The Son Of Hercules

by Echoxenvy

Follow Matt Beckett, the Son of Hercules, as he and his friends wage war on the Primordial God Ouranos and his wide variety of allies. Love, hardship, battle, loss, and glory are just five of the many things he will experience on his epic journey. Current Book: The Rising Sun. OC-Centered.

75. I Get Pre Fight Anxiety

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.

On with the fourteenth chapter.

14. I Get Pre-Fight Anxiety

Matt

So a lot's happened since Hendricks' defeat and now. Things that'll probably bore you if I go into detail.

So I'll just sum it up.

After Levi killed Hendricks and I got over the shock of jumping through a bunch of portals, we checked on Malachi. His diagnosis? Not good.

The bullet wound hadn't killed him, but he'd been out for a while. The aura of Nikandreos thankfully didn't spread throughout his entire body, instead it stayed condensed in the single spot. Why, I have no idea.

Talon wouldn't say a word. He had immediately picked up his friend and carried him to the direction of the forest. The three of us all exchanged looks and gave shrugs. Guess we were setting up Camp for the night.

I took the liberty of going in the barn and getting Kyros. The poor bird was so tired he slept through the whole ordeal. Can't blame him. Besides, if he got involved, who knows what Hendricks would've done to him, and I wasn't about to let that be a burden on my mind.

I told him to follow Harper. She was familiar to him, he knew her scent well, so I figured it to be the best option. Talon doesn't really interact with him all that much, and he still doesn't like Levi. Something about his bad scent still "lingering" or whatever that means.

In the barn, I found a conveniently placed notebook. I had planned on going back to Eliza's and explaining to her that we had to go, and thanking her again for letting us stay the night…but at this point, less interaction, the better. She doesn't need to be put in danger.

After skipping a few pages filled with a bunch of farm stuff, cattle weight, amount of hay to buy, etc, I found an empty sheet. Grabbing the pen in the little silver spiral attached to the notebook, I wrote down the following:

Thanks for letting us stay

Had to leave earlier than expected

Good luck with college

Matt

I know, I suck at writing letters but that's the best I got. I ripped it out gently and quickly made my way to her window. Manipulating the wind, I caught a breeze forceful enough to lift me to the overhang of the house. I landed on it and creeped up to the glass pane, looking like some kind of stalker no doubt. Looking inside, I felt a small sense of relief when I saw a nest of red hair laying in the bed, covers over the rest of her body. She was asleep.

Smiling, I placed the note in the small crook of the window, so the wind wouldn't blow it out. Once I knew it was secure, I jumped down and returned to my friends.

Talon had already used his powers to set up a temporary camp. Three tents. One for he and Malachi I guessed, and the other two for Harper, Levi, and myself. How we were going to divide it up, I wasn't sure. I figured I'd let the siblings bunk together, since they probably want to talk some more. Hendricks kind of interrupted that back at the little rumble we had. Besides, sleeping in the same vicinity as Harper on a quest…desirable, but appropriate? Maybe not. Still, the thought makes me sigh.

I found Malachi already curled up inside the tent Talon had placed him in. He looked a lot better. I couldn't make out the glowing golden light anymore, and his aura had replenished ten-fold from what it was. He was even visibly breathing now, his chest rising and falling in a normal pattern.

Levi or Harper one had set up two thick logs that happened to be lying around. I sat next to Talon on his, adjacent to Levi on the other. Nobody had seemed to say a word, as they all just kind of stared at the embers in the makeshift pit someone had already formed.

I can understand why everyone's so distraught, as they all had the same experience as me. Judging by the way they reacted, and Levi's suspicious behavior, they all got trapped in alternate universes like I did.

But the silence was deafening. I broke it with the thing buzzing my mind the most.

"Malachi seems to be doing a lot better."

Talon broke his gaze from the now crackling fire, flinching a little. Like he hadn't even realized I walked up and sat downright next to him. He took in my presence and then glanced at the dormant Malachi.

"Yeah…yeah, he does. I don't know what the hell I did, but I just touched the wound and….bam, it was gone."

I raised my eyebrow, "You healed him?"

He shrugged, his face confused and down ridden. "I guess. I don't know. One minute he was on death's door, then the next he's just sleeping."

Reaching out to his emotions, I felt extreme confusion, guilt, and a little bit of confliction. I'm guessing Talon's questioning his father right now, his powers and just exactly what he's capable of. Not a bad insight at all, because we've all been wondering the same freaking thing for two years. Just what is Talon capable of? I mean, Malachi beat me in that fight, and then Talon shot him once and put him down, nearly killing him. That blows both of our strength out of the water. Even with Jack Colter's explanation on that first quest of Nikandreos' backstory, I still feel like I know barely enough about the god. Where is he? And why won't he explain things to Talon? Maybe he could teach him how to use his powers like my dad did with me.

I didn't press further, because I knew that one more prodding question, and Talon was going to snap. I simply nodded, "Oh, well that's good."

I turned to Harper and Levi, who were both looking at Talon with a look I'd never seen, on both of their faces. A hint of fear. On Harper's face, and even Levi's face, it was surprising. Harper always seemed annoyed with the cowboy, but there was a constant underlying layer of affection in her eye roll, her deadpan, or her head shake. Maybe they had a rocky start yeah, but I knew how she really felt about him. They were friends, and seeing him act this way was kind of a repeat of how he acted when he thought Malachi and Sera were dead, only in a different way. Here, he's a potential threat. Just what would he do if we were in his sights? It's already been proven that Talon doesn't remember anything when he's in that form. What if he accidentally attacks us?

And Levi, well I'd only seen Levi afraid of Ouranos, and no one else. The guy was brave, I'd give him that. So seeing the look of fear directed at Talon? It was odd, for sure.

The three of us looked back and forth at each other, trying to be as subtle as possible. I wasn't sure what they were trying to get at, but I was urging with my eyes that we should just leave him alone and go to sleep.

Harper must have had other ideas, because she leaned forward and addressed Talon.

"Hey…are you alright?"

Talon didn't look up, but he knew she was talking to him. "Yeah, I'm good. I don't really want to talk about it."

Harper's eyebrows lowered in a tender way that meant she in fact did want to talk about it and with him alone. Some kind of understanding was there that I missed out on. Actually, a lot of understanding. At first, I'll be honest, the thought crossed my mind that they may have gained feelings for each other during our last quest while I was with my dad. Stupid, I know, considering the four-year age gap and how they acted towards each other on the first quest. But when I came back, I noticed that they talked a lot more without yelling at each other, looked at each other sometimes with a knowing expression. At first, I thought it was something akin to longing, or a secret that they had formed. I assumed the dumbest outcome, but at the time…it could have made sense.

I never asked Harper about it, simply because I knew what would happen. She'd get mad and accuse me of not trusting her. I get it, but I can't help the curiosity. Would I be mad? I…don't know. Quite frankly, from what I remember, my mindset was pretty go with the flow about the whole thing.

That's a lie, idiot. Remember Logan?

Okay, so I might have had a problem with her dating someone else while I was gone. But if it had been Talon…I may have felt different. I don't know, it's really hard to say. She thought I was dead, that's for sure, and Talon is someone that she interacts with on a daily basis, the guy's good looking, charismatic, funny, and the two have a lot in common. More than they both want to admit.

But then there's the fact that he's a fresh twenty-one, and she's seventeen. That right there would automatically be weird for both of them, I'd guess. But then again, that's not an insanely huge gap, if you think about it. Weird, and probably illegal, but if you put into perspective that when he's thirty, she'll be twenty-six…it doesn't exactly hold the same weirdness.

I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it, maybe I'm rambling. I love her, and I trust her. But it's a small thing that's been nagging me. Maybe I should mention it.

And Levi. I've got to talk to him too. He saw something in an alternate universe that shook him. I want to find out what.

I've got a lot on my hands at the moment, if it's not already clear.

I broke the awkwardness and her tender gaze at the gunslinger with a good old throat clearing. "Alright, guys. It's probably best that we get some sleep. What do you say?"

Levi agreed, "I say that's a good idea. We can check on Malachi's condition in the morning."

"I'll keep watch over him." Talon said immediately. "The tent's ours. You guys take the other two."

I looked at him and lightly and raised my hand in a calming gesture. "We were going to do that anyway, man. You're the best fit to keep an eye on him."

Talon didn't smile or make an expression. He just locked eyes with me and nodded. Getting up, he retreated to the tent and zipped it shut. His shadow cast from the fire sat down cross legged beside Malachi, looking down on him with his chin in his hands.

Harper leaned towards us and whispered, "I'm worried about him."

I wanted to say I'm sure you are, but I kept my trap shut. Stupid trap, stay shut. Don't let stupid assumptions control your words.

"He feels guilty." Levi said, staring at the shadows in the tent. "He just shot his best friend and has no recollection of it. Of course he's going to be downcast."

Harper pursed her lips at Levi, "I'm saying that we shouldn't have just let him go like that. We should've talked to him."

I shook my head, "I'm not sure that's the best idea right now. I read his emotions…and Levi's right. He's angry with himself. Any prying from us will only cause an outburst. We should let it go until tomorrow. Then if you want to slip in a question or talk, do it."

Harper didn't seem too pleased about the idea, but eventually nodded. "Okay. You're…probably right. I understand what it's like to want space, so if he wants that, then we'll give it to him."

"But now there's the matter of Malachi himself." Levi said, not taking his eyes off the Demi-Primordial's shadow for one second. "He's with us now, but as a friend or an enemy?"

I tightened my mouth and matched Levi's gaze on the tent. "I don't know…"

"If what he said is true about Sera, then he's alone. Being cooped up with Ouranos for an entire year, being manipulated and brainwashed by his tongue?" Levi asked rhetorically, a hint of bitterness beneath. "Trust me, I know from experience that it messes with your head, makes you become a different person."

Harper put a hand on her brother's shoulder, something I never thought I'd see. "But you're not that person anymore, and he isn't either. We gotta believe that the old Malachi is still in there somewhere."

Staring at the tent, the two shadows of Malachi and Talon rippled with the sway of the fire, contorting them like hand puppets that kids always play with in settings like these.

"Oh, he's in there." I muttered, "But the question is – has he spent enough time with Ouranos to be completely converted? Has the hint of darkness spread throughout his entire body?"

We all looked at the shadowy form. Registering what I said about darkness…it cast an eerie chill over us, even with the blazing campfire.

---

Percy

Oceanus couldn't be too far ahead.

He had a ten second head start, yes, but he had never outrun me before, especially me when I'm enraged.

The moment replayed over and over in my mind.

"Perfect fuel for the fire."

"PERCY!"

He had taken her right out from my grip, my fingers had slipped open, and she was gone in the blink of an eye. I had failed her.

This rage, this certain kind of anger was new to me. I'd never felt it before. Even when she'd been captured all those years ago by Dr. Thorn, I didn't feel this way. Then, I was sad, but now…I'm downright murderous and vengeful. Annabeth and I had been through too much together for the same thing to happen. Losing her isn't an option. I don't care if he's a titan, I'll draw from every depth I can if that's what it takes to beat him. Whatever it takes.

So I drilled forward. Water rushed past me and roared in my ears, I heard none of it. I saw only one thing.

Well, at least until I got yanked out of the water.

One second, I'm on the pursuit, then the next I feel a constricting grip on my shoulder, pulling me out of the water and into the air. I'm sure if you compared a literal fish on a hook to me, you'd find no difference. As soon as the familiar chill hit my skin, my gut wrenched, and I felt myself pitched backwards towards the sand.

I hit it hard, tumbling on my back until I stopped with my butt in the air, straight to the sky.

I shot up immediately, ready to throttle whatever had attacked me.

"Dude, what the he-" I started, but stopped when I saw that it was my…withered dad. Poseidon stood at the shore's edge, his hand outstretched and his now white beard flapping with the wind.

"Dad?" I said, "What the- why did you-"

"Percy, you need to listen to me." He didn't lower his hand, "Don't go after Oceanus!"

He might as well have said blue was the worst color in existence. I saw red, and it was swimming away to the bottom of the ocean with my girlfriend.

"He's got Annabeth!" I shouted, "I have to save her!" I tried to go again.

Dad grabbed my arm and spun me around, doing a three sixty and pushing me back where I was two seconds ago. "I understand, Percy. We'll get her back together."

His calm tone threw me off, and for some reason made me very frustrated. Heat chills expanded across my nerves, like they always do when I feel like I'm going to explode. Just the fact that he didn't seem to care about her. I get keeping me away from Oceanus for my own safety, fine, but from Annabeth? No. She needs to be saved, fast.

"You don't understand! He's going to kill her! I have to stop him!" I charged again, this time with more aggression in my step. I threw myself at his chest and nearly knocked him over. To my surprise, he started coughing and hacking, but he still pushed himself against me to block my path. I struggled and tried to slip, but he was too big and had too much reach. Finally, he grabbed my wrists and forced me to look at him.

"PERCY, STOP!"

I did, and took a moment to take in the fact that he was bleeding now. My face relaxed and I raised my eyebrow. Ichor streamed down his chin from his mouth in a couple of areas, like the coughing had brought it up. Or was it…me?

"Dad…oh no, dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No." He interrupted, wiping his mouth, "My energy is waning, that's all."

"This is what I'm talking about. He needs to be stopped now."

"He will be, my son, he will be. But if you go down there now, you're only asking to get killed. Down there, he has monsters and an army of his own at his disposal. You'll be walking into a lion's den."

I knew everything he was saying was right, but I didn't care. "Doesn't matter. She needs help, and I'm going after her."

I started to walk away from him, pulling my wrists from his grip, I went back to the water.

"I know I cannot stop you from going." Dad said from a distance now, "So that's why…we should work together."

I stopped abruptly and turned around. "What?"

He looked at me somberly, "I was wrong before. Not allowing you to fight with us because I was worried about you…was foolish. I just hope you can forgive me for that, Percy. Sometimes I still see you as that twelve-year-old boy that first came into this life, when in reality…you're all grown up."

Everything, including my heartbeat slowed down, to the point where it all became normal again. Seeing my father in this withered state, and admitting his feelings…made all of my frustration melt away.

"Sometimes I still feel like that twelve-year-old boy." I muttered, "No idea what to do, no idea where everything's going. It's like a mess that I can't fix."

Dad lowered his head and slowly came to me, when he stood not two feet away, he put his hand on my shoulder, easily this time. I didn't flinch or move.

"You're much stronger and capable than you were back then." He said, "You've learned so much, and I failed to see that. Having you battle Oceanus with Triton and I would be just the equalizer we need."

"What changed your mind?" I asked innocently, like a little kid. Irony to the point he was trying to get across.

"Well, thinking about it helped, but when you stood up to me, that was the initiator. You've never been afraid to speak your mind to us gods, Percy, and in my opinion, that's one of your best traits." He leaned in and whispered, "Just between you and me, you have no idea how badly it throws us off."

I snickered. Yeah, probably because they've never dealt with someone as mouthy as me.

"So what do we do now?"

Gently, he turned me towards the ocean and kept his hand on my shoulder. We both looked out at it like sightseers, but the sudden change in mood told a different story. This was the tiny calm before the storm. As quickly as this conflict had started for me…it was about to end.

"Triton has gathered old allies of ours. We'll meet up with them, prepare ourselves, and go over the plan."

"And after that?" I knew full well what happened afterwards, the answer that I wanted to hear was just a mouth motion away. I needed the confirmation though. I wanted to hear him say it, that we were on the same page.

Dad's face darkened, "After that…we restore the sea."

---

Matt

The wind had died down and a calm autumn night had taken it's place. If I could get over the crickets chirping, then I'd be all set to get some sleep around here.

Back on Dad's little island, in that one-year training session to make me stronger, I had gotten used to the sound of the ocean. Ambient waves in the distance, the soft splash of water against the sand, the light flapping of palm tree leaves. These things held a certain nostalgia now. Funny how back then I never even paid much mind to it, I was just ready to go to sleep and recharge, hoping I would have enough energy by sunup to continue training. Now that I didn't have to do it anymore…I missed it. Go figure.

Still though, this whole camping atmosphere is nice. It's times like these where I kind of wish we weren't on a super dangerous quest, and we were just regular people on a trip. But you gotta take what you can get, right?

On my knees in the tent closest to the void of the forest, I pulled an arm out of my chestplate, grabbing at the bottom so I could escape it fully. I loved this thing, as the design basically mirrors my dad's, and it's just a great piece of armor overall. But when I wear it for hours on end, and fight to the death against a Demi-Primordial…you'd better believe it gets swampy.

I heard the zipper from the outside unzip itself and the furling of the tent's "door." I didn't even get a chance to look and see who it was, because they made themselves known immediately after.

"Need some help?" Harper said, holding back a chuckle. I guessed I looked pretty funny right now, trying to get this thing off.

I grumbled, "It's snugger than it looks."

I could sense her smile as she knelt down and got closer, zipping up the tent behind her. I felt soft fingers trail my skin and grab the hem of the armor. With aided hands on top of my own, we pulled the chestplate off.

I laid it in the corner and reached for my backpack I had grabbed off of Kyros. I knew the extra clothes I packed would come in handy, seeing as I had no other upper wear besides the chestplate until now.

I pulled out a plain red t-shirt and unwrapped it from it's tight mess, very aware of Harper's eyes on my bare upper half.

"You know, in some countries they consider staring impolite." I teased.

She just shook her head and smirked, "If it's impolite to enjoy a show like this, then consider me the rudest person on Earth."

I laughed as I covered myself and pushed my arms through. Ah, now that felt a lot better. Nothing like fresh cloth after chasing a psychotic demigod through several dimensions.

Situated, I sat cross legged on the silky tent floor, Harper following my movements, we both faced each other.

"So, did you need something?"

She shrugged, "Not really. I just figured we could talk about the whole…thing. I don't even know what to call it."

"Universe jumping." I said, half-jokingly. "You know, for someone with a knack for nicknames, you should know these terms by now."

She smirked at my joke, but I could tell that she wanted a more serious conversation. Her good eye kept darting to the watch on my wrist, the one that housed the Master bolt my older self had given me.

My tone switched and I obliged to her silent request. "Yeah, we do need to talk about that. It'd be nice to air out what happened, since so much did."

"I know." She sighed, "It was insane."

I raised my eyebrow, "Really? What happened with you?"

She started to say something, but caught herself, for whatever reason. Instead she motioned to my watch, "I'd say you deserve to go first, since you came back with a nice little gift."

Okay, that was fair. The watch is a pretty big elephant in the tent, so explaining that first makes sense.

I got into it, and told her just about everything that I could remember. I told her about the first universe, where everything was normal, even the part about her alternate self and how I kissed her (probably should've kept my mouth shut on that one, but I hated lying, so I came out with it.) Meeting Talon, Malachi, Sera, and even my parents. I told her about how I find Hendricks and rescued Mortal Matt, chasing the son of Hecate through various time jumps, Insano, and finally my older self.

By the time I had finished, perhaps an hour had passed. Maybe not that long, but I know it was at least a few minutes. Harper had hung on every word, not diverting her attention for anything, or interrupting me once. It was great that she listened so intently, but also a little intimidating. Most people would butt in or say something, but no, she just absorbed the information without any input.

When I finished, I took in a deep breath and let my lungs catch up with my mouth. Harper stared for a few seconds, then looked at the ground, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Okay, I think you've got me beat in the weirdness department on the alternate timeline thing."

"It's a lot, I know." I said, still baffled that the entire thing happened in the first place. "I just can't believe that Hendricks was capable of something like that. Or the fact that these alternate universes exist in the first place. I mean, how is it that there's a timeline where Ouranos wins? A timeline where I become a god and fight him for eternity…" I scrunched my face at the thought, the overwhelming idea of having to live out that life. Just the fact that it was real in another world made me uneasy.

"I was just as surprised as you were." Harper said, "I mean, it's one thing to have an alternate universe where everything's almost the same, like last year with that Zeus guy. But to have multiple? It's…really weird."

"It wasn't so much weird as it was sad." I muttered, "Everyone was dead, Harper, except he and I. We were the only beings on the planet, fighting each other for all time until one of us died." The more I pondered it, the more I worried about what my alternate self said. "It was over a decision that I made. I refused to let one of my friends do something, and me refusing that…caused Ouranos to win. That could happen here."

Harper's single icy blue ring pierced mine, urging comfort the best it knew how. "Don't think like that. That's not going to happen here, got that? You're not going to make the same mistake that he did."

"But how do I know? I don't even have a clue what the decision is, or the person that he's talking about. I'm going out of my mind thinking about it." I looked at her with sadness, remembering the look on my older persona's face when he talked about alternate Harper. "You were dead too. He said Ouranos killed you in front of him."

It was a different Harper, but I still said "you" like they were the same person. To me, any version of Harper dying is unbearable. It's no different than a nightmare. But when that nightmare becomes a reality, well…it never ends.

She put her hand over mine, the softness of it never failing to take me off guard. You'd think with the way she trained and used those knives that her hands would be calloused and worn, like a man's. But no, they were as soft as ever, spreading an indescribable warmth across my wrist and fingers.

"Matt, listen to me. That's not our timeline. I'm here, I'm alive, and I'm not leaving your side. It may be a lost cause in that universe, but over here…we're still fighting." She forced a determined smirk, but I could tell that what I had described was eating at her too. Maybe the thought that it could very well happen here was scary to even her. But still, the way her thumb rubbed across mine, her eyes glossing over in the scarce fire light we had, it somehow slowly erased those fears.

"Knowing what you know now, you'll be ready for it." She urged, "We're going to win. That piece of shit won't even know what hit him."

I studied her in silence. Yeah, maybe she was scared too, I knew I was, but maybe that's the beauty of moments like these. In a small tent in the middle of the forest, two scared demigods are somehow able to build each other up with the simplest of phrases, because at least they can feel that emotion together. There's comfort in a crowd, as they say.

And I was fine with that. We're supposed to feel this way. We're not gods, we're not even adults for crying out loud. For the burdens that we carry, yeah, we deserve to vent every now and then. We deserve to feel fear.

I nodded at her and smiled. Pulling my hand from hers, we parted for only a split second before I pulled her into a hug. I rested my arms comfortably on her lower back and rested my chin against her shoulder. Inhaling the sweet scent of her hair was the icing on the cake.

"You're right." I said, "I can't get overwhelmed by something that may happen in the future. I need to focus on the opportunities I have right now."

Slowly, she returned the hug in a tight embrace. Her lithe arms like boa constrictors around my shoulders, squeezing like they'd never let go. I was perfectly fine with it, in fact it felt even better this way. Letting each other know we were here and not just a figment of the imagination or some glitch in the matrix…goes farther than you might think.

"Exactly." She whispered, "I mean who knows, we might take him when we get to Mount Othrys. And with your new equalizer, we've got a pretty good shot at doing so."

She pointed to the watch in question, flickering and warming my wrist up with its immeasurable power. I held it up so we could both look at it.

"I can't believe it. That's the Master Bolt."

I nodded, "Only five shots though. I need to make them count."

"Use all of them on Ouranos." She said, like it was that simple. "If he takes one, hit him with another. But I doubt he can withstand even one with the state he's in."

I lowered it, "I may not have to use it at all. I'm going to be smart about it, only use it in a life-or-death situation. Besides, it's not Ouranos we have to worry about this time."

She caught on instantly, "Atlas…"

"Yeah. The guy's a problem. Even if we can get Malachi to fight with us…if he's even able, it won't be enough to take him down. Not by a long shot. He's too strong."

She slumped and looked around the tent, trying to force her brain to think of a plan. "If sheer strength won't work on him, then we need to play it smart. Maybe if we only go for that scar on his eye? That's a weak spot."

"Yeah, but I get the feeling that'll only work once. He won't allow himself to be open after we land a shot there. And even if we do, it won't do that much damage. We're trying to end him, for good, not let him go."

Saying that, I didn't even feel a shred of hesitance, or a second thought. Usually I'm uneasy about killing my enemies. Most of them I tried my best to find a way to spare them, but defeat them at the same time. That wouldn't work in this situation though. I knew that Atlas had to die, because if he was left alive, it would pose a huge threat to Olympus. Same with Ouranos.

Harper agreed, "Totally. The guy's a massive bomb waiting to blow the gods to smithereens." She snorted, "And he probably could. Where the hell is Zeus when we need him?"

I shook my head, "Doesn't matter where he is. We need to handle this on our own. This fight started with us, and it's going to end with us. If we can prove that we're strong enough, or at least smart enough to take down an all-powerful titan…then we don't need Zeus' help, for anything."

"Sure would be nice though." She mumbled.

I had given up on the gods doing anything of note in this war. Maybe they had and I'm just missing the entire picture, but right now it seems like they're just nowhere to be found. They can correct me if I'm wrong, believe me, I'd love to be corrected and find out that they've been fighting with us this entire time, just in their own way. But I'd have to see some evidence.

No. I've accepted that this is on us. Not them, but us.

"We use our heads." I said, getting back to the Atlas conversation. "Be cautious, only take necessary shots. Staying alive is the main thing. Atlas is bloodthirsty, and he loves to fight. He's not going to try and kill you, so that's an advantage. If we can surprise him with the Heavenly Diamond knife and land a critical blow…I think that might be our best chance."

Her eyes widened at the mention of the knife. "That's right! If he's hit, he gets wounded permanently!"

"And if I see an opening…I can use the Master bolt to distract him. Or even…" I glanced at the tiny bolt whirring in the glass frame of the watch, "…Blow him to pieces. This thing is probably powerful enough to end it. I'm just worried that he might dodge the blast."

She leaned back and lightly threw her hands up, "Hey, your weapon, your decision. If you want to do it like that, I'm with you."

For a second, I stared at the new item. The lightning danced like a firefly almost, the electricity wasn't too bright that you couldn't bear to look at it, and it wasn't so dim that you had to lean in to see it. It was…balanced, and perfect. Ever so often it would flicker and it's light would expand and ripple across the tent. I found that little pattern to be entrancing.

"We'll see…" I said, imagining it in my head. Holding the bolt in full over my head, about to deliver the final blow to Atlas. One movement, all in the palm of my hand…

Harper's yawn interrupted my fantasy. She raised her arms straight over her head and stretched, closing her eyes, and holding it. She looked like a cat, loosening itself up so it can nimbly grab its prey.

"I think I'm gonna crash." She announced, plopping her arms in her lap. "Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Demigod motto is always be ready, right?"

"Pretty sure that's the Coast Guard."

"Ah, you know what I mean."

I smiled, unsure if by sleep, she meant in here with me. Had I been clear in the head, I wouldn't have given it a thought. I was tired myself, and probably would've just curled up next to her. But remembering something I wanted to talk about, I had to stop her and just come out with it.

"Hey, before you hit the hay…I have a question to ask."

She had already laid down and propped one knee up, bent in an upside-down V-shape. Comfortably resting her arms behind her head and straightening her body as far as it could go, she sighed "What is it?"

I wasn't sure how to start this. I knew it was probably going to ruin the night, and a potential snuggle session with her, which I really needed to ease my mind (from the massive titan inhabiting it) but I didn't care. If I didn't bring this up now, it would always bug me.

So with a deep breath, I just said it. "Last year, on that quest to Scandinavia…did you and Talon kiss? Or start liking each other in a romantic way?"

No stutter, no off trailing mumble, none of that. It emerged clear and even, exactly how I wanted it to. I might've been proud of myself for actually spitting it out if I didn't see her reaction.

Immediately, her eyes shot open, and her ears turned red. A look of utter disbelief washed over her face like a bucket of water. It was probably the most shocked I had ever seen her. She sat up and stared at me, bewildered.

"What did you just ask me?"

"I asked if you and Talon kissed. Or gained feelings for each other."

Yeah, the more I said it, the more stupid it sounded. Judging by her reaction, I already had my answer. Crap, now I had to deal with the aftermath of my own stupidity. Curiosity killed the cat I suppose. If my symbol is a lion…then that's close enough.

Harper huffed and gave a humorless smile to the tent fabric behind me, looking at it and biting her tongue.

"Matt, stupid doesn't even begin to describe what you just said. You actually think that we kissed? Or are you joking? Because if you're joking, now's the time to laugh and let me know."

Oh well, we're already downhill, might as well go a little faster. "I'm not joking. I know it's dumb, but It's been bugging me for a while now."

The reality that I wasn't joking was setting in, and her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Gods, I can't believe this. You actually think that I would kiss that gun toting moron?"

"Harper, I know you don't really think that way about him. Your relationship changed last year. Something happened on that quest to form an understanding." I raised my palms in surrender, "Clearly it wasn't a kiss. I was wrong, so let's just forget it."

"Forget it? You brought it up, Matt!"

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have. It was stupid to even think about and I'm sorry for ever doing so."

"I'm not mad at you for assuming that, I just…can't really believe that you would in the first place. Do you…not trust me or something?" She put her hand on her chest when she referred to herself, her anger shifted for a moment, and her expression flashed what she was really feeling. I had hurt her.

I reached forward and grabbed her hands in mine, "No, that's not it at all. You thought I was dead, understandably, and I just figured that with me gone, and how much you two have in common…well, I don't know, I just figured something might have happened."

She pulled her hands away from my grip and wouldn't look at me. Just like that, I felt ten times worse now. My chest had gone all the way down to the ground, and sunk into the earth. I was officially an idiot.

She looked me in the eye, her good one hard and cold. "Talon and I never kissed. We never gained feelings for each other, or any of that crap. Did we have some good conversations? Yeah. Did we find out we had more in common than we thought? Yeah, we did. Has my opinion changed on him? Yes. Do I consider him one of my best friends? Hell yeah."

I listened on, looking like a cat caught in the cookie jar. My head nodding and my face guilty.

"Matt, what happened on that quest between us wasn't something so fucking cliché as me falling for him to get over you, sharing some dumb kiss under the stars or in secret from Malachi and Sera. It never happened. What really went down was honestly better, and something deeper than an act of impulse that I'd regret the next morning. I learned more about that guy than I bargained for, and what I learned…it kind of disturbed me."

I was full on shrinking away now. She was mad at me, clear as day. Well, I knew this would happen. It's best not to dwell on it. "Yeah, I know. He's been through a lot."

"He's still going through a lot." She corrected. "Nikandreos is in his head twenty-four seven. He barely understands the truth about his father, about his powers, anything. He's telling Talon that he needs to find him, and if he does, only then will he tell the truth."

"Nikandreos?" I said, "That doesn't make sense. Tell the truth about what?"

"About everything, I guess. Who knows? The point is, Talon's freaking out about it, and has been for a while now. I just empathize with that, you know. Not knowing where you're going to go, or what you're going to do. Just drifting through life with a purpose you thought was everything…but in the end it turned out to be a lie. I can relate to him in that regard." She shook her head and sighed, "But I've found mine. He's still looking."

I didn't know what to say, but the look she wore now told me she wanted something to come out of my mouth.

The time limit passed, and she sighed. "He opened up to me about some of that stuff, that's why I wanted to talk to him earlier. Besides, isn't it okay to be concerned about someone that almost killed their best friend? He's clearly blaming himself."

When I finally spoke, it came out barely audible. "Of course it's okay. I'm…sorry for the way I came off. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

The anger seemed to have passed now. She studied me and determined that I regretted even bringing the topic up. I did. If I had just thought about it more, I would've come to the proper conclusion myself, and none of this would've happened. Stupid, impulsive decision.

She shook her head, disappointed. "I love you. Not him, you."

"I know."

She nodded and scooted to the tent's entrance, unzipping it. "I'm going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

I nearly cringed. You made her leave, way to go Matt.

"Goodnight." I called. I didn't hear a response.

Fatigue suddenly weighed on me, not the fatigue from being tired, but from feeling so many negative emotions at once, that I just wanted to flop down and never get up. I didn't though. I knew I still had to talk to Levi about before. I wanted to know what had happened.

I waited a few seconds for Harper to get in the other tent so we could avoid any awkwardness. Once I sensed the coast was clear, I exited the tent and walked outside.

I didn't even have to reach out to find his aura. He was still sitting by the campfire.

"Hey."

He looked up at me, strands of dark hair in place to conceal most of his eyes from my view. "Hey."

"Can we talk for a second?" I motioned with my head to the woods, my hands in my pockets.

He looked a bit surprised, but got up, "Sure."

Together we entered the nature setting, walking along what I imagined to be a hiking trail. It wasn't, but the path was so clear and intricate that I couldn't help but be a little puzzled. Either way, we weren't interrupted by any unwanted limbs. The moonlight gave us enough brightness to see where we were going, and to make out each other's figures at least.

"Something happen with Harper?" Levi said, breaking the long silence. "She didn't look too happy."

"Just me being an idiot."

Levi cocked his head, maybe thinking of some retort or joke, but then I realized that it was Levi I walked beside. He doesn't make jokes. He didn't press further on the subject, but he did lead the next point.

"So what did you need to talk about?"

It was at this point that I slowed to a stop, in between two trees, I faced him.

"I just wanted to know what happened with you. You know, when Hendricks put us all in different universes."

Levi wasn't expecting me to drill him on this, clearly. His head moving back and his eyebrows furrowing were signs of that. "I don't know what you're talking about. He only put you in an alternate timeline."

"Don't lie, man. I saw the look on your face, when you killed him. Something happened. You saw something."

"So what if I did? Why would it matter?"

"Because in one universe, I found out something. There's going to come a day where I have to make a decision, and that decision can either doom the world or save it from Ouranos. I just want to know if you heard something similar. If so, then I need you to tell me."

Levi's defensive demeanor softened. "Wait, what do you have to decide?"

I pursed my lips, "I don't know. Something about letting something happen that can defeat Ouranos, but it comes with a deadly cost. I couldn't find out anymore."

Levi stared at me for a minute. I could sense the conflict inside his head, for a second, I assumed it to be him trying to come up with a lie. But looking closer, it wasn't that. He was just remembering whatever event he witnessed.

"It wasn't anything like that." He said, "I didn't find out anything about you or the fate of the world. But I did see something."

When he said it, I felt a bit relieved to be honest, but at the same time…a tad disappointed. Is it bad that I wanted to get some insight on future events? I mean, if Levi saw something similar to what I saw, then we could start connecting some dots and forming a contingency plan.

But he didn't see anything in that regard, and I could tell he wasn't lying. I'd leave it alone then.

"Alright, good. That's all I wanted to know. You don't have to tell me what you really saw if you don't want to."

"No, I don't mind." He said rather quickly, "I'd like to get it out. It might help to talk about it."

I relaxed and leaned up against the nearby tree. "Okay. I'm listening."

"Well…first of all I never found him in the universe. I only stayed in the one he put me in. It was some kind of alternate timeline where I never worked for Ouranos."

I raised my eyebrows, interest peaking. I already knew where this was going.

"Let me guess, everything was normal, right?"

"It wasn't just normal. It was better. Our father rehabilitated himself, Harper and I never fell off, and it was…nice. Of course I had to watch the entire thing from afar, I knew full well if my presence became known I would cause a paradox or something."

I scratched my head sheepishly, remembering how I sort of interfered and showed myself to my mortal counterpart. Boy I wonder what he's up to right now. Probably traumatized.

I got serious; a twinge of sympathy rang out for him. I could tell he was completely dejected and guilty, the way he was looking at the ground, his entire frame sunken.

"I bet it was hard to look at. Wasn't it?"

He nodded. "It made me realize what I gave up by ever believing that monster. If I had just escaped his clutches when he captured me, and never listened to him…I could have lived a similar life. I could have always been there for her, I never would've killed our father, Chiron, or anybody." His lip quivered and he put his face in his hands, "I'm such a mess, Matt. Nico should've just killed me when he had the chance."

I watched on, not finding the situation awkward at all. It was sad to me. Never would I have thought that I'd be in the scene I'm in now, where I want to comfort Levi Pierce of all people. Rehabilitation is one of the hardest things in the world. I know that, not from experience, but just because it's so obvious. The deeper the hole that you dig, the harder it is to get out of.

I stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, applying just enough pressure to let him know I was here. He took his face out of his hands and looked straight at me in shock. His watery eyes shone in the moonlight, offering a very different picture to his face than the one I've been used to. This was the most vulnerable version of him, and I was witnessing it in full view. I couldn't pass up the chance to give the guy some reassurance.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you, man. It's hard to redeem yourself in the eyes of others, especially with the things you've done." I squeezed his shoulder a little tighter, "But you're trying. That's the most important thing in changing yourself. The fact that you chose to in the first place. It's gone a long way with me already, I mean, I trusted you with the knife, right? Still got it?"

He nodded and looked down at his belt, where it was sheathed. "Y-yeah."

"See, and you've proved that I wasn't wrong in trusting you with it. You haven't tried to kill us yet, escape with it or anything that we would normally associate you with. It's a good start. And from an outsider's perspective…I can tell that Harper's starting to trust you again as well."

At that, his eyes widened even more, almost in disbelief. "You think so?"

My lips upturned in a small smirk, "I know so. You guys have been talking too, right? How's that been going?"

He shrugged and thought about it. "Well…I think it's been going well. We've discussed a lot of things, cleared the air on several concerns we had, and before Hendricks attacked, while we were in the barn…she even suggested that I could stay at Camp one day."

My smirk quickly changed to a slack jaw. That surprised me, a lot. Harper actually said that? I mean…it doesn't sound like a horrible idea. If all goes well, then I'm fine with him staying at Camp. But that's not the issue, the issue is how everyone else will react.

You already know how they'll react.

I cringed, "Levi…you really think that's a good idea? I mean, I wouldn't be opposed, but someone like Nico for instance, probably wouldn't be a fan."

He sighed, "I know it sounds crazy, but…maybe one day when I've built some trust, it could happen. I don't know. I'd like to hope though."

I could tell he had gotten excited about the idea, especially since it was Harper that suggested it. I didn't have the heart to completely shoot it down. So instead I put an arm around him and smiled.

"Tell you what. Let's take down Ouranos and Atlas, then when we return to Camp…we'll see. With Harper and I behind your back, who knows, it might actually happen."

It took him a second to register what I had said, but when he did, he returned the smile. Even with the x-shaped scar, it reminded me of the younger version that I had seen in Harper's memories. The sight made me feel all the more guilty for giving him false hope.

"Thanks, Matt." He said, "You know, I haven't really gotten the chance to fully thank you for your support. It means a lot that you've been patient with me." He chuckled, "You know, at first, I thought Harper only liked you because of your looks, but you're a genuine guy. I'm glad she picked you."

I should've been kind of honored, but instead I only felt the same dread I felt before with the whole Talon situation. I never should've brought that up.

I forced my face to remain composed. I didn't let it show. "I appreciate that, man. Good talk." I rubbed my eyes and yawned, "Now what do you say we get some shut eye?"

"I say that sounds good."

I nodded and patted Levi on the back. Probably the most surprising thing on this entire quest, right there. I never pictured that I would do such a thing with such a person, but you know…it was quite nice. I'm glad things turned out the way they did. With a content feeling in my chest, we walked back to our campsite.

---

Shortly after my talk with Levi, I hit the sleeping bag and went out like a light.

Harper decided to bunk with her brother. Which was fine by me, after my little stunt earlier, I understood that she probably needed to some space from me. I was okay with that.

What I was not okay with, were the nightmares that interrupted my slumber.

Right after my eyes closed it seemed, darkness shifted to shape, and shape shifted into a battle unlike anything I had ever seen.

I floated high in the air, hovering above a giant plain of flat rock. The rock itself gave off a magmatic appearance, red and steaming, it looked like with one touch it would melt your entire hand off. The sky was a mix of gray and red, the red being the hellish pigment of the sky and the gray being the clouds. Somehow, even with the darkness, I could see everything perfectly fine.

But I could tell something was wrong right off the bat. I didn't need my sensing abilities to discern that something had went completely wrong with this battle. The mood was obvious that the opponent was dominating. Many had died, many had suffered at the hands of…something.

That something was revealed shortly after. Like a camera panning backwards, I got a view of the monster that was giving off said ominous feeling. Standing atop a mountain of ash, was a warrior. Hulking and enormous, he had his blood-soaked fists clenched, his posture straight and challenging, strands of his clean-cut hair swayed with the sulfuric wind. It was clear he was the dominator.

But what appeared to be a god like warrior atop a three-hundred-foot-tall pile of burned ash changed the minute I got a closer look. Floating on the other side of the man, his face and front side appeared to me. Comparing our frames, it was like comparing a rabbit to a wolf. He had to be eight feet tall at least, his face was harsh, ruggedly handsome and soldier like. He had bulging muscles and a monstrous body frame, short blond hair and glaring eyes, fists that could crush the entire world with their grip. The description was really familiar, and even looking at him, it was like I had seen him before…but I couldn't place it. There was no way I had met him.

I tried to study other things about him that made him so familiar to me. His clothes, maybe? He was shirtless, but not by choice. He had been wearing a chiton, but it must've gotten ripped in the battle, now it only covered his lower half down to his knees. He had been scratched in a couple of places, but other than that, no wounds.

Okay then, maybe his expression. He looked excited, donning a smirk and a challenging posture, like I said before. I could tell he was looking ahead at an oncoming charge, silently saying that's right, keep coming. Or he had already wiped everyone out, and was instead saying I just single handedly killed an entire army.

Either way, he looked hungry.

Hungry.

For…blood.

The dots were starting to come together, but the final piece that I needed was right below him, for me to figure out who it was, I slowly looked down at just what he was standing on. It couldn't be just a random pile of ash, no, it had to come from somewhere.

Upon closer inspection, I was horrified to find out that it wasn't ash or dirt he stood on, but…corpses.

Yes, a pile of bodies so high that it would dwarf the statue of liberty if they were next to each other. The dark skin and armor all bundled together made it look like dirt, not to mention that there were…so many of them. There had to be thousand of dead soldiers under his feet. And he only got scratched in that exchange? Just who was this guy?

The guy, god, whatever he was noticed something below and directed his gaze to it. His smirk deepened.

"Ah, there you are." He said, his voice low and gravelly. Even so, I could tell his elation had skyrocketed.

Somehow, I willed myself to follow his gaze. As terrifying as the pile of bodies was, I forced myself to look past it and catch the small figures at the bottom.

There were five of them. Humanoids, all different shapes and sizes, some wearing armor and some not. The way they stood, they looked like a team of superheroes coming to save the day.

The man shook his head at them and bent down. There was a moment's delay when he held the position. The ground shook and the pile of bodies started to crumble under the pressure. Finally, he jumped in the air and plummeted towards them, the wind slicing under his flight and spreading out for hundreds of feet.

He landed on the ground, one knee bent and fist in the ground. Cracks littered the rocks and a shockwave blew his hair wildly. I half expected the superheroes to step back or waver a little at the display, but they stood firm.

The man raised his head and smiled wickedly at them. Standing up, he towered over most of them, even the tallest one by several inches.

Just what the heck was I watching here? At what point in history did this take place?

"Greetings, little gods." He said, addressing each one with a smug nod. "Come to test your luck?"

Whoa…little gods? Hang on, little gods?

Switching perspectives, the gods in question became clear. Although wearing different clothes, I recognized all of them immediately. In the middle, stood a tan, dark haired god wearing spiky silver armor and holding a weapon bigger than a small car. Long, thin staff with three sharp points on the end. The Trident. It took no genius to figure out that this was Poseidon.

To his left, Artemis and Apollo. No doubt about it. Here they appeared college age, Apollo with tousled sunshine hair and Artemis with long auburn locks. They both had longbows and full quivers on their backs, respectively glowing their signature colors. Apollo's a flaming orange and Artemis' a bright gray.

Now on the opposite side, we're two that I didn't identify as quickly. I had to look at their armor to tell who they were, instead of their faces. Right next to Poseidon, stood the shortest and smallest, besides Artemis. He wore shiny armor, covering most of his body and the sides of his face, only revealing his eyes, nose, and mouth. Judging by the wings on his helmet and sandals though, I got the impression that it was Hermes, god of speed, thieves, travelers, among other things.

If I didn't know the last guy was a god too, I might've put him off as some exceptional soldier. But considering who he stood next to, I deduced that he was Ares, the god of war. Armor and metal plates covered his body, from the Corinthian helmet on his head all the way down to his greaves. On his back and waist were multiple sheathed weapons. I counted two spears, a sword, and enough knives to make an assassin jealous.

Together, they stared down the man before them. I couldn't put my finger on it. Why was I seeing this? Clearly it was important, but how? The gods were fighting, actually fighting, no less six on one to somebody. Whoever it was, they had to be incredibly powerful, and judging by the armor they wore, I'd guess this happened millennia ago.

Poseidon inched forward a step, "The titan rule ends today, Atlas. Surrender now or suffer a worse fate than death."

At that, I would've gawked in shock if I could've. That was Atlas, that…enormous, scary looking guy?

Actually, I should've figured it out sooner. He looked exactly like what I would picture a young Atlas to look like. He had a short haircut, clean shaven face, an enormous bodybuilding frame, a bloodthirsty glare in his eyes, and that smirk…it was like it had been cropped from our meeting on the beach. No doubt, it was him.

So then…this must've taken place during the war between the gods and titans. The titanomachy.

I'm not the best at Greek history, but I never would've thought that Atlas was one of the main players, and in fact the guy that did most of Kronos's fighting for him. I always thought he got the "holding the sky" burden booted early to him, and he never got a chance to show off his skills. Clearly that wasn't the case.

Knowing now who he was in this vision…I felt scared for the Olympians.

Young Atlas scoffed, "Don't make me laugh. I've beaten every army that you little runts have thrown at me and more."

To the right, Ares growled, "Don't get cocky. By the time this is over, you're severed head will be on a pike, displayed to Kronos. He'll get to see that his so-called perfect general failed him."

"And who's going to put my head on that pike? The five of you?" Atlas chuckled, like he was facing a bunch of angry kids instead of all powerful deities. "Please. None of you Olympians deserve to even be on the same battlefield as me, let alone engage in combat with me. Zeus is the only one I'd give the time of day for. Where's he at?"

Poseidon smirked, "Hunting your master. My brother wanted to take care of Kronos himself." The sea god shrugged, "Guess he didn't think you were worth the strike of his master bolt."

At that, Atlas's eye twitched. He frowned.

Poseidon gained a bit of satisfaction at that, and spun his trident in place, before stopping it and crouching in a fighting position. "And if you think that Zeus is the only one capable of stopping you…then you clearly have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

Atlas's grin returned, unable to help it. He found all of this absolutely amusing. I could tell by the way his mouth twitched and the rumble of a laugh in his throat built up, that he was legitimately having trouble containing his excitement.

He gestured to himself, "You think you can kill me? Fine. Give it a try!"

Poseidon didn't even hesitate or wait for Atlas's echo to burst through the air. Faster than light, he slung the trident straight towards the titan's head. Atlas moved his neck and shoulders to the side and caught the tri-speared weapon by it's shaft. Quickly, he roared and brought it over his head, smashing the tip into the ground and created a massive shockwave.

Dust and rubble flew in a giant mushroom cloud of darkness. Atlas's form walked slowly and occulated, looking for oncoming attacks.

Then, on both sides of him, appeared two flaming balls of light, one orange and one gray. The twins' energy cleared the dust as they flew at him, their fists barely visible. Atlas thrust his palms out and caught them, squeezing tightly, and dissipating their auras. Atlas planted his right foot firmly in the ground and spun, taking Apollo and Artemis with him. After a single twirl, he let go and threw them in opposing directions, disposing of them.

Next was Ares. The god of war charged with a continuous shout, loud enough to crack mountains probably. It sounded like ten thousand men riding on horseback. The way he held his spear with both hands at his side as he ran in a hypersonic blur towards Atlas…it was a terrifying sight. Any opponent would be shaking and running for their life.

But Atlas simply smiled in amusement. Light on his feet, especially for his size, he nimbly hopped and reach down to pull Poseidon's trident from the ground. Yanking it out, he whirled it over his head and in one fell swoop, swiped at Ares's spear, shattering the wood and metal on impact.

There was a look of surprise on Ares's face as he looked up at Atlas. A moment too late, his hesitation would cost him. Atlas's eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed in sadistic enjoyment, he knew he had an open shot to pummel the god.

Like a cartoonish scene, Atlas whacked Ares on the top of his helmet with the trident, crumpling it and knocking it off his head completely. Ichor flew from his mouth, and he nearly stumbled to the ground, but Atlas wasn't through yet. He caught Ares in the gut with his knee and sent him bouncing ten feet off the ground. Atlas stepped back and reared the trident behind his head, holding it with both hands and spinning it baseball bat style. Once Ares entered the "zone" he hit the god square in the back with the side of the three tips, not stabbing him, but hitting him with the blunt metal. All the same, it caused a great deal of damage. Ares yelled out in pain and flew in the air, dropping to the ground and tumbling in the dirt.

Atlas stood for a moment in his lunging home run pose, then stood straight and howled with bellowing laughter. "Come on! That's the best you've got?!"

Apparently not, because on cue, a silver blur zoomed by Atlas's frame and the titan recoiled ever so slightly. Surprised, he looked around for the source of Hermes. It had to be. He was way faster than the other attempts so far, and even Atlas seemed to find him annoying, but like a bug to a human type of annoying.

Hermes darted and played pinball with Atlas's face for several seconds, punching him and striking him from all sides seemingly in a simultaneous fashion. Atlas tried to grab at him a few times, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Annoyed, I could see his face change from happy to angry by the narrowing of his eyes and the twitch of his mouth.

Just as abrupt, Poseidon rejoined the fray. Hermes kicked Atlas in the face and stumbled the titan, who shook his head and stared up at the colossal wave of water coming in his direction. Not a single puddle could be found out here, but this was the god of the sea we were talking about, he could form water from the air itself. And boy did he. Fifty, no, probably a hundred-foot-tall wave of pure condensed water rushed it's way to Atlas, looming and coming fast.

For the first time since the fight started, Atlas took an attack a bit seriously. His eyes widened a fraction, and he tensed up. A dim shade of purple outlined his body milliseconds before the water crashed into the arm, he held up to defend himself. Like the tsar bomb, the wave hit Atlas with everything it had, water gushed across miles of land, causing a miniature thunderstorm in the process.

When the chaos died, Atlas wasn't even thrown to the ground. He was however sent to one knee, but other than that and being a little soaked, he was unphased.

With his other hand, he picked up Poseidon's trident again and held it, looking out for the sea god and the other Olympians. I was wondering where he had gone myself.

I wasn't left in disappointment for too long. The water started to seep up from the ground and gather into a materialistic form. Taking shape of the god himself, skin appeared, hair appeared, and in the matter of moments, the water became Poseidon.

Atlas had realized this a bit too late. He swung the Trident at it's owner, going clean through Poseidon in a mesmerizing sight. Right when it touched his shoulder, his entire body became made of water again, translucent and liquid, the trident passed right through him. Poseidon reached out and became whole again, using his returned strength to snatch his trident away from Atlas. At the perfect moment, the other four Olympians returned to back him up. From there on, it was all of them against Atlas.

It looked kind of close, I'm not going to lie. For a minute they really seemed to be accomplishing something. Poseidon and Ares got up close and personal, swinging the trident around, Ares's sword and spears were darting in all directions while Artemis and Apollo stayed back and fired thousands of arrows, all aimed for the head and neck. All of them bounced off his skin like it was nothing, but I could tell that they could shoot and infinite number of arrows, and they weren't trying to kill him with this, they were causing a nuisance, a distraction for the big hitter. Hermes had the same approach, flying around and causing an annoyance to Atlas, punching him from all sides with swift pace.

After a few minutes of constant pressure, the dam burst. The five gods acted as one, and it rang true to be a critical strike. Hermes planted himself on Atlas's back and wrapped his arms around his neck, straining and pulling back with all his might. The same could be said for his hands, as the twins had that under control, their arms constricting around them and keeping him still.

Ares appeared behind him and unsheathed his sword, encircling the blade with a bright red glow. Pressing his palm to the hilt, he shoved it in Atlas's chest, inches away from his sternum. To my surprise, it was strong enough to pierce the skin and jut all the way through. The very tip of the blade could be seen as it protruded in a cloud of ichor and torn skin. Atlas grunted in pain and annoyance at the sudden table turn.

For the final measure, Poseidon dove in and crouched at Atlas's midsection. In a similar fashion to Ares, he thrust the Trident upward, the three points stabbed Atlas and pushed through his stomach. The titan actually howled in pain, ichor leaked and dripped from the wounds. I figured Poseidon would pull it out and let the blood spray, but instead he pushed deeper and deeper, causing Atlas to step back and stumble.

"You underestimated us." The sea god growled, "That was your mistake."

He twisted it for extra intensity, more ichor dripped down Atlas's stomach. At the same time, Ares pushed forward with his sword, the twins tightened their grip on his arms, Hermes locked in on his neck. Everything was in their favor. Deep wounds and seemingly unable to move, they should have this in the bag.

But that all changed when the titan's pained face shifted from an agonizing scrunch…to a wicked grin. Eyes wide and maniacal, Atlas grinned wolfishly down at Poseidon.

His mouth fell slack in shock, the other gods sensed the rising tension in Atlas's body. He wasn't waning, no, it was like he was only getting…stronger.

"And your mistake was thinking that I was actually effected by this." He said, "I live for the thrill, the pleasure lies in the pain for me! And I think it's time I inflict some more on you!"

With one flex, he broke out of Artemis and Apollo's grip and grabbed fistfuls of their hair. Slamming their heads to the ground, that's one lock broken.

The second came quickly. He thrust his head back and bashed his head into Hermes' nose, blinding the god and knocking him off his back. Atlas then reached behind his head and gripped Ares by his neck, pulling him over his entire body and flinging him in the distance.

The last target was Poseidon, who realized so. Atlas enveloped his fist in purple aura and reached to smash his face in, but with a forceful pull, Poseidon retrieved the trident and jumped back.

Atlas took deep breaths. Gently, he reached down and scooped up a glop of ichor on his finger. Bringing it to his mouth, he licked it and kept eye contact with Poseidon, the same smirk plastered on his mouth.

Poseidon reared his head back in disgust. "You vile beast…"

Atlas lumbered forward and threw his fist towards Poseidon, who sidestepped and slashed the trident, nicking the tip of Atlas's nose, it only made the titan all the more pumped up. Another stab attempt, this time Atlas caught the trident and tightly gripped it, pulling it closer to him, he in turn yanked Poseidon until he was inches away from his face.

"You know, I might have been wrong about you!" He shouted down, "Perhaps you can offer up a bit of fun!"

The fact that this was all one big adrenaline rush for him made Poseidon visibly angry. I could tell by the louder grunts and the quickness of his attacks. Aura glowed around him now, and things were getting serious.

"That's more like it!" Atlas said, and in turn activated his own aura. Purple against bright pearl green, the two gripped palms and struggled, pushing against each other with world destroying pressure. I couldn't believe I was actually witnessing this. Five Olympians, five elite gods going against one titan. It just proved how strong Atlas was. He had taken two stab wounds like it was nothing, from two of the most powerful weapons in the world no doubt. Poseidon may have landed more hits on him, but I knew that Atlas had the edge in this fight. With superior strength and durability…he was going to be very hard to beat.

Behind him, the other gods came rushing back to rejoin the fight. When he sensed this, Atlas audibly groaned.

"Stay out of this, worms!" With an effortful push, Atlas tossed Poseidon aside long enough to deal with the others. Before, I thought they stood at least a somewhat, half decent chance. They were Olympians after all, and they seemed to be doing pretty good.

But Atlas with his aura in display was an entirely different beast than before.

He grabbed Artemis from the air before she could even attempt to knock an arrow. Wrapping his entire grip around her waist, he slammed her into the ground and raised his boot, stepping on her arm as hard as he could, I heard a loud crunch and a crack in the ground. She yelled in pain, and the result was grotesque. It stuck out of her skin, along with a puddle of ichor. I couldn't imagine the amount of force it took to break a goddess's bone, or that they even had bones in the first place.

Atlas kicked her in the stomach and sent her tumbling away. Apollo, witnessing the whole thing, shouted in rage and enveloped himself in a bubble of heat and fire. Blasting several arrows linked in flame, he hailed them at Atlas. No effect. You might as well have thrown pebbles at him. He simply stood there and took all of them to the chest, face, and pretty much every other part of his anatomy.

Apollo's momentum led him right into Atlas's grip. He caught Apollo by the neck and reared his other hand back to form a fist. Two shattering blows to the face ensured a head roll and ichor flying from the sun god's nose.

Ares could be seen now, most of his armor dented and nearly ripped off, he looked a lot less impressive and very defeated. Still, he charged Atlas with his glowing red sword. A powerful slash aimed at his neck didn't connect, as Atlas brought up a single finger, his index finger, and stopped the blade from ever reaching him.

I knew it was a powerful attack. When it slammed into the middle of his finger, it created a giant shockwave, blowing wind for hundreds of feet and even dissipating clouds. Behind Atlas, the blowback of the strike had formed scars in the ground, literally, rocks were crumbling and forming wide abysses from the strike.

It was insane. The sword that had went through his chest earlier had now been stopped by a single finger. If the gap could get any further, I wasn't sure how. It was nationwide, no, worldwide at this point. Any hope I had of defeating this thing, this creature, was gone. My resolve basically shriveled when that sword didn't so much as even make the titan flinch.

And then my resolve disintegrated when Atlas smirked down at the god of war. "Why'd ya bring a toothpick to a fistfight?"

Ares's face, Percy probably would've enjoyed seeing. It was priceless. His face expanded in pure shock and his mouth was wide open. Though even in this situation, I'd imagine my friend would take a small smidgen of sympathy on his old enemy. He was a blow away from death after all, and he knew it.

But still, he put on a brave face and scowled, veins popping from his forehead in frustration. "How's this for a toothpick?!" He drew his sword away and brought it back to strike again, but Atlas spun his arm around in a vertical motion, softball pitching Apollo into Ares's face.

Still suspended in the air, Atlas kicked the sun god in the back and pressed him against Ares, causing the two to roll back together like a snowball.

Not caring a bit about Apollo's wellbeing, Ares, almost comically threw him off to the side and pushed himself to his feet again. Repeating the charge, Atlas nodded and motioned for him to come with all he had. No exceptions.

Atlas smacked the sword out of his hand and began battering the poor Olympian. A punch to the gut and face, then a dozen pressing strikes secured a horrible beatdown.

Thankfully, Poseidon jumps from behind and catches Atlas by the neck with the shaft of his Trident, pulling him off of Ares effectively. The god of war flumped to the ground in a limp position.

Atlas spun out of the hold and put distance between himself and Poseidon. Absentmindedly, he lightly touched his neck and moved it around, as if it needed to be popped.

"Looks like they're out of commission for now." He said, gesturing to the downed gods. "Now we can finally see what Zeus's brother can do."

Poseidon's lips tightened in fury. I think Atlas knew he probably hated being only compared to Zeus, and being called "his brother" and not his name. Especially at this time when the titans were in rule, and he wasn't as well known. Atlas knew how to both physically and emotionally impose it seemed. Was there nothing this guy couldn't do?

Atlas focused his aura into the wounds on his torso. The purple glow stayed there for a moment, cleansing the ichor and closing up the gashes. Within seconds, he was good as new.

"Brace yourself, fish fucker."

Poseidon glared at him with no response. Instead, my consciousness floated until I practically entered him. My eyes being level with his eyes, I basically took his perspective.

What I saw was Atlas coming at me like a train, grinning and raising his purple encased fist. I felt myself tense up and raise the trident, preparing for impact.

Suddenly, I'm awake.

As if he was about to punch me, the screen went to black and I shot up in my tent, covered in sweat and breathing frantically. I put my hand to my chest and looked around the tent rapidly, making sure no giant fist was coming my way.

My heart was racing, I mean Jeff Gordon two hundred laps in fast. I tried to calm myself. It took a lot longer than I would've liked, I kept seeing that face, that fist, that color of aura. I couldn't erase it from my mind.

I had to do something about this, fast. I knew why I saw that; I knew the reason. It was the universe's way of letting me know that I was completely outclassed here. The looming idea of Mount Othrys now seemed a lot more daunting, even more so than before. My mind was literally telling itself you're in over your head here, buddy.

Even with the little plan I came up with…I still wasn't sure. I mean, there were so many possibilities, and with a powerful opponent like Atlas, not to mention his thousands of years of experience, I honestly had no idea what he would do in the upcoming confrontation. I stood no chance against him barely trying, what made me think we could even get the knife close to him? Levi managed to do it, but that was different. It wouldn't work twice.

Then that left me with one option. To take him by surprise with the Master bolt I had acquired.

Okay, there are two possible outcomes to that option. One, like the Heavenly Diamond situation, he doesn't expect it coming and I'm able to land a shot. If precise enough, it could atomize him enough to send him to Tartarus. And two, the bad option, is that he's fast enough to dodge it, or at least see that I'm about to throw it. Which seems likely, since he should be way, way faster than I can ever dream of. If he surpasses me in strength, then he surpasses me in speed too.

It's an avalanche. There's no up, there's not much hope against him. I can't think of another way to win the fight. Aid from the gods is out of the picture, since that basically never happens. Yeah, Zeus helped us on the first quest, but I remember that being a one-time deal. Honestly, I'm pretty sure we need it now more than we did then. At least in that situation, we weren't dealing with all of Typhon, just a part of him. Here we get all of Atlas in his full sadistic glory.

Panicking, I reached for the backpack in the corner of the tent. Unzipping it and digging around, my hand landed on soft fabric.

I hesitated to pull it out. I didn't want to…but I felt I had no other choice at this point. I didn't want to talk to Levi about it and give him the idea that I was afraid, which in fact I am. But he doesn't need to know.

I don't want to talk to Talon about it for obvious reasons. The guy's already in a down mood. If I mention my worries that we might all die, then it's just going to make him even more broody.

Harper and Malachi were good options…if I hadn't pissed one off with petty high school jealousy and if the other weren't unconscious. Harper has always been my go-to when I'm conflicted or scared about something. She's the one that I can be vulnerable with.

Granted, that doesn't mean that I'm some delicate little flower that needs to be coddled by his girlfriend, that's not the case. But occasionally, some things unnerve me. If you live in this world and it doesn't happen…then you're either insane or more powerful than everyone else. Ouranos and Zeus are prime cases. The former is so caught up in his own plans and need to be on top that he doesn't fear anyone, any contingency, or even any possibility that he will fail. As much as I hate him, it kind of impresses me that someone can be so determined.

And Zeus is obvious. If someone can make Ouranos scared, it would be him. He's the king of this entire deal, the most powerful being probably…ever. It's not even a contest. Which is why it makes it all the more frustrating when he doesn't just show up and smite every enemy that we face. If I were him, I'd be the freaking superhero of humanity. Why doesn't he use his power, fight his own battles, and destroy anyone that opposes him and kills innocent demigods?

I don't know. Maybe there's a reason. If I held the power he did, I can't say that I'd go around killing everyone. I just don't see myself doing it. It makes me feel…wrong. I try to talk things out, see the good in people and maybe understand them. If I can understand them, then I can find out why they do what they do. Then we can work to a compromise.

But the thing is, Zeus doesn't have a moral high ground. You're going to tell me that the guy who constantly cheats on his wife with no real remorse, the guy that chained Prometheus up to be eaten alive by vultures, among a list of things has a moral compass? No, you aren't fooling me.

So it doesn't matter. It doesn't and it never will. Forget about him.

From the backpack, I pulled out the Cape of Darkness that Sigurd gave me in Camp Asgard. A gift from his master Hannes, the son of Hel. It has special properties, the main one being that it lets you commune with the dead. And…you can see where this is going. I'm considering talking to my father about Atlas. I want his advice.

I know what you're probably thinking. Go ahead, Matt, don't even hesitate! And I know it must seem that easy, and it should be, but…it's not. Believe me, I've held this thing in my hands for many nights, staring at it's long, curtain like form, trying to bring myself to talk to him. Sigurd said those in punishment can't be summoned, but Dad was in Elysium, so he could talk to me if I wanted.

But something always held me back. The thought of tainting our last moments with each other, where he died in my arms, looking into my eyes for the last time. As much as I wanted to see him again, as much as I missed him, there was a beauty in the memory of his death. It was a great goodbye, even if I never wanted to say goodbye in the first place.

I know it sounds stupid, but that's just how I feel. I can't help it. What if I say the wrong thing? What if we somehow get into an argument and I can never talk to him again. I can't remember if Sigurd said you could use the cape on the same person twice. He might've mentioned it, but if he did, I can't recall.

Shaking my head, I decided to furl it up and hold it in a ball in my hand. I needed to take a walk.

Exiting the tent quietly, I was greeted to a foggy morning. Dew dripped from the green in the trees and ground, giving the air a pleasant chill and the milky atmosphere formed a light condensation on my skin. Not a bad feeling at all, I gotta say.

Glancing behind me, I saw that everyone was still asleep. Or in their tents at least. I could make out the faintest of shadows in Harper and Levi's tent, by the looks of the curled-up shapes, they were out.

I couldn't see anything in Talon and Malachi's tent, it being too far away, but I assumed they were still asleep too. Now's my chance.

"Alright." I whispered, and trekked into the woods.

At first it was just a casual hike, I put one foot in front of the other and went with the motions. Until I thought to myself wait, how long am I gonna walk before I do anything?

Huffing to myself, I realized the ridiculousness of this whole thing. Just use the cape already.

I held it in front of me and stared at it. I remembered what Sigurd said about activating it…but I still wasn't sure. What if he couldn't tell me anything? I mean, how would he know how to defeat Atlas? The two had never met apparently. Could Dad give me the advice I needed?

My pondering was interrupted by a crack of a tree limb on the ground. I turned quickly and looked in the direction of the sound, leaning my head and peering, but finding nothing.

Suspicious, I reached out with my aura sense. Nothing.

I should've just gone back to what I was doing. Put it off as a squirrel or something, but for some reason the air became colder around me, and I started to get paranoid. Seeing the face of young Atlas in my mind again, breaking Artemis's arm with ease, battling five gods at once, I felt an ominous chill come over me.

"Who's there?" I called, furrowing my eyebrows. I started to walk closer, the cape in my hand again down my by side. I put off using it to get to the bottom of this.

No one answered. I held eye contact with the tree for a few seconds, then huffed in annoyance. No one's there.

Then I heard another crack in the opposite direction, and I felt the intense tingling in my neck…like someone was watching me.

I turned and looked, surprised to see what looked like a large shadow darting behind the tree at the last minute. It was huge, it had to be him. It had to be. He was here, he'd snuck up on us in the middle of the night. What if he…oh gods, what if he captured my friends and replaced them with pillows or something?! Crap, I should've sensed their auras to make sure they were actually in their tents!

"Hey!" I shouted, and ran towards the tree. Fear ran up and down my spine, but I didn't let it get control of me. If it was him, and he laid a single finger on them, I would fight him. I didn't care if he scared me, I didn't care if I was completely outclassed. I would die fighting.

Sweating now, I couldn't even bring myself to run at super speed, instead I sprinted towards the tree regularly. And then I tripped on a stump like a regular person too.

Falling flat on my face in the wet leaves, I dropped the cape and ate the ground hard. I probably looked stupid, but I pushed embarrassment aside and raised my head quickly, knowing that he would attack at any given moment. If I left myself exposed, I might as well be giving him a free hit.

Looking in front of me, I gasped when I saw my cape gone.

I didn't even hear a rustle. Nothing. It was just…gone.

But then I looked in the distance and saw a figure, a massive figure running down the path, mostly hidden by the fog. But it was him, I knew it was him. I didn't even have to reach out, I knew.

I shot up and ran after him, "Get back here!"

As I saw him get further and further, I growled in anger. Don't be puny, don't be something small and fragile. This was personal now; he had taken something that belonged to me. I was angry.

Pressing off the ground, I dashed after Atlas and reappeared behind him in a split second, raising my fist and tightening it as hard as I could.

"RAGHH!" I yelled, some kind of unintelligible war cry. I closed my eyes and brought my fist down on him, praying that he wouldn't dodge or block. I envisioned it hitting him, maybe even hurting him. That would be a miracle.

But instead, I felt nothing but the air against my knuckles. I hit nothing, my momentum brought me down on the ground again, this time on my knees. Confused, I opened my eyes and looked down, only to see my cape, and on top of it…a squirrel.

A little ten-inch-tall squirrel with the corner of my cape in it's mouth. It must've mistaken it for an acorn or something, because it just stared up at me with its mouth full.

The sight might've been cute to anyone else, but to me, I was utterly confused. I…knew for a fact that I saw Atlas. It was him; it was his shadow I saw. I know it was him!

Am I going crazy? Has the paranoia gotten so bad that I'm seeing things and losing my mind?

The squirrel dropped the cape and scurried off. Leaving me on my knees, gripping the cape and clinging it to my chest.

This wasn't as far away as I thought. It was near, the confrontation that could determine everything. He was waiting for me, he was going to kill me, and there was no escape. We were…doomed.

We're doomed.

---

(000)

Understandably, Matt's getting pretty overwhelmed.

Thank you all for tuning in, and I'll catch you on the next chapter.

Until Next Time.