"So, how do we get to this garden?" Percy asked.
Zoe shrugged. "We need a car," she pointed out, "But we lost the camp van in D.C. and none of us can rent a car."
"Besides which, we don't have enough money left. Uh… We could take the bus?" Percy suggested awkwardly. "Or I could maybe see about hippocampi or something, but they could only get us nearby - and it might take some time. We could… borrow… one." He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about that last idea, and Thalia agreed with him. The alternatives weren't very appealing either.
Thalia knew what she had to do, but she didn't exactly relish the thought. "No, a car will be fastest. And I…" She hesitated. "Annabeth's dad lives in San Francisco. I've got the address somewhere." She pulled off her backpack and began to dig around for the slip of paper, but she could feel Percy's eyes on her - and not in the way she'd been enjoying before, the flattering way, but rather watching her with concern.
Zoe picked up on the obvious discomfort they both had with this option and turned to Percy. "Percy, what about… could you use another door?" Thalia's head snapped up - somehow, in the ten minutes since she'd seen Percy do it for Bessie, she'd somehow forgotten that he had that power. Unfortunately, he was shaking his head, looking ashamed.
"I, uh… I think that I can only do so many in a day. And the last one to Camp took a lot out of me. To be honest, I don't think I'll be much use for a while unless I'm in some water." His eyes were cast downwards, broad shoulders slumped. To Thalia, he looked a whole lot smaller than normal. She wanted to go hug him, but Zoe placed her hand on his shoulder.
"It is okay, Perseus. I understand how it feels, to be unable to contribute more in this manner - but you have done much already. Without you we may never have reached this point. Do not blame yourself." Percy looked to Thalia for confirmation, and she held his gaze for a moment before nodding. He relaxed slightly, some of the tension easing out of his shoulders and he straightened slightly.
Thalia snagged the piece of paper and held it up. "Here we go. Uh… He's not too far."
Zoe turned to her. "Are you… certain you wish to do this? We have alternatives."
Thalia steeled herself and nodded.
The house turned out to be a beautiful, if rather opulent, late-Victorian house which was large - but only compared to what Thalia had grown used to on the East Coast. Many of the nearby houses were considerably larger and more modernized, expanses of cold glass and ugly modern colors which contrasted harshly with the warm red brick, dark gray slate tile, and wrought tin porch. It felt like a home.
The man who met them at the front door was similarly out of place. Thalia didn't really know what she'd expected from the stories Annabeth had told her, but she'd certainly expected someone less friendly-looking. He looked like a re-enactor, or a background cast member of a period piece television show, and he was vaguely handsome, in that same background-character sort of way. He wore a shirt where he'd skipped a button halfway through, a bomber jacket lined with fleece, and leather flier's goggles that were stained with what sure looked real oil.
In short, he looked like an average to slightly eccentric history professor. Huh.
"Dr. Chase?" Zoe asked cautiously.
"Hello," he said cheerily. "Are you delivering my engine parts?"
Thalia opened her mouth awkwardly to respond, but before she could, Percy jumped in. "Ah, no," he said. "We're here about Annabeth."
Dr. Chase blinked. His previous cheery smile dropped entirely, replaced with a look of worry. "Annabeth? Is she okay? You'd better come in."
The inside of the house was just as friendly as its exterior, strewn with warm blankets and soft furniture and various toys. Maybe this was what a happy home felt like. It reminded Thalia of how Percy's home in New York might have been if he'd been rich. Nice, comfy, warm. A view to the ocean and lots of food around.
"Bobby, stop taking apart your brother's robots," admonished the man as he passed two boys roughhousing on a couch.
"Dad," the boy protested, "I'm Matthew!" But Dr. Chase was already guiding the group past, deeper into the house, up a flight of stairs. Intercepting them there, a pretty woman, maybe forty, with an apron tied around her waist and a confused look on her face.
"Frederick, who are our guests?" No answer came from Dr. Chase, so she chided him quietly for a moment and turned to the group with a smile. "I'm sorry about that - I'm Jessica." Thalia and Percy hastily introduced themselves, and Jessica looked quite surprised to recognize the name 'Percy,' lighting up with a smile.
"Dear," Frederick said. "They're here about Annabeth."
Thalia tensed, and beside her, Percy did too, his hand going to the small of Thalia's back in a comforting gesture. But there was no need - Jessica simply pursed her lips and nodded. "I'll bring up some food," she said, expression changing to a beaming smile once more. "It was nice to meet you, Percy - I've heard so much about you."
For some reason, that felt like a punch in the gut to Thalia.
As she followed Annabeth's father up to his study, spine tingling from Percy's touch and eyes locked on the floor behind Zoe's feet, her mind raced and spun with possibilities. Did Annabeth like Percy? Why did Thalia care? Well, it would make sense that Annabeth would talk about Percy anyways; the two had had a lot of adventures together before Thalia came back to life, especially recently before Annabeth's year in San Francisco - so of course Mrs. Chase would have heard a lot about Percy. And even if Annabeth did have a crush on Percy, who cared? It's not like Thalia…
Oh, gods. That wasn't good.
Before she could ponder any more on that topic, the group filtered into a study, each wall covered with bookshelves which bowed under the weight of so many tomes and leather-bound books in various arrays that Thalia felt dizzy just trying to see them all, nevermind count or read them. Further stacks of books were arranged on windowsills, the large oak desk, and the chairs, and a central stack of composition journals stood almost a foot high on the desk itself. Frederick flitted about for a moment trying to tidy the room, but quickly abandoned it and turned to face the group. Behind him, though, Zoe had found a diorama of a First World War battle.
"The Third Battle of Ypres," Zoe said quietly, somberly. "Passchendaele."
The historian whirled around to see the huntress, still in her bizarre beach ensemble, and nodded. "Ah, yes… I'm writing a paper, you see, on the role of aerial reconnaissance in the development of the front lines during September, in clearer weather."
Zoe pointed at a trench line, zig-zagging through the brown mud. "This trench here - it was farther from the river. And here, XVIII division, they didn't reach this point until the 12th."
Frederick gaped at her, but Thalia realized she had to jump in if they were going to get anything done. "She's a Hunter, sir. She was there. But that's not important. Annabeth is in trouble and we need your help to save her." The man stopped strafing the fake trenches with the miniature biplane he had picked up and turned to face her - victory. "We need transportation to Mt. Tamalpais, and fast."
He collapsed into a leather recliner. "Well, the fastest way would be my Camel - but it only seats two," he trailed off. "But… I'll drive you. We'll take Sally." Seeing Percy open his mouth, presumably to ask who 'Sally' was, Thalia jumped in again.
"Sir… it's very dangerous. It might be best if you stay here," she said. She tried her best to be gentle about it, but that was hard to do. "The place we're going… it could be unsafe for a mortal."
Zoe nodded. "I can drive, Dr. Chase. I'm not as young as I look. I will return your car as soon as we're done, in perfect condition." Before anyone could contribute any further, Jessica reappeared with a tray of cookies and sandwiches.
While the group scarfed down the food, Dr. Chase explained the situation briefly to his wife. When he was finished, she turned to the group. Thalia expected her to flip her wig, or scream at them about endangering her family, or some other terrible behavior, but instead she simply nodded firmly. "I guess you'd better get going then," she said.
"Right," Frederick said, decision apparently made. "My keys… Honey, where did I put my keys?"
She sighed, and told him where they were. As he rushed off to grab them, Mrs. Chase turned to look at Percy and Thalia. "Would you… Tell Annabeth that she still has a home here. I know that Frederick and I, we're not perfect - I'm not trying to make excuses - oh, damn it all. We messed up, and I know that - but we'll always be here for her if she wants us. Needs us."
Thalia nodded solemnly. She knew what it had been like for Annabeth before, long before, but this last year in San Francisco seemed to have gone a little better - and, looking around at the warm cookies on the tray, the genuine worry on the stepmother's face, and the strength of the library in the house - as well as the art-deco library she'd seen down the way. Not a bad place to be, on the whole.
"I'll tell her, Mrs. Chase," Thalia said. Then, Dr. Chase lead them down to the driveway.
Percy had begged to drive, and Thalia had fought for her chance too, but ultimately Zoe had won out, partly because she had the most driving experience but mostly because she was the scariest. Although, as Zoe roared down the narrow city streets and got air several times, she was beginning to think Percy might have been better. Dr. Chase's air-cooled Porsche roared onto the bridge - and then slowed to a crawl, confronted with the rush-hour traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia urged, impatiently eyeing the golden hues the sun was already casting. "We only have until sunset!"
"You sound like my mother," Percy said from where they had squished his six-foot-something frame into the backseat.
"I cannot control the traffic, young one!" Zoe bit back, ignoring Percy.
"You sound like my mother too," he called up over the roar of the motor as Zoe gunned it through a gap in traffic, weaving about through all three lanes of traffic.
"Shut up, Percy!" Zoe and Thalia chorused.
But Percy was no longer concerned with their anxious bickering, because he'd managed to pull himself upright and was now staring out the window at the mountain in front of them, already glowing in the sunset. "So that's the Mountain of Despair, eh?"
"Yes," Zoe answered tightly. Thalia and Percy both waited for her to expand on that, but she didn't, instead choosing to exploit a gap in traffic to rather brutally downshift into second and race forward.
"Why do they call it that?" Percy prodded.
"You'll find out," Zoe said ominously, then fell silent for some time. As they drew nearer, though, she relented. "After the war with the Titans… the first war. After that, many of the Titans were imprisoned on the Mountain of Despair. Kronos, of course, was sliced to pieces and cast into Tartarus. His right hand man, though, the general and commander of his forces, was merely chained up and placed there, on the summit, just beyond the garden of the Hesperides. He was sentenced to a great curse, for millennia."
"The General," Thalia said in understanding. "Under the Titan's Curse."
Zoe simply nodded.
"What's going on up there?" Percy asked. Above the peak swirled massive gray clouds, lightning coursing through them at startling frequency. Thalia, though, had spotted something much more worrying - a massive, sleek white cruise ship, trimmed in gold and sitting at anchor just a mile off shore. When she pointed it out to Percy, he recognized it immediately. "Luke's ship," he told her. "Princess Andromeda. It's not just Luke and Thorn here, it's the whole army."
Thalia swore. She should have expected it, of course. But an army was still a bad sign.
As they ascended into a fog bank, Zoe slowed. Thalia shifted in her seat.
Something was off.
The air smelled more like ozone than like eucalyptus now, her ears popping.
"Get out of the car, NOW!" She said. Zoe stomped on the brakes and pulled the car off onto the hard shoulder. Instantly, Thalia opened the door and got out, reaching back to let Percy out. But the seat was stuck. With a roar of frustration, she physically ripped the seat off its bolts on the floor and grabbed Percy, the pair of them bolting from the car not a moment too soon.
Another massive black streak of lightning, just like the one that had done so much damage to Hank and Chuck, streaked down from the heavens. Thalia and Percy leapt the concrete barrier and landed next to Zoe, turning just in time to watch the massive bolt of lightning obliterate the poor beautiful Porsche. Little red flecks of steel spattered onto the highway. A cylinder head embedded itself in the crash barrier just feet away from Zoe. The hood went spinning off to the other side of the highway.
"Well, so much for 'perfect condition,' I guess," Percy joked weakly.
Zoe shrugged. "It was a nice car, but to be honest, he can afford another."
Thalia wasn't really thinking about any of that. Instead all she could focus on was the thought of a great black streak of lightning arcing down from the sky to completely ruin the vehicle she'd been in only moments prior. Once could have been coincidence, even if she'd never seen black lightning before, but twice? That couldn't be just an accident. And the sheer power alone of the bolts meant someone was really out to kill them - to kill her.
"And two shall fall to family's hand," she muttered. What if this was Zeus? Could he be so afraid of what she might do with access to the Ophiotaurus and Luke that he would kill her to protect his kingdom? He had turned her into a tree, frozen her in time, rather than let her die - but maybe that had just been him guaranteeing that she would not live, either. If she had not been frozen in a pine tree for so long, she would already have turned eighteen - a part of her felt like she was currently about to anyways - and maybe Zeus simply wanted to prevent that, no matter what. "Could it be him? Could he really destroy me?" She wondered aloud.
Suddenly, a strong pair of arms was surrounding her, enveloping her in a tight hug. "No, Thals," came Percy's voice, deep and hushed. "That wasn't Zeus. It's the Titans, trying to deceive you. Trying to turn you against Olympus. Against Annabeth." She curled into the hug, grateful for the human contact to ground her thoughts and her body. "Against me," he finished, though she didn't think she was supposed to hear that part.
He was right, too.
For one thing, it wouldn't make sense for Zeus to just start trying to kill her now. If he'd believed she would turn against him, he would have killed her on the pier, when she was in much closer proximity to Luke and therefore betrayal. Also, black lightning? A bit melodramatic, even for Zeus, but also a little too overt. Surely he'd try to hide such an attempt on her life a little more?
"Then who?" She asked.
"Kronos," Percy answered. "Zoe said his name, maybe… maybe that's how he found the car. It doesn't matter. It's not Zeus."
She nodded. Then, Zoe grabbed the pair of them. "Come, quietly. We must not wake Ladon."
Silently, the group fell into comfortable formation behind Zoe. She knew where to go, after all.
"Wait," Percy whispered. "Ladon's like, super dangerous, right?" Thalia and Zoe's dubious looks gave him an affirmative answer. "Well, if you can describe where you want us to go, I can probably summon one more door today."
But Zoe shook her head. "I can navigate around Ladon," she insisted. "If you have the energy to do that, you should save it - it may yet be needed." Thalia had to agree - strategically speaking, whatever fight awaited them on top of the hill was probably a bigger deal than Ladon.
The fog which had settled in lower on the hill began to lift. As she emerged from the mist and into the sunshine above it, she looked around to find herself in an entirely different place from the summit she had seen earlier. That had been a simple scrub brush hillside, but here she was in a verdant, manicured garden with flowing tall grass lawns and lush flower meadows. On the sides of each meadow were large shrubs, well-groomed and thick, and behind them in layers were ever-greater trees. It was beautiful, certainly, but far too artificial for Thalia's taste.
"We're here," Zoe said. "Home."
And then Thalia spotted it - wrapped around a five-story apple tree, whose arms bowed and swayed heavily under the weight of the golden fruit they carried, was a massive serpentine dragon with at least a hundred heads. Each head was as big as a medium-sized dog, and behind every head was a long, tubular mass of iridescent scales which glittered as the heads writhed in their sleep. The main torso of the dragon was thicker than two Thalias standing on top of each other, and it curled around the truck twice.
But the apples it was protecting looked delicious, like the platonic ideal of a honey crisp apple but shimmering golden. "The apples of immortality, Hera's wedding present," Zoe whispered by way of explanation. Thalia wondered for a moment what she could do with one of those apples, how good it might taste to sink her teeth into, what she could do as a goddess -
And then Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her into hiding behind a bush as a Hesperide walked past. Zoe, however, did not even attempt stealth. "Sisters," she called. "Have you already forgotten me?"
"We see no sister," came the cold response. "We see a Hunter who shall soon be dead. Any sister of ours died a long time ago." The Hesperides stopped and formed a phalanx of sorts, backlit so strongly by the setting sun that all Thalia could make out was the outline of four women in togas and the occasional glowing brunette hair.
Percy stepped out from behind a bush. "You've got it all wrong," he said brashly. "Nobody is going to die."
Thalia reluctantly stepped out to join him. Behind the Hesperides, one of the many heads of Ladon twitched and opened one eye, glancing around for a moment and shutting it once more as it buried its beak back into the massive pile of necks. Zoe's sisters quickly turned to face the newly appeared demigods. "Ah, Percy Jackson," one said cruelly. Another continued for her: "I do not see why he should be a threat - but disappointing that he is still alive, all the same."
Percy was confused. "Who said I was a threat? Why would I be dead?"
Thalia was similarly confused, but rather than answer Percy's questions, they instead turned to Thalia. "And Thalia Grace - you, we have been instructed to welcome kindly, despite the company you keep." One sister stepped towards her, and as she did, came forward from being silhouetted by the sunset and into a more balanced light. Thalia swallowed hard. Zoe was beautiful, but her disagreements with Thalia had always prevented the daughter of Zeus from really noticing that - and besides, Thalia had been very focused on someone else for most of their previous interactions. These girls, though, were just as beautiful as Zoe - and Thalia was very, very confused, because her hand burned and tingled as Percy grabbed it but her eyes were locked on the brown eyes of the Hesperides, and she felt like she was swimming in them.
She cleared her throat. "I rather like the company I keep," she said, uncertain at first but growing in conviction, "and I don't appreciate who you work for."
The Hesperides looked at at each other. "We had hoped you would kill Perseus. They fear the two of you, together," one admitted.
"Tempting," Thalia said with a small smile, looking over at Percy for a minute, "But I like him too much for that." The crooked half-grin Percy shot her for a moment after she said that made her stutter, but she continued. "So, no thanks. We're here to get Annabeth and Artemis back, and that's that."
Those beautiful brown eyes continued to bore into Thalia's soul, but now she glared back defiantly. "There will be no heroic victory here, daughter of Zeus," she warned. "Only enemies and death lie ahead. Turn back."
"We must approach the mountain," Zoe insisted, cutting in. "Step aside, sisters, and let us pass."
The Hesperides stepped aside, but laughed knowingly. "You would risk waking Ladon? You have no rights here anymore. We must simply raise our voices and your foolish party would be slain in an instant." Zoe faltered, but maintained a brave face.
"He will not bite me," said the Huntress. Thalia watched, openmouthed, as she strode - still in board shorts and her silver jacket, long brown hair streaming behind her - straight up to the sleeping dragon beast. "Ladon, wake!"
At first, only one head stirred, nostrils flaring as the beast checked the wind for the scent of who was approaching. Then, more heads stirred, disentangling themselves and raising into the air. It was almost comical to watch, seeing pairs of heads fight with each other and some necks tied into knots. But one head, the largest, sniffed Zoe warily and then began to nuzzle her like it was a dog with an owner it hadn't seen for months.
"Are you mad?" Demanded a Hesperide. But Zoe simply smiled and rubbed the scales of the dragon neck softly, just the slightest touch of the fingertips. The beast practically purred.
"You simply never had any courage, sister. That was always your problem," Zoe said.
"Zoe, don't!" Thalia called. "He'll kill you!"
But the huntress paid her no mind.
"Hast thou missed me, Ladon?" She murmured. Thalia watched on, entranced by the bravery of the Hunter. Similarly, the Hesperides stared in slack-jawed awe as they waited for the dragon to come to its senses and devour the girl standing before it. Percy, by contrast, understood that standing around staring was exactly the opposite of what Zoe wanted them to do.
He snatched Thalia's hand and dragged her quickly behind him as they made their way up the mountain. Skirting the edges of the garden clearing, Percy and Thalia raced towards the peak as quickly and quietly as possible, not wanting to draw Ladon's attention to them from Zoe. Ahead of them, a single rocky trail, carved in granite into the hillside, snaked its way up into the storm clouds and lightning which swirled around the peak.
Very suddenly, Thalia got a very strong feeling that something was off. "I used to feed thee by hand," Zoe's faint voice was saying to Ladon, far down the hillside. "Do you remember?" But Thalia could tell that the dragon's mood had shifted. Maybe Zoe had leaned a little too hard on the history of food, and Ladon now wanted lamb's meat that Zoe wasn't providing - or perhaps the beast was simply bored. Whatever the case, one of the heads roared, then dozens of others began to accompany it, a cacophony of noise which threatened to deafen Thalia, despite the distance between her and the serpentine beast. Then, pairs of heads began lunging in unison, striking like pincers at Zoe.
She ducked the first set, dodged the second. Two thousand years of training were keeping her alive as she ducked and weaved. Each set of massive teeth slashed at her, diving for her but each time too slow. Thalia and Percy stopped in unison, drawing weapons and turning back to face each Zoe - but she waved them on and began to charge after them, still fighting her way around the various attacks of the dragon she had once raised. "Go! Run!"
Thalia uncovered Aegis, and that seemed to halt Ladon just long enough for Zoe to escape his direct reach - and no matter what, he refused to uncoil himself from the tree trunk. Clearly, he had been well trained to defend those apples no matter what. Zoe quickly passed where Percy and Thalia were standing in waiting, and when she did, she ordered them to hurry the hell up and follow her.
As the dragon bellowed behind them, and the Hesperides began a haunting song to calm him, the trio made their way as quickly as possible up the path.
Atop the mountains lay the ruins of what had surely once been a city of wonders. Enormous bronze statues stood half-melted and half-destroyed on cracked plinths of granite. The path that lead up the peak was a masterwork of stone in itself, each piece so tightly and beautifully carved for a perfect fit with each other stone that water ran simply over the cracks rather than down into them. The buildings which lined the path were a mess, various piles of beautiful masonry that was slowly, inch by inch, reassembling itself.
"The fortress of the Titans," Zoe said.
Thalia recognized it instantly. It was the location of her dream - that first dream after Annabeth's fall, the one she'd somehow shared with Percy. The stonework was in better shape now, fewer cracks and less age eroding the buildings. At the end of the path, a massive, beautiful archway, cut from stones easily the size of a car. Behind it, the center of the storm.
"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe. She really couldn't help herself - the city was beautiful as it was, nevermind in its fully restored glory. Black flecked granite stones of soft gray were lined with tasteful touches of bronze in the segments in best condition. For just a minute, Thalia caught sight of a vision - herself, somewhat older, resplendent and beautiful, seated in a masterwork of a marble throne. Long black hair cascading down her back, a simple and elegant silver tiara resting on her head, a chiton tied about her and showcasing quite a lot of muscular thigh. In short, she looked hot.
Beside her, in a similarly grandiose throne instead cut from granite, was Percy. His broad frame rippled with the functional muscle of a sailor, but he looked just as glorious as Thalia, similarly aged slightly up to maybe his mid-twenties. Rugged, windswept good looks and a warm smile on his face as he looked at Thalia over one perfectly sculpted shoulder.
The vision left her just as quickly as it arrived, and she was left stumbling after Percy and Zoe, throat dry. The thought of being in such a position, powerful and worshiped, in control and empowered, was appealing. She had always known she was ambitious, even overly so, but to be so concretely and obviously desirous of the power that she would have visions of herself atop a throne - that was a shocking wake-up call. Could Kronos truly sway her so easily?
What shocked her more was just how pleased she had been to see Percy by her side. Of course he was attractive, and a friend, if infuriating. That had been just as true before the quest as it was now. But now the thought of Percy ruling the world by her side was even more appealing than the thought of ruling the world itself. Even simply the thought of Percy simply being by her side was shockingly strong in the forefront of her mind. This all despite everything else she knew - that Annabeth harbored more than a small crush on Percy, that the demigod most probably found her infuriating, that he probably reciprocated Annabeth's feelings instead of liking Thalia.
Was that all it would take to bring her to Kronos's side? A promise that she could hold power, and equally importantly, that Percy would follow her?
She hated the thought, was reviled by it, and worse - by the understanding that it could be true if she allowed it.
Just then, though, Percy turned around to beckon her forwards. Their eyes met. Stormy blue aligning with turbulent deep green, some understanding passed between them, and Thalia steeled herself.
She would not allow it.
Power achieved in such a way was undeserved and no real power at all - and she knew now that whether or not she had that power, she was far more eager to possess the friendships and relationships that she cherished so strongly in life. She strode forwards confidently and took Percy's hand, stepping back into line with Zoe.
"How is this here?" Percy asked Zoe quietly as the huntress led them down the street. "I thought this was all destroyed in the first war."
"It was," she said with a grimace. "Olympus and Othrys were once rival capitals of the world. These streets bustled with people, slaves to the Titan's reign, but still in a prosperous nation." Zoe stumbled and grasped her side, and instantly, Thalia and Percy leapt to help her - but she straightened and waved them away in irritation. "It was torn down stone by stone, each stone crushed into dust, at the end of the war. Ever since, it has followed civilization like Olympus, lingering on the edges."
Thalia nodded. "And it grows stronger when the Titans do, right? That's why it's not just dust?"
Zoe smiled thinly. "Indeed. I am… proud… of how quick a study you have become, Thalia," she said. Before Thalia could respond to the unexpected compliment, Zoe plowed ahead. "But that it is here, on this mountain, is bad. This is where Atlas carries…" She trailed off, coming to a halt beneath the massive archway that Thalia had first sighted more than a minute ago, even more grandiose now that they were underneath it. The Hunter's eyes were fixed on something in the clouds and rain ahead of them. "Where Atlas used to carry the sky."
Ahead of them, in the very center of the storm, knelt a twenty-something woman, beautiful and severe. Artemis. Around her shoulders was wrapped the Nemean Lion's pelt, glowing silver. She had clearly used it to protect her modesty somewhat - her clothes were cruelly shredded rags, obviously done so to torment the goddess. Thalia gulped as she saw the goddess's muscular thighs quaking, her toned midsection exposed and heaving as the goddess sucked in air. Artemis was hot.
She shook her head. Now was not the time to be confused about her sexual orientation or to ogle a beautiful woman. That could happen later. For now, she had more important things - like a world to save.
"My lady!" Zoe called, rushing forwards.
Artemis's head snapped up to see the trio, and she shouted instantly, "Stop! It is a trap. Come no closer!" Her voice was clearly strained by the load of the sky, and sweat poured down her brow. Zoe ignored her and rushed to her mistress's side, tugging at the celestial bronze chains which bound her legs to the stone. The huntress was sobbing as she held a hushed conversation with Artemis, desperately searching for a way to release the goddess from her burden.
A booming voice chuckled from off to the side. "Ah, how touching."
Thalia and Percy whirled as one. Before them stood a twenty foot tall man in a brown silk suit, flanked on each side by three snake-women warriors in bronze armor. Directly beside him stood Luke in a letterman jacket and khakis, with one hand holding Annabeth's shoulder. The blond was visibly crying, but maintained a brave face despite the chains behind her back, the gag in her mouth, and Luke's sword pointing vaguely towards her - its threat explicit even if it was not at her throat. The girl's gray eyes locked onto Percy's green for a long moment, and when he shook his head, she turned to Thalia. Her desperate message was clear - run.
"Let her go, Luke," Thalia snarled.
Luke smiled at her, and she nearly vomited at the sight. The scar on his face rippled and twisted with the weak, false smile. He looked a lot like the Luke she had once known, once felt for - the same eyes, the same hair, the same overly-lean physique of a guy who spent more time in the gym than actually using his muscles (which she hadn't previously minded). But there was something off. His eyes were flecked with gold and held very little warmth. "That's not my decision, Thalia," he said. "But it's nice to see you again. I was hoping you'd have left the others behind."
Thalia didn't deign to answer that and simply spit on the ground in his direction.
The General chuckled. "So much for old friends," he laughed, voice silky smooth and rich in tone but cold beyond description. "How is my little traitor, Zoe? It has been ever so long. I will enjoy killing you."
The huntress bristled, but Artemis groaned. "Do not respond, Zoe. Do not challenge him."
"Wait, you're Atlas?" Thalia asked.
The man sneered and nodded. "So, even the modern fool demigods do know some things. Yes, little one, I am Atlas, terror of the gods and General of the Titans. I will kill you shortly - once I am done with this foolish daughter of mine."
A chill ran down Thalia's spine, and she and Percy exchanged a glance.
"Let Artemis go," Zoe demanded of her father, apparently heedless of his anger.
Atlas smirked and gestured with one hand. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky from her, then? Free her yourself, be my guest. I won't stop you."
But Artemis growled. "I forbid you to offer, Zoe!" Atlas smiled and knelt next to the goddess, Zoe scrambling back some two yards to prevent herself from striking out at the Titan and challenging him. He reached out to caress Artemis's cheek, but she turned sideways and snapped at his fingers like a cornered dog. "Don't touch me!" She roared.
"You see, Artemis rather likes her new job," Atlas said with a lecherous grin, "and she looks just so good doing it. I think that once Olympus has fallen, I will make the Olympians take turns carrying the sky - but Artemis will be my favorite by far. Seeing you, so beautiful, humiliated in the throne room before us all…" Atlas trailed off and Thalia felt her stomach turn. She wanted to rip Atlas in half. Sensing her anger, he turned to her with a similarly sickly grin. "So these are the best heroes Olympus has to offer, eh? I expected more of a challenge, honestly."
"Fight us, and you'll see," Percy growled. Thalia was looking at the gray hair on Annabeth's head, which she now realized came from holding up the sky. Suddenly Thalia didn't just want to rip Atlas in half - seeing tangible evidence of the suffering which he and Luke had inflicted upon Annabeth, the struggle which a goddess now could barely survive, Thalia wanted to flay them alive and salt their wounds before leaving them to carry the weight of the sky with muscle exposed.
She shook her head. Torture wouldn't help Annabeth or anyone else. "Or are you too much of a coward to test your luck against us?" She bit out to Atlas.
"Have the Gods taught you nothing? It is beneath my dignity to fight a mere mortal directly. I will let Luke handle you instead."
"So you are a coward," Percy confirmed with feigned casualness. "And you'll lose like one, too."
Atlas's eyes flashed with hatred, but he turned his attention back to Thalia. "Well, daughter of Zeus, it seems like Luke was wrong about you. I was assured you would join us quickly."
"I wasn't wrong," Luke said painfully. For some reason, he was looking more and more sickly as the conversation wore on. He hadn't exactly looked amazingly healthy recently - but now he was growing almost a sickly gray. "You can still join me, Thalia. Join us. Call the Ophiotaurus and it will come to you. Look!" He waved his hand and a massive pool appeared out of the fog, ringed with black marble and trimmed in bronze. Looking at it, Thalia realized it was the perfect size for Bessie - and the more she thought about it, the more she thought Bessie actually was there, mooing at her.
"Don't think about it!" Percy bit out. "It's calling her!"
Thalia desperately tried to empty her mind - thinking about Percy, pizza, Green Day - but Luke kept pestering her. "Call the Ophiotaurus, Thalia, and you will be more powerful than the Gods. You will be more powerful than anyone. Remembered and known forever."
Unbidden, Bessie mooed in her mind.
"Luke," she couldn't help but ask. "What happened to you?"
"I grew up, Thalia," Luke said simply. "Don't you remember all the times we talked, cursed the gods together? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They don't deserve to rule the world!"
"And you do?" Thalia asked her old friend. "You and Kronos will make a better use of your power than the Gods have? Free Annabeth, Luke. Let her go. Show me that you still know how to do the right thing."
Luke faltered. "If you join me," he promised weakly, "it can be like old times again. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world like we always tried to. Please, Thalia." His eyes pleaded with her, and he was practically begging now. "If you don't… He'll do the other way. It's our last chance. We can fight together. Use our power to really do what's right. It's… it's my last chance."
Thalia didn't know what he meant by that, but she wasn't particularly convinced. At her side, Percy looked unimpressed as well. But she could tell that he believed Luke, even if it wasn't enough to sway Percy's opinion on the whole "Titans or Gods" thing - he believed Luke's life depended on Thalia joining the Titans. And, honestly, so did she.
Luke waved his hand again, and a massive brazier appeared, harsh red flames flickering inside. A sacrificial flame, just like those at Camp.
"Thalia, do not," Zoe warned cautiously.
Another wave of his hand, and a golden sarcophagus appeared behind Luke, glowing faintly golden and growing in strength. Mist poured off its lid and swirled around them, images in the fog appearing for just moments - a city in black and gold and gray marble and bronze, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible palace of fear and shadow rising to dominate the land. Were peace and power worth such a price? Worth so terrible a cost?
"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke said. His voice didn't even sound like his anymore, the tightness of his clearly nervous throat leaving his voice so strained that he almost sounded like he was being choked. "Once more it will be stronger, greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."
He gestured with one hand, pointed off to the coastline, where the Princess Andromeda lay at anchor. Monsters piled off the ship and onto a temporary mooring, marching in columns towards the hill. They were just minutes away.
"These are just the beginning," Luke promised. "More will be ready soon, and we will storm Camp Half-Blood. And then, Olympus. And the world will be ours. All we need is your help, Thalia." He stretched out a hand. Thalia couldn't help it - she hesitated. The pain of her old friend betraying her, betraying Annabeth, betraying their very world for what amounted to a fascist oppressor, was hard to bear. Equally difficult were the conflicting emotions within herself - the lust for power, the disgust that she felt such desire for power, the sorrow of seeing one of her old friends fallen so far.
"Thals," Percy muttered softly, reaching out for her hand and squeezing it gently. "Please… don't."
Steeling herself, Thalia squeezed Percy's hand tightly. Then, releasing Percy's hand and grasping her spear instead, she leveled it at Luke. "You're not my friend, Luke. I don't know you anymore."
Luke looked both sad and incensed. "Yes you do, Thalia. Don't make me… make him… destroy you."
Thalia and Percy looked at each other and communicated silently.
Together, they rushed into battle.
Percy leapt to fight Atlas, Zoe engaging as well and launching arrows at her father. The Titan summoned a massive spear, swiping it at Percy, but Thalia didn't have the time to watch - she was fighting Luke. Despite his sickly appearance, Luke was just as talented a fighter as ever, or even moreso. She lunged with her spear, but Luke sidestepped and batted it to the side. Then, he tried to take advantage of her positioning to leap forwards and slash, but she was wise to that and had kept him on her shield arm and blocked his strike easily.
As his sword struck her shield, a massive ball of lightning erupted between them, scouring the air and forcing Luke to leap backwards. Trying to press the advantage, Thalia roared, sending a second blast of lightning rocketing towards his chest as he stumbled to catch himself. The bolt crashed into him and sent him flying backwards, flipping end over end until he crashed into and slumped against the massive stone plinth under the golden sarcophagus.
When he didn't move for a solid moment, Thalia rushed over to Annabeth, who was still sobbing and handcuffed, and made short work of her dracanae guards. Impaling one on her spear, Thalia smashed Aegis into the second and used the distance that created to quickly smash through Annabeth's handcuffs. Then, as the snake-woman slowly approached, fearful of Aegis but equally fearful of failing to protect her charge, Thalia feinted high and kicked out low.
As the monster tumbled down, Annabeth seized the fallen sword of the already-defeated monster and leapt forwards, slashing through the breastplate of her previous captor and dissolving the creature into a fine mist of golden dust.
Annabeth collapsed to her knees, clearly exhausted, and Thalia rushed over to hug her and remove the remaining bindings from her friend. Then, she wrapped Annabeth in a tight hug and simply sat for a moment. The fighting could wait - Annabeth needed her.
Her only warning that Luke was approaching was a slight crushing of gravel beneath his feet. Instantly, she summoned Aegis again and whirled around, shoving Annabeth to the ground beneath her as she did her best to block a rapid onslaught of whirlwind thrusts from Luke. The blond son of Hermes targeted every spot he could find that might allow him to hit Thalia, striking after her chest, head, and legs in equal measure. It was all Thalia could do to scramble backwards and try to gain separation from Luke while also dragging him away from where Annabeth lay, still clearly paralyzed from fear and pain.
Each strike from Luke forced Thalia further back and nearer to the place where Artemis had knelt in chains under the sky. Now, however, Thalia registered Percy roaring as he shook underneath the burden of Atlas. She glanced behind her briefly as Luke faltered under the aura from Aegis, and her suspicions were confirmed - Percy was fighting to hold the sky and earth apart while Artemis and Zoe fought like practiced companions, each taking over for the other whenever Atlas gained an advantage.
She turned her focus back to Luke and tried again to make the lightning thing happen with her shield. She managed some sparks, but the fight had taken a lot out of her - and she had always struggled to defeat Luke in sparring anyways.
Luke thrusted once more, but didn't seem to have given up on turning her to his side. "It doesn't have… to be… like this!" He panted out, clearly tiring but not slowing whatsoever. "We could… rule… together."
Thalia grit her teeth. They had skirted around where Percy stood under the sky, but now Luke was pressing her with heavy double-handed strikes. Her shoulder was going numb from putting so much effort into blocking each strike, and she felt herself falling back further and further. Behind her, rapidly nearing, was a cliff - and she couldn't escape Luke's blows for long enough to circle around him like all her training was screaming at her to do.
"Thalia!" Percy managed to shout despite his predicament. "Capture the Flag!"
While Thalia tried to puzzle that out, Artemis sent an arrow towards Luke, then returned her attention to Atlas, vaulting off of the surface provided by one of the massive granite blocks and soaring over the Titan. The goddess slashed down with her knives and Atlas tumbled down the hillside, his massive form looking ridiculous as he spun and flailed over jagged rocks.
In the moment of distraction as Luke dodged Artemis's arrow and watched the General tumble down the hillside, Thalia struck forwards once more. Momentarily regaining the initiative, Luke fell back, dodging thrust after thrust of Thalia's spear and stumbling his way around her bolts of lightning summoned from above.
"Yield!" She growled. "You can't beat me, Luke, you never could." She thrust forwards with her spear once more, catching an exhausted Luke off guard and shunting her spear tip right between his ribs.
Only, just like when Percy had sliced through Luke on the pier, her spear simply passed straight through him. When she didn't meet the expected resistance of flesh and muscle and organs, she stumbled forward just half a pace - and Luke, despite his seemingly ethereal state, was able to take advantage. He snatched the haft of her spear and pulled it across him, forcing her to spin and expose her back to him - her shield useless in her other hand as she spun to her left. Luke moved faster than seemed possible, shoving Thalia forwards and off the cliff.
She stumbled forwards two steps in a desperate attempt to halt her momentum, but there simply wasn't enough space - the shove had been too forceful, the spin ruining her balance and leaving her tumbling to the precipitous edge of the cliff face. Suddenly, she realized what Percy had meant - and she took two more steps off the cliff, eyes tightly shut as she tried to focus not on the hundred-foot drop beneath her but instead on the feeling of firm, solid ground beneath her.
Floating on thin air and mist, she spun to face Luke with a devilish grin. "Come and get me," she taunted. "You never could beat me, Luke. Even now, you need the powers of a Titan just to survive." She wanted to finish this fight - she needed to. Thalia took a step forwards and launched herself upwards and over Luke, just like she had during Capture the Flag, however long ago that had been. It felt like ages ago.
Her fear of heights was irrelevant right now. There was so much adrenaline coursing through her veins it could probably have given a horse a heart attack. Landing on the other side of Luke, his back now against the cliff edge and his chest heaving with exertion, she grinned wolfishly. Pressing forwards, she leveled her spear point to his Adam's apple, forcing him to kneel in exhaustion and defeat. Just then, though, she heard a panicked shout, and whirled to see Zoe laid out flat on her back, Atlas's enormous spear poised to thrust downwards into his daughter's ribcage.
Leaving Luke where he knelt, Thalia catapulted herself to Zoe's defense, a bolt of lightning arcing down from the heavens to strike Atlas's shoulder. Artemis seized the opportunity that created to snatch Zoe out from where she lay. But Thalia knew that she herself didn't stand a chance against the Titan, and she needed something to even the fight. Someone.
Instead of racing to fight Atlas, Thalia dashed to Percy's side. "Give me the sky!" She ordered. "Don't fucking argue. Just give me the sky and go beat up Atlas. Blow him back into me and he'll have to take the sky instead."
Percy's eyes lit up with understanding, and he gently lowered the sky onto her shoulders. Instantly, she adjusted her stance and settled into the weight.
Every nerve was on fire. It felt like there was acid coursing through her veins. Her vision clouded heavily. She could feel her hair graying. It was almost like being crushed under the pressure of a thousand atmospheres, like she was at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Percy raced off, a hurricane gathering around him as he unsheathed Riptide. Somehow, his legs were steady - but Thalia could see purple electricity arcing across his body, and she wondered if he had used magic to seize upon the burst of energy he so clearly needed.
Then everything kind of faded. A hurricane and a giant battled. Animals - Artemis taking different forms - leapt into the fray and struck at the giant. Luke, panting, knelt on the cliff edge, supporting himself by leaning heavily on Backbiter.
Percy managed a heavy strike and Atlas's hand went tumbling through the air, fingers losing all strength as they released the spear Atlas had been using, it too flying across the mountain. While the Titan roared, Artemis transformed herself into a charging grizzly bear and barrelled into his chest, bowling him over and sending him tumbling down the hill towards where Thalia stood, the world fading into and out of view.
With what little mental power she had left, Thalia relaxed her body and prepared to get rolled out of the way by the massive, now one-handed Titan.
The hit came and Thalia rolled over backwards, instantly feeling as though she had come up from the bottom of the ocean to the surface - a massive relief, but not necessarily in a healthy way. Atlas roared as he shouldered his ancient burden once more - but Thalia had no time for that. Rising to shaking legs, she stalked over to where Luke still knelt, Percy arriving at her side. Artemis was giving Zoe some sort of medical care.
Luke turned pleading eyes onto her. "Thalia… you can still join us. Please."
Thalia looked to Percy. He looked back at her and shrugged. "Yield," Thalia said.
Annabeth staggered over slowly and leant heavily against Percy. Artemis and Zoe were watching carefully, bows at the ready. The monsters from the Princess Andromeda drew nearer.
Luke snarled and leapt forwards, slashing out with his sword in one last desperate attempt to regain the day.
In slow motion, Thalia reacted without thinking, smashing Aegis into Luke's chest and sending him tumbling down the cliff onto the jagged rocks below.
And in slow motion, she saw Annabeth scream and reach out to snatch Luke back from the edge, catching his desperately flailing hand for just one moment before her weakened legs gave out under far too much weight one more time. Annabeth went tumbling over a cliffside once again.
Hey. Sorry for the wait - I really wanted to write about the main fight from Thalia's perspective and the choice was essentially flip two really short chapters (probably around the length of Ch1/3, tiny little things) and then put the main fight in Ch14 from Thalia's perspective, or do this instead - 8,649 words. Hope it was fun. On that note, I should probably go back and rewrite Chs2-3 for a little more length and just making them better. Oh well - something for after I finish the whole arc, which I expect will be around 14 chapters in total. One more Percy chapter, then end with Thalia.
Don't worry, there will be wrap-up chapters, it's not over. I just have a little fun with cliffhangers sometimes. Cliff... Hangers... Ah, forget it.
Anyways, appreciate all the reviews and support - really means a lot. See you whenever I get around to writing Ch13 (and don't expect another 8k word epic, sorry - probably back to the 4k word region).
Update 5/21: Several readers caught it. I made a quick mistake in my copy/pasting across drafts - I had copied the fight into a doc and then revised, and lost track of where the revision started. Should be fixed now. Sorry about that. Thanks to "Posaitan" and Anonymously96 for catching that.