Light emitting from the muscle car's headlights battled valiantly against the encroaching night. The light rested upon worn and cracked asphalt, the monotony having remained unbroken for the last several hours.
It provided Percy time to ponder the meeting he'd had with Aphrodite, earlier in southwestern California. The goddess of love's words rang through his head as he gazed out the windshield and into the evening.
'You have more supporters in the pantheon than you think…'
Something warm pulsed in his chest, as he remembered the lilting voice.
He didn't do what he did for thanks, or even recognition, but nonetheless it was nice to be acknowledged. At least he would be remembered.
"Should we all be so lucky." Percy murmured aloud to himself.
Beside him, Thalia stirred, gazing at him. The demigoddess was sprawled irreverently over the seat, her feet haphazardly placed on the dash. Percy withheld a smile at the sight.
"Hm? You say something?" Thalia asked.
Percy chuckled. "No. Get some more sleep. It won't be long before we arrive."
"Alright." The girl promptly rolled over and fell asleep, evidently too tired to put up much more of an argument.
The sound of soft laughter had Percy glancing bemusedly into the rear-view mirror.
Anna was leaning over the seat, emerald eyes gleaming with humour.
"She's certainly easy to manage." Anna whispered, taking care not to wake the exhausted demigoddess.
"Anna." Percy smiled. "Good morning."
The younger huntress peered out the windows, eyeing the evening gloom around them. "Morning?" Anna repeated, a questioning smile crossing her face.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Don't argue semantics with me."
"Sorry." Anna grinned, very evidently not apologetic at all. Her grin died down into something more serious. "How long was I out? Anything important happen?"
Percy shrugged. "Not much. Been driving. Had to stop for a summons from Aphrodite earlier. Other than that, completely uneventful."
"Summons from Aphrodite?" Anna echoed. Her brows furrowed. "What could she want with you?"
Her eyes flicked from him to Zoe, and then back to him once more. Percy could see the realisation appearing in her eyes. He sighed. Anna was sometimes just really too observant.
A smirk slowly crossed her face.
"Was she…"
Percy minutely nodded.
Anna's smirk widened into a grin. "Really now?"
"Anna. You know it's impossible."
"How so? Is this because you're a machine or…"
Percy closed his eyes briefly, letting Anna's words fade into the background. The leather of the steering wheel creaked in warning, and he loosened his grip. "The prophecy." Percy bluntly stated, interrupting Anna's attempts to convince him that being an automation didn't exclude him from romance.
Anna went silent, and her grin shrunk into a sombre smile. "Oh." She closed her eyes in self-recrimination. "Right."
"Aphrodite did say something else." Percy broke the silence that had quickly formed between them.
"Oh?" Anna opened her eyes, interested. "What?"
Aphrodite's voice once more sounded in the back of his mind.
"She said that I have more allies among the pantheon than I think." Percy said. "It's not all bad news."
Anna managed a smile.
Percy continued. He reached into his jacket pocket with a few hand, and retrieved the chunk of marble in his hand. The inscriptions glowed dully in the darkening night. "She gave me this."
Anna studied it confusedly, before her eyes went wide with revelation. "Is that… ?"
Percy nodded, a small smile on his face. "I figure it may be useful. Especially with where we're going."
Beside them, a sign briefly was visible, before it vanished into the distance.
Emblazoned upon the sign were the words "Death Valley National Park."
Dawn was breaking on the horizon, and all five members of the quest were standing in front of the idling mustang. In front of them stood a massive junkyard.
At first glance, the junkyard seemed to be that of mundane, mortal origins. The shimmering, bronze chunks of metals, and its location in one of the more inhospitable regions of the Death Valley were quick to disregard such assumptions.
"This is not good." Zoe stated, studying the obstacle.
The huntress leaned against the hood of the Mustang, arms crossed and onyx eyes furrowed in thought.
"Agreed." Percy nodded. He looked at the upcoming sunset with no small amount of concern. "Temperatures in the night are more than manageable, but at day it becomes a serious concern. I was hoping to quickly drive through here."
He turned to the rest of the quest. "This is my mistake. I wrongly assumed that there would be no obstacles in our path."
"No, this isn't your fault." Annabeth said. She pursed her lips as she studied the environment around them.
Percy hid a smile as he watched the demigoddess. Her baptism of fire had come and gone, and in it she had been forged into a warrior with few peers. Even now she stood proudly, the revolver he'd given her sitting prominently on her hip, flanked by her dagger.
"We'd lose too much time if we backtrack. This is the only road for miles." Annabeth concluded. "Only path is through the obstacle."
Thalia grinned. "Too easy."
"Do not let confidence be your downfall." Zoe warned. She surveyed the junkyard in front of them, eyeing the scrap warily. "The gods can be fickle. Do not touch anything that comes from their realm lightly." She turned. "Anna."
Said huntress glanced in her direction, away from the bow she was re-stringing. She'd taken it apart in the car for regular maintenance, and was only now putting it back together. "Yes, Zoe?"
"Scout ahead, see if you can find a route large enough to take the car through."
Percy stepped forward. "I'll come with."
Zoe nodded. "Very well. Be careful, both of you."
Anna nodded, and Percy affectionately rolled his eyes. "Yes ma'am." They echoed, one considerably more sarcastically than the other.
Zoe's eyebrow rose with ire that was only partly in jest. Percy chuckled, raising his hands. "I'm leaving!"
As Percy and Anna left the car, Zoe turned to Annabeth and Thalia.
"We'll hold position here-" Zoe trailed off, catching sight of Annabeth staring into the horizon with a look of subdued horror.
Zoe looked in the direction that the daughter of wisdom was facing, but could see nothing but for the shimmering of warm air colliding with cooler air, a natural result of the sunrise.
"What is it?" Thalia asked concernedly, stepping over to her side.
"One shall be lost in the land with no rain." Annabeth murmured.
The horizon was an expanse of rock and gritty sand, overlaid by a sky of pale, scorching blue.
It had evidently not rained here in a very long time. And they were stuck.
Despite the quickly increasing heat, all three present felt a chill rack their spine.
"I hope those two find us a way out of here quickly." Zoe murmured.
"Death Valley is an apt name." Anna observed, lithely stepping over a skull of some large mammal. "Really on the nose."
Percy suppressed an amused chuckle. His hand was resting comfortably on the hilt of his saber, as he gazed at the massive divine dumping yard they were walking alongside.
Anna was walking alongside him, her bow held loosely in her hand. Beads of moisture were already beginning to appear on her forehead, the temperature quickly rising despite the earliness of the day.
Reaching into his jacket, Percy produced a water bottle from the voluminous storage of the pocket dimension within. "Here." He handed it to the huntress beside him.
"For me?" Anna gushed. "You shouldn't have."
"Well if you don't want it…" Percy grinned, going to put it back into his jacket.
Before it even made it halfway, Anna had snatched it away from his hand, clutching the bottle as if it were made of gold. She pouted at him. "Don't be mean."
Percy grinned. "Never. I'm always nice."
"Sure." Anna laughed. She took a deep drink of water, a relieved sigh leaving her lips. Her countenance became warmer. "Thanks, Percy."
"No problem. Not like I need it, anyway."
Anna smiled warmly, already having realised that the only reason Percy would be carrying water bottles and similar would be for her and the others in their party. She also knew that Percy wasn't the type of person to ever express that sentiment fully.
She took another, longer sip from her bottle, draining it. She handed her empty bottle back to Percy, who nonchalantly crushed it and put it in his pocket to be disposed of later. As he did so, Anna looked over his shoulder.
"Percy, there!"
Within the expanses of the mounds of junk and trash, there was a winding pathway, just barely wide enough to fit the car down. Percy frowned at it for a moment, before nodding approvingly.
"Good eye."
As Anna beamed, he contacted Zoe and the others.
It wasn't long before the final three members of their party appeared, and they ventured into the junkyard.
In the sweltering late-morning, the quest pushed through the junkyard. The matte black car was fortunately cooler than common thought would dictate, enchantments and divine magic providing perfect temperature control.
The two huntresses sat perched atop the cool metal, eyeing the large mounds of scrap metal warily. Annabeth was at the wheel, slowly driving the car forward. Percy and Thaila were in the front, serving as the vanguard for the advance.
"How far does this junkyard go?" Thalia asked, wiping her brow. Her denim jacket had been removed in the face of the heat, and was wrapped around her waist, leaving her torso clad in a black singlet. "I hope we can get out of this damned heat soon."
"Not much farther, I don't think." Percy said. The path ahead of them was beginning to widen, horizon beginning to be visible once more, rather than the backdrop of discarded celestial bronze and other divine metals.
As they continued, the pathway widened further until it became a wide clearing.
"I don't like this." Percy muttered. In his hands was a ShAK-12, the 12.7mm assault rifle grasped tightly in his hands. He surveyed the environment around them, watching the shadows cautiously. "This is a perfect killbox."
"What do we do?" Zoe asked from her position on the car door. While she was a millenia old huntress, and incredibly powerful in her own right, she deferred to Percy when it came to situations like this. He was often the more experienced of the two of them in the area.
Propping up the heavy assault rifle in a single hand, Percy sighed. He shook his head. "We don't have any other options other than to go through the area. Keep your head low and eyes up."
He surveyed the area once more, frowning as he caught a flicker of movement. The frown quickly became wide eyed, as the streak of movement became apparent.
Things happened rapidly, in the span of microseconds.
The only two members that even stood a chance of seeing the exchange outside of Percy were Annabeth and Zoe.
A figure clad in feathered scaled armour screamed towards Thaila, the frontmost member of their quest. Percy leapt forward. The ground shattered under the weight of his momentum.
Deity and divine automaton clashed. The figure was sent flying, soaring into a massive pile of celestial bronze tailings. Percy slammed into the ground heavily in front of Thalia on a knee, exhaling smoke from the exertion.
Bronze oil splattered on the ground. Percy coughed, struggling to his feet.
"Percy!" Zoe shouted.
A large wooden club lined with obsidian blades was sunk deep into his torso, having been carved brutally through his shoulder. Percy looked down at the grievous wound in shock and dismay.
Slowly, he brought a hand to one of the obsidian blades, and flinched as an eruption of steam came from the contact.
"Tiber river water." He muttered, before coughing again. Bronze splattered once more.
"Percy, you…" Thalia was staring at him, wide eyed.
Grimacing, Percy moved to grasp the handle of the macuahuitl. He gave a short shout of exertion and pain, ripping the large weapon out of his body. Immediately, he fell to a knee once more, bronze now freely escaping the wound.
"Percy, stay still! Please, I can help you!"
Percy peered up through pained eyes at Anna, who was frantically kneeling in front of him. An emerald snake was wrapped around her shoulders, glowing vividly with the energy she was channelling into him.
He gently laid one of his hands on Anna's. He shook his head, smiling softly. "Won't work." He simply stated. "Can't heal a machine."
Someone gasped. Percy couldn't help but sardonically smirk. This hadn't been how he wanted everyone to find out he was an automaton.
Behind them, the pile of tailings Percy had launched his attacker into exploded.
He grimaced, grasping onto the heavy assault rifle that had fallen from his grasp when he'd jumped so violently. He struggled to his feet, the world varying in shades of brightness around him.
"Stay down!" Anna barked desperately. Her eyes were bright.
"I can't do that." Percy simply stated. He regarded the warrior that was slowly walking towards them with pained eyes.
He was clad in orange scaled armour, brilliantly coloured feathers protruding from the gaps and creases in the plating, reminiscent of that of a feathered serpent. His helm was further fashioned to resemble the beast, styled to resemble the hooked snout of the reptile.
"Greetings. I am Ehecatl. Today, I will be your death."
Ehecatl outstretched his hand, and the bronze stained macuahuitl shot across the clearing, returning to his hand.
"You're a god!" Annabeth protested, having immediately recognized the name. "You can't do this! A god cannot challenge a mortal!"
"Unless I am challenged first." Ehecatl said easily, rolling his shoulders. He reached onto his back, withdrawing a second macuahuitl. "Which you all did by proxy, when you killed one of my serpents."
Percy grimaced, when Annabeth looked towards him, wide eyed. He shook his head, and staggered forwards, away from the group. His wounds pained him, and slowed him down.
His mouth bent into a snarl. He was still more than capable of one more fight.
"I alone killed your serpent, brought it low at my feet." He levelled the shAK-12 with his lone hand, the other too busy grasping at his chest. "Your battle is with me."
Ehecatl reared his head and roared with laughter. "You can barely stand, let alone fight! What do you expect to do?"
Percy's snarl widened, becoming a grim facsimile of a smile, more a baring of teeth than any gesture made in good humour. "More than enough."
He fired the heavy rifle. Even with his supernatural strength, firing the 12.7mm rifle in one hand was an arduous task.
Ehecatl raised his hand, and the air currents bent to his will. The bullets halted in front of him, hovering in midair.
The mesoamerican god of wind cocked his head, staring bemusedly at the seemingly mundane rounds hovering before him. "Really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Percy gave him a bronze-stained grin.
The bullets detonated in midair.
"Raufoss Mk 211." Percy stated, as Ehecatl staggered away, armour tarnished and cratered. ".50 BMG high explosive." He calmly ejected the magazine, replacing it with a new one.
He racked the bolt of the heavily modified bullpup rifle, the sound of metal sliding across metal echoing across the clearing.
"You…" Ehecatl snarled. His eyes glowed now, a scorching white reminiscent of the wrath of lightning. He swept a hand across his chest, the macuahuitl within it leaving behind a contrail. "Very well. I accept your challenge, for however long you last."
"Percy, please." Anna begged. "Come on!"
Percy sighed. He looked over his shoulder unwilling to take his eyes fully off his enemy. "Go. Leave. I will delay the enemy."
"We will stand and fight." Zoe barked. Her eyes were bright with anger and something else. "We will not leave you."
"Only two of you can actually even see him when he attacks, let alone fight on the same level." He shook his head wearily. "This foe is beyond most of you. Leave, while you still can."
Ehecatl outstretched a hand behind him. Overpressure screamed, and two junk piles burst apart, revealing the road behind him. He grinned.
"You best listen to him, ladies. I will be coming after you next. Get a head start while you can."
There was a horrific groaning noise, as the blatant disturbance of the junkyard awoke its guardian. A massive automaton erupted out of the mounds of sheet metal and railings, rising to its full, monstrous height.
Ehecatl smirked. "Unless you want to deal with him as well."
"Percy…" Zoe looked at him despairingly.
Percy smiled somberly in return. He dipped his head towards the lieutenant. "Live to fight another day, ma'am." He looked towards the giant and the god.
Anna manifested a blade of silver fire in her hand. She tossed it towards him, the argent blade gleaming unnaturally, even with the sun beaming down atop them. She forced a smile onto her face.
"You better come back. You aren't going to die yet."
Percy caught the blade with his offhand, bringing it to bear. He returned Anna's smile with a fierce grin.
"I don't plan to."
Thalia and Annabeth were still numb with shock, unprepared to have another person in their lives leave so abruptly once more. Percy gave them a salute with the blade, flourishing the blade of silver fire in a manner skin to his sabre.
With that, the car speeded off, engine roaring as it vacated the clearing.
Ehecatl stood aside, and true to his word, he let them leave. Percy dipped his head to him.
"You are an honourable warrior. There are worse things to die to."
Ehecatl lunged forward, air twisting and distorting in his wake. "Shut up, and fight!"
In the background, the giant began to stride towards him as well, footsteps shaking the ground.
Percy stood alone, a rifle in one hand, his blade in the other. His chest was stained with his lifeblood, and breathing was getting a little more difficult with each inhale. His tattered and frayed coat billowed out behind him like a pair of injured wings, bent yet unbroken.
He supposed he was lucky to get this far. This had been prophesied decades ago.
He began to stride forward, raising his gun. He spoke then, just loud enough to be a mumble, inaudible to all but him.
"It matters not how strait the gate." Percy began. He opened fire once more at Ehecatl. The same trick wouldn't work twice, the god simply dodged the bullets. He hurled one of his macuahuitl at him, only for Percy to deflect it with the silver blade, the borrowed power of Artemis withstanding the divine wrath. The blade slammed into the ground heavily to his right, digging a furrow into the earth.
He grunted with pain, his chest seizing as he hurled himself out of the way. A massive blade came down from the heavens, cratering the earth where he had stood. The giant, a miniature Talos, joined the combat. He turned the dive into a roll, dodging the macuahuitl yet again as Ehecatl called it back to his fist.
"How charged with punishments the scroll." Percy gasped. He tossed the empty rifle aside, unable to reload it in the chaos of battle and amidst the pain wracking him. Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew the first thing he thought of. It was a simple tube, with deadly effect. The M72 LAW.
He fired it singlehanded, the backblast rocking him forward and creating a cloud of dust. It obscured him, giving him a moment of respite against Ehecatl's assault. The rocket propelled warhead smashed into the giant's head, detonating into a brilliant orange fireball.
As the giant fell down, Percy found it in himself to continue. He wouldn't let self-defeatism lose the battle for him. He reached at his hip, unsheathing his sabre. The dust billowed around him still, and Percy cautiously sidestepped. The silver blade in his offhand crackled softly, hissing as tiny motes of dust collided with it.
He eyed the dust cloud cautiously, slowly turning in a circle. The dust cloud erupted, a flicker of movement soaring at his back.
Percy turned around, gasping as the quick movement aggravated his wound. Twin macuahuitls came crashing down with divine might, and it was all Percy could do to simply block the savage attack.
Ehecatl pressed his advantage. Percy kept losing ground, forced into the defence. His chest was growing tighter. He gasped for breath. Even if he was in his prime, unhindered by injury or fatigue, he would struggle to keep up with the mesoamerican god of the wind.
Fighting him was like trying to hold back the storm. He was relentless. He was swift. His twin blades struck like lightning, and impacted like thunder.
He kept up, but barely. His sabre and silver fire were flickers on the wind, embers struggling to stay alight before the gale.
"Come on!" Ehecatl snarled. "I heard so much about you. You're disappointing me!"
He swung his twin blades down with concussive force, divine wrath embodied. Percy raised the blade Anna had given him, and the might of Artemis was all that stayed his execution. The blade broke with the effort of blocking the strike, and detonated into a swirling argent conflagration.
Ehecatl flew back, and Percy smashed heavily into the ground. He groaned, bronze escaping his mouth with the blow. Part of him wanted nothing more than to stay down.
But he wasn't done yet.
"I am the master of my fate." Percy muttered, his eyes narrow with pain and fatigue. He forced himself up to a knee, propping up his ailing, heavily damaged body with his sabre. "I am the captain of my soul."
His hands shook, but he managed to fish out a chunk of marble. The inscriptions upon it glowed vividly, flickering with might. Aphrodite's gift. A piece from one of the vaults of Olympus, an extension of their domain.
Ehecatl sprinted forward. He leapt into the air, soaring down towards Percy. Lightning wreathed him, the silhouette of a serpent flashing across the sky. His twin macuahuitls tore through the air, the wind screaming in their wake.
Percy looked up at the god, and crushed the marble in his hand. It was reduced to dust, scattering gently at his feet.
A pillar of fire erupted into the air, clashing with the lightning. The two primaeval forces battled each other for dominance.
Ehecatl, stripped of his cloak of lightning, still fell.
A figure strode out of the pillar of fire, encased in verdant armour, and clutching at an ivory spear.
Two hands caught the macuahuitls before they could land upon Percy. Obsidian bent and shattered against fiery verdant gauntlets.
Steely eyes regarded the god of the wind.
"Acantha." Percy breathed.