Percy thrust his spear into the eye of the drakon. The scaled beast reared back and roared in pain. The drakon shook its head, dislodging the demigod who fell to the ground below. Percy rolled as he hit the ground, stopping just next to Artemis. The goddess fired arrows into the chinks in the armor of another drakon, warding it off. Percy quickly rose to his feet, drawing riptide from his new hide trousers. Artemis had been kind enough to make him new clothes out of the griffon hide he collected. He guessed he couldn't complain about the tunic and trousers, though he wished she had made something more modern. Then again, he mused, maybe this is the new fashion trends. At least she matched, her torn silver garments replaced with griffon hide chiton and her new quiver strapped to her back. Her new swords rested in their sheaths next to the quiver, their handles protruding out from behind her head allowing ease of access. A roar of defiance broke Percy from his musings. His drakon charged at the two, his spear still lodged in the monster's skull.

"I am not moving Perseus," Artemis said as she fired more arrows at her drakon. "Deal with it."

Percy rolled his eyes before smiling. He charged forward, quickly meeting the drakon. Percy leaped forward. The drakon lunged with its maw open. The drakon missed Percy, if ever so slightly, and the demigod grabbed the spear. His momentum pulled at the spear, forcing the drakon to follow with a squeal of pain. Percy fell to the ground, landing on his feet with a thud. The drakon collided with the ground, the surface of Tartarus flinging into the air. Percy dashed forward, climbing the beast's face before it reared back, trying to buck him off. Percy grabbed one of the bone plates on its head and held on. The demigod looked to see Artemis collecting arrows around the massive bones of a dead drakon. He jammed his feet into a gap in the drakon's plating, forcing a groan from the beast, and leaned back on his knees. Finding a suitable gap in the armor, Percy jammed Riptide into the gap and twisted. The beast cried out in pain before slumping against the ground, dead. He pulled the spear out of the drakon's skull as Artemis approached, her quiver filled with bone tipped arrows. "It is so much better that you have weapons now," Percy told her with a grin. "I was getting a little stir crazy, hiding from all those monsters."

Artemis rolled her eyes at the man. "Typical of a man, wanting to fight everything he sees," she scolded Percy lightly. "I expect more from you Perseus."

"Percy," the demigod corrected her. "I hate being called Perseus."

"You don't correct Kronos," Artemis pointed out with an arched eyebrow.

Percy scoffed. "I hate Kronos. He is not allowed to call me Percy," deciding to change the topic, he added. "And you try spending a century in this hell. There is nothing to do but fight, eat and sleep."

"From what I have seen, you do enough of the last two to take up the time," she said with a smirk.

Percy squawked. "I am a growing boy," he answered in defense.

The goddess looked at him skeptically. "You are one hundred and twenty years old and have the body of a man in his mid-twenties," she deadpanned him.

"Well…" Percy trailed off as he looked at their surroundings. They were still at least a day's travel from the Dark Lands and even farther from the cave the ritual chamber was in. They had been looking for a place to camp when they had been ambushed by the drakons. "Should we look for some place to camp?"

"Yes," she agreed, deciding not to acknowledge his changing the topic. "How much longer until- "

A roar shook the air around them. Percy groaned as he turned, seeing a third, smaller drakon charging them. It was still a way off. "Huh, must be a baby one," he speculated, Artemis nodding in agreement. "I feel a little bad now, I think we killed it's parents."

"It's just a beast, Percy," Artemis reasoned as she drew an arrow and notched it.

Percy placed a hand on her bow, forcing her to disengage. "I got an idea," he said with a grin. Artemis looked like she would argue but nodded and backed up. Percy reached for his new belt and took off a rope they had made with drakon sinew.

"You can not be serious," she said in disbelief.

Percy gave her a grin before charging the beast. He swung the end of his rope casually as the two approached each other rapidly. The drakon lunged at him. Percy slid underneath the beast's snapping jaws. He jumped up, clearing the side of the drakon and grabbed one of the spikes along its back. He pulled himself up as the drakon bucked and growled. Percy pulled himself up to the skull of the drakon, spinning his rope around. The drakon roared and Percy threw the rope around the open maw of the beast and caught the end of the rope. Percy yanked back the reigns and the drakon reared back again. The beast ran around the fields of Tartarus, trying to dislodge the demigod. Percy yanked on the reigns. Something pulled in his gut, golden light consuming his left arm. He forced his glowing hand onto the scalp of the drakon, golden lighting flowing from Percy into the beast.

The drakon stopped, groaning in pain as golden light ran throughout its being. Percy felt the consciousness of the drakon bash against his, a raging beast bashing against his meager defenses. The demigod felt overwhelmed by the unexpected assault. Still your mind, half breed, Kronos' jagged voice echoed in his mind, shoving back the beast's own. Use your power, dominate. Instinct forced Percy's mind outward, avoiding the drakon's own assault and smashed against its defenses. The young monster's mind collapsed against his onslaught and the beast went rigid as its mind filled with light. Its grey scales shimmered a bright gold before settling on a deep green, shining in the red hue of Tartarus. The beast settled onto the ground, its eyes retaining a golden tint to them.

Percy huffed at the effort, confusion running through his mind. That was a new experience. He turned to look at a space on the ground where he knew the titan stood. "What was that?"

Kronos' form appeared exactly where Percy expected him to. "You have dominated as with the cyclops before," the titan lord answered.

"It was not like that with the cyclops," Percy responded as Artemis approached them cautiously eyeing the beast.

"That cyclops was a weak willed creatin," he explained to the demigod, examining the drakon appraisingly. "Though, this one appears unusually strong willed. More than most raging beasts."

Artemis gestured to the monster. "Are you sure it's safe?" she asked while watching the beast carefully.

"She," Percy corrected instinctively before shaking his head. "Wow, how did I know that?"

"You have connected to the beast's mind," Kronos explained to him. "All it knows, you know, as is your right as it's masters." The drakon shook itself, like trying to rid itself of an annoyance it couldn't detect.

Percy soothed the beast by petting her head. "I don't know how to feel about this. You make it sound like she is my slave?" He slowly slid down her scaly hide, landing roughly on his feet.

"Whatever you want to call it," Kronos told him, annoyance spreading across his features. "The beast is yours now, Perseus. Whether you like it or not."

Percy hummed in thought about that before looking at Artemis. "What do you think?"

Artemis' eyes flickered from the drakon to Percy. "A drakon will be useful. It is better than walking," she reasoned, something flashed across her eyes that Percy couldn't identify. She approached the beast slowly, placing a hand on her side. The drakon shivered and its scales shimmered from dark green to bright gold and settled into a dim silver. Artemis stepped back quickly in surprise. "I have never seen a breed such as this. Have you?"

Percy shook his head. "Honestly? I never really paid attention to the breeds I have killed," he answered the goddess. "What about you Kronos?" he asked the bored titan. "You've been in Tartarus longer than almost anyone."

Kronos seemed miffed by him pointing that out. He approached the drakon, looking it up and down before examining its scales. He shook his head. "I do not recognize it. It looks to be from the Lydian line, with a few differences. Most likely from its maternal heritage. Odd that its scales changed. I wonder... " he trailed off in thought.

"Are you saying that she can only be killed by a child of Ares?" Percy asked in confusion.

Kronos again shook his head. "No. The Lydian Drakon was destined to be killed by a child of the war god. Its descendants are not."

"As interesting as this is," Artemis interrupted them, watching them both with interest. "I believe we were looking for a place to rest?"

Percy nodded in agreement. He climbed up the side of the drakon before settling in a space at the base of her head. The beast shivered again, and its scales reverted back to dark green. Kronos' body disappearing into nothing. "Right. If we are to assume the first two were her parents, then they should have a nest somewhere nearby." He held out a hand to Artemis. "Come on, I am sure she can take us there."

The goddess looked at Percy's hand skeptically before grabbing it and allowing him to hoist her up. "I guess we are doing this?" she asked as she settled behind the demigod, refraining from touching him as much as possible.

Percy shrugged before he gently pulled at the reigns. The beast seemed to gain his meaning and turned back the way it came. "It'll be fine," he tried to placate her. He looked his new pet appraisingly. He grabbed a spike in front of him. "Let's go." The drakon picked up the pace, covering the distance in long strides.

Percy and Artemis dismounted the drakon before the cave entrance in the Dark Lands, Artemis being careful with her lit torch. The portal into the cave was too small for the drakon. Percy looked at the cave with distaste. "And here I was hoping I would never have to set foot in this place again," Percy complained before turning to the drakon. "How about you go find something to eat? Just be sure to stay away from the bigger monsters, eh?" He petted the beast's snout who snorted. She then lumbered off in search of food.

"What are you going to name her?" Artemis asked as she watched the beast leave.

Percy shrugged. "No idea," he told her honestly. "I don't want to force it. It'll come to me eventually." He watched the shadows in the cave entrance flicker in the torch light. "Ready?"

"I guess so," the goddess answered, handing the torch to Percy and drawing her bow. "Let's avoid dying this time."

Percy took the torch and entered the cave. "No argument here. Besides, I got a bone to pick with that weasel Prometheus."

Artemis nodded her agreement and followed the demigod. "You and me both."

"Speaking of bones to pick," Percy started as they passed the wall paintings and carvings. "How did you get captured anyways?"

Artemis sneered in anger. "Deceit, distraction, and a small army," she growled. "I was hunting a bear when I caught the trail of Prometheus. I tracked him to a small grove when I was ambushed by Hyperion and an army of monsters."

Percy listened intently, light emerging at the end of the tunnel. He watched some of the paintings before saying, "That is… vague." Artemis remained silent as they crossed the threshold and into the ritual room. It was unchanged from the last time Percy had been here. The carved stone benches sloped down to the center of the bowl like room, what looked like his blood covered the raised dais in the center. Percy shared a look with Artemis before leading her down the steps.

An eerie quiet permeated the chamber, giving the two a sense of foreboding. At the top of the dais, Percy's eyes wandered over the spilt blood. His blood. He gained a sickly feeling in his gut. Artemis, ignorant to Percy's plight, stepped forward and examined the bloody ground. Though, most of the blood was nothing but a scorched outline in the stone floor. The rest dried into a crumbling layer upon the floor with several pairs of footprints leading in two different directions. At the epicenter of the scorched ground, was an outline of a massive form that Percy assumed had been Hyperion. "Here are Prometheus' footprints," she said, pointing out the larger prints. She followed them to the other side of the platform where they faded into nothing. The goddess' eyes glowed a dim silver before the glow faded. She looked up to an exit at the top of the room opposite their entrance. "That way," she told him before leading the way. Percy followed quickly with one last look at the scorched platform.

The exit led into a maze of dark tunnels, desperate claws and slash marks covering their walls. Artemis led them through the maze confidently, her bow held at rest but ready. Percy spotted a massive crater in one wall. "What is this place?"

"I don't know," Artemis answered without stopping. "There is an… ancient feeling, even by my standards."

"It is the remnants of a long-forgotten civilization," Kronos claimed as he appeared next to them, his golden form surprisingly not illuminating the darkness.

Percy raised an eyebrow at the specter. "What are you on about?"

Kronos sighed like he just opened up a can of worms. "Eons before my brothers and sisters were born, a race of beings not far off from humans populated Tartarus," the titan explained as he followed the two of them. Artemis turned down another pathway. "They built this place and the Brass Fortress."

"The Brass Fortress?" Artemis asked, looking back at them.

"It's a fortress on the other side of Tartarus," Percy answered her. "Tartarus rules from there. It has been on lock down since shortly after the battle at the doors."

"And it was built by these… people?" Artemis questioned the titan.

"Yes, and many other strongholds as well," said Kronos. "They believed themselves of greater importance than they were, and so their progenitor- "

"Quiet," the goddess silenced the titan and raised her hand. They stood at a T junction, darkness consuming both passages. Artemis stared down the path to their right, a scowl etched across her face. "He is down that way."

Percy strained his senses, but he couldn't see or hear anything. "How can you tell?" he whispered to her.

Artemis glanced at the demigod. "I am the Goddess of the Hunt," she boasted as if that answered all his questions. Noticing Percy's quirked eyebrow, she sighed. "Once I found his tracks I sensed his presence. Now he will never be able to hide from me until the hunt is complete."

"I thought you were powerless?" Percy asked in confusion.

The goddess turned to retort, her fists clenching in frustration. Before Artemis could say anything however, she seemed to catch herself. "It is nearly impossible to completely cut off a god from the entirety of their power. The only way to do so would be a permanent removal of their divinity. No deity, let alone an Olympian such as myself, will ever be powerless."

"I have a cranky, somewhat helpful, but overall annoying titan connected to my soul that says otherwise," Percy deadpanned her.

Artemis opened her mouth before closing it and walking forward. "Whatever." Percy shared a look with Kronos, an act that nearly stopped him dead with the familiarity of the act, before following the goddess. She moved quickly, seemingly trying to ignore him before saying, "Since I drank from the Phlegethon, I have been slowly gaining some of my strength back. My connection to my domains is still dulled, but I can still use limited abilities."

"Oh, well, that's good," Percy responded, not wanting to anger the goddess any more than he already had. Looking ahead, he spotted torches mounted on the wall. "Do you think…"

"Most likely," Kronos answered his unasked question. "Prometheus does hate the dark so."

Past the torches, a set of large doors of the same carved stone as the walls stood. Passing under the torch light, Percy could make out depictions of parties and festivals upon the doors. Light seeped through the cracks of the doors, a shadow moving across the light. Artemis and Percy shared a look of understanding. Percy placed his hands upon the doors and Artemis shouldered her bow before drawing her swords. Percy counted to three and then shoved the doors open.