Chapter 33: I Go Surfing in a Volcano
The beast of the east shall spread its wings,
And prepare the earth for its King of Kings!
Percy couldn't decide what was more terrifying: the fulfilment of the prophecy that foretold Enlil's return, or the being titled in that very prophecy that now blotted out the sun above him. Percy's world was shaking as the enormous dragon launched a fiery torrent towards the sky, its giant talons ripping through rock as though it were paper.
He turned to his brothers and saw them looking up at the dragon with a mixture of horror and confusion. Minutes ago they had been enjoying Percy's wedding, and now they were faced with a creature of nightmares.
"RUN!" He screamed through the gas mask. He wasn't sure how loud he needed to be in order for Tyson and Triton to hear him, but screaming did the trick, and the three of them turned their back on the Beast of the East and began to haul ass towards the rim. The ground was uneven, and cracking apart as they ran over it. More than once Percy had to jump in order to clear a slab of rock that was collapsing into the hungry pool of lava.
A sharp whistle pierced the air, and Percy glanced behind him to see Ishtar staring up at the dragon, her finger pointed in his direction. He turned his attention to the other two sons of Poseidon and decided to give them a fighting chance. With a swift pivot, he turned and launched himself towards the Annunaki and Vesper. If the dragon was going to burn him alive, it was better they got caught in the crossfire.
"PERCY!" he heard Tyson yell after him, but he didn't have time to explain to them what was happening, he just needed them to make it to safety.
He cleared half the distance in a few short leaps. As he landed on a shard of rock that was more stable than the rest he pressed down with force, cracking the ground beneath him as he flew through the air, straight for Ishtar. He was close enough to see her through the smoke, a beautiful bastardisation of Annabeth's face. He threw back his fist and gathered as much force behind it as he could muster. He was mere seconds from her, and as the distance closed he saw her wink at him. But why would she be wink-
Everything went black as the air was ripped from his lungs. For a moment he was only aware of a crushing pain in his back before he felt the entire front of his body collide against the rocks. His mask shattered against his face, but luckily the gas mask wasn't magical, and so the shards of glass weren't able to cut him. He tried to breathe, but an almighty weight against him from above made the task all but impossible. He tried to scream, but he needed air to manage that. Everything hurt, and it was only as the weight lifted from his back that he was able to look up and see the enormous tail of Ba'al rising up away from him.
A sharp pain shot across his back as he tried to lift himself up, but his body refused to comply. He panicked for a second that he had lost the ability to walk, but the fact that he could feel pain allayed that fear slightly. If everything was numb he would've been a lot more worried. He heard a battle cry behind him but wasn't able to turn his body to see what was happening. The dragon let out another earthshaking roar and seemed to stomp away from him. He clawed at the ground, desperately trying to drag himself up, but the pain in his back was overwhelming, and almost as soon as he started he was forced to give up.
Due to the constant shaking of the earth, he almost didn't notice something tugging at his pocket. He glanced down and saw something was fighting to get out of his pant leg pocket, but wasn't able to let it free as the rest of his body was pinning it down. He put pressure on his elbow and used it to roll slightly to the side, opening up space for whatever was in his pocket to escape. The electronic cigarette that he had picked up at the table earlier shot out like a bullet into the air. It arched across his vision before disappearing behind him and out of sight. Confused, Percy once more leveraged his elbow, using it to flip him over so that he could now see what was happening behind him. Almost as soon as he did he regretted it.
Triton and Tyson stood shoulder to shoulder, facing down Ba'al as the dragon tore apart the volcano on his way towards them. The e-cigarette flew into Triton's outstretched hand as though he were calling a lightsaber to his command, and almost as soon as it reached his fingers it began to expand. The handle lengthened, and the tip split into three, growing larger and larger until he held a gleaming emerald trident. He raised the trident above his head and brought it down with a vengeance, cracking the ground beneath him. Seconds later a geyser of water erupted from the shattered rock, soaring high into the sky before the droplets of water began to fall back down as rain.
As the first droplets landed, lava sizzled and hissed where it connected. Percy felt the warm water against his face, and it was only when he stuck out his tongue that he was able to confirm it was salt water. Triton had just summoned a geyser of saltwater in the middle of an erupting volcano. Percy had just enough time to be impressed by his brother's power when he heard a clicking sound behind him. He glanced down and saw his spine shift, locking back into place. Damn…maybe he had been paralysed.
Tyson let out a fearsome battle cry, answering the question of who the initial battle cry had been from. The cyclops barreled towards the dragon, sprinting through the upsurge of water and seeming to grow every step. He had been big before, but now he grew giant, each limb seeming to expand in all directions as he charged down the beast. His face, still fairly childish despite his age, grew large and ferocious, his teeth twisting into the length of daggers as he reached his full form. In moments Tyson had been replaced by a being at least 30 feet tall, taller even than the gods had been upon their thrones. With a bellow he launched a car-sized fist at the dragon's maw, landing a powerful uppercut that succeeded in sending a torrent of black fire into the heavens instead of into his face.
Percy felt his jaw slacken. His little brother had just transformed into the Cyclops version of the Incredible Hulk. The blow did little to the dragon other than redirect his flames though, and with a heavy swing of its powerful nack, Ba'al refocused his burning red eyes on the giant Cyclops before him. Before the dragon could resume its onslaught though a trident flew through the air, striking the dragon in its enormous nostril. The Beast of the East let out a horrific blood-curdling roar befitting its name, and with a heavy beat of its winds, Tyson and Triton were sent hurtling through the air and crashed into the rim of the volcano.
The saltwater geyser remained steadily pumping though. The rain continued to pour, and with it, Percy's strength returned. He staggered to his feet and fished Riptide out of his pocket. Uncapping the ballpoint pen and relishing in how the lava gave Riptide a fiery look, as though the blade had been wrenched straight from the depths of hell. He turned back to Ishtar with a grin, enjoying the dark look she gave him. The water began to swirl around him, and with a shiver down his spine, he felt it freeze, hardening around him until he stood decked out in his icy armour. He leapt towards them, Riptide singing as it arced through the air towards where Ishtar stood.
However fast he was though, Ishtar was faster. She darted forward, suddenly abreast with him as Riptide hung out to his side mid-swing. She landed a punch, only one, into his stomach, and he felt the air get ripped from his lungs. He was sent hurtling back down towards the rock, crashing at the base of one of Ba'als enormous claws. He had just enough time to roll away before the dragon accidentally stamped on him in its fit of rage. He looked back at the rim of the volcano and saw that Ishtar's attention was no longer on him. She was frantically whistling, trying to attract Ba'als attention as it rampaged through the volcano, tearing it apart and sending lava spraying into the air. Triton's geyser continued pumping steadily, but it was a mere oasis of water in a desert of lava.
With Ishtar distracted, Percy figured he would try something new. He had never been good at archery, but hopefully, that handicap didn't extend to other forms of long-range combat. He willed some of the saltwater to stretch and lengthen, filling out until he held a watery spear in his hand. With an effortless shiver down the back of his neck, the spear froze solid, and suddenly he was holding a six-foot javelin of pure ice. He rose to his feet and twirled the javelin in his hand, testing its weight. It was heavy, the tip weighty as he balanced it. He sent a quick prayer to Artemis and Apollo and leaned backwards, placing all his weight onto his back foot. A deep breath in, a deep breath out. A deep breath in, a deep breath out. A deep breath in…
He shifted his weight, using the strength of his entire body to launch the javelin like a missile through the air. It was fast, so fast that if it had been hurtling towards him he would have been fish-kebab. But Ishtar wasn't human, far from it, and nor were her reactions. His aim was true, and he figured he had one of the archery twins to thank for that, but Ishtar's form seemed to blur as it made contact. She moved so fast it was as though she had teleported, and her hand moved with equal speed, slamming into the shaft of the javelin and snapping it in two, sending the two shards of ice falling harmlessly down the side of the volcano. Her silver eyes flashed with anger, and she snapped something to Vesper who, at the Annunakis ' command, proceeded to turn and disappear from view.
Percy was grinning from ear to ear though. Sure he hadn't hit her, but he hadn't really expected to. He was just thrilled that the javelin had been on target. Water swirled around him once more, lengthening and freezing until an entire arsenal of javelins was planted around him. As long as Ishtar couldn't control Ba'al the dragon wasn't as dangerous as it could be. That wasn't to say that the Beast of the East wouldn't still kill them all, but it might take him longer to get his act together.
On that happy note, Percy kicked one of the javelins into the air and caught it effortlessly, placing his weight on his back leg and launching the icy projectile with as much venom as the first. This time Ishtar was watching it the whole way and dodged with seemingly no effort whatsoever. But her eyes were on him, not Ba'al, and that was all he needed.
He threw a couple more, none of them as close to hitting Ishtar as the first one had been, and Ishtar soon grew bored of the exchange. With a flick of her foot, she launched herself into the air, seeming to float for a second as she reached her apex, and then came down towards Percy with murder in her eyes. She twisted and angeled herself so that her heel would slam into the top of his head, but Percy was ready for her. He threw Riptide into the ground, the point of the blade sinking into rock, and wielded a javelin in each hand. He recalled the formation the Roman legions had operated with at Camp Jupiter and accepted that he was going to have to fight defensively against Ishtar. He had tried offence, now it was time to find out if defence could work against the Annunaki.
Ishtar seemed to spin in the air, altering the path of her fall until she landed just out of range from the javelins. Percy had just enough time to register that she had landed next to him when she shot towards him once more, seeming to be little more than a blur as she closed in. He kicked off with one foot, aiming the tip of one of the javelins at Ishtar while he kept the second loose at his side, in preparation for any sudden movements. The problem was that 'any sudden movements' could have been used to describe any and every movement Ishtar made, as she darted effortlessly past his outstretched javelin and launched a fist towards his throat. His instincts took over and he drove the second javelin towards her outstretched arm, hitting it with enough force that it would have torn a regular person's arm in half. Instead, the ice javelin shattered against the Annuanki's skin, but the force of the blow was enough to redirect the punch, and he was able to duck fast enough so that it sailed harmlessly over his head.
He rolled away and went to grab another javelin, but as his fingers curled around the icy shaft he felt a shot of pain explode in his side and found himself airborne. He gathered his bearings and landed on his feet, sliding to a stop as a jet of lava erupted mere feet from him. He glanced down at his side and saw that the blow had cracked the armour just below his armpit. If he hadn't been wearing the armour, there was every chance she may have just ripped a hole in his side. He turned his attention back to Ishtar as his armour began to knit itself back together. Her silver eyes were unnerving, but not quite as unnerving as the fact that she looked so similar to Annabeth. She took one slow step, then another. He tightened his grip on his one remaining javelin, the sounds of Tyson and Triton fighting the dragon fading behind him. He needed to be locked in against the Annunaki, any distraction could mean certain death.
When Ishtar made her move, it was instant. She cleared the gap between them in a breath, rolling midair to bring her heel down with force. Instead of diving backwards, Percy drove forward, bringing himself abreast of the Annunkai, much to her surprise, and thrusting the javelin towards her exposed chest. There was a moment, a split second, where confusion seemed to shine in her silver eyes, but as soon as he saw it it was gone, and with speed that far outstripped his own she grabbed the shaft of the incoming javelin. Her heel slammed into the ground where he had been moments before, and she used the momentum to carry her body forward, fiercely gripping the javelin and using her foot as an anchor to flip the javelin over her head and bring it crashing to the ground in front of her. Percy, also gripping the javelin, found himself an unwilling passenger as she slammed him into the ground with enough force to shatter the ground beneath them. He felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs, but managed to roll away from the upsurge of lava that accompanied the earth collapsing.
He staggered to his feet and looked up in time to see Ishtar bringing the javelin down towards his head. He felt a shiver run down his spine and the javelin melted into water right before it would have skewered him, and in reply he threw a punch of his own, using Ishtar's surprise at the javelin disappearing to land a hit straight to her jaw. There was a deep-rooted sense of satisfaction he felt as the force of his punch knocked the Annunaki's head back and launched her a couple of feet off the ground. For a second it looked as though she might land on her back, but halfway through falling she shot her leg out behind her, catching herself and preventing her from sprawling out on the ground. Almost as soon as she had righted herself she was on the offensive again, her right fist hitting him in the stomach and causing him to keel over, allowing her to land a venomous left hook to his own jaw.
Unlike Ishtar, Percy wasn't able to catch himself before he went down. The blow to his jaw rocked his world and suddenly he found himself staring at a smoke-filled sky. A looming sense of helplessness threatened to overwhelm him, but a deep breath kept the panic at bay. He jumped back up onto his feet and backed up, away from the Annunaki that was now slowly stalking towards him like a lioness closing in on her prey. She was fast, almost imperceptibly so, but it was her strength that was truly astonishing. He was barely able to keep up with what she was doing, let alone have the reactions to counter her. He recalled Chronos' words from when he had first gotten out of the ice and asked if the primordial thought they could win against the Annunaki. The sinister laugh that had accompanied "Oh not a chance," had caused the hairs to stand up on the back of his neck then. Now, facing off against one of the Annunaki, Percy could finally understand the sense of hopelessness that Chronos had worn. He had thought he was strong. He had fought a god when he was 12 years old. He had beaten titans and giants alike, but facing off against those silver eyes was a different challenge entirely. Some small part of him, some selfish desire for self-preservation, screamed for him to turn and run. To leave the fight to someone else, anyone else. To save himself the agony of dying at the top of this volcano.
He understood that part of him, and part of him wished he had been born a different kind of person. The kind of person that could turn and run, to accept when they were in over their head. The kind of person who could listen to that howling desire for self-preservation. But he didn't have the privilege of being that kind of person. Being who he was, if he had been that kind of person he would've been dead a long time ago. He didn't run away from the battle, he ran into it. A fire felt as though it had been lit in his stomach, and a surge of energy filled his muscles. Defensive? What in Zeus' name had he been thinking? He was Percy Jackson, he didn't wait for the enemy to come to him, he brought the fight to them!
He drove forward, thickening the ice around his face, chest and stomach. So far that was where all her blows had landed, and if he was going to land more solid hits of his own, he was going to have to accept that he couldn't dodge everything. He threw caution to the wind and got in close, using his ice-enhanced strength to force her back, picking up the speed in his punches to keep her reactive, to keep her contained. When she was attacking, she was unpredictable, but if he could get her into a rhythm and had the opportunity to learn the pattern of her defences, he could figure out a way to break through them.
She made withstanding his onslaught look easy, but for now at least the lioness was caged. He needed something else though, some endgame here. He had a feeling the two of them could have sparred for hours before giving in, and at that rate, they would be doing it ten feet under lava. Unfortunately, she broke the pattern before he could, throwing her fist towards his jaw. He held up his arms defensibly, waiting for the heavy blow to connect, but it never came. Instead, in a blur, she seemed to warp to the side, moving so fast it seemed to happen instantly. It had been a feint! Her fist smashed into his side, bypassing the increased ice he had summoned around his stomach. The last thing he could think of before a pain shot up through him was the fact that she had adapted to his increased armour, figured out and then broken his fighting pattern, and landed a blow all before he had even figured out what to do next. She wasn't just stronger and faster, she was smarter too!
He staggered away, willing the cracked armour to repair itself. In hand-to-hand combat he wasn't her peer, it felt like she could beat him with her eyes closed. If he couldn't elevate himself to her level, he needed to knock her down to his.
"So was it her looks?" he asked, spitting blood onto the ground, "Or was she just a better fuck?"
Ishtar's eyes narrowed, "What are you talking about?"
"The mortal Marduk chose over you," Percy said with a bloodstained grin, "I mean you are the personification of love itself, and you were still his second choice. You know what, having spent some time with you now, I'd be willing to bet it came down to personality."
The air around Percy seemed to thicken as Ishtar's eyes glowed with hate. "You rat scum little fuck," she growled, "I'm going to grind you into powder and sprinkle on your father's last meal."
Percy's eyes shot up in surprise, but he couldn't stop the little grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth, "I'm sure that would taste great. Almost as great as the satisfaction that Marduk's lover lived with, knowing she had outdone the mighty Ishtar. Imagine literally being the personification of something and still being shit at it. Couldn't be me. I think if I was the personification of something I would be-"
Percy felt Ishtar's fist against his stomach before he actually registered her moving. The increased armour around his stomach was probably what kept her fist from running through him, as the armour shattered at the force. He was thrown back a few feet but managed to position his feet so that he stayed standing.
"Like imagine if I was the personification of swimming, and got beaten by some random guy from down the street. That's like what happened to you right?"
Ishtar let out a scream, lunging towards him, arms outstretched. He managed to jerk his head to the side in time to avoid the bulk of the attack, but her fingernails tore through his helmet like claws, leaving gashes down the side of it and even managing to pierce through his skin. Blood poured out of the newly made slits in the helmet and dropped down to the floor. Magic and a pissed-off Annunakis fingernails. The list of weapons that could pierce his skin was getting uncomfortably long.
He began to run, a plan starting to form in his head. With a cool head, Ishtar would beat the shit out of him. An angry Ishtar was just a bull that needed to be baited in the right direction.
He heard the ground crack behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see the Annunaki had once again leapt into the air, her glowing silver eyes locked squarely on him. She began to fall towards him, and so Percy turned his attention back to running as fast as he could towards the saltwater geyser that Triton had summoned. As he ran he was able to finally survey the battle between Tyson, Triton, and Ba'al.
Tyson, in his enormous cyclops form, was currently pinned down under one of Ba'als behemoth claws, the talons sinking into the ground around him, avoiding cutting his brother to shreds by mere inches. He was trapped, but despite his clearly precarious predicament he didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. And for that, he had their other brother to thank.
Triton was in a most un-godlike of situations, clinging for dear life to one of Ba'als giant ears as the dragon swung his head to and fro trying to dislodge the unwanted passenger. Triton, like a gnat on the beast, was keeping the dragon distracted enough to keep him from cutting Tyson apart. Despite the situation Percy couldn't hold back the grin that tugged at the corners of his lips and the light chuckle that escaped him. He heard a growl of frustration from above him and knew that Ishtar was also surveying the scene for the first time as well. Her plan seemed to be going off with a few more hitches than she would've expected.
As Percy reached the geyser he slid to a stop, feeling an all too familiar tug in his gut as he willed the geyser's water around him, building up force and momentum that he turned and unleashed on the Annunaki as she was about to land on top of him. He didn't waste time to see if she was blinded, he didn't have the time to waste, instead he sent a prayer to any god that happened to be listening that it would work and rolled underneath where Ishtar was about to land. His hand flew to his pocket, and in one fluid movement he pulled the recently spawned pen free, uncapped it, and struck at Ishtar's midriff with all the force he could muster.
Everything that could have gone perfectly did. The spray of the water blinded and stunned Ishtar enough that her landing was uneven. Instead of landing on her feet she slipped and landed on her knees, which meant that instead of hitting her midriff Percy's swing would catch her neck, and with the force of the blow and angle he struck her at he was certain it would remove her head from her body.
Instead the sound of steel on steel rang out, and Riptide bounced harmlessly off of the Annunakis' exposed neck.
The recoil caused Percy to stagger backwards, and he couldn't keep the flood of curses and expletives that flooded out of his mouth. He was doing everything he physically could and it just didn't matter. He felt like he was fighting at the absolute peak of his abilities, moving faster and hitting harder than perhaps he ever had in his life, and that was before one factored in the fact that he was fighting in the midst of a collapsing volcano with a dragon wreaking havoc around him. He was fighting something that completely eclipsed him.
Ishtar rose with exaggerated slowness, and turned to face him with eyes that burned silver with hatred. There was something alien in her face, something inhuman. She may have looked like Annabeth's twin, but there was something off about it, something that twisted the beauty in her face into something evil.
"I'm torn," she hissed, her voice laced with venom, "And I'm hoping you can help me with something."
Percy sighed and steadied himself, raising Riptide defensively between them, "And what might that be?"
Ishtar tapped her chin gently, before running her finger over her lips in a way that would have been unbelievably sexy if it weren't for the fact that he was completely repulsed by what she was. "Do I kill you now, and save any trouble," she mused, "Or do I keep you alive long enough to watch Ba'al kill the cyclops and godling? After all, breaking you before killing you will make it all the sweeter."
Percy didn't respond. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction. He needed a plan, something that would buy Tyson, Triton, and himself enough time to get out of here. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't going to be able to kill either Ishtar or Ba'al here. They needed to retreat and regroup. They had wandered into the trap, and at this point getting out alive with the information they had learned would have to be considered a success. But as his icy blue eyes focused on Ishtar's silver ones, the question of HOW they were going to get out pushed itself to the forefront of his mind.
A plume of lava erupted behind Ishtar, framing her Annabeth-esque face in fire and brimstone. It reminded Percy of his first kiss with Annabeth, at Mt. St Helens when he thought he was going to die. He doubted that Ishtar was going to give him a kiss before he died here though, it seemed the Annunaki wasn't his biggest fan. But it was as he looked at the glow of the lava glancing off of Ishtar's strawberry blonde hair that an idea began to creep into his head.
He flipped Riptide in his grip, so the blade was facing downwards. He briefly considered if repeating his feat from Mt. St. Helens was going to cause another formidable enemy of the gods to arise, but reasoned that since Ba'al had already emerged from the volcano that that worst case scenario had already occurred.
Percy felt an almost painful tug in his gut as he reached deep into the ground below him, demanding the elements to respond to his will. The volcano, still subtly shaking with the force of the eruption, now renewed its trembling with aplomb. The force of the quake he was generating created an upsurge of energy that he controlled as long as he could, keeping it contained beneath the surface. But as the energy built up out of his control, he relinquished his hold over it and triggered the earthquake with as much force as he could muster.
Ishtar's eyebrow had raised in confusion at his shifting of Riptides position, but it was only as he drove the blade into the earth and unleashed the force of the earthquake he had generated that she sprung into action. She cleared almost the entirety of the distance between them in a heartbeat, but as fast as she might be, the reaction of the elements was faster. Lava exploded everywhere around them, one such upsurge slamming into Percy from below and sending him careening into the air under the force of the explosion just in time to avoid the outstretched hand of Ishtar. In the air he lost sight of the Annunaki as the entire caldera seemed to be engulfed in ashes and molten rock. The release of the earthquake also sent Ba'al staggering as the enormous dragon lost its footing as the volcano fell apart. Percy saw Triton jump from the dragon, but lost him in the smoke.
As he reached the apex of the explosion, hundreds of feet above the volcano, he looked over in the direction of the retreating fleet, and saw that one ship, an enormous warship that resembled an aircraft carrier, was the only one remaining by the port. Across the entirety of the dock only a single figure was present, and even from this distance he could recognise the tattooed head of Vesper.
He turned his attention back to what was happening beneath him as his momentum shifted and he began to freefall back towards the collapsing volcano. His distraction was completed, now he just needed to get Triton and Tyson out of there and towards the water. Once they were in the water, they had the advantage, and he doubted even Ishtar would be bold enough to fight three sons of Poseidon in their home element. The problem now was that beneath him was a sea of lava. The already broken ground now seemed to have been ejected entirely, with only a couple pockets of earth still remaining as a tidal surge of molten rock sought to drown the remains.
Percy had an idea, an insane idea, but still an idea. Besides, an insane idea was always better than no idea. He just needed to make sure that there was enough water around him before he landed. As he fell he pulled water that was falling alongside him and began to condense it, drawing it from above and below him until he had enough water to form a human sized oval beneath him. He felt a shiver run down his spine and froze the water solid beneath him, forming a makeshift ice surfboard.
He had surfed a few times before, Paul had taught him during a weekend at Montauk and he had found himself a natural, which was to be expected considering he was a son of Poseidon and all. But surfing on the relatively gentle waves of the Atlantic was not quite the same as surfing on the lava pools of an exploding volcano. Then again, smooth seas never made a skilled sailor, or in this case, surfer.
He knelt close to the board, angling it as he passed through the thick clouds of ash, and made sure to channel some of his focus into keeping the surfboard cool. The lava would naturally chip away at the bottom of the board, so keeping it frozen was going to be something he had to maintain unless he wanted the board to melt underneath him. He knelt as low as he could, and let the armour around him melt, sliding the excess water down to thicken and reinforce the board. Surviving the initial impact was going to be the most important thing. He retained some of the water as ice armour around his legs, a reserve in case the board began to fall apart. He braced for impact, and then crashed with force into the churning chaos of the lava flow.
The first thing he was aware of was the heat. Without the ice armour around him keeping his temperature low, the intensity of the heat around him reached a fever pitch. To a regular human it would have been overwhelming, but he had been flame and heat resistant even before he napped in the ice. Sure he was sweating, but at least he wasn't dying. Nonetheless, the air around him shimmered in the heat which, coupled with the ash, made seeing more than a few feet in front of him a challenge in it of itself. Adding to the haze was the fact that as the ice hit the lava it hissed and sizzled, leaving a trail of steam and frost in his wake. Despite the sizzling, the ice held firm, gliding smoothly over the surface of the molten rock.
With the practised precision of a surfer with years more experience than himself, he dodged chunks of flaming debris and geysers of molten rock that erupted unpredictably. On more than one occasion the surfboard itself was boosted into the air by a geyser directly beneath the ice.
"TYSON!" he yelled out, "TRITON!"
He heard no response other than the steady eruption and the distant roars of Ba'al above the smoke. He had hoped that once he was riding the surface of the lava, it would be a simple task to find his brothers and get a way out, but unfortunately the surface of the lava proved slightly more difficult than the rhythmic waves of the ocean. Each wave of molten rock posed a new challenge, demanding his full attention. He crouched low to the board, reducing wind resistance and allowing for quicker manoeuvres.
Ahead, a massive chunk of the volcanic wall crumbled, crashing into the lava and sending a spray of molten rock in all directions. Percy braced himself, using the ice board to shield against the burning spray. The ice held firm, the surface remaining cold to his touch despite the surrounding inferno. As he carved a path through the fiery landscape, his thoughts raced. He needed to keep moving, to stay ahead of the collapsing terrain, but he also needed to figure out where his brothers were. The roar of the volcano grew louder, a constant reminder of the fact he was on a time crunch, and of course there was still Ishtar to worry about. His eyes scanned the hazy horizon, searching desperately for any sign of his brothers. For a moment a vision of Tyson trapped beneath Ba'als claw as the lava submerged him filled his thoughts, but he took a deep breath and pushed the panic away. He would find them.
Almost as if responding to his thoughts, a figure emerged from the haze and ash. Triton was holding on for dear life to the crumbling volcanic wall, his trident deeply embedded and the only thing keeping him from slipping into the lava below. Percy felt his heart pounding in his chest as he navigated across a particularly treacherous current towards his merman brother.
"TRITON!" Percy shouted, his voice barely carrying over the chaos. Triton turned, his eyes widening first in surprise and then in relief as he saw Percy approaching. Without wasting a moment the sea god ripped his trident free from the cliff, , the weapon collapsing back into its smaller ecigarette form, and kicked off from the crumbling rock.
Percy braced for Triton's impact, adjusting his stance in order to keep balance as his godly brother slammed onto the surfboard alongside him. For a heart wrenching moment the surfboard tipped awkwardly and threatened to spill the two into the lava beneath. But Percy smartly adjusted his feet once more and kept them afloat. Triton firmly gripped Percy's shoulder, dipping low alongside Percy to try and keep the small slab of ice steady amongst the sea of lava. The board wobbled slightly under the combined weight, but Percy compensated with swift adjustments, his muscles straining as he steered them through the fiery landscape.
"Did you see Tyson?" Percy called behind him.
"Not after the second eruption," the sea god replied, "I'm guessing that was you?"
Percy nodded, "Fight wasn't going so well against Ishtar."
"Who?" Triton asked.
"The woman you saw, the one with the blonde hair. She's an Annunaki."
There was a lengthy silence as Triton processed what he had just been told. When he finally spoke there was a hint of defeat present in his voice, "So they are already here. I'm guessing that marriage wasn't real?"
Percy shook his head, "She is the personification of love. She generated an illusion to keep you trapped as a slave. She did the same to me, and it almost worked."
"You managed to keep her out of your head?" Triton inquired, a touch of awe slipping the question, "A being capable of manipulating a god to her whims?"
Percy shrugged, "I had a voice in my head that helped out."
They cut across the lava field for a few moments, both scanning for any sign of the cyclops. Percy was about to ask what Triton thought they should do next when the sea god's voice cut through the silence.
"DUCK!"
Percy hit the ice in a split second, just in time to avoid being crushed by a boulder that sailed above them, crashing into the lava ahead of them and forcing Percy to rapidly readjust the surfboard.
"What in Zeus' name was that?" he yelled back.
"I think the Annunaki found us!" Triton growled.
Percy heard a click and glanced back to see that Triton's trident had sprung back to its full length, and the god now stood defensively behind him. "You focus on Tyson," Triton ordered, "I'll take them down!"
Before Percy could suggest that that was a really bad idea the sea god leapt from the board in the direction of where the boulder had come from.
"Well he's dead," Percy sighed, angling the surfboard to ride over the large waves created by the boulder Ishtar had thrown. He needed to find Tyson, and before Triton managed to get himself killed.
Once more, as though some omnipotent being were listening to his thoughts, a figure emerged from the haze. Tyson, now shrunken to his smaller form, lay unconscious on a slab of rock about as large as one of Ba'als claws. The smooth cuts around the edges suggested that it was the same slab of rock he had been lying on when pinned down by Ba'al. Unfortunately, as Tyson came into view, so too did the Beast of the East.
Ba'al's attention seemed to be focused on something behind Percy, and if Percy were a betting man he would have guessed that it was the fight between Ishtar and Triton. Wasting no time Percy shifted directions, cutting across the molten rock and shooting towards his unconscious brother. Once more he lowered himself to the board, keeping it as steady as possible as he leaned to the side. As he flew past Tyson he grabbed his brother by the armpit, dragging him up and off the slab of rock and onto the surfboard, propping up the cyclops's large body with his shoulder. Once more he was thankfully for his increased strength due to the ease with which he had pulled off the manoeuvre.
The rescue part of the plan was a success, now came the escape.
A massive gust of wind almost capsized the board, and Percy had to strain with as much effort as he could not to get himself and Tyson flung into the waiting pit of lava. As he righted the board he glanced up and saw that Ba'al had used its wings to clear the volcano of the smoke and ash, giving Percy a clear view of the fight between his brother and the Annunaki. The two fought in close combat on a slab of rock that was being thrown too and fro by the lava currents. Triton fought hard and fast, spinning and wielding his trident with confidence and learned practice, but even his godly strength didn't compare to Ishtar. The Annunaki moved so fast she was a blur, dancing in and out of Triton's attacks effortlessly. Despite Triton's strength and experience, it wasn't a fight, it was a pummeling. The sea god was being knocked around like a rag dog, and it was only his godly stamina that was keeping him in the fight as long as he was.
As Percy watched, the Annunaki sidestepped a heavy swing from Triton's trident and hit him in the jaw with so much force that Percy could hear the crunch even from that distance. Triton was sent hurtling into the air, and so Percy once more sprung into action, carving up the lava on his board towards his airborne brother. With poise and precision that even Percy himself was impressed with, he was able to cover the distance towards Triton and catch him before he was sent splashing into the lava.
"She hurts," Triton groaned, staggering to his feet alongside Percy on the board.
"She kicked your ass," Percy noted, shifting Tyson so that the weight of the cyclops was distributed between the two of them.
Triton nodded dumbly, "Kicked yours too though," he pointed out.
Percy grinned despite the circumstances, "Yeah but I kept my handsome face intact!"
Triton rubbed his chin that was already rapidly developing a bruise from Ishtar's punch, "Touche," he muttered.
The sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air caused them to turn their attention upwards. A chopper crested the rim of the volcano, and Percy groaned as he saw Vespers grinning face from behind the windscreen.
"That can't be good for us," Triton sighed.
"Nothing ever is. I'm guessing that's why she went to the aircraft carrier."
"They have an aircraft carrier?" the sea god inquired.
"They have a whole fleet, it looks like an invasion force," Percy answered.
Triton's eyes lit up. He glanced down at his trident that had once again collapsed into the e-cigarette. "Any chance you picked up a whistle with this?"
Percy fished the whistle out of his pocket and threw it to Triton. Almost as soon as it reached his hand it began to expand and change form, shifting from a small red whistle into a large conch. Triton winked at Percy, "Time to call an invasion force of our own."
Triton put the conch to his lips and blew into it with all his might. A deep, resonant call echoed through the volcano, cutting through the noise of the erupting lava. It was the sound of the deep ocean, imbued with a sense of power and energy that gave life back into Percy's tired and strained muscles. It was a call to the realm of Poseidon. It was a call to the sea itself.
The next sound that cut through the air was not as re-energising, as Ishtar let out a bloodcurdling scream. The Annunaki glowered at them from her island before she whistled to gain the attention of Ba'al.
The dragon waded through the lava and lowered his neck down to the Annunaki, allowing Ishtar to leap upon its neck. A couple beats of his enormous wings almost sent them careening into the lava once more, and Percy and Triton had to work hurriedly to keep them on board the narrow surfboard. Ishtar and Ba'al began to rise into the air, and even Vesper had to produce some evasive manoeuvres in order to not be swatted out of the air.
"This has been fun boys," Ishtar called down from the neck of Ba'al, "But your adventure ends here."
She tapped her hand against the side of the dragon's neck, and Ba'al responded by opening its enormous maw and launching a torrent of black flames towards the sons of Poseidon. Triton moved so fast Percy didn't even have time to register what was happening. His trident once more expanded into his hand and he turned the surfboard so that he was facing the onslaught of fire. Raising the trident against the flames a shimmering wall of water formed between them, forming a shield against the onslaught. Even amongst a sea of lava the fire burned hot, and Percy found himself grateful for his brother's godly powers. Triton strained against the fire, sweating as he held steady against Ba'als attack. When the dragon ended the torrent, Triton fell to his knees, causing Tyson to slip and almost fall if Percy hadn't caught him in time.
The jolt of almost falling caused the cyclops to jerk awake, and it took a second for what was happening to register. "Not good," he whispered under his breath, "Not good, not good."
Unfortunately, the onslaught wasn't done. With Ba'als attack over now Vesper took up the call. Miniguns attached to the bottom of the helicopter began to churn into life. Percy had seconds to react, and used every one preciously. He spun the surfboard around so now it was him facing the onslaught.
"GET BEHIND ME!" he roared at his brothers, stretching his body as wide as he could.
The bullets poured out relentlessly, slamming into his body with so much force he had to rearrange his feet so that the surfboard didn't capsize. He had hoped they weren't magic bullets, and thankfully they weren't, but just because they couldn't pierce his skin didn't mean they didn't hurt like Hades. They bounced off though, ultimately harmless despite the pain and Percy couldn't keep the grin off his face. In that moment, facing down a minigun, his brothers behind him, he felt truly invulnerable. It didn't matter what Ishtar and her subordinates threw at them, they would survive.
The onslaught of bullets seemed to end as soon as they had begun, and even amongst all the noise Percy heard Ishtar yelling above him, "MAGIC!"
That sense of invulnerability quickly drained away, and Percy turned to Triton and Tyson. "Time to leave!" he roared.
The three of them, balancing precariously on the icy surfboard that was only now beginning to melt away under the constant heat of the lava, navigated towards the rocky cliff that had once been the rim of the volcano. Triton jumped first, using his trident as a sort of pick to drag himself up the cliff face. Tyson followed and Percy went last, giving a salute to the surfboard that had served them so well as it finally succumbed to the lava. The climb wasn't too high, but that by no means meant it wasn't treacherous. Chunks of the wall were falling down on them and geysers of lava were reaching up to them from below, but the three made a steady crawl towards the ridge above.
Percy glanced over his shoulder at the helicopter and dragon that hovered ominously above them. The helicopter seemed to be unsteady as Vesper tried to keep balanced while grabbing something behind her. Whatever it was couldn't mean anything good for them, so Percy turned back to the climb and forced himself upwards with renewed vigour.
They were almost there, mere feet from the rim, when the wall began to crumble around them. Triton lost his footing and had to embed his trident deep into the rock in order to steady himself. Percy's own grip slipped as the wall crumbled, and it was only a massive hand from Tyson that kept him from hurtling back down towards the lava. With a comic lack of effort the cyclops lifted him up and brought him level with him.
"No dying today!" Tyson exclaimed with a grin that Percy couldn't help but return.
"LOOK OUT!" Triton screamed from above them, and Percy had just enough time to see something flying through the air towards them before Tyson swung himself between Percy and the incoming projectile. A blade, shining with an ephemeral light protruded from Tysons chest as he sheltered Percy.
Tyson looked down at the blade confused for a moment before looking back at Percy. He gave Percy another smile, but this one was far more somber than the last. "Protect big brother," Tyson muttered, "No dying today."
And then his grip on the rock slipped and Tyson fell from the cliff face and into the lava below.
The scream that tore itself from Percy's throat was enough to shake the volcano on its own. He felt himself let go of the rock, jumping towards the lava below to save Tyson, but he was jerked upwards by a grip on his wrist. He looked up and saw Triton looking down at him, yelling something.
Whatever he was yelling to Percy didn't register. He was too angry, too stunned, too heartbroken. He needed to rescue his brother. He needed to get them out of here, that's what he came here to do. He came here to rescue Tyson, he couldn't leave him behind.
He tried to fight against Triton's grip, to free himself so he could jump down into the lava, but Triton's hold on him was ironclad. The sea god dragged them up the cliff face, despite Percy fighting him the entire way. They cleared the top and Triton threw Percy down, sending him rolling down the side of the volcano until he slammed into something hard. Triton slid after him and grabbed him, holding him close.
"It's okay," he could hear Triton saying to him, but it felt like he was hearing it from above the water, distorted and distant. Not Tyson, he couldn't be dead. He had only just gotten back, only just begun to be brothers again. They were supposed to rescue Tyson. They were supposed to save him, not let him die.
He fought as hard as he could against Triton's grip. Desperate to escape, desperate to scale the volcano and jump back in to save his brother. He couldn't be dead. He was his little brother.
He felt a lick against his face and turned to see Zip looking up at him with his wide yellow eyes. Zip licked him again, and he realised that the lizard was licking the tears pouring down his face. He hadn't even realised he was crying. He stopped fighting, but he could still hear screaming, and it was only after a moment later that he realised it was him
After a while Triton released him, and the godings grip was replaced by two strong arms embracing him and the scent of the sea. Percy looked up and found himself staring at the face of his father, his expression one of solemn grief.
He collapsed into Poseidon's chest, burying his head against his father as he began to sob. He had failed Tyson. He hadn't protected him. He hadn't been strong enough.
He sobbed for his little brother as his world went dark.
Author's note: I am sorry. Partly for taking so long to update, but more so for what just happened. I love Tyson, so does Percy, but he's not the first beloved character to die, and I promise you he's not going to be the last by the time we see this through.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I meant to update more but I have had a very hectic summer. That being said, I am finally at the vacation part of my summer and so expect a couple more updates in the coming weeks as I finally have time to write.
The arc that's coming next is one I have been excited to write for a while, and so I'm sure that will provide additional motivation to get chapters done.
As also please favourite, follow, and most of all review. If you want the chapter to come out sooner, the most reliable way to make that happen is to review. I write this for no other reason that I love doing it, and your reviews are what help to motivate me.
Stay safe and I'll see you next chapter.