A/N: Alright, so, you guys aren't going to like this, but... I am going on a small hiatus. I have run out of buffer chapters so all of my chapters would be late like Immortalized was. So I am going to go on hiatus until I have 5 chapters prepped for Immortalized, Shadows, and my Avatar story (Which I have three buffers left anyways). So it will probably be a few months, but I will come back. Aint no way I am leaving this story dead. There js still a whole world to conquer and thats not counting what the Olympians think about it. I will be updating my Avatar story one more time with the same message. Peace out. See you guys later.
Percy grunted as Artemis aggressively tightened the straps on his cuirass. "Stupid boy," she hissed as she moved to the other side. "What were you thinking, agreeing to a trial by combat?"
Their host had graciously allowed him access to their armory for this trial and Percy took the opportunity gladly. So now he was in quarters designed to host fighters underneath the arena strapping on his armor with the help of Artemis, who decided to use the time to scold him for his reckless endeavor. Percy frowned as he strapped a bracer on, "Don't look at me. It was Kronos' idea." Suddenly he realized the absurdity of that statement. How strange his life had become that that was becoming a common statement.
Artemis' scowled at Kronos, who was leaning against the wall next to Asterion. The Minotaur held Percy's new spear and shield in hand, both forged from celestial bronze. "Percy has only just recovered from his injuries, and you are throwing him to the literal wolves?" she questioned the titan.
Kronos gave her a passive look. "We need the Warmaster's support," he explained to her. "These mutts seemed to respect strength. What better way for Perseus to earn their respect than through combat?"
"Come on, Artemis," Percy said softly and gently grabbed her wrist, preventing her from making the strap too tight. "Have some faith. I've gotten out of some tight spots before. I can handle it"
Artemis' eyes softened minutely as she pulled her wrist from his grasp. His skin was still burning hot. "Fine," the goddess relented as she finished strapping his cuirass. "But don't expect me to mourn you if you get yourself killed."
Percy grinned, "I wouldn't expect anything less." As he finished putting on his bracers, he looked down. He was strapped into full hoplite armor, made from celestial bronze. They were not the finely crafted gear of the Hephaestus Cabin, but it would do.
Artemis reached back behind her on the bench and grabbed his helmet. "Yes, well, do avoid getting mortally injured this time?" she asked as she handed the helmet to him.
Percy took the helmet and examined the red plume atop the Corinthian helm. "Don't worry, I won't leave you in a cold, cruel, Percy-less world," he jested as he put the helm on. Without seeing her reaction, Percy turned to the Minotaur. "Do you have any objections?" Asterion grunted before handling him the shield and spear. Percy took the items before turning his head towards Artemis with a smug look, not that she could see it through his helmet. "See? Asterion has faith."
The goddess turned her head back and forth between Asterion and Percy but settling on the Minotaur with a deadpan stare. "Somehow, that does not boost my confidence," she retorted before leaving the room.
Percy shook his head as he adjusted the grip on his spear. He looked between Kronos and the Minotaur. "Well, we shouldn't keep our opponent waiting."
The crowd booed as Percy stepped out of the tunnel and into the arena of reddish-brown stone, the arena walls rising high above the demigod. Not that Percy was bothered. He was a demigod, they were monsters. It was a tale as old as time. Percy took a deep breath, noting as he did that the air felt particularly light here. Looking around, Percy could see the top of the vast mountain range he had seen outside the Fortress Above. The arena itself, like the Fortress Above, appeared to be a medieval rendition of Greek architecture; above the wall were row upon row of stone benches leading to large columns with dark statues of what looked like warrior skiódes in battle. His eyes roamed the crowd until he found Artemis in the royal box, sitting in front of an impressive black throne. He supposed being a goddess had its perks, even if they had made it abundantly clear they did not fear her. The Minotaur sat next to her, like a big furry guardian. The goddess looked positively tiny before the bulk that was Varg, who made even the Minotaur look like a runt. His haunting eyes flickered about the arena before settling on Percy. The crowd grew quite as Varg stood.
"Tonight," Varg said, his voice projecting across the arena. Percy wondered if there was a bit of magic involved. "Perseus, Heir to the Mad King, thinks he can prove himself worthy of our support." The crowd booed again. Varg gave Percy a hungry grin. "Now we shall show him the might of the Fortress Above." The gate at the far end of the arena opened slowly and Varg turned his head to Percy. "Put on a good show, half-breed. Let us see the extent of your power."
Out of the gate, strode Nasuag, and the crowd cheered. His chest was wrapped in scale mail with a massive, curved sword–maybe as large as Percy–strapped to his back. His furry arms were left bare, and a leather skirt covered his thighs. Pale, sickly yellow eyes observed Percy intently, like the wolf was hunting prey. The wolf approached the center of the arena and Percy likewise walked. They met in the middle, Nasuag drawing his sword. The top of the blade had a serrated edge that Percy was sure would tear straight through his armor, assuming it wouldn't crush him outright. The two touched spear and sword before stepping back and looking at Varg.
The massive wolf waited for the roar of the crowd to go down before speaking, "The rules are simple. Fight, until I am satisfied." Percy noticed Artemis shoot her head around towards him. Varg ignored her as he raised his arms. "Begin."
The crowd roared as Nasuag lunged at Percy, swinging his massive sword around as easily as he would a twig. Percy brought his shield to bear, the blow sending him flying across the sand. Laughter filled the arena as Percy quickly recovered, rolling backwards and to his feet. He placed his shield in front of him, his spear resting on the rim. His eyes rested on Nasuag, who had not moved from his spot in the center of the ring. Holy crap, that hurt. It was like fighting Pallas all over again. Maybe even worse.
Impressive, Kronos said as he appeared next to Percy. "You will need to be careful with this one."
Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you think?" he muttered as he slowly shuffled forward.
Nasuag grinned viciously. "You are not wondering aimless fields fighting stragglers anymore, half-breed," he growled as he stood lazily, the tip of his sword skimming the ground as he held the sword to the side. "You are engaging in a play for power that was old when your gods were born.
Percy stared at him wordlessly before thrusting his spear at the wolf. Nasuag knocked the spear aside and kicked Percy's shield directly on its face, sending the demigod flat onto his back.
Use Backbiter. Kronos told him. With our power, you could easily defeat him.
No, Percy refused as he quickly rose to his feet, the roar of the crowd nearly deafening to him. If I am going to prove my worth, it will be with my own power. His eyes glanced at the royal box. Varg picked at his claws, clearly, he wasn't very impressed with Percy's showing so far. Artemis sat ramrod straight and Percy thought he could see a flicker of anxiety in her eyes. He looked between his spear and his opponent. He wasn't expecting to face someone so overwhelmingly strong and fast. If he was going to have a chance, he couldn't take it slow anymore. Percy flipped the spear around and thrusted it into the ground. Nasuag eyed him curiously as Percy reached into his pocket and drew Riptide. The demigod twirled the blade as his form loosened. He gave the wolf a wicked grin, "My turn."
Percy dashed forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Nasuag blocked the attack with his cross guard, pushing the blade aside and cleaving at Percy's head. The two traded several more blows, Nasuag's size and great sword gave him reach while Percy's shield gave him much greater defense. Percy deflected an attack with his shield, the sword scraping across its face. He spun off the attack, slamming his shield into Nasuag's side, putting all of his strength into the blow. A grunt escaped the skiódes snout as he stepped back. Nasuag growled and closed the gap almost faster than Percy could react. He swiped at Percy with his sword and when Percy blocked the blow, his claws raked across the front of his armor. Percy slapped the wolf's arm aside with the flat of his blade, knocking the blade away with his shield and leaving his opponent open. Before he could capitalize, Nasuag leaped backward and out of reach, the ground shaking in the impact. The two met again in a clash of blades. Rather than outright block the overwhelming attacks, Percy was forced to parry them with his sword and shield, or outright dodge the devastating blows. If the skiódes were all this powerful, it was no wonder that they had survived for so long in this oppressive environment. He had an easier time fighting Polybotes than this guy. Unlike Polybotes, Nasuag seemed to take him seriously, not allowing Percy the chance to counterstrike effectively.
Then, an opening, Nasuag overextended his reach, leaving an opening for Percy to bash his shield into the wolf's ribs. The beastly figure lurched backward at the force of the blow; his yellow eyes glowing murderously in the light of the green torches.
A growl escaped Nasuag's throat. "You will need to do better than that to defeat me." The skiódes clenched his fist, drawing blood and scattering the droplets into the sand. "Gaazz Thruul Mazza!" he growled, his words somehow reverberating audibly despite the cheering around. Just then, the blood turned dark and grew.
Formless shadows grew out of the drops of blood, dozens of them coiling and thrashing about. The shadows shot forward. Percy reacted fast, blocking several with his shield as he sliced more with his sword. He examined his shield and found several dents where the shadows struck. Percy frowned, imagining what those shadows would have done to him had they hit. The demigod ducked, Nasuag's sword slicing through the space he had occupied. The wolf pressed his advantage, slamming his sword against Percy's shield as the demigod tried to escape the onslaught. Pivoting off the next strike, the sword skimmed off Percy shield as it cut downward. Percy leapt into the air and kicked Nasuag in the side of the head. The skiódes lurched to the side, shaking his head.
Percy watched the shadows out of the corner of his eyes with a smirk. "Makes sense you guys can manipulate shadows," he said as his stance relaxed slightly. His eyes glowed with power. "But you guys aren't the only one who can manipulate the elements." Thunder rumbled across the sky as black clouds formed overhead. The desert the Tower of Terror sat in might have been lacking in moisture, but here, in the mountain ranges of Tartarus, Percy could fill rivers with the water vapor in the air. Fingers of red lightning arced through the clouds as thunder shook the air around them.
Nasuag barred his teeth at the sky before looking at Percy. "Impressive, but not surprising," he said as he took his stance. "But we will see how long you can keep this up." The surrounding shadows lashed out at Percy. A brilliant, red bolt of lightning arced down and struck, dissipating them before they could reach Percy, the sand below it being warped into molten glass. Nasuag hummed pleasingly. "You are strong. Stronger than we suspected. I am eager to see what you can become."
Percy quirked an eyebrow at him. "So… we done fighting?" he asked in confusion. He glanced around, the crowd was still as lively as ever, cheering and gesturing. He saw Artemis white knuckling the railing, all of her attention focused on him. Varg had abandoned his picking and was now watching with an amused smirk. Or, at least, Percy thought it was a smirk. It was hard to tell on such feral creatures.
A deep, rumbling chuckle came from Nasuag. "Did you not hear the words of the Warmaster, half-breed?" he questioned him. "We will fight until he is satisfied. Now ready yourself. We are far from done fighting yet." Nasuag lunged at Percy, his sword coming down in a great cleave.
Percy rolled away from the attack. Rain, tinted by the red lightning, began falling on the arena, quickly soaking the stands and sand of the arena. The water soaked into his shirt, his muscles surging with strength and power. "Yeah, well, maybe I'll just put an end to this," Percy claimed as his eyes glowed. The rain turned to sleet, which pelted furiously against their armor. Percy locked blades with Nasuag, surprising the wolf with his speed and strength. He quickly retreated, throwing Nasuag off balance, before launching his shield at him. Nasuag swatted the shield aside and found Percy in his face, leaping off the ground and thrusting Riptide at his face.
Nasuag ducked the attack, slamming his fist into Percy's side and throwing the demigod across the arena. Percy caught himself with a hand and flipped back onto his feet. The demigod spit a wad of blood on the ground and gave the wolf a bloody grin. The skiódes eyes widened minutely as he noticed his mistake. Percy charged Nasuag, pulling the spear from the ground as he went and hurtling it at the wolf. Nasuag swatted aside the spear and was met by a furious blitz from the demigod. His overwhelming offensive surprised the wolf as Percy dodged and countered every strike. Despite this, Nasuag managed to fend Percy off as he was slowly but surely driven back. The wet sand below their feet gave out from underneath Nasuag, the wolf slipping back into a roll before jumping at Percy. The demigod sidestepped the attack-
Look out!
Percy turned and shadows crashed into him. A roar of pain escaped his throat as he was buried into the dirt, his arm snapping in the impact. Percy shifted in the dirt, trying to dig himself out. He could feel the blood pouring out of gaping wounds in his side. He struggled to pull air in as one of his lungs collapsed. A massive paw pinned him to the dirt. Percy looked up to stare into the sickly eyes of Nasuag. The crowd jeered and cheered as Varg raised his massive sword above his head. Percy looked and saw Artemis turned and shout at Varg, but what she was saying he couldn't tell. Varg, however, didn't even seem to notice the goddess, his yellow eyes boring into Percy with an interested intensity. The demigod shook his head, he couldn't fail. Not like this. Not again.
Percy caught Artemis' eyes. The goddess stood frozen in place, her eyes brimming with anger and a hint of desperation. Her usually impassive face was now but a mask, barely containing the emotions running rampant inside. Her brows were furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line, trembling slightly as if holding back a torrent of words. Percy knew if he survived this, he would get a chewing out. He looked back up to Nasuag, his vicious grin a stark contrast to his friend's demeanor.
"You put on a good show," Nasuag said, drawing Percy's attention. The wolf raised the sword slightly higher, preparing to bring it down.
Desperation flooded Percy's being as he struggled weakly against the paw. His eyes fluttered as his consciousness began to slip at the loss of blood. He couldn't die here. Not now. He wouldn't. He would-not-fall. Then rise, Kronos' voice echoed in his head as Percy's eyes were filled with a fiery gold.
"You should have come at me with your full power." Nasuag brought the sword down and-
Red-gold energy exploded out of the demigod, launching the skiódes across the arena. The crowd grew silent as Percy stood, half his form overtaken by Kronos, unseen by all but Percy and Artemis, and a fiery golden aura flooded out of him like a wildfire. His arm straightened out with a loud crack as his bone was mended and the holes in his chest sealed as his lung was stitched back together. Percy moved his arm about experimentally before seeming satisfied with the results as he basked in the power rolling through him. Before in his fight with Pallas, Percy had been barely aware of what was going on around him, driven purely by instinct. Now though, he could feel every last drop of power flooding his system. The feeling was almost overwhelming.
Nasuag pulled himself from the sand, his fur smoldering from the explosion. The wolf shook himself and barred his teeth at Percy. "What an abomination," he growled, his eyes burning fiercely. He cut into his paw with his claws and flung more drops of blood into the sand. "Radz Macc Quelar!"
The blood steamed and darkened before shifting and molding into shadowy shapes. Nearly a dozen massive hellhound like shadows stood between Nasuag and Percy, their growls reverberating through the entire arena.
Percy's reddish gold eyes observed the shadowy figures with disinterest before moving about the rest of the arena. The crowded arena stood in a mixture of awe and fear as they watched the battle with rapt attention. Inside the royal box, Artemis stood locked in place, her eyes widened and transfixed on Percy with seeming relief and maybe a little fear. Both Varg and the Minotaur had remained seated, the massive wolf much more relaxed than Asterion as the two watched in curiously. Percy then affixed his gaze on Nasuag, the wolf was panting lightly as he patted down the smoldering parts of his fur.
Reaching behind him, he pulled Backbiter from behind his back, the blade extending into a gold and red blade of energy from the shard as he held it out. The temperature in the arena skyrocketed as waves of the fiery gold energy rolled off of him. The fiery gold energy parted around his sword with a high pitch whine, blasting upward with the force of a raging inferno. His drive to fight, to destroy, grew with the temperature as his blood called for the death of his enemies. It was a new feeling. A feeling of power, of exhilaration. Percy spontaneously began to giggle. He felt elated. His soul singing for the fight to come. His giggles burst into hysterical laughter towards the sky as the power grew higher, Percy vaguely noting Kronos' voice merging with his own. Percy's eyes rested on Nasuag and his creations. This was what he was born to do. This is what he was destined to do. It was the only thing that mattered in this moment.
He just wanted to fight.
Go.
Percy grinned devilishly at Nasuag before taking a step and appeared in front of the wolf. The air around him exploded outward, buffering Nasuag who swung his sword reflexively. Percy blocked the blow with Backbiter, the force launching sand into the air. A series of growls drew Percy's attention. The shadowy hounds he bypassed turned and growled at him, some readying to pounce. He turned back to Nasuag, who was still deadlocked with Backbiter. "Just a moment," he said casually before, with a flicker of movement, all the shadows collapsed in pieces, their bodies dissolving into nothingness.
Nasuag's eyes narrowed. He hadn't even noticed the pressure from Percy's sword let up. The demigod-no-this abomination could not exist. It was not possible. Even his people, at the height of their power, could not do this. Something was wrong.
"Sorry about that. Didn't want them to interrupt the fun," Percy said with glee. He broke the blade lock and slashed.
Nasuag blocked the attack, the blow launching him into the arena wall. The wolf grunted in pain as he pulled himself from the wall. The thing that was Percy hadn't moved from his spot, the abomination bouncing on his feet experimentally. The waves of power burned Nasuag as it brushed against him. Percy experimentally flexed his spare hand, his face turning from glee to concerned anger. He reappeared in front of Nasuag, the skiódes biting back his instincts to strike. He didn't think he would survive the exchange. "This will have to be cut short," Percy said in a low tone, thrusting his blade forward-
A massive fist collided into Percy, burying him into the arena floor in a flood of sand. Looking up, Percy saw Varg standing over him, a fierce grin across his snout. The colossal skiódes kept him pinned beneath his fist in the dirt. "That was what I wanted to see, young one," his deep, ancient voice rumbled. "Now." His haunting eyes glowed and a drop of blood leaked from his fist, landing on Percy's cheek. "Rest." The blood steamed and seeped into his skin and all the power left Percy's body as he lost consciousness.