The two of them laid there for a moment, unwilling to separate for even the briefest of moments. His heartbeat slowly returned to a normal rhythm, even as his body continued to tremble and mind continued to race.
"I'm sorry," Percy said, only for Zoe to shush him.
"It's okay," she replied quickly, "I am sorry for–"
"It's okay." It was his turn to silence her, a small smile on his face at the irony before it slipped away.
"Where are we?" He muttered, Zoe moving off his chest to allow him to regain his bearings.
A massive valley stretched out below them, probably big enough to hold all of Camp Jupiter. The booming noise shook the entire region, with little rocks and boulders falling off the cliffs into the ground below every few seconds. Under poisonous clouds, the rolling terrain glistened purple with dark red and blue scar lines.
Percy gulped as he realized what they were staring at.
"The heart of Tartarus." Zoe whispered.
He kind of wished they could have been literally anywhere else - preferably somewhere like a pizza parlor, or his mother's apartment, but he would have settled for something as crappy as Alaska at this point.
All across the valley, little specks of darkness moved around and were a complete murder on his eyesight, like some kind of optical illusion where the more you looked the more your head hurt. He couldn't figure out what he was looking at, but Zoe seemed to be able to deduce it.
"Monsters," she sighed, "Of course. Hundreds of thousands of monsters."
They were all gathering around a central pinpoint of darkness. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. Even now he could feel its power pulling on his soul.
"And the Doors of Death," he added, "Awesome. You think they take reservations?"
Zoe snorted. "I think not. That would make everything too easy, would it not?"
"Don't jinx it." Percy rolled his eyes.
Somewhere to their left a small rockslide rumbled through the hills, and Percy's reaction was immediate. Riptide was out in less than an instant, Percy's eyes faintly glowing in tandem with the blade as he leapt at the perceived threat.
Only to nearly take off Bob's head.
Bob waved happily as Percy paled at the realization of what had almost happened, quickly pocketing Riptide. He didn't need the Titan to think he was trying to attack him - there would be no recovering from that level of faux pas.
"Friends!" Bob greeted, lumbering towards them. The bristles of his broom had been burned off, and his uniform was marred with new scratches and claw marks.
He never looked happier. On his shoulder, Small Bob purred almost as loudly as the pulsing heart of Tartarus.
"I found you!" Bob gathered them in a rib-crushing hug, only to frown as Zoe gasped in pain.
He pointed a glowing silver finger at her midsection. "Owie."
Percy was jealous of how easy it was for Bob to heal people. Zoe's wound disappeared into nothingness, as though their fight with Eris hadn't even happened. She tore the dirty orange piece of shirt that Percy had used to dress the wound off, and Bob was quick to pick it up and store the litter in his pocket for later disposal.
"You look like dead people!" Bob said appraisingly, "That is good!"
He felt dead too, but he wasn't going to be voicing that complaint, considering how easily the thousands of monsters down below could arrange that.
"How did you get here?" He found himself asking, "Through the Mansion of Night, too?"
"No, no," Bob shook his head adamantly, "That place is too scary. Another way– only good for Titans and such."
Percy made a face at the 'too scary' comment. Zoe looked at him in worry, but he just waved her off. He knew he'd be hearing about it later.
"We stay together now," Bob said, "The Doors are close."
He tensed. The whole reason he had fallen into Tartarus - the only exit from this evil place - was in sight. It felt surreal to be this close to the exit.
It had been an eternity since he had seen the sun. What did it feel like for Zoe? For Bob? For Damasen?
Zoe noticed his troubled look again, pulling herself close to him and wrapping her arms around one of his own. He relaxed slightly at the contact, but it didn't completely soothe the thoughts swirling around inside his head.
"We should hurry," Bob said, "It will take a while to reach the Doors."
Percy forced a smile for the Titans. "Yeah," he huffed, "Let's go."
–
He didn't enjoy the trip.
He could deal with the distance, he could deal with the fact that he was little more than a corpse at this point thanks to the Death Mist. Hell, he could even deal with the fact that monsters swarmed around them like flies on a hot summer day.
Percy couldn't really handle the fact that the ground they walked upon glistened purple, pulsing with webs of long, thick veins that reminded him that he was walking on a living, breathing creature that hated his very existence.
It didn't do much to reassure him, all things considered.
Zoe didn't look much better, but Bob seemed well-adjusted to the situation. Monsters parted for him like the Red Sea for Moses (he briefly wondered if that guy was real, too), and he led the way for the two mortals he was escorting to the Doors.
It was like a who's-who of all the monsters Percy had killed before. He made a game of it, picking out creatures that he'd recognized as his former victims. There were tens of thousands of them, all milling relentlessly, pressing against one another as though they were passengers on the airplane to freedom and they all wanted to have the elbow rest for themselves.
Needless to say, it smelt pretty bad.
At least they seemed to ignore him and Zoe. Bob got a few passing glances, but it seemed that Tartarus helped heal their brains as well since not even the most aggressive monsters were stupid enough to pick a fight with the ten-foot tall Titan that glowed silver and had a giant broom-spear at his side.
The Minotaur had been passed several minutes ago, bright white Fruit of the Loom underwear stained in ways Percy didn't want to think about as he groaned and snorted impatiently. Several Lastrygonians were beating the stupid out of each other to their left, and he was pretty sure he recognized Joe Bob in the group. Dr. Thorn the Manticore grumbled about 'uncouth barbarians' in his thick French accent, and Geryon was a stone's throw away, attempting to break in his new herd.
It wasn't a pleasant experience. Percy trembled so badly he thought the Death Mist would shake right off of him, even if the rational part of his brain knew he could take just about any of these monsters in a fight.
Hell, if he still had the blessing of the Styx, he might even be able to take them all at once! He briefly wondered if one of these veins held that specific river - he could sense traces of the Phlegethon beneath him, after all. That gave him a little bit of comfort, but not when he felt the presence of the Acheron and Cocytus right next to it. He'd had a good experience with, like, two of the rivers of the Underworld at best, and even if their gods didn't hate him he wasn't raring to take a dip in any of them again.
How many other old enemies were in this crowd? Percy began to realize that every battle he'd ever won had only been a temporary victory. No matter how strong or lucky he was, no matter how many monsters he destroyed, Percy would eventually fail. He was only one mortal. He would get too old, too weak, or too slow. He would die. And these monsters… they lasted forever. They just kept coming back. Maybe it would take them months or years to re-form, but maybe even centuries. But they would be reborn.
How did Artemis feel, hunting the same monsters over and over for millennia, watching her Hunters fall to prey she had slain decades ago? Doing a thankless job for eternity, never finishing in her unending task? How many of these creatures had Zoe ended the lives of? Did she recognize just as many faces in the crowd as Percy had, or was her number even higher?
This whole thing reminded him of Sisyphus more than he cared to admit. Was their mere existence just an unending war that demigods would never be able to win? Pawns in the service of uncaring gods who would give birth to children knowing they would be doomed to a life of bloodshed and tears, fighting their battles against beings of their own creation?
Seeing them assembled in Tartarus, he felt just as hopeless as he had been in the Cocytus. So what if he was a hero? So what if he did something brave? Evil was always here, regenerating, bubbling under the surface. Percy was no more than a minor annoyance to these immortal beings. They just had to outwait him.
The thoughts did nothing to combat the nagging thoughts about what was going to happen to them at the Doors.
Percy sighed. This place really sucked.
At least he couldn't sense Polybotes anymore - he hadn't been focusing on it, but now that he had the time to reach out to sense his father's antithesis he realized the Giant was long gone. Probably back to the mortal world, ready to go kill some other poor demigod bastard instead.
Wonderful. If Polybotes was gone, the others likely were too. All of their earlier fights with the Giants meant nothing until the Doors of Death were freed. The Giants had unlimited lives until then.
At least they couldn't interfere down here anymore. The end was in sight.
–
Stomping on Tartarus's heart wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounded.
The purplish ground was slippery and constantly pulsing. It looked flat from a distance, but up close it was made of folds and ridges that got harder and harder to navigate the further they walked. Gnarled lumps of red arteries and blue veins gave Percy some footholds when he had to climb, but the going was slow.
He wasn't particularly keen on tripping and bursting open one of the pit god's blood vessels. He had no illusions about that ending well.
The worst part was that he could feel all of it. All around him, hidden within the tunnels of Tartarus's heart, the rivers of the Underworld churned, functioning as his blood. He had gotten intimate with all of them at some point in his life, and could practically pick out which river flowed in which vein as they continued to his heart.
For a moment, he wondered what would happen if he tried to burst as many of the blood vessels as he could.
Then he shuddered and shoved the thought away for later. Hopefully he wouldn't have to do anything as stupid as that.
"We should hurry," Zoe decided, "If we don't…"
Her voice trailed off. It didn't take a genius to realize that they already may be too late.
Ahead of them, jagged streaks of darkness tore through the air - like lightning, except pure black.
"The Doors," Bob said, "Must be a large group going through."
Percy's mouth tasted like gorgon's blood. Even if his friends from the Argo II managed to find the other side of the Doors of Death, how could they possibly fight the waves of monsters that were coming through, especially if all the Giants were already waiting for them?
"Do all the monsters go through the House of Hades?" He asked, "How big is that place?"
Bob shrugged. "Perhaps they are sent elsewhere when they step through. The House of Hades is in the earth, yes? That is Gaea's realm. She could send her minions wherever she wishes."
Or them went unsaid. Perhaps Gaea would simply teleport them into the middle of a mountain and they'd suffocate the moment they stepped out of the elevators.
Oh well. There wasn't any better option.
That seemed to be his running motto in this fucked-up place.
Bob helped them over the top of another ridge. Suddenly the Doors of Death were in plain view - a freestanding rectangle of darkness at the top of the next heart-muscle hill, about a quarter of a mile away, surrounded by a horde of monsters so thick Percy could have walked on their heads all the way across.
The Doors were still too far away to make out much detail, but the Titans flanking either side were familiar enough if the way Zoe gasped was any indication.
The one on the right wore dark-blue armor, with ram's horns curling from the sides of his helmet. He had only seen the Titan in dreams before, but it was definitely Krios, the Titan that Jason had killed in the battle for Mount Tam.
He could figure out the other one was Koios with some context clues. His blood boiled at the sight of those who had imprisoned Zoe, and he felt a grim satisfaction as he realized Hyperion was nowhere to be seen. At least that guy had the courtesy to stay dead.
"Brothers," Bob murmured faintly, "I remember them."
Zoe gave Percy a look - the kind of look that screamed 'I hope you're ready to fight three Titans at once', but Percy waved her off.
Worst case scenario he cuts the chains of the Doors of Death and the mission is complete. He dies down here, forever stuck in eternal damnation, but his friends survive to fight Gaea and Zoe reforms one day.
He could live with that.
Besides, if Bob wanted them dead he'd have tried to do so by now. Even the memory of his brothers wouldn't be enough to spur him to betray Percy. Probably. If it did he could hold the Titan off long enough for Zoe to cut the chains herself.
Still, why did he feel so uneasy right now?
Bob shook his head in front of them, hefting his broom as though he was preparing for a fight. "They are not like Bob. They do not like Bob's friends. We must hurry."
Great. He hadn't decided to try and skewer them yet. Percy hung a bit closer to Zoe just in case he needed to hand off Anaklusmos, absentmindedly grabbing her hand in the meantime. She leaned into the contact, and Percy dimly realized she was shaking as badly as he was.
He tried to offer her reassurance, but was too nervous to speak. His actions would have to do for now.
So far, their Death Mist camouflage plan seemed to be working. So, naturally, Percy expected a massive last-minute fail.
Fifty feet from the Doors of Death, he and Zoe froze.
"Oh, Ouranos," Zoe swore, causing Percy to pause at the odd curse, "They're the same."
He knew what she meant. Framed in Stygian Iron, the magical portal was a set of elevator doors - two panels of silver and black etched with art deco designs. Except for the fact that the colors were inverted, they looked exactly like the elevators in the Empire State Building, the entrance to Olympus.
Seeing them, Percy felt so homesick he couldn't breathe. He didn't just miss Mount Olympus. He missed everything he'd left behind: New York City, Camp Half-Blood, his mom and stepdad. Even the times he had spent with his now ex-girlfriend. His eyes stung. He didn't trust himself to talk. His stomach churned, and he was pretty sure he was going to throw up.
The Doors of Death seemed like a personal insult, designed to remind him of everything he couldn't have.
As he got over his initial shock, he noticed other details: The frost spreading from the base of the Doors, the purplish glow in the air around them, and the chains that held them down.
Cords of black iron ran down either side of the frame, like rigging lines on a suspension bridge. They were tethered to hooks embedded in the fleshy ground. Krios and Koios stood guard at the anchor points.
Percy frowned. It looked like they'd have a fight on their hands no matter what.
As he watched, the entire frame shuddered. Black lightning flashed into the 'sky'. The chains shook, and the Titans planted their feet on the hooks to keep the Doors of Death secure. The Doors slid open, revealing the gilded interior of an elevator car.
Percy froze. He was so tense his gut felt like a steel spring.
They were so close.
Koios called out into the crowd of assorted monsters: "Group A-22! Chop chop!"
A dozen Cyclopes rushed forward, waving little red tickets and shouting excitedly. They shouldn't have been able to fit inside those human-sized doors, but as the Cyclopes got close, their bodies distorted and shrank, the Doors of Death sucking them inside.
Krios jabbed his thumb against the UP button on the elevator's right side. The doors slid closed.
"You must understand how it works," Bob muttered. He addressed the kitten in his palm, maybe so the other monsters wouldn't wonder who he was talking to. "Each time the Doors open, they try to teleport to a new location. Thanatos made them this way, so only he could find them. But now they are chained. The Doors cannot relocate."
Ah. Well there goes the mystery of why the doors looked like Olympus's. Did Hades project his own feelings of insecurity about not being allowed on Olympus onto all his underlings as well?
"We must cut the chains, then," Zoe whispered.
Percy eyed the Titans cautiously. Hyperion had nearly killed both Zoe and himself, and would have likely succeeded if the Phlegethon wasn't there. Krios was no Hyperion, and had fallen to Jason (who Percy liked to imagine he was stronger than), but that hadn't been an easy fight. Zoe didn't even have a weapon anymore, if Bob got cold feet could he really fight both of them alone?
"Our camouflage," he asked, "Will it disappear if we do something aggressive, like cutting the chains?"
"I do not know," Bob told his kitten.
"Mrow," said Small Bob.
Percy pursed his lips. He'd have to be quick, then.
"Bob," Zoe muttered, "Percy will have to cut the chains. I do not have a weapon anymore. You'll have to distract them."
"Yes, fine," Bob continued, petting Small Bob gently, "You can join him. I have a spare broom in my back pocket. But that is only one problem. Once you are inside the Doors, someone must stay outside to push the button and defend it."
Zoe tensed. "Defend it?"
Bob nodded, scratching his kitten under the chin. "Someone must keep pressing the UP button for twelve minutes, or the journey will not finish."
And there it was.
He already felt homesick just looking at the doors. How was he going to feel a few minutes from now, when Zoe and Bob went up the elevator and the Doors disappeared without him inside?
Percy glanced at the Doors. Sure enough, Krios still had his thumb jammed on the UP button.
Twelve minutes…
Somehow, they would have to get the Titans away from those Doors. Then Bob, Zoe, or Percy would have to keep that button pushed for twelve long minutes, in the middle of an army of monsters in the heart of Tartarus, while the other two rode to the mortal world.
It was impossible.
Good thing he had a knack for doing the impossible.
"Why twelve minutes?" Percy asked, trying to keep his voice even and distract himself.
"I do not know," Bob said, "Why twelve Olympians? Why twelve Titans?"
"Fair enough," he responded coolly, a resigned, bitter taste in his mouth.
Zoe reached into Bob's back pocket, and sure enough there was another broom inside. It was clearly stored in some fantastically magical way, and the pole just continued to lengthen as Zoe pulled it out. It was comically large compared to the normal-sized girl, and she nearly fell over as she tried to hold it in her hands. At the edge of the handle there was a sharp blade a few inches long, already out and ready to cut the chains.
"If we do push the button for twelve minutes," Percy said, "And the chains are cut–"
"The Doors should reset," Bob said, "That is what they are supposed to do. They will disappear from Tartarus. They will appear somewhere else, where Gaea cannot use them."
"Thanatos can reclaim them," he whispered, "Death goes back to normal, and the monsters lose their shortcut to the mortal world."
Zoe exhaled. "It sounds simple when thou says it like that."
Small Bob purred.
"I will push the button," Bob volunteered.
It was like a punch to the gut for Percy. Bob lost his memory because of him, was in Tartarus because of him, was going to have to fight his brothers because of him, and was going to be stuck in Tartarus.
Because of him.
A million emotions swirled around in his chest - grief, sadness, anger, and guilt most of all. "Bob, I can't ask you to do that. You want to go through the Doors too. You deserve to see the sky again, and the stars, and–"
"I would like that," Bob agreed, "But someone must push the button. And once the chains are cut… my brethren will fight to stop your passage. They will not want the Doors to disappear."
Percy gazed at the endless horde of monsters. Even if he let Bob make yet another sacrifice for him, how could one Titan defend himself against so many monsters for twelve minutes, all while keeping his finger on a button?
How could he do it himself?
The cement settled in Percy's stomach. His gaze hardened. He was stronger than Bob. He could destroy this place, as he had everywhere else he'd come upon. He'd control ichor, blood, and whatever ran through the monsters' filthy veins. He'd use every trick in the book, and then invent his own once he ran out. He'd burst blood vessel after blood vessel of Tartarus's heart to save his friends. Percy would hold the elevator and make sure Zoe and Bob could get to safety.
To freedom.
But he'd have to convince Bob, and primarily Zoe, to go without him. As long as they were safe and the Doors disappeared, he could die knowing he'd done the right thing.
Did noble deaths exist in Tartarus?
He didn't meet either of his companions' eyes.
"First things first," he said, "Let's cut those chains."
–
"Iapetus!" Koios bellowed, "Well, well. I heard you were thrown into the Lethe. Must've been terrible! We all knew you would heal eventually. It's Koios! Koios!"
"Of course," Bob said, stepping forward, "Koios, Titan of…"
"The North!" Koios bellowed, slapping a friendly hand on Bob's back.
"I know!" Bob shouted back.
Percy crept towards the right side of the Doors, while Zoe skated around to the left. The Titans gave no sign of noticing them, but he wasn't going to be taking any chances. He kept Riptide in pen form, crouching low and moving as silently as possible. The lesser monsters kept a respectful distance from the Titans, so there was enough space to maneuver around behind the doors; but Percy was keenly aware of the snarling mob at his back.
Zoe had decided to take the side Koios was guarding, leaving him with Krios. On his side of the doors, the Titan stood dark and silent, his ram's-headed helmet covering his face. He kept one foot planted on the chain's anchor and his thumb on the UP button as Koios and Bob reconnected.
They took turns playfully hitting each other in the arm, like they were little brothers. Krios watched impassionately, his face unreadable.
"Koios and Krios," Bob said after a moment, "I remember you."
"Do you, Iapetus?" Koios snorted, looking towards his other brother to share in some unknown joke. "Well, that's good to know! I heard Percy Jackson turned you into a brainwashed scullery maid. What did he rename you… Betty?"
"Bob," the silver Titan snarled.
"Well it's about time you showed up, Bob. Krios and I have been stuck here for weeks–"
"Hours," Krios corrected, his voice a deep rumble inside his helmet.
"Whatever!" Koios waved his brother off. "It's boring work, guarding these doors, shuffling monsters through at Gaea's orders. We've got better things to do, like hunt for a missing daughter of Atlas gone rogue - that's your granddaughter, by the way - she was stuck in our dungeon, and we were going to deliver her to her father for a proper punishment for eons of treachery, but she broke free! Any ideas on where a little girlie could be hiding out down here?"
Bob shrugged, but Percy could see how tense he was. "No idea. Maybe hiding along the Phlegethon."
Koios snapped his finger at Bob. "Smart, this one! I knew we should have checked along that bastard's banks. We might have even found whatever rock Hyperion crawled under!"
Bob nodded. "That makes sense."
"Tell me about it!" Koios whined. "I didn't even get to leave Tartarus for the last war, and now I'm stuck here? Krios I get–"
"I get all the worst assignments," he muttered, hand still on the button.
"But me too? It's so unfair! This should be your job, Iapetus. Here, take my place for a while."
Bob stared at the Doors, but his gaze was distant. This was the perfect opportunity to get one of their biggest obstacles out of the way, and he was totally out of it.
"The four of us held down our father, Ouranos." Bob remembered. "Hyperion, me, Koios, and Krios. Kronos promised us mastery of the four corners of the earth for helping with the murder."
"Aye," Koios agreed. "And I was happy to do it! But you, Iapetus, you were always conflicted about it. A big crybaby, almost as bad as our brother Oceanus! The Titan of the West, soft as the sunset!"
He eyed the broom in Bob's hands. "It seems that you can pierce no more, Piercer."
Percy reached the anchor hook. He uncapped Riptide, and Krios didn't so much as blink. His attention was firmly fixed on Bob, who had leveled the point of his spear at Koios's chest.
"I can still pierce plenty," Bob grumbled, "At least a janitor's work is honest. I clean up after others, and I leave places better than how I found them. You take orders from Gaea now."
"She is our mother!" Koios hissed, surprised at Bob's shift in tone.
"She did not wake for our war on Olympus," Bob recalled, "She favors her second brood, the Giants."
Koios grunted. "That's true enough. The children of the pit."
"Shut up, idiots!" Koios hissed, voice laced with terror. "You never know when he is listening."
The elevator dinged. All three Titans jumped.
Had it been twelve minutes? Percy had lost track of time.
Krios took his finger off the button. "Double Red!" He called out, "Where is Double Red?"
Hordes of monsters stirred and jostled one another, but none of them came forward.
Krios heaved a sigh. "I told them to hang on to their tickets. Double Red! You'll lose your place in the queue!"
Zoe was in position, right behind Koios, tip of the broom raised over the base of the chains. She held up three fingers to Percy, who nodded grimly at the Titaness. If he let go of Riptide, he was half sure the sword would fly away into the heavens of Tartarus with how much energy the blade contained. They had to cut the chains before the next group tried to take the elevator, but they also had to make sure the Titans were as distracted as possible.
Koios cursed in that same ancient language Zoe had spat forever ago. "Just wonderful. This will completely mess up our schedule." He eyed Bob critically. "Make your choice, brother. Fight us or help us. We don't have time for your lectures."
Bob glanced at Percy. He thought the chances of him starting a fight were as equal as him rushing at the demigod, but he did neither.
He raised the tip of his spear. "Very well. I will take guard duty. Which of you wants a break first?"
"Me!" Koios said immediately.
"No, me!" Krios snapped. "I've been holding that button for so long that my thumb is going to fall off!"
"I've been standing here longer!" Koios shot back, "You two guard the doors while I go and finally enjoy the mortal world for once - it's been millenia! I want to slay some Greek heroes too, you know!"
"Oh, no!" Krios complained. "That Roman boy is on his way to Epirus - the one who killed me on Mount Othrys. Got lucky, he did. Now it's my turn!"
"Bah!" Koios drew his sword, the blade radiating a cold deeper than the Hubbard Glacier. His eyes glimmered dangerously, and he dumbly realized that those eyes reminded him of Artemis. "I'll gut you first, Ram-head!"
Krios raised his own weapon. "You can try, but I won't be stuck in this stinking pit any longer!"
Zoe caught Percy's eyes. She mouthed: One, two–
Before they could strike the chains, a high-pitched whine pierced his ears, like the sound of an incoming rocket. Percy just had time to think: Uh-oh. Then an explosion rocked the hillside. A wave of heat knocked him backward. Dark shrapnel ripped through Koios and Krios, shredding them as easily as wood in a chipper.
STINKING PIT. A hollow voice rolled across the plains, shaking the warm, fleshy ground.
Bob staggered to his feet. Somehow the explosion hadn't touched him. He swept his spear in front of him, trying to locate the source of the voice. Small Bob crawled into his overalls.
Zoe had landed about ten feet away from the Doors, blown back much less by the explosion compared to Percy. When she stood, he was so relieved that she was alive it took him a moment to realize she looked like herself.
The Death Mist was gone.
He looked at his own hands. His disguise was gone too.
TITANS, the voice said disdainfully, LESSER BEINGS. IMPERFECT AND WEAK.
In front of the Doors of Death, the air darkened and solidified. The being who appeared was so massive, radiating such pure malevolence, that Percy wanted to crawl away and hide.
Instead, he forced his eyes to trace the god's form, starting with his black iron boots, each one as large as a coffin. His legs were covered in dark greaves; his flesh all thick purple muscle, like the ground. His armored skirt was made from thousands of blackened, twisted bones, woven together like chain links and clasped in place by a belt of interlocking monstrous arms.
On the surface of the warrior's breastplate, murky faces appeared and submerged - Giants, Cyclopes, gorgons, and drakons - all pressing against the armor as if they wanted to get out.
The warrior's arms were bare - muscular, purple, and glistening - his hands as large as crane scoops.
Worst of all was his head: A helmet of twisted rock and metal with no particular shape - just jagged spikes and pulsing patches of magma. His entire face was a whirlpool - an inward spiral of darkness. As Percy watched, the last particles of Titan essence from Koios and Krios were vacuumed into the warrior's maw.
Somehow Percy found his voice. "Tartarus."
The warrior made a sound like a mountain cracking in half: A roar or a laugh, he couldn't be sure.
This form is only a small manifestation of my power, the god said. But it is enough to deal with you. I do not interfere lightly, little demigod. It is beneath me to deal with gnats such as yourself.
"Uh…" Percy's legs threatened to collapse under him. "Don't… you know… go to any trouble."
You have proven surprisingly resilient, Tartarus said. You have come too far. I can no longer stand by and watch your progress.
Tartarus raised his arms. Throughout the valley, thousands of monsters wailed and roared, clashing their weapons and bellowing in triumph. The Doors of Death shuddered in their chains.
Be honored, Percy Jackson! The god of the pit crowed. Even the Olympians were never worthy of my personal attention. But you will be destroyed by Tartarus himself!
…
Getting killed by Tartarus didn't seem like much of an honor. He'd rather die in some less memorable way, like a mortal, although it didn't really seem like he had a choice in the matter anymore.
It wasn't the first time he'd faced an enemy he couldn't defeat with sheer force - hell, his encounters with Nyx and Akhlys mere hours ago were proof enough of that - but he just felt completely and utterly helpless now.
The monsters swirled around them, but for some reason didn't swarm and kill him and Zoe. Maybe they knew he would put up a bit of a fight against them, and didn't want to be the ones to die when they were so close to the exit.
Or maybe they wanted to watch their boss in action. Tartarus seemed to command that kind of respect for himself.
Gods, why did this keep happening to him? He had faced down just about every monster in the pit and then some; did he really have to fight the fucking pit itself, too?
He wanted to impale himself on Riptide. At least then he'd go out on his own terms instead of getting sucked up into Tartarus's maw.
The god of the pit flexed his fingers, examining his own polished black talons. He had no expression (which was kind of a given considering the whole no-face issue), but he straightened his shoulders as if he were pleased.
It is good to have form, he decided. With these hands, I can eviscerate you.
His voice sounded like a backward recording - as if the words were being sucked into his face rather than projected. In fact, everything seemed to be drawn toward the face of this god - the dim light, the poisonous clouds, the essence of the monsters, even his own fragile life force. He looked around and realized that every object on this vast plain had grown a vaporous comet's tail - all pointing towards Tartarus.
This sucked. This really fucking sucked. Had every single moment of his life really been leading up to this? He really hated the Fates. If he ever saw them again - in whatever afterlife he wound up in - he'd be sure to make his displeasure known.
The god was savoring his new form, and Percy dimly realized that was the only reason Tartarus hadn't ripped them to pieces yet. The god could probably wipe them from existence with less than a thought.
Riptide slipped from his grasp, and he was barely lucid enough to keep the sword from falling to the ground. Even its energetic glow and eager vibrations had been dulled in the presence of Tartarus.
I see the appeal of having a physical body with so many senses! Tartarus hissed. Perhaps my beloved Gaea is right, wishing to wake from her slumber.
He stretched out his massive purple hand and might have plucked him up like a weed, but Bob interrupted.
"Begone!" The Titan leveled his spear at the god. "You have no right to meddle!"
Meddle? Tartarus turned. I am the lord of all creatures of the darkness, puny Iapetus. I can do as I please.
His black cyclone face spun faster. The howling was bad. Zoe fell to her knees and clutched her ears, and Percy wasn't far behind. Bob stumbled, the wispy comet tail of his life force growing longer as it was sucked toward the face of the god.
He roared in defiance. He charged and thrust his spear at Tartarus's chest. Before it could connect, Tartarus swatted Bob aside like he was a pesky insect. The Titan went sprawling.
Why do you not disintegrate? Tartarus mused. You are nothing. You are even weaker than Krios and Koios.
"I am Bob," he shot back.
Tartarus hissed. What is that? What is Bob?
"I choose to be more than Iapetus," said the Titan, "You do not control me. I am not like my brethren."
The collar of his coveralls bulged. Small Bob leaped out. The kitten landed on the ground in front of his master, then arched his back and hissed at the lord of the abyss. Small Bob began to grow, his form flickering until the little kitten had become a full-sized, translucent skeletal saber-toothed tiger. It was like watching a pokemon evolve mid-battle.
"Also," Bob announced, "I have a good cat."
No-Longer-Small Bob sprang at Tartarus, sinking his teeth into the pit's thigh. The tiger scrambled up his leg, straight under the god's chain link shirt. Tartarus stomped and howled, no longer enamored with having a physical form. Meanwhile, Bob thrust his spear into the god's side, right below his breastplate.
Tartarus roared. He swatted at Bob, but the Titan backed out of reach. Bob thrust out his fingers, and his spear yanked itself free of the god's flesh and returned to his hand. Small Bob dropped out of Tartarus's skirt, running to his master's side with fangs dripping of golden ichor.
That gave Percy an idea.
An incredibly stupid, probably suicidal, idea.
You shall die first, Iapetus. Tartarus decided. Afterward, I will add your soul to my–
Tartarus cut himself off with a groan. Percy had thrust his hand out, eyes clenched shut in concentration as he focused on the ichor flowing within the Primordial's veins. He pulled, and screamed as he tried to drain the god of as much golden blood as he could in the shortest amount of time.
It was like Mount St. Helens on a smaller scale. Ichor burst out of the side of the pit god, straight from where Bob had pierced his skin. It rained down on the crowd of monsters, and apparently Primordial blood was all it took to kill many of them. It was a torrential downpour of gold that left the army scattering to avoid the deadly blood.
And then it ended.
Percy collapsed onto one knee as he watched the fruits of his labor slowly slip away, the ichor Tartarus had lost moments prior immediately being sucked back into the god. Some of the monsters were dead and there was a small staining of gold on the ground, sure, but that was it.
He had changed nothing.
You, boy, I will take great pleasure in killing. Tartarus growled, not even bothering to turn to Percy.
Bob did. "Take the Doors," he ordered, "I will deal with Tartarus."
Percy could barely even nod.
Tartarus threw back his head and bellowed - creating a vacuum so strong the nearest flying demons were pulled into his face and shredded.
Deal with me? He mocked. You are only a Titan, a lesser child of Gaea! I will make you suffer for your arrogance. And as for your tiny mortal friends…
Tartarus swept his hand toward the monster army, beckoning them forward. DESTROY THEM!
Great.
"Percy!" Zoe shouted, using the broom's sharp tip to break the chains on the Doors of Death.
Riptide cut through the first wave of monsters with ease, having no qualms about killing now that Tartarus wasn't their enemy. Half a dozen telkhines, an overeager Cyclops, and two scythian dracaena fell in his first swipe alone.
Zoe lunged behind him and broke the other chain. The Doors shuddered, black lightning flashing around them that turned every monster in a thirty foot radius to dust, then opened with a pleasant Ding!
Bob continued to fight Tartarus with Small Bob, but Percy knew it was a losing battle. It was only a matter of time before the Titan was overwhelmed. Tartarus was slow and sluggish, not used to his body, and the duo took advantage of that where they could, keeping the Primordial occupied to the best of their ability.
Percy noticed the Doors beginning to close as he and Zoe fought through the resurgent wave of monsters, and jammed Riptide between them.
"Zoe!" He shouted, "Get over here! Take Anaklusmos and get in! I'll hold the button!"
Zoe rushed to his side, but froze at his next declaration. "Is thou serious?! If anyone is getting into that elevator, it is thee!"
Percy shook his head. "Consider it payback for Mount Tam!"
A phalanx of Cyclopes charged forward, knocking smaller monsters out of the way. Percy felt the Phlegethon running beneath his feet and ripped the vein apart, spraying the monsters with the river of the Underworld. It combusted them in a tidal wave of heat. The vein tried to seal itself, but Percy was having none of that - he pulled harder and harder on the Phlegethon's waters until the entire blood vessel was ripped open, swirling the Phlegethon around them like a fiery tornado.
"Zoe, go!" He ordered, "We can't both make it!"
"No!" She shouted back, "Thou must go! I can hold the button for twelve minutes!"
They both knew she was lying.
"Any smarter ideas?" He ground out, gut twisting and turning as he continued to add fuel to his little hurricane. Monsters were getting destroyed by it as it ran through the hordes, but Tartarus's mere presence was sapping its (and his) energy. A few brave creatures tried to rush him as he focused, but one burst Styx vein later and they were nothing but a memory.
He jammed his leg backwards into the Doors before he pulled Riptide out, holding the sword out in front of him dangerously as though he was daring any other monsters to be stupid enough to attack. Something told him that if they let the Doors of Death close they wouldn't open up again, and would instead disappear from Tartarus for good - which was still a victory, but he wouldn't consider it a true success unless his friends - unless Zoe - made it out of here alive.
The crowd of monsters inched forward as his tornado began to sputter and die, only to shriek in fright as Percy let his control slip and doused everything beneath the tornado in Phlegethon water - right before ripping open another half dozen veins and launching the waters out into the army. His forehead was drenched in sweat as Zoe covered his flanks, shouting at him to get in the elevator all the while.
Meanwhile, Bob's attacks were getting slower. Tartarus was learning to control his new body. Small Bob lunged at the god, but Tartarus smacked the cat sideways. Bob charged, bellowing with rage, but Tartarus grabbed his spear and yanked it out of his hands. He kicked Bob downhill, knocking over a row of telkhines like sea mammal bowling pins.
YIELD! Tartarus thundered.
"I will not," Bob grit out, "You are not my master."
Die in defiance, then, the god of the pit said. You Titans are nothing to me. My children, the Giants, were always better, stronger, and more vicious. They will make the upper world as dark as my realm!
Tartarus snapped Bob's broom in half. Bob wailed in agony. Small-Bob leapt to his aid, snarling at Tartarus and baring his fangs. Bob struggled to rise, but Percy knew it was over. Even the monsters stopped attacking him and Zoe to watch, as if sensing their true master was about to take the spotlight. The death of a Titan was worth seeing.
Percy gripped Zoe's hand. "Take Anaklusmos. Run. Live. I'm going to help."
"Percy," she croaked, "It is pointless. Tartarus can't be fought by us. I would not make it anyways."
He knew she was right. His earlier attempt to injure the god made that perfectly clear. He was in a class by himself. If he was just playing with Bob, there was nothing he could do.
Still…
"Go," he hissed, "Run. You can live. One day you can be free. Find Phlegethon, or the Hermes statue, and survive. Take Anaklusmos."
Zoe shook her head fervently. "I will not abandon thee to die, Percy."
Tears were in her eyes. He finally realized how badly this was paining her.
"Alright," Percy finally relented, accepting their fate. "We'll go and meet our deaths together."
Zoe nodded solemnly. "If that is what thee wishes."
His final battle. What a way to go! He prepared to remove his foot from the Doors. Once he did it there would be no going back, but he had faith the rest of the Seven would finish what he had started.
At least he would die with his comrades. They had chosen to fight for him, and he would be damned if he didn't die for them in return.
Right as he was about to say now, a ripple of alarm passed through the army. He heard shrieks, screams, and a persistent boom, boom, boom, that was too fast to be the heartbeat in the ground - more like something large and heavy, running at full speed. An Earthborn spun into the air as if he'd been tossed. A plume of bright-green gas billowed across the top of the monstrous horde like the spray from a poison riot hose. Everything in its path dissolved.
Across the swath of sizzling, newly empty ground, Percy saw the cause of the commotion.
He started to cry.
The Maeonian drakon spread its frilled collar and hissed, its poison breath filling the battlefield with the smell of pine and ginger. It shifted its hundred-foot-long body, flicking its dappled green tail and wiping out a battalion of ogres.
Riding on its back was Damasen. That red-skinned Giant with flowers in his rust-colored braids, a jerkin of green leather, and a drakon-rib lance in his hand.
"Damasen!" He shouted, sobbing.
The Giant inclined his head. "Percy Jackson. I took your advice. Screw fate. I have chosen my own!"
Percy felt like he could finally die.
What is this? Tartarus hissed. Why have you come, my disgraced son?
Damasen glanced at Percy, a clear message in his eyes: Go. Now.
He turned towards Tartarus. The Maeonian drakon stamped its feet and snarled.
"Father, you wished for a more worthy opponent?" Damasen asked calmly. "I am one of the Giants you are so proud of. You wished me to be more warlike? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!"
Damasen leveled his lance and charged.
The monstrous army swarmed him, but the Maeonian drakon flattened everything in its path, sweeping its tail and spraying poison while Damasen jabbed at Tartarus. The god was forced to retreat like a cornered lion, snarling all the while.
Bob stumbled away from the battle, his saber-toothed cat at his side. Percy gave them as much cover as he could - causing blood vessels in the ground to erupt one after the other. A wall of Phlegethon water surged forth in particularly spectacular fashion, bursting around Bob like a wave, clearing the path to the Doors for him.
He limped to them. Golden ichor flowed from the wounds on his arms and chest. His janitor's outfit hung in tatters. His posture was twisted and hunched, as if Tartarus breaking the spear had broken something inside him. Despite all that, he was grinning, his silver eyes bright with satisfaction as Zoe handed him his spare broom.
"Go," he ordered, "I will hold the button."
Percy gawked at him. "Bob, you're in no condition to–"
"Percy." Zoe's voice cracked. "We have to."
"We can't leave him!" Percy shouted, throwing more and more of Tartarus's watery blood out to aid Damasen in his duel.
"You must, friend." Bob clapped Percy on the arm, nearly knocking him over. "I can still press a button. And I have a good cat to guard me."
Small Bob growled in agreement, eyes locked on a screaming Cyclops that flew over their heads.
The tears were flowing freely now. He didn't bother trying to wipe them away, knowing more would replace them any instant.
"Besides," Bob said, "It is your destiny to return to the world. Put an end to this madness of Gaea."
Fifty yards away, the Maeonian drakon trampled through monsters, its feet making sickening squish squish noises as if stomping grapes. On its back, Damasen yelled insults and jabbed at the god of the pit, taunting Tartarus further and further away from the Doors.
Tartarus lumbered after him, his iron boots making craters in the ground.
You cannot kill me! He bellowed angrily, minor monsters being sucked into his vortex as they fought. I am the pit itself. You might as well try to kill the earth. Gaea and I - we are eternal. We own you, flesh and spirit!
He brought down his massive fist, but Damasen sidestepped, impaling his javelin in the side of Tartarus's neck. The Primordial growled, apparently more irritated than anything, and turned his swirling face toward the Giant. Damasen was quick, however, easily dodging the attack, a dozen monsters getting inhaled in his place.
"Tell that to Ouranos!" Damasen shot back.
"Bob, don't," Percy insisted, eerily calm, "He'll destroy you. Permanently. No coming back. No regeneration."
Bob shrugged his massive shoulders. "Who knows what will be? You must go now. Tartarus is right about one thing. We cannot defeat him. We can only buy you time."
The doors tried to close on Percy's foot.
"Twelve minutes," said the Titan, "I can give you that."
Zoe leapt at Bob, wrapping him in a hug so tight it made the Titan grimace before he began to smile, returning the embrace warmly. The Titan began to cry himself, making the entire group one sobbing mess.
"I am sorry," she wept, blubbering like the Ophiotaurus, "I am sorry I cannot take thy place, grandfather. We will remember thou and Damasen as heroes, the greatest of thy kind - the greatest Titan and the greatest Giant to ever roam the universe. We won't forget thou - the world won't forget thou. We shall keep thy story alive. Someday, thou will regenerate."
Bob smiled into her embrace, kissing her forehead as smile lines crinkled around his eyes. "It is okay. I have chosen this path, granddaughter. Live for me, and live for Damasen. Embrace your feelings. That is good. Until then, my friends, tell the sun and the stars hello for me. And be strong. This may not be the last sacrifice you must make to stop Gaea."
He finally pushed Zoe away gently. "Go."
Zoe sniffled, but took her turn holding the Doors for Percy to say his goodbye.
He rushed forward, kneeling at Bob's side as he urged him to stand.
"Get in the elevator," he whispered to the silver Titan, "Go. I'll stay. It's my fault you're here. You deserve to be free."
Bob shook his head. "I have made my choice. You must live."
Percy could barely even see as he used what remained of his energy to pull Bob to his feet. "No!" He cried, "I– You're down here because of me! I can't let you do this! I won't let you!"
"Percy!" Zoe screamed, her voice drowned out as Iapetus wrapped him in a hug.
"Thank you, Percy," Bob rumbled, "You are Bob's friend."
That only made him sob harder. He tried to hand Riptide to Bob - the Titan smelled like fresh lemon, a staple of cleaning supplies.
"Give this to Zoe," he choked out, "It's hers. She'll need it."
Bob pulled back from their hug. "Give it to her yourself."
He shoved Percy, practically throwing him into Zoe as she opened the Doors of Death as wide as she could.
Just wide enough for the two of them to crash through as Percy collided with the former Huntress, slamming the pair against the back of the elevator.
Percy gasped, immediately trying to scramble to his feet - but Zoe was quicker than him. She wrapped her arms around his torso using her newfound strength from her time in the pit, barely able to hold him back from the now closing doors.
He got one last glimpse of the Maeonian drakon shaking an ogre like a sock puppet, Damasen jabbing at Tartarus's legs.
"Let go!" He shouted at Zoe, "I need to be out there! I can't let him do this!"
"No!" Zoe screamed back, crying just as much as he was.
Tartarus pointed at the Doors of Death and yelled. Monsters, stop them!
"Hold the Doors closed on your side!" Bob shouted, tossing them his backpack. "They will resist your passage!"
"Bob! BOB! IAPETU–"
The Doors of Death hurried to shut just as Percy lunged forward, finally breaking free from Zoe's hold on him.
Bob's backpack hit Percy squarely in the face.
He slammed against the now closed panels.
—
A/N: Pour one out for the homies in your life, whether they be a Bob or a Damasen or a Zoe or a Percy. Let 'em know they matter.
Anywho, new longest chapter! Almost 9k! Was it good? Bad? A punch right to the feels? Let me know what you thought!
As always, let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed it!