A/N first and foremost I would like to thank my Beta OldSpice2625... I enjoyed writing parts of this chapter a lot, all though parts of this chapter didn't come out the way i liked it to it still ended up pretty good.
Disclamier:I own nothing! (movie reference)
Chapter 7
Olympus Throne Room
Not one of them had tried to stop Percy or Thalia from leaving. The eerie silent room from Percy's display was heavy. The Olympians were stunned, out of all the torture they put mortals and half-bloods through; this is the only one that had affected each of them personally. A tortured soul, every inch of pain that had gone through his body rested on their hands.
"You destroyed his life all of you" Annabeth quietly accused. "He was once so carefree so alive but now look what you did to him, what I did to him. He hides behind this happy and strong façade but really he is just scared and extremely miserable." On that final note she stormed out of the room wiping stray tears from her face.
"The girl is right. You all had a part in destroying my son's life!" Poseidon boomed voice echoing through the silent chamber. Not one god disagreed or had anything to rival that simple comment.
"I could try to heal him, if he lets me..." Apollo said trying to ease the sea god's anger. Although to no avail, Poseidon just nodded before dissolving into an ocean breeze returning to the ocean once more.
"Well, I never thought that runt could ever be through so much punishment." Ares said.
"Yeah you incorrect like always." Athena snickered, and with that remark their daily bickering started again as the council disassembled.
The Edge of Olympus
Percy sat on the edge of Olympus staring off in the distance watching the sun slowly go down making the city of Manhattan glow with a brilliant orange light. It would have been a lot more peaceful if the curse wasn't there or if he was never sent to Tartarus but regardless this was still beautiful. He just felt like sliding off of the edge of Olympus to stop the pain forever but he couldn't do that to his Mom, Dad, Paul, Grover, Nico, Annabeth and most important to him Thalia.
"Beautiful isn't it?" A familiar and pleasing voice spoke.
"Yeah it is." Percy replied, looking Behind him to see Thalia with a sad tear stricken face looking out at the sun before he turned back to gaze out at his city.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked quietly as if to not disturb the peace that hung in the air.
"Not at all, Take a seat" Percy said motioning for her to sit down, and with a sigh of relief, she complied.
"Percy, why didn't you tell me about all of this before?"
"Tell you what?"
"Your injuries... that curse.... everything." She said waving her arms at him.
"I didn't want you to pity me or feel burdened by it."
"Oh" She replied while resting her head against his shoulder. They shared a very comfortable silence while watching the city. The odd sensation that Percy felt this morning and last night happened again, he was relaxed.
"Hey Thalia, I heard about the Hunters, I'm sorry" Percy said trying to get the topic off of him.
"Yeah I'm not." She murmured.
"Why?"
"Well as great as it is to be a Hunter. I just figured that the lifestyle was not for me, y'know?"
"Yea, I can understand that." He replied, minty breath swooping through the air as his face inched closer to hers. He began moving towards her cautiously waiting for her to shock him.
"Are we interrupting something?" a voice asked.
"Maybe. Depends who's asking" Thalia said.
"How about us?" Answered Apollo standing side by side with his sister Artremis.
Thalia got up whipped around, bowed and said. "Lord Apollo, Lady Artemis." Leaving Percy just sitting there staring out upon Manhattan.
"You may stand Thalia" said Apollo "My sis would like a word with you though."
"That I would." Artemis pulled Thalia away into a close by Olympian garden.
"Yeah what do you want" Percy said, with bitterness and hate in his voice, still not looking at him.
"Hey, Percy." Said Apollo, in the most sympathetic tone the god could manage. "I would like to see if there is a way to help you"
"Why do you care? You're the ones who had me cast into Tartarus to suffer forever." Percy spat, resentment burning in his voice. "And that's what I got for three years."
"Listen Perseus, I know you must loath us for our decision, but please let us try to help you for your father's sake. He's in quite a bit of pain after seeing you."
"Fine." Percy grumbled earning a sly grin from the sun god.
"Great" said Apollo clasping his hands together. "Now let's see those wounds."
Percy took off his shirt once again and Apollo winced. Even for gods it was no easier to see it second time around.
"Okay Percy what did Kronos use to do this to you?"
"What do you think?" Percy asked, with a sarcastic edge to his voice.
"The scythe..." he said before muttering under his breath "shit."
"You and I already know that you'll just be doing this for cosmetic reasons right?"Percy said, and Apollo nodded. "Could you try to get rid of the burns and bruises, please? 'Cuz it's getting really hot wearing long sleeves all the time."
"I will try" said Apollo grinning; he began chanting in Ancient Greek a bright yellow light formed a pillar around Percy. It was closing in and Percy felt like the air was being sucked from his lungs and then as soon as it started it ended. Then Burns and bruises were gone but everything left by the scythe stayed, meaning the young man's troubles were far from over.
"Thanks, I guess."
Meanwhile (With Thalia and Artemis)
"Thalia I assume you know why I kicked you out of the hunters." Artemis assumed.
"Uh... because I saw Percy?" Thalia replied even though it sounded more like a question.
"Partly, also because you continuously left the hunters to do other things, which is not important right now."
"Okay... so is that all or is there something else you wanted to ask me?"
"Always strait to the point, that's what I like about you. Well there is another question I have for you. Why were you so persistent to get that boy out even though he was proclaimed a villain?"
"Well there was a combination of things." Thalia said, while Artemis motioned her to go on. "One I never thought that Percy was guilty and it seemed so out of character for him."
Pondering this Artemis asked. "Mhm, so if I was to offer you another spot in the Hunter's would you take it?"
Almost too quickly Thalia replied weekly. "No..."
"Why?"
"Well it's confusing right now I me-"
"You like Percy don't you?" Artemis said, while Thalia shook her head furiously. "Look, I know I am the goddess of maidenhood and all, but I'm not heartless remember Perseus helped free me too. So I'd understand if you care deeply for that boy."
"Maybe, well... Sort-of."
"That's what I thought" Artemis said before adding light heartedly. "Oh, and I swear by the Styx I will not turn him into a antelope unless at your discretion."
"Umm... Thanks I guess." Thalia replied laughing.
"But no matter how much you like him you must agree he is really stupid sometimes isn't he?" Artemis said grinning as they walked back towards Percy and Apollo.
"Yeah, isn't that right Perce?" Thalia asked, with a hint of sarcasm laced into her voice.
"Mhm" Percy replied.
Thalia stifled a laugh as Artemis and her brother Apollo counted to three. Once they hit three, it was like Percy suddenly had a startling revelation and quickly leapt to his own defence. "Wait……What? No I'm not!" Thalia, Artemis and Apollo started to laugh uncontrollably, at Percy's expense. After Percy and Thalia left to the elevators to regroup with the others, Poseidon appeared in front of the twins.
"Artemis, would you mind if you gave me and your brother a moment?" Poseidon asked even though it sounded more like a demand.
"No not at all." Artemis replied teleporting away from the other gods.
The streets of Manhattan
"So what do want to do?" Nico asked.
"Hey how about we see a movie?" Thalia said. All agreeing before they started to walk down the streets to the theatre.
"I can never see properly when I come out of movie theatres, you know?" Nico said as they emerged from said theatre. "I'm always afraid I'm gonna run into a pole or something."
"That's just cause you're a klutz, Dead boy" Thalia offered.
"A klutz who has an undead army behind him for support."
"Anytime you want to dance, di Angelo."
Luke stepped in before things could escalate, "All right now children, let's calm down." He shook his head. "I swear to Hermes, what are you guys going to do whenever I'm not here to stop you?"
"Kill each other, and do us all a favour."
"Oh? You wanna get in on this too, Jackson? I'm more than willing to make this a three-way battle if you want."
"Oh come on you all know I'd win." Percy replied smirking.
That was all fun, of course, until a hellhound burst out of the ground in front of them and pounced at Annabeth, eyes glowing and claws slashing.
Annabeth barely had time to utter a small "Eh?" before she felt a force slam into her from behind. She pitched forward, hitting the pavement hard and scraping up her knees and hands. The hellhound had soared over her, however, so she wasn't really going to complain about the small abrasions. It was far better than being dead. Annabeth rolled to her feet and whipped around to find the hellhound bearing down on her friends. Percy had chosen to keep Riptide away, and Thalia had done the same with Aegis. Chances are they didn't want to risk people seeing them wielding weapons in a public place. That'd be bad.
They weren't defenceless though. Percy had summoned water from somewhere, and it was swirling in a small, flowing circle around him. A small storm was brewing way high up, and Annabeth could already spot the lightning skittering through the dark clouds. As she watched, Nico raised his hand, and the ground cracked open, fire gushing forth from the fissure. Luke stayed ready in a defensive stance. Annabeth took a step or two toward them in order to keep from isolating herself.
The atmosphere froze in that one charged moment for what felt like an eternity, though it was most likely only a few seconds. And then it broke.
Percy was the first to strike. He slashed his hand through the water, and it shot out like fluid spears, the tips of which had frozen into sharp icicles. The hellhound ducked, leaped, and rolled to avoid them. It was fairly successful, earning only a gash or two along its flank. And then gouts of flame were after it, weaving in amongst the water spears, seeking to roast the beast alive. The hellhound was the most agile Annabeth had ever seen. It had thus far managed to dodge everything that had thrown at it.
Its luck didn't last too much longer though. A bolt of lightning came pelting down from the sky, slamming into the ground right next to the hellhound. The creature reared back in surprise, stopping it's movements for a second. That was all they needed. Five water spears burst through the hellhound's chest at different angles while fire swirled up around it, consuming everything it touched.
Thalia brought another bolt of lightning lancing down, striking the creature dead on this time. The force of the attack blew away the funnel of flames and water and left nothing but a pile of gold dust.
A moment of silence followed. "Well," Nico said, motioning toward the crack in the ground, making it flow back together seamlessly, "that wasn't too hard."
Thalia snorted. "With three kids of the Big Three here, I'd certainly hope not."
"Why the hell would a hellhound just up and attacks us, though?" Annabeth wondered aloud. "I thought that ever since Kronos had been defeated the monster attacks had become a lot less frequent and much more concealed."
"Not entirely sure, we need to report this to Chiron back at ca-"
"Guys," Percy interrupted Luke, staring at the remains of the hellhound. "Guys, look."
They turned and stared at what Percy had already noticed. The pile of golden dust that the beast had become was no longer a pile. It had spelled out, in Ancient Greek, a message upon the street, like a child would with chalk.
It was simple, but the indication and meaning were blazingly obvious. As was the sender of the message.
Perseus Jackson here I come. At the bottom of the message was a small symbol.
A sickle.
Percy just stood there staring down at the message alongside his friends. The brand was burning and literally felt like it was on fire right at this moment. Anger and hatred pulsed through Percy's veins after a moment he yelled. "What do you want? I haven't even been away for two weeks and you're already visiting me?" While Percy was out on his outburst other monsters from hellhounds to Minotaur's and back got the very message from Kronos. Get Perseus Jackson.
The ground shook and storms brewed over head and everything shaking with it except for Percy. He was laughing manically now like he was insane again earning scared people to look at him. This made it easier to track him and soon they were surrounded.
Yes! The voice inside him hissed. Let me out, let me be free.
Shit, shit, shit. Not now.
Why? It seems a perfect time to unlock your true potential doesn't it? The voice cackled.
True potential?... No, it's not.
Yes it is, Release me.
That's the exact problem, who are you?
My, my, aren't we naive... The voice taunted.
We? There is no we. Who are you!?
The voice cackled again. Me? Well I'm you.
Well what did'ya think?
I really enjoyed writing the ending for this chapter and in my opinion i think it was the best part. What was your's?