Chapter 21: Untamable, Unmovable, Unbreakable
Pontos, aided by Thalassa, Nesoi, Hydros, and Phanes, created the school of the Atlanteans. At the same time, Gaea, Tartarus, Ourae, Ananke and Physis created the Gigantes, Erebos, Nyx, Akhlys, Eros and Chronos built the Titans, and Chaos, Ouranous, Elpis, Hemera and Aether created the Olympians. All different schools of Enlightenment that ultimately had one goal: Controlling the power of Emotion.
- Poseidon's Notes, Page 31, On the creation of Atlantis.
Hades led Percy through different halls of the great keep. Around them, Hunters rushed towards the entrances brandishing weapons and other goods to help reinforce the doors. Hades paid them no mind, however, he merely kept walking forward, his cane clicking quickly on the dark floor.
"You remind me of your father." Hades said suddenly, catching Percy off guard.
"What?"
"The way you fight. Headfirst into battle, letting it all out, not concerned with the consequences." Hades chuckled, "Yes, hotheaded Poseidon is alive within you, young Perseus."
Percy felt anger tingling his mind, yet he decided to keep quiet for now.
"Poseidon's fighting style was unique; did you know that? So much finesse, so much control, I don't think any other Hunter has ever achieved that peak. It was natural, however, that Poseidon did reach those heights, as will you one day. Tell me, Percy, have you realized what sets you apart from Bianca, Nico, Annabeth, and myself?"
"Experience?"
"Good answer, but no." Hades smiled, "It's something about your enlightenment. How are they different?"
Percy thought hard for a moment but couldn't find anything wrong or different aside from his struggles to control it.
"I don't see it, or I don't think I see it. The only thing that Nico and others have pointed out is that my Enlightenment seems harder to control and is much more destructive, but they say its because of my father."
"That it is…that it is…" Hades muttered. "I heard what happened with the La Rue chick, Nico IM'd me the details, and even Bianca was impressed. Have you ever wondered why you were able to defeat a fully trained Hunter, you, without a drop of training?"
Percy had wondered. He had felt that it should not have been possible.
"No, it shouldn't have." Hades said, noting that Percy was speaking out loud, "However it did happen, and that's because your Enlightenment will always be different. You see, Poseidon was always reserved when it came to his power, it was not Olympian in nature, not tameable by control and balance, as we teach in Olympus."
"Atlantean…" Percy said, remembering what Bianca had told him.
"Ah, so you've heard of our distant cousins…" Hades smiled, yet his smile was dark, reserved. "Yes. Atlanteans, created from a branch of the Firstborn that became Primordial…Poseidon didn't say much about them, only that they shouldn't have existed, and after he explained, I feel like I must agree.
"The power of an Atlantean, Percy, doesn't come from his Enlightenment, it doesn't come from how much balance or control you have, it comes from a very simple thing, something that us, from the school of Olympus, have never fully understood. Intent. More specifically, an anchor."
"Anchor?"
"When you fight, when you draw upon that power, what do you feel?"
Percy focused on those feelings, on the pulls of strength and lust for power that touched him eery time he called upon his Enlightenment. He thought of the strength, of the simpleness which he moved through the space, he thought of his enlightened senses and how much it helped. Yet he thought also of Bianca.
"Ah. There it is." Hades said, looking at Percy intently. "The anchor."
"I…I promised Bianca that I will protect her. It's what I feel, what keeps me in control, sir. I will protect her."
Hades' eyes widened slightly, and after a second, he moved away, walking with a slight limp. Percy thought he looked sad.
"I see." Hades said, his voice downcast. "Well, that is your anchor, your Intent or oath. It is from that anchor that you draw your strength, that pure intent which controls your power. However…" Hades hesitated.
"What is it?" Percy asked, concerned at what had the man so uneasy.
"Nothing." Hades said, once more with a pained expression, "Keep that anchor close, Perseus, it's what will give you strength in the wars to come."
He stopped at a door and opened it.
"I have told you this because I need you to step up. Your current power will not be enough for the task I will give you, however if you understand it, perhaps it will grow to be enough."
"What are you saying, Lord Hades?"
"What I am going to ask of you, Percy, is something that no one else, not even Bianca and Nico can know. It's a task that I also cannot trust to any of my Horsemen, only you."
"Why me?"
"Because you are the only person who I can say with absolute certainty will not be tempted by the power that I will grant you." Hades led Percy into a large black room, where a huge black archway could be seen leading into nothingness.
On golden letters, on the Highest point of the arch, the words Tartarus ominously sent a shiver down Percy's back.
"Tartarus. The cornerstone of Underworld, the pillar upon which this keep was built." Hades said, "Do you know its history?"
"No." Said Percy, swallowing hard.
"Many years ago, during the first generations of Enlightenment, the Firstborn who became Primordial assembled themselves upon a piece of land that wasn't exactly between the Mortal realm nor the Enlightened realm. Much like the Olympians have Mount Olympus in New Rome, or the Atlanteans had Atlantis and the Titans had Othrys, the Firstborn who became Primordial created the place called Tartarus, a place between realms. This bubble was created so that they could unleash their full power without decimating the lives around them. It was, after all, the Firstborn who became Primordial who have caused some of the most devastating events to hit humanity.
"During the Dawn of the Primordials, the four-way war decimated the landscape, creating a toxic wasteland with jagged grounds. Upon its destruction, the place between dimensions was destroyed by the man who originally created it, however he kept a small pocket open to serve as a prison for his enemies as well as his…experiments. No one knows what happened exactly, but my ancestors managed to find a way to access this place between realms and built Underworld to serve as its cage. It has served as a prison since, however it has never been fully explored, and there are caverns and tunnels that go deeper into the space between realms than anything in existence. This has given us a chance, for Tartarus not only serves as a prison today, but also as a vault, a place to hide things that should never be in the hands of Mortal or Enlightened. A weapon."
"Weapon?"
Hades nodded.
"I don't know exactly what Tartarus holds, however my ancestors found records of objects of great power that were created even before the Dawn of the Primordials, objects that helped them shape the world, and even make islands rise and sink. Years later, when Saturn and the Titans ravaged the earth, one of these objects was in possession of the King of the Titans himself. A weapon so vile, so terrible, that caused death and destruction everywhere it was sighted. Pluto, my great great great grandfather and a man who rose with the first Olympians to oppose the Titans founds something in the bowels of Tartarus about this object. A sketch of it, and a single world to summarize its hold over one of the pillars of the universe…" Hades looked at Percy, and Percy saw the man staring at him with a face so serene, so calm, as if he was talking about picking up the milk instead of a weapon of mass destruction. "Domination."
Percy didn't know why, but he felt his legs go weak at the sheer power the word had, not only what it meant, but also what it meant for him, someone who had been dominated by everyone since a young age.
"I…know a bit about these weapons, but its not important what they are, its important what they can do. The Scythe has mysterious powers, however it is known that its most prominent characteristic is to steal Enlightenment, which is why the Titans became so powerful in their first rise.
"I suspect that, with the rising Titans, they search for this weapon once more. It would grant them an edge over Olympus, as the remaining four weapons have been lost to time. They freed Typhoon and the other monsters in an attempt to distract us from their real objective: The Scythe. Charon saw through this, which is why he gave his life to stop the intruders at the Doors of Death, the deepest level within explored Tartarus, and the doors to the great vault. I want you to get that weapon out of here, Perseus."
Percy did a double take.
"Y-you want me to what?"
"When the time comes, I need you to enter Tartarus, reach the deepest level, and find the Scythe. Take it with you away from Underworld as soon as you have it. Take it to New Rome, to Hephaestus. He's the only person who will know how to destroy it, for it must be destroyed. Too long has it sat under this fortress, its corruption spreading and its dark tendrils manipulating the minds of my men."
"Why me?" Percy asked.
"Underworld will fall." Hades said, "Thanatos saw it and I did. When it does, Tartarus will be open, and the Scythe must be far away from here. I cannot take it, for if Underworld falls I will fall with her, my Horsemen cannot take it, for I fear they will be tempted to use its power to avenge me, corrupting them. And Bianca and Nico…" he turned towards Percy, "Don't take this the wrong way. I promised your father I would look after you, and I intend to do so, however…"
"I'm not your son." Percy said, realizing. "Bianca and Nico could fall to its corruption if something happens to you; you don't want your family to go through that. I, however, am not your family."
Hades winced but nodded.
"I understand." Percy said, and he really did. He would rather sacrifice his mind if it meant keeping Bianca safe. I will protect her. "It also makes sense. If I leave, it will just seem like I'm running away. They will probably send monsters after me, but nothing that I can't handle. They will assume I don't know about the weapon and leave me be, as there's no way I could know about them since I'm so new to this."
"Precisely, giving you time to reach New Rome." Hades said. "Can I count on you for this mission?"
Percy didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
"Good, then there's other things you need to know." Hades sighed, "Long have I suspected it, but now it has become clear. There is a traitor, no…traitors amongst us. I fear some may have even infiltrated Underworld and leaked its location. It's strange how they managed to enter Tartarus, and while many will come to you with offers of aid, some of these will be falsehoods to soften you for betrayal. First thing I will tell you, trust nobody.
"The only one you can absolutely trust is Hestia, the lady of the House of the Hearth. She is the only person I absolutely know will not betray you, so when you arrive in New Rome, you go to her first. Not to Hermes, who was a friend of your father but has always been brash, not to Apollo, who has a large mouth, and certainly not Zeus or any of his lackeys, the sheer knowledge of this weapon will send him into a panic, and you know more than anyone what the man can do when scared."
Percy nodded.
"Finally, I need you to tell something to Bianca. If I die here, I need you to take her to Hestia, and later take her to the Mausoleum of the Underworld. She will know what to do, what she must do to make our family survive. It will hurt her, and you, and everyone around her, but it must be done, its our curse."
Percy didn't know what to think, but he promised himself he will see this done.
"One more thing. A message for your father."
Percy was about to protest, but Hades stopped him.
"Please, just listen to me. If you see Poseidon…tell him…tell him that I am sorry. A day hasn't gone by where I don't feel ashamed and the guilt doesn't eat me up for what happened that night all those years ago. It shouldn't have gone that way. Zeus was acting strangely, I was acting strange…and I have a reason to suspect fowl play. Tell your father that there was a fourth person that day, and I have reasons to believe that it may have all been a part of some grand scheme."
Percy didn't know what to think. He didn't even know what the man was talking about, however Hades had taken him in, taught him and treated him as his own. He owed it to the man to at least try.
"I will, Lord Hades."
"Good…good…now go. Fight for this place as much as you would fight for your own. When the time comes, you get that weapon and run. You are our last hope to stop this before it begins, Percy, you're young, you will make mistakes, but don't give up. You're an Atlantean, and as much as you hate to hear it, you're Poseidon's son. Untameable, Unmovable. Unbreakable."
Percy stared at the man, and a light shone behind his onyx eyes, a purple, dark light that spoke of power and determination.
Percy didn't realize it, but a similar light shone behind his own. Hades was right. Percy was a hunter, whatever anyone said.
Untameable.
Unmovable.
Unbreakable.
Progress:
- Outline Book 1: 100%
- Chapter 22: 100% (Currently editing)
- Chapter 23: 20%
- Chapter 24: Outlined
Hey. Been a while. I don't want to get into too many explanations right now, but I will not deny the struggle it has been to write this story. Not because I wanted to abandon it, mainly because life got in the way, things got pushed back, and while it was already there, ready to go, the passion wasnt there. Took a while until I decided to write a chapter, and then another came, and now I'm finishing the next three almost simultaneously.
I'm posting 2 chapters in a form of apology, but don't expect two chapters at a time. Also, don't expect much of a schedule. While I will try my best to publish somewhat consistently, I can't promise it will be weekly. Perhaps one week I'll post 3 chapters, then stop for a month, come back and publish one, stop for a week, and then post 5. Who knows? If something I've learned these past years is that life is unpredictable like that.
Anyway. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Drink water, and see you (hopefully) soon.
~ CML