All rights belong to Rick Riordan
Chapter 12
I Descend into Darkness
(Thalia)
The light cleared to reveal the figures of Lady Artemis, Percy, Jason and his friends Leo and Piper, Nico and two others I didn't know.
I bowed towards the goddess but was surprised when she practically ran forward and embraced me tightly.
"Thalia, I am so glad you are ok." She said surprising me as she never really showed open emotion, even with us Hunters she was often cold and distant. If anything, the only emotions she ever showed often was anger and hostility when provoked. From what I had heard from the other older Hunters before, the only person she ever truly befriended was Zoe. And even that was almost entirely a professional relationship at all times.
"My lady, I am sorry I have failed you." I said respectfully, seemingly snapping her out of this emotional phase.
"No Thalia, I have failed you. I should never have let our father keep me from the Hunt. This is the fault of no one fault but that of my brother's spawn." She answered coldly whilst standing back before looking at the fort on the hill.
"Unfortunately, the ancient laws forbid me from seeking vengeance on him myself or this would already be over. Father has decided that this conflict of demigods must be concluded by demigods and that is why the seven are here." She said indicating the figures who arrived with her. I looked around the figures noticing the unknown duo sticking close together wary of the crowd looking at them and so I guessed they were Romans before I noticed someone missing.
"Percy where is Annabeth?" I asked before immediately regretting it, as his face fell and the others looked saddened.
"Annabeth Chase died saving her mother and saved Olympus by killing Porphyrion, she was a true Hero." Artemis answered for him to which he simply nodded thankfully. I could not believe she was dead; she was like a little sister to me despite me technically appearing younger now. I had seen her worried when Percy was missing but the face, he had now she was gone was horrible he seemed stuck between sadness and anger, and it hurt to see my cousin like this.
Artemis looked around the other injured campers noticing injuries too them all, Phoebe's entire back was a mess from where she stood with her back to the flames helping the others, I had a broken rib from the force of hitting the back wall. Thankfully it had started to mend before Artemis hugged me. No one was in a fit state for anything especially not to fight.
"The Romans are being manipulated by their Augur and we need to stop them and capture that little fool. He will pay for this but you cannot help me girls, you need to heal. I will be back once this is dealt with." She said before turning back to the demigods behind her.
(Percy)
When I saw the state of the hunters, I was angered to see he wounds across their bodies, several were barely able to move due to the bandaging over their burns. Only Thalia seemed uninjured but she was a victim of more internal problems, both physically and mentally for she felt as if she had failed. It was the same feeling I had after the battles at the Labyrinth and Manhattan, when I saw he deaths of my friends and I was helpless to save them... the same I had when Annabeth died.
But this was no one's fault; my friends had died saving others, giving their lives so we could live. The Hunters had died because of a misunderstanding and manipulation both Gaia's and Octavian's. I had seen his manipulation back when I had first arrived in New Rome, I had seen his attempted murder of Gwen after the war games and here was yet more proof of his treachery and desire for power. His distrust of anyone else and ability to inflict suffering on those against him.
Only a true monster would attempt to burn others to death in their sleep and knowing the Augur, he was probably sitting in their camp claiming honour for it.
The Hunters and Artemis herself may have been unable to stop him but I sure as hades could. I swore on the Styx to make him pay for his actions despite my conditions. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it.
(Artemis)
I was shocked at the state of the hunters despite their attempts to hide wounds from me; I knew that it would be a long time before the hunt could move again. Their wounds angered me for another reason, as it meant they would be unable to get revenge on the Augur themselves. It was people like him that were the reason I avoided Rome both old and new. They were only out for themselves and the pursuit of power, even the females there had been the same prone to manipulation and deceit. This was why my hunters were all Greek demigods where applicable, even mortals were better than them.
Which left me with two alternatives: send the Greek campers, which would result in a slaughter on both sides. Or send the seven who would be outnumbered heavily if they got caught in a fight. Not that I doubted their ability to fight but they did not deserve to die after all they had done. On top of this the Romans would not react well to attacking their fellow legionaries. Even if we won the Romans would not trust them afterwards, they did not like to make friends with enemies, Rome only demanded compliance.
"I cannot ask you to help me avenge the loss of my sisters, but up there is their killer who remains behind your fellow demigods of Rome. He is free to claim credit for their unnecessary and cruel deaths while demanding the death of all Greeks like those among you. They are the unwitting pawns of a sadist who is manipulating the chaos Gaia created when she possessed those among you. All I am asking is if anyone will see justice done otherwise, he will convince them one day to leave that hill and they will come here." I said to the assembled heroes, most of whom looked uneasy at fighting their fellow demigods. Until one calmly stepped forward.
Perseus, the son of Poseidon. If there was any who had ever lived that could rightfully claim the title of Hero of Olympus it was him. Yet we had already asked and taken so much from him not just today but ever since he had been brought into our world. Even now his appearance was not one of your typical heroes of legend. Polished armour gleaming in the sunlight, no he wore nothing but the tattered and burned clothes that was all he had left. The fabric almost entirely dyed silver, gold and brown with the fluids of those that had died by his hands or in his hands.
"Octavian is a manipulative coward who attacks his enemies from behind without honour while claiming it afterwards, he is deceitful and blackmails others in his pursuit of power. This I saw in only the few days I was in New Rome, I watched as he hated the attention I, Hazel and Frank obtained for the quest and the victory in battle there. All the while preaching about how the Greeks were their enemies. I watched him turn the confusion of the attack into a lynch mob out for blood. And now he has brutally killed the Hunters who had never slighted him in their sleep. I will see justice done I swear on the Styx." He proclaimed before running towards the hill as thunder boomed overhead acknowledging his pledge. I and the others could only stand and watch as the son of Poseidon ran forward to his death. Deep down I was saddened that I could do nothing to help, as a hero ran towards his almost certain death.
(Percy)
As I ran out of camp towards the hill, I knew what had to be done and I didn't care what it cost me. After all, what did I still have to lose? This would stop my friends killing each other and getting hurt, Olympus had been saved again. With this the Hunters would be avenged and even if I died doing it, I would at least be reunited with Annabeth. Sure, my parents would be sad but how would everyone else feel if they all died?
As I began the long ascent up the hill towards the newly erected fort, I heard horns blowing in alarm and saw Legionaries running out the gate forming formations. My mind went into overdrive looking for anything I could use to my advantage, but there was very little. After all, I was attacking an entrenched force uphill who also outnumbered me two-hundred to one just to make matters worse for me. I didn't intend to seriously hurt any of them apart from one. This meant I could not use half my arsenal, as my spear and Maelstrom would be catastrophic against a mortal. Which only left me with Riptide and my shield which could be used as a weapon if needed.
As I got fifty feet from the first lines of the assembled cohorts I halted and looked at them. Cohorts 1- 4 were looking at me with steely determination and looked ready to fight meanwhile the fifth seemed to be looking everywhere but at me, most held their weapons limply or had them sheathed. When I had joined them, they had been deemed the bottom of the barrel and I gave them their prestige back with the others. From the looks of things, they too did not want to get involved; I saw the Centurion Dakota give me a subtle shake of his head suggesting they were not getting involved too which I was thankful.
The good news was that just left 160 trained fighters out for my blood, I looked from cohort to cohort before noticing the figure above the gate with its blond hair clinging to his face.
"Romans! Octavian has committed crimes against the gods and murdered Diana's Huntresses. I am sworn to see justice is done, hand the traitor over to me or I will be forced to take him by force." I demanded eyes still locked on the figure who froze when I addressed him.
One legionary from the first stepped forward and looked at me before saying to his fellows. "He calls our commander a traitor after he demands we let the Greeks into our city before they attempt to burn it, we who made him a Praetor only for him to betray our trust alongside Jason Grace and the other two traitors from the fifth." Earning more than a few glances towards the mentioned cohort who remained unfazed.
"We should kill him for his treachery before finding the other traitors and their Greek friends and crucify them all." He finished earning some clapping from amongst the ranks and I knew that the hard way it was. Fools would only listen to fools, even if what they said went against every bit of common sense.
While they were still busy settling down, I rushed forward towards the gap between cohorts 3 and 4 straight towards the gate. As I got within ten meters, I saw spears beginning to fall around me as they threw the Pilum forcing me to duck behind my shield as several struck its surface and bounced off with bent tips. One however got passed and hit my upper left bicep giving me a flesh wound which for a second surprised me. Until I remembered what Styx had said about one of us dying and I knew I would have to be more careful as blood flowed down my arm gently.
When the last spear fell, I saw the cohorts lock shields closing the breach and forcing me to have to go through them. Their armour shining in the morning light as it reflected of the metal and the accumulated dew in the air and I realized I did have on advantage. Sure, it never rained in the valley but there was always mist in the early hours that rolled in from the sea soaking the morning grass. As the forces continued to advance forming a U around me, I focused on the water around them creating a slippery liquid film across the ground under their feet and those who were beginning to flank suddenly fell over grabbing at their fellows who remained standing until most of the first and fourth were on the floor. Commanding the water, I caused it harden around them now that they were partially saturated from the additional ground water, this keeping them down for the moment as I charged at the second cohort.
The legionaries in front of me were still confused by the collapse of their fellows when I hit the front rank, I used my shield to knock the two to my immediate left backwards into their fellows taking care not to cause permanent damage with the blow but still likely breaking at least their wrists as their own shields crumpled. I smacked the soldier to my right to the side of the head hard with the flat of Riptide's blade knocking him to the ground out cold despite his helmet. Stepping forward, I proceeded to clear a path through the five ranks in front of me ever careful not to kill or maim anyone.
If I had wanted to, I realised that even alone I could have killed a great many of them, even without the use of the other two divine arms I could have wielded. The advantage the Greeks had over their roman counterparts is that we were trained to act as an individual in a fight, we had too few actual fighters to engage in organized warfare like the Romans who were primarily used to fighting as a squad.
So, once I closed in and got in amongst their ranks it was simply a matter of using our conflicting styles to my advantage. Roman sword techniques were primarily thrusting repeatedly while mine were more a cutting motion allowing me to easily parry their attempts before disarming them or incapacitating them. Those still standing amongst second cohort was in disarray by the time I had broken through the last rank.
The others were still either on the ground stuck or like the third were trying to make their way towards me from the sides but I ignored them and ran towards the gates the figure on the battlement gone most likely inside. Unarmoured like them I easily left the pursuing legionnaires behind in the uphill chase. Closing in with the front gate, I placed my shield against my shoulder before hitting the solid planks that had previously been the big houses sun deck where Mr. D played cards. The enhanced force of my impact snapping the oaken beam on the far side that was securing it shut as I rolled through after the impact.
I looked around me hoping to see signs of the coward, to see a flash of blond entering a large tent likely the headquarters and I set out across the fort. But not before barring the gates again laying my spear across the hasps as an impromptu lock. He would not escape and no help was easily coming.
(Reyna)
I was no coward but the moment the recognisable figure of Percy arrived; I knew we stood no chance. Even the image he gave off was simply terrifying like he had crawled out of hell itself, but not before killing everything down there. Sure, we had everything to our advantage in terms of numbers and position but I had seen him in battle before and knew he was a far superior fighter to any in the Legion, myself and Jason included. This was followed with a look of intense hatred as he stared menacingly at Octavian, who stepped back in shock when Percy demanded he be handed over.
If I had been given a chance, I would have thrown him off the gate right then and there and the revelation that he had bombed a goddess's servants sickened me, sure Dianna no longer had hunters that visited Rome but it seemed unlikely the goddess of the Hunt didn't have any at all but then that fool friend of his started to talk and rallied the cohorts and the battle began.
I watched in almost sick fascination as Percy immediately incapacitated almost two entire cohorts in seconds before even making contact followed by bodily throwing two legionaries away with inhuman strength with little more than a brush of his shielded arm. I watched him cleave a path through an entire cohort with little trouble, the only sign of problems a trail of blood along one arm, forty plus fighters down with another eighty restrained for only a scratch. Before the last rank in front of him fell, I saw Octavian pale and began to panic only to flee once the last obstructive soldier fell.
I followed the coward as he ran towards the stable where Scipio was, obviously hoping to use the Pegasus to fly away. However, he was quickly forced to scramble out as Argentum and Aurum growled and barked at him from inside, deterred from that course he began running towards the HQ tent and I knew he was going after the last of the potions he had last night, seemingly ready to flee while invisible.
I turned when a thunderous crash echoed behind me and I saw Percy rolling through the breached gates before securing them with a flaming Imperial Gold spear he summoned into his shield hand. The Legion could be heard hammering on it from the far side to little avail.
I watched as he saw Octavian poke his head out of the tent only to vanish just as quickly but that glance had given him away and Percy was on the move. Strangely as he got closer, he dropped the familiar bronze blade to the floor with little regard instead pushing a button on a watch as a longer blade formed in his hand that I had never seen before, the new weapon was easily a foot longer and made of two different metals Bronze like the other but also grey like it had been combined with mortal steel. I had heard of only one weapon like that before and that was the scythe of Saturn we saw depicted in statues when we assaulted Orthrys last year and I could help but question where he got it as he closed in on the tent.
(Percy)
As I pulled the flap back on the tent, I saw movement in one corner as Octavian fumbled with a clear vial of liquid, unwilling to take any risks I threw my shield at him the force of the blow throwing him through the tents fabric wall and back into the courtyard outside, where I followed sword in hand.
Octavian was struggling to stand one hand on his hip where the blow had struck, the other still holding the neck of the broken bottle. He looked at me slowly advancing before reaching for my shield only to fail to be able to lift it as only I could wield it. Giving one final desperate attempt he gave up and stumbled backwards towards the gates, most likely in an effort to wait for forces that were not coming. He turned ready to make a break only to stop when an Imperial Gold gladius appeared at his throat and Reyna walked out from behind the side of a tent.
"And where did you think you were going; you think you can get us into this mess and then just run away?" The angry Praetor spat at the Augur whose skin tone rivalled Lady Styx's now he had been cornered between her and me.
"Reyna the traitor is mad, he wants to kill all us, Romans." He said reaching out only to be kicked back onto his ass by the pissed off girl in front of him.
"No, he is not a traitor, he is a Praetor of Rome along with Jason and you simply labelled them traitors out of envy and malice, once you saw an opportunity. That attack was most likely orchestrated by the servants of Gaia, if I am not mistaken Percy?" Reyna asked looking up to me.
'Myself, Jason and Leo were possessed by Gaia's Eidolons and they forced Leo to attack your city before making me and Jason almost kill each other. If I was a traitor why did just this morning, I kill almost half a dozen giants and Terra herself, Augur? While you were busy sneaking around what should have been an ally's camp bombing the defenceless like a coward. Lady Artemis and her Hunter's may be unable to enact justice on you but that does not stop me. After all Octavian, I have nothing to lose now Annabeth is gone but at least she died a hero. You will die like you deserve, painfully just like those you murdered.' I finished reaching down and picking him off the floor with my free hand, picking his skinny frame clean of the floor and placing him against the wall of the fort.
The augur began to shake furiously and lash out at me futilely trying to break my grasp but was halted when I punched him in the face with the pommel of Maelstrom staggering him and breaking his nose ceasing his efforts. I temporarily dropped him to the floor but restrained him with one foot against his stomach as I reach back to someone's pack that contained a quiver before drawing out the arrows. I let maelstrom fall impaling itself in the floor at my side as I once again picked the Augur up by one hand.
"Reyna hold his hand against that wall as far as it will go." I ordered coldly the other Praetor who looked uneasy but nevertheless complied. Only to flinch when I thrust an arrow through it pinning it to the wall causing Octavian to cry out in pain, which I cut off with a squeeze of my hand to his throat.
"Now the other." I ordered and once again the scene was repeated, pinning the Augur old spread eagle against the wall suspended by almost a foot from the ground. I secured him further by using the rest of the arrows in the quiver to pin his cloak and other clothing to the wall, he was not going anywhere.
"Reyna you will not want to see this, I suggest you walk away now." I advised but she simply shook her head and remained watching seemingly in sick fascination.
"I am a true Roman unlike this piece of cowardly shit, I do not avoid problems. I face them head on and for too long have I watched him play for power he did not deserve only to lead us into a war where innocents die, I feel as responsible for letting this happen as he should." I admired her courage to witness this but she was wrong about it being her fault.
"No, this is entirely a situation of his making, you lost control that day in New Rome, you were a victim of circumstance no one can control an angry mob and you will be needed after this is done to make peace with Camp Half-Blood." I said to her before taking up Maelstrom by the hilt and pointing it at the figure in front of me.
"Do you know what this blade is Augur? No well you see whilst I was in Tartarus a while ago, I made peace with my grandfather and he gave me this. Now during the last war, I got cut with this and it felt like my soul was being separated from my body. Now you are going to feel it for each of those hunters you murdered! You never know you may even survive, if not more will await you down there I promise. let's just say you pissed off more than me and Diana. We were just celebrating the victory when you pulled your stunt and Jupiter had his speech interrupted. It was just getting good as well." I joked cruelly before cutting his flesh for the first time.
Now the wound was nowhere near fatal barely more than a long thin flesh wound on his bicep but the scream he gave of was as if I had taken his entire arm of as the blade simply scratched his arm and its power affected him.
"One." I counted moving the sword over to the other side as the Augur thrashed about in a futile effort to avoid the edge.
"Two." I told him before cutting his other arm all the way to the bone. The absurdly sharp blade cutting the wood behind as easily as it did his flesh.
Slowly I proceeded to carry on scratching his flesh one limb at a time careful not to hit anything major, Reyna had been forced to look away after seven as his blood curdling screams alternated with quiet sobbing and apologize which I proceeded to ignore as I carried on cutting.
"Fifteen almost there buddy." I joked at the snivelling wretch in front of me.
I was about to strike again when a flash appeared behind me revealing the figure of a woman in silver with matching eyes, she was about 18 with an athletic frame and auburn hair, she had a bow slung across her back easily revealing her identity.
"Lady Diana." Reyna said bowing. The figure simply waved her hand for her to rise.
"Perseus stop"" She ordered and I almost instinctively immediately lowered Maelstrom away from the Augur.
"Why he is still alive?" I was surprised by her request. Surely, she would want him dead more than anything.
"He will get his punishment, but you need to stop now. This is not you; you are not one to inflict suffering too others, the only person you are hurting now is yourself. I will not see one of this world's only true men fall amongst the filth like this creature, so please you need to stop." She asked kindly to finish.
I looked from the blood-stained figure in front of me to the goddess behind and knew she spoke the truth. Maelstrom had long stripped the sanity from Octavian and I was now just torturing an empty husk that reacted out of impulse. Looking down at my crimson-stained hands I knew how far I had truly fallen in my grief and anger.
Maelstrom fell from my hand as my body went limp and I began to collapse as the personal cost of the last day finally caught up with me. The last thing I remember is the goddess running forward and grabbing me before I hit the floor and it went dark.
(Diana)
As I watched Perseus inflicting such blind pain to the Augur, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the torturer rather than his victim. Here was someone who had lost everything taking it out on his victim making them feel how he did and I watched it destroy them both from the inside. The Augur's mind had long since broken but still Percy carried on, lost in his own mind as he inflicted wound after wound when finally, I had seen enough. Justice had been served and I would not see this man join others of his kind in their depravity.
I appeared in my Roman aspect because of the two Romans present even if only one was of a stable mental state before waving off her attempt at bowing. I watched as Perseus turned towards me, his sea-green eyes pale and lifeless as he looked at me and I knew I had to stop him.
I explained why he needed to stop and he listened at first with confusion before understanding took root in his mind. I watched as the bloodstained blade hit the floor and knew what was coming as revelation stuck in his mind. I watched his desperate gaze go dark and ran forward desperate to catch him before he hit the ground.
Suddenly there was a flash around me and the other Olympians alongside Hades and Hestia appeared around us taking one look at the crucified figure before looking at the unconscious twice saviour of Olympus in my lap. Most of them looked uneasy about the scene before them especially my brother as he regarded his Augur and Grandson but even, he knew that it was well deserved.
(Artemis)
"Is he okay? What happened to him?" Poseidon asked and I noticed they had all finally stabilized forms all were present in their Greek Aspects and I too shifted as well to my more familiar figure but slightly older around 16 rather than 12 so I was not crushed by the larger figure of the man resting against my lap.
"He only has a flesh wound but it is the mental cost that is affecting him, today's events have finally caught up with him. His young mind was unable to bare the loss of his girlfriend and my Hunters and that wretch drove him over the edge, I had to stop him before he fell too far." I answered my uncle, meanwhile I absentmindedly stroked Percy's hair out of his face.
"Well admittedly it has been a rough day for all and he has had it worse but can we now return to Olympus and Apollo heal his wound and will someone please deal with the creature nailed to the wall." My father finally said to which Apollo complied and Hades walked towards the raving Augur and released what was left of his spirit, before walking aside me and whispering he would get additional punishment out of earshot of my brother. The lifeless body faded into nothing, only leaving an outline of arrows and cuts on the wall and a pool of blood at its base.
Finally, Poseidon picked up his son from my lap and I too was able to rise to my feet. Only to hear a shriek of rage from my father, as he looked at the sword on the floor where it had fallen underneath where I and Perseus had been.