Chapter 40 - The Moly Plant
It took nearly four hours to reach the Ideon Andron on foot, located on the east side of Mount Ida. The demigods had all agreed that approaching from the open sky – Zeus' storm still ongoing – with a giant trireme would be far too obvious. If they wanted to rescue Amalthea they needed to do so without being seen.
Jason's gaze lingered on the standard he held in his hand, lingering at the mouth of the cave system.
"It wouldn't be a good idea to use it," Hazel pointed out.
Nico nodded in agreement, dark eyes firm. "Rhea's side of the standard has been proven to cause earthquakes. Good on an open battlefield, not so good in a cave."
Jason knew that, of course. Using the standard down in the cave system would be tantamount to a death sentence. He sighed, but settled the standard on his back. "Right," he said. "Everyone ready?"
Nico looked like he'd rather not enter the cave which no doubt held Enceladus, since he'd had his own experience with Otis and Ephialtes. "Let's get this over with," he said.
Of all things that could happen, Annabeth had never considered meeting Tartarus himself to be one of them. The Primordial towered over them, silver eyes burning.
"Stinking Pit," the dark god rumbled, his voice – if it could even be called that, with how it seemed to echo from everywhere around them – was entirely flat. "Such crude words, step-son. One could almost believe that you don't appreciate everything that I have done for you Titans, despite none of you being mine."
Hyperion shook his head. "Oh, no," he assured the Primordial, rather wary as he carefully picked his words. "We definitely appreciate everything that you've done for us. Helping us reform for one, that's very helpful."
"That was because your mother asked nicely," Tartarus rumbled. "And the sex with her is good."
Hyperion cleared his throat. "I'm sure it is," he said, looking distinctly unsettled. No doubt at the thought of Tartarus and Gaea having sex. Even Titans seemed to not want to know about their mother's sexual escapades. Not that Annabeth could blame him.
Luke was opting to stay quiet, though Annabeth could still feel the point of his half-steel half-celestial bronze sword resting against her back.
"We were actually on our way back to the surface," Hyperion added. "Mother calls."
Tartarus rumbled with laughter, the grating sound echoing from the landscape around them and shaking like boulders crashing against each other. "Does she not always call? Run back to her little Titan," he said, voice dropping but Annabeth couldn't call it a whisper. "Run back to your mother, but do not forget the terms of our agreement. For every ounce of suffering I lose by allowing you and your insufferable brethren to simply leave, I must be owed back. In one way or another."
Hyperion paled, and he bowed low to the dark god. "I'll be sure to pass on the message to Kronos," he promised. "But when we win, I assure you, the Olympians will keep you satisfied for a very long time."
"I should hope so," Tartarus growled, his form splitting apart. His voice whispered at the three from all over the Pit. "For your own sakes. Lest I be very displeased."
The first chamber was a large cavern, empty aside from the corpses of nine minor gods. Golden ichor splatters the walls, the floor and there are even a few splotches on the ceiling far overhead. The mortal tourists in the cavern slip and slide through the mess, unaware that the surface is covered in immortal blood. Jason gaped in disbelief as Hazel covered her mouth in horror.
Each of the nine immortals had been decapitated, their heads absent.
Expression grim, Nico makes his way over to the corpses. "Statis," he said. "Usually an immortal's body will dissolve when they die, and reform in Tart... the Pit. Someone has stopped these ones from doing so."
"Is that possible?" Hazel questioned.
"Only with power over time," Nico said tiredly.
"One guess as to whom did this then," Leo muttered, his tone bitter. Each of the demigods were still furious with Kronos' betrayal and kidnapping or murder of Percy.
"Think he'll still be here?" Frank asked warily, fingers tightening around his bow.
They were getting a few odd looks from the mortals around them, Jason noted. Though none of them had taken a second glance at the nine corpses on the floor, so Jason didn't know what they were seeing.
"Surely Rhea would know?" Piper questioned. "She knew Enceladus was here. Wouldn't she have warned us if he was too?"
"Maybe," Jason said. "I'm not sure." He spotted the entrance to the inner sanctum, further into the depths of the cave. "Over there."
Nico glanced back at the bodies. "Nothing we can do about the time statis," he muttered with a frown.
Jason picked his way down through the cavern, the others following close behind. Piper's hand found his, and he was immensely pleased that the darkness covered his blushing face.
Piper's hand tightened around Jason's. "Do you hear that?" She asked.
The son of Jupiter's eyes furrowed. He paused, listening for any sound coming from the cavern before them, and his frown deepened when he heard a goat's bleat filtering out. "Amalthea," he guessed.
"She's calling for help," Piper murmured.
"It's a trap," Leo stated.
"That's obvious," Nico snarked. "All of this screams trap to me."
Jason took a step into the inner sanctum, and Greek fire erupted along the walls. Frank swore as he jumped back from the closest flame, eying it warily. A ring of Greek fire encircled the inner sanctum. The entire inner sanctum was shimmering, similarly to the air wavering on a hot day.
On a raised dais in the centre of the room, there was a goat chained to the ruins of a throne. "Amalthea," Nico quietly said, his voice low.
"I don't see Enceladus anywhere," Piper murmured, worry more than clear in her tone.
Jason frowned. "That's the Throne of Jupiter."
"What?" Leo asked as he eyed the decimated chunk of rock on the dais.
"The locals put it there," Jason explained. "As a homage to Jupiter."
"Doesn't matter," Nico said, his stygian iron sword held out in front of him. "We have to get Amalthea freed."
"It's too easy," Frank muttered.
Leo nodded in agreement. "Definitely too easy. What's to stop Mr. High-and-Mighty from strolling in here himself instead of making us free Amalthea? It doesn't make sense," he said.
Jason knew they were right. Surely Enceladus would set some kind of security that would stop Jupiter from rescuing Amalthea himself – aside from the identity crisis the gods were still going through. Jupiter/Zeus was aware enough to send the Argo II skittering off-course to Crete, so why couldn't he walk in here himself? Why hadn't Rhea freed Amalthea herself, when she had known where the mother goat was? Aside from the ring of Greek fire, since Jason assumed either of the two immortals could get past that. So what was stopping them?
Amalthea bleated at them, looking both relieved and concerned to see them. Though how a goat managed such expression, Jason didn't know.
It was Hazel whom found the answer. Scanning the room, she noticed lines carved into the walls. "What are these?" She questioned, reaching out to run her hand over the strange shapes.
"I don't know," Jason admitted.
Nico's eyes furrowed and he stopped Hazel from touching them. "They look like… oh. My father told me about this," he said. His finger hovered over a rune that looked like a circle, with an arrow pointing down through the top and into the centre. "That means contain." Nico shifted to another rune next to it, one that seemed to resemble a single flame. "This is immortal, specifically the true form of an immortal."
"Contain immortal," Jason said. "No wonder Jupiter and Rhea aren't coming here themselves."
"It's a trap for immortals," Nico agreed. "One that will keep their true forms contained here in the cavern. Until the runes are gone."
Hazel studied the magic glyphs curiously. "I don't recognise them," she murmured."
Nico pressed his lips together. He, of course, knew of Hazel's history with magic – her mother had been a witch. "They're Old Tongue," he said. "The language Chaos used to create the Primordials. The language the Titans speak. It's the oldest language in existence and the most powerful; Hades told me that only immortals can speak it because of its power, so much that any mortal whom tries will be incinerated." He eyed Hazel warily. "I know you've got history with magic, but maybe try something other than Old Tongue?"
His sister hesitated. "Who said I wanted to learn?"
Nico just shrugged. "Consider it a hunch." He raised his stygian iron sword and slashed through the runes until they were indecipherable from the surrounding wall.
The shimmer in the inner sanctum collapsed and the Greek fire extinguished itself to plunge the cavern into darkness.
Nico smiled. "Now we can free Amalthea."
Jason nodded. "Good work," he said, more than aware that if Nico hadn't been a part of their group none of them would have been able to translate the runes. They may not have trapped the demigods, but certainly would have trapped Rhea.
"Leo," Jason said, "can you get Amalthea out?"
Leo nodded. "Of course," he said, reaching into his toolbelt and drawing out a lockpick. "Just give me a few minutes."
There was a shimmer of warmth behind Jason and he spun around, javelin ready only to come face-to-face with Rhea. The son of Jupiter lowered his javelin. "Sorry, Lady Rhea."
Rhea's smile was faint. "Well done," she praised.
"Why didn't you mention the Old Tongue runes?" Nico questioned with a faint frown.
Her smile hardened a fraction. "One of you needed to learn," she said simply. Hazel shifted slightly. "Magic is difficult, dear," Rhea said to Hazel, "but rewarding when done correctly." The air around her shimmered, and a deep green set of armour folded around her. "But, if you are interested, we may discuss this later. Enceladus has sensed my presence," she said. A blade that seemed to be a cross between a standard short-sword and a scimitar formed in her hand.
Sure enough, the ground trembled and opened across the inner sanctum. A thirty-foot tall giant erupted from the chasm as if shot from a chute. "At last!" He boomed gleefully. Though he seemed rather unimpressed as he spotted Rhea. And then downright furious upon eying the demigods. "Where is Zeus?!" He demanded, white eyes burning with fury. "Is he so cowardly to refuse to come himself?"
Rhea glowered, looking downright murderous. Her green eyes glowed like the Greek fire which had formerly lit the cavern. "If you think I would let my son walk into a trap, you are sorely mistaken."
Enceladus sneered. "Instead I must fight you, cowardly Rhea? It is an insult!" He blatantly ignored Leo working to free Amalthea, not caring in the least now that he had an immortal in front of him. Even if it wasn't the immortal he intended to trap. "All my work, all my effort and all I catch is you!"
The daughter of Gaea shook her head.
"Kronos mentioned that you were skulking around somewhere," the Giant added. "But he said you've never dared to fight him before, and weren't likely to fight me now!"
Rhea's jaw tightened. Her knuckles whitened where she held her sword. "He has never understood friendship, or the lengths that some would go to protect someone whom they care for. Amalthea is a dear friend to me. Friendship with someone is something he has never had, and will never have. All he knows is his brothers, and that is all he concerns himself with. Talking to him about matters such as loyalty and caring is not something that will help you in this situation."
Enceladus spat on the ground. "He wanted Zeus brought to him. But I'm sure he'll be more than happy to settle for you, Rhea."
The former Queen paled, but stepped forward. "I have spent long enough letting him walk over me," she snapped. "Letting everyone walk over me. I have had enough – I am a child of Gaea too and you Giants, born of a lesser father, will not win."
The mention of Tartarus being lesser than Ouranos aggravated the Giant and he bellowed a wordless cry as he lunged towards Rhea.
The demigods scattered, Leo shooing the unchained Amalthea out of the inner sanctum as Rhea danced aside. Jason wasn't sure how much fighting Rhea had done if she'd been on Crete for eons, keeping away from other immortals, but he assumed not very much. That didn't seem to phase her though, since as she avoided Enceladus' strike she swept her hand to the side. The earth rolled over beneath his feet, making the Giant stumble and his spear go wide. Rhea's sword lashed out, scoring a gash along the Giant's armoured chest. It didn't bite through the bronze, but it certainly served to warn the Giant away.
Enceladus eyed her with a new wariness in his eyes as he steadied himself.
"I am a Titan, after all is said and done," Rhea added with a faint smile.
Leo blasted fire at the Giant from his hands, but Enceladus seemed entirely unphased. He glowered at the demigods, but was careful to keep Rhea within sight. In doing so, he lost sight of Nico, Hazel and Frank.
When underground, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on the children of the Underworld. Nico lunged, plunging his sword down into the Giant's ankle, and Hazel slammed a large emerald into the back of his knee. The Giant's leg buckled as he howled, only to spin around with startling speed and knock the shaft of his spear into them.
Nico slammed back into the wall of the inner sanctum and crumpled to the floor, Hazel sliding to a stop half a dozen feet away from him. Enceladus' swing smashed straight through the throne dedicated to Zeus.
Neither of them attempted to rise back to their feet.
Thunder rumbled outside the cavern.
Frank growled and loosed a series of arrows at the Giant at once. Two bounced harmlessly off his armour, another went wide and narrowly missed Jason's shoulder and the final one landed in the gap in the Giant's armour at his elbow. Jason struck at his shin, but again his strike bounced off the Giant's armour.
Enceladus glowered, but he managed to catch Rhea's next strike with the shaft of his spear. He shoved the Titaness back with a sneer and pulled back to try to skewer her.
It was then that a lightning bolt struck Enceladus straight in the face. The Giant stiffened, electricity crackling up and down his spine and bringing him down to his knees. A second strike knocked him flat on his back and he screamed. All but Jason jerked back away from the sparks shooting off the bronze armour.
Leo gaped at Jason.
Jason lunged using the wind to boost his jump, shifted his javelin to a sword, and brought it down across the Giant's bared throat.
Enceladus dissolved into golden dust.
Rhea took a deep breath, brushing dark hair and silver sweat out of her emerald eyes. Then she turned, looking over Jason's head. "I was dealing with it," she said, a surprisingly soft smile playing across her lips. It was a smile that seemed to brighten the cavern, and one that made Jason relax slightly despite his limbs trembling and aching.
"So I could tell," a deep voice rumbled from behind Jason. "Was that why he was about to stab you?"
Rhea frowned. "He was not about to stab me."
"Yes he was."
Jason swallowed, and he slowly turned around. At the entrance to the cavern, in gleaming silver armour that sparked… "Father," Jason greeted.
"Zeus," Zeus corrected. The crackling Master Bolt in his hand deactivated and faded from sight, and the King of the Gods crossed his arms over his chest with a small smile. "But that's close enough to be no real difference. Fortunately, I can appear to you as Zeus without the splitting headache here, where I was born." His gaze settled on Nico and Hazel with a disapproving frown, but he snapped his fingers. Their various broken bones snapped back into place and both woke with a sputtering gasp. "Now," Jason's father said, a wary Amalthea poking her nose around the entrance to the inner sanctum behind the god as if expecting a stray lightning bolt to smack her in the face. Possibly a regular occurrence when Zeus had been growing up. "I want to hear exactly what has happened with Kronos, and then we shall decide what to do about it from here."
Relief rolled through Jason as he saw both Hazel and Nico staggering to their feet. If he were honest they had been going through their quest without really knowing what to do for the past few days; telling Zeus everything that had happened lately would take a weight off his shoulders. And they might finally get some directions as to what to do next.
The plants were growing, and all it took was a little of the Lord of Harvest's vomit.
Percy wouldn't usually be scared of little saplings poking up through the soil, but there was something about these plants that gave him the creeps. The statue of Saturn, placed next to the Moly to help it grow with the powers of the Titan of Harvest, seemed to glow in the fading light of the Greek fire torches.
The son of Poseidon, injury still aching with a vengeance, felt as if he were trapped with the growing mythological plants. It was simply the foreboding feeling the plants seemed to give out and it was silly, but Percy wanted to run screaming from the cavern he was in.
Footsteps echoed from behind the cavern wall, and the door slid open. "– failed." Porphyrion was seething. "Had we retrieved that Chaos-damned fleece, your siblings could have created us an Aegis!"
Kronos was following close behind the Giant King, looking much the same as he had the day before – aside from the McDonalds burger he was currently tearing into with relish. Had it been the day before when Percy had last seen him? Percy couldn't be sure. The shadows beneath his eyes seemed hollow, his muscles taught and ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. Once-luminescent skin had dulled and taken on an oily sheen. Even his eyes seemed darker, wild and tired. The gleaming gold that had once resembled immortal ichor had darkened to a near-bronze colour.
It didn't suit him.
The Titan Lord looked like a mortal who'd gone days without any sleep. Despite what many other demigods and immortals thought, Percy wasn't an idiot. Something was making Kronos tired, and hungry. Percy knew it hadn't just started however, since he distinctly remembered Kronos eating at least half of those brownies that Bythos and Aphros had gifted them. Whatever it was that Porphyrion was doing to him, he would pay for it.
"It's hardly our fault that Enceladus is useless!" Kronos exclaimed. He polished off his burger. "Besides, the demigods can hardly make an Aegis either," he dismissed. "And don't suggest our relation to those beasts."
Porphyrion merely sneered. "Beasts they may be, but that hardly makes them any less related to you. They serve their uses for us well. And, perhaps, if your advice regarding Rhea was correct, Enceladus would not have died."
"Easier to send them back to the Pit." Kronos glowered at Percy, as if this was all the demigod's fault. "It's where they belong–"
"Shh," Porphyrion said, his eyes on the Moly poking through the topsoil even as Kronos reared back in his anger at being told to be quiet. "Finally," he rumbled.
Kronos stiffened slightly when he saw the Moly, which made Percy's eyebrows furrow. "It seems that my job is done at least," he said warily.
Porphyrion's eyes gleam. "So it seems," he said. An emotion that Percy didn't wish to name burned in his white eyes as he eyed Kronos, before turning back to Percy with a smirk. He was chuckling as he reached down and ripped a single sapling from the ground, revealing the black roots beneath the soil. Kronos sighed, no doubt annoyed that he'd put so much effort into growing them, and Prophyrion had ripped one out before it even bloomed. "Do you know what this is, Jackson? Do you know what Kronos has just grown for us?"
"No," Percy said, "because none of you have told me."
The Giant King ignored his tone, much too pleased to get angry with him – for which Percy was grateful for. "This plant was created from my brother, Picolous's blood – he was the bane of Helios, Titan of the Sun. It's poison will kill any mortal whom harvests it," Porphyrion said, his smirk widening, "and will only bloom with the blood of a male and a female demigod. A safety measure placed by Zeus, no doubt. To attempt to stop us from getting our hands on the flowers."
That certainly explained why Percy's skin crawled every time he set his eyes on the Moly, if it was poisonous enough to kill him if he touched it. "Why?" Percy asked, his eyes lingering on the sapling clenched in Porphyrion's fist. "Why would he be so desperate? And why not just destroy them?"
Porphyrion chuckled. "Oh, all the gods tried. Zeus commanded Helios, Eos and Selene to cast an eternal night until all Moly were hunted down and destroyed. But the gods could not destroy that which they could not see. All Moly seeds germinating within the earth remained stable. Realising that all of the gods would be watching for any Moly saplings, Mother Gaea froze their growth. It has taken both Kronos and the Statue of Saturn to reverse their frozen state and start them growing again."
That was nice and all, but the Giant still hadn't explained what they do. "But why?" Percy pressed.
Porphyrion smirked. Next to him, Kronos remained silent, his fists clenched at his side. "The Moly Plant produces flowers which have a unique and powerful ability." The Giant's eyes gleamed, as if he were about to deliver a devastating blow. "Any Giant whom ingests a Moly flower cannot be harmed by mortal hands."
Percy gaped at the Giant. "But then…"
"Only through the joint effort of an immortal and a mortal can a Giant be killed," Kronos said. His darkened eyes were flat, emotionless as he gazed across at Percy. "But if mortals cannot harm them…" He pressed his lips together. "A Giant cannot be killed."
I swear, these chapters are getting longer and longer.
So. The Moly. A fun little myth. And yes, that is genuinely what it does in greek myths, and yes Zeus literally ordered for an eternal night until all of the Moly was hunted down and destroyed (a good attempt, but lets be honest - how did he expect to destroy every last seed?). But just imagine if the Giants LITERALLY cannot be killed... a nightmare. For everyone. *claps* Well done Kronos, you have just screwed everyone on the earth.
ghostfall: Ha. Yeah. Percy and Kronos for life (not). Now that Zeus knows what happened between Kronos and Percy... well, Zeus can happily go all smack-down on Kronos for everything. (Whoops. Poor Kronos xD)
Timo: thanks :)
Terrorisk123: Ha, no. Just a male lion she's fond of. Luke ate his pizza, lol.
1234booklover: Even more major in this chapter! Go Rhea! Yeah, I liked that Hyperion-Annabeth scene. The Titans may be morally suspect, but they've got emotions too.
1-800-hehsquad: Lol. Thanks!
thegoldraven: Thanks :). Kind of, more like the Titans have a deal with him so it's more beneficial for Tartarus to keep them around. Did I say that? I confirm or deny nothing! Let's be honest though, with Zeus potentially going on a warpath... Kronos may have bigger issues to worry about.