"Lovely. So my mistress has finally claimed you," Annabeth rose from the floor, a terrifying smile graced her face. "Now the fun can really begin."
Zoe blinked. Nyx? Primordial of Night? Her...her mother...was Nyx!? Thunder rumbled again. Zoe held her head in pain. This didn't make any sense. When had her father had the opportunity to be with Nyx? Why would he? The shadows seemed to pull into her. The power running through her grew. Her blood was boiling. She had a splitting headache. "Dad," she called out. Percy finally met his daughters gaze. "What's going on. Please, tell me what is happening to me."
"You're receiving the full force of your heritage Zoe," Percy explained to her. His own eyes filled with concern. "Your body is not physically able to handle all of the power running through you yet. It was one of the purposes of your warding."
"What-what do I do," she asked. Her body began to leak darkness, seemingly from her own pores. The hurricane over her head grew in intensity.
"You have to expel the energy before it burns you out," he said with a wince as the bronze chains glowed brightly. The earth below them rumbled and the crack grew. Percy seemed to hang on the last few inches to the edge. His knees the only thing between him and an endless hole. Percy blew strands of white hair from his face. "Yeah maybe try to destroy these chains so I don't turn into Tartarus' personal play thing." He looked behind her. His eyes narrowed. "On second thought, maybe take some of it out on him." Zoe turned to see Pallas approaching them. Zoe glanced around. Annabeth and Reyna had picked up where they had left off, alternating between stalemating and trying to make demigod shish kebabs. Liam and Karina were foregoing the tricks. More accurately Perses' speed and strength kept them off balance as they were forced to stay defensive. The shadows released her arm, revealing it fully healed. Zoe flexed her arm. It felt good as new. She reached into her pocket and drew Riptide. Zoe looked back at her father who gave her a nod. "Let your instincts take over Zoe. They will get you through this."
Zoe nodded to her father and turned back to Pallas. She raised her sword defensively, the titan matching her form. It felt...wrong though. Zoe relaxed. Her sword bounced off the floor. Pallas lowered his sword but still starred at her confused. "I finally get it," she said softly. "I can't match you with a blade." Zoe felt the power within her soar. Her eyes darkened to almost black with just the feintest hints of green. She flicked her wrist. Darkness shot out from behind her. Pallas diverted the attack with his sword. His eyes wide. Zoe revealed a wolfish grin. Tentacles of shadow raced out around the daughter of Nyx. Pallas was forced backwards as he blocked and dodged tendril after tendril. Every shadow Pallas struck down was replaced by more. Zoe felt elated. She felt as though she could do this for hours. The pressure she had felt before had lessened. Her headache was gone and while she still felt hot, she no longer felt she was burning up. It was different from when she used water or fire or the winds. Those she needed to command. To dominate. This felt...natural. It was like the darkness was part of her. She didn't even need to think it. It was as easy as breathing. Darkness radiated from her in waves, slowly spreading outward as the tendrils grew in size. The hurricane began unloading it's payload. The ground becoming slick with rain that ran off into the crack. The water struck her skin added fuel to the proverbial fire that was pumping through her veins.
Darkness creeped into Zoe's vision. She grinned wickedly as she watched Pallas struggle against her shadowy attacks. Good. She wanted to see him struggle as she had struggled. See him at her mercy like she had been to him. Finally the tables were turned and she had him on the ropes. She wanted to humiliate him. To leave him so utterly destroyed that no inferior being such as him would ever challenge her again.
The earth rumbled again. Zoe shook her head. Where had that come from? She looked to see her father almost falling into the Pit. His knees sitting on a knife edge. "Zoe!" Percy called out to his daughter. "I know you're busy trying to, I don't know, defeat him. But could you help an old man out?" he looked down at the Pit fearfully. "Please?"
"Sorry Pallas," Zoe apologized sarcastically. "Got to help Grandpa over there." She smirked and waved her hand. A tendril shot out from next to the titan. It struck his chest and punted him across the building. Pallas crashed through the far wall revealing daylight. Zoe turned to her father. "Okay what next?" Thunder crashed through the air, rattling the building.
"Uh, Destruction?" Percy stated sardonically. "Destroy the chains."
"Right, my bad," she said with a blush. She knelt down next to her father. She placed a hand on the chain, wincing at the heat radiating from them.
"Zoe!" She heard Liam shout out. "Watch out!" She looked up to see Perses sprinting to her. An evil smile stretched across his lips and his sword raised. Zoe closed her eyes. She poured everything into the chains.
The chains disintegrated.
Perses brought his sword down.
The thud of bronze on bone resonated through Zoe's ears. Looking up Zoe saw Perses sword blocked by a bone sword. A drakon bone sword. Her father's double edged drakon bone sword. Her father stood to the side of the crack. His white hair slowly shifted back to his thick, black and disheveled self. His body began to fill out from the frail old man. Muscle grew and wrinkles disappeared. His tattered clothes were replaced with a fresh set and a bronze cuirass. His sea green eyes glowed with power. He twisted the greatsword which flew a from the grip of Perses. The titan snarled and was punched in the face. "That was for threatening my students," Percy taunted with a grin. He turned to Zoe. "Thanks princess. Why don't you take a breather? Let your old man handle these...," he sneered at the Titan of Destruction. "Cretans." Zoe nodded before she scrambled out from under the two. Pallas walked through the whole he made in the wall and walked to Percy, seemingly unfazed by the god's freedom. Zoe watched as her father stood with a quiet confidence. The fact that he was facing two titans seemed uninteresting to him. Zoe however, felt weak as the energy surge that had pumped through her veins was now gone. She stumbled backwards towards her friends who looked just as exhausted and beat up as she felt.
"Ah well," Annabeth interjected. The two women had stopped their fighting and watched the events unfold. "Looks like we failed. Whatever shall we do," she giggled. "See you next time Seaweed Brain." She blew Percy a kiss before glaring at Reyna. Shadows consumed her and she disappeared.
"Reyna," Percy called out to the Consul. "Get the kids out of here. I'll need the room." The son of Poseidon allowed Pallas to approach and Perses to retrieve his sword.
Reyna nodded and waved the demigods over. The questers followed her closely as they left through the whole in the wall. Before leaving, Reyna turned back to Percy. "If you get captured again, so help me I will send you to Chaos myself," she threatened before leaving.
Percy smiled widely as he stood between the Titan brothers. "That's my girl," he boasted proudly. "Always willing to let me know my place. You two however," he pointed his drakon bone sword at the titan brothers, "just made number three and four on my, people I am going to make their lives miserable, list." He looked back at the crack. "One moment," he stomped his foot. The earth quaked and the crack to the Pit slammed shut. "There we go, no invasion for you guys," he quipped and lunged forward. Perses blocked the sudden attack from Perseus. Who then kicked Pallas backwards. Perseus and Perses exchanged a series of blows. Neither giving any real ground. Pallas entered the fray and Perseus was forced to defend from both titans. The God of Heroes diverted a thrust from Perses. He punched the Titan of Destruction in the face, feeling the satisfying crunch of his nose. The titan stumbled back as the god turned to the other. "I can forgive a lot Pallas. But no one tries to kill my daughter," he told the titan angerly.
"I understand," Pallas responded as he blocked several strikes. "Know I did not do it out of spite or malice." Perseus narrowed his eyes briefly. He knocked away Pallas' silver blade and kicked the titan's knee. The knee gave out with a sickening crunch as Pallas fell to his good knee with a grunt. Perseus turned and blocked another attack from Perses.
"Why won't you just die godling?" Perses growled before he was forced back on the defensive. Golden ichor flowed freely from his twisted nose.
Perseus smirked. He deftly blocked and dodged each of the Titan of Destruction's devastating blows. "Not so easy when you don't have a sneaky little minx huh?" he snarked, dodging a thrust to his head. "Hey do me a favor why don't you," he smiled at the titan's raised eyebrow. "When you get to Hell, tell them to send someone better." He laughed at Perses anger as the titan renewed his efforts to kill him. Perseus performed the first technique ever taught to him. He disarmed Perses with a twist and a slap of his wrist with the flat of his blade. Perses dropped his sword. Perseus cut the titan's arm off and silenced his screams by sinking his sword into his chest. Perseus kicked the titan off with a grunt. Perses' body hit the floor with a thud and slowly dissolved into golden dust. Perseus turned back to Pallas, who limped to his feet. His lower leg turned at an odd angle and barely supported his weight. The Titan of Warcraft appeared unfazed by the death of his brother. His gaze lingering on the god before him.
"Atelus must be ready for what awaits," said Pallas as he picked up his sword.
Perseus scowled. "I refuse to allow any harm to come for her."
"Like you did after you were captured?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Annabeth and Nyx will not be able to capture me again," Percy spoke confidently.
"I doubt they would try again," Pallas speculated. "They will wait for you to come to them." He gave Perseus a small smile before he was consumed by shadows.
Percy stared at the spot Pallas had stood. The titan's final words bewildered him. He would never go to them willingly and now that he knew they were actively seeking him he could evade their efforts. The god shook himself and walked to the large and heavy factory doors. He grabbed the seam between the two and pulled. The doors squealed as they were moved rather easily by him. Outside, Percy saw Reyna talking to Bernard as the rest of the Praetorians sat exhausted on the ground covered in golden dust. Zoe, Liam, and Karina stood off the side. Karina was examining Zoe's previously cut arm in fascination. Zoe still bore her white tunic and armor with a...raccoon? The furry critter sat on her shoulder seemingly fussing over her. Percy approached the trio before quickly scooping up Zoe into his arms. Zoe squirmed in his grip as the raccoon leaped off of her shoulder to join her friends.
After several moments Percy put his daughter down. "I'm proud of you Zoe," Percy beamed at the smaller girl. "You saved me and prevented Tartarus from opening a new entrance into our world." He looked to the other two questors. "And of course I can't forget about you guys. Karina, I saw what you did with the Mist in there. That was very clever. And Liam, your footwork was much better, though you were still to trigger happy with the bolts. You need to better pace yourself-." Thunder reverberated through the air around them causing everyone to look up. "Uh oh," Percy spouted. He grabbed Zoe and pulled her close. "Liam, Karina, run!" he ordered the two young half-bloods. They stumbled backwards as lightning arced about the clouds. "Reyna, get everyone out!" Percy and Zoe vanished in a flash of light as a massive bolt of lightning struck where they stood.