, but I had messed up, only focused on it when I should've focused on the other two heads as well. They both collided with my shield and sent it flying a hundred feet away, landing in the river and floating on. Damn, I guess that was goodbye.

Rage filled me. I had liked that shield, and now I would probably not get it back. I uppercutted the middle head, sending the dog airborne upright, it's back paws leaving the ground a few feet. I kept the momentum going and tackled the beast in a run. We went zooming towards the black rock wasteland, tumbling and rolling, it biting and scratching me. I took most of them, but some actually brought blood. After a few seconds, we both stopped, and I pushed the dog off of me with my foot, sending him skidding on the rocks. I got up, and immediately felt a stinging sensation, like a million thorns had pierced me. I rubbed my back and in my hand were a dozen small, sharp black pebbles. Crap, this place was designed to hurt.

I was too busy staring at the sharp pebbles to miss Cerberus charging at me like a bull. All three heads hit me full force, sending me flying back across the cavern, acid like wind roaring in my ears. I was angry, angry at being thrown like that, angry at losing my shield, angry at those damn steps. I let my rage boil, and take control.

I heard a voice in my head. Yes, that's it, use it.

It was my father. I recognized it from the vision.

I felt my insides get hot, I saw steam emerge and wisp from my skin, the familiar red aura began to glow around my body. I had done it! But my small victory was interrupted by a loud cry from Harper, "MATT NO!"

What was she talking about? I then noticed what I was flying towards. It was a river. But not like the other one, that one was black and oily. This one was clearer and misty looking, swirling with thin silver substances.

I braced myself and crashed into it, feeling the cold water envelop me, I almost yelped, but thankfully kept my mouth shut. The cold wasn't near the bad part though. As soon as I descended and moved with the current, I felt my energy being sucked away, my memories, my identity. Everything that I knew or ever would know was seeping away, forever forgotten. I saw them in front of me in a void. My friends, who were they? Who was that black haired pretty girl? Who was that guy with the sunglasses? The blonde and the green eyed boy? I saw my mother. Wait, was she my mother? What was her name? What was my name? Matt, it was Matt...something. I couldn't remember my last name. I tried to think of my first name again. But to my horrific surprise, I had forgotten that too.

No you haven't the voice said again.

Who was that? It was deep and gruff.

Who am I?

You are Matthias Beckett, you are the Lion, the Hero, The Son of Hercules, The Son of Heracles, The Son of Strength, you are the embodiment of strength itself.

I am Matthias Beckett.

I am the Son of Strength.

I am the Son of Hercules.

In an instant, my power spiked, the red aura became blinding, the waters burst apart in an explosion. I roared, all of my memories flooded back. I recognized Harper, Percy, Annabeth, Talon, my mother, everyone. I knew who I was, I knew what I stood for.

"I AM THE SON OF HERCULES!" I roared with a deep primal tone. The waters rushed apart as I leapt on the bank, any souls and skeletons nearby were blown back at my force. Steam flowed from me like a freight train, the red aura now a large glow, enveloping me. My muscles had gotten slightly larger, and I had gotten more powerful. I looked at Cerberus, the three headed dog aware of my presence now.

I bent down, pouring strength into my legs, and in an instant, I wasn't there anymore. I appeared next to the beast in a flash, grabbing it's middle head with both hands, and slinging it upward. The guardian of the Underworld flew at my doing to the top of the cavern a few hundred feet high, smashing into the thankfully somewhat flat black rocks, causing boulders to crumble and fall from the roof. Hundreds of them boomed around the landscape, Cerberus himself yelped and barked like crazy. Dazed, he fell back toward me, and I was ready. I caught him in mid air by the front right paw, and spun him around once, letting go at the right angle. I yelled in effort, and the beast went flying literally across the landscape. I don't know how far, but he went from Hades' palace to the very edge of the fields of Asphodel, only stopping in a few skids and rolls, the land and a few spirits being uprooted and thrown aside. The field itself was enormous, probably fifty football fields in size or more, so I had thrown him a crazy distance. I looked at my hands, they were red, and emitting steam. Surprised at my immense strength, I decided to finish this, because who knew how much pain I would be in afterwards.

I leapt and ran towards where he had landed. A great distance, and even at my speed, it took me a minute to get there, but when I did, he was laying at the edge of the field, which lead into another black, hot landscape.

Cerberus lay there, groaning and panting in pain. He was done. I calmed myself, and felt the red glow fade, the steam stop, and I went back to normal. Only I felt an intense throbbing now, my bones seemingly being crushed, my skin burning. I barely fought through it, and trudged my way over to the dog.

I placed my hand on his furry head, he whimpered. I said gently, "You're free now."

Within a few seconds, the red in his eyes faded, replaced with big brown ones. I felt the malevolent aura fade, he shrunk down to twice the size he was, and he began to breathe clearer. But he was still hurt from the throw, So I reached under him and picked him up, placing him over my head and walking back to the palace.

It took me forever, but I finally made it back, my head and body throbbing intensely. I placed Cerberus down, the other souls had calmed as well, now milling back and being led to their previous spots. I slumped on the ground next to my friends, I was exhausted.

They looked at me incredulously, Percy saying, "Dude, that was awesome!"

Harper for the first time in a while smiled at me, "Totally. You literally looked like Hercules coming out of that river!"

Even Annabeth was in awe, but it was more of a confused and a little terrified awe. She said, "Coming out of not just any river. That was the River Lethe, Matt. It wipes the memories of any that come in contact with it. Yet you seem fine."

I had no idea that was the River Lethe. That explained why my memories were fading.

I pointed to them, "You're Percy, Harper, and Annabeth. We're on a quest to free five monsters, and go to an Island. That's weird huh? Guess the water wasn't strong enough or something."

Annabeth shook her head, "That's not the case. When I mean that river wipes all memories, I mean it. It's powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan, completely."

Percy nodded, "It's true, I saw it happen."

Harper got on one knee, giving me a square of ambrosia. "But it didn't erase Matt's. Why?"

Annabeth shrugged, a little wide eyed, "I have no idea. That's...never been done before. Just how strong is that red aura thing?"

"I...don't know. It was like, they were fading...then they just came back. The memories I mean."

They seemed uneasy, I wasn't sure myself. Powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan...and I survived that?

Our thoughts were interrupted by Hades, who had appeared before us.

"Well, you actually did it. I must say I am surprised."

"Uh...thanks?"

"Yes. Well, I must get back to repairing things around here." He began to walk away.

A thought then came to my head, I stopped the Lord of The Dead. "Uh, wait, Lord Hades!"

He turned, "What, boy?"

"Can I have a small reward?"

"Reward? I do not give out rewards. You're reward is that I don't kill you for trespassing in my realm."

I tried to reason, "Please sir. It's really nothing, and I did fix your problem, without killing Cerberus." I pointed to the three headed dog, who was now laying comfortably at the Palace entrance, his giant tail wagging.

He looked at the dog, then back at me and groaned. "Fine, what do you want?"

"Transportation. To New York City please."

"Is that all?"

"Yes sir. Thank you."

He studied me, his endless eyes seemingly piercing a hole through my brain. He finally nodded and said, "Very well. Farewell, Son of Hercules, and...you all." Giving Percy an indifferent look.

He raised his hand and I was instantly warped, like I was spinning at a million miles an hour, traveling through time and space, when after a split second, it stopped. And we were standing on the sidewalk on a NYC street.

I looked in the distance, and sure enough, it was there. The Empire State Building, the place where Olympus supposedly resided.

I nodded to myself, the others standing next to me. I told them, "Alright, the monsters are down, now it's time to talk to Zeus."

I dragged them along, and we walked toward the Kingdom of the gods.

(000)

There you have it! Quite the chapter if you ask me. Hope you all enjoyed, we're getting ever so close to the Island.

Until Next Time.