LAST TIME
Rhea smiled. "Child, I do not need freeing. Not now, at least. Perhaps once you defeat my husband, tell my sons about Delos. It would take moments for them to break through whatever boundaries have been erected."
My eyes narrowed. "You're scared."
"Pardon?"
"You are scared of your husband. Of his retribution. Of his vengeance."
"I am," Rhea admitted. "The Titan Lord was the most powerful of us, Perseus. I remember the war. Do you think Atlas was tough? My husband was even tougher than Atlas. The greatest warrior of the Titans. The most powerful. The most ruthless. It took all three of my sons alongside— alongside their allies to defeat him."
#That's true. My father was powerful. Really powerful. And skilled.#
"And so, you think it will be safer for you to stay here than to come to Olympus?" I asked.
"Yes. For the time being, anyway. Once you defeat my husband— oh, you will. I know it. Just tell my sons of me being trapped in Delos. They'll come and break these barriers down and make sure the island isn't shredded to bits like it would be if I do it myself. Are you leaving right now?"
"Um— maybe tomorrow morning after breakfast. Can't miss your cooking before I leave, can I?"
Rhea beamed with the brightness of a thousand suns at that statement, making flowers and berries bloom across Delos.
Things were looking bright for now. I would soon be back at the camp.
Ch.38 The Hero's Return
PERCY POV
The salty gale of the sea ruffled my hair as we stood at the edge of the mythical island of Delos. The waves of the sea furiously crashed against the rocks in the distance and the trees all around us swayed.
"I am going to miss you both," I said, hugging Rhea tightly.
"Oh, I am going to miss you too, grandson," Rhea said, reciprocating my hug. "And don't worry. I know that you won't fail."
I nodded solemnly.
With each moment, the time of the Great Prophecy drew nearer. It was only a year away now. Give or take.
"Remember to take care of yourself. Don't work yourself to death." Rhea advised as we broke the hug. "You'll be just fine."
"Thank you. For everything."
Rhea smiled in response, and I turned to Leto to bid her goodbye.
Instead of facing me, Artemis's mother turned to Rhea. "Can you give me a moment alone with Percy, please? I need to have a talk with him. I will call you before he leaves."
Rhea looked unsurprised as she nodded before giving me a look I couldn't quite place.
"I'll leave you two alone then," Rhea said amiably as she walked back into the forest.
"So, Percy," Leto said after a minute, as Rhea went out of earshot. "I think I have delayed this talk between us long enough."
"Err—"
"What exactly are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"What?"
"You know what I am talking about."
"There is nothing between—"
"Perseus," She cut in, her voice firm. The faint smell of woodsmoke drifted through my nostrils. "You know what I am on about. You know it very well. I will ask you this again. What are your intentions toward my daughter, Artemis?"
"We— Okay, I have— I like her," I admitted. "I like her romantically. But—"
"No—"
"BUT," I emphasized, my voice unwavering. "We are just friends. And I prioritize our friendship way too much to get my crush in the middle of it. I am her first friend. And then… Yes, I do like her."
"And I admire that," Leto said, staring me right in the eye. "That you will prioritize her friendship first. I admire that you will always respect her boundaries."
"So—"
"Why did I pull you aside? That is an interesting question." Leto completed, as she turned to stare at the sea. "You know, Percy. I am a Titaness. Being a Titaness, I have the same powers as your gods do… as all divine immortals do. So, when a boy, barely sixteen lands on my island you think I am not going to check who he is?"
"Um—"
"I did. I looked into your mind, which admittedly, is very well protected by mortal standards. I do not know how that is. Neither are you going to tell me the actual reason how." She added, just as I went to tell her a made-up story. "But I did look through your memories that I could access. Your battles. Your friendships. Your adventures. Everything. And do you know what I saw?"
"Um, what?"
"I saw how much my daughter trusts you. I cannot predict what my daughter truly feels but I am a mother. I just know things. Call it a power that all mothers have. And I am the Titaness of motherhood." Leto said with a smile. "And do not think I did not see what happened before you came here."
"Err—"
"I did not ask for an explanation," She added briskly, her smile vanishing. "I just need a promise. If things proceed between you and my daughter, you will treat her well and with respect."
"I promise," I replied solemnly.
"And you will not die and break her heart."
"I— I cannot swear that. But I'll try my best." I replied, looking away.
There was no response for a moment until I looked back at Leto.
"That is the best I can get, I suppose," Leto said, pursing her lips. "Remember, Percy Jackson. If you hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down and kill you myself."
"If I hurt Artemis, I don't think there will be enough left of me for you to do that," I said dryly.
Leto smiled. "You indeed know my daughter well."
I shrugged before clearing my throat.
"If you knew about me all along, why did you question me about my story?"
Leto smiled mischievously, breaking her picture of seriousness. "I did know about it. Rhea didn't. Why do you think my hackles rose when I saw the cane in your hands?"
"You knew what I was capable of doing," I said aloud. "But why were you so surprised when I told you about my… adventures?"
"Rhea would've been most upset if she knew that I violated your privacy," Leto commented before turning to me, her eyes brimming with mischief. "As for the 'me being surprised' part, well, I am not exactly a bad actress."
I raised my eyebrows.
Here was Artemis's mom telling me that I should treat her daughter well. Basically, permitting me to date her.
And I had no idea what to do.
"Thank you, Lady Leto," I replied simply.
"Leto, please. I might be your mother-in-law in a few years."
I shook my head in exasperation. "I am not even remotely dating Artemis. And you're already—"
"As I said, I am the Titaness of motherhood. We, mothers, know things. You might call it a gut feeling, sweetheart. Now, go. I am sure my daughter's waiting for you. Rhea!"
Hearing the shout, the ground around us parted, revealing the Queen of the Titans.
"I hope you had a good talk," She smiled. "Goodbye, Percy."
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" I asked hopefully.
"You know our reasons. You know the solution."
"I do."
"Good," Rhea said with a smile. "How do you plan to reach your camp?"
"The sea is my turf," I replied, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Good luck, Perseus."
"Oh, wait!" Leto called just as I began to walk towards the sea.
"Yes?"
"I almost forgot to give you this," Leto said, snapping her fingers. A box appeared in my arms.
"What's this?" I asked, inspecting the box.
"Don't open it. Give it to my daughter. And tell her to remember to share."
"What?"
"She'll know. Now go. Someone's waiting for you. And remember what I said."
"I won't forget. Goodbye."
"Take care, Percy."
Rhea and Leto smiled as I walked further into the sea, the box securely in my bag. Turning back one last time, I saw them wave at me, just as the fog began to gather around the island.
With a sad smile, I waved back, before diving deeper into the sea just as Delos vanished.
I was finally going home.
PERCY POV
The word of my arrival spread through the camp faster than a raging fire and I was surrounded by my friends even before I made it within the boundaries of the camp.
"Yes, I am completely fine, thank you," I shouted over the hailstorm of questions before quickly beginning to answer whatever I could.
"No, Connor, the Titans did not kidnap me— Don't be ridiculous, Travis. I wasn't seduced— No Silena, no sorceress bewitched me. PLEASE CAN WE MAINTAIN SOME DECORUM?"
The crowd quietened down almost immediately at the yell.
"Thank you, Percy. I was getting most worried that I would've to wait all evening to talk to you." A voice sounded, making the campers part.
"Chiron!" I greeted my teacher, who was standing in his full centaur form, donned in full battle armor, minus a helmet. He trotted forward with a beaming smile.
"It is good to see you, dear boy. Where've you been?"
Before I could answer, a flash of golden light erupted a little distance away, interrupting us.
A god teleporting.
The golden light dimmed to reveal a man in a charcoal-gray business suit.
His radiant sky-blue eyes quickly scanned the crowd before landing on me.
Chiron immediately went to bow. "Lord Her—"
"Sorry, no time for formalities, Chiron," Hermes said briskly, his suit-clad chest heaving, as he blurred forward till he stood next to us. "Percy, I need you to come with me to Olympus, right now. Zeus has called a meeting. You have been summoned."
"Um—"
Thunder rumbled in the sky.
"No questions. Hold my hand tightly."
Without waiting for my answers, Hermes grabbed my arm. I only had time to close my eyes before I felt the world speed around me.
I opened my eyes and found myself flying over New York at speeds that I was pretty sure my body should not be capable of withstanding. Within seconds, I could see the city of Olympus standing in all its glory in the distance.
And, Hermes and I were hurling toward it like a comet.
Why was Hermes flying instead of teleporting? I had no idea.
The wind whistled past my ears as the power of the sky pricked my skin.
Zeus was angry.
We slowed down as we entered the city of Olympus, making citizens look at us. Hermes ignored them and flew over the city, heading straight for the Throne Room.
We landed right on the threshold of the Throne room. Hermes smiled weakly at me, taking a measured breath.
"Go on, Percy. Zeus has questions. He needs to know what happened." Hermes said, patting my back before walking toward his throne, his height growing with each step.
I took a second to look around the Throne Room. All twelve Olympians were in attendance, sitting stiffly on their thrones. Many were glancing nervously between Zeus and me as I walked forward to the center of the throne room.
The light smell of ozone scented the throne room.
My father gave me a worried look, clutching his trident tightly in his hands.
#Show respect to Zeus. Something has gotten his panties in a twist. Probably the incident at Saint Helen's. Make sure you kneel right at the Hearth. Hestia will protect you if Zeus goes mad.#
I gave him a nervous nod just as my eyes caught Artemis's worry-filled, yet elated silver ones.
I broke eye contact to stare at Zeus before kneeling at the Hearth.
"Perseus Jackson," Zeus' voice boomed, holding an edge of a brewing storm in it.
Thunder rumbled loudly in the sky, and the smell of burning ozone intensified.
I knew that one wrong answer would result in the Master Bolt hitting me.
Even Alexander couldn't protect me from that kind of attack.
"I will ask you this once. I will detect if you lie to me or try to deceive me. And if you do, the consequences shall not be good." Zeus warned, his statement punctuated by the rumbling of the sky. "Tell us what happened, leading to the eruption of Saint Helens."
Silence reigned through the room for a moment as I got to my feet.
"So, it began with Lord Hephaestus—"
"The council knows all of that," Zeus said briskly as thunder boomed again in the sky. "Tell us what happened after you reached Saint Helens."
"Right," I said with trepidation. "So, I found that Telekhines were occupying the forge. They were doing all sorts of things. Most of it though was forging weapons for the Titan Army alongside their greatest weapon. The Scythe of Kronos."
The throne room darkened, as the temperature plummeted, sending shivers down my spine. A moment later, the Heart in front of me flared with power, making a warmth spread through the room, calming things.
Kronos was getting stronger.
"Wait," Zeus said, banging the master bolt on the floor. For a moment, I feared the worst, until cackling energy surrounded the room.
The smell of burning ozone made me gag.
#A ward to stop other deities from hearing the conversations within the room. Relax. Zeus doesn't want Kronos to eavesdrop on us.#
Zeus turned to me again, glaring at me. "I really advise you to not speak of my father's name from this moment forth."
I cleared my throat. "Yes, of course. My apologies, Lord Zeus."
Zeus nodded. "Now my father's Scythe was there, or so you claim."
"It was there. Being reforged by the Telekhines. I heard them talk. They spoke of the Scythe being greater than ever before— with a few additions."
"Additions?" Zeus questioned.
"That is what I heard. They were talking about it. They said that the Scythe was almost ready. The Telekhines said that it needed one last cooling in blood. And then, it would've been ready."
The Olympians shared a look before Zeus held up a hand.
"Continue."
"Once I dispatched the Telekhines, I went to the weapon. It was… I cannot describe the feeling. But I knew that if I touched it—"
"You would be grievously burned if not outright killed," Zeus completed. "It is good that you didn't touch it. It burned my hands all those centuries ago."
I nodded in agreement.
"So, I knew I couldn't transport the scythe. You all were out of reach. So, I did what I had to. I destroyed the scythe."
Zeus's jaw twitched. "That is a bold claim, even for you, son of Poseidon. Are you sure— absolutely sure that you destroyed the Scythe?"
I didn't know if he was questioning my ability to destroy the acute or my truthfulness about it being the Scythe of Kronos.
I decided to go with the former.
"I saw the blade crack and a golden blast. I am sure that it was destroyed."
"So, the eruption was a result of the Scythe's destruction?" Zeus clarified.
"Yes… well, maybe even my powers as I called upon—"
"The sea's powers. It's endless nature. And my powers of the Earthshaker." Poseidon said. "That was a dangerous move."
"Which has resulted in the destruction of the Scythe and the freeing of Typhon," Zeus said, thoughtfully stroking his beard.
"Wait. Typhon's free?" I asked in panic.
"Not exactly," Athena piped in, giving her father a stink eye. "He is well… he was stirring as we knew it. You dazed him back but destroyed the bonds that held him. We knew Typhon would be freed, and I think it is still going to be the case."
"I don't understand."
"To put it simply, you destroyed his cell, but in doing so, you scored a blow to his head, putting him back to a short nap. Now, he is still asleep, but free. So, when he wakes up—"
"He's coming straight for Olympus," I said in realization. "How long—"
"At the best? A year. Give or take." Athena replied.
"So, he is going to be freed around my birthday. Exactly as you predicted." I spoke.
"Likely," Athena nodded. "It doesn't change much."
"Indeed," Zeus boomed. "But there is one more question that I need an answer to. Where have you been for the past week, Perseus Jackson?"
"Delos," I replied, making Artemis and Apollo perk up.
"Delos, you say..."
"Lady Leto and Lady Rhea healed me."
Zeus and the elder Olympians looked at me sharply. "Did you say, Rhea, as in my mother—"
"Our mother," Demeter chimed in.
Zeus just gave me a stare, ignoring the goddess of agriculture.
"Yes, your mother and my paternal grandmother, Rhea."
"And why— wait," Zeus said suddenly. "Where's Delos?"
"Father?" Apollo asked.
"I cannot sense the island. It is—"
"Being hidden from your sight," I supplied. "Lady Rhea told me as much. She asked me to tell you all to free her once the war is over and the Titan Lord is defeated for good. She prefers to stay there until then."
"Why would she do that?" Hera asked.
"She is scared that her husband and the other titans will seek revenge on her," Athena replied instead of me. "Am I correct, Perseus?"
"That's what she reasoned," I affirmed. "She clearly said that she didn't want to come to Olympus. She told me to ask you all to free her from Delos once the war was over."
"We cannot leave my mother there! She'll be better protected on Olympus!"
"Um— for all it is worth, I think that's her decision, sir. She was—"
"What are you— she is my mother! It is my duty to protect her!" Zeus thundered as the master bolt appeared in his hands.
The flames in front of me suddenly rose in height before parting to reveal Hestia, in her adult, godly height.
I hastily took a few steps back to remain safe. Thirty-foot-tall goddesses, even Hestia, looked scary from so closely, especially when appearing without warning.
"Brother," She began.
"Don't you lecture me too, Hestia! Our mother is trapped. For all we know, it could be some sort of trap to get her! And he's saying—"
"I am not telling you anything, brother. I just need you to calm down."
"I am not—"
"Zeus," Hestia said warningly.
Zeus shut his mouth before taking a few deep breaths
"Mother has expressed her wishes clearly. And that is what Percy is conveying. He is a messenger who just has been through a lot." Hestia said.
"Yes, yes, I get that. But I cannot leave her there, can I? She is my mother. Our mother. Hestia, you of all people should realize the importance of family."
Suddenly, I could feel the room warming up. The flames in the Heart rose.
Even Zeus shrunk back onto his throne.
"Hes—"
"Kids, out!" Hestia all but growled.
All the younger Olympians, including Athena and Ares, rose at once, shrinking to their human size before hastily making their way out of the room.
No one even bothered to say a word in protest.
On her way out, Artemis grabbed my arm, pulling me along with her.
"Nice to meet you too," I mumbled as the doors of the throne room closed behind us with a bang.
Hermes didn't wait for a moment before becoming a blur and disappearing to gods know where. Athena gave me a nod before teleporting away while Apollo disappeared in a blinding flash of sunlight.
A wind blew, leaving the smell of grapes and fire in the air, making me realize that even Dionysus and Hephaestus had also gotten away.
"Punk, I will see you later," Ares grunted before he disappeared into thin air.
"Come along Percy," Artemis said, throwing a worried look over her shoulder toward the doors of the throne room. "It is best to be out of their way once they get on with their arguments."
Artemis led me away from the throne room, in the direction of her palace.
We suddenly jumped as a flare of power covered Olympus.
Thunder rumbled loudly in the sky. The winds began to pick up while the torches around us flared. Even the leaves of plants began to slowly wilt in the gardens around Olympus.
"Faster," Artemis whispered as we broke into a jog.
Around us, all the residents of Olympus were also shutting their shops and homes or taking cover.
As we skidded in front of Artemis's palace, the door opened on its own and Artemis pulled me in.
Barely had we crossed the threshold, Artemis waved her hand, making her palace doors shut with a bang behind me.
"Wha—" I said just before Artemis slammed me onto the silver doors, her silver eyes boring furiously into me.
"What did I tell you not to do when I dropped you off at Saint Helen's?"
"You made me promise that I would return—"
"I told you to be safe," She hissed, her silver eyes boring into me. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? How worried everyone was, Percy?"
"I get it—"
"No, you DON'T! I blamed myself, Percy, dammit! I thought that—" Artemis stopped short as I pulled her into a tight hug.
"I am alright, Artemis," I soothed. "All fine. Not a single scratch."
#Yes, just your whole body was almost destroyed.# Alexander muttered sarcastically.
'Shut up.'
"You know, you are an idiot," She mumbled. "You could've prayed to me. Or your father. Or even Zeus. If they knew that the Scythe was the object in need of destruction they would've come to help. You don't have to do everything yourself."
"I was just above the place where Typhon's influence was the strongest. Do you think my prayers would've reached you?"
"You—"
"I did what was necessary and you know it, Artemis. Don't tell me you wouldn't have made a similar call."
Artemis huffed against my chest before I broke the hug to look into her silver eyes.
"I am sorry I worried you, Artemis. I really am," I said softly, brushing her auburn curls out of her face.
"I— I was— I thought that— that you had died, Percy. And I can't bear losing my— friend. That too when I know I could've—"
Nothing more needed to be said, as she looked away.
'Alexander, is there some way to make her feel better?'
#Kiss her.#
I gulped down the curses bubbling in my mouth. 'Maybe something else?'
#Well, there is a parcel from Leto you need to give.#
I could've slapped myself for forgetting that.
I immediately removed the box from my pocket.
"Your mom sent something for you," I said, presenting the box to Artemis.
"Is that—"Artemis trailed off, looking inquisitively at me.
"I don't know what that is. She never told me."
Artemis nodded as she took the parcel, which disappeared into thin air a moment later.
"She also told you to share it."
#Don't forget the past where she gave you permission to— #
'Shut up, Alexander.'
Artemis just raised an eyebrow at that and said nothing.
#I think she is still mad at you.# Alexander informed.
"Um—"
"If you think that the parcel is a good apology, it is not."
"I will cook you venison pasta," I offered lamely.
"And?" Artemis drawled unimpressed.
"And— um, and find a way to make it up for that?"
"You can summon food with a snap of your fingers."
"No, no. I will cook it myself. With my hands and all."
"Do you even know how to cook?" She asked dryly.
"I will have you know that I am an excellent cook."
Artemis just hummed.
"Alright. How about we go hunting for that venison? And then cook and eat together. We will make an evening out of it." I offered desperately.
Her silver eyes shone like molten moonlight as she stared at me.
"After this incident with the Labyrinth is sorted through," Artemis began slowly. "We will go on with this."
"Done!"
"But you are not off the hook till then."
I just nodded.
"And—" Artemis stopped short, freezing for a second." Thalia and Annabeth. They're out of the Labyrinth. They just prayed to me."
"The camp?"
"No, the Garden of Gods."
I frowned. I had never heard of such a place.
"It is just a name," Artemis informed. "A place in Colorado Springs. Come now. I am sure Thalia and Annabeth would be happy to see you alive and well."
THALIA POV
The moment I heard the noises from behind the giant bronze doors in front of me, I knew we needed help. Not only because of the intimidating doors and their designs but also due to the little fact that we were being held at sword point by a bunch of Dracaenas.
Now, you might ask how Annabeth and I of all people were being held at sword point.
The answer was pretty simple.
Rachel Dare was taken hostage within moments of the monsters attacking us. Had it been only Annabeth and me, we would've demolished those pesky monsters in less than a minute. Heck, I could've killed all of those monsters by myself, not even needing Annabeth's help.
But the bastards had come prepared, aware that there was a mortal girl on the quest with us. The sword and spear of mortal steel that they used to hold Rachel hostage and the fact that they had gone for her first instead of me.
I should've given them the aroma of the most appetizing meal on the planet, being a daughter of Zeus. But they had gone straight for Rachel and held her at sword point before asking Annabeth and me to drop our weapons.
And now, we were here, being held hostage against our will and being led to gods know where.
A giant pushed past us and opened the doors. He picked up Annabeth by her shirt and said, "You stay here."
"Hey!" she protested, but the guy was thrice her size, and he'd already confiscated her knife and spear along with all our other weapons. Including my axe.
The Dracaena pushed me into what appeared to be a humongous arena filled with monsters.
The dirt floor was circular, just big enough that you could drive a car around the rim if you pulled it really tight. In the center of the arena, a fight was going on between a giant and a centaur. The centaur looked panicked. He was galloping around his enemy, using sword and shield, while the giant swung a javelin the size of a telephone pole and the crowd cheered.
The first tier of seats was twelve feet above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaenas, demigods, telekhines, and stranger things: bat-winged demons and creatures that seemed half human and half - you name it—bird, reptile, insect, mammal.
But the creepiest things were the skulls. The arena was full of them. They ringed the edge of the railing. Three-foot-high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like horrible chandeliers. Some of them looked very old—nothing but bleached-white bones. Others looked a lot fresher.
I'm not going to describe them. Believe me, you don't want me to.
In the middle of all this, proudly displayed on the side of the spectator's wall, was something that made no sense to me—a green banner with the trident of Poseidon in the center.
'Percy would probably bash everyone's head in here if he saw that.'
Above the banner, sitting in a seat of honor, was Luke. And he was looking straight at me, smiling coldly.
Next to him sat the largest giant I'd ever seen, much larger than the one on the floor fighting the centaur. The giant next to Luke must've been fifteen feet tall, easy, and so wide he took up three seats. He wore only a loincloth, like a sumo wrestler. His skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs.
There was a cry from the arena floor, and I jumped back as the centaur crashed into the dirt beside me.
He met my eyes pleadingly. "Help!"
A picture of Chiron swirled in front of my eyes.
The centaur struggled to get up as the giant approached, his javelin ready.
Without thinking, my hand shot forth, a bolt of lightning leaping from my fingers and hitting the giant in the chest.
The giant looked down to see the hole through his chest before falling to the ground and disintegrating into golden dust.
"WHO DARES INTERFERE IN MY ARENA" A voice boomed, making the Earth shake.
Most would've trembled at that voice. But not me. I had stood in front of titans like Atlas and Coeus. I had killed Aura with my own hands. A giant who could shout wasn't going to scare me.
"Me, you fuck wit!" I shouted back as lightning flared around me, tossing the two Dracaenas and an empusa behind like rag dolls.
"Thalia Grace," Luke said, standing next to the giant.
"And you brought her here, son of Hermes. She is interrupting my entertainment. This is unacceptable. I asked you to amuse me enough to let you pass through my arena!"
"And I think that she will prove to be a perfectly good entertainment, Lord Antaeus," Luke said smoothly. "Because I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a daughter of Zeus!"
The crowd began jeering at me and throwing stones, all of which I batted away with a gust of wind.
Antaeus's eyes lit up. "A daughter of Zeus, you say? Not many of those through the years, especially a demigod. Oh well, she should fight well! Or die well!"
"If her death pleases you," Luke said, "will you let our armies cross your territory?"
"Perhaps!" Antaeus said. Luke didn't look too pleased about the 'perhaps'. He glared down at me as if warning me that I'd better die in a really spectacular way or I'd be in big trouble.
He had changed a lot.
"What will be your weapons, daughter of Zeus?"
Heh, how stupid could this guy be?
"My axe and my shield!" I replied instantly, walking into the center of the arena.
Laughter erupted from the monsters but immediately ceased as my axe came flying into my hand, and my shield spiraled out into my trusty Aegis.
"Round one!" Antaeus announced. The gates opened, and a dracaena slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other— classic gladiator style.
Instead of waiting, I just threw my Axe at the dracaena, killing her, and leaving the trident and net behind. A moment later, I summoned my Axe back.
It was anti-climactic in the extreme.
"No!" Antaeus bellowed. "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I can give that order!"
I glanced over at Annabeth and Rachel. I had to find a way to get them free, maybe distract their guards.
"Nice work, Thals. I see you got a new weapon."
"Round two!" Antaeus yelled. "And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody. OR ELSE!"
The gates to the Arena opened again, and a short figure of a human came out, wearing classic Greek armor. A sword as black as night, glowing with eerie purple tinge was strapped to his side.
Stygian iron.
The guy removed his helmet, making his pitch-black hair fall onto his shoulders, his black eyes wide.
I nearly choked on my spit, seeing his face.
"Nico!?"
And… DONE! I hope you liked the chapter.
The start of the next chapter will be the questers POV before Percy and Artemis come back into play.
.
HopeApolloApprvs: I will go till the Graeco-Roman Pantheon, i.e., the Giant War(HOO). Beyond that, there won't be anything. I am not bringing other Pathenons here as PJO for me ends at Blood of Olympus.
Rqspears: I am downplaying Percy!? Are you serious? Dude literally went toe-to-toe with Atlas, the General of the titans and killed half-dozen other titans. That is not to mention his other feats. As for limitations, I can't hand everything to him on a silver platter. A little struggle needs to be added, doesn't it. It must be noted that the eruption at Saint Helens was caused by the fact that Percy purposefully destroyed one of the most powerful weapons in the Universe.
Alyssa Doesn't Write: The explosion destroyed the armor's enchantments as Rhea said. It was a blast of pure power caused by the destruction of one of the most powerful weapons in the Universe.
Lucariotnn01: I know the last chapter was a little lackluster but hey! I hope this chap's impressive enough.
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That's all! Thank you for your reviews!
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Also, join my server, House of HP66, to interact with me directly, and see the pictures of the characters there, so you all can get an idea of how they look. I will also post descriptions and stuff for reference.
Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]
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As of this moment, I have six 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 spy!Harry fanfic which I implore you all to read!
6. Guardian of the Soul: Infinity Saga – My newest fic. An HP–MCU crossover. Novel length, in progress.
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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!
HPfanfictioner66