Percy thought he didn't look very happy.
Hyperion stood before them in full battle armor, similar to what he donned when he had faced Percy back in Manhattan.
"Percy Jackson!" Hyperion barked, steaming mad, "I'm going to enjoy tearing you to shreds. I think your head will go nicely atop my mantle on Othrys!"
"Yeah," Percy snorted, "Because that went so well for you last time. What was it like being turned into a tree?"
"Percy," Zoe whispered, gripping his arm tightly, "I don't think we should be making him mad. He–"
Hyperion cut her off with a mocking laugh. "Oh, Zoe! Don't think I forgot about you, you little bitch!" His eyes gleamed dangerously as the air around him began to simmer. "I may not be able to kill you, but by the time I'm through with you you'll wish you were dead! I think I'll start off by killing your little friend here and making you watch."
That was the only warning the duo received before Hyperion charged.
He was on them in an instant, unwilling to give them any breathing room. Percy and Zoe each rolled away in different directions, but all that did was make it easier for Hyperion to isolate them.
As he dashed past, Percy swung Riptide down onto his back - only for the sword to bounce off his blazing gold armor. Just as quickly, Hyperion set his sights on Percy, blasting him back into the dirt with a wave of his hand.
"Oh," the Titan drawled, sneering down on him, "You thought this would be like last time, boy? No, no, you're going to die down here."
Percy raised Riptide, back on his feet in an instant, and that was the only thing that kept him alive as Hyperion came down upon him with the force of the father of the sun.
It was like he was twelve again, facing off against Ares on the beach in his first true fight with an immortal. His ADHD was the only thing keeping him alive as Hyperion bore down upon him, barely managing to block each swipe of his golden sword and the occasional beam of light. His brain was working overtime, catching every little detail that, had gone unnoticed, would have spelt his death twenty times over.
Percy tried to focus on the feeling in his gut for the Phlegethon, but he was more preoccupied with not getting sliced in half. He just couldn't focus hard enough. The fact that Riptide hadn't cracked under the immense pressure Hyperion was putting into each strike was miraculous.
"Give it up, Jackson!" Hyperion roared over the inferno that he had begun to create. The grass beneath their feet was starting to combust as the Titan lost control (or lost his ability to care about collateral damage), and Percy couldn't do anything but hope his shoes didn't get set on fire. "You're done for - augh!"
Hyperion froze briefly as Zoe finally reappeared, stabbing him in his sword arm with her two knives, and that was all the time Percy needed.
He was ruthless in exploiting Hyperion's brief distraction, pressing him the same way the Titan had been doing moments before. However, unlike Hyperion, Percy was able to get some clean hits in those few seconds. He couldn't do much due to his armor, but his arms were leaking silver ichor pretty badly by the time he regained control of the situation.
And, Percy thought triumphantly, there was a Riptide-sized puncture in his chestplate, just below where his heart would have been. If he ever got another opening, he knew where he'd be aiming.
"ENOUGH!" Hyperion boomed, briefly glowing brighter than the sun. A wave of energy burst from his body in a full circle, giving Percy and Zoe no chance to dodge, "I grow tired of this insolence!"
If Hyperion was fast before, he was moving at light speed now. Beams of light flew from his fingertips like bullets, and Percy was unfortunate enough to get one straight through the shoulder.
"Fuck!" He bit out, muffling a scream. He didn't have any time to process the fact that there was now a finger-sized hole in his arm, as Hyperion attacked him with renewed vigor. Between his increased speed and the fact that Percy was effectively crippled now, there was little he could do but defend against the most dangerous strikes.
As a result, the cuts began to pile up on him, and even with Zoe running interference, there was little he could do aside from delay his defeat.
On one particularly close call, Hyperion feinted low, before reaching up and socking Percy square in the jaw. He saw stars briefly, and Hyperion took the opportunity to send him flying backwards with a kick to the chest.
Percy skidded along the ground like a pebble, coming to a stop at the banks of the Phlegethon once more. He probably would have fallen into the river if it weren't for the fact that ended up sliding headfirst into a boulder.
His vision swam as his brain rolled around in his skull like his head was a pinball machine and he was going for the high score.
Hyperion stood over him, that ever-present sneer growing larger at his fallen form.
"Pathetic." He spat, before actually spitting on him. Hyperion leered down on him for a moment, the gleam of his sword giving Percy a splitting headache, before he shot an arm out and grabbed Zoe mid-knife swing.
"I grow tired of your insolence, niece." He hissed, slamming her into the ground, dazing the Hunter. "Perhaps I should teach you a lesson in obedience."
"Go fuck thyself, uncle." Zoe shot back bitterly, earning her a backhand slap and Hyperion's full attention. She screamed as he began to burn her arm, the smell of burning flesh dragging Percy back to lucidity.
Percy hated Hyperion.
"Percy! Run!" Zoe shouted, even as Hyperion threw her into the ground again. He stepped on her stomach, before swinging around his sword experimentally.
"As much as I'd like to, I'm not allowed to kill you," he hummed, "But no one said anything about maiming. You can survive without an arm, I'm sure!"
Percy staggered to his feet, ignoring the way the fire was licking at his clothes and the fact that his head was pounding. He was too far away to do anything, but he didn't care. His heart was pounding, the same way it had been when he'd destroyed Zoe's chains. The tug in his gut was like a bottomless whirlpool, swirling with endless possibilities that were only limited by his anger.
He stared at Hyperion's glowing form, ignoring the way his corneas were burning. Hate filled his eyes and anger filled his soul at the man who dared to hurt his friend.
He remembered all the nature spirits that the Titan had killed. He'd remembered all the demigods who'd died in Manhattan on that day.
He remembered how Zoe'd died for him.
She would never get hurt again.
Hyperion swung his sword down.
His arm froze mid-strike.
"Wha–?" Hyperion stuttered out, staring at his arm in surprise. It was like the appendage had grown a mind of its own, and refused to act against a fellow Titan.
Zoe had no such reservations, quickly taking advantage of the distraction and imbedding her knives in Hyperion's leg - severing his Achilles tendon.
"FUCK!" He roared, jumping back in pain. Zoe rolled away the moment he released her, sprinting back to Percy's side as he collapsed to one knee. "I don't care anymore! Both of you are dying today!"
Zoe ignored him. "Percy!" She gasped, "Art thou alright?"
"Yeah," he grunted, black spots dancing across his vision, "'M okay. Gimme a sec."
"No, thou aren't!" Zoe insisted, guiding him towards the Phlegethon, "Drink fast, and we may be able to flee!"
"Like hell you will!" Hyperion snarled, staggering forward. He was leaning pretty hard on his left side, and with vicious satisfaction Percy realized he could barely walk. Even with the damage the two of them had accumulated over the past few minutes, it was hard to deny that Hyperion looked like shit.
"I liked you better as a tree!" Percy shouted, egging him on.
Hyperion knelt down to the Phlegethon, cupping the liquid flame in his hands. "And I liked you better when you were a sperm in your dad's balls, but we don't always get what we want, do we?"
Despite his anger, Percy was cognizant enough of the threat Hyperion would pose if he was able to heal. He focused on the water in the Titan's hands, and forced it to leap back into the river proper.
"What the–?!" Hyperion choked out, before throwing his hands back into the river. The water avoided him like the plague, leaving a few inches of air between his hands and the river no matter how far down he reached.
Percy snorted. "Maybe if you try asking nicely you'll get better results."
"Percy!" Zoe hissed, "Now is not the time for games!"
He disagreed. Keeping Hyperion from healing, and by proxy, killing both of them, was a pretty important job. If he wanted to have a little fun in the meantime, where was the harm in that?
"Gah!" Hyperion roared in frustration, flipping off the river as he stood up shakily. "Fuck this place! Fuck this stupid river! I'm sick of this! You're done for, Brain Boy!"
Percy froze the moment he heard that nickname.
"Your report card came, Brain Boy!" Gabe shouted as Percy retreated to his smelly, littered room, "I wouldn't act so snooty!"
He flinched as a barrage of memories filled the space of his mind, of being a helpless child and being tossed around by his monster of a step-father. He could feel someone pulling on his arm, urging him to move, but it was no use.
He flinched back as Gabe threw a beer can at his head, barely ducking in time before he demanded another one.
Percy tried to stifle his cries as Gabe screamed at his mother from the kitchen. Maybe if he wasn't such a horrible son he'd be less mean to her.
Percy stumbled back in shock, clutching at his rapidly bruising cheek after Gabe had finally grown tired of his back talk.
Percy offered no resistance as Hyperion stomped over, grabbed him by the throat, and threw him into the Phlegethon.
Zoe screamed.
He returned to his senses the moment before he hit the flames.
Percy braced for impact, or perhaps death, but neither greeted him as he was consumed by the Phlegethon.
Instead, the river embraced him as though he were a long lost friend. He sunk into the fiery waves, but aside from a tickle from the flames as they lapped at his skin, he felt right at home. In fact, it almost felt like he was right back in the lake at Camp Half-Blood.
Percy almost didn't want to leave the gentle touch of the Phlegethon behind. It wasn't hurting him like it had before, the burns he had once suffered at its and Hyperion's hands a long lost memory. His wounds were closing without needing to drink of the liquid. If he stayed here, he would be safe from all the evils of Tartarus. The river would protect its own.
And then he heard Zoe's cries again, and he remembered how he had ended up here.
The water bent to his will like never before, as though it wanted to be directed by him. At a thought he was pulled back to the top of the Phlegethon, a watery inferno surging up behind him.
All in all, it was a very terrifying picture.
And unfortunately for Hyperion, all the anger and hate that had been festering up inside of Percy for the past few months finally had a new target to be let out on.
"What the fuck…" the Titan muttered quietly, with Zoe in a similar state. He had grabbed the Titaness roughly, and she was making no move to free herself as she stared at the son of Poseidon in awe. "He's like a demon…"
His eyes flickered over her form, and his gaze hardened as he saw the telltale marks of injury that littered her frame, as well as the massive, hand-shaped burnmark she now carried on her arm.
Hyperion was going to die for this.
Percy could feel his blood begin to heat up once more, his heart working double time as it began to regulate his body at speeds that would have killed him previously. The world slowed down around him, his speed reaching new heights, and he lunged at the Lord of the East.
Hyperion was helpless to resist as Percy reached forward, grabbed his breastplate, and pulled. His armor was stripped from him with ease, the molten metal crumpling beneath Percy's fingers as he discarded it with a careless throw behind him.
If any of the four beings present had cared to watch, they would have seen the ruined piece of armor fly over the wall of fog and disappear from view.
As it was, they had to settle for a prime viewing of the incoming beatdown Hyperion was about to receive. The Titan didn't even have time to blink before Percy had surged forward once more and hurled him into the Phlegethon.
He didn't even use Riptide. It was far more cathartic to beat the Titan within an inch of his life with his bare hands. All Hyperion could do was take the beating as Percy dragged him across the Phlegethon's surface, sometimes slamming him into the water, sometimes dragging him beneath the depths to get another power boost before he resumed the assault. Whatever the water was doing to him it definitely wasn't doing to Hyperion, with the immortal left a bloody mess of red skin and silver ichor by the time Percy finally grew tired of their game.
He threw Hyperion back out of the river with nary a thought, and the Titan was unable to do anything but lay still in the dirt as Percy slowly emerged from the waves he had formed, uncapping Riptide all the while.
"Please…" Hyperion muttered weakly, eyes dim as his form flickered, "Have mercy. Isn't that what you godlings are all about? I won't come back. I've learned my lesson."
Percy bared his teeth at the fallen Titan like a wolf eyeing fresh prey. "Coward," he spat, "You deserve everything I've done to you and more."
Riptide hummed in agreement as he kneeled over the brother of Kronos. "Considering what you would have done to Zoe, to your family," he snarled, raising the cursed blade over his head, "This is mercy."
And with that, Percy swung Riptide down into Hyperion's neck, beheading the Titan of Fire and Light. He burst into gold dust the moment he was killed, leaving Percy alone once again.
Well, almost alone.
Zoe was at his side a moment later, dropping to her knees beside him as she watched Hyperion's essence drift into the nonexistent wind. "Thou… thou hast done it."
"We did it," Percy corrected, "I didn't fight him alone."
She shook her head. "I was a liability, I was weak." Her voice was small and shaky in that moment, and Percy had to hold himself back from pulling her into a hug again. "Thou saved me once again, Percy, and I couldn't do the same for thee when the situation called for it."
Percy raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm fine, aren't I?" He said, although it came out as more of a question, "You're unharmed, and that's all that matters to me."
Zoe grimaced at the reminder of the burn on her arm. "Unharmed isn't the way I'd describe it, but if it weren't for thou I would be infinitely worse off. Thank you, Percy."
"Thank you?" He repeated, confused, "Why are you thanking me? I just did what anyone would have done. You would have done the same for me, right?"
She didn't respond immediately, instead choosing to smile softly at him like he had just given her a wonderful compliment. "Thou always has been too modest for thy own good. There are many heroes who would have fled at my command. You are a paragon, Percy Jackson."
Percy felt his face heating up, and not just because of the horrible climate down here. When was the last time someone had been so… sweet to him? Not even Annabeth had ever given him compliments like these.
Instead of trying to decipher what she had meant, Percy simply remained silent, unable to formulate a response that he felt would suffice.
"I have to ask, however," Zoe continued, splitting her gaze between Percy and the Phlegethon, "How art thou able to command the river of fire so easily? I have never heard of one surviving a fall into the Phlegethon, much less being able to control it the way thou hast. And the way thou stopped Hyperion from attacking me…"
Percy knew what she was referring to with that second question. When Hyperion had moved to sever her arm, Percy had simply… prevented it. Hyperion's arm refused to follow his brain's command.
He didn't want to think about what that meant.
"Well, Titaness," A deep voice hummed, "I think I can help to answer at least some of your questions, if you'll permit me."
Zoe and Percy tensed as one, drawing their weapons towards the intruder faster than they could blink, only to pause as they realized nobody was there. The Phlegethon was the only thing in sight - which led Percy to the answer first.
A figure slowly emerged from the Phlegethon, rising from the waters in a manner eerily similar to the way Percy had first returned to Zoe and Hyperion. An avatar of pure fire stood before them, although if he focused Percy thought he could make out the body of a man within the flames.
Zoe flinched back in shock, one hand wrapping around Percy's arm for reassurance. Percy didn't react, instead staring at the entity that had just made its presence known with an indescribable look in his eyes.
"You're the Phlegethon," he finally whispered, after what felt like an eternity.
"Ah-ah," the flames corrected, wagging a finger at him, "I am not the Phlegethon, I am Phlegethon! God of the river Phlegethon, at your service!"
Zoe's grip around his forearm tightened. "My gods," she whispered, "He's here."
Percy continued to stare dumbly at the new arrival. "Thanks for not killing me," he blurted out like an idiot, "For like the third time. It must be getting boring by this point."
Phlegethon laughed. "On the contrary, my little child-soldier!" He said cheerfully, "It has been quite a pleasure to watch your escapades along my river! I haven't had this much entertainment since the gods came down here to free the Hekatoncheires, and you might just top that by the time you're finished down here!"
"Um," Percy started, "I'm glad you're enjoying the show?"
That just made Phlegethon laugh harder. "And so polite, too! I can't remember the last time someone drank of my waters and thanked me! I knew I made a good choice with you, kid!"
"Lord?" Zoe ventured, "What do you mean?"
Phlegethon raised a fiery eyebrow at her. "Don't play coy with me, girlie. I know you can sense the change in him as well."
"What are you guys talking about?" Percy questioned, "I'm lost."
Zoe looked at him, a worried look marring her features. "Percy," she whispered, "The Phlegethon blessed you."
Percy blinked owlishly at her. Was that supposed to clear things up?
"More accurately," Phlegethon interjected, "I made you my champion. I've been giving you some help here and there since the beginning - you caught my attention when you, a half-dead demigod who had just fallen into Tartarus, pulled half my river up from its home and doused yourself with it. Talk about an introduction! I've been watching since then, giving you some aid when I deemed it necessary - with Arachne, with those empousai - but when I watched you and Hyperion beat the divine out of each other I knew I couldn't pass the opportunity up! We couldn't have your soul burn up into ashes in my waters now, could we?"
"Okay," Percy said, unsure, "So what? Does that mean my soul is bound to you now or something? Are you my boss? I'm kind of on a time crunch here."
Phlegethon shook his head. Little cinders flew off his 'hair', but were quickly absorbed back into the river. "Nothing like that, no sir-e! Think of me as like your patron god - I'm in your corner now, buddy! I've never given someone my blessing before, so I don't know what the extent of my gift is, but I do know that you'll never be in danger in my waters for as long as you draw breath. The waters will bend to your will the same way the sea does, maybe even moreso! There might be some other benefits - maybe you can control fire, maybe you can flirt with my sisters without being smote, but you'll just have to figure those out for yourself!"
Percy didn't like getting called 'buddy' so callously by gods, but since he clearly owed his life to the river he was willing to let it slide. The perks of being Phlegethon's champion seemed pretty nice, but there was always a price to pay with finicky gods like these. He missed the way Zoe tensed at that last sentence.
"What's the catch?" He asked sharply, causing Phlegethon to chuckle again, "I know this isn't being done out of the kindness of your heart.
"Oh, you demigods," he sighed, "So clever these days! So untrustworthy! For shame! In my day, a human would beg for a gift like this!"
He straightened up under Percy's glare. "Fine, fine!" He huffed. "Honestly, not much. I know the stories about you, Perseus Jackson. Us rivers aren't exactly slow on the uptake. They call you the greatest demigod to walk the mortal world! To come back from the Underworld so many times is something nobody other than a son of Hades or Thanatos could ever boast about previously, and to survive Tartarus? Free the Doors of Death? Defeat Gaea? That will surely cement your status as the greatest mortal ever! I just want to stake my claim in your legend; the deity who offered you aid when no other god could and ensured the victory of Olympus over the forces of evil!"
"That's it?" Percy asked incredulously, "You just want fame?"
"And recognition for myself," Phlegethon corrected, "And maybe once you get out of here, a shrine or two couldn't hurt. Oh, and Camp Half-Blood has cabins for all the minor gods now, right? Me and my siblings each want one!"
Percy looked at Phlegethon, before turning back to Zoe with a dumbfounded look on his face. She didn't seem to have an answer for him either.
So he just shrugged.
"Sure," he finally said, "I can do that."
"Great!" Phlegethon cheered, snapping his fingers and shooting finger guns at Percy. "You won't regret this, partner!"
"Do you know the way to the Doors of Death?" Percy asked hopefully.
Phlegethon nodded. "Yep! Just follow the river back to the shrine of Hermes you rested on, and follow the trail me and Cocytus created! It's only a day or two's walk from there. And I'd get a move on - the path back is clear for now, but there are some really ticked off Giants coming for you downstream! If you need me, you know where to find me!"
And with that final nugget of wisdom, Phlegethon disappeared back into the river, leaving no trace of his presence beyond the faint smell of brimstone.
Percy looked at Zoe with wide eyes. "Did that just happen?"
Zoe pursed her lips unhappily, but nodded nonetheless. "We are lucky thou hast wound up in the good graces of the river," she explained, "There are many souls who have been torn apart by his wrath for tarnishing his waters. I am grateful that thou was present to protect me from his anger."
"Huh?" Percy cocked his head to the side. "He didn't seem mad at you."
"The rivers of the Underworld have been around since the age of the Primordials," Zoe elaborated, "They do not usually view other immortals in the most favorable of lights - Titans especially. He probably enjoyed watching thee slay Hyperion a little too much."
Percy hummed as he took in her words, before finally standing back up and brushing his pants off while Zoe drank down the Phlegethon for herself. He idly realized that his shirt was now even more ruined - it was barely more than a rag that hung off his front at this point. "Well I think he was pretty swell."
Zoe scoffed and shook her head, although there was no malice behind it. "Only thou, Percy."
Percy's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't worry about it." She responded coolly, giving him a cheeky smile, "For now, we must make our way to the Doors of Death, yes?"
Percy nodded, his mood slightly souring as he remembered the near-impossible challenge that awaited him. "Yeah," he sighed, "I guess so. But I think Hyperion interrupted us earlier - I still have a few questions about… all this."
Zoe bobbed her head in acknowledgement. "As do I. Many of my questions were left unanswered by your summarization, no matter how good of a storyteller you are."
She offered him her (thanks to the Phlegethon, finally healed) hand and smiled. "Shall we?"
–
A/N: Another day, another chapter. Hope I did the Hyperion fight justice, and wasn't too off the rails with the whole Phlegethon explanation! Hope you enjoyed, and make sure to review! Your comments are what give me motivation! I love reading your input!