The Son Of Hercules Chapter 76: I Team Up With An Unlikely Goddess, a percy jackson and the olympians fanfic

Welcome Back. We're getting close to the book's end, everyone. The final battles are coming, and this chapter is like the final layer of the cake. Hope you enjoy.

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 fifteenth chapter.

15. I Team Up With An Unlikely Goddess

Percy

"Will they be alright?"

Logan Barnes, son of Apollo, clicked his tongue and looked down at the unconscious forms of Nico and Aiden, laying on the infirmary beds.

"They'll live." He said, "Aiden got it worse than Nico. A couple of broken bones, but nothing a little ambrosia and nectar can't fix. Both of them should be awake in a couple of hours."

I sighed with relief and clapped him on the shoulder. "Appreciate it, man."

The poor guy looked like he had stayed up all night, which in fact he had. The party was obviously over, the Camp managed to defeat the insane crabs that Oceanus had sent us, and all was well on paper. Only the fact that five campers had died, and several more were injured. It was a catastrophe in that regard. Logan had been healing people all day, his eyes were baggy, and his shoulders were slumped. I wanted to give him some time off, but we needed all the help we could get right now. He was one of the few Apollo kids with healing abilities.

"Well…I'd better go to the next patient. Thanks for your help, Percy."

"No problem."

With that, he jogged over to the other side, where people were bustling and carrying injured kids in. It just kept piling on and on.

I had returned to the scene after Dad and I talked. With the confirmation that I was going to help him end this once and for all, and get Annabeth back…I felt much better about the entire situation. I had wondered how long he was going to keep up this "too dangerous for you to go" crap. But we had a good conversation. I was ready, and definitely willing.

This evening was when it would happen. I argued and argued that we should go immediately to get Annabeth back, but Dad assured me that Oceanus wouldn't hurt her, since he needs her to get to me. Makes horrifying sense.

So I held off, and agreed to meet Dad and Triton on Manhattan Beach. Apparently, they were going to try and round up some of the old allies I had heard so much about. Hopefully they would be enough.

Even if they weren't. It didn't matter. I would do anything, and I mean anything to get her back. Fighting tooth and nail, down to my last breath, taking a stab to the heart, all of that. It was literally whatever it took at this point.

Taking a glance at Nico and Aiden, laying on the beds all wrapped up in cloth, covered in bruises and cuts, the weight of the situation was clear, and the expectations were set. I was to do this, not just for Annabeth or my dad, but for the Camp too.

Exiting the infirmary, I took a long look at the morning ahead of me. Dark blue tinted skies, gray clouds, and foggy, chilly weather. Looks like it's going to be a long one. I still had hours before the eventual meeting.

This was the perfect time to do that. The thing I had been dreading this entire time now seemed easy. With this new resolve, I could do this without wavering. It was time I went to Olympus and had a talk with Athena.

Matt

I should've pushed it aside. Be the hero that I envision myself being most of the time. He would've gotten up and walked back to camp with his head held high, informing his party members that it was time to get moving again. The confrontation is just an arm's reach away, and it was time to face our fight.

He would've done that. Me? No.

After "seeing" Atlas in the woods, I freaked out a little. The overwhelming sense of it all made me sweat, my breathing quickened to alarming rates. My torso was heaving up and down, heavy, heavy pants escaping my mouth.

I dropped the cape from my hands and stood up on shaky legs. Out of nowhere, my vision tunneled, patches of leaves clear as day, while the rest of the woods sort of blurred in the background. The leaves were a veil, because behind them, I kept seeing Atlas. The one that we encountered on the beach, breaking my body in half over his knee. I could still hear his laugh.

I would hear it again soon.

I would have to fight that monster again. There was no hope of doing so, of winning.

I'd put on the brave face though; I would do that. Not for me, but for them. They deserve a leader that doesn't cower or shiver in fear. I have to be that for them. Even if they know I'm scared, it can't look that way. It can't be so obvious.

I was glad I had come out here alone and avoided talking to any of them. If they saw this panic attack I was having, they'd really think we're screwed.

Having experience with my mom, I knew a thing or two about calming someone suffering from a panic attack. I just never thought it would happen to me.

Going over the symptoms…yes, I definitely had it. I had both of my hands pressed against a tree, squeezing it and breaking off chips of bark and wood in the process. I was breathing very fast, heaving and forcing out air like a compressor. My heart was racing, my vision was fuzzy, my brain pumped in my head, fear coursed through my entire being.

Yeah, I'd say the diagnosis is correct.

Now preventing it is one thing. Avoiding substance abuse, getting good sleep and practicing relaxation techniques can stop an attack from happening. But when you're actually in the moment? Well, that's a bit different.

The first thing I remembered, was to find a focus object. To take your mind away from the source of fear.

Easy enough, I raised my head and looked up at the tree in front of me. I decided to force my mind to think about only it, the life inside of it, the leaves, the animals that lived in it's branches. Good, I was already starting to see more clearly, my brain not as pressured as before.

It was working. The second thing I remembered, and probably the most important, was to calm your breathing. Take deep breaths, but slow ones. It's easier said than done, but I did my best. I slowed the ragged pants into a calmer pattern. Taking a few seconds, it worked, and in turn, slowed my heart rate by a ton.

I continued on with this for a minute or so, thinking of relaxing thoughts, normal thoughts. I detached myself for just a moment, and let my body do the rest. Finally, I was back to normal, and I was okay.

Shaking my head and letting out a sigh, I picked up the cape from the ground and focused my gaze on camp.

"Be cool. Just…be cool."

Steeling myself, I walked back to Camp. I had spent maybe twenty minutes out here, so I expected to see everyone still asleep. I could slip back in and pretend like nothing happened.

Didn't happen.

I emerged from the tree line to find both Harper and Levi standing outside their tent, looking at me in confusion.

"Was that you?" Harper asked.

"Was what me?"

"That screaming! It woke us up!"

Ah crap. So they had heard that. Not sure what I expected, I had yelled pretty loud when I thought I was attacking Atlas.

Levi gestured to my tent, "We looked to see if you were still sleeping, but when you weren't in there…we got worried. Thought something had happened."

Wasn't sure how I was going to explain this one. My instinct almost made me scratch my neck and start mumbling nonsense, but thank Olympus I controlled myself in time.

I kept a straight expression, just confused enough to make it seem legit. "Oh, that. Yeah, I heard it too. I was just taking a walk to clear my head, then bam. Sounds like someone getting tortured."

"So…it wasn't you?" Levi pointed; eyebrow raised.

"Nah, I didn't scream. Looked for a minute to see if I could find the person, but I didn't find anything. Could've been an animal or something."

They weren't buying it. The pair of siblings weren't so dumb that they'd buy a stupid story like that. I go in the woods, they hear a person screaming in the woods, then I come out. It's not hard to deduce who it was.

Harper pursed her lips, not fooled a bit. "Matt, if you're gonna lie, at least make it believable. You should've said that you found a monster and killed it. That sounds way more convincing."

Actually…that would've made a lot more sense. Crap. Guess lying isn't my strong suit, which is actually a good thing. But in this situation, I kinda wish the persuasion was turned up a bit on my part.

"What's really going on?" Levi asked, raising his chin.

I sighed, "Look, I don't really want to talk about it-"

As if the gods had heard my silent prayer, Talon's head burst from his tent's entrance and he peered out of it, his eyebrows raised in excitement behind those sunglasses he always wore.

"Guys, he's awake!"

"Malachi?"

"No, the hobo that I invited to sleep with me last night." He snorted, "Yes Malachi, you idiot! Come on!"

He motioned us over and popped back inside the tent. With exchanged glances and shrugs, Harper, Levi, and myself all walked over to the tent.

We crouched in one by one, not zipping it up behind us. We silently agreed that some sunlight and space would be the best for him. Especially after waking up from what he just went through.

Malachi was stirring around, mumbling, and gaining consciousness. It looked like he'd had a rough night, no, more like a rough week to be honest. His hair was messy, falling down in long bangs and strands over his eyes and face, the rest of the blonde silk looked like it had been rubbed across with a balloon. Frizzy and tangled up. He didn't look weak or tired, no bags under his eyes, no depleting form. But I could still tell that he had been through the ringer.

Talon waved his hand towards the back of the tent, urgently telling us to give him some space.

"Make some room guys, come on."

We scooted back, allowing about three feet of distance between ourselves and Malachi. Talon however didn't obey his own order, staying right by his friend's side. We weren't about to tell him to back up either, in fear that this overprotective side would pull out his gun and shoot us.

Malachi finally opened his eyes and rubbed them, wincing as he rose up to a sitting position.

Talon's eyes lit up and he broke out one of his rare genuine smiles. "Hey man, welcome back to the land of the living."

Realization hit Malachi like a dump truck, he looked at himself, then at us.

"W-what happened? Why am I here?"

The three of us, besides Talon, all looked at each other, a resounding uh oh on the tips of our tongues.

For a second, I worried he had forgotten everything. Bumped his head somehow in the fight and didn't even know who we were. If that were the case…oh man, this is really not good.

But a shake of the head and it seemed to come flooding back. "No…no, I remember now. We fought, we…we nearly killed each other."

He wasn't looking at me, but I knew his words were directed my way.

"Don't worry about all of that. Water under the bridge, man. The important thing is that you're here with us now."

Talon agreed, nodding vigorously. "Exactly. We can all march up that mountain and take it to Atlas together! Come on, man, get hyped up!"

Our words meant nothing to him though. If they did, they came off the wrong way. Sensing his emotions, I felt a massive barrier in front of me, like a filter, changing our words into vats of guilt that only increased the supply he held.

He shook his head and grabbed fistfuls of his hair, "No! Get away from me! I can't be near you!"

At that, Talon's hopeful, excited smile shifted to a confused frown. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Get away from me! All of you!"

He shot up from his position and practically dove out of the tent.

"Malachi, wait!" Talon ran after him, all of us following close behind.

He had already put thirty feet of distance between us, stopping himself on the tree line, he turned back and shot a gust of wind at our feet, rustling leaves and shooting up dirt.

"Stay back! I'll only hurt you if you come near!"

I tried to put my hands in front of me to ease his nerves. "Malachi, just calm down. We can talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about! I can't be around you anymore!"

Talon was now in disbelief. "Dude, where are you going?!"

"Back to Ouranos! Where I belong!"

"What?!"

He didn't discuss further. He just tightened his lips and looked away from us, darting into the forest.

Talon started to run after him, but stopped a few feet away from the clearing. Looking back at us, he threw his hands up, "What the fuck's wrong with him?!"

"We can't let him go back." Harper said, "If he does…we're probably gonna lose him. For good this time."

Talon's eyes widened behind the sunglasses, "Like hell I'm gonna let that happen. We gotta go after him!"

They all looked to me, I had stayed a bit quiet during this entire outburst, just watching on with horrific entrancement. Like a car crash.

I managed to nod my head, "No arguments here."

"Well then let's go!"

Together, we all ran into the forest after Malachi. I just hoped he hadn't gotten too far.

Percy

I should've been nervous, and I guess I still was in some ways. But with the current events and my mindset…I was more than happy to confront Athena here and now.

Weeks ago, even days ago, this would've been a dreadful thing to even think about doing. You know, you heard what I said before. But now it doesn't seem so hard, now that her daughter's life is in danger. I feel like she'll be a bit more convinced, maybe softer. Towards me at least.

I had Argus drive me to Olympus, since I still hadn't gotten my car back after the crab incident. That was an entirely different can of worms that I really don't want to open. And I also really don't want to think about what my mom's gonna say about it either.

Neither of us made much conversation on the way up there. You see, Argus doesn't talk much. Like you already know, he has eyes all over his entire body, and I've even heard on his tongue too. Didn't bother me much, I didn't want to talk anyway, I had to save my words for the wisdom goddess. I didn't even plan anything out, no rehearsal or worrying, just winging it. That was my plan. If the words didn't come to me, then I'd just forget about it and shut up.

After a long drive and pushing through traffic, Argus pulled up to the sidewalk of the Empire State Building, dropping me off without parking. I had told him one thing right when we got in the car. Not to stick around. Something told me that I wouldn't need it.

As I opened the door, he gave me one last look of concern. Or well, in his case, hundreds of looks of concern.

I noticed and waved a dismissive hand. "I'll be alright, Argus. You can go back to Camp."

He looked a little hesitant, but ultimately shrugged and threw an eye covered arm up, latching back on to the steering wheel.

"See you later, man." I said, and closed the door.

Hearing the engine rev up and drive away, I took a deep breath and looked up at the looming tower. Hard to believe that something could stick together and actually stand up so tall in the sky without collapsing. It's funny, I tend to doze off and tune out Annabeth when she goes down her rabbit hole of architecture, but in a way, I actually really admire them. Able to plan and build things like this…it's amazing.

I weaved through the large crowds and bustling people in the doorways, which I expected of course. Every day, from the minute it opens to the minute it closes, this place is busy. Always busy with tourists mostly.

I didn't even bother waiting in line. I didn't have the time right now. I ignored the glares and protests of the people behind me and cut in front to where the usual annoying receptionist or whatever you want to call him sat.

I leaned in and gave him no time to argue. "You know who I am, you've seen me before, so you know what I want. Six hundredth floor, straight to Olympus."

I didn't beat around the bush, didn't hop up to him in a meek manner, I just came out and said it. Not a care in the world. Honestly, when Annabeth's in danger, I sort of lose the "nice" filter.

Instead of refusing or playing the secretive card, for once, he just nodded and motioned his head over to the elevator.

I entered it, along with a legion of other people. One by one, in pairs sometimes or large groups, they exited on their respective floors. Until I was the last one in the elevator. I rose up for a few minutes, listening to an annoying tune over the small speaker in the compartment.

Finally, the doors slid open and revealed the glory of Olympus. I've described it a million times, but imagine a floating city, surrounded by clouds and heavenly light, with massive mosaic buildings and godly figures walking around. If you can picture that, or at least a fraction of it, then you're good to go. Trust me, you get used to it the more times you come. I think it's…like four or five for me now. I don't know, I've lost track.

But one thing that I don't remember is being able to feel the energies of the minor gods. I sort of reared my head back as I started feeling a weird tingle in my neck, like goosebumps or something. The thermal life force of the two hundred or so deities rang through my sensing system. An after effect of my new aura abilities I guessed.

Geez, it was kind of annoying. I know it's supposed to be like this helpful tool, but I don't know if I can get used to it twenty-four seven. Does Matt feel this way all the time? If so…poor guy.

It was a long hike between here and there, but I managed. A few waves at the minor gods, acknowledging nods and generally just taking in the atmosphere, before I knew it, I was at the palace.

I prepared myself to press against the golden doors and push them open, but surprisingly, they parted for me themselves, like I'd stepped on a motion sensor.

I thought it was weird, but weirder things have happened, and maybe there was someone here. Maybe she knew I was coming. That would surely make it less awkward. Last time I had to get a god's attention in this palace, I had to stand on my dad's throne, which almost got me atomized. Now imagine if I did the same thing to Athena. Yikes.

Closing in on the throne room, I felt the tingle in my neck turn into a prick. Like a small needle had pierced my skin, that was a sign the person I was coming up on was more powerful than the minor gods outside, by a large margin. The abundance of the life force was clearer too.

Seeing the twelve thrones sitting there, each with their own unique styles mirroring the sitter, I got a sense of déjà vu. And noticing the person standing before those thrones, I got another sense of déjà vu.

Back turned, I saw dark hair protruding from a war helmet, the rest of the woman's body covered in armor as well. The only traces of skin I could make out were her arms, laced in gauntlets and protective wrapping, and her shins, donning the same thing. She was a goddess, no doubt about that, and the hair, the build…it could be none other than the very goddess I was looking for.

"Athena?" I called out.

She turned, taking off her helmet, and revealing a hard, yet beautiful face. Her gray eyes were far more intense than her daughter's, which is a very high bar to reach, but boy, she surpassed it. I found it hard to keep eye contact with her as I got closer.

She held her helmet in the crook of her arm and her side, propping it in between to keep it in place. She regarded me with a small nod. "Percy Jackson. What are you doing here?"

I gulped, hopefully not as audibly as it sounded in my head. "Uh, I was actually hoping to talk to you for a second."

She pursed her lips, "About what?"

"A-Annabeth."

The name seemed to trigger a sort of sadness in her mother's expression. A flicker. Not much, but I caught it. Had she heard about what happened too? How?

"Unfortunately, I have matters to attend to in her regard." She looked at the palace floor, almost grimly. "I have bad news, Percy. She has been kidnapped by the titan Oceanus."

So she did know. Well, that actually makes it a lot easier. I figured I'd have to tell her the bad news, along with asking for her blessing. Well, at least one bird's out of the way.

"I heard ma'am." I didn't cringe, but I felt like it. I never was sure what to say to gods and goddesses. "Lord" worked just fine for the men, but the women? My lady was good with Artemis, but I could never be sure with the others.

It didn't seem to bother Athena though, so I'd stick with ma'am.

"Really? From whom?"

"From my father."

"Ah…well, that's rather interesting. I heard it from him as well."

I raised my eyebrows in shock. "Wait, my dad told you? When?"

"Not ten minutes ago. He asked if I wanted to join him in retrieving her, and I accepted."

Now that was the surprise of the day. Athena and my dad…working together? It's like a one in a million-chance event I'm witnessing right now. Forget winning the lottery or finding a cavern of Heavenly Diamond, those two teaming up might be the rarest thing in existence.

She noted the bewilderment on my face and nodded. "I'm aware of the strangeness that ensues. Believe me, I'm not a fan of your father, and aiding him is a last resort in my eyes. But…this is a last resort, to be frank. Annabeth will be killed if she is there much longer. I don't have much experience with Oceanus, but judging your father's words…he will do whatever it takes to get the edge on both him and you. Time is of the essence. So if you'll excuse me…"

She started to walk past me. For a second, just a split second, I thought about grabbing her arm and stopping her. That would've been utterly crazy, and an impulsive decision. Whoo man, I'm glad I didn't do it, because the moment I thought about it, I envisioned an alternate universe where I did such, and she blasted me off the planet.

So instead, I stopped her with a "Wait!"

She did, and looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"I'm coming with you."

That got her attention. Now I don't know if her next words were out of care for my well-being, or if she just wanted to get away from me. Probably the latter.

"No. Where we are going is a place no demigod should go. You'll only get hurt, and besides, I don't need you weighing me down."

"I won't weigh you down, trust me. Dad already knows I'm coming, he offered me a spot, same as you."

She seemed surprised by that. "What is Poseidon thinking? Surely his strategic capabilities are greater than this, that he can see having you come with us will only bring distraction."

Funny how she says stuff that would be much better if I weren't around. But she says it anyway. Kind of like Annabeth used to do.

I kept my tone calm and even. "I won't be a distraction. You only think so because you haven't seen my training."

"What training?"

Now was the time to show her that I wasn't just some pushover demigod anymore. If the Battle of Manhattan wasn't proof enough, then my next display had to be.

"I'll give you a demonstration." I saved myself from being cocky, "I-if that's alright with you, ma'am."

She huffed, "Go ahead."

I smirked, and clenched my fists. Tensing up my entire body, I focused on the sea behind us, the dirty, but still full of water sea that filled me with power. I felt the energy flow inside me, bubbling and boiling up to the surface of my skin. It got to it's limit, I closed my eyes and let it release. With a burst of power, I erupted.

The sea green glow surrounded my body, my sensing abilities became so keen in the matter of seconds. I could feel all of Athena now.

That…sounded wrong. Alright, get your mind out of the gutter, guys.

What I meant to say was, her aura became far more prevalent. It was like a gate had been opened up. For miles, I could feel the mortals' energy, in buildings, in cars, and generally all over the city. Millions of them, swarming around and walking in straight lines like ants. If they were ants, Athena was an anteater. Her energy was much larger, and flowed through her body with a calmness unlike theirs, a certain peace that must've come with the wisdom she held. It was a strange, but cool sensation.

As for my own power, well…to be honest it wasn't far behind hers. It had multiplied big time from before, and it was in full display now. I knew all gods and goddesses had the ability, so when she widened her eyes and stepped back a good bit, I could tell that she felt my aura as well.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the newfound easiness of the transformation. "So?" I said, with my arms spread out.

She looked me up and down, completely shocked. It might've been the first time she's looked at me this way. With awe. Usually it's a cold, disapproving stare, but now it's like whoa…this kid's actually got something.

"You've awakened your aura…" She said, breathlessly. "How…how did you do it?"

I tried to hide my pleasure at hearing her repeat her words, something I never would've thought to hear. I managed to keep a semi-straight face as I briefly explained my training with Triton, how I went in the desert, learned the basics of the Atlantic style of fighting.

Finally, she must've realized her jaw had been open too long, and she straightened herself. "Well, I must say…that's rather impressive, Percy. I never thought you would be capable of such a thing."

Was that…a compliment? From Annabeth's mom? I mean, that's probably the closest I'm going to get, so I might as well take it.

"I don't mean disrespect, ma'am…but I'm capable. I can help you all, I can fight by your side just the same. So I'm going."

I expected her to get angry or scold me, but she didn't. Instead she walked closer, to the point where we were standing mere feet away, face to face.

Her eyes got serious, and they pierced me once more. I forced myself to look into them, because I knew if I looked away, I'd lose the new respect she had gained for me.

"Tell me this, Percy. Are you going to save my daughter, or are you going to defeat Oceanus?"

That caught me off guard, I'll admit. But I knew the answer right away, and I also knew what she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear that I was solely going for Annabeth's sake. I knew it would get brownie points in asking for her blessing…but I just couldn't lie to her.

I sighed, "I'm going for both, ma'am. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. Annabeth…means the world to me, I want you to know that, and whenever she's in danger, well, I'm going to do whatever it takes to save or help her. As far as Oceanus goes, the guy needs to be stopped, plain and simple. Give him a few more weeks, or even days, and he's going to destroy the entire ocean, and kill my father along with it. He already attacked Camp Half Blood, killed campers, and wounded several more. We can't let him walk free, if we do, he'll only cause more chaos. To say that I'm only going to get Annabeth out of there and not fight Oceanus at all…well, I'd be lying."

There. I said what I said, and if she doesn't like it…then I'll deal with it. It was the truth, and if she didn't like the truth, then that would be the way it would be.

But she surprised me, instead of turning away and saying something harsh, like I wasn't ready, or I was as dumb as she initially thought, she did something that she had never done before.

She smirked, and put her hand on my shoulder.

My eyes widened; my eyebrows rose along with them. It wasn't a firm grip or a warning hold, it was that of camaraderie, that of respect.

"Now you're thinking like a true strategist, Percy. You gave the correct answer."

"I'm sorry…I'm confused. Annabeth-"

"Is my daughter, yes." She said, finishing the sentence in her own words. "I love her, I do. But the top priority is the world, for me at least. That is the best way to think, when you are a deity. No matter how attached you become to someone, no matter how much you want to put them above everything else, like I do Annabeth…at the end of the day, you must put the world first. The laws first. As a mother, I want nothing more than to save her and get her to shore, without looking back. But as a goddess…I know the correct thing to do is help your father fight Oceanus, while you save her."

"Me save her? But-"

"Fighting will come later for you, Percy. I'm not denying your strength." Her smile turned to that of a teasing one, something foreign on her face for me. "From one strategist to another, this is the best plan. Save my daughter, Percy, and let the gods step in for once to hold the titan off."

"But I want to help you guys, I want to-"

"If we are still having trouble, then you are free to do so. But your top priority and purpose has always been Annabeth." She shook her head, "I realize that now. For years, I thought you were just another hot-headed demigod, easily persuaded and only after one thing…like Luke Castellan." Her smile shifted to a disappointed frown. "You are nothing like him. You have always cared for her, never used her, manipulated her in any fashion. I cannot think of a more fitting task to give you."

It was mind blowing. Hearing these words come out of Athena's mouth…to say that I'm taken back would be a huge understatement. She was revealing things that I never thought a goddess would say, or even think for that matter. I never knew that she compared me to Luke at one point, and that it was a factor of her cold attitude towards me. Now it…made sense. Luke broke her heart once before, and she thought I was going to do the same.

It was like this ultimate moment of realization, hearing that Athena actually cared about Annabeth more than I thought, that she wants to put her first, but due to her godly bounds, she can't. I never dreamed that she felt these emotions. I always thought she had a barrier that other gods didn't have.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive."

I was overtaken by this rush of adrenaline, that I did something pretty stupid. See, all these years of her not approving of me, not thinking I was good enough, and finally hearing the opposite…it was a little overwhelming. So on an act of impulse and instinct, I did something that I shouldn't have done.

I hugged her.

Yes, the goddess of wisdom, Annabeth's mom. So you're probably wondering how I'm still standing here, and not in a pile of ash.

Well, after I heard her say "positive" I smiled from ear to ear and dove in for a hug. It was quick, because as soon as I put my arms on the back of her armor, I realized the incredibly stupid mistake I had just made, and jumped away just as quickly.

"Oh crap…I-I'm so sorry! I uh, wasn't thinking!"

But the opposite happened. In my wildest moment, probably ever, she just shook her head and scoffed.

"You mortals and your silly emotions. I never understood these stupid rituals. But just this once…" She raised her arms out in front of her, giving me a stern look of go ahead then, if you want to so badly, I'll let you get away with it this one time.

So hesitantly, I took my chance. It was a quick embrace, kind of awkward, but it still held a nice level of meaning. She patted my back and we parted, just after a second or two. Now if you've been keeping up with me, my adventures and what not, what you just witnessed is surreal. Never would've happened under normal circumstances.

She hardened her gaze, "Now then, enough of this foolish sappiness. Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah. And ma'am…I won't let you down."

She gave a single nod. "I know. Now come on."

As I grabbed the shoulder plate of her armor and we began to dematerialize, I felt that everything had been accomplished, and everything that we wanted to do, was about to be accomplished as well. Oceanus was going down, I had made somewhat amends with Athena, my dad was going to be restored to full health, along with the ocean. All was good.

Except for one thing.

I forgot to ask Athena for her blessing.

Crap.

Matt

"Move over!"

"Ow! You almost tripped me, dumbass!"

"I think we're too close together!"

"Okay guys, we seriously need to separate!"

Those were our words as we chased Malachi, tripping over each other like a band of fools. I was the last part, suggesting that we "separate."

I saw Malachi's figure not a hundred feet in front of us. It was strange, I wasn't sure why he wasn't using super speed or his teleporting abilities to just zap out of here. Unless the effects of Talon's bullet were still in play, which that would make sense. But he was moving fine, so what was the deal? Did he want to get caught?

Either way, with this strategy, we weren't going to get anywhere.

"Guys, spread out! I can catch him, but I need some space!"

With a small push, I gently shoved Levi and Talon aside a step, giving me just enough room to launch and catch Malachi before he got smart and teleported out of our grasp.

I quickly bent down mid run and pushed off of the ground. I heard the crack of a shockwave behind me as I pressed forward, wind tunneled behind me and I saw Malachi's back come closer and closer, until finally he was in arm's reach.

Instead of hitting him, which would kind of ruin the whole point of this, I stretched my arms as far as I could and grabbed his shoulders, able to latch the crooks of my elbows onto his arms. I clung tight and shifted my weight, bringing him down with me.

Our momentum brought us rolling on the dirt like someone wrapping up a carpet. I couldn't even tell what was going on or where we were headed, but I knew that I had him, and I wasn't letting go until I knew he was coming back.

The thing that I did see, was the sudden flash of sunlight as we left the forest and came out into a clearing. Malachi erupted in a sudden burst of force against my grip, pressed against my stomach, and broke free.

Not wanting to miss anything, I got up as quick as possible and faced him. He was still on the ground, turning over and looking at the landscape behind him. There was a small cliff, clear of grass, plummeting about twenty feet I'd say, giving a decent view of a massive surface of more trees and forest. It was like we were standing on a small shore of a clear plain, and then the trees were the ocean. Malachi was on the edge, looking like he was inches away from falling off. At one point, he stumbled when he turned around to look at me, and I thought about catching him, but he was fine, he caught himself and thrust a handout towards me.

I tensed up for a moment, thinking he was going to attack me, but it was just warning. Don't come any closer.

"Stop!" He yelled.

"Malachi, you need to stop. Just listen to us, we only want to help." I said that about as calmly as I could, for someone that just faceplanted in the dirt and basically bearhugged his friend. I knew I had soil and all sorts of other nature debris on my clothes and skin, but I ignored it. Malachi's emotions were very erratic and unpredictable. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, so I needed to watch closely.

I heard the footsteps of everyone else come through the clearing, their auras in my line of sense. They all looked at Malachi with concern.

"You can't help me!" He said, "No one can! Not anymore!"

I didn't take my eyes off him, but I felt the others get closer. Talon had a hand outstretched.

"We can help you, man. You just have to let us. Come on back to the camp and let's sort this out, whaddya say?"

He didn't respond. He scrunched his eyes tight and grabbed his hair, so tight I thought he might rip it all out.

"No…no, no, no! We can't do that! It's too late!"

Out of my left peripheral, I noticed Harper a couple of steps closer to him than the rest of us. My nerves suddenly shot up a little bit. Getting too close to him was like getting too close to a lion at the zoo, uncaged. It was dangerous.

"Malachi, it's not too late. It's okay if you want to-" She started, but didn't finish her sentence. The ground in front of her exploded in a burst of dirt and electricity. Harper jumped back and looked at him with wide eyes. I did the same.

It was a warning shot. Smoke danced off of Malachi's fingers. He held his hand out in front of him, arm straight and his face…crazed. Hair curved over his forehead, several strands dangled over his face and seemingly split it. I could make out wide, frightened, and guilty eyes.

"Don't come closer."

I put an arm out over Harper, and stepped closer to him, a diagonal step, putting half of myself in front of her. I knew she wasn't the type to like being protected, but now I really didn't care. If Malachi accidentally shot another bolt in her direction and it hit her…it could kill her. I wasn't about to risk that.

"Malachi, look at me, man." I motioned with my fingers, from him to my eyes. "Look at me, right here."

He didn't. He just looked at the ground, his breathing coming through his gritted teeth. He was like a cornered animal, and I knew that us surrounding him like this wasn't helping. But we had no other choice. We couldn't let him get away.

"You can't go back to Ouranos." I said, "We can't let you do that. If you do, you'll only fall deeper in the pit that he's dug for you. If you come with us, you can get out."

"He's right, man." Talon added, "You'd be fucking crazy to go back to him. I know you think that you belong there now, but that's not true. That's just not true."

"It is true!" He shouted angrily. "What I've done…the atrocities…I've killed, I've tortured, I've stood aside and let pure hell happen, right in front of me. So many situations where I could've…and I didn't!"

We all looked at each other somberly. This was going to be harder than we thought. Convincing him that he wasn't a psychopathic monster…it was going to be difficult. In his eyes, he was. He thinks that he's doing all of this by his own volition, even though it's his father's.

It makes my blood boil. That he can manipulate someone so deep, so far, to the point where they think they're like him. It makes me sick.

"Ouranos made you do those things." Harper said, "It's his fault, not yours."

"No…" He whispered, "I still did it. It was my choice. I could've died rather than obey him, I could've done more…"

"You wanted to protect Sera." I reminded. "You wanted to keep her safe, that's why you did it."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, because his mood shifted and deepened much further, even further than before. In my aura sense, there was a tremendous dip in mood, a sadness that couldn't be described. Like someone lost their entire world.

"Sera…" He said, his face hidden from us. "I don't deserve, I don't…"

He clenched his right hand, only his right hand. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, but I could feel his aura stirring. Was he about to…attack? I looked to Talon, and saw him inch his upper half in Malachi's direction, his eyebrow raised. "Malachi, what are you doing?"

As quick as he said it, Malachi's forearm crackled with lightning, his skin dimmed by the blue glow of his aura. Encased in energy, he formed a small sword-like object with it, the tip of it sharpening into a triangular shape. The aura whirred, giving me the impression that it was concentrated, meaning…he was going to stab something, no, probably someone.

We all tensed up, but stayed firm. It was then that I realized just how close we were standing to him. Just a few steps away. If he wanted to, he could wipe out Harper and Levi with a simple blur. I might be able to stop him, but thinking back to our fight, and judging by his mood…I wasn't so sure. He might be faster than me. Every possible contingency played out in my head, I thought of a thousand scenarios in the matter of seconds. Trying to figure out what he was going to do, and how dangerous it was going to be. People that are emotionally on edge are the most lethal. I knew Malachi didn't mean it from any sort of place, but it could still happen.

Instead, he shocked me. Yet again.

He didn't jump forward and attack me, nor Harper, nor Levi, or even Talon. No. He raised his arm out beside him, elbow bent, and aimed the tip of the aura blade at his heart.

My eyes widened, perhaps to the point that my eyeballs might have fallen out if someone tapped the back of my head. "Malachi…don't even think about it."

Harper put her hand on my arm, her tone was one of fear. Fear of what he was about to do, and in that moment, we all felt the same fear. I glanced at Levi, and even he was slack jawed in shock.

"Matt…" Harper warned.

"Malachi, don't!" Talon practically screamed, spit coming out of his mouth. "Don't fucking dare!"

The Demi-Primordial's voice was barely audible. "I don't deserve to fight by your side. I don't deserve Sera, or any of you as my companions. I've…betrayed your trust." He raised his head all the way, until his chin thrust out in the air, giving us full view of tears lining his cheeks, puffy eyes, and a quivering lip. "I don't deserve to live!" He cried.

The situation became far heavier than I could've imagined. Suddenly, I noticed the dryness of my mouth, the stinging on the roof of my throat. It took a huge gulp of spit, no, not even that, to give saturation back to the desert you could call my insides. Even after, they remained scorching. I couldn't breathe right; I couldn't even focus my sight. It kept going from his twitching hand to his crying face. Deciding if I should stay put or attempt to stop this.

I was speechless for several moments. The leader that I am, instead of taking charge and calming him down immediately, I just stood there like a deer in headlights. I couldn't think of what to say, because anything could be the wrong thing. I saw how he reacted to Sera's name, in hindsight…yeah, it wasn't smart to mention her. But I just spoke when I felt the need to, when it felt right. I guess that's not always the correct way to do it, if there even is one here.

"Malachi, please…" Talon croaked, his breaths hitched. I glanced over, careful not to turn my head, and I could see that he was on the verge of tears himself. He'd likely never saw his friend act this way. I couldn't say that I ever expected it. Malachi always seemed so brave, so untouchable in the emotions department. All of the pain he had endured over the years at the hands of Ouranos, he had bottled inside. He never complained, he never cried or vowed revenge on the universe for his bad hand. He knew what he had to do, and he helped us with it. That was it, no discussion.

But now, it was different. The walls collapsed, and we were seeing the state of his mind, unfiltered.

Both Talon and Harper looked as helpless as I did. We had to do something, otherwise that would be the end of him, we would never see him again. He'd take his own life. I couldn't live with that. Someone that's had such a horrible experience, his entire existence one of suffering, never gets to see what it's like to feel something different. To be at peace. If he died now…he'd never see it. I just couldn't let that happen.

Then do something! Anything! Now!

But I couldn't. Feet plastered to the ground, I remained unmoved. Stuttering to say the right words and gather some form of rational thought, I was a statue.

Just as his hand inched closer, and I thought I was going to have to take physical action, Levi, the last person I expected, spoke up.

"Malachi, don't do this." He said, stepping forward and putting a hand up. "I was in a similar place, I tried to do the same thing…and believe me, it's not worth it."

"I just want it to stop!" Malachi nearly wept, "I've lost everything! Sera, my sanity, any hope of being a force for good…it's all gone. All of it, and I cannot get it back."

Levi shook his head, "That's not true. You haven't lost everything." He gestured to the three of us, "You still have Talon, Matt, Harper, and me. I know we aren't very good friends or anything, but I understand some of your pain."

Malachi didn't say anything this time, he just stared at Levi, the crying stopped.

Levi took his chance to step even closer. I imagined an invisible line, where if he crossed it, Malachi was going to act. But he didn't cross it. Two steps was all he took. One more and he would be in contact distance.

"If you end your own life, it doesn't make it okay. It has an impact on everything around you, even if you think you have no importance. You do. How do you think Sera would feel if she found out? How do you think she would react?"

Malachi's eyes flickered to the ground in thought. I might've been seeing things, but at that, it seemed like his hand edged an inch away from his heart.

"And Talon. From what I gather, he's your best friend. How do you think he would feel if you went through with this?"

We all looked to Talon, who wasn't expecting the sudden attention. He was watching on with a sort of awe, I could tell, his mouth had been slightly open during the exchange. When his name was mentioned, he quickly reached under his sunglasses and flicked something under his eyes. "I'd…I'd be broken, man. Completely honest. I don't think I could go on knowin' you went out that way."

Malachi switched his gaze from the ground to Talon. His lips tightened with a knowing sadness.

Levi got close enough to where he could put a hand on his shoulder, and he did. A risky move, but he was successful. Malachi only flinched and turned to look at him, but nothing was done. Thank Olympus.

"Ending it now erases the possibility of it getting better for you. You're young, and there's still hope, still time. If you die, you won't be around to see a better life for yourself, a better life for everyone. You wouldn't see Sera again."

It took several moments, but Levi's words sank in and ran through Malachi's mind. He kept his hand firm on his shoulder, connecting the two of them and letting him know that someone was there. Malachi's hand ceased to glow, the electricity faded away with it, and he lowered it to his side, shortly before falling on his knees to the ground.

"I'm sorry…" He said, "I'm so sorry, everyone. I'm such a fool."

At this, I couldn't hold back anymore. It was safe. The coast was clear. We all dove forward and surrounded him, maybe not a good thing to do, but we couldn't help it. He needed some comfort, after all the shit that he's been through, especially recently, no doubt.

I was the first to hug him, patting him on the back and saying that it was going to be okay. Harper was next, which was the first time I'd ever seen her hug Malachi, or even touch him from my memory. They haven't interacted or bonded very much, and I knew she was suspicious of him for a long time when he first came to Camp. But now it was clear that those feelings were gone.

Finally, Talon practically pushed Harper aside to cling to his friend. He bearhugged Malachi and hit him on the back with his fist, punching his spine as he hugged him. It was kind of a weird sight.

"Don't ever do that shit again." He growled, "You hear me? You ain't takin' the easy way out, as long as I'm around." He pulled back and held his shoulders, looking him in the eye with a ferocity that I'd never seen before. "We gotta walk through this hell together. Understand?"

Malachi nodded, "I…I know."

I didn't expect this day to turn out the way it did. I didn't expect myself to just stand there and practically do nothing. That…disappoints me, about myself. I should've said more, I should've been better in that situation. A hero doesn't just stand around, he acts.

What would I do when we face Atlas? Would I just stand around there too and get my face caved in?

I needed to get my shit together. The biggest battle yet was coming, and I needed to be ready, physically and mentally.

Probably the biggest thing though, that I didn't expect…was Levi. The way he handled that, using his own experience, it was amazing. He stepped up to the plate when I didn't.

He's changed. Looking at him now, smiling down at Talon and Malachi, I can tell he's no longer that person anymore. For the first time…I can safely say that I respect the son of Nemesis.

Percy

Athena and I materialized on a beach. Manhattan beach.

When we appeared, I immediately took my hand off of her. That awkward hug was the limit of contact between us for…I don't know, probably the rest of my life.

The other thing that stuck out to me, were the people. No mortals, only…mermen.

About a football field in front of us, stood a small army of people that looked like Triton. Not exactly like him, but similar, I mean, in the way that they had a younger appearance, muscular, or in the female case, fit body. They held an amazing array of weapons, from silver, shiny looking swords, to spears, to daggers. It was remarkable.

Not to say that everyone was a merman or mermaid, there were others. Several older looking men with Atlantic armor on, beards as long and white as my father. An entire subsection of cyclops as well, I could see, as they towered over everyone else, and their singular eyes stuck out amongst the crowd.

Wait a minute, if the cyclops' were here, then that meant…

"Brother!"

The source of the noise needed no introduction. I knew who it was before I even saw them. Bounding toward me, with his arms outspread and face lit up with joy, was my half-brother, Tyson.

He tackled me in a hug, and I hugged him back, not caring how silly we looked. I laughed and smiled. It had been a long time since I saw him last, almost six months, I think. Too long.

I patted him on the back as he shyly apologized and helped me up. "Tyson! What's up, big guy!"

Tyson grinned. He and I had a long history together. I first met him after my first quest with Annabeth and Grover, near that prep school where we fought those Laestrygonians. We had discovered him living in a carboard box, and at first, I thought he was just a homeless kid with a few mental issues, but then Annabeth told me that he was a cyclops, and the mist had hidden his one eye the entire time I had known him. I'll admit, when I found out he was my brother, I was a bit distant and a jerk, to be honest. But when I finally wised up and stopped caring what other people thought, we became close. I love the big guy.

"I am coming to fight the big squid with you, brother!" He said, answering my question. "The cyclops' stand proudly with the fish folk!"

"It's actually merfolk, little brother." Triton said as he emerged from the crowd, now aware of our presence, they watched on. Poseidon was right behind Triton, and he didn't look good. It made my heart sink and my smile fade when I saw his condition. It had gotten even worse, and it had only been a few hours since I last saw him. His hair had somehow gotten even whiter, his skin deathly pale and wrinkled, his once muscular frame now completely withered and sunken in. He looked a finger tap away from death.

Triton regarded me with a nod, "Percy. Are you ready?"

"Yeah." I said, not really focused on him, I was more concerned about dad.

"Dad…are you okay? You don't look so-"

"Good?" He said, finishing my sentence. "No, that I do not. Oceanus, in the time we've given him today, has destroyed more of the ocean. He nears completion, and I fear that if we wait any longer…well, we won't have to worry about fighting anymore."

I wanted to say something to him, something comforting. But I couldn't think of it. I had no idea what was in store for us, and I didn't want to dish out false hope. Besides, he was a god, he would know that I was unsure, and didn't fully back up my words.

Even if I did think of something to say, I doubt I'd have the chance, because at that moment, Triton scowled in the direction behind me. "What's she doing here?"

I turned around and saw Athena coming over to us, giving Triton a cold look. "Hello, Triton. I see you're still as charming as that reckless child I met all those years ago."

Triton snorted, "And I see you're still as uptight and condescending as that second rate Olympian I met all those years ago."

I fought down a laugh. Heh, that was kind of funny. It sounded like something I'd say if I were a god.

Athena fired right back though. "Second rate? That's cute, coming from a minor god."

Triton got red in the face and raised his finger to thrust it at her, maybe shout something in retaliation, but before he could, Dad yelled a raspy "ENOUGH! Both of you, come now!" He looked towards his two tailed son. "Triton, I told you about this. She's going to help us."

"I thought that was a joke!" He crossed his arms and shook his head. "This is ridiculous! The amount of disrespect she holds towards us, her slander, her…agh, father! How could you agree to this?!"

Poseidon looked like he wanted to say a million things, but didn't have the energy to. I knew what he wanted to say, because the same words were on the tip of my tongue. So I stepped in for him.

"Triton, Annabeth is her daughter. She wants to make sure she gets out safely. And with Oceanus as powerful as he is now…we need to accept all the help we can get. I mean…Athena's a full-fledged Olympian, and a really powerful goddess. We can use her strength."

I didn't raise my voice or get testy, I just spoke, and stuck to reason. Triton seemed to ease a little at my words. He glanced at Athena, then at me, then back to Dad. A few moments passed, and finally, he sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I guess…" He sighed, "I suppose it would be helpful if you came along. And since it's your daughter…I understand." He quickly raised a finger and pointed it at her, giving her a stern look. "Just don't get in my way, got it?"

She shrugged, "As long as you don't get in mine, we won't have issues."

Triton made a I'm watching you motion, and almost comically bumped into the guy behind him. He trudged off to join his allies, leaving us alone.

Tyson giggled, "Brother Triton is funny."

Poseidon gave a nervous chuckle, "Apologies, Athena. I didn't expect him to be so unruly. He's just wound up, ready to fight, that's all."

"I understand." She said, "He is young, after all. Hopefully his recklessness decreases as he ages."

"But isn't he immortal?" I said, not really meaning to out loud. It didn't really make any sense, but I planned on keeping it to myself. Guess it's too late now.

"It's true that he won't physically age, but mentally he will." Athena said. "A god or goddess still experiences things, rather like a mortal. It sticks with them, and they can use that down the line, whenever they need it."

Poseidon smiled, "It is wisdom, after all. Is it not?"

Athena looked at him, not smiling, but not a look of dislike either.

"It is."

I looked in between them, and then at Tyson, who just shrugged.

"So…are we ready to get this show on the road?"

Poseidon looked out at the sea, "Shortly. First, I need to talk with Athena for a moment. Percy, Tyson, if you could excuse us."

Tyson wasn't really paying attention, so I had to grab him and pull him away while the two Olympians talked. They seemed to be going back and forth, discussing something deeply. I wasn't sure what, but I put it off as "strategy talk."

For a few minutes, Tyson and I caught up on things. Apparently, the small army had formed barriers around them to block the mortals from coming through, which explained why it wasn't as crowded as I expected it to be on an afternoon like this. I told him all of the things that I had done, how running Camp was going (didn't tell him about the getting fired thing, since we sort of got rehired.) What Matt and those guys were up to, Grover, the whole nine yards. It was awesome to talk to him again. I missed it.

At one point, Tyson lowered his head, a saddened expression befell his face, his milky eye watered.

"Brother…do you think that Annabeth will be okay?"

"Of course she will. Why would you even ask?"

"It is just…well, the fish folk, they say he is bad, and very strong like daddy. He killed many of my brothers. I am scared for Annabeth."

My eyebrows furrowed. Tyson always cared about Annabeth, and at first, like I said, she was a bit harsh towards him, but over time, she grew to love him like I did. This entire thing wasn't just weighing down on me, it was on a lot of people. Tyson included.

"Hey big guy, it's all going to be okay. Annabeth's going to be okay." I put a hand on his beefy shoulder. "You know why?"

"Why?"

I forced a smirk. "Because she's got you and me coming for her. Don't let it bring you down, let it light a fire inside your heart."

He registered what I said. For a minute, I thought he might not have understood it, but I knew better. Tyson proved to me a long time ago that he was smarter than he let on.

He nodded; his eye filled with determination. I could see his fists clenched. "You are right. I will not be weak. For Annabeth, I will help fight the bad squid man. We will rescue her."

I smiled, for real this time. "Of course we will."

"Everyone!" Poseidon shouted from behind us. He walked slowly until he reached the shore, facing all of us head on. Athena kept her position, with a satisfied look on her face. Whatever she had said, it had gotten through to him. I wasn't sure what, but they had planned something.

"If I could have your attention for one moment, I just want to go over the plan once again, and…something that I just found out."

We all gave our attention, ambient chattering stopped, and silence fell.

"First, I just want to thank you all again for being here today. I know this is a risk, a big risk, and the fact that you all are here…it means the entire world to me. My gratitude is eternal."

There were some nods and mutters of assurance. Like of course we'd be here, we'd do anything for you. It was obvious that the relationship between my dad and these people was personal. They weren't just strangers that Triton bribed. They were old friends.

"I have gone over the plan before, but for one final time, we will make sure that we've got everything straight." He cleared his throat, "It is rather simple. Athena, Triton, and myself will engage Oceanus in combat, while the rest of you take care of his forces. It is easier said than done, I know, since they most likely outnumber us. But I think with our experience, teamwork, and skill, we can prevail."

Dad looked at me next, "The final piece of the plan involves my son, Percy. He is going to rescue the daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase, along with our captured forces. There are rumors that many of ours went missing in Oceanus's assault on Atlantis. I hope this is true, and all of my, no, our families, didn't die."

There was an undertone of sadness and worry in his voice, and the slight furrow of his eyebrows told me he was thinking about Amphitrite. I knew I had to worry about more than just Annabeth, even though she was my top priority, I would do whatever I could to rescue Amphitrite and the captured merpeople too.

"If we are all in understanding, then I think it's time for us to embark. We cannot waste another moment."

The small army began to bustle around and prepare themselves. I locked eyes with Tyson and gave him an encouraging nod. He returned it. It was time, whether I was ready or not, the moment was here.

"Are you ready, son?"

I turned and looked up at Dad. I could tell he was trying to hold it together, keep himself standing and make a good impression on everyone that he still has some fight left in him.

So I nodded, "I'm ready."

"Good." He said, and whistled towards the sea. In a matter of seconds, dozens of hippocampi rose from the water, their rainbow-colored backs glimmering against the sunlight. The all whinnied in greeting, motioning their horse-like heads for us to get on.

I walked to the shore and patted one on the back. Hippocampi aren't slimy, as most people usually think, their actually quite smooth and dry feeling, like the texture of a shark.

Just as I was about to hoist myself over the hippocampi's back and saddle up, Triton stopped me.

"No, brother. You won't be riding one of those today."

I raised an eyebrow at both him and dad, who were looking at me with smirks. Huh? Was this some kind of joke? Were they just going to make me swim all the way down there? This was kind of a serious situation, and I didn't think pranks really had a place here.

"Uh…okay. But how am I supposed to get down there?" I asked.

Dad looked towards the sky behind me and smiled, "I called in an old friend of yours."

An old friend? I twisted around and peeked over my shoulder; my head raised up to see what he was talking about.

When I did, I grinned so wide that my cheeks started hurting. In the sky, flapping his wings and coming towards me, flew a dark black Pegasus. My Pegasus, Blackjack.

"Dad refused for you to ride the hippocampi." Triton said, "Something about a Pegasus being a much better fit for you. Tell me, is this steed worthy of your travel?"

I nodded, feeling like a fourteen-year-old again. Memories came rushing back, images of flying over the city, chasing the van of Zoe Nightshade and the rest of my friends on that quest, flying over Manhattan as we battled the titan Kronos, greeting him once again on the roads of Kansas with Jason and Piper.

"Yeah…he sure is."

Matt

That afternoon, we loaded up Kyros and readied ourselves for takeoff. The last takeoff before the upcoming battle.

I was a meat sack of nerves. Sweating and thinking about a million things at once. I kept thinking of the plan, of different outcomes, and most of them weren't good.

Finally, it got to the point where I feared I'd have another panic attack, so I calmed myself and focused on one thing at a time. Right now, we just needed to get everybody on board and into the air.

Kyros had been sleeping in the woods this entire time. I told him he could graze around until I told him it was time to go. He didn't wander far. All I had to do was whistle and he came running into Camp.

We broke down Camp, gathered our things, and hopped on the giant eagle's saddle. Malachi included. After we calmed him down, he agreed to go with us. I didn't ask about fighting, since I didn't want to put him on edge about anything. We were just lucky he hadn't done something drastic.

I still couldn't stop thinking about that either. The fact that Malachi…tried to end his own life, or at least considered it. It was mind-blowing, and very sad to me. I hated seeing my friends go through things like this, I just couldn't bear to watch or even ponder what would've happened if he had been alone.

With a tap on Kyros's neck, we took off and left the forest, entering the great big blue sky. It was too nice of a day for a battle like the one I knew was coming. The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, the clouds were too white. I imagined a raging storm, or something like the vision I had of young Atlas, where everything's consumed in hellfire and red atmospheres.

All of us stood or sat in different places on the saddle. It was kind of weird, since the thing is only ten or twelve feet long at the most, which is huge for a saddle, don't get me wrong, but not exactly large enough to have private conversations.

The only people who were actively talking and sitting together were Harper and Levi. It seemed as if the dam broke as a whole, and there was no awkwardness now. The two could finally talk freely. They were at the front, closest to Kyros's head. Harper was sitting on the side of her right leg, with her arm leaned up over the saddle, looking up at Levi, who was standing.

On the right side, standing with his arms crossed and staring out over the landscape, was Talon. His eyebrows were furrowed in what could be considered deep thought or frustration, but I knew it was anger. He scowled at everything that passed by.

And finally at the very back, was Malachi. He sat down cross legged and slumped, a tired expression on his face. I was in between him and Talon, planning on clearing the air with everybody before we arrive. I don't know why, but I just like to do that before these things happen. I like to have a little talk with everybody, I guess so we can make sure we're all good, and there are no regrets. Because after all, to put it grimly…we could very well die here.

Happy thought, I know.

I decided to start with Malachi, since he was the one on my mind the most. I wanted to at least voice out my guilt at not really doing anything to help when he…you know. I scooted over to him and awkwardly waved.

"Hey, man. You doing…any better?"

A stupid question, as I often ask them. If there was a poster child of bad conversation starters, it would be me.

Malachi just shrugged, "I suppose. What you all did, and Levi's words…it helped, a little. So I thank you for that."

"Nah, it wasn't me." I said, sadly shaking my head. "And I'm really sorry about that, for just standing there like a vegetable. You deserved better from me, and I didn't deliver."

At that, he looked at me with bewilderment, "What are you talking about? Matt, you have nothing to apologize for."

"You're my friend, Malachi. And I just stood there, not able to say anything or comfort you, like a real friend would do. I don't want you to think that I didn't care, because that's not true. I do, and I'm sorry that I came off that way." I looked at him and said with sincerity, "If it means anything now, I want you to know that I'm really glad you're here with us. If you died, this would all be worthless. Part of the fight is giving you a peaceful life. It's…something I've wanted to do ever since I found out your story."

I hadn't planned that, opening up about my thoughts towards him, towards the many reasons why I even do this in the first place. I meant that though, that part of it included him. See what happens when I wing it in conversations, it goes a lot better.

Malachi nodded, the slightest hint of a smile formed on his lips, but it was as genuine as you could ask for. "It means a lot that you say that. I do not deserve your efforts, but…if you insist, then I am honored that I am among your reasons to fight. In return, I share the same thoughts."

I clapped him on the shoulder and leaned back against the saddle. A smile broke out on my face. "You know, it's a shame we've never done anything…you know, normal together. It seems like all we do is fight each other, or fight together against someone else."

"Is that not normal for us?" He quipped, chuckling.

"Ah, you know what I mean. Like hanging out, mortal style. Going to a movie with Talon and Percy, or playing video games or something."

He turned to me and smirked. "You know, I've never even seen a movie. Or played a video game. I've heard of the concepts, but Ouranos never exactly let me play on any sort of device during training."

I widened my eyes at him. Never seen a movie? Never played a video game? I mean, yeah, it's Malachi, the guy's been raised in isolation his whole life, of course he hasn't. But just hearing it from someone only four years older than me, in any capacity, was shocking. We can't have that.

I raised my finger and poked the air in front of him. "First thing we're doing when we get back; logging onto the Camp Xbox. The Stoll twins have one. Oh dude, there's so much I can show you."

Malachi reared his head back, "Xbox? Hmm, that's a strange name for a computer."

I was on a roll, "As far as a movie goes, I'm not sure if anything good's playing this week, but we can still double date with Harper and Sera. That would be cool. Heh, I don't think she's ever seen a movie either, or has she?"

At the mention of Sera, Malachi's smile melted, and he slumped. Pure depression coursed over his features, and I wanted to punch myself in the face. I cringed the moment I realized what I had said. Way to go, idiot.

"Sera and I will not be able to make the double date." He muttered, "Given that we are no longer doing such. She has…'broken up' with me. That's the correct term, yes?"

"Well, er…yeah, it's correct." Boy you're really doing good here, aren't you? "Well, what happened? If you don't mind me asking."

He sighed, "she said that she can not be with me like this. That she does not want to be the reason I became what Ouranos wants me to be."

"So she ended it…because she didn't want you to obey Ouranos to keep her alive."

"Yes." He said, "She'd rather die than let me kill innocent people, which I did. I was a force of evil, and she was a force of good, as always, she put the lives of others before her own."

"Come on, man, you're not a force for evil-"

"You weren't there. You didn't see the things I did. I killed innocent people, among other horrific acts."

"I-I know. But it's never too late to redeem yourself. Look at Talon and Levi, they've killed people, and now they're with us. They changed for the better."

He didn't say anything.

"Look, I've come to realize that if you're still aware that what you're doing is wrong, then you're not too far gone. You've already changed just by being here. I don't doubt that once Sera sees it, she'll take you back."

"You…think so?"

"I do." I said, and pushed myself to get up. I'd leave him alone until we arrived. I could tell he had a lot to think about. I didn't want to distract him any further from setting things straight in his head.

I walked over to Talon next, who was still staring over the edge. Without looking at me, he acknowledged my presence. "That was good, what you said to him."

"I wanted to make him feel better. I already messed up by mentioning Sera."

"You mean it?"

"Huh?"

He glanced at me, "What you said. About it never being too late to redeem yourself. You mean that?"

It was a strange question. It seemed he wasn't just asking for Malachi's sake. But for his own? That was…stupid. Talon's already redeemed himself in our eyes. He didn't have anything to prove to us.

I responded anyway. "Yeah, I mean that. I mean, look at Levi. Never, ever, in a million years did I think I would actually respect the man that killed Chiron. But here we are."

Talon cocked his head in agreement, "Goth boy did well back there, gotta admit. Still ain't sure about him, though. But I guess that's just how I am. Takes a lot to gain my trust."

I stared at him, studying. I knew it must've looked weird, but I couldn't help it. There was something about his demeanor, it was different. Usually he's sarcastic and full of jokes, but now…it was clearly the opposite. I mean, that's expected, for any of us. But Talon's always hyped up before a fight, he's the kind that enjoys it.

"Are you okay, man? You don't look so…" I trailed off.

Talon nodded, "I'm fine. Because my resolve's set-in stone. I know what's going to happen today."

"Oh…um, really? What's going to happen?"

"I'm gonna kill Ouranos."

I raised my eyebrows a little. So he was thinking about Ouranos, not Atlas. I'll admit, it took me a while to take my focus off of the Primordial, and shift it to the titan. But I had to, because he's the main threat here. We all need to team up on him, not Ouranos, for once.

His emotions were blaring one word. Revenge.

"After everything he's done to Malachi, to Sera…the fucker's gotta go. It has to end." He turned and fully looked at me, black sunglasses hiding his eyes, but somehow the shades were even more piercing. "You know just as good as I do. He killed your dad. You want this too."

I let out a nervous exhale, "Well yeah, but that's not gonna make me lose my head. At least…I hope not. The point is, Atlas is the main concern, first and foremost. We gotta take him out if we want to get to Ouranos. One moment of distraction, and we're done."

"I can't die." He muttered, "Remember? And when I go golden, I get pretty damn strong."

I sighed, "Yeah, but you hardly remember anything that happens when you're in that state. And you can't even control it. And as for not dying…yeah, that's true, but your supposed invincibility hasn't been tested against Heavenly Diamond, has it? Two years ago, you said this place was infested with the stuff." I resisted putting a hand on his shoulder or pulling any of that stuff like I did with Malachi. That stuff doesn't fly with Talon, I can tell. So I kept back. "I'm not trying to argue, I just want you to keep a cool head."

I could tell he was frustrated. I didn't blame him. He was angry, and tired of seeing his friends hurt by Ouranos. Trust me, I felt the same way after Dad died. Even now, I hate him with a passion. But I'm not going to let that get to me here. I'm only focusing on one figure, and he has a mustache and a scar over his eye.

"I'll be cool, Matt. You ain't gotta worry about me."

I knew if I pressed further, he wouldn't be so calm about it. I decided to leave him alone with his thoughts as well. With an "alright, man" I moved on.

A tiny glance back towards him, and he hadn't budged, the same with Malachi. He too sat, confused and head towards his neck.

It seemed like we were all going into this with unresolved issues, with turmoil in my head. I didn't want them to know about mine, but I'm sure it's obvious by now.

"Hey." I greeted the pair of siblings. Raven black hair flopped around, and three icy blue eyes fell upon me. It was uncanny how similar they looked. I mean really, seeing them in the same place, they looked like they could be twins. If Levi didn't have his scar, his features would almost perfectly match Harper's. Even the way he looks at people, that studying gaze, analyzing everything about the target. For a second, I wanted to just turn away at the sight. I'm barely used to Harper's intimidating stare, and adding Levi's similar look, which actually…now that I think about it, he probably taught her that look to scare opponents and bullies at school.

"Matt." Levi regarded. "Are you ready?"

"I think so." I said, trying to make sure I sounded convincing. "I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, and I've got all of you by my side. He's tough, but if we play it smart, I think we have a real chance at this." I gestured to his jacket, "Still got the knife?"

He looked down and pulled on it, revealing an inside holster for it. Inside, sat the Heavenly Diamond knife, exuding chaotic aura. I could've sensed and figured out he still had it myself, but I just wanted to make conversation, I guess.

"I'll only use it if I get a chance. I won't be reckless."

I nodded, "That's good. We're not going to be too conservative, but cautious enough to the point where we aren't throwing ourselves at him."

"I agree." Levi said, and then looked between Harper and myself. "Well er, I think I'll let you two talk for a bit. I need to clear my head anyway."

Well, I wasn't expecting that. But okay. "Uh, alright." I said, a bit nervously. Levi must've thought that I came over here to talk to Harper specifically, maybe apologize for making her mad. I did after all tell him that I'd done so. He kind of misread the situation, but also didn't. You see, I wanted to apologize, but the thing is, I might say something totally dumb.

Either way, I was stuck. Levi walked over to where Malachi was sitting and stood in the corner closest to the Demi-Primordial, leaning his thigh against the saddle and watching the clouds go by.

I turned to Harper to find her fiddling with the saddle, giving me an awkward half smile. You know, those smiles where you don't show teeth and raise your eyebrows for a split second. Like hey, you're here…yay, I guess.

"So uh, what were you guys talking about?"

"Oh um, I was just telling him I thought he did great in calming Malachi down." Her eyes darted back and forth between the back of Kyros's head and me. Oh, so she was a bit nervous too? That kind of made me feel better. See, I'm better at noticing stuff like this now. Back on that first quest, I was dense as a board.

"Matt?"

I shook my head out of the daze I entered. "Oh sorry, what was that?"

"I asked if you thought so too."

"Oh yeah, yeah, totally. I think Levi did a great job. It was…pretty unexpected to be honest, him stepping up like that."

She looked over at her brother and smiled with admiration. A look towards him that I had never seen, except in her memories. It was like looking at the younger version of her, the one that thought of Levi as her hero.

"Yeah." She said, "I'm proud of him. He's really come a long way."

"Oh, I agree. You know, I actually respect him now. Dead serious. I never thought I would say it, but Levi's actually coming around."

She broke her gaze and looked at the floor of the saddle. She was smiling still, and her good eye sparkled with hope. It had been a while since she looked so enthusiastic about something.

"You know…I had this crazy idea that I wanted to tell you last night, but we never got the chance." I scratched my neck at that, knowing that she meant I had interrupted whatever it was with my Talon talk. "I've been thinking about the future, Levi's future. And I really…" She was having trouble getting it out. Sensing her emotions, I could tell she was worried as to what I'll say to it.

"It's alright." I assured, "You can tell me."

She nodded, "Well, I really think Levi has a place at Camp." Before I could respond, she waved her hands frantically and whispered yelled, "I know you think it's crazy and way too soon, but just think about it for a second. Where will he go after this? He can't just wander around by himself. He's really proven that he can be trusted, and I think if we can just improve the campers' opinions of him, he'd fit really well!"

I found myself chuckling at her display. It was kind of funny, seeing her act so erratic. It was even more funny when she saw me laughing, and scowled cutely at me.

"What's so funny?"

"You." I said, "You're cute."

"Cute?" She nearly roared, "Cute is the word you use to describe puppies and koalas and shit. Not me. I'm not cute. So why are you laughing?"

I shook my head and kept my grin. "You are cute, and I don't care what you say otherwise. And the reason I'm laughing is because you're getting all worked up." I gestured to Levi and leaned closer to her so she could hear my whisper. "Levi already told me last night that you wanted him to stay at Camp."

Her annoyance fell and she raised her eyebrows in shock. "So you…knew?"

"Yeah, I knew."

There was a moment of silence, where we just stared at each other. Then there was impact, on my arm, where she hit me.

"Idiot." She grumbled. "Thanks for making me look like an embarrassed idiot. Waving my hands around like a lunatic…"

"Why were you nervous? I'm fine with Levi staying at Camp after this. He's earned my trust."

"Wait, really?"

"Sure. I just said that I respect him, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but respect and wanting him to stay at Camp are completely different. You'd actually be okay if he lived there? In the Nemesis cabin?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine with it. I think Percy and Annabeth wouldn't be too against it either, but it would take a while for the Campers to get used to him. That's where the problem lies."

"I know." She said, but her hope wasn't killed. "It's going to be a long process. But I'm sure if we work at it, they'll accept him. They just have to see how much he's changed."

"Yeah." I agreed, "We can worry about all of that later. Right now, we gotta focus on taking down Atlas and Ouranos."

"Oh, I haven't forgotten about that, believe me." She unsheathed one of her trademark knives from their belt sheathe and spun it in her hand. "We're putting those bastards away, for good. Done and done."

"I hope so. We keep saying that, and it doesn't happen, you know? It's like every time we promise, or we vow, something unexpected happens. It's like he's one step ahead of us, constantly."

"Matt-"

"Dude spent millennia in Tartarus, planning all of this shit out. Of course he's one, no, probably ten steps ahead of us."

"Matt." She persisted. "This time, we know what's going to happen. It's a straight up fight. Us versus them, no tricks, no games. Ouranos is relying on Atlas to protect him. Every single plan of his is on the line, if Atlas is defeated, then all of it crumbles."

What she said made some sense. Ouranos was weak right now, of course he'd rely on someone like Atlas. He captured Sera originally to make Malachi do what he wanted, but now I'm wondering…did he also capture her just in case Malachi escaped? So he could still use her as a hostage to lure us in?

It had to be the case. It was a way for all of us to be grouped together, and then slaughtered by Atlas like a bunch of cattle. This is his perfect chance for him to get rid of us, and vice versa. He's weak, and now would be the perfect time to nip it in the bud. "It" being him.

I nodded at Harper, "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm worrying too much."

"We're gonna be alright. We've been through too much to fail this time."

Yeah, we have. Sometimes I feel like this is just one big depressing soap opera, where we try to take down Ouranos, he evades us, rinse, and repeat. Along the way a few people die.

I just summed up this entire thing, didn't I?

"Harper." I said, clearing my head and letting my mouth take over where my brain probably shouldn't. "Let's clear the air, alright? You know, we're about to go into battle and everything…and I can't go in with this tension between us."

I was surprised to feel her soft hand on top of mine the second after I said it. I expected some hesitance, some more anger. But looking up, into her eyes, I could tell I was forgiven a long time ago. She knew I'd made a stupid assumption and regretted it.

Those eyes then rolled at me. "Matt, forget about it. Was I annoyed? Yeah. But I was never angry with you. We're gonna argue and be wrong about things, it's just part of life."

I smiled, "I seriously don't know what I did to deserve you. Either way, I gotta say I'm sorry. It just makes me feel better to say it."

She squeezed my hand and smirked, "Consider yourself out of the doghouse, then."

I laughed, and suddenly felt my chest lift up back to it's natural habitat. I hadn't even known it was down in the ground this entire time. Confirming that we were good meant a lot, especially before something like this. One of my biggest fears is that I might say the wrong thing, or get in some argument…and that be it.

We might've entered another conversation, but Levi's dark jeans flashed in my peripheral.

"We're close." He pointed in the distance, "I can see the mountain."

I should've known. We had been flying for a while, but I just lost track of time. Too late for stalling now, it was time to go.

We all stood up and walked over to the front of the saddle. I could see it in the distance, the sharp gray structure stabbing the sky, turning, and twisting up in it's ascension. Clouds and fog clung to the top like some kind of giant winter coat.

"Two dead immortals standin' on that thing." Talon growled, moving his duster out of the way to reveal his revolver. "You guys ready for this shit?"

I noticed Levi cling to the bulge in his jacket that is the Heavenly Diamond knife. "I am. Ouranos will rot for what he's done to me."

"We're all in agreement on that." Malachi said.

In my mind, I urged Kyros to focus on the mountain. He understood and tucked his wings in, spearing the air and soaring downward.

"This is it, guys!" I said, yelling over the air, "Let's make this count!"

With our destination in view, our targets gaining distance with each passing second, I steeled myself for this encounter. This could be the last time, this could be the game changer, the ender, of it all.

(000)

Boy I just love setting things up and then ending with a cliffhanger, don't I?

Hope Athena wasn't too OOC in this chapter with her Percy interaction. Personally, I think it's realistic that after years, him proving time and time again that he's the right person for Annabeth, that even Athena would give in by now. Hopefully I'm not completely wrong and it still felt in character.

Let me know what you thought in the reviews, and what you think will happen in the next chapter.

Until Next Time.