This is the third chapter of the crossover. One more and that will be it, it's been a fun ride, and book three is next!

Everything written beyond this point is by thesuperone342

Alright, boys. Chapter three of the crossover is officially here. As of now, I haven't written it yet, so let's go ahead and start. I hope I can do Echoxenvy's writing justice in this chapter, so here's my best shot.

(Disclaimer: Neither me nor Echoxenvy own PJO, Heroes of Olympus or Trials of Apollo. If the fact that this is on a FanFiction site didn't tip you off, you're fucking retarded.)

(000)

As we walked out of my cabin following Aiden Walker, the son of Nemesis, I thought about the conversation I had just had with Matt. What I had done earlier was a rather simple trick, especially if one doesn't have any mental defense of any kind. I had simply linked our minds together and shared our memories with each other. It's easier to do with physical contact, but If I concentrate enough, I can do it with just my mind and nothing else. What I saw was...oh man. It was fucking awesome.

In most ways at least. From what I could see from Matt's side of things, he did not have the best life. His earlier life he had simply spent living in an apartment away from the world, trying to keep monsters from attacking other people that were drawn to him. Then the whole thing with Hera, then Camp, then Ouranos, it was all a little much. But the most recent stuff was the more important and interesting things I saw. For one, his battles with the sons of Thor. Man, those guys were some evil motherfuckers. And then Malachi, the son of Ouranos, being taken over by his father and battling Matt and Hercules. Did I mention Malachi looked nearly exactly like me? Like, it was weird and crazy all at once. Getting back on track, I saw Matt's memory of the death of his father. As someone who has lost a parent, I knew the pain of his loss. However, Matt couldn't even vent or unleash the rage of it. At least I could on the Laestrygonians.

As I jogged towards the middle of the camp, the figures of both our respective groups came into view as they spoke to Chiron by the Big House. Both Alternate Percy and Alternate Annabeth looked happier than ever, but also like they were looking at a ghost. They were explaining something to Chiron, who was looking rather concerned and protective at the moment. I eventually came into earshot, hearing Alternate Annabeth's words. "-e have to go back and stop him, otherwise the campers who are left will die." Chiron obviously didn't like it, as the expression on his face clearly portrayed. "I know you don't like it, but we don't have another choice." I guess Aiden told both me and Matt about the attack last, as the others seemed to know.

Chiron was hesitant in his answer, but he eventually spoke. "I don't like this, especially if what you've told me about the other camp is true. But you are correct, Annabeth. You must return." Chiron's eyes fell on me and Matt as we approached the group, and he smiled. "Ah, Zane. And the one who I assume is Matt?" Matt nodded at Chiron's assumption. The centaur nodded. "Good. Today has been a rather odd day, has it not?" I chuckled at Chiron's words, as he could not have been more right. Chiron's face then turned serious. "I assume young Walker here has told you of the situation?" Chiron motioned to Aiden, who had followed behind me and Matt as we had jogged into camp. Aiden looked really out of breath and was covered head to toe in sweat. I nodded at Chiron's words, as did Matt. "Then you know what must be done. Zane, I would ask that you would accompany our friends from the other side and assist them on this endeavor."

I nodded at Chiron's words. "You got it Chiron. It may be from a different universe, but it's still Camp Half-Blood. We won't let any harm come to it." I turned my eyes over towards the guests from the other universe, more specifically Alternate Percy and Alternate Annabeth. Despite the two of them being from another universe, I still felt a connection to the two of them. I was going to do everything in my power to protect the other camp. Honestly, I felt like I owed it to them, since I tried to murder Matt earlier.

Matt nodded in agreement at my words and motioned towards the forest where the portal was. "Alright then. We need to head out. I'm not exactly sure of what is happening back at camp, but you guys can fill me in on the way back." Matt said this to his group, which had still been gathered around Chiron. My eyes glanced over Talon and Harper, who stood behind Alternate Percy and Alternate Annabeth as they had been speaking to Chiron. Looking at Talon, from what Matt's memories told me, this guy was the son of Nikandreos. It was a long story, but apparently Nikandreos was a mortal who rose up against the gods a long time ago, when the gods had tried to wipe out humanity. Nikandreos used Heavenly Diamond against the gods and defeated them and then stole their powers. But rather than killing them and taking over the universe, he gave the powers back to the gods and made them promise to become better rulers. The gods then tried to kill Nikandreos after this since he had been the one to overthrow them, but he had turned into a God, being unable to die. Apparently, this Talon guy was his son. It made sense, because he was fucking strong. That golden aura thing he had was ridiculous, possibly even more powerful than me. Makes me wonder why he didn't use it when me and Matt were fighting.

Harper, who had looked more subdued than she did earlier, likely because she had spoken to Chiron, walked forwards. "Finally. Let's go." She sounded like she was more than ready to leave, but from the way she glanced at Chiron and from the way her aura felt, she was more than hesitant instead. I didn't know how I felt about Harper. One part of me was honestly scared of her, since she was so aggressive and assertive and very protective of Matt. Another part of me was still angry at her, since she had turned against me as soon as she had the chance even after our earlier conversations about our backstories. And the biggest part of me was just apologetic. I felt sorry I had nearly murdered her boyfriend, felt sorry how I forced her into unconsciousness with my telepathy and sorry I hadn't just told the truth as soon as I arrived. We could have avoided a lot of bloodshed.

As the ten of us, including my own group from this universe, walked away from the Big House and into the forest, Aiden began to explain to both me and Matt was exactly was going on in more detail. "Okay, so basically that Grayson guy from those Big Four assholes showed up out of nowhere in this hundred foot tall silver robot with an army of storm spirits and attacked the camp. Nico organized a defense and told me to come get you guys, since we don't stand a chance without you. Luckily, Grayson hasn't actually attacked us yet and has just been sending storm spirits at us, otherwise I'm pretty sure we'd all be dead. I have no idea why he hasn't attacked us directly yet." Simple reason, Aiden. He wants to fight someone specific. Probably someone like Matt, although it could be Talon, as Matt's memories told me he was the key in defeating the Big Four in the big fight in Scandinavia. I could be wrong, though.

A thought occurred to my mind. "Ah, shit." I stopped in my tracks, which prompted everyone else to look back at me. I elaborated pretty quickly. "I need to go grab Nico." Everyone looked at me in confusion, and my telepathy told me they were wondering why we would need him. Except Aiden. He just looked confused. "We're going to need his power if the situation is as dire as Aiden says." I smirked, thinking about the son of Hades. "Also, he'd kill me if he missed something like this. You guys get to the portal, I won't be long at all." Everyone nodded, the situation being too serious to argue about anything at the moment. I quickly super sped to Nico's cabin, appearing in front of the black building in a near instant. Hades' cabin was just as dark and depressing as you would think it would be, with old Victorian architecture but black. I opened the door, finding Nico still asleep in the bed. He looked peaceful as he slumbered with a slight smile on his face. I smiled, noting how absolutely adorable the son of Hades looked. I wanted to leave him here, as he would be safe and it would almost be a crime to wake him up, but we needed him.

I prodded Nico awake with a few touches, getting a cute groan out of him as he pulled the covers higher on his face. I snickered a little at the action before shaking him awake. Nico woke up, his eyes halfway close and barely awake. "Ugh, what is it, Zane? You know I'm trying to slee-" I put a finger on his temple, sending him memories of what is going on and what the situation was. Nico's eyes widened and he jumped out of bed, grabbing his Stygian Iron Sword as he did so. "Okay, I'm up!" Nico still looked exhausted as stood up, but he tried to hide it.

I pulled out a piece of ambrosia out of my new pair of sweatpants, which I had changed into once I had got back to my cabin. "Here. Eat this. You're going to need all of your strength for what we are about to do." Nico nodded, and downed the ambrosia in one go, as if it was cake or something. He immediately looked way more energized and perked up instantly. I nodded. "Good, now we need to get going." I turned around towards the door, intent on super speeding us to the portal, but a weight on my back stopped me. I knew immediately what was going on. "Nico..." Faux warning filled my tone, a smile building on my face.

Nico nuzzled his face into my neck as he was on my back. He was currently forcing me to give him a piggy back ride. "Please, Zane? Just give me a ride. You can put me down as soon as we get there." My face broke into a full grin as he spoke and I didn't have the Will to say no to him.

I nodded, enjoying him on my back immensely. I loved this absolute baffoon. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll give you a piggy ride, you child." I heard Nico's giggling as I said yes to his request. I smirked deviously, intent on super speeding to the group and making the piggy back ride an instant to the son of Hades. I opened the door and took off like a rocket, moving at full speed. Nico didn't stall my movement, as his light weight was nothing to my super strength. We appeared in front of the portal in an instant, actually beating the group there as they had only been jogging. As soon as we stopped, I spoke to the son of Hades. "Alright. We're here. Piggy back ride over, get off now." I dropped Nico on his ass on the ground, prompting a hilarious yelp out of him.

Nico stood up off the ground in an instant, uselessly pounding against my chest. "Argh, you son of a bitch! How was I supposed to enjoy that if it was over so quickly!?" I laughed out loud very loudly as Nico's outrage spiked, his pounding only becoming faster.

I smirked at the son of Hades. "We never agreed on the speed of the piggy back. Think about the Terms and Conditions next time I give you a ride." Nico glared at me, although I could tell it was a obvious fake and I could see the corners of his mouth start to jut upwards. He kept pounding on my chest, but he couldn't keep up his fake anger any longer and started laughing as well. I found myself entranced by the expression of happiness and joy on his face, and couldn't control myself. I pressed my lips against his, taking him by surprise. Nico immediately returned the kiss, and the two of us forgot about the situation at hand. After nearly a minute of a fierce make out session, I heard awkward coughing.

Both me and Nico looked to our side, not breaking apart. But that quickly changed once we saw Matt, Harper, Talon, Percy, Annabeth, Alternate Percy, Alternate Annabeth, Taylor and Aiden looking at us. Both me and Nico separated immediately and looked like a couple of children who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Everyone's face was deadpan and awkward except for two different people. Taylor and Aiden. Taylor was simply smirking and Aiden looked completely lost. Actually he looked a little mad, but after he looked at Nico a little closer it completely faded away and just became awkward and embarrassed. Heh, let's see how you like it, you little shit. Harper walked forwards, a deadpan expression on her face. She walked past us and spoke. "Get a room, you two." Both me and Nico looked at the ground, our faces no doubt red right now.

Everyone followed Harper, who had walked on by us and into the portal. Only Taylor broke from the line, immediately pressing his lips against mine as he walked up to me. It looks like someone was a little jealous. I saw Matt out of the corner of my eye, his face looking as deadpan as an Easter Island head. He was clearly waiting on me for some reason, although his emotions told me he could not believe I was doing this while his camp was being attacked. He wasn't angry, however, simply just completely disbelieving. Heh, stand in awe of my utter chadness, mortal. Eventually, Taylor's lips and mine separated and we walked into the portal alongside Matt and Nico, who had also been waiting.

As soon as we walked through the portal and back into Matt's universe, I could tell something was up immediately. For one, I could feel thousands of auras circling around the camp, and they were not demigods. Apparently Grayson had these things called storm spirits, which I had personally never battled before. I could also see a massive figure off in the distance, simply watching the battle with its arms crossed. The glint of the metal it was made of looked familiar. Both me and Matt flew up above the trees, seeing the camp was being absolutely assaulted by a barrage of storm spirits. We looked at each other and nodded. I knew he probably didn't know what to think of me right now, since he had seen all of my past wrongdoings, but we could put that aside at the moment. We flew back down to our friend, grabbing them one by one and bringing them into camp. It only took a few nanoseconds. Once we were all inside the camp, we could clearly see the chaos absolutely everywhere. Lightning and wind were coming from every direction as the storm spirits flew around and attacked everything in sight like a bunch of demons. I could see the campers running around like chickens with their heads cut off, just trying to survive the attack. I saw Alternate Nico and other camp counselors trying to organize the campers into a fighting force, to no avail. Time to put a stop to this.

I threw out my hands in a dramatic fashion, unleashing a burst of telekinetic energy. The storm spirits were forced back, giving the campers some much needed relief from their relentless attack. Matt saw an opportunity and drew Viribus from his necklace, the club made from the Adam Tree. Matt lifted Viribus in the air, and a hue of blue energy surrounded the club. Lightning from all directions came into contact and was absorbed by the weapon, coming from several hundred storm spirits around us, killing them. Matt dispersed the lightning into his club. The camper who were just fighting for their lives a second ago stopped and looked around, eventually finding the two of us. I can only imagine how badass the two of us looked, although I was about to ruin it with what I was about to say. I waved at all the campers with a smirk on my face. "We're back, bitches!"

Matt rolled his eyes at my words and then addressed the camp. "Yes, as Zane said, we have returned." A lot of the campers looked at me in fear and some in anger, but I ignored their stares. I understood why they looked at me that way. Matt continued. "From what Aiden has told us, Grayson, one of the Big Four," Several looks of anger and rage passed over the campers faces as Matt spoke. I mean, from what Matt's memories told me, Grayson killed quite a number of campers during the earlier attack on the camp. "...has returned to attack us once more. But this time, we're going to take the fight to him." Many campers agreed with what Matt said, all of them falling in line and becoming organized from Matt's words.

I looked at the massive figure nearly half a mile away, my enhanced sense taking in what Aiden had called a robot. It looked more like a mech suit instead, like from a Gundum anime. It was well over one hundred feet tall, but I could get precised details of it, as it was being slightly shrouded by storm spirits. However, I could see a familiar sheen of dark silver metal come from the giant mech. I reached out with my aura sense, feeling a familiar feeling that I had felt on Polyphemus' island against Koios, only far stronger and more condensed. My eyes widened. "Ah, shit!" I said rather loudly, interrupting what Matt was about to say as he looked at me in confusion. I motioned towards the mech. "It's made of Universal Titanium." Matt looked confused, so I quickly elaborated. "It's a divine metal used by the Titans back in the first war. Koios used it against me back on Polyphemus' island. However, it's not shoddily made and crude like it was back then. From what I can sense, it's well crafted and nigh indestructible. We won't even scratch the thing by ourselves, and I'm not even sure how much damage our weapons can do."

Matt took a double take at the Mech, which still watched us with its arms crossed. "Wait, what? You said it's indestructible?" Matt looked at the Mech in worry, and then back to me. He was keeping his voice down, as so the rest of the campers wouldn't be able to hear us. "How do when beat this thing then?"

I shook my head. "It's not completely indestructible, but it's tough enough that my father's master bolt is barely even able to scratch it." Matt looked surprised once he heard my words. I continued. "But, it does have a pretty big weakness. You see, Universal Titanium was incredibly conductive of electricity, meaning it mean lightning users could simple cook the wearer in side their armor. It worked against Koios on Polyphemus' Island, so no reason for it not to work now." Well, Koios' quickly made Universal Titanium was garbage and weak compared to the real stuff, so maybe that's why, but I wasn't about to tell Matt that yet.

Matt nodded at my words. "I have a plan then." Matt turned back to the campers, who were waiting on us to start speaking to them again. "I have a plan. It's rather simple, yet it's very effective." Matt pointed to the mech out in the distance. "Me and Zane are going to go fight that. It's the main threat and we have a way to beat it. But everyone else has their own role. We need every camper here to do their utmost to defend the camp against the storm spirits. Percy will lead you." Both Percy's in the crowd looked confused on who Matt was talking to, which caused Matt to role his eyes. "Older Percy." Matt pointed at the older son of Poseidon, who nodded in response. The campers looked between the two Percys, confusion and shock evident on all of their faces.

I saw an opportunity to add my own input. "Percy, you go full power from the beginning and make sure the storm spirits don't even touch the camp." Both Percy's looked confused again, wondering which I was talking to. I rolled my eyes just like Matt had down, and pointed at my Percy. "Younger Percy." Percy nodded and shifted into his Earthshaker Form, his skin turning into water and his arms and legs turning into a blue fluorescent rock. All of the campers looked at my Percy in amazement. "Nico, you help him. Also go full power from the start." I saw Alternate Nico in the crowd look at me in confusion, no doubt wondering why I was not pointing at him. His eyes followed my finger, only to widen in shock once he found his alternate, younger self. My Nico did a dorky little salute with a smile on his face, shifting into his Shadow Form in an instant. "You two listen to older Percy and make sure you follow his orders and protect the camp." Both my best friend and one of my boyfriends nodded at my words.

Matt looked at me with a raised eyebrow, no doubt at how I had just taken command without asking him, but he didn't comment on it. In fact, he added on to my orders. "Talon, you help both Younger Percy and Younger Nico. Use your Nikandreos power as well." Talon tipped his hat to the son of Hercules before a golden aura erupted from the son of Nikandreos. Damn, seriously this guy was fucking strong as hell. Matt addressed everyone at once. "On my mark, people." Matt turned around and faced the mech Grayson was no doubt piloting and I did the same. Both of us noted that the storm spirits had recovered from me and Matt's initial attack and were flying around the camp in the air, seemingly waiting on something. Likely for Grayson's orders. Matt turned his head slightly to me. "Any plans for the mech? You're the only one whose faced something made from the same material."

I didn't respond Immediately, as I surveyed the mech off in the distance. It kinda looked a little bit like the Iron Giant, just not nearly as cartoonish. I turned back to Matt. "Universal Titanium is mostly used for defense, not offense. It'll be really tough to get through, but it won't pack nearly as much as a punch as our weapons would. Our plan will be to overwhelm him in a two on one with our abilities and try to force him out of the armor, or cook him alive inside." A thought occurred to me. "Grayson can read minds, right? That's what your memories said, right?"

Matt flinched a bit, remembering that we had connected our minds for a little bit. "Yes. He hid it under a guise of being able to see the future, but he can simply just read thoughts. That's how he knows what you're going to be able to do before you do. It might be a little difficult to outsmart him when he can do that." Matt looked at me, an inquisitive look on his face. "You have a plan to get past that?"

I nodded at the son of Hercules' words with a slight smirk. "As a matter of fact, I do." Matt looked at me with a raised eyebrow, not expecting an answer to his rhetorical question. "I'll be able to shield our minds from his mind reading, taking away his biggest strength. Then he'll just be a son of Athena in a big, unbreakable mech." Matt looked surprised at my answer, which caused me to raise an eyebrow at him myself. "What? A few minutes ago I literally linked our minds together to share memories. You really surprised to hear I can shield our minds as well?"

Matt shook his head and shrugged. "I guess I really shouldn't be. Anyway, I guess we have a plan now." Matt closed his eyes and his muscles tensed. A burst of red energy erupted around him like a Dragon Ball character, cracking the ground underneath him. Matt opened his eyes, now in his Red Aura. I took this as a cue to go full power as well, activating my Thunder Form. Lightning burst from all around me and my eyes turned blue. Both me and Matt stared down the mech in both of our respective forms, taking a combat stance. Matt turned his head back to the campers, who were all ready for battle. "Everyone, move out!" With Matt's words, both me and the son of Hercules charged at the giant mech in the distance, smashing through a wall of hundreds of storm spirits. I heard the battle cry of the campers as we raced forwards, no doubt charging to meet the storm spirits head on.

Thanks to our incredible speed, it really didn't take very long to reach the mech. Both me and Matt stopped about thirty feet from the monstrous construction, allowing me to get a much better view of it. As I said before, it was well over one hundred feet tall and the entire thing was made out of pure Universal Titanium. It kinda looked like the Colossus of Rhodes but wearing an entire suit of Greek hoplite armor without a face plate. I looked upon at the open helmet, finding it was covered by a sheet of some kind of blue, glowing glass. Behind the glass I could see Grayson, the son of Athena and member of the Big Four. He looked kind of like Annabeth, but with short hair and a wider frame. I couldn't see too many details of the son of Athena, since the blue glass obscured him and he was sitting done at some kind of control panel.

Both me and Matt stood before the mech, and Grayson controlled it to look down on us. "Ah, the son of Hercules..." Grayson's voice was amplified by the mech, as if he was speaking into some kind of auto tone speaker phone. The mech's head turned to me, and a look of confusion came upon Grayson's face. "...and whoever this guy is. You look remarkably like Malachi. Who are you exactly?" As soon as the son of Athena said the words, I felt a presence brush against my mind and try to seep through. I immediately strengthened my mental defenses and stonewalled Grayson. Grayson, inside the mech, flinched back as if he had been shoved. "W-What!? Impossible! How are you able to resist me!?" Grayson controlled the mech to point at me, making the whole situation almost cartoonish.

I smirked at the son of Athena and withdrew Thymos. "Guess you just got a weak mind, bitch." Grayson's face twisted in rage as the mech shifted into a combat position. I turned to Matt who had already drawn Viribus. "Let's do this. You know the plan." Both me and Matt jumped onto action, just in time as well, as Grayson's mech had stomped down where we were standing. Okay, that thing was quicker than I thought it would be, but not fast enough to be dangerous. Both me and Matt split up and attacked the mech from the sides. Thymos clanged off the ankle of the mech like a baseball bat, barely even leaving a tiny scratch. I guess this shit was made out of real Universal Titanium. I flew in the air, intent on slamming Thymos directly in the mechs face. I saw Matt scurry up the side of the mech, clearly having the same idea. I slammed Thymos into the mechs shoulder, causing the machine to shift slightly. Matt hit the mech in the chin with Viribus, knocking its head to the side. Faster than both of us expected, the mech grabbed us from its shoulders and threw us to the ground.

Both me and Matt slammed into the ground, creating a crater on impact. Both of us grunted, more so from the movement rather than the damage, which was to say none. "Damn, it's faster than I expected." Matt said, analyzing the mech for any weaknesses the two of us could exploit. He turned back to me. "Guess we'll just have to be faster." He said with a smirk, drawing one out of me as well. Both of us rushed the mech out of nowhere, splitting up so we could shift his focus. Grayson tried to swat and punch both of us as we flew around him, the two of us using lightning to stun him. I struck the mech in the shoulder with a lightning bolt, causing the lightning to conduct much further and the whole mech to lock him for a few seconds. Matt kicked the mech in the chest with both legs, sending it staggering backwards. The mech recovered faster than I thought it could, and caught me with a punch as I was trying to capitalize on Matt's assault. I grunted a bit in pain, surprised the attack actually hurt me. Universal Titanium was mostly tough, not strong. Guess Grayson was more of a threat than I thought.

Matt made Grayson pay for his attack on me, slamming Viribus into the side of the mechs head. Grayson's mech staggered and I could hear him grunt from inside. Grayson recovered and controlled the Mech to step back slightly, stepping over the trees of the forest below us. "Argh, you bastards! I will make you pay!" Grayson raised both the mech's arms and pointed them at us. Two large hatches opened up on the under side of it's wrists and several missiles shot out. The missiles were incredibly fast, far faster than anything mortal technology could create. I saw the coloration of the missiles, and immediately saw they were made out of celestial bronze. I knew most celestial bronze couldn't even hurt me, but I wasn't taking any chances with fucking missiles. I took evasive maneuvers in the air, dodging and weaving around the missiles. Matt did the same, using Viribus to control the wind to carry him in the air. I heard Grayson's amplified voice growl in frustration. "Stay still and die!" Both me and Matt ignored him, continuing to dodge the missiles.

Eventually, Grayson got tired of shooting and missing, so he decided to try something else. Grayson flicked the wrist of the mech, and a giant sword unfolded from a hatch on the upper side of its wrist. From its coloration and its sheen, I could tell it was also made from Universal Titanium. Again, I didn't know exactly how strong Universal Titanium was offensively, but I was not going to find out. "Try this on for size!" Grayson swung the massive blade in our direction, forcing us to avoid. Grayson slashed at us several more times, his telegraphed attacks easy to dodge. The slashes were quick, quicker than the size of the mech should allow. Grayson roared in frustration as he tried to skewer Matt with the giant blade, no doubt as he couldn't even hit us at all. Matt dodged the stab at the last second, landing on the blade and charging lightning into Viribus. He slammed the club down on the blade, sending the lightning up the blade and having it collide with Grayson's mech. I saw the mech freeze up and shake from the lightning, causing Grayson to grunt in pain from the action. I flew directly at the mech and kicked it right in the face, cracking the blue vision and causing Grayson to yelp in surprise and pain.

Grayson's mech fell down on its back, crushing several trees and cracking the ground where it fell. Grayson controlled the mech to sit up and it rose its left arm. "I am sick of this! Burn!" The upper side of the right wrist burst open, revealing a massive flamethrower. Fire erupted from the exhaust, lighting the trees on fire all around us in some kind of hell storm. Both me and Matt flew further away from the trees, trying to avoid the fire. Grayson kept the gun trained on us, fire burning from it. Both me and Matt took evasive maneuvers in the air, trying to avoid the flames. I could actually feel the heat as the fire followed behind us, and it hadn't even touched me yet. That wasn't good. Eventually, the flames stopped and me and Matt looked down to see Grayson had stood back up. Grayson's blade and flamethrower both were out as he stared up down. Suddenly, hatches opened on the mech's back and two thrusters came out. Grayson's mech slowly but surely took flight, joining the two of us in the air. "It seems the odds are evened now."

I scoffed. "As if." Then I charged the mech at full speed. Grayson saw me coming and swung the massive blade in my direction, however I deflected the blade with Thymos. Damn, it felt good blocking a huge ass sword with something only as large as the Morningstar in my hand. Grayson was took off balance by my deflect, as I had bashed the blade pretty good. Matt was just sitting idle, as he had also charged after I did. He tried to slam Viribus into Grayson's mechs chest, but Grayson warded him off with a flamethrower burst. Matt dodged the flames and twirled Viribus, summoning a powerful burst of wind to blow the flames away. I charged Grayson once more as he was off balanced, slamming Thymos into his chest. The Heavenly Diamond Morningstar dented the Universal Titanium slightly, but the damage was minimal. However, my blow sent Grayson flying back slightly, but he recovered thanks to his thrusters. Matt pointed Viribus at Grayson and shot a beam of lightning at him. The lightning smashed into the mech, causing it to jerk as the lightning was conducted all throughout. I heard Grayson grunt in pain, but he recovered before either of us could get closer to him. Grayson pointed both of the mechs hands at us in an outstretched manner. I saw the metal move to the side, unveiling two bright orbs. Two blue beams of energy shot out towards us, moving far faster than light. Both me and Matt barely dodged them, feeling the heat of the beams as we did so.

Grayson's orbs charged up again, this time much brighter. "Time to die!" The orbs charged up longer, and both me and Matt could feel the immense power behind them. I turned to Matt 'Matt!' I reached out with my mind, causing the son of Hercules to look at me in surprise. I rolled my eyes. 'Yes, I can talk to you with my mind, but that doesn't matter right now. Grayson is about to blast us with everything he's got. It's time we do the same.' I saw Grayson out of the corner of my eye put both of the hands of the mech together, as if he was going to combine the beams.

Matt nodded at me as he put up Viribus into its necklace form. "Alright then, time for some good ol' Red Beam Cannon." I rolled my eyes at the dorky name of his full power blast, but I knew Thunder Form wasn't any better. Matt put both of his hands together, a burning ball of red energy forming in them. I felt Matt draw energy from all around us, taking life energy from the very earth itself to charge into his blast. The burning orb of red energy became as bright as the sun and I could feel the power burning off of it. He turned his head to me. "Do that blue blast thing you did when we fought. You know, the beam surrounded by lightning."

I nodded at him, a smirked forming on my face. "Should I call it Blue Beam Cannon?" Matt rolled his eyes, knowing I was mocking him. I charged lightning into Thymos, feeling immense chaotic power and energy build up inside the weapon. Lightning burst all around the weapon and my slight blue aura around my skin extended to the weapon. I continued to pump more power in it until I was completely sure it would match the blast I used against Matt would be recreated. The Heavenly Diamond Morningstar looked like a Tesla coil that had been amplified by a thousand, lightning brimming off of every inch of the weapon. "Ready." I nodded at Matt and the son of Hercules returned the nod.

I heard Grayson's two blue orbs absolutely brim with power and I could tell he was about to unleash everything he had. Grayson angled the position of the mechs hands downward so he would destroy the camp along with us. My eyes narrowed. We had to win this now. "This is the end of you and your pathetic camp! Now die!" Grayson shot an absolutely massive blast out of the mechs hands, the bluish white energy hurdling straight at us. I charged Thymos with as much extra energy I could and pointed it at Grayson's blast.

"Red Beam Cannon!" I heard Matt shout from beside me, and a massive burst of red energy erupted from his hands. This was my cue to unleash my own blast, and a blue beam surrounded by lightning escaped the end of my Heavenly Diamond weapon. Both me and Matt's attacks combined into one beam and slammed into Grayson's. I was honestly expecting some sort of beam struggle where me and Matt would have to put everything we had into our blast to overcome Grayson's, but what actually happened was the opposite. As soon as our beams collided, mine and Matt's blast instantly overwhelmed Grayson's with no effort. Grayson's blast immediately was overpowered and he was enveloped by both mine and Matt's attacks, completely obscuring him from view. Eventually, both me and Matt let go of our attacks and we saw Grayson's mech fall from the sky and to the ground.

Grayson's mech smashed into the flaming trees below, surprisingly unharmed. Well, it was jerking from lightning and the thrusters on his back were damage to hell, but it was relatively not damaged. Grayson's mech leaned on it's knee, as if it just got kicked in the nuts. The lighting was still circulating throughout the mech, immobilizing it. I turned to Matt, who had already brought out Viribus again. "Lightning storm?"

Matt nodded at my words. "Lightning storm." The sky overhead darkened with clouds as both me and Matt focused our power into it. I looked down at Grayson's mech, which had recovered and stood up. Damn, it really just tanked two universal level blasts like it was nothing. Grayson looked like he was about to attack us again, but Matt placed his hands on Viribus. "Oh, no you don't." The very earth below Grayson's mech ripped up and grabbed at the feet and ankles of it, distracting the son of Athena and pinning him to where he was. I heard Grayson growl in frustration and the son of Athena rose his arms, probably to shoot missiles at both of us. I twirled my hands, forming a twister of pressurized wind around the son of Athena. Grayson tried to bat the wind away with the mechs arms, but it simply kept him contained and unable to move an inch. Matt rose Viribus in the air and lightning struck the club. I channeled lightning into Thymos, causing the Heavenly Diamond Morningstar to be completely covered in lightning. "Let's do it."

I nodded at Matt's words and the two of us immediately flew down at Grayson, who was completely immobilized from the earth and the wind tornado. Me and Matt put Viribus and Thymos together, channeling the lightning of our weapons into one. Grayson's mech head looked up, seeing the two of us charging down at him. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" The two of us smashed the lightning imbued weapons right down on Grayson's head, knocking his head downwards and sending immense amounts of lightning all throughout the mech. Grayson's mech jerked around as lightning electrified the entire machine, causing Grayson to continuously grunt in pant from the lightning. Eventually, the lightning short circuited the machine, and it collapsed to the ground in front of us. The mech's glowing blue light all on it powered down and the mech stopped moving entirely. Smoke rose from the mech, all of the machinery inside no doubt fried. Both me and Matt landed on the ground in front of the mech. It was over.

I turned to the son of Hercules. "Did you seriously shout Red Beam Cannon earlier?" Matt was silent for a second, stammering and wondering what he should say. I chuckled. "Heh, Harper is right, you really are a dork." Matt's face flushed and he looked like he was about to try and defend his dorkiness, but a hatch on the back of the mech opened up, creaking as it did so. Both me and Matt turned immediately, both of us shifting into a fighting position. We saw Grayson's climbing out of the mech, covered in insulation pads he threw off as soon as he exited. However, he looked injured and his muscles twitched as he moved. Grayson fell out of the mech and onto the forest floor, the flaming tree all around us caused by him. I walked up to him, Thymos in hand. "Well, well, well. Look who is completely defenseless." Matt walked up behind me, his arms crossed as he held up Viribus on his shoulder. "Now what to do with you?"

Grayson was breathing heavily and he could barely move his hands. Sweat dripped down his face and it wasn't from all the fire around us. He slammed his hand on the ground in a fist. I could see the anger and disbelief on his face. "How!? How did I lose to you two!? I spent months planning this, gathering that metal, building that armor! How did I lose to two stupid meatheads with lightning!?" He turned his glare to both of us, but more specifically me. "You! You were able to block my mind reading! That should be impossible! No one has been able to do that before! Just who the fuck are you!?"

I smirked and pointed my thumb to my chest. "Names Zane Williams. I'm the son of Zeus and one of the guys who just beat your ass." I reached out with my telepathy and entered his mind, surprised to find there was no defense. 'As for how I was able to block your mind reading, I can do the exact same thing, just on a higher level it seems.' I spoke directly into the son of Athena's mind, causing his face to be completely covered in shock. I continued to speak as he gawked at me. 'You need to actually get a mental defense. You're an open book, bro.'

Grayson looked like someone had just taken all his lunch money and spent it on silly string. He grabbed the side of his head and looked at the ground. "This should be impossible! There should be no one else who can do what I do!" A thought came to his mind and he twisted his glare back onto us. "But that shouldn't even matter! My armor was invulnerable! Only an attack from the Big Three could even scratch it! How did you defeat it!?" Grayson was absolutely losing his shit, like a professional gamer getting constantly killed and t-bagged on.

I looked at the mech, which was still mostly undamaged, if you only count the Universal Titanium. "You know, for a son of Athena, you must be really dumb." Grayson's face twisted in anger from the insult. "If you had actually done your research about Universal Titanium, you'd know it's highly conductive of lightning. There was a reason the Titan's lost the war, you know." I turned to Matt, who was looking down at Grayson with a neutral expression. "Well, how do you want to deal with him. Your universe, your rules."

Matt looked like he only thought about the decision for a millisecond. "He needs to die." I was actually a little surprised by Matt's answer. From seeing his memories, I knew he was quite the good boy. But the surprise quickly went away, as his other memories told me he could get serious and ruthless when he needed to. "He's tried to kill us several times and this time he led a direct attack on camp as the leader. If we let him live, he could go back to Ouranos and cause trouble." Matt's logic was sound.

I nodded at Matt's decision. "Fair enough." I rose Thymos in the air, intent on slamming it down and crushing Grayson's head in one attack. But Matt grabbed my wrist with his arm and stopped me. I turned a questioning gaze to the son of Hercules. "What's the big idea, man? I thought you literally just said to kill him?"

Matt shook his head and let go of my arm, now that he had my attention. I let Thymos drop down and listened to what the son of Hercules had to say. "It's not that. He does need to die. The problem is that." Matt pointed at Thymos and my face scrunched up in confusion. Matt sighed and elaborated for me. "Heavenly Diamond destroys and erases a mortal's soul. If you kill him with that, Grayson's soul will cease to exist." Matt pointed down at the son of Athena, who hatefully glared at the two of us. "And yeah, I'll admit that this guy is an absolute piece of shit and has done terrible things, but he doesn't really deserve to have his soul erased, does he?"

I looked down at Grayson, who still looked like he could believe this was actually happening. A quick brush against his thoughts told me he was thinking about everything that shouldn't have gone wrong and what could brought upon his downfall. I drew from the memories Matt had shared with me earlier. Yes, this guy was an absolute prick and was evil as hell, probably the most evil of the big four besides the son of Hephaestus, Axel. But he didn't deserve to have his soul erased for what's he done. Tartarus, maybe. But literally ending his existence was a little much. I put Thymos back into it's sheath. "You're right, Matt. Killing him like that would be cruel." I approached the son of Athena, intent of snuffing out his life.

Grayson shakily jumped up once he saw me approaching him and he drew his celestial bronze sword from its sheath. "Y-You..." I heard the sheer anger and hatred in his voice as he pointed his weapon at me. "...You cannot kill me. No one can!" Grayson swung the blade at my throat, intent on cleaving my head off. However, the celestial bronze sword bounced off my neck like a balloon, causing Grayson's eyes to widen. "I-Impossib-!" Before Grayson could even get out another syllable, I grabbed both sides of Grayson's head and turned it to the right. Grayson's head turned all the way around in a one hundred and eighty degree angle, killing him immediately. I heard Grayson grunt as blood spurted from his mouth and his body collapsed to the ground.

I turned back to Matt, who had already put Viribus back into its necklace form. "So what should we do with the body?" Matt didn't respond immediately, and he simply just looked at me. Not in shock or outrage or disbelief. No, it was something different. Surprise was there, but not surprise of the killing or brutality of the kill. The surprise eventually molded into something else, almost...acceptance of something. I could just enter Matt's mind and find out what he was thinking, but I don't do that with people I know. It was pretty rude. I snapped my fingers at Matt, trying to break him from his trance. "Matt? You there?"

Matt shook himself out of his trance, as if he had been entrapped by his own thoughts. He looked at me, his original look of uncertainty having faded. It was now replaced by something like...respect? The son of Hercules nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." Matt sighed, looking down at the dead body. "As for what to do with him, well, I'd say we just leave him here. I'd rather not stir up any more bad memories in the campers that's not already been stirred." I nodded at his words as Matt approached the dead body. He turned his necklace into Viribus and slammed it down of the head of Grayson's corpse. The head popped like a balloon, blood and brains flying out in all directions. Matt returned his club to its necklace form, looking down at the dead corpse with a solemn expression. "Needed to make sure he was actually dead. Last time he slivered away without anyone noticing."

Both of us looked back at the camp, which was still being swarmed with storm spirits, although not as much as before. I motioned towards the camp. "I guess we need to take care of that, no?" Matt looked back at the camp, an expression of concern on his face.

The son of Hercules nodded at my words. "Yes. Help the campers clear out the rest of the storm spirits and meet me on the hill afterwards. We still need to talk some more." I nodded in affirmation of his words, taking flight with my telekinesis. I took off towards the camp, splitting up from Matt and arriving in an instant. I appeared in the middle of camp and took in my surroundings. The campers were now organized in their fighting, rather than running around with no formation or plan. I saw Alternate Percy leading the fighting, as he commanded the campers to stay in formation and work together to fend off the storm spirits. Most of the campers followed his orders and words, however a certain few clearly worked better alone. I saw Percy in his Earthshaker Form fighting an entire horde of storm spirits, effortlessly destroying them by the hundred. I saw both Annabeths working with Alternate Percy and helping him with strategy, their ideas bouncing and reverberating off of them. I saw both Nicos fighting side by side, although my Nico was clearly outperforming the other Nico in literally every single way, something I may have taken a bit too much pleasure in. I also saw both Talon and Harper teaming up, the daughter of Nemesis using her bladework and incredible speed to destroy the storm spirits and the son of Nikandreos was using his immensely powerful golden aura to destroy the storm spirits even faster and more efficient than Percy was.

I also saw Taylor on the hill, fighting against nearly a hundred storm spirits by himself. However, he was in no danger whatsoever. His incredible speed and immense skill with his spear and shield was carrying him in the battle, allowing him to easily hold his own. A thought came into my mind and a smirk came on my face. I appeared in a burst of speed right behind the son of Ares and held up a hand. Every storm spirit froze in mid air and Taylor looked confused for a moment. The confusion melted off his face and a smile formed as he saw me. I smirked at my boyfriend. "Am I interrupting something?" I closed my hand, using my telekinesis to crush every single storm spirit around me into dust, killing all of them.

Taylor's face fell into deadpan after he saw me kill all the storm spirits. A fake glare came on his face and he groaned. "Oh, come on! I was having fun fighting all those things by myself! I don't really get to fight stuff that often since you usually just steamroll everything we come across." I could tell Taylor wasn't actually mad, but he did a good job acting like he was.

I chuckled as I lowered my arm. "I know, but storm spirits aren't exactly the best idea for a good fight." I motioned at some of the storm spirits in the distance fighting other campers. "I mean, they're basically just flying lightning ghosts. That's kinda boring, isn't it?" Taylor looked at me with the same fake glare, although I could see the sides of his lips moving upwards. I put my hands on my cheeks and dropped my jaw. "Oh no! The infamous patented Taylor Death Glare! Now I must submit to your will and immediately die! Woe is me!" I dramatically clutched my heart and looked into the sky.

Taylor's Taylor Death Glare immediately fell and he started laughing. "By the gods you are so dumb, airhead!" He lunged at me and jumped up on my shoulders. Both of us started to play wrestle, the two of us laughing as we did so. Eventually the two of us started rolling around in the grass on the hill. I know it was a little weird to be doing this in the middle of a battle, but at this point nobody was in any danger and I wanted to enjoy myself. Eventually I was on my back on the ground and Taylor was on top of me. He smiled down on me and I could feel my face heat up. "I love you, idiot."

I smiled at the son of Ares, my heart brimming with joy. "And I love you, too." I pressed my lips into his. Taylor wasn't surprised at all, immediately returning the kiss with even more passion and vigor than I initiated it with. In the back of my mind I realized that making out with someone during the middle of a battle was a little weird, but right now I didn't care one bit. I placed a hand on Taylor's waist while one of his hands moved up to my shoulder. Before the kiss could get any more heated, I heard coughing to our right. Both me and Taylor broke our kiss and looked in the direction of the cough, only to find Matt standing above us, his expression completely deadpan. "Uh, I can explain."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's not like we're in a battle or anything." There was no real heat behind his words, so I knew he didn't really care all that much. Both me and Taylor got up of the ground, dusting the grass off of ourselves as we did so. "It actually doesn't matter that much. Without Grayson, the storm spirits aren't really even a threat. Especially with Talon, Nico and Percy handling this." Cue a massive glowing water wave coming out of nowhere overwhelming a large horde of storm spirits. "So I also figured that now would be the perfect time to keep talking. You know, if your not busy with...other things." Matt awkwardly motioned to Taylor, who grinned shamelessly.

I chuckled at Matt's awkward tone. "Nah, it's fine. We can talk now." I turned to Taylor. "Can you go help with the rest of the storm spirits? Give me some time to talk to Matt?" Taylor nodded at my request, giving me a big hug before he sprinted off in a burst of speed. I turned back to the son of Hercules, who took a seat on the hill overlooking the camp. I sat down beside him and looked in the same direction he did. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Matt immediately turned his head to me, and he looked like he was struggling a bit to find the right words. "First let me start off by saying I'm sorry." I looked at the son of Hercules in confusion, and he quickly elaborated. "Back when I saw your memories, I judged you too quickly and didn't let you explain yourself." Matt was silent for a couple of seconds before he continued. "I was just...surprised at what you've done in the past. You just didn't seem like the type of guy to do those kind of things." He looked back at the camp. "And I jumped the gun too quickly. Several of my own friends have done some pretty messed up things in the past, and they've changed." He looked back to me. "So I'm sorry for doubting that you were different than how you used to be. You proved that you were when you didn't kill Grayson with your Heavenly Diamond weapon."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it, man. You had a right to be concerned. I'll be the first one to admit, I've done some pretty questionable shit in the past. For the past seven months I've been trying to do better. So you have nothing to be sorry for." I stuck out a hand for the son of Hercules to shake. "So we good?"

Matt didn't even take a second to decided. He shook my hand back. "Yeah, man. We're good." The two of us sat in silence and looked down at the camp as the campers finished off the rest of the storm spirits. Eventually, Matt spoke up again. "So, both Taylor and Nico, huh? How did that start?" Oh man, here we go.

I chuckled at Matt's question, amused by the past event that led to that relationship. "That's a really long story, man. I take it you didn't get too much of it when I shared my memories with you?" Matt shook his head and I sighed a bit. "Yeah, that makes sense. I'm new to the whole mind power thing, so it probably wasn't as efficient on your end as it was with mine. I saw quite a lot. But to answer your question, it started with a large amount of drama. But it also started like a lot of relationships do, with you developing feelings for the other person, or in my case, people. I liked both Taylor and Nico, and they also liked me. I couldn't decided which one to choose, so this whole 'love triangle ' thing started between us. Eventually, after Atlas, we talked about it and just decided that they would both date me. I'm not sure how well it will work, but I am hopeful for the future." I finished, turning my eyes away from the camp and back to the son of Hercules. "Also, quick question. Why do me and Malachi look nearly the exact same?"

Matt looked like he was considering the question, but he eventually just shrugged. "Fuck if I know. From what I saw from your memories, the two of you could not have a more different backstory. Hell, he doesn't even like guys like you. Maybe he doesn't exist in your universe and you're just the version of Malachi over there." I considered the plausibility of Matt's answer, finding it could possibly be true. Matt sighed and looked a little sad. "I feel like I failed Malachi. He got possessed by his father again and both me and my d-" Matt immediately cut himself off and he looked at the ground.

I took a deep breath and prepared to address the elephant in the room. "That was your father that got killed by the Heavenly Diamond in your memories, was it?" Matt didn't answer, which just confirmed my question. I sighed, looking at the camp. Most of the storm spirits were gone now. "Matt, I know how it is to lose a parent. I'm not completely sure if you saw in my memories, but my mother was killed and eaten alive by Laestrygonians. I can't even imagine the suffering she went through in her final moments, and it was all because of me. Even after four years, I still feel like I failed her."

Matt looked up from the ground, tears brimming in his eyes. "Hey, man." I looked at him, noting the sadness on his face. "Thank you. It really means a lot. Most people don't really know how it feels, but from what I saw you definitely do. It's just..." Matt trailed off again and I saw the immense emotional pain all over his face. "I'm just not ready to talk about it. It's too fresh."

I nodded at Matt's decision. "I understood all too well, man. You just take all the time you need to process what happened." The two of us fell silent once more and I turned my gaze back to the camp. All of the storm spirits were gone now and the campers were starting to clean up the battlefield. I turned back to Matt. "So if Harper also exists in my universe, do you think you exist in my universe as well? If so, where exactly are you?"

Matt's expression changed into a thoughtful one, and he was likely grateful for the change of subject. "Well, if Harper exists over there, there's not really any reason I shouldn't either. If I do exist over there, I'd be in New York City. Did you see me living in an apartment in my memories?" I nodded at Matt's words, the memories flashing in my mind. Before Matt went on quests and came to Camp Half-Bood, his life sucked. Matt nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, if I do exist over there, that's where I would be. I lived in a small apartment and stayed away from people to protect them, since I constantly attracted monsters."

I put a hand on my chin. "Hm, I should probably try to find you back home. I could introduce you to Camp a lot sooner. Maybe things could be different for you then." I made a mental note to do that later, as having Matt back in my universe would be amazing for the camp, considering how strong he is right now. A thought came to my mind. "Hey, Matt. How long has it been since you guys originally fought Atlas over here?"

"Hm." Matt looked like he was thinking about the answer. He probably didn't know it off the top of his head, since apparently he wasn't even here when those quests were going done. "I think it's been about...four years or so. I'm not exactly certain about the time, as I only arrived here about a year ago. You'd have to ask Percy about it, since he was the one who lived through those quests." Matt thought about it a little more. "You probably shouldn't really ask him about any of the specifics for any of the quests. It might fuck up fate or something back in your universe if you already know everything that is about to happen.

Well there goes that idea. "Damn. I was hoping to get ahead of the game." I thought about something that I had noticed every since I returned back to my universe, and Matt's answer about how long it has been since the Atlas fight over here made it even more apparent. "Why does Nico's age not match up with the four year difference?" Matt looked confused at my question, so I elaborated. "Nico in my universe is 13 and he's been out of the Lotus Hotel for nearly two years at this point. Over here he only looks to be about fifteen or sixteen. He should look older, right?"

Matt shook his head. "I think I know the answer to that one. Over here, Nico got out of the Lotus Hotel the year Percy fought Atlas. He must have gotten out earlier over in your reality. And does he have a sister over there, too? Percy told me she died during the Atlas quest." Damn, so there was a hella lot of difference, huh?

I nodded. "Yes, Nico has a sister in my universe. She joined the Hunters after we found her in some military school I forgot the name of. She isn't dead, thought. She never even went on the quest. She didn't have enough experience for it." I wondered why they thought about bringing her on the quest over here. It didn't make any sense. "She's still with the Hunt now. They left after the whole thing on Olympus after Thali-" I cut myself off, still feeling the sting over that particular event.

Matt looked at me with a little bit of concern. "Are you good, man?" My hands tightened in anger as I remembered how Thalia abandoned me but I did my best to contain in.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm good, man." I was quiet for a couple of seconds before I decided I would just talk about it. "I just feel like she abandoned me. I know I didn't give her the opportunity to explain herself, but I was just so...betrayed. Nico's sister had literally done the same thing like a week earlier and Thalia saw what it did to him. Then she just fucking goes and does it to me!" My voice rose a little bit as I vented, but I quickly regained control of myself. "Ah, sorry about that. It's still kinda fresh."

Matt shook his head. "I get it, man. What she did had to have hurt a lot. It's clear you saw her as a true sister and not just a half one." Matt was right about that. "But if you get a chance to talk to her again, you should. You need to hear her side of the story and maybe get some closure about why she did the whole thing in the first place. It shouldn't hurt that much to give her that." I wanted to argue with Matt and tell him that he was wrong, but I saw the logic in his words. Maybe I should speak to her again one day. But for now, I just nodded and didn't say anything. Both me and Matt fell into silence once more, but Matt eventually asked a question. "Hey, before when we went through the portal, why were you and Nico...you know? I can't imagine you two just decided to do that for no reason right before we went off to fight in a battle."

I grinned at the son of Hercules. "When I went to go get him, he wanted a piggy back ride to the portal." Matt looked at me in surprise, not expecting the answer. "I can't say no to him, so I gave him one. But I decided to be a little shit and use my super speed to make it instant. He pretended to get mad and complain, then one thing let to another..." I looked back at Matt's face, and was surprised to see the start of a mischievous smile on his face. "Uh, Matt? What are you think about?"

Matt stood up from the grass. "I have an idea." He then moved towards camp in a burst of speed, no doubt moving too quick to be noticed by anyone but me. I quickly followed after him. I had to see whatever he was thinking about. Both me and Matt appeared in the middle of camp, where the campers were currently cleaning up the destruction of the battle. I saw Matt jog up to Harper, who was standing about twenty feet away talking to Talon. "Harper! Come here for a second!" Matt called out to his girlfriend as he jogged up to her, gaining her attention. I stood back away from the conversation, leaning on a post of a nearby building. I couldn't hear anything the two were saying, but from the way Harper was shaking her head with an expression of confusion on her face and how Talon was laughing at Matt's words, it had to be good. Matt was seemingly asking something of Harper, but the daughter of Nemesis kept refusing. Eventually, Matt shouted his request. "Please, just let me give you a piggy back ride! Come on, it'll be fun!"

Talon burst out laughing, rolling on the ground as he did so and Harper just looked mortified that Matt said that so loud. "No! I'm not letting you give me a piggy back ride! We're not children, Matt! The answer is n-!" That was all Harper could get out before she was forcibly lifted off the ground and pulled onto Matt's back. Harper's face immediately turned bright red and she started beating on Matt's back. "Matt! Put me down, right now!" Matt didn't listen to any of Harper's commands and dashed around like a mad man with his girlfriend on his back. Harper kept beating on his back, literally unable to stop her ridiculously strong boyfriend from giving her a forced piggyback ride. I watched the scene with a grin on my face, shaking my head. Talon was pointing and laughing at the two like a third grader. I could tell from Harper's emotions and face that she was enjoying the ride, despite her words and actions.

As I was watching the hilarious scene, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, finding Nico in front of me. He was still in his Shadow Form, his eyes burning red and black particles being emitted by his form. He looked at me with a grin on his face and he pointed at himself. "Zane! I've been able to stay in this form for over twenty minutes! And I haven't even had it for a month yet! I've gotten so much stronger in the past couple of weeks!" Nico, while not as hyperactive as he used to be about two years ago, still definitely had a whole lot of energy.

I ruffled his hair, which caused a slight blush to form on Nico's face. I smiled at the son of Hades. "That's awesome, Nico. And yeah, you've gotten so much stronger so quickly. I think you're even stronger than I was when I was your age." I grabbed Nico by the waist and lifted him in the air, like a father would to their child. Nico blushed more and grinned at my action. "And twenty minutes!? Damn. It took me months to hold my Thunder Form for that long. You're so fucking cool, Nico." Nico laughed from my praise as I held him. I felt my breath hitch slightly as I heard and saw him laugh. He looked so beautiful. I was about to pull him into a kiss while I held him in the air, but I felt a familiar aura walk up to the side of us. A very familiar aura. I turned to the right, finding Alternate Nico standing there. His expression was something I could barely describe. Shock, disbelief and a feeling like he was looking at something that shouldn't be happening. Both me and Nico looked at each other really quick and I set him down. I turned back to Alternate Nico. "Uh, can I help you?"

Alternate Nico kept up the stare for longer than he probably should, as if he was in some sort of trance or something. Eventually he spoke. "What the hell is that?" Alternate Nico pointed at Nico as if he was pointing at an exotic animal or something. He struggled to get anymore words out. "W-Who the fuck are you? Why do you look like me?" He looked so confused and shocked. I do remember he wasn't part of the whole conversation about the alternate universes and stuff. I could have sworn Aiden would have told him.

"Oh yeah, you weren't part of the conversation I had with Matt and the others earlier, were you?" I paused for a second, trying to find the fasted and easiest way to tell him. I held up a finger. "Okay, so I'm going to say this quick and easy. I'm from an alternate universe similar but different to this one. I'm Zane Williams, the son of Zeus." I pointed to Nico, who was looking between both me and Alternate Nico. "This is Nico di Angelo from my universe, my boyfriend." Nico waved at his alternate self with a grin. Alternate Nico gawked at my explanation, his eyes widening as he did so. Funny, both Nicos had the same reaction to the whole alternate universe thing. Guess some things are multiversal.

Alternate Nico's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he looked at his alternate self. "B-B-But thats impossib-!" Alternate Nico then stopped and I saw his eyes land on both Percys and Annabeths all having a four way conversation. His eyes widened once more as more proof was presented to him and his eyes moved to Nico's Stygian Iron sword at his belt, which was the same as his. I also like to think that the fact that he's a demigod went through his head, something that should also be impossible. Alternate Nico stammered. "E-Even if it's true, there's no way another version of me would date someone like you!" Ouch, that one hurt.

Nico immediately came to my defense, glaring at Alternate Nico. "What did you fucking say?" Nico stood between both me and Alternate Nico, a glare coming straight from his red eyes. Alternate Nico clearly couldn't sense auras, but he could tell Nico was a whole lot stronger than him. Nico stared Alternate Nico straight in the face. "Would you mind saying that again, please?" Nico's tone was dangerous and I felt flattered. He got pissed because an alternate version of himself talked shit about me.

Alternate Nico was at first a little intimidated, but he eventually steeled himself and glared back into his younger self's face. Funny, they were almost the same height. "I said I'd never date anyone like him. I mean, have you seen him?" Alternate Nico motioned at me, which caused me to do a double take. Did he think I was ugly? Damn, that's never happened before.

Nico's jaw dropped like he had just heard something blasphemous. "Are you kidding me!? Look at him! Have you seen how good looking he is?" I flushed a little bit from Nico's praise, happy he would so readily defend me from any naysayers.

Alternate Nico shook his head at Nico's words. "Yes I have seen him. And he's a meathead! Look at him. He's like twice our size!" Alternate Nico motioned over to me again, nearly yelling as if he was trying to convince a toddler of something he couldn't understand. "I mean, all the muscles he has are just...bleh!" Alternate Nico was no longer brooding and calm like he normally was, now having lost his composure in this situation.

Nico crossed his arms. "I think all the muscles Zane has are sexy. Look at how they bulge and shit!" Nico said as he touched my muscular arm. I smirked and flexed my tricep as he did so, the solid muscle only getting larger and more defined. Nico poked my arm longer than necessary, his gaze transfixed on it. "See?"

Alternate Nico rolled his eyes at Nico's antics and answer. "If we were anything alike, you would know that we have...different tastes." Alternate Nico stared at both Percy's for a brief second, but I was able to catch it easily. Really? Percy? This Nico had something for Percy? Thinking about that just sounds weird. And hilariously, Alternate Nico didn't actually look at his boyfriend, Aiden, who wasn't too far away from the Percys now that I look at the sons of Poseidon again. "And if we were the same, you would know that we don't just go for anyone who is good eye candy. We actually have legitimately good reasons for dating someone. I can't really blame you for that, though, since you're still just a kid."

Nico's aura flared a bit at Alternate Nico's words, anger clear on his face. "Legitimately good reasons? Eye candy!? You think I'm dating Zane only because I find him physically attractive!?" Nico closed the distance between the two in an instant, putting his thumb on Alternate Nico's chest. "Listen here, you stupid fuck! Zane gave me a new chance to live my life! He freed me from seventy years of imprisonment in the Lotus Hotel. I can't believe you'd think I would only be with him because he's hot." Everyone had halted their conversation and looked at both Nico's, but neither of them cared in the slightest. Nico's aura returned to its normal level. "And for the record, we aren't the same at all. You're weak as hell compared to me, and I bet you suck ass at Myth-O-Magic."

Alternate Nico had clearly been taken aback by Nico's rather explosive reaction to his criticisms, but hadn't said anything in response. He looked like he was thinking in his head for a few seconds, but Nico's last few words broke him out of it. "Wait, you still play that game? How old are you again?"

Nico glared at his alternate self. "Thirteen." Alternate Nico's eyes widened at Nico's answer, probably not believing how a younger version of himself was so much stronger than him. Nico smirked. "And yes, I do still play Myth-O-Magic. And I'm the best in the entire world at the game. I bet I could beat your ass in three turns and you wouldn't even be able to get a single hit on me during it." Nico looked smug and completely sure in his Myth-O-Magic skills. And he should be, because he's undefeated back in our camp.

Alternate Nico took that as a challenge. "Oh yeah? I bet I could beat your ass in two. I still have a set of cards in my cabin." He paused dramatically. "How about we play right now?" Both Nicos stared each other down for a few seconds, before they both took off in one direction at the pace of a determined speed walk. I chuckled as the two of them moved away from me.

I waved at them. "Have fun, you two." With that argument concluded, at least for now, I decided to go find Matt again. He was still in the same area he had been giving Harper her forced piggyback ride, but right now he was just talking one on one with Harper. I didn't want to be a dick and interrupt him when he was with his girlfriend, but I needed to know the situation here. I walked up to the two, Matt just having finished a sentence I didn't hear fully. He looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "So everything good over here now?" I needed to know if it was good to head back whenever.

Matt nodded at me as Harper turned to face me as well. She didn't look nearly as pissed and angry at me anymore. Huh, I guess Matt talked to her or something. "Yeah, it's all good. The camps mostly cleaned up now and Percy has already organized patrols through the forest to make sure no more storm spirits are still lurking around. Still deciding on what to do with the mech out in the forest, though." I had an idea about that one.

I decided to put that one forward. "Actually, I have an idea about that one." Matt rose an eyebrow, waiting to hear my answer. "I say you get the Hephaestus kids or even Hephaestus himself to melt the Universal Titanium down to make armor out of it for the campers. You might need it in the war with Ouranos in the future." Matt looked surprised by my idea, and I continued. "And you might be able to get a new suit of armor for yourself, since your last one got destroyed when we fought." Matt looked like he was seriously considering my idea. "However, I kind of want some for myself. Armor made out of that material will help me out nicely."

Matt finally nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. That armor would really come in handy in the future. I'll make sure that you get some before you leave." Matt smiled. "Anyway, I was just talking to Harper about something that would be really cool." Harper sighed but couldn't keep a smile of her face. "What if we all went on a double date? Me and Harper, you, Nico and Taylor? That would be awesome, wouldn't it? Over here, we haven't really gotten too much of a chance to do anything like that and we thought it would be cool." Harper coughed. Matt rolled his eyes with a smile. "Okay, I thought it would be cool."

Honestly, that sounded amazing. I hadn't really done anything too romantic with Nico and Taylor yet, so that sounded fresh and new. "Okay." Matt and Harper both looked surprised at my answer. "That sounds really fun to be honest. Haven't done anything like that with Nico and Taylor yet, so I kinda want to try that. We could even do that right now since there's nothing really going..." I trailed off, as I saw a sphere of light shoot out from the forest and hurdle towards camp. The light sphere slammed down in the middle of the camp, not twenty feet away from us. The sphere vanished and there Arthur Wayne, son of Helios stood. "...on." I finished, wondering what Arthur was here for.

Arthur looked at me, a look of barely hidden resentment on his face, which nearly made me cringe. "We have a situation back at camp." Arthur looked around, taking in his surroundings. "Or at least our camp. You need to come take a look at this, Zane." His tone was all business, and he was completely serious. I nodded at his words and Arthur created another sphere of light around himself and took off back towards the portal.

I turned to Matt. "Well, that sounded serious. Especially if they sent Arthur of all people to come and get me. Gather everyone strong apart of your group and meet me at the portal. I'll do the same." Matt nodded, the double date now an idea in the back of our minds. I focused my mind as I ran towards the portal, sending a message to Percy, Annabeth, Taylor and Nico about what had just happened. It was difficult to send a message to multiple people at once, especially when on the move, but I managed to do it. I arrived at the portal first and stood beside it, waiting for everyone to arrive. I looked at the portal, seeing the other side and feeling an aura that seemed...familiar. What could be happening over there?

It only took about five minutes, but everyone was gathered around the portal. Me, Matt, Percy, Alternate Percy, Talon, Harper, Taylor, Nico, both Annabeths, and even Alternate Nico and Aiden, who apparently were going for some reason. Matt looked at everyone. "Everybody ready?" Everyone nodded, ready to go and see just what the hell was happening on the other side of the portal. "Alright then, let's go." We all ducked and moved through the portal, immediately heading for the camp. As we jogged towards my camp, I could clearly feel the aura that was nearby. It was powerful, nearly stronger than both me and Matt put together. And it felt very, very familiar.

We arrived in the middle of camp to find all the campers gathered in the center, all of them looking at the hill. As we ran up to the crowd, Chiron turned his head to us, however not taking his eyes off the hill. "What's the situation, Chiron?" I asked the legendary centaur, who did not respond to my question. He did, however, point at the hill. I looked in the direction he was pointing, only for my eyes to widen in pure shock. "Uh oh."

Matt followed my eyes and saw what I was looking at. "Who is that?" Matt squinted and then his eyes widened. "And why is he so strong!?" Up on the hill, was a ten foot tall being that looked like it was made entirely out of fire. Some kind of bipedal flame being. It wore golden ornate style Greek armor, complete with a feather hoplite helmet, the feathers being made out of fire. The being held a golden spear just as tall as him, the spear tip blazing with fire. The being did not make any movements and simply stood on the top of the hill, as if it was waiting for someone.

I turned to Matt and drew Thymos. "Someone I've fought in the past. Only this time he's a lot stronger. We'll need to work together to beat him." I addressed the rest of the campers. "Everyone else stay here. Talon, Percy, Nico, protect everyone with your lives." The three incredibly powerful demigods nodded and both me and Matt looked at each other. "Let's go." I took flight, and Matt followed my example, taking Viribus out of its necklace and controlling the wind. Both of us landed about fifteen feet away from the tall fire being in the golden armor. I pointed Thymos at him. "You should be dead..." I transformed into my Thunder Form, unleashing my true strength. Matt did the same, going Red Aura and unleashing his full power immediately. "...Hyperion."

A grin made its way on Hyperion flaming face. He pointed his golden spear, the weapon that has impaled me twice, at the two of us. "Hello again, Son of Zeus."

(000)

Hell yeah. Chapter three of the crossover in the books. This one was fun to write, and Zane got to kill Grayson. I always wanted for Zane to kill the Big Four, and Zane finally got his chance to off one of them. Now it's back to Echoxenvy and I can't wait to see what he writes for chapter four. Later, bitches!