LAST TIME:

"He was nicknamed the Piercer for a reason. It was because his spear skewers his enemies before they even see it coming. See, I am not saying that Athena cannot defeat him. She cannot defeat him by sheer spear-wielding skills. It would require her fullest attention to do so."

I glanced at Athena, who was looking stonily at her father, clutching the armrests of her throne tightly, her knuckles white.

#It is a perfect assessment if a teensy-weensy bit exaggerated. Athena might not be as fast as Iapetus but she ain't slow either. And where she lacks speed against Iapetus, she makes up with intellect. I would say that they would be equals overall and the battle would be one that I would pay money to watch.#

'Can you elaborate? Zeus said that Iapetus is more skilled than Athena Which I do not think is possible. Athena knows every move and has them down to perfection. I cannot imagine someone being better than her.'

#You could say that Iapetus is Athena, spear-wielding at 1.25X speed.#

'He is insanely fast,' I noted. Even on a good day, I could barely defeat Athena in pure combat when she used her spear. And this was when she was fighting me in a white chiton with nothing but a celestial bronze spear off the racks in her hand.

No Aegis. No Armor. No godly spear. Just pure skill.

I shuddered to think how good Iapetus would be if he was faster than Athena.

'If what you say is true, why is Zeus exaggerating?'

#To hammer in a message into all gods, especially the younger generation like Apollo and Hermes. Gods to get cocky, Percy. He needs to hammer things into them. Just see now. When you visit Athena for your next spar session, see her fight. You are going to get your ass handed to you on a silver platter.#

I just groaned.

Ch.33 Interlude

ANNABETH POV

The air smelled strongly of ozone and ocean breeze as power cackled in the air.

Lady Artemis stood beside me, her hands clasped behind her back, looking at the two huntresses battling in the center of the Moon Arena with her sharp silver eyes. Not a single movement of theirs went unnoticed by her.

My eyes were drawn back to the Arena as Thalia gave a sharp gasp of pain before bringing up her Aegis shield just in time to block Zoe's riptide.

Thalia and Zoe.

They were the most powerful huntresses in the hunt. Thalia's sheer power was unmatchable and so was Zoe's endurance, strength, and experience.

What Zoe exactly was now, was quite unclear. But she definitely had inherited her strength and endurance from her father, Atlas, the General of the Titan forces.

Her sharp onyx eyes glinted with the same glint that Atlas's had when he had fought Percy on Mount Othrys.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that Zoe was Atlas's daughter. But to those who knew… it became quite clear when the lieutenant went to battle. She was an unmovable force to be reckoned with.

While her strength was unparalleled, so was her grace and aim, which marked her as the huntress of Artemis. Her movements were spotlessly clean and calculated. She moved as much as she had to. Not a millimeter more or less.

The only other person in the hunt who could match all of that was Artemis herself.

On the other hand, Thalia looked like a picturesque daughter of Zeus. Arcs of lightning wreathed her new Ax while her Aegis flared dangerously, fastening my heartbeats whenever I looked at it.

Thunder crackled overhead as Thalia yelled and swung her Ax at Zoe's chest.

Stupid. She should've gone for the legs before shooting a bolt of lightning straight on the exposed part of Zoe's shins, numbing her legs.

Zoe effortlessly blocked the strike, not even flinching as lightning traveled down the riptide, before driving her elbow into Thalia's gut, making her double over before kneeling on the chin, sending Thalia sprawling back.

'If she had hit the hilt on Thalia's head, Thalia would've lost consciousness.'

Thalia spat a mouthful of blood on the ground and glared at Zoe, who stood there, her sword held at the ready.

'If Percy would've seen Zoe wait for her opponent to get back up again, he would've given her an ass trashing of a lifetime. But then again, this is a practice spar.'

Instead of getting back up, Thalia thrust her Ax toward Zoe, shooting a bolt of lightning at her.

Zoe's sword glowed briefly as she turned the blade, allowing the lightning bolt to hit it head-on. The lightning traveled down to the tip of the sword before going straight onto the ground.

Zoe had somehow used her sword to direct the lightning in the direction she wanted.

My fists curled up.

I had no such powers like all the others had.

Thalia had her lightning. Zoe had her super strength and endurance. Clarisse and Phoebe had an Olympic wrestler's muscle power by not even trying. The Demeter kids had their plant control skills. Bianca, while her skills were still raw, still had shadow travel and Hades knew what. Apollo kids had their healing and Archery. Hermes' kids were insanely quick. Hephaestus' cabin could build stuff straight out of movies. Even Pollux and Castor could control vines and, if the rumor was to be believed, had infinite alcohol tolerance.

Heck, even Aphrotide had daughters who could charmspeak people into surrendering. Silena had used it on me once. It was Horrible. Capital H fully deserved.

And of course, that was not to start on Percy… though, by everyone's admission, he was a special case. It was considered a thumb rule not to compare oneself to Percy unless you want to fall into depression real quick. But, still.

I, on the other hand, could think. A skill that everyone had, even if mine was more enhanced than most. Probably all bar my mom and her children. But, it was not extraordinary.

When I told Percy this, he looked at me weirdly before laughing and replying that the mind was a warrior's greatest weapon and no power in the world could match that.

I knew that.

All of Athena's kids did.

But it now felt like a consolation statement when I saw them. Percy, Thalia, Zoe, Clarisse, and now, slowly, even Bianca. I didn't feel like I was the best demigoddess of my age anymore. I didn't feel the same pride in being Athena's daughter as I used to.

Athena had no powers to speak of, except her unparalleled mind. Yes, being a war goddess was a part of it as well, and I had inherited it. I could pick any weapon and learn to wield it quicker than any person. I could memorize something, practical or theoretical, with hardly any effort. I could remember places I had been to like the back of my hand.

But those were things that anyone could achieve the same level in, with albeit more effort. Even mortals.

But no one could match Ares's children in strength. Or Hermes's one in speed. Nor Zoe in endurance.

And the divine abilities were of course, out of everyone's limit bar the god/goddesses children… or champions.

And, I had no divine abilities.

I couldn't shoot lightning bolts or control any of the elements. I couldn't charmspeak. I couldn't sing a song and heal people. Nor remotely do any of the things other demigods could.

Percy had always said that Athena was the most dangerous goddess of all to make an enemy of. She was the one whom the enemies of Olympus most feared. Even more than the Big Three.

But, I didn't feel anything like that.

I was not a person who made the Titans tremble. I was not someone whom people, even demigods were scared of. Or even considered a threat in the greater scheme of things.

After all, what was my above-good intellect in front of people who could fight and win against Titans? What good was it when I only had a fraction of my opponent's strength or experience?

Clarisse's and Zoe's one strike at full strength was enough to rattle my bones, and sometimes, send my weapon sprawling out of my hands. Not skill. Not experience. Just brute strength.

Even Percy, who never used brute strength against me or any demigods, had more than enough raw strength to lift boulders twice my size. With one hand, no less. I could barely deadlift two hundred kilograms. Even mortal weightlifters could deadlift more than me! And I was half-goddess.

Yes, I could come up with brilliant plans and designs. But so could Zoe and Percy. Thalia, on the other hand, wasn't much of a planner. And neither was Clarisse.

But, to be said, even in the world of Demigods, despite being the daughter of an Olympian, I wasn't special. I was just a normal demigod. With fighting skills on par with men in mortal paramilitary forces. Something each and every demigod could achieve with laughable ease.

"Something on your mind, young one?" A voice beside me asked, making me jump.

I turned and saw a nine-year-old girl standing beside me.

Lady Hestia.

Percy had introduced Grover and me to her after our quest. The very first one. And I was thankful for it. Else, I would've chastised the kid.

"Lady Hestia," I bowed respectfully.

The kindest goddess or not, I wasn't Percy who could get away with a lack of respect towards a goddess.

"Artemis," Hestia called softly, instead of acknowledging me. "May I borrow your charge?"

Lady Artemis tore her eyes away from the ongoing fight and looked at us curiously before nodding.

"Come with me," Hestia said before turning and walking toward the door of the Moon Arena.

With a last glance at the ongoing fight between Thalia and Zoe, I hurried after the goddess of the Hearth.

She was almost at the first-floor landing of Artemis's palace when I caught up with her.

"Lady Hestia, where are we going?" I asked curiously as I caught up with her.

"You will know soon," She replied with a soft smile as she pushed the door to Artemis's temple open. As soon as we stepped out onto the porch, she held out her hand.

"Hold my hand, please."

I did and a moment later, flames surrounded us making me shriek and almost jump away. But Hestia's grip was too tight as flames obscured everything around us, without even feeling warm.

A few seconds later, I found myself in a brightly lit workshop with several humongous, and by humongous, I mean absolute Olympian Size Humongous desks on which dozens of computers, innumerable design plans, several tools, books, and whatnot were laid systematically.

But my eyes sought the one who owned the workshop, who was currently working in the room, hunched over some weird contraception, still unaware of our presence.

My mother. Athena.

I watched as she kept the screwdriver down a moment later and removed her goggles before turning toward us. As she caught my sight, I could swear that her eyes lit up.

"I brought you a helper, Athena," Hestia said without a greeting.

"I… did not… Annabeth would've been with her friends. Why… I can work alone." My mother stammered, uncharacteristically, her eyes not leaving me.

"You really do need a helping hand, dear. And I am sure Annabeth won't mind helping you out here or there. It might teach her a thing or two."

Excitement bloomed in my chest as I nodded vigorously.

"But, the ancient laws—"

"This is a case of helping, Athena. Say… a quest. And, if Annabeth chooses to help you, by her own free will."

"That is a really thin line," My mom said, taking her eyes off me. "I would love to have her here, really. But—"

"No buts. I authorize this quest, Athena. To help the goddess of wisdom make what she seeks." Hestia said with a wink toward my mom before disappearing in a burst of flames, leaving me standing rooted on the spot like a deer caught in the headlights.

This was BIG. I was going to work with the literal goddess of wisdom who also happened to be my mom.

"Well," Athena said, her eyes darting toward the ceiling. "So this is a quest, I suppose."

She was met by silence.

Athena waited for a few moments more before nodding and turning back to me, a soft smile on her face. "Come Annabeth. Help me out, dear."

I could have sworn that I nearly jumped up in excitement as I went forward toward the desk she had been working on.

"What you see, is a godly canon. It is meant to shoot energy beams, powered by a god, after amplifying it. For that, every connection must be secure and every part must fit correctly." Athena explained/

"So, it is a godly weapon?" I asked rhetorically as I looked over the design plan laid next to it and studied it with scrutinous detail.

"Indeed. I hope you can understand the design plan?"

"I can. But this looks too small. And… wrong." I added, looking at what my mother was assembling on the table.

"Of course, this is just the amplifier, Annabeth," Athena said, pulling forward another design that did match what was assembled.

"Oh," I flushed. "So, the rest?"

"We have to make it," Athena replied with a soft smile.

We. Not me. We.

Something bloomed in my chest. The same feeling I had felt when Chiron had shown up to my open day in mortal school when my dad had failed to do so.

"Here, start assembling the conductor. You would know how to do it. All required tools will be found on that table." Athena added, giving me another design that showed a rather simple rod-like assembly.

Seeing the design and the components on the table, I knew what I had to do and how I had to do it. Just like my mom said I would.

'My divine power, I suppose.' I mused as I got to work, picking the necessary set of precision tools.

"But why are you making such weapons, mother? All gods have their divine weapons. So why a canon?" I asked as I began to assemble the rod. My hands seemed to work with a mind of their own, that too, with flawless precision.

"That is a good question. This is a personal project, you could say. I am making this for myself. Which I plan to fit in my chariot rather than carry it in person. I, as you know, have no special abilities like the other gods. Yes, I am the goddess of war and wisdom. But, I do not have powers like Poseidon or even Apollo."

My head snapped toward her.

She knows about how I have been feeling.

"Yes, I do know why Hestia brought you here beyond the reason to help me. She told me about… your dilemma shortly before she left." Athena said. "And, no. I didn't read your mind. Your expression said it."

"Oh, I am sorry, mother," I said, bowing my head.

'Way to go, Annabeth. The first time you work with your mom and she knows that you resent not having powers.'

"For what? It is quite natural, I assure you, especially when your best friend has so many powers."

My head snapped up again and I looked at her incredulously. "You're not upset?"

"Let me tell you," Athena said in a conspiratorial whisper. "I felt the same when I was a young godling."

"You did?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Indeed. You see? When I was born, I was surrounded by the Elder Olympians and Ares and Hephaestus all the time. The elder Olympians, as you know, are quite powerful and have elemental powers except for Hera. Ares too, had control over necromancy through the spirits of defeated warriors while Hephaestus could make machines with his eyes closed. I, on the other hand, was intelligent. Yes, I could plan. I could fight well. But it was a thing that I felt every other god, even minor ones had."

"So what did you do?"

"I asked my uncle. He laughed."

"Percy did the same," I added without thinking.

"Indeed. And, I assume he said that the mind is the warrior's greatest weapon or something along those lines?"

"The exact same words," I breathed.

Athena's eyes grew distant before shaking her head.

"I was given the same answer. At that time, I felt that it was a consolation. My father could level mountains and so could every other god around me. I couldn't. So, what was I in front of them?"

I found myself nodding.

She knew exactly how I felt.

Perhaps this was what it felt like having a mom.

"And you feel the same, I see. Annabeth… the saying, as much as I was skeptical about it in my youth, is entirely true."

I opened my mouth before closing it.

"Yes? You can speak, Annabeth. I don't bite."

I flushed before sobering.

"How is it true, mother? Yes, I get that I am intelligent. But so is Percy. And Zoe. And if I am to guess, so are the other gods… except Ares, I guess."

My mom's lips thinned as thunder rumbled in the sky. "Ares, while not the smartest god around, does know battle strategies that even baffle me sometimes, Annabeth. I won't deny that it is rare, but it has happened. Ares knows war. I might be a war goddess but I represent the strategic part of the war. On the true battlefield, it is Ares who leads the armies of Olympus and not me."

"Why?" I asked, scandalized, making my mother smile thinly.

"I did not mean I cannot lead. But, you must understand. War is where Ares is the strongest. While we both can read the enemy lines, I can do it better before entering the battlefield but Ares does it on the battlefield. There is a thin line. My plans, while mostly extremely precise, might not survive in their entirety on enemy contact. Ares has no plan and just takes things on the go. I can adapt but not as insanely as Ares can."

"So, you can lead but Ares leads it better?"

"Better? You could say that. I am the strategist, my child. Yes, I am a warrior as well. But, I am not the General. That is where all the difference is."

"And… where do you place me?" I asked.

Athena paused for a moment before licking her lips.

'I have the same habit.'

"I would say that you would be the strategist. Percy's right hand."

"So, you place Percy as the General?"

"I do."

"Then where is my need? He can—"

"He can't, Annabeth. Not as good as you. Percy, most of the time, projects the infallible warrior image. And, fulfills it as well. But, he doesn't plan five steps ahead like you do. He makes a vague outline of the plan and wings the hell out of it, making it look like he had exactly planned everything. Much like… someone I used to know. Make a rough plan and then improvise in such a way that everyone thinks that it was planned all along."

'He does exactly that.'

"So, all I can do to help is plan?" I asked. "And hope that it works?"

Athena's gray eyes glinted sharply. "Reading the terrain and the battle like an open book is your power, Annabeth. The one you inherited from me. A power that wins wars and battles alike. You may not be crazily powerful or have divine powers, so to speak. But you are a strategist. A person who can analyze an opponent with unparalleled precision and dismantle them before they can comprehend what's happening. That is what makes both of us dangerous."

"I don't feel like that though," I said bitterly, looking away.

"You may not feel that way. But you are. There is a reason that you are the person that the two of the most powerful demigods in history trust implicitly. Don't you realize what Percy's been doing, consciously or subconsciously for the past two years? With you, Clarisse, and Thalia?"

My eyes widened. "He… chose to privately teach Thalia, Clarisse, and me. Thalia, a powerhouse. Clarisse for her strength. And me for the strategist. The Queen, the General, and the Strategist. He is preparing us to lead an army. But then… Why? He can do it himself." I asked, my mind whirling.

"Because Percy is someone who shakes armies. But only when he rides into battle alone." My mother said, "His powers are destructive. Place him in between the enemy lines and the enemy will be finished. But when people are around—"

"He has to restrict himself," I completed.

"Yes. He can be the General. He can be compared to Atlas in ways more than one, in fact. But he prefers to work alone so he can take out the enemy without much problem. Without worrying. So, he will make you three lead the Army of demigods to defend Olympus."

"You think it will come to that?" I asked with a hint of surprise. "Demigods having to defend Olympus?"

"'Divide and Conquer' is one of the oldest strategies in the book, Annabeth. And the most effective. The divide can be physical or mental but it won't matter."

"So, you think that the titans would lead you away from Olympus? The gods?"

"Yes. And there are several ways in which the Crooked one can do that. Worrying ways. Beings more powerful than us who would call the action of the whole council to save the world. Typhon, Keto, and the likes… And some, whose names we do not speak of because names, as you are aware, have power. We do not wish to stir those entities from their sleep and draw their attention to Olympus."

"So… these entities, one of them might stir, and wake, drawing the gods away from Olympus, leaving us demigods to defend it."

"Heroes, by one mean or another, always play a great part in every war in history, especially divine conflicts." My mother said with a grimace. "And, this is a whole Great Prophecy, centered around a hero. So, understandably—"

"We are important. The whole camp and every demigod in it. With Percy being at the center of it."

"Precisely. It is abundantly clear that Perseus is the hero of the prophecy. We all knew he was, the moment he stepped into the divine world, shaking it to its very core. The first monster he killed was the Fury, Alecto, followed by the minotaur and a small contingent of monsters, followed by a hellhound, and then all the three furies again. That was when things got interesting as—"

"He killed Medusa, followed by the Chimera and Echidna. Three of the worst monsters in the divine world, all killed by Percy in less than seventy-two hours. Without any considerable injury." I recalled with vivid clarity.

Along with the fact that Percy had been casual about killing all of them. Heck, after killing Medusa, he had gone back to eating dinner like nothing had happened.

"Yes. What's more surprising is that, for Medusa, he didn't even do it heroically so to speak. There was no confrontation, no heroics, nothing. He asked to go to the bathroom, came back, and beheaded her from behind."

"It saved our lives," I said, affronted.

"I do not deny that, child. But, I was saying that his means were unconventional, as far as heroes go. It was quick and without confrontations. His fight with Echidna and Chimera wasn't. He punched Echidna to death. With his bare hands. Something that even most gods would have trouble doing."

"That's Percy for you," I muttered. "By the way, do you know how he's doing? He has been gone for almost a week now."

"He has," I conceded. "He is in Miami with his mother. On vacation. Of course, he had planned the vacation only for three nights, four days but then I let slip that there were a couple of abandoned warehouses in Miami that belonged to Hephaestus. He no longer uses it, but it has all sorts of weapons and stuff."

"And so, he is going to find it and hoard all the weapons," I snorted.

Percy loved hoarding weapons. I had seen his collection. It was big enough to arm every demigod in the camp and still have weapons left over.

Athena smiled humorously. "He does have a fine taste for weapons and cars, as far as I know."

"He does. You should see how much he loves his Aston Martin."

"It is a beautiful chariot. Then again, it was made by Hephaestus. Nothing less should be expected."

I nodded.

"Speaking of which, do you know why we are staying in Olympus for the past week? I have been meaning to ask Lady Artemis… but I haven't."

"I am not sure. Artemis must have her reasons to keep the hunt on Olympus. But, if I am not mistaken, she is training you all quite vigorously, I hear. She also has spent hundreds of drachmas to acquire new armor and weapons for the hunt."

"She has?" I asked in surprise.

"Armor? Definitely. New weapons… Well, they could be just a new batch of bows and arrows for you huntresses. Speaking of which, how are you doing with your new family?"

"It is going well," I replied. "We are like a large family. Sister in arms. Artemis is like our eldest sister, along with Zoe."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes," I replied immediately. "Happier than I ever was."

My mom beamed. "That is good to hear. Now, I think we should get to work."

THIRD POV

Thunder cackled threateningly overhead while the sea grew turbulent as storms surrounded the white cruise boat sailing through the Atlantic.

Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes, champion of Titans, stood at the front of the ship, his backbiter grasped firmly in his hands as he looked over the vast, nearly endless expanse of the turbulent ocean. He was used to the weather by now. He had been since the last Winter Solstice.

The gods, Poseidon and Zeus specifically, were unleashing all they had on the Princess Andromeda, along with other ships in Kronos's fleet.

But it had all been for naught. Powers older than the gods protected the ships at the sea, especially Princess Andromeda. All on Kronos's orders.

At the thought, the backbiter hummed in his hands, making him grimace.

The Scythe of Kronos, in whichever form, was very loyal to its master. At his mere thought, it seemed to liven up in excitement.

Luke gave the sword a spin in his hands.

Perfectly balanced. Despite not being his.

With a deep breath, he pointed the sword toward the sky.

"Mighty Kronos, help me. Allow your power to flow through me and defeat this storm so that your army can sail onward."

The backbiter glowed golden with the power of the titan lord while Luke's eyes mirrored the shade, turning golden from his customary blue.

A golden beam shot forth from the sword toward the sky and tore through the clouds, ceasing the thunder crackling in the sky. The dark clouds parted, allowing the moon to be seen in the starless night. The ocean calmed down and the ship began to pick up speed, sailing normally.

Luke fell to his knees, breathing heavily. His forehead was matted with sweat as weak coughs escaped his mouth.

"You are getting used to channeling my power," A gravelly metallic voice whispered. "Good."

"Than-nk you, master," Luke wheezed to the empty deck. But the backbiter glowed with a golden tinge in approval.

"Soon," the voice continued. "Soon, you will be ready. You shall gain the highest honor of all, Luke Castellan. You have served me well. Continue doing so."

"Yes, I will."

The voice faded into nothingness as the weight in the air seemed to lessen. Luke's ragged breathing and weak coughs echoed through the deck.

"Sssomething on your mind, handssssome?" A voice behind Luke whispered, making him jump.

"Kelli," He said warily, seeing who it was. "What are you doing here?"

"I wasss coming to call you," The Empusa hissed. "Then I ssssaw you, on your kneesss. And wasss worried."

Luke grabbed the Empusa's hand, as she brought it up to stroke his cheek. "I would prefer it if you keep your hands off me. What were you coming to call me for?"

"Ssso many men would die to have their way with me. I am offering you a chance, Cassstellan." Kelli hissed, her forked tongue slipping out of her lips.

"Thank you, but I have to decline. Now, why were you coming to call me?"

"They are ready," She hissed, making Luke nod.

"How do our scouts fare in the Labyrinth? Have they found a way to navigate it?" He asked the Empusa as he began to move back into the ship toward the meeting room.

"They are doing their besssst. Ssseveral parties are missssing. Navigating the Labyrinth isss tough. Many have gone mad."

Luke's jaw twitched. "Tell them to keep trying then. Send more search parties if you have to. I want Dedalus found. Or Aridnae's string. Send the cyclopes and the giants down there if needed. We need to find a way to navigate through the maze to reach the entrance to the camp by the time the summer solstice draws near."

"I underssstand."

"Good. Also, keep the search up on allies. And other titans who return from Tartarus. After what happened to Iapetus, Lord Kronos wants to make sure that there are no such repeats and that every one of his brothers can find their way safely to Othrys."

"Yesss."

"Good. Dismissed."

"Are you—"

"Dismissed, means dismissed," Luke said edgily, bringing the backbiter up.

Kelli pouted before turning on her heel and stalking off.

Luke sighed. He preferred the annoying campers as compared to the monsters and titans around him, all of whom were unhinged at the best.

Sometimes, he wondered what it would've been like to not defect. Not revolt against the gods.

Glimpses of his time at the camp, and his time with Annabeth and Thalia flew past his eyes. The happy times with those, who now considered him an enemy.

With another sigh, he pushed open the door in front of him, making the occupants look up sharply.

The room was filled with various deities and monsters, making Luke tighten his grip on the hilt of the backbiter.

Theia, the Titaness of Splendor lounged on a grand throne of gold which glittered with diamonds. As far as Luke was concerned, it was one of her tamer chairs.

Beside her, Eris, the goddess of discord sat on a simple, plush chair while her friends, Deimos and Phobos stood behind her. On the other side of the room, Hecate sat on a simple wooden chair with her legs propped over the table nonchalantly as her fingers roved over a silver dagger as her fingertips glowed with golden energy.

Against the wall, far away from the Sarcophagus, Tethys and Oceanus sat together on a simple sea-green throne. A little distance away, a bulky, tall cyclops sat beside a Telkhine, a half-dog-half-seal creature. The cyclops was twice Luke's height, even whilst seated.

Luke didn't know much about the two except that they were master forge smiths, with the Telekhine having helped the hundred-handed ones to forge Poseidon's trident a few millennia ago. Or so it claimed.

In a dark corner of the room, Morpheus was seated. Luke almost missed him. He would have, had the god of dreams not moved.

"Good evening," Luke greeted in a leveled voice, drawing everyone's attention to him for a moment until, all of a sudden, a portal opened in the middle of the room, making Luke draw his sword.

The Cyclop and the Telekhine stood up as well but the titans and the gods remained unmoved.

From the dark portal, a man, whom Luke recognized as Prometheus, stepped out, followed by his brother Epimetheus. Both were wearing fashionable tuxedos, drawing the eyes of every female in the room.

But Luke's eyes remained on the portal, as it flashed again, and a moment later, a huge dragon-like creature shot out, making every titan in the room rise to their feet.

The Dragon landed in the center of the room, her reptilian wings spread wide, fluttering slightly, as her, almost-human-like face moved to scan the occupants of the room while the snakes on her head hissed threateningly. Her dragon claws dug into the Porcelain tiles of the room, cracking them, making Luke wince.

Her tail, one like a scorpion, moved behind her back, dripping with venom. A couple of drops fell onto the floor and produced a hissing noise as they melted a hole into the tile.

"Kampê," Hecate all but hissed, making the monster smile before her eyes narrowed as they fell on the cyclops, who was cowering behind Oceanus and Tethys.

"Who sent you?" Theia asked.

"My Lord Kronos," Kampê hissed, making Luke flinch as he took a step back. "He resurrected me from Tartarus."

"And why send you here?" Hecate questioned wearily as a round, bronze shield formed over her right forearm while a foot-long, intricately carved wooden stick appeared in her left hand, its tip glowing with a bluish hue.

"To give intel from my time in Tartarus," She hissed in reply, looking amused at the wand in Hecate's hand.

"Give it," Luke spoke up, hiding the quiver in his voice. Whoever this monster was, was either incredibly stupid or powerful. Luke was willing to bet for the latter, going by the reaction of the gods and titans in the room.

Kampê fixed him with a stare, which made Luke take a few steps back in sheer terror. "You have mistaken me for some puny monster, boy. I am Kampê, the jailer of Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires! Gods of Olympus trembled in my presence."

"I ask you again. Please report what you have to. On the orders of the Titan Lord."

Her tail twitched before she turned to the rest of the people in the room. "Hyperion has awoken. So have Perses and Krios. They are finding their way out of the pit, guided by the Time Lord. Pallas, Asteria, and Astraeus have reformed but are yet to wake. Iapetus has survived his fall and is making his way out of the pit again."

After a moment of silence, Oceanus stepped forward and thanked her before politely asking her to leave, making Luke's jaw twitch.

"I am here on orders of the Titan Lord! I am not leaving until—"

"Kampê, thank you for your services," Kronos's voice sounded all of a sudden, making Luke jump. "I believe you have a prison to attend to."

"Prison?" Tethys asked. "Last I was aware, the gods destroyed it."

"They didn't," Kampê grinned, sending shivers down Luke's spine. "By your orders, Lord Kronos."

A dark portal opened behind her with a snap of her finger, and she flew into it. A moment later, the dark twisting energy vanished, leaving a putrid stench in the air.

"Who the hell was she?" Luke asked, eyeing the place where Kampê had vanished.

"Kampê," Hecate said gravely as her wand disappeared. "She was the jailer of the elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires during the golden age. One of the worst monsters to ever walk in Tartarus. She is a daughter of Gaia and Tartarus, in fact. Her ferocity is only second to the likes of Echidna, Ladon, and the Chimera."

"So, she can be defeated," Luke said, making Hecate nod.

"Zeus had to fire a point-blank hit from his newly forged master bolt to kill her, after a long fight. Her poison, though, is enough to destroy the mortal forms of weaker gods and titans. But, even then, she is a formidable foe, even by godly standards."

Luke sighed in relief. Should the worse come, he would just pit the monster against Jackson, which would undoubtedly end in Jackson finishing her off for good, hopefully, while taking some serious hit, or better yet, dying in the process. The latter two were wishful thinking though on Luke's part.

"Anyhow, look at the good news. Our allies are waking." Prometheus said. "After the most recent fiasco where we lost Aura, Menoetius, and Phoebe while Nemesis defected."

"Unless it was for Nemesis defecting, I see no great loss amongst our ranks," Theia drawled. "Regrettable but not devastating. Our best fighters are yet to come."

"Anyone think we should free Atlas?" Epimetheus asked. "In the last war, he was a demon, making the gods tremble with his mere presence. He shook—"

"Thank you, Epimetheus. But Atlas was given a chance. He failed." Luke said.

"And almost killed Jackson in doing so. He was the one who came the closest to defeating the Jackson boy and would've done so if the moon goddess hadn't helped." Prometheus said. "The boy is a menace. And someone whom only Atlas can face, if I say so myself. I think we should replace someone to take the sky. Free Atlas and let him regain his power. When the time comes, he shall remind Olympus why he is the General."

"I agree with the idea," Oceanus said. "But who will replace him? Someone needs to take the sky."

"I would discuss it with Lord Kronos," Luke said swiftly. "He will tell us what to do."

"Do so now, boy," Tethys growled.

"Lord Kronos, regrettably needs to rest, especially after he used his power to clear the storm in our path and order Kampe, almost having to manifest himself to do so. I will inform you of all of his decisions in the next meeting."

"Good," Prometheus said cheerfully. "Also, are you still on with your plan to storm the demigod camp, Castellan?"

"Yes. My scouts are scouring the Labyrinth for Dedalus or a way to the camp. So far, we have met a little success in the form of getting Janus to support our cause but nothing more." Luke reported.

"Do you think it is wise to storm the camp though? Especially with the Jackson boy there?" Eris asked. "Last I heard, he was finishing off armies and titans. His name is inspiring fear amongst the monsters, Castellan."

"The Jackson boy is a thorn. A very annoying and big thorn, but a thorn, nonetheless. Lord Kronos will have some plan for him once he reaches sixteen. For which, we must keep him alive."

"If you say so. But that was not her question." Hecate said. "Jackson will destroy any army you send at him or any titan as he is known to do. I do not know how, but there is some sort of higher power on the boy which has made him so powerful, and dare I say, dangerous. He dwarves the powers of the greatest heroes in history at their prime and he is barely fourteen. Even Heracles, Dionysus, Achillies, and Bellerophon together would've been easier to deal with any day as compared to Perseus Jackson."

"Is that respect I hear in your voice, Hecate?" Tethys asked coldly. "Has the boy impressed you?"

"Anyone who can face off two elder titans in their own domain and send them running at twelve, has my respect, Tethys."

"Don't you dare—"

"I dare. What are you going to do? You cannot kill a demigod properly after going nuclear at him at point-blank range. Then, you fail twice more to even score a cut on the boy, forcing your husband to come to your rescue, that too in your own domain. Had it been on land, I might have given you the benefit of doubt. But he defeated you in the place you are strongest. You and your husband. He even killed three of your children, didn't he?"

By now, Tethys's eyes were glowing, and she was in full battle regalia. Hecate too, had her fabled torches out as the room began to darken.

"Enough!" Theia screamed, but no one paid her any heed as the two titanesses inched closer to each other, drowning the room in their power.

Luke collapsed to his knees with a muffled scream, while the Cyclops and the Telekhine fled out of the room without a second glance over their shoulders. The Princess Andromeda began to rock as the sea around the ship rose to its mistress' anger.

Suddenly, Luke rose to his feet, his eyes burning golden, and raised his sword, creating a blast of golden energy between the two, sending them onto their butts. Immediately, the sea calmed, but the lights dimmed further under the power of the titan lord.

"Enough," Luke spoke, his voice no longer his own. His eyes flared with power as Hecate and Tethys froze in their places, unable to move. "Do not squabble like children. That is no way to approach this war. I know Jackson is a warrior of great caliber. A god in a hero's body. While our powers get restricted by the ancient laws, his aren't, being a hero. But he will be dealt with when the time is right. No one will stand between me and the throne when the time comes. Not Jackson. Not the pesky Olympians. No one!"

Luke suddenly collapsed onto the ground, releasing the titanesses from their time freeze.

"Come, Tethys," Oceanus said, grasping her arm and disappearing into a sea breeze. Hecate rotated her wrist, opening a portal, and jumped into it a moment later while Morpheus melted into the shadows. Eris, Deimos, and Phobos disappeared in a flash of light as well, leaving Theia in the room with an unconscious Luke.

With a sneer at the collapsed demigod, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her head held high leaving Luke on the floor out cold.

And… DONE! I hope you all liked the chapter… My first chapter without Percy POV that too, 7k+ words long.

As the chapter name suggests, it was an interlude. Next chapter will mark the beginning of the Battle of Labyrinth arc in my story but it will be a bit different from canon… or more than a bit ;)

For one, this time, the hunt will be at the camp and so would Artemis. Plus, the camp will have new items and stuff. You all will be seeing stuff that is completely non-canon or never mentioned and only hinted at.

And… What's more? You will have to read and find out!

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Anyway, a HUGE thank you to I_amaSWITCHbot and Ultimate Gamer for betaing this chapter.

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DhruvRathi: I think that I specified somewhere that Lee was yet to return from the mortal world… I am pretty sure that I had specified it. Maybe there, maybe later. But it was definitely mentioned in one of Percy's dream… the one in which the dragon or whatever attacks the camp.

Devine2014: As I have said multiple times, I am not abandoning this story. I will keep writing it. The thing is that my first year at university has started along with my first internship. So… I have been busy and have a lot less time to write than I used to.

JackBlaze123: She will learn of the fact that Alexander is in Percy's head… but… they are yet to begin a semblance of relationship as of now.

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Thank you all for your comments.

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Also, join my server, House of HPfanfictioner66, to interact with me directly, and also, I will be posting pictures of the characters there, so you all can get an idea of how they look.

Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]

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As of this moment, I have five main stories. They are:

1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.

2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly

3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.

4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.

5. Agent Potter: The Wizard of W.A.N.D. - My new spy!Harry fanfic which I implore you all to read!

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

HPfanfictioner66