Chapter Title: The End For Me.. Or Is It?

Alternate Chapter Title: The Rise Of Lavinia, Part One

(A/N: Here we go! The climax of the Son Of Neptune Arc of this story! Hopefully you've enjoyed all the original content chapters that have occurred up to this point and ready for a couple more before we go back to describing canon events - well, mostly canon ones in regards to this fanfic - as three (I'll explain below) more chapters are between here and when we catch back up with Luke and Percy. To start us off though.. well, just see below and just know, part of this was inspired by TMNT 2003 Season 1 Episode 18 "The Shredder Strikes, Part 2". In fact, you might as well play the music for the opening of that episode, repeating portions of it where decided, for the start of this chapter. Also, I decided to split this one up for the sake of keeping things interesting.)

The worst has come to past.

At least that was what I thought once the Monster King - or Colton Reynolds specifically - failed to make any appearances that me, my Giants, or my husband Tartarus were made aware of after what he - or should I say his spiritual backup as well as his minions - had done to Kronis back in December of last year. For a while, I guess you could that I had become complacent really since I had no clue where he, or Percy Jackson - that accursed hero who along with Colton had taking the brunt of thwarting my son Kronos' attempts to get revenge on the Olympians, even was. Kronis had recovered in those months, and by late May, was at last fully ready to return to the mortal realm, around the same time as the remaining other Giants, those that hadn't betrayed us, that is.

With time, I began to see the disappearance and uncertainty of where these two were as more of a blessing rather than something to worry about. I was naive in coming around to believe that Hera had made a mistake in taking those two to who knows where, something that would make my plans easier to succeed.

That is until the middle of June, when out of nowhere, reports came in that Percy Jackson and Colton Reynolds had been spotted - acting in an odd manner that was quickly determined to be most likely the same amnesiac affliction that Hera had given Jason Grace, but impossible not to recognize. With that, in the moment I first heard about this, everything for a while simply blurred or was made silent as the world seemed to narrow to just me. The emotions of dread, of fear, of worry, of horror - they cannot be overstated.

Kronis' words had turned out to be true all along - even with the lack of sightings. The Monster King was indeed back for real, and with it, the sense that I would be able to prevent what I had seen sometimes in my dreams vanished completely.

I had foolishly thought that the worst had come to past.

* The scene of the shadowy Monster King, with one of his hands near the handle of Kronis' sword near the end of the blade, tugging and pushing down on both ends very hard and putting the sword under immense strain until it cracked, shattering in the middle and with more lightning and thunder following behind this as the shattered pieces in the middle flew into the air plays again as a flashback. However, as the scene of the shadow MK throwing halves of the sword away to either side and raising both hands up into the air as more lightning and thunder occurs plays, you can see an image appearing from underneath, transparently visible. In a red dark place, by a large and tall tower or at least the exterior of it, are the figures of Colton as the Monster King and Porphyrion - at least the faces of the two are the only recognizable parts about their forms , both pulsating with dangerous amounts of energy, flinging themselves at each other preparing to clash with swords, while right behind it suspended from the air by chains as if both were from inside the tower, are two cages - one full of demigods and the other full of deities - Titans, Gods, Primoridals. Beneath all of this is a single sentence, one that probably would be chilling to any fan of the Percy Jackson series. "The world of the myths will cease to exist - and the world of the mortals will reign forever, unless Porphyrion can be stopped." ]

But now unless both Porphyrion and/or Colton Reynolds - the latter preferably afterwards - is dead, I fear it is yet to come.

* Colton's long, malicious laugh as the Monster King plays over the scene for a few moments as this part of the chapter ends and we return to the present and to Lavinia. ]

- Switch To Lavinia's POV -

The Trojan Sea Monster leaped off from where it was on the mountainside, soaring through the air with its magically attached feet flapping a little as if it was trying to get some lift to adjust where it would land. Colton instantly leveled the barrel of the bayonet-tipped Whitworth at the Trojan Sea Monster, the barrel rising a bit as the monster came closer as it leapt through the air. His left elbow remained a little bit lower than the rest of the weapon even as he tilted upwards a bit, his head dropped upon the butt of the rifle, and forefinger firmly on the trigger. Barely a second later, he fired.

BANG!

The sound was loud, much louder than it had sounded from a short distance back at Camp Jupiter, which made my ears ring a bit. Much to my shock and surprise, and to his immediately apparent frustration and shock, the bullet which had been aimed straight at the creature's head, simply bounced off what shimmered like a wave made out of magical particles, a magic shield protecting its head from damage like the type Colton had intended to inflict to it.

"Fuck! This bitch has a shield for its head now in addition to those magically attached feet? Are you fucking kidding me?" Colton swore in rage, swearing like a sailor as Michael simply put his bow down behind him in a spot on the hill where dirt wouldn't touch his string, and drew his sword. I held my sword at the ready, as Charis summoned fire balls in his hand, deep in thought seemingly. In rapid succession, Colton made a half face to his right from where he had been standing to my left, turning on both heels, the feet being square to each other. The rifle, which had been left in the same position as it had been prior to this when Colton had fired at about a 25 degree angle, was now shifted a bit in quick succession as his body moved.

His right foot rapidly carried 20 inches perpendicularly to his rear, with the right heel on the prolongation of his left with the knees slightly bent and the weight of his body now resting equally on both hands as he slid his right hand downward a little onto the small of the stock and away from the trigger. The rifle was lowered with both hands, the left having been shifted slightly to be near the lower band, and the barrel and bayonet pointed uppermost almost to the height of the eye with his right hand being supported against his hip and his arms falling naturally. Thus, in this position, with a determinedly grim look on his face, he along with the rest of us awaited the monster as it came downwards, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Charis slightly pushing the box with Argonaut in it to the right with his foot almost as if to get it out of the way of where the monster would likely impact, which at this point basically seemed to be right in the area in front of me and also between Colton and Michael.

Of course, given our luck as demigods, that's exactly what happened. The monster hit the ground in that exact spot, its head only a couple feet in front of me, and instantly started burrowing underneath the ground again. The shock of the impact of its body against the ground as it simply shoved its way with its weight down through the dirt caused an impact wave that knocked all of us, with the exception of Charis, off balance and also flying a bit, which definitely included me since my feet left the ground. I hit the ground hard just past the tracks further down the hill in the middle of a copse of trees around the base of the slope of the hill slightly to the southeast, and also on my back, knocking the wind out of me for the moment. I did catch a glimpse of Colton also being knocked away by the force of the impact wave, his eyes wide with shock and confusion as his head moved to the right as his feet left the ground and his hands tightly gripping the Whitworth as if it were his life line.

I blinked rapidly for a few moments, my ears ringing and my mind trying to gather my bearings as I hissed from the pain. "THEY GAVE THIS THING THE ABILITY TO KNOCK US OFF OUR FEET WITH STUN WAVES TOO?!" shouted Michael, his voice loud enough to be heard over the ringing in my ears as I laid there a little bit more, before I recovered enough to force my body to get up. All the while, the ground continued shaking as the monster kept burrowing around underneath our feet. "HOW THE FUCK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT THIS THING NOW?!" Michael continued, clearly aggravated by how difficult this fight with the Trojan Sea Monster had already become.

I was a bit wobbly due to having the wind knocked out of me, and it showed as it took me a few seconds for me to gain my balance after nearly falling over again after I got up. Damn, I thought to myself. Those shock waves hit me like a truck. I gripped my sword tightly as the rumbling under us seemed to get louder. In fact, it seemed to be getting closer.. to me.

A chill ran down my spine, and I trembled, anxiety and fear filling me. Oh no. I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond as if it was paralyzed with fear.

"Lavinia!" Colton shouted my name, and I barely had time to turn towards him before it felt like the world had exploded all around me and I was knocked off my feet again and sent flying, with the sound of an explosion as if a bomb had gone off right next to me ringing in my ears. Out of all the people it could have gone for, it went straight to me.

"SHIT!" Michael hissed, my hearing only barely catching that as I flew through the air and landed roughly up against the side of the slope of one of the spurs of the ridge immediately south of the loop, through which the tracks ran through a tunnel before continuing south.

Like before, the wind was knocked out of me hard. Unlike before, I was wracked by pain.. pain that kept me from getting up, pain that brought tears to my eyes. "LAVINIA! GET UP, GET OUT NOW!" Colton and Michael shouted as I blinked rapidly, dazed.

It soon became evident why he shouted that, because soon, my body was laying right underneath the Trojan Sea Monster and it looked very, very hungry. Tears now formed rapidly in my eyes now. "Help.. me.." I murmured weakly, terror overwhelming me as the maw of the beast open, and it licked its monstrous lips hungrily. I could hear footsteps running towards my location — Colton and Michael no doubt, and both of them I could hear arguing over which of them allowed this to happen — but I knew.. that they wouldn't make it in time.

This was it. This is how I was going to die — at the hands of a beast like this. Like the scared, nervous, ineffectual coward I was. Time slowed down as the monster opened its massive maw, ready to suck me up in one gulp. I thought about everyone that I had failed right now, saying sorry to each of them.

Sorry Mom.

Sorry Dad.

Sorry everyone.

Sorry Frank.

Sorry Hazel.

Sorry Michael.

Sorry Cháris.

Sorry.. Colton.

I was a disgrace to the legion through and through and I knew it. This is how I was going — or deserved to die. The weak never make it long in Rome, that's what they always said. And in the end, they were right — I had always been a weak one. I barely even passed Lupa's trials just to get into the legion in the first place. So yeah, this was probably my fate had been all along.

That thought, at least, brought me some peace as the Monster reared its head up, followed by Colton and Michael screaming my name one more time, and then nothing but darkness and no sound.

That should have been the end of it.

That should have been the end of me.

But the Fates had other plans in mind for me.

To be continued..