LAST TIME:
Daedalus paled. "Treachery."
"Get used to it," the empousa said with a sick grin.
I glared at her. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"
The she-demon smiled like we were sharing a private joke. "Luke is… busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!"
Her hands changed into claws. Her hair burst into flame and her legs turned to their true form—one donkey leg, one bronze.
But I was no novice. With practiced ease, I drew my bow and fired a glowing silver arrow straight at her heart. The arrow struck her before she could even comprehend what was happening. Another silver arrow stuck next to mine, making her disintegrate into golden dust.
And with that, all Hades broke loose.
Ch.40 Those Who Return
PERCY POV
Gravel crunched softly beneath my feet as I walked alongside the three girls, one of whom I barely knew, and Nico di Angelo.
Annabeth took the lead, her spear at the ready as her invisibility cap hung from the loops of her jeans. Rachel walked right beside her, looking massively underprepared for a quest.
"Are you sure the Labyrinth won't collapse?" I muttered, as the walls of the Labyrinth shook slightly.
"Let us hope they don't. Daedalus needs to survive long enough for that," Thalia muttered back as electricity sparked between her fingers.
I grimaced. If Daedalus died, the Labyrinth would die with him. It was a great idea to stop the invasion into the camp but not one ideal with Grover and Zoe somewhere in it.
#And us.# Alexander remarked dryly.
"He's alive," Nico said with a scowl. "I can feel it— so is Zoe, I think. Cannot say about Grover, though. Satyrs don't have souls."
Well, no news is better than bad news.
"We need to find Grover and Zoe," I said. "They're alive, I know it. But if something happens—"
I didn't have it in me to complete the sentence.
"Do you think—" Annabeth's lips quivered. "They found Pan?"
"I hope they did. Really do. It is Grover's dream." Thalia replied, her electric blue eyes scanning the dark corridor we were in, her flashlight casting grim shadows on the walls. "But this is going on forever."
We continued to walk as Rachel guided us toward New York, with hopes to find Grover and Zoe on the way.
The girl just seemed to see. See things that even Alexander or I couldn't, despite being what we were. That was not to mention, she had spotted an entrance to the Labyrinth from a mile and a half away, even when Artemis and I couldn't.
That stunt had even baffled Artemis. While she hadn't let it show on her face in front of Rachel, I knew she had been shocked by it. The fact that she had said that she could see no such thing and yet, had been proved wrong was enough evidence.
There are perks of being a clear-sighted mortal, I guess. I should ask my mom if she can see this type of stuff.
"I don't get why Lady Artemis couldn't come with us," Nico muttered as he fell into step with me. "A goddess could've helped us find them faster and get to the camp."
"The Ancient Laws are a tricky thing," I said slowly, watching as droplets of water trickled down a wall. "And direct interference on a quest is a big no-no for gods. Artemis has certain leeway but she can only do so much before she has to stop."
I touched the water trickling down the brick wall.
Fresh water. We are under a lake or something. Or worse, a drain of some sort with surprisingly clean water.
I flicked the water off my finger before looking at Nico who was gazing ahead with a contemplative look.
"I just wish—" He shook his head, choosing to forego whatever he had been about to say.
"Artemis has already gone to warn the camp. She is doing all she can."
"So they'll be ready?" Nico asked hopefully.
"Of course," I nodded with ease. "The camp's been ready for war since days. We knew this was coming. And the attack is still a few hours away, I believe. Luke would need time to gather his forces and rally them for war. Hopefully, it will be enough for us to find them and get to the camp."
Nico nodded and we continued to walk.
'Alexander, any brilliant tricks you might have up your sleeve— it might be a really good time to show them.'
#The Labyrinth is a mysterious place, Percy. Even gods have limited power here. But I have confidence in you.#
I gave him a mental nod and continued to walk silently. The silence lasted a few yards until Nico's ADHD got better of him.
"You also gave her something," Nico blurted. "A locket. What was it?"
"My armor. It got damaged when I destroyed the Scythe. Hopefully, Hephaesteus or Beckendorf will have it ready by the time we get back," I hummed. "Speaking of which, you've got a nice set there."
Nico ran his fingers over his pitch black armor he wore.
"My father gifted it," he grinned. "The armor and the sword. Cool, aren't they?"
"They're good. At least the armor is. I haven't seen your sword." I commented, my voice echoing slightly through the stone tunnel.
"Oh," Nico said as he twisted the skull on his silver skull-ring.
A pitch black sword, glowing with eerie purple light sprang into his hands, casting shadows in the corridor.
"A falcata sword," Percy muttered, eyeing its design. "Made of Stygian Iron. A little long for you, I feel."
"It feels right," Nico shrugged. "It is made for me. I have no problem wielding it but resting it feels weird with its height."
"It is your height that is the problem, short-stack," I teased. "The sword is a standard size."
"Ha ha, very funny," Nico scowled as the sword turned back into the ring. His eyes flitted nervously onto the path ahead as it changed from dirt to concrete and they arrived at a fork.
"This way," Rachel pointed at the left turn and Annabeth followed soundlessly.
A moment later, the floor turned to a tiled marble floor.
"This is endless," I heard Thalia mutter. "And pointless. We need to find the forest or—"
Rachel stopped dead in her tracks, making Thalia bump into her.
Goosebumps erupted on my skin at the same moment.
We'd come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel T'd off to the right—a circular shaft carved from volcanic rock.
"What is it?" Nico asked.
Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked as pale as Nico's
"Is it that way?" Annabeth asked.
"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."
I heard wind coming down the tunnel, as if the exit were close. And I smelled something vaguely familiar—something that brought back memories.
"Eucalyptus trees," I said. "Like in California. We are at Othrys."
"Like, the Titan stronghold?" Nico breathed, shivering as a cold wind blew down the corridor.
"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."
"And the smell of death," Nico added with a gulp, which made me feel a whole lot better.
Annabeth, Thalia and I exchanged glances.
"We've got to go there," Thalia said. "We've to check it out."
"No," Annabeth said, shaking her head. "We got to finish this quest."
The tingling on my skin increased and my heart began to thump.
#We should go there.# Alexander echoed Thalia. #Check it out.#
"Luke could be right here," Thalia said with a determined glint. "I will kill the bastard."
Annabeth hesitated. "Then we'll all go."
"No," I said. "It's too dangerous. If they got hold of Nico, or Rachel for that matter, Kronos could use them. You stay here and guard them. Thalia and I will go. You three, stay here."
I willed my trident into my hand, its bluish glow filling the hallway.
Something about it comforted me, as if protecting me against the eerie energy coming down the corridor.
A small, warm wind swirled around me as I walked forward.
A part of me wished I had my armor. Last time I was at Othrys, I had faced Atlas, and Zoe had nearly died.
I didn't know which Titans could be here. But considering that it was the seat of power of the Titans, I could bet there would at least be a couple of them.
A sharp crack of thunder had me whirling only to see Thalia was ready with her ax and Aegis.
Nodding to her, I also tapped my watch, making the Coeus' shield spring into my hands.
"Let's go," I muttered, taking the lead down the corridor.
ARTEMIS POV
A soft wind blew across the forest, rustling the leaves and the branches as strands of my hair blew into my face.
I was dressed in my silver armor, with my bow in my hands and daggers at my waist, as I stood high on a boulder, overlooking Zeus' fist, where the entrance to the Labyrinth was.
Below me, the campers and my hunters were moving around, setting traps and preparing themselves for the battle that was coming.
I eyed Chiron and Clarisse who were taking charge of the defenses, surveying the situation.
Chiron was an excellent planner when it came to defenses. One of the very best in fact. And the daughter of Ares seemed no slouch as she commanded the campers and my hunters into formations, shouting orders without respite.
'Stay here.' I told myself as I itched to get into the center of things.
I had warned the camp about the impending attack that was about to happen. Olympus had been informed and Athena and Ares were ready to interfere if Titans came through. Even my father, Zeus, was keeping a constant eye on the camp in case he needed to intervene in any form.
The Olympians were ready, waiting for the inevitable.
Like the others, I too waited with uncertainty, unsure if engaging in a battle with monsters today would be considered a breach of the policy of direct interference or not. Typically, slaying monsters was directly under my jurisdiction. However, today, I pondered if it might be part of the quest. And if that were the case, interfering would not be beneficial.
That was not to mention, the Fates had been interfering in matters more than ever, as of late. Directly at times even. They had done so more than once in the past few weeks.
And it won't do good to step even a toe out of line with Moirai watching so closely, especially with war looming over Olympus.
Thus, I stood near enough to interfere if needed and yet, far enough to receive a warning in time to stay away if the Fates deemed it so.
I watched Phoebe command another small group of huntresses into position as the children of Hephaestus began to wire the greek fire bombs to the entrance of the Labyrinth.
A group of Hermes kids were poised ready with shields and spears at the side of the battlefield, dressed for war.
"You seem worried," a voice said, startling me.
A nine-year-old girl floated next to me, flames curling around her fingers as she seemingly played with them.
"Aunt Hestia," I breathed. "You scared me."
"My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you. You seemed to be deep in thought."
Her voice, as always, had me calming down as the power of the Hearth washed over me like a warm hug.
Percy's hug.
"I am. The camp is preparing for war. And this is the first time many of them will face true danger."
"And you're worried many will die," Hestia said. "It is unfortunate but it is fate. Those who are meant to die, will die. And those who are meant to live will live. All we can hope is that Olympus triumphs at the end and the loss of life is minimum. It always hurts to lose family, but for family you have to fight."
Such cryptic words from Hestia were troublesome. But I knew she spoke the truth.
"It is always painful to lose a huntress. It hasn't gotten easy in three-thousand years. It never will." I said, watching my youngest, Liza take position on a tree, carefully setting stance.
"That, my dear, is family. Most gods, unlike you, stay away from mortal affairs, even of their children. You, on the other hand, are close to mortals— or semi-immortals at least. Your huntresses don't age but they fall in battle."
"I always wish to make them truly immortal but that is not allowed," I said mournfully remembering all those who had fallen in my service.
Hestia nodded, gazing at the battlefield with sad eyes as campers and hunters moved in harmony, preparing to face the invasion.
"Where's Percy? He went with you, I heard." She asked, changing the topic.
"With the questers. He insisted that he should go with them with Zoe and the satyr, Grover missing. He wanted to find them and make it back to New York in time."
"And you weren't allowed to teleport them back here?"
"No. Direct interference. I could've brought Percy—"
"But he insisted. He would never leave his friends."
"He won't," I agreed.
It was one of the things I loved about him. He was utterly loyal to everyone he considered family.
"You're also one of them, you know?" Hestia said softly.
I smiled. "I do. I could say he is my best friend— someone I have come to trust without doubt."
"He has that effect on people— even gods," Hestia said, pride shining in her eyes. "Time and again he has proved that I made no mistake in choosing my champion."
I nodded in agreement, as something stirred in my stomach. Something unknown.
"But despite everything, I worry for him," Hestia added as she kept her eyes fixed on the entrance of the Labyrinth.
"He has found himself in the center of the worst scenarios more than once," I agreed, as I felt my heart thump in my chest. "And yet has always come out on top, defying all odds."
"He reminds me uncannily of him," Hestia said softly.
"Uncle Alexander," I whispered almost inaudibly, making her nod. "I wish he were here. He would've taken a lot off our hands."
"You have no idea," Hestia muttered, her body jerking forward as a demigod stumbled on a rock before regaining his balance.
I remained silent as we continued to watch the demigods prepare. Most fell into ranks as the daughters of Ares, Clarisse and Phoebe shouted orders at them.
War was coming. I just hoped Percy and the rest came home before it did.
PERCY POV
Before I even got to the exit, I heard voices: the growling, barking sounds of sea-demon smiths, the telekhines.
"We couldn't salvage the blade after what the sea-spawn did to our kin," one of the monsters barked. "But we made him the new blade. As dangerous as his scythe!"
"The master will reward us!" Another shrieked in a high-pitched voice. "Rewards beyond measure."
'Another blade?'
#It is impossible that they replicated anything as dangerous as the scythe in such less time. The scythe was forged in Gaea's blood. They don't exactly have a primordial lying around, do they?# Alexander assured. #The scythe could reap mortal souls with nothing but a touch. It held power to fade lesser immortals in a single strike. This will be nowhere near.#
"Percy, should we go further?" Thalia whispered. "You stopped."
I nodded and slowly began to move toward the direction where the voices were coming from.
A blast of cold air hit me as I emerged. I was standing near the top of Mount Tam. The Pacific Ocean spread out below, gray under a cloudy sky.
A fortress that hadn't been here the last time— barely six months ago, stood in front of us.
It reminded me of an oversized mausoleum, with walls fifty feet high. I had no idea how mortals could miss the fact that it was here. But then again, everything below the summit seemed fuzzy to me, as if there were a thick veil between me and the lower half of the mountain.
The mist was scarily powerful here.
Above me, the sky swirled into a huge funnel cloud. I couldn't see Atlas, but I could hear him groaning in the distance, still laboring under the weight of the sky, just beyond the fortress.
There didn't seem much force within the palace right now to attack us if we charged. But the palace was too far for me to confirm the fact by sensing like I usually did.
"Can you sense anyone in the palace? An army or— titans?"
"There!" the second telekhine shrieked in delight, its voice echoing around, drawing my attention to the voice.
Suddenly, the hairs on my hands stood up for some reason as energy— dark and evil energy seemed to wash over the place.
A cold wind blew across the mountain. A cold, evil wind.
Something bad was about to happen.
"Is it me or should we be worried?" Thalia asked, gripping her ax tighter. Thankfully, it was not cackling with electricity, even if I could feel the electricity around it.
"My lord," the telekhine's high-pitched voice. "Your symbol of power is remade."
Silence.
"You fool," the other telekhine growled. "He requires the half-blood first."
"Charge?" I asked.
"Charge," Thalia agreed.
Together, we rushed up the hill, our weapons as shields ready. Wind whipped around us, responding to our powers.
We dashed through a dark foyer and into the main hall.
The floor shined like a mahogany piano—pure black and yet full of light. Black marble statues lined the walls. I didn't recognize the faces, but I knew I was looking at images of the titans who'd ruled before the gods. At the end of the room, between two bronze braziers, was a dais. And on the dais, the golden sarcophagus in front of which the half-bloods and the telekhines kneeled.
The sarcophagus was just like I remembered—about ten feet long, much too big for a human. It was carved with elaborate scenes of death and destruction, pictures of the gods being trodden under chariots, temples and famous world landmarks being smashed and burned. The whole coffin gave off an aura of extreme cold, like I was walking into a freezer.
But that was not what caught my attention.
Between the telekhines and the sarcophagus, a weapon laid, making my blood run cold as I took in its sight.
It was a scythe—a six foot-long blade curved like a crescent moon, with a metallic handle wrapped in leather. The blade glinted two different colors— steel and black.
Black darker than the night. It seemed to drain colors out of the surroundings by its mere presence.
#That is not the scythe— just a replica. But that black metal worries me. It is not Stygian Iron.# Alexander breathed.
"Go on, half-blood. He requires your allegiance. Renounce the gods!"
"I, Ethan Nakurma, son of Nemesis, renounce the gods—"
#Kill him!# Alexander shouted with urgency. My hand moved on its own, the Thyella Kavalris soared through the air toward the unsuspecting half-blood.
"And pledge my loyalty—"
Shick.
The trident stuck true, going through the demigod's chest.
Blood sprouted out of his chest, falling onto the sarcophagus and the marble floor.
"—to Lord Kronos," The demigod breathed, with his last breath before falling to the ground, dead.
"Trespassers!" A telekhine growled but I paid no heed to it.
A wisp of blue light rose from the floor at Ethan Nakamura's dead body. It drifted toward the coffin and began to shimmer, like a cloud of pure energy. Then it descended on the sarcophagus.
The building rumbled with power.
"Thalia, it might be a really good time to pray to your dad," I said, summoning my trident back as the telekhine leaped at me.
Droplets of blood flew as the first Telekhine burst into golden dust. Thalia stabbed the other, who too was charging at us, reducing it to golden dust.
But the ground continued to rumble as waves of energy emitted from the sarcophagus.
Suddenly, its lid burst open and— Luke sat up upright within the coffin.
"Luke?" Thalia breathed. "Why is he—"
Her half-asked question was answered as Luke's eyes shot open.
His golden eyes.
Luke's eyes were blue. Not golden.
#That's Kronos,# Alexander breathed. #In the body of a mortal. But how?#
Luke— or Kronos leaped out of the coffin with ease, and where his feet touched the floor, the marble froze like craters of ice.
He looked at Ethan's dead body and the golden dust that littered the floor with his horrible golden eyes, as if he were a newborn baby, not sure what he was seeing.
Then he looked at us, and a smile of recognition crept across his mouth.
"This body has been well prepared." His voice was like a razor blade running over my skin. It was Luke's, but not Luke's. underneath his voice was another, more horrible sound—an ancient, cold sound like metal scraping against rock. "Don't you think so, Percy Jackson?"
I couldn't move. I couldn't answer. I was seeing the Crooked One in person. The titan lord that the world feared.
As I stood there, frozen with fear, I could sense his power all around me. It was like a dark, destructive tornado, swirling and thrashing with deadly force. The air crackled with an eerie energy, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise as a chill ran down my spine.
Kronos was back, his might and malevolence permeating every inch of the fortress.
It was as if the very air was charged by his presence, and I could feel the weight of his gaze upon me, crushing and suffocating.
Kronos threw back his head and laughed. The scar on his face rippled.
"Luke feared you," the titan's voice said, making me shudder. "Both of you. His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you."
I did the first thing that came to my mind. I attacked.
My trident changed into the sword in mid strike, the blade blurring towards the reborn titan. Unexpectedly, the sword bounced off Kronos's neck with a clang like he was made of pure steel, sparks forming from it.
The collar of Luke's torn shirt curled into a dark, formless ash as I stared at it.
Where at the very least a deep gash should've been, stood Luke's— Kronos's unblemished skin.
He looked at me with amusement shining in his golden eyes. Then he flicked his hand, and I felt a force slam into me like an eighteen wheeler truck, sending me flying across the room.
I slammed against a pillar making me see stars and pain flared over my back.
With a grunt, I struggled to my feet, blinking the stars out of my eyes, but Kronos had already grasped the handle of his scythe.
The colors of the surroundings began to drain out. The sun dimmed and the air turned colder. Frost gathered at the titan lord's feet as he swung the scythe as if testing it.
"Acceptable," he muttered. "It might not be my scythe— but it is something."
If this was a lesser version of his scythe, I was damn glad I destroyed the real one.
Thalia, on the other hand, seemed to have regained her wits, as she shot a bolt— a powerful bolt of lightning at the Titan of Time.
With a dismissive gesture, Kronos moved his scythe, deflecting the bolt of lighting back at Thalia, who flew off her feet, before twisting sharply in mid-air and landing on her feet slowly as wind swirled around her. Lightning wreathed her arms and torso as she growled like a tigress waiting to pounce.
"What have you done to Luke, Kronos?"
Kronos raised his scythe. "He serves me with his whole being, as I require. The difference is, he used to be afraid. I am not."
"You should be," I said as my sword flew back into my hand and I stepped forward. "Because this ends here and today."
Kronos laughed as I charged at him before banging his scythe on the ground.
Suddenly, my body felt like lead. The air seemed like it was turning to Jell-O as I ran at him.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw another bolt of lightning, moving at a snail's pace from Thalia's ax toward Kronos, each of its tendril visible in vivid clarity as it snaked its way towards Kronos who let out a booming laugh.
Kronos had slowed time down to a crawl and trapped us in it.
He had all the time in the world now to kill us while we were frozen in time. He didn't need a fancy weapon to defeat his enemies. All he needed was time.
But he didn't know something I did. I had his freaking son up my sleeve.
I called to his powers— one I hadn't in some time. The power Alexander and Kronos shared in common. The very power Kronos was trying to use against me.
Time.
The effects of Kronos's spell vanished as my foot hit the ground and I rushed at him.
I saw Kronos's golden eyes widen just as I swung my sword, thrumming with the powers of the earth-shaker.
The strike should've cut down any enemy, divine or mortal especially without an armor on.
But it didn't cut down whatever abomination this Luke-Kronos thing seemed to be as the sword still clanged against Kronos's chest. But the sheer power behind the strike sent the titan lord airborne.
Kronos' body crashed like a wrecking ball through his own sarcophagus, shattering it and the marble slab it rested on into pieces.
A bolt of lightning flew past my ears and hit the damaged marble slab, reducing it to dust which flew everywhere.
#Percy, you must retreat. Luke's body is empowered by the Curse of Achilles. That is the only thing that could've saved him from that strike. He is impenetrable. There is no way that you can harm him right now. So, run.#
I saw Kronos sit back up in the rubble, his golden eyes glowing furiously as his scythe flew back into his hands.
The air began to turn colder. Frost gathered over the black pillars as the temperature plummeted under his fury.
The sun all but vanished under dark clouds.
"You're proving to be too big of a thorn, Perseus Jackson. You shall perish." Kronos growled as he charged forward, his scythe cutting an arc of power toward me.
I didn't have time to think. I just reacted, bringing my shield up to stop the scythe.
As my shield met the scythe, a violent explosion of energy— blue and golden, erupted, unleashing a powerful concussive force that rippled through the room. The fortress quaked and trembled under the onslaught of the blast, as if it were being bombarded by an artillery barrage.
Cracks appeared over the pillars and stone fell from the ceiling high above.
Ethan Nakurma's dead body was tossed away over the hill, while Thalia who was already in the air was violently pushed further away.
The only things left standing were me and Kronos, amongst the crater of what once used to be a marble floor.
Kronos glared at me, his golden eyes furiously penetrating my eyes. I glared right back before yelling in defiance.
With brute force, I pushed the scythe back and slashed my sword at the Crooked One, who blocked the strike with the butt of his scythe. But I was not going to stop. Using my shield as a battering ram, I hit Kronos in the hip, rapidly slashing my sword at him.
Each of my moves were expertly blocked by my foe, who was as relentless as me.
Yet, Kronos seemed rusty.
Thalia's cackling ax flew past me with deadly precision and crashed into Luke's body, sending the titan sprawling onto his back as electricity wreathed his body.
For a moment, I saw Kronos's golden eyes revert back to Luke's blue ones as a scream ripped out of his throat.
The scream died out a moment later as the pain filled blue eyes reverted to a harsh golden. The temperature dropped sharply.
"ENOUGH!" he roared, and a pillar of power slammed into me with bone-crushing force, propelling Thalia and me across the fortress.
We hurtled towards the doors, our bodies launched out into the open air. The world spun around me, the marble floor beneath my feet transforming into a rough terrain of mud and grass. My stomach dropped as the ground rushed up to meet me.
Instinctively, I twisted to bring my shield between me and the earth. The impact was brutal, sending me careening down the hill as the shield clanged loudly against the rocks. Thalia was beside me, using her Aegis to protect herself from harm.
"Ouch," I breathed, feeling the pain shooting through my leg as I came to a skidding stop.
Feeling the warmth down my leg I raised my head to see that my jeans were torn, and blood was trickling down my left leg.
Glancing sideways, I saw that Thalia looked shaken but unharmed, breathing heavily as she scanned the hillside. Her ax laid next to her, embedded in the soil below.
Looking around, I realized that we had come to a halt a few meters away from the entrance to the Labyrinth.
#Percy, this is your chance. Take it and run. I will heal you, gimme a minute.# Alexander's voice echoed in my mind.
"Thalia, we have to move," I said, panting from the exertion. "Kronos is invincible now, and we still have an invasion to deal with."
"Percy—"
"Help me up," I said, gritting my teeth against the pain in my leg.
"Percy!" A shrill voice started, making me crane my neck.
Annabeth, Nico, and Rachel were rushing towards us, Annabeth in the lead, with her spear in her hand.
"Percy! Are you alright?" She asked, skidding to a halt next to me as her spear dropped to the ground with a clang.
That was when Kronos appeared in my sight, leisurely strolling downhill with his new scythe without a care in the world, a smile on his face.
"We need to move," I grunted.
"Who's that?" Rachel breathed, making Annabeth's head snap towards Luke.
"Luke?" Annabeth breathed her eyes wide.
"Kronos," I corrected through gritted teeth. "We need to run. Now."
"What—"
Thalia shoved Annabeth aside and hurled me to my feet. Grasping Annabeth's arm, she pulled us with her.
"Run!"
Suddenly, I felt time slow around us again. The air seemed to turn to solid lead as Kronos laughed.
"Run, little heroes. Run."
With a gut-wrenching effort, I pulled on the powers of time, trying to counter Kronos's hold on it.
'Help me here bud.'
#On it.#
Then, I felt Alexander pull. The true power of time ran through my arm and down my sword which glowed with a golden hue. A moment later the feeling vanished and the world turned to normal.
I crashed into Rachel and Nico, pushing them further with all I had.
Whirling on my heel, I willed my storm-tamer into my hand.
With a quick breath, I filled them with the power of the earthshaker, remembering the inevitability of the ocean. Its power. Its endlessness.
With a grunt, I brought the swords together, sending the most powerful shockwave I had ever made at the Titan Lord.
Luke's body was flung away like a ragdoll much like Ethan's had a minute ago.
The titan crashed into his own fortress as the structure rumbled dangerously like an ancient building that it was.
Rocks tumbled down the mountain.
Without waiting, for better or worse, we plunged back into the Labyrinth.
PERCY POV
We ran until we were exhausted. Rachel steered us away from traps, but we had no destination in mind—only away from that dark mountain and as much I hated to say it, Kronos.
My left leg throbbed horribly as when we finally stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. I couldn't hear anything behind us, but I didn't feel any safer. I could still remember those unnatural golden eyes staring out of Luke's face, and the feeling that my limbs were slowly turning to stone.
"I can't go any farther," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.
Annabeth had been crying the entire time we'd been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel.
Nico, Thalia and I sat next to each other. He dropped his sword next to mine and took a shaky breath.
"That sucked," he said, which I thought summed things up pretty well.
"Luke's a bastard but this—" Thalia trailed off, staring at the walls with sadness in her eyes.
Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. "What…what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"
"Luke willingly gave his body— a body with the Curse of Achilles to the Crooked One," I said as I summoned my bag before removing two pieces of Ambrosia from it.
I thrusted one into Thalia's hand and unwrapped my own.
"You mean he is invulnerable now?" Thalia asked with trepidation.
"Each of my strikes should've killed Luke— or even him had he not been invulnerable," I spat, eyeing the golden food piece in my hand. "Technically, Luke's body would've turned to ashes with someone like the Crooked One using it as a mortal shell. But the curse prevents it from happening."
Unlike Alexander, Kronos wasn't in Luke's head, advising and helping him. Kronos had overpowered Luke to take the mortal form as his own.
Even my body would've burned up if Alexander had done something like that. There was a reason why he seldom took control of my body, after all. And he never did so in the heat of the battle. The best Alexander did was guide me and heal me of my injuries.
#Luke is too far gone, Percy. There is nothing we could possibly do. You saw Kronos's power. Luke's body just empowers him by being invulnerable. But it will burn off sooner or later as Kronos regains strength. He is far too powerful for someone like Luke even with the curse.#
"But Percy— did you see? When I hit him with lightning, his eyes— they turned back to blue." Thalia said shakily.
I chewed on my ambrosia before gulping it down shivering as a tingle ran down my leg.
"So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body," I said. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."
"You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth snapped. "You didn't know him before, Percy. I did!"
"Sure you did," I muttered sarcastically.
Annabeth glared at me for that.
"We need to get moving," Thalia sniffed. "We need to get back to the camp. Luke— or K— the Crooked One won't stop."
"They're one and the same now," I muttered as I felt my skin knit back together.
"He'll send monsters after us," Nico agreed. "Or worse, titans."
Thalia hauled herself to her feet before looking at me.
"Get everyone else up. Gimme a moment." I said, removing a small bottle of pure nectar from the side pocket of my bag.
Uncapping it, I gulped down the contents rapidly and I instantly felt better as the godly foods worked their magic.
I put the bottle back into the bag. Grover would murder me for leaving trash around, especially plastic bottles.
That thought made my lips quirk.
"Come, Percy," Nico said, offering his hand.
I grasped it and pulled myself up with a heave.
"Let's go," I muttered as a fireball appeared in my hands, lighting up the cave.
And then, my blood ran cold.
In front of me, was a trampled clump of red fabric lying on the ground. A Rasta cap: the one Grover always wore.
My best friend was here and something had happened to him.
"Percy, look," Thalia said, pointing ahead.
The cave floor was mushy and wet from the water dripping off the stalactites. There were footprints, Zoe's, and smaller ones—goat hooves—leading off to the left.
I picked the Rasta cap up and shoved it in my pocket.
"We have to follow them," I said. "They went that way. It must have been recently."
"What about Camp Half-Blood?" Nico said. "There's no time."
"There's always time for this," I said, walking forward as my trident reappeared in my hands.
With a thought, its tips ignited, casting a greater glow all over the place as the fireball in my hand vanished with a curl of my fist.
"And here we were, relying on pesky flashlights," Thalia muttered, putting her flashlight back.
She strode forward, taking the lead as Rachel fell in step next to her.
The tunnel was treacherous. It sloped at weird angles and was slimy with moisture. Half the time we were slipping and sliding rather than walking. Finally we got to the bottom of a slope and found ourselves in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns.
Through the center of the room ran an underground river, and Zoe sat by the banks cradling Grover in her lap.
Grover's eyes were closed. He wasn't moving.
"GROVER!" I yelled, rushing forward, making Zoe look up sharply.
"Percy," She breathed as I skidded next to Grover, my hands fumbling for his pulse.
I found it. Grover wasn't dead, thank the gods, but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.
"Divine overload, Percy," Zoe heaved.
That was when I too felt it.
The wild. The forests. Nature.
A power was the complete opposite of the power I had felt from Kronos minutes ago.
"Pan," I muttered. "Grover, wake up!"
"Food," Grover moaned, making me grin.
Grover was alright.
"I have enchiladas," I said with a laugh, making him sit right up.
He looked around wildly for a moment, before regaining his senses.
"Percy, you're here," he breathed. "So are you all."
"Of course, I am. Can't leave our goat boy, can we?" Thalia quipped.
Annabeth gave a half chuckle at that. She was still upset about what happened to Luke, it seemed.
I held my trident up again, allowing the glow to illuminate the place.
The rocks glittered. At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds.
Beyond the entrance, I could feel his power.
The power of the lost god, Pan.
"Come on. My grandfather is not the only one who will return to the godly world today, it seems."
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Zoe and Grover whirled around to look at me.
"What did you just say, Percy?" Zoe asked incredulously.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, as of a few minutes ago, the Crooked One is no longer a phantom, chopped up titan. He got himself a body. Long story short, he is using Luke as a vessel."
"That is not possible. His body should get spontaneously combusted by holding the divine form of the Titan King inside of him!" Zoe exclaimed.
"Not if he has the curse of Achillies."
"Curse of— he's invulnerable now, isn't he?" Grover breathed. "How do you know?"
"Percy and I witnessed his rebirth," Thalia scowled. "With the hits Percy and I leveled on him, he should've died a dozen times over. But the curse protected him."
"The curse is much more than that," Zoe said. "I have seen Achilles fight before and after the curse. He was good before. The curse made him great. A force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He used to turn the tides in any fight he was in."
I nodded.
From what Alexander had told me about the curse of Achilles— or the blessing of Styx, it was true.
It was extremely powerful and yet, it had its drawbacks. The process to obtain it was no less dangerous.
"Let's worry about that later," Nico interrupted suddenly. "We have a god to meet and an invasion to face, guys."
"Indeed. Let's get going."
Together we waded across the underground river. The current was strong but it bended easily. The water came up to our waists but I willed myself and the others to stay dry, which was a handy little ability.
"I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth said, her teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."
"How do you know?"
"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain last winter."
I nodded. Grover's swooning episode had happened when we passed through New Mexico. That's where he'd felt closest to the power of Pan.
We got out of the water and kept walking. As the crystal pillars loomed larger, I started to feel the power emanating from the next room.
I had been in the presence of gods before, but this was different.
My skin tingled with living energy. My weariness fell away, as if I'd just gotten a good night's sleep. I could feel myself growing stronger, like one of those plants in a time-lapse video. And the scent coming from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.
Grover whimpered with excitement.
"Wow," Rachel breathed.
The walls glittered with crystals—red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew—giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals. The cave floor was covered with green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars.
In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it—but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent like the mother of all guinea pigs, and roaming behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk, was a wooly mammoth.
On the bed lay an old satyr. He watched us as we approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was white and so was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted with gray. His horns were enormous— glossy brown and curved. There was no way he could've hidden those under a hat the way Grover did. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes.
Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!"
The god smiled kindly, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."
"I… got lost," Grover apologized lamely.
Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dodo bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. I could swear it was humming 'It's a Small World.'
Still, Pan looked tired. His whole form shimmered as if he were made of Mist. I noticed my other friends were kneeling. They had awed looks on their faces.
But my feeling of awe was vanishing. Something else tingled within me. Something was making me angry at Pan. Making me want to punch him in his face.
What or why? I had no idea.
"You have a humming dodo bird," Nico blurted.
The god's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."
Dede the dodo looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge.
"This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth said. "It's better than any building ever designed."
"I am glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed…for a little longer."
"And whose fault is that?" I said in a biting tone, for a reason unknown, making Pan's eyes snap toward me along with Grover's and everyone else's.
Grover looked angry but I ignored him in favor of glaring at the god.
"Perseus Jackson," He said serenely. "Son of Poseidon. Hestia's champion."
Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The wooly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then Pan re-formed.
That was when I realized what was troubling me about the god in front of me.
Family.
Pan had left Olympus, left his duties and retreated into the unknown, leaving his family and kin hanging. Betraying them even.
And in Hestia's eyes, the betrayal of family was the worst betrayal one could ever commit. And Pan had left his family, betraying them in the time of need.
And the hearth inside of me was fuming at the god of the wild.
"I recognize I made a mistake in leaving my family behind as my powers weakened. I have slept many eons," the god said forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end. My immortality runs out."
"What?" Grover cried, looking back at the god. "But no! You're right here!"
"My dear satyr," Pan said. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. he lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."
Annabeth's eyes widened. "The old story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead.'"
"But that wasn't true!" Grover protested.
"Your kind never believed it," Pan said. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."
"You want it to end," I said, shifting the gods' attention back to me. "You left your duties Pan. You left your family. And not for a short time but more than two-thousand years. You could've approached Olympus. You could've talked. The wild was a lot more alive two thousand years ago. And yet, at the first sign of trouble, you ran, Pan."
The god, instead of getting angry looked down, as if ashamed by his actions.
"Per—"
"Shut up, Grover. This man wants you to take the fall for announcing to the world that he's dead. You will be kicked out of your own herd. And I am not going to let that happen. Plus, he is leaving his family exactly when the titans returned. Running from his duties and responsibilities as always"
The god looked up sadly.
"For all your powers, even you cannot stop me from dying, Perseus Jackson. Ask your friend here. Your companion, Nico, he understands."
Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This…this is more like a memory."
"But gods can't die," Grover said.
"They can fade," Pan corrected, "when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear."
"Or they let them disappear," I said scathingly, making the god look at me again, his eyes holding a tinge of regret and anger.
"You're crossing the line, Perseus—"
"And what will you do? All you've done is ran. You let the wild die, Pan. You could've saved it two-thousand years ago."
"PERCY, SHUT UP!" Grover spat, standing up.
"Sit down, Grover," I commanded, making Grover take a step back.
"Perseus Jackson, for all you want me to return, I can't. I am on my last breaths. My powers have all but ran out. You cannot save me," the god of the wild continued stubbornly.
"And I do the impossible for breakfast," I waved off. "But tell me, Pan. Do you really want to return? To get back to your family. Or do you not want that to happen?"
"What would you have me do?" The god said bitterly as his image flickered again. "I've spent the last two thousand years in pain— and yes, I acknowledge that it is somewhere my fault. Can't I spend my last few moments in peace?"
"That was not the question. If given the chance, will you return to the world of living? To help Olympus? To help your family? To right the wrongs?"
"I— I will if it was possible—"
"Say no more," I said, as my bag appeared in my arms. Shoving my hand in, I removed one of the most priced things in it.
An apple of immortality.
"Is that—" Annabeth breathed as Thalia's and Zoe's eyes went wide as saucers.
Grover's mouth hung open while Rachel and Nico stared, confused.
Pan looked dumbstruck.
"Here, eat it. And come with us. Help save Olympus."
Pan continued to look at the apple with a dumb expression.
Dede sang a jubilant song, as if approving my choice while the wooly mammoth trumpeted. The tiger-wolf hybrid roared.
I smiled at Grover and the animals. "Come on. We have an invasion to stop. Is the great god Pan coming to cause some panic or not?"
And… DONE! I hope you all liked it!
A huge thanks to Mughil for betaing this chapter.
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Guest: I update a story every week and I have four active stories. So, yes, it will update in such a fashion.
The Nameless One: …No, I am pretty sure Percy won't be capable of surviving in space, without a spacesuit, owing to the fact that you need oxygen and air pressure to survive, both of which are absent in space.
Ascension of the Peverells: I have more than one story, mate. I update one every week.
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That's all, thank you for your reviews.
Next chapter will be the Invasion of the camp, and hence, the battle.
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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. I also post sneak peeks there when it catches my fancy.
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 400k+ 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 350k+ 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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