The Doors shuddered as Percy pounded his fists against the metal, rage and adrenaline fueling each blow, but it was too late.
He whirled around to face Zoe, hurt and anger and misery all trapped within his glare. "How could you?!" He screamed, "That should be me down there!"
Zoe, for her part, looked speechless.
The Doors of Death shuddered.
Both of them froze.
For the briefest of moments, Percy thought about letting the Doors open and shove him into whatever agony awaited those lost in the transition between death and life - something that he probably deserved - and then remembered Zoe, and that he wouldn't let another one of his friends die because of his selfishness.
He slammed one hand against each door, trying to drag them together in the middle, but there were no handles or protrusions for him to grab on to. The Doors were beginning to slip, and they would have flung the elevator's passengers into whatever sort of super-hell existed beyond Tartarus if Zoe didn't get up and take one of the Doors herself.
"I'm sorry!" She whispered back, barely audible over the roar of the Doors and the cheesy music that the elevator's speaker spat out, "But Bob made his choice. You heard what he said–"
"I don't care!" Percy hissed. The Doors opened a smidge, the smell of sulfur immediately assaulting them, and Percy slammed the panel back shut furiously. The Doors rang from the force he put behind the action.
"I left them! I left Damasen and Bob and now they're going to die because of me! I keep getting people killed–"
"Are thee an Olympian?" Zoe interrupted with a stern look. "Are thee the one who Gaea is rising to overthrow? Are thee the one who chopped Kronos to pieces millenia ago? The one who–"
"None of that matters!" He cried, uncaring of just how pathetic he sounded. "I'm the one they chose to lead the demigods. I'm the son of Poseidon, the one who's supposed to be the strongest, who can protect everybody! How can I say that when people just keep dying because of me–"
"Thou art seventeen!" Zoe practically screamed at him. "Thou was fourteen when we quested to Mount Tamalpais. I have been around for millenia - how can you possibly blame yourself for my death? Greek heroes of Antiquity trained their whole lives to face one of the evils thou faces every day, and they were much older than thee. Does thou think I was foolish enough to disregard your power when we first met? I recognized how much potential thou held the moment the quest was issued. I didn't want thee there because thou was, and still is, a child."
White-hot anger surged forth at her proclamation, but Zoe continued regardless of his indignation. "Thou art a gifted warrior, a skilled tactician, and an incredible leader. I am not trying to diminish thy feats of greatness. But thou has survived less than twenty winters. Compared to me? Chiron? The gods? Even someone like Thalia? Thou should never have been placed in the situation where thou was forced to fight for thy survival. In the mortal world, thou would still be in high school."
"So?" He shot back, though his tone didn't really carry and bite anymore. "Who cares what could have been? All that matters is what did happen, and what did happen is that people died and are going to keep dying because I wasn't strong enough."
Zoe looked at him with sad eyes. "No one is strong enough to save everyone, Percy. There is nothing we could have done to defeat Tartarus. All that thou can do for them now is try and live for them - keep their memories alive, so that their story does not die with them. Live all the years that they left thou behind. Gods only know how many sisters I have lost over the eons. I still remember all of their names."
Percy didn't respond. He was too busy thinking about everyone who'd died for him, and how many more crosses he'd have to bear as two more names were added to his list.
They held the doors shut as the elevator shuddered and the music played, while somewhere below them a Titan and a Giant sacrificed their lives for their escape.
–
Twelve agonizing, mortifying, death-defying minutes later, the Doors of Death rumbled to a stop. Black smoke had begun to accumulate within the elevator, stinging his eyes as he tried to focus on keeping the Doors shut. Percy was exhausted, but that happy little chime speaker blared out felt like it had breathed new life into his tired body.
And then the Doors didn't open.
Percy and Zoe looked at each other in horror, resignation marred across their faces as they realized exactly what that meant, but before either of them could say anything the Doors dinged one more time and the panels opened wide - throwing them out of the elevator.
He didn't know what had just happened, but he felt like he was dying again as he crossed back into the land of the living. His body failed him as he fell limply against the cold, dark ground, and he was barely able to make out Zoe's scream for him as he hit the dirt.
Percy's brain felt like it had been doused in fire extinguisher foam. He could barely sense what was going on around him - was something touching him? Why was his mouth moving - he wasn't speaking? He tried to move, to do anything, but it was like he was struggling with a bout of sleep paralysis.
Something was moving around him - not quite solid, not quite a gas - so it must have been liquid. He could control it, right? If he could control ichor he could control just about anything - and whatever this was, it had a pretty solid water content.
Speaking of ichor, he could sense a pretty large amount of it around him. He couldn't open his eyes or even make out the shape of the immortal that stood above him, but there definitely was one.
His brain began to shake the white foam off. His motor functions felt like they were returning.
Percy felt something shift around him, and all of a sudden the immortal was gone. Blood replaced ichor in his mind, and his body finally acquiesced to his demands and groaned.
His ears rang like someone was banging gongs inside his head. He cracked one weary eye open and couldn't make out anything but a bunch of blurry shapes and the unmistakable fog of the Mist.
Mist.
"Mist…" Percy murmured. "Hazel…"
Somebody gasped next to him. His brain was moving quicker now, most of the foam was gone.
"Don't move!" Someone, a boy probably, urged. "Percy, dude, take it easy!"
He tried to wave the person off. His hand flopped uselessly against the floor.
"The chains…" he grumbled, "Doors of Death need to be freed. Cut the chains on this side. Zoe? Thanatos. Manhattan."
Percy was vaguely aware of the fact that he was speaking gibberish now, but he didn't care. He needed to get the point across if he couldn't break the chains himself.
He began to try and pull himself up, but his body was still resisting his orders. Someone screamed out in his ear, and he grimaced at the pain. The next thing he knew, someone's fingers were in his mouth (blegh), shoving little squares of ambrosia down his throat as they force-fed him.
He didn't like that very much. In fact, had he been more lucid, he would have tried to take that person's hand off.
But the ambrosia did its job. Mere seconds later the ringing in his ears was gone - the blurriness of his vision was smoothed out, and his senses returned to normal.
Percy was not fond of what he saw.
It turned out that Leo was the one who had been shoving godly food down his gullet, the boy practically collapsing with relief at the fact that he had opened his eyes. The shimmering form of a goddess - Hecate, he corrected mentally - stood to the side, flickering out like the last dying breaths of a candle burned to the wick. A Giant stood in front of the Doors of Death as they struggled to free themselves, and Zoe and Hazel were sprawled out in different spots across the room.
Hazel was standing on shaky legs, but it was clear her strength was waning. He didn't know what had been happening before they arrived (and he had returned from being brain dead), but the picture he was given was clear enough.
The Giant froze as Percy yanked his bodily control away from him with barely a thought. Everybody in the room, Giant included, looked dumbfounded as the child of Gaea went still.
What is this? The Giant growled, struggling against his invisible prison. Release me, Hecate!
The goddess raised her torches, unwilling to let the opportunity pass her by. "This is not the work of me, Clytius - I assure you. If I held such power, you would have been defeated much sooner."
"Hazel," Percy tried to shout, but the word came out as more of a groan. He lifted his head off the cool, damp rock and tried to meet her eyes, but with so much of his focus being spent on controlling the Giant's - Clytius, apparently - ichor, it was kind of hard to do. "The chains."
He hoped she got the message. His head thudded against the ground a moment later.
Percy smirked (or tried to, it might have come out as more of an ugly grimace) as he heard the Giant scream in rage, the sound of chains shattering soothing his aching head. A flash of purple light blinded everyone in the cavern momentarily as the Doors of Death disappeared.
NO! Clytius shouted, fighting even harder to break free from Percy's control. You have forfeit your right to a quick death! NO ONE can help you!
"I think you should be worrying about yourself, Clytius," Hecate chuckled cruelly, "You do not seem to be in a position to be threatening others. Hazel, if you would?"
He couldn't see what was going on - his eyes were clenched shut as he put everything he had into keeping Clytius pinned - but whatever was going on wasn't pretty for the Giant. He'd have felt bad if his father hadn't just killed two of his friends and his mother wasn't attempting to rise and kill everyone he cared about.
In fact, he felt rather at ease with the Giant's screams of pain as Hazel and Hecate tore him apart. It didn't take long at all until Percy felt Clytius begin to dissolve, letting the Giant crumple to nothingness as the duo finished him off.
He gasped as he let his control go, nearly hitting Leo in the face as he sat up. "Woah!" The son of Hephaestus shouted, "Easy, easy!"
"Zoe!" Percy ignored Leo, focusing on his friend. He stumbled to the ground as he attempted to stand up, but that didn't stop him from immediately trying again. "Zoe!"
Zoe groaned from her spot on the floor. "I am here," she grunted, "Please, calm thyself."
"Her name is Zoe?" Leo repeated, as though he was testing the name on his tongue. "Who says 'thyself' anymore?"
Percy again tried to reach his feet, only to fall back ground as Hazel slammed into him like a heat-seeking missile.
"Percy!" She sobbed into his chest, squeezing the life out of him. "You're alive!"
He hesitated at the contact, but quickly returned to hug. "Yeah," he wheezed, "It's good to see you."
Hazel nodded her head in his chest, smearing her tears all over his tunic. Not even Hecate's arrival at her side could detach the demigod from him.
"I see the rumors about you are true, Percy Jackson," the goddess hummed, eyeing him with a cautious eye, "I am glad that you have survived. I can see how Tartarus has changed you."
"Thanks?" He said.
Leo stumbled over to them, throwing an arm around his shoulder and joining their embrace. "That's my bro! Ain't nothing able to stop this son of Poseidon!"
"Guys," Percy croaked, "You're hurting me. I need to see if Zoe is okay."
He'd never seen Leo move so quickly. The kid let him go like he was on fire, which was pretty ironic all things considered. Hazel was slower to react, but still let go after a moment and finally gave him some breathing room.
"I would hurry," Hecate said, observing the way Leo and Hazel were hovering over him like he was going to disappear at any moment. "The House of Hades is unstable. It is falling apart as we speak."
With that, Hecate beckoned Hazel back to her side, the two of them talking in hushed tones for a few moments before Hecate finally disappeared.
Percy ignored her in favor of making his way over to Zoe, who had finally gotten to her feet herself. She leant on him as he offered her his shoulder, heavily favoring her left side. Bob's backpack hung low in her grip.
"I was not incapacitated the same way thee was as we left the elevator," she grumbled, holding her side gingerly, "Clytius threw me into the wall as soon as the Doors opened."
Leo tried to offer her some ambrosia, but froze under Zoe's heavy glare the moment he got close to her. Percy took it out of his hand with an apologetic smile, and the child of Hephaestus was forced to gawk as Zoe took it from Percy with a quiet 'thank you'.
"Hey!" Leo shouted indignantly, "What did I do to deserve the attitude, mamasita?"
Zoe looked like she wanted to do nothing more than gut him like a fish for the comment, but unfortunately she had lost her knives to Akhlys and the arai. She sneered at Leo, but didn't say anything thanks to Percy's disapproving look as he nudged her, the message clear on his face.
Be nice.
"Long story, no time for that now," Percy grunted, "How do we get out of here?"
Hazel winced. "About that–"
In front of Percy's eyes, the Mist began to thicken and ripple. A doorway appeared, Hecate's final gift to Hazel down here, and five people stumbled out, all of them holding their weapons.
Hazel began to weep in relief.
Frank had clearly seen better days. His arm was bleeding heavily, but it didn't look like it would keep him down. Nico was next, pale and thin - but wasn't that just how he was? He looked better than Percy and Frank at any rate. Piper and Jason were next, followed by –
Percy sucked in a breath.
Annabeth.
"Percy!"
He didn't know who had shouted his name, but the next thing he knew a horde of people had glomped him and Zoe - even if most of them didn't know who the Titan was.
"Later," he groaned, "We need to get out of here."
"Frank?" Jason asked, looking towards the Son of Mars.
He shook his head. "I think one favor from the dead is all I can manage today."
Hazel paused. "Wait, what?"
The ceiling shook. Dust began to spiral down on the group.
"No time!" Piper shouted.
"We'll have to shadow-travel," Hazel decided.
Nico winced. "Hazel, I can barely manage that with only myself right now. With seven more people–"
"Eight!" Percy reminded.
"What?!"
"I'll help you," Hazel insisted. Percy could tell she was desperate. But hey, he had survived this far - he had a feeling the Fates wouldn't kill him this easily.
An entire section of tiles peeled loose from the ceiling. Percy had to physically yank Piper out of the way of one.
"Everyone, grab hands!" Nico yelled.
They made a hasty circle. Zoe gripped his hand tight, Bob's backpack being held between her teeth.
The cavern collapsed, and he felt himself dissolving into shadow.
–
They appeared on a hill, presumably above the now-collapsed House of Hades. The cool air was like heaven on his skin after what was apparently two weeks in Tartarus, and the morning air smelt of honeysuckle. He was briefly reminded of the time he'd spent on Ogygia, and winced as a reminder of yet another person he'd failed flashed through his mind. The sun was beginning to rise, orange and blue hues spreading across the sky, creating a beautiful picture of nature as though it were welcoming back the demigod and the constellation to the earth.
Yeah right.
Percy grimaced as he landed roughly in the grass, his comrades not faring much better. Zoe let herself fall down with him, and Nico was quick to pull his hand away from Percy's own.
He looked up at the sun. "Bob says hi," he whispered, throat tight with grief.
His grimace deepened as he felt water churning below - a river that he just knew to be the Acheron.
"We can't stay here," he mumbled to Zoe, "Not with the Acheron nearby."
Zoe tensed at the name of the river that had nearly claimed Percy's soul, but Leo was quick to interrupt.
"I think we can stay a few seconds," he groaned, holding his stomach as though he were about to puke.
Percy just nodded, unwilling to cause conflict so soon. He yanked off the heavy drakon-leather tunic Damasen had given him, determined to make sure the only memory he had of the Giant stayed in pristine condition.
They were all quiet for a moment. The Argo II hovered over the Acheron a few hundred yards away. Bees buzzed around them happily, moving from flower to flower as they began to pollinate.
It was peaceful.
And then Jason decided to open his big mouth.
"So…" he began, unsure of what to say, "Percy, who's your friend?"
Oh right. None of them had met Zoe before. None of them except for -
"Z–Zoe?!" Annabeth breathed out, shocked. She had craned her neck up from her spot in the grass to get a good look at the newest member of their group, but she looked like she had seen a ghost.
To be fair, she kind of did.
Leo made a face as he glanced between Annabeth and Zoe, who had inched closer to Percy beneath everyone's stares. "You two know each other?"
"She came out of the Doors of Death with Percy," Hazel murmured.
Annabeth nodded, but she was very clearly shaken. "We– She– I mean–"
Nico cut her off, but he didn't look much better. "How– how are you here?"
Zoe sighed, looking between Percy and a random spot in the sky that he just knew was where her constellation was hiding, smiling softly. "Percy."
He could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. He squeezed her hand.
"Um," Piper interrupted, "Can someone please explain to those of us not in the know exactly who this lady is? I think I'm speaking for a lot of us when I say I have no clue what's going on."
"Long story," Percy found himself saying again, "It can wait."
They began to exchange stories. Frank explained what had happened with the ghostly legion and the army of monsters - how Nico had used the scepter of Diocletian, and how bravely Jason and Piper had fought.
"Frank is being modest," Jason said. "He controlled the entire legion. You should've seen him. Oh, by the way…" Jason glanced at Percy. "I resigned my office, gave Frank a field promotion to praetor. Unless you want to contest that ruling."
Percy bit back a frown at the callous way Jason spoke to him - as though it wasn't really his choice to make.
He settled for a shrug. "No argument here."
"Praetor?" Hazel stared at Frank.
He shrugged uncomfortably. "Well… yeah. I know it seems weird."
Leo clapped Frank on the shoulder. "Way to go, Zhang! Now you can order Octavian to fall on his sword."
"Tempting," Frank agreed, "But I hardly had the toughest job. I mean, crossing the Atlantic twice in two weeks? And– And Tartarus…"
He eyed Annabeth, and Percy especially, with sorrow.
Annabeth huffed. "I just helped transport the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood. Nico and Reyna did most of the work. But…" She joined in on everyone else's stares, turning her gaze on Percy and Zoe. "I– I need to know. Zoe, how are you alive? I– We watched you die."
The shift in mood was immediate. Hazel's eyes darted towards her in shock, and everybody else around them (aside from Nico) tensed.
The former Huntress turned her face to look at Percy, who just shrugged, allowing Zoe to take the lead. It wasn't his place to tell her what to say. He squeezed her hand for reassurance either way - something that caught the attention of a few of their fellow demigods, though nobody said a word.
Zoe met their gazes evenly. "Do ye truly wish to hear my story? It is not a pretty one - I imagine most of thee will not be prepared to handle the truth, especially you, son of Jupiter."
She spat the name of the king of the gods violently, causing everyone to exchange curious looks with each other.
Jason blinked at being called out. "What did I do?"
Zoe pursed her lips. "Thou did nothing. What thy father did is a different story."
"Zeus?" Annabeth questioned.
Zoe nodded. "I suppose that it would only be proper if I started at the beginning, many millennia ago–"
"I'm sorry," Leo interrupted, "Did you just say millenia?! You barely look 16!"
"Do not interrupt me, male!" Zoe shot back, ignoring his question. "Were thee not one of those who wanted to hear my story?"
Leo looked like he had eaten something particularly sour. "Look lady, I don't know what your problem is with me but–"
"Stop." Annabeth shot a tired look at Leo, who turned toward the daughter of Athena in betrayal. "She's a Hunter of Artemis, Leo. They just don't like men. It's nothing personal."
Frank eyed her cautiously, as though she'd start tearing into him the same way she did to Leo. More specifically, he looked at how he and the Titan were holding hands. "She seems to like Percy enough."
"I do like Percy." Zoe shrugged, agreeing with Frank. "He is different from other men."
Percy opened his mouth to disagree, but Zoe was having none of that. "As I was saying… My story started millennia ago. How much do all of ye know about Heracles?"
—
A/N: A short chapter? Finally! I've heard horror stories about people getting carpal tunnel from writing too much - wouldn't want to share their fate.
In sadder news - the insane update schedule that I've kept up will unfortunately probably be impossible to maintain from this point forward. Before writing this story I'd never read any of Heroes of Olympus aside from Son of Neptune, and while I do know where I want to go with this story, I don't have enough knowledge of Blood of Olympus and the rest of the series to properly follow canon AND keep up the furious updates.
Tl;dr - I still will be working just as much on the story, but the updates will be churned out at a lower rate as I catch up with the actual story.
But what did you think? The reunion party has only just started - the next chapter will finish up with that, and we'll see where we go from there with a new addition to the Seven (or Eight with Nico)!
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought! See you next time!