Percy POV

I looked at Gone, and I mean I really, really looked at him. The sadistic god/titan/demon/whatever he was had a mask, but I knew he must've been smirking underneath it. The dark orbs he held seemed to have a life of their own, swirling and twirling with an ominous energy. It was hard to tear my gaze away from them, their movements almost hypnotic, but I knew I couldn't afford to be distracted. Right now, a surge of nervousness was washing over me. Gone was no ordinary adversary; he was a force to be reckoned with, a being who had meticulously plotted his every move to bring Olympus to its knees. The weight of the impending battle pressed heavily upon me, and for a fleeting moment, doubt crept into me, something Gone seemed to notice.

"Well Perseus, what's your decision?" Gone asked gleefully. I knew now was definitely not the time to look weak.

"I may not have immortality on my side, Gone," I spoke with a steady voice, my grip tightening on my trusty staff, "but I have something far more powerful: conviction, courage, and the unwavering belief that what I fight for is worth protecting."

Gone chuckled darkly, his laughter echoing through the tense air.

"Ah, the bravado of mortal heroes," he sneered. "But mark my words, Perseus Jackson, no matter how valiant your efforts, you cannot escape the inevitable. I will break you." Gone's taunting laughter filled the air, a chilling symphony that seemed to mock our every move. His confidence was palpable, but it only fueled my determination further. Despite the danger of this, I knew I had to fight him.

Piper's voice cut through the tension, her tone laced with concern.

"Percy, you don't have to do this. We can find another way, a different strategy." Her eyes pleaded with me, searching for a glimmer of hesitation that she could latch onto, but I couldn't turn away from this confrontation. I couldn't allow Gone to continue his reign of terror, threatening everything we held dear. Sometimes, you just needed to fight, even if the odds were stacked against you and everyone was telling you not to go. It's like a gut instinct, fighting is.

"Piper," I began, my voice steady but laced with the weight of my convictions. "This battle, this fight, it's not just about defeating Gone. It's about protecting Olympus, our home, and the people we love. I can't stand by and watch as he wreaks havoc on everything we hold dear. I have to face him, no matter the cost." Piper frowned, concerned about etching lines on her forehead. She had always been the voice of reason, the one who sought more peaceful solutions instead of running head on into violence, but even she understood the gravity of the situation, the urgency that pressed upon us like an impending storm.

"Percy," she continued hesitantly, lightly tugging on my robe. "What did Lady Eris ask you to do?" Again, I hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge whether it was worth telling her right now. The last thing I wanted was for her to be paranoid about me the entire fight and get distracted.

"Later," I mumbled, but she was insistent.

"Percy, it's gnawing on your mind. I just want to understand why you're doing this. It's suicide." The girl took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm down. "Look, from a friend to a friend, I need to know what Lady Eris said that haunts you right now. I can see the pain in your eyes. Just tell me." Her charmspeak was strong, but my willpower along with Aphrodite's blessings had made me stronger.

"I promise, Piper," I replied, a flicker of regret dancing in my eyes. "But right now, our focus needs to be on Gone. Once this is all over, I'll share everything with you. I owe you that much." Unconvinced, she nodded, stepping back and letting me face the beast himself, Gone.

"May the best man win," I said through gritted teeth. Those were my final words before, like a viper, I sprung into action, bringing my staff over my head with a force stronger than a truck.

As I closed in, the black orbs in his hands began to spin rapidly, emitting a sinister aura. In a flash of dark power, he activated the orbs, and a barrier formed around us, cutting off any interference from the outside world. The realisation hit me. This fight was solely between Gone and me. No help, no safety net.

"Ready Perseus?" Gone taunted, his voice dripping with venom. I glared at him silently.

"Perhaps, we'll see who's really ready at the end of this," I said quietly.

The battle commenced, a fight of two beasts, each striking with power, speed, and danger. The clash between Gone and me was a symphony of raw power and skill. Every movement was executed with precision and purpose, as we danced on the edge of destruction. Our weapons met with explosive force, creating shockwaves that reverberated through the battlefield. The whole time I was fighting with extra care, making sure not to get touched by his blade. This time, my divinity would be of no use, neither would my powers or domains.

Gone unleashed a barrage of powerful blows, his dark energy surging through his weapon with deadly intent. I met each strike with precision, my staff intercepting his attacks with a resounding clash. The force of his strikes reverberated through my arms, but I stood my ground, refusing to yield an inch. As the tempo of our battle intensified, I seized a moment of opportunity. Ducking beneath Gone's swing, I propelled myself forward, aiming a swift kick at his midsection. But he anticipated my move, sidestepping with uncanny agility. My foot grazed nothing but empty air, and I found myself off balance for an instant. Taking advantage of my momentary vulnerability, Gone lunged forward, thrusting his weapon towards me. Instinctively, I stepped back, narrowly evading the lethal strike. In that instant, I saw an opening and launched a counterattack. With a swift spin, I swung my staff in a wide arc, aiming for Gone's side. He barely managed to bring his weapon up in time, blocking the blow but visibly shaken by the impact. The force of the strike sent tremors down his arm, causing him to stagger back.

We continued our intricate dance, exchanging a flurry of strikes and parries. Each movement was calculated, a delicate balance between offence and defence. Gone's dark energy crackled around him, while my determination fueled my every action. Without our divinity, I was becoming tired, and I could tell so was Gone. We had both been doing good, but I knew that sooner or later, someone was about to split up, and I sincerely hope it won't be me. As the fight wore on, fatigue began to seep into my muscles. Each swing of my staff became heavier, each dodge required a greater effort. Man, ever since becoming a god, I'd forgotten how hard demigod fighting is, and now I remembered just how easy it was to get tired. Leaping back from yet another strike, I wiped the accumulating sweat from my forehead, thinking about the rest of Gone's army.

Hopefully the rest of the gods were doing better than I am.

Artemis POV

"On your left!" I yelled at Athena, before shooting another arrow hastily at an Itegra that was charging towards my sister. Not even having time to check if it met its target, I turned back to my beast, delivering a swift knife to the throat while dodging its claws. Refusing to die, the beast charged again at me, nearly nipping at my fingers. Fumbling around, I brought up yet another knife, driving it into the monster's eye and pulling it back out. As it stopped struggling against me, I breathed a sigh of relief, but my victory was short lived. Five more of its kind were now strolling towards me, their eyes filled with bloodlust.

Drawing my bow, I swiftly notched an arrow, aiming at the closest creature. With a powerful pull, I released, watching the arrow soar through the air. It struck true, piercing the monster's chest, but the others showed no hesitation. They lunged at me with a ferocity that caught me off guard. Ducking and weaving, I evaded their razor-sharp claws, relying on my nimble footwork to keep them at bay. With each graceful dodge, I retaliated, slashing at their vulnerable spots with my blades, but for every strike I landed, it seemed two more adversaries emerged, their snarls growing louder and more menacing. As the battle raged on, the monsters began to overpower me. Their relentless assault was unyielding, and I felt the sting of their claws grazing my skin. Hot, thick ichor trickled from my wounds, painting a grim picture of the intensity of the struggle. Fatigue threatened to weigh me down, but I fought against it, unwilling to succumb to the overwhelming odds. With a surge of determination, I mustered all my remaining strength and launched into a counterattack. Drawing upon my deep reserves of skill and experience, I unleashed a flurry of arrows and precise knife strikes, aiming for vital points and weak spots Percy had taught me during one of our short lived training sessions. The beasts faltered momentarily, thrown off balance by the sudden assault, but it didn't take long for them to go back to their usual growling and snarling, leaping back towards me. I fought with all my might, but the monsters were doing the same back to me, their claws slashing through the air with lethal intent. One of them managed to graze my arm, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain. My movements became more strained, my limbs growing heavy, and doubt began to seep into my mind.

It was Poseidon who saved me. I know, odd. As pain began erupting all over me, I heard a loud, commanding voice bellow, "HIT THE GROUND!" See, when you're losing in a battle, and someone tells you to hit the ground, you don't waste time trying to see if they're talking to you, you just duck as fast and as low as you can, which is exactly what I did. With the strength of the sea, Poseidon's trident seemed to fly towards the monsters, penetrating through their throats. The trident followed all the beasts, repetitively stabbing them, before black corpses were all that remained.

"That was my last honing trident," the sea god muttered, before materialising his real trident in his hand and running into a herd of monsters.

With the immediate threat eliminated, I took a brief moment to assess my wounds. Ichor trickled down my arm and coated my armour, a reminder of the brutal encounter with the Itegras. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I pushed aside my injuries, knowing that the battle was far from over. For now, fighting was more important. She just needed to eliminate this army, and then hopefully Percy could beat Gone.

Speaking of the two fighters, my gaze lifted, drawn instinctively to the ongoing clash between Percy and Gone. The intensity of their struggle was palpable, their movements a blur of swift strikes and evasions. Percy fought with a ferocity and skill that was unmatched, his every motion fluid and purposeful. It was a sight to behold, even amidst the chaos of the battlefield. From here, it looked like Percy could do no wrong, like he would beat Gone and finally, this nightmare of a war would end. That's when it all went downhill…

In an instant, the atmosphere shifted. I couldn't explain how, but a sense of foreboding washed over me, as if the very air held its breath in anticipation of an impending catastrophe. I could feel it in my bones, a dark omen that whispered of impending doom. Percy, confident in his fighting skills, calmly shifted his staff to block a vicious blow from Gone. This was the tipping point, the moment everything went so dark, I thought there would be no light left in my life. Gone, ever so malevolent, was one step ahead of Percy, his eyes gleaming wickedly. As Percy blocked Gone's sword, with a swift and calculated motion, Gone retrieved a throwing knife from his back pocket, hurling it towards Percy.

The young god never saw it coming. After countless strikes and blocks, his eyes had finally failed him. Percy had thought that Gone was out of throwing knives and had become too invested in the block. By the time he realised Gone's ulterior motives, it was too late to stop it.

Time seemed to slow as the knife sailed through the air, its deadly trajectory aimed directly at Percy's heart. My heart clenched tightly, and a gasp escaped my lips. I watched in horror as the blade pierced through Percy's chest, right where his heart stood, emerging out from the other side. Blood, not ichor, but blood seemed to spurt out, rapidly leaving his body faster than my mind could register.

The world around me seemed to fade away, and all that remained was the sight of the one man who won my heart, his lifeless body falling to the ground, clutching his hole in his chest where his heart used to stand as the light slowly left his eyes.

Okay, soo massive plot twist, I know lol, but there is a plan, don't worry! Also, I have a new fanfic now, so definitely check it out and review!