Celestial bronze screeched against a mottled blade. Sparks flew as the two weapons collided, again and again.
Exhaling steam, Percy's eyes glinted with power. He could feel his body thrumming with power, boiling in his limbs as he moved. Divine energy pulsed in his chest, roaring throughout him.
Atlas thrusted again. The bronze spearpoint gleamed darkly as it shrieked through the air. Percy felt the cavitating shockwaves batter at the side of his head as he leaned just out of the way.
He charged forward then, fully intent on capitalizing on the near miss. He let his momentum guide him into a slide, the asphalt was grinding smooth underneath his invulnerable skin. A furrow was left in his wake as he propelled himself up into Atlas's guard. He flipped his saber into an icepick grip, stabbing in-
And then he was flying. He impacted the hood of the car, the vehicle crumpling around his body as he ground to a halt. Even as the thin metal of the car groaned in protest, Percy couldn't help but grin. There was a touch of mania to it.
A small part of him, a part that Ares had eagerly nourished and one that Hestia had lamented, relished in this fight. It had been too long since he'd fought a foe of such magnitude, too long since he'd genuinely had reason to push himself this hard.
"Yes!" Atlas rumbled, a similar grin forming on his face. "There you are. There's the man I've heard so much about!"
"Yeah?" Percy breathed. His eyes flicked to the side, seeing something in the air behind the titan. Imperceptible to even Atlas, he dipped his chin in a subtle nod.
The destroyed automobile skidded back, tires squealing as Percy launched himself forward once more. His hand ducked within a pocket of his jacket. As Atlas swung his spear at him, Percy abruptly aborted his mad dash. Two trenches formed into the parking lot as he ground to a halt, skidding sideways and under another spear thrust to come up standing right at Atlas's shoulder.
As Atlas began to turn towards him, storming with rage, Percy's hand came up and out of his jacket, grasping onto a M79 grenade launcher. The barrel was seated directly at Atlas's temple.
"You haven't seen anything yet." Percy snarled. He pulled the trigger.
The explosion was immediate, erupting between the two combatants. The grenade launcher's barrel folded outwards, the M79 destroying itself as the grenade detonated far closer than it's original designers had ever intended it to.
The supernaturally enhanced 40mm grenade exploded with concussive force. The air seemingly solidified for a split second, the overpressure wave impacting both demigod and titan like a runaway freight train.
Atlas staggered back, his face a golden ruin. Percy flew back, impacting the asphalt hard enough to leave a crater. His sword carved a trench into the asphalt as he fought against the momentum, bringing himself to a stop. Bronze oil splattered from his mouth as the demigod exhaled heavily.
Staggering back yet another step, Atlas planted his spear in the ground, anchoring him. "So, that was your strategy?" Atlas asked, almost sounding genuinely disappointed. "Suicide bombing me?"
Percy clambered to his feet, his saber shaking underneath him as he forced himself to stand rigidly, using it as a supporting pillar.
"Make no mistake, Atlas." Percy growled. "It hurt me. But it hurt you a lot more."
Atlas roared with laughter, his face almost entirely healed now. "And how is that?"
Percy suddenly ducked, dropping to a knee. An arrow, wreathed in silver flame, flew just over his kneeling form. As it impacted the titan's body, Percy found himself grinning again.
"Because you're right where I wanted you." Percy brought his saber in front of him, flourishing it in challenge. "And because you stand alone. And I do not."
For a brief second, Thalia, and Annabeth stared at the unconscious hunter draped across Anna's shoulder in shock.
Zoe's words took a moment to process, but when they did, it impacted hard.
"Percy's what!" Anna hissed, staring at Zoe as if she expected her to be able to reply. When no reply came, her head whipped towards her conscious comrades. "Come on! We have to go and help him!"
Thalia pursed her lips. After a brief moment, she nodded. "You two go." She outstretched her arms towards Anna. "Give Zoe to me. I'll watch over her."
Anna looked at her, torn between familial love and duty. Thalia briefly smirked, lightning flickering across her eyes. "Don't worry. She'll be safe with me. Go help your brother."
Anna nodded, handing her unconscious lieutenant over to the daughter of Zeus. Severe green eyes met blue eyes. "You better."
Before Thalia could respond, Anna was rushing past her, clapping Annabeth on the shoulder. "Let's go!"
Annabeth paused briefly, and Thalia nodded at her, a grin adorning her face. "Kick his ass for me."
Annabeth smiled back, and ran after the hunter.
As she ran out of the mall, she was instantly hit by a cacophony of noise. Car alarms wailed relentlessly, and the clashing of metal against metal was sounding constantly. The parking lot was torn and fragmented, chunks of asphalt and concrete torn and scattered every which way.
As she ran by one of the few still-standing concrete barricades, a hand reached out and grasped her wrist, tugging her down into a kneeling position beside Anna.
Before she could protest, Anna simply pointed ahead. Annabeth looked where the huntress was pointing. A wave of awe and fear hit her.
It was like no other fight she'd seen. She'd heard Bianca and Nico, the children of Hades they'd rescued, describe Percy's fight against the huntresses, but this was somehow even more than that.
Atlas and Percy were fighting brutally, their forms almost indistinguishable from two batting cyclones. Atlas was but a blur of celestial bronze and muscle, his spear point lashing out at a rate comparable to an automatic rifle. Percy was a blur of mottled bronze and steel, his saber parrying and thrusting so fast it ceased to resemble a weapon and more a solid object.
Metal hideously screeched against each other. Even with her enhanced perception, the movements were still incredibly fast.
"Gods of Olympus…" Annabeth murmured. She glanced at Anna. "How are we going to get into that?"
Anna was drawing her bow back, a silver fire beginning to lap up the arrow shaft. "We're going to wait for an opening. I'm going to send Percy a message."
"An opening?" Annabeth echoed. She looked at the furiously battling combatants once more. "Good luck."
Anna shook her head. "Percy can't last at this speed forever. There will be an opening soon."
Eyes narrowed introspectively, Annabeth frowned in thought. "You sound like you've done this before."
Never allowing her eyes to leave the fight, Anna merely nodded. "Yes. I've fought by Percy's side against similar foes before. The hunters of Artemis do not merely fight against domestic threats."
Before Annabeth could respond, Percy suddenly was sent flying back. With a crunch of metal and glass, the demigod slammed into the hood of a car. Yet another alarm began to wail.
Anna was unaffected. "There." She spoke calmly, letting an arrow fly, arcing high into the sky behind Atlas.
It detonated silently into a bright silver light, a short-lived star in the daytime sky.
Percy subtly nodded, and charged forward again, blurring in motion. Anna exhaled in relief. "Good. He got the message."
She began to draw back on her bow again, closing her eyes. She began to murmur. "Lady Artemis, wherever you are, I hope you can spare whatever strength you can. Guide my shot."
As Anna charged up her shot, thunder rumbled across the parking lot as Percy detonated a grenade launcher directly in between themselves. Annabeth winced as Percy slammed into the ground, cratering it. Atlas staggered backwards, planting his spear to keep him steady. His face and head were severely wounded.
"He's where you want him!" Annabeth whispered urgently. "Shoot!"
Silver fire erupted into a corona around her, pulsing almost audibly. Anna softly smiled, a sad tinge to it. "Thank you milady. We will rescue you soon. Hold on."
She fired, and the arrow shrieked through the air, a pillar of moonlight arcing over Percy's kneeling form and slamming into the chest of the titan.
Percy hurt. That explosion was enough to damage anything. His invulnerability was not all encompassing.
Still, as Atlas recoiled, the awesome power of Artemis sending him to a knee, Percy found it in himself to run at him once more. The divine energy that was pulsing through him came in brief pulses now. He was running on fumes.
A spear lashed out at him, an attack of last resort from Atlas. Percy hunched his shoulders and continued, running directly at the spearpoint. He placed his full trust in his comrades that they would not let him die here and now.
As the spearpoint approached his neck with enough force to kill him regardless of impenetrable skin, a report from a Enfield revolver cracked loudly.
A huge pistol cartridge smashed against the side of Atlas's spear, diverting it just enough to miss Percy's neck and graze off his shoulder.
Grinning savagely, Percy let himself turn with the momentum of the blow, spinning on his feet to come face to face with the wounded titan. With a warcry, he slammed his saber home. The saber tore through the metal of Atlas' armour, and Percy lunged forward, impaling the blade to the hilt within the titan's chest.
"You.." Incredibly, Atlas still attempted to stand up, only for Percy to draw back his fist.
Something cracked within his shoulder as he let the blow fly. The air superheated around his fist as it soared forward, licks of flame briefly appearing around his clenched hand as it slammed into Atlas's face.
The titan flew backwards, off of his blade, through several cars, and into the asphalt and concrete, carving a canyon into the material as his limp form finally came to a halt.
"Stay down, damn it." Percy gasped out. He wavered on his feet, his arm now hanging limply by his side. He winced, feeling the dislocated arm.
Loosely, he collapsed back down to a knee. Anna and Annabeth came running to him, the hunter and demigodess flanking him on either shoulder.
"Percy!" Anna exclaimed.
Percy winced heavily. "I'll be fine." He managed to get out. "Just… winded." He tilted his head up towards Anna, looking at the auburn haired girl through bleary eyes. "How about you?"
Anna shook her head. "Half dead, and you still only care about us."
Percy struggled back to his feet, wavering more insistently. "The mission must take priority." He exhaled. He turned to Annabeth, giving her a brief smile. Due to his state, it was little more than the corners of his lips upturning briefly, but the daughter of Athena returned it nonetheless.
"That was an excellent shot." Percy nodded. "Thank you. I couldn't have done that without you."
Annabeth subtly stood straighter. "Thanks, Percy."
Movement blurred behind them, and Annabeth whipped around to stare at Atlas disbelievingly.
"Guys!"
Percy looked, and groaned heavily in disbelief. "I'm not sure how much more I've got left in me." He warned, hefting his saber.
Anna grimaced, silver embers weakly sparking around her arrow. "Same here."
Atlas charged forward. His feet fractured what little intact asphalt remained. He smashed through a car, his stride barely changing as steel deformed around him.
Percy hissed, stepping in front of Anna and Annabeth. He crouched down, saber held up in front of him.
Just as Atlas was about to make impact, the sky grew dark, boiling with thunder clouds. A flash of blue illuminated the heavens, a massive lightning bolt streaking down as the princess of the skies unleashed her wrath.
The titan was slammed into the ground, flames erupting around him as one of the largest lightning bolts the world had ever seen slammed into him.
Thalia staggered up to the three of them, her face flushed red as she panted. "What…" she breathed. "Does it take to put you down?!"
When the storm settled, Atlas was on his knees, a hand splayed in front of him. He spat golden blood onto the ground. "Well played." He rasped, his voice slowly gaining volume until it became a bellow. "But I am the Titan of Endurance. You cannot defe-"
His monologue interrupted, Atlas dumbfoundedly looked down. A bronze tip poked out of his chest.
"They might not be able to defeat you." Zoe murmured. She was barely standing, nearly leaning against the titan as her blade plunged further into the Titan's back. Her eyes glinted, and Zoe rallied, tearing the blade out of the titan's back. "But I certainly can, father." Zoe hissed.
Atlas's form flickered once more, before disappearing.
For a moment the group simply stared at where Atlas had been in shock. Zoe staggered past the pool of golden blood and shattered armour, approaching them.
"Did… did we just kill a titan?" Annabeth asked.
Having reached them, Zoe wearily shook her head. "No." She glared at where Atlas had fallen. "He is the Titan of Endurance. He'll be back."
Percy finally spoke, allowing himself to loosen now that it seemed that the titan was truly gone. "He will be weakened through."
Zoe dipped her head, slumping forward. Percy stepped forward, catching her.
"Perhaps." Zoe murmured.
Shifting Zoe into a better hold, wincing as it tore at his still dislocated arm, Percy spoke. "C'mon. Let's get to the car. We need to get out of here. This fight has drawn far too much attention."
"Anna." Percy spoke, limping forward.
Anna glanced towards him, and metal glinted in the air. Instinctively, Anna caught it, only to look up at Percy with shock.
"You drive. My arm's too busted right now."
Anna looked down at the keys again, and up at him. Her eyes glinted. "Really!"
Percy sighed. He nodded. "Really."
As Anna whooped, running forward to get the car started, Percy glanced at Thalia and Annabeth in turn. "Please don't let her crash my car while I'm unconscious in the back."
Annabeth stiffened, but Thalia merely barked laughter, her face still flushed from exertion
"I think most of us will be sleeping after this, but sure Percy, we'll do what we can."
"All I ask." Percy breathed. With a groan, he finally settled into the rear seat of his car. He let Anna's eager murmurings wash over him, and before long, his body had shut down, divine machinery and magic beginning to repair him.