Chapter 25

The Abyss, Tartarus

(?) Later

Percy slashed his way through another tribe of Horde, his sword and shield bringing a swift end to any being that came into range. Percy didn't know how long he's been down here, or how many tribes of these monsters he's killed. He was only sure what the outcome will be: extinction.

Percy didn't stop for rest or food, those niceties had left him a long time ago. He just trudged on through the wasteland of Tartarus, putting whatever monster he could find to the sword. Percy realized the effects this will cause on his mind when the war is over, but he didn't care. After all, what use is holding on to what makes you human if all of humanity is wiped off the Earth?

Out of nowhere, a powerful roar shook the very landscape of Tartarus. Percy determined that the sound was coming from above him and shot a ball of light into the air, using the light as if it were a flare. What the light revealed was something that sent shivers down Perseus' spine.

Flying high above him was a dragon; its body as long as four school buses and was at least as tall as a house. Percy had known about the existence of dragons, but they were so rare that they were basically non existent. The only dragon Perseus had actually seen was Peleus, but the friendly beast guarding the Golden Fleece dwarfed in comparison to the fire breathing monstrosity that was flying above him.

The dragon tried to find the source of the light, it's orange eyes scanning the terrain for any sign of life. Perseus knew that sooner or later, the dragon would see him, and so, he prepared himself for the worst.

The dragon finally found Perseus and immediately dive bombed the demigod, spraying orange flames across the land. Perseus hid behind his shield and watched the dragon fly over him. Percy would somehow have to bring the dragon to the ground, but at the speeds the monster was flying at, it would be near impossible.

The dragon continued trying to burn him alive, strafing back and forth, spraying fire everywhere; only to find that Percy was still behind his shield. The dragon circled around the demigod, waiting for another chance to burn Perseus to a crisp. Finally, seeing that Percy wasn't going to lower his shield, the dragon tried a different approach. It swooped down upon Perseus, trying to take his prey out with a single bite. Perseus never saw the attack coming, still trying to prevent himself become a crispy Perce-kabob, and was soon snatched into the giant maw of the dragon, dropping his shield somewhere along the way.

Perseus screamed in pain as the dragon crunched down upon his body, trying to break through his impenetrable skin. In desperation, Percy pulled his spear of his back and threw it down the throat of the dragon. The spear lodged itself in the dragon's throat and started the process of tearing the monster's soul from its body.

The dragon dropped Perseus and flew to the ground, desperately clawing at its throat, spraying fire in random directions as if were trying to burn the spear. As Percy fell, both he and his mind were going at a million miles an hour. Percy, remembered from his eleventh grade physics class that when falling from heights, it's not the fall that kills someone, it's the sudden stop. For the first time in his life, Percy thanked the education system for cramming random facts into his brain.

Calling upon the flow of time, Percy slowed himself to a snail's pace and watched on as the dragon squirmed as if it was having its soul ripped from its body - which it was. Percy landed with a soft thud and made his way to put the dragon out of its misery. Percy pulled Riptide from its sheath and stabbed the dragon straight through its eye, hitting the brain and killing it instantly.

As Percy retrieved his spear he realized that his armour had been completely destroyed when the dragon was using him as a chew toy. Percy frowned, he really liked that armour. Percy's spear glowed golden as he picked it up and an idea came to the forefront of his mind. Percy clutched his spear and called on the flow of time once again. Reversing time he watched in fascination as his armour start to repair itself, broken pieces of his breastplate flying towards him and back into their place.

When the process finished, Percy looked at his armour in satisfaction, it looked brand new - as if he hadn't been traversing this gods forsaken pit for what seemed like decades - he still wasn't completely sure how long he's been down here. As Percy's control over time had grown, so had his understanding of it; he had begun to get a feeling for how long he's actually been down here, and he didn't like what the answer entailed.

Percy started to look for his shield and summoned some more light to help hasten his search. At the edge of where the light reached, lay Perseus' shield. As Percy went to grab it, the light revealed what had been hiding in the shadows: The Horde. The Horde charged him, screeching so loudly Perseus thought his ears would bleed. Percy calmly pulled his spear off his back and watched as it transformed into the menacing Scythe of Kronos.

Today, Perseus would be one step closer to returning to the surface.

—

Palace of Hades, The Underworld

August 11th

Thanatos flew into his Hades' dining room with urgency, "My lord, something is wrong inside the Pit."

Hades let loose a sigh of relief at Thanatos' abrupt entry; Persephone had been trying to get him to eat some mortal food for a change, which was absolutely ridiculous, he was the god of the underworld for gods sake. Hades immediately straightened up, no matter how grateful he was for his lieutenant's arrival, Thanatos wasn't one to exaggerate problems - especially ones concerning Tartarus, "Well, what is it?"

Thanatos pulled out his black IPad and clicked the screen a few times, "Over the past few months, hundreds of millions of beings have been killed inside the Pit. Under your orders to make my trips to Tartarus as short as possible, I haven't been able to discern what is dying, but I can tell you what is killing them."

Hades wasn't one for anticipation, nor patience, "Well, who is it, Typhon?" Hades wasn't able to see Thanatos' face due to his hood, but he swore he saw a ghost of a smile appear, "It's a mortal."

Hades had nearly fallen out of his chair, there weren't many mortals down in Tartarus, and even less down there were able to kill a monster. "I must go find Poseidon."

—

Montauk Beach, New York

August 11th

Poseidon had been easy enough to find, just follow the bad weather. Hades found the sea god walking along the water, lost in thought . He had been wearing his favorite fishing clothes - a bright Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts, complete with his lucky fishing hat, but the sea gods mood did not reflect his bright clothing. Hades noticed that Poseidon had been in a solemn mood the past week, no doubt caused from his son's upcoming birthday - a constant reminder that he is trapped inside the Pit.

Hades hoped his news of Perseus would lighten Poseidon's foul mood, but he had no idea. Hades approached his brother, putting extra effort in his steps to announce his present to the sea god, "He's still alive you know."

Poseidon turned to face his brother, a small smile appearing on his face, however it dissapeared as fast as it came, "Why else do you think Long Island hasn't been flooded yet?" Hades wasn't sure if the old sea god was joking or not, "Well that'd cause me a lot more paperwork to fill out, so I guess we can both be grateful."

When Poseidon didn't respond, Hades took it as the opportunity to tell him the news Thanatos had relayed to him. However, the news only seemed to worsen the sea gods behavior, "It's my fault." Hades wasn't one for emotions, but this was his little brother they were talking about, against his better judgement, he motioned for Poseidon to continue. "The events of his entire life is my fault. When I broke our pact to not sire any children, I gave the boy a fate worse than death; I gave him the fate of a hero.

A small twinkle appeared in his eyes, "It was after his first quest, I had tried apologizing for what I had done to him, but the foolish boy said he didn't mind, and then he tried apologizing for bothering me." The small spark of joy left the sea god's face, "If only he knew what the future would hold."

Hades wasn't the best at comforting people, but he decided to give it a go, "Think of the future Poseidon. Your son is partially immortal, you have the rest of eternity to spend with him." Poseidon looked Hades in the eye and let loose a sad sigh, "That is what I am worried about brother: He's partially immortal. As long as he lives, the fate of the world will rest upon his shoulders. I fear that soon enough, the weight will be too much to bear."

—

Absolute Darkness, Tartarus

(?) Later

Percy had finally made it to the point of no return, where no sane creature would dare venture: Absolute Darkness. This was supposedly where The Horde reigned supreme, this was the last lap, the only thing standing between him and breathing real air again. He finally understood Bob's last wish to see the stars, Percy had been stuck in this pit for so long he had forgotten how they twinkled in the sky, or how the stars formed constellations spanning across the galaxy.

Wasting no time, Percy unsheathed Riptide and strapped his shield on his arm. Tapping into his powers over light, he surrounded himself in an ethereal white light; the light he produced sent a message to all monsters hiding in the darkness: come and get me. The Horde answered the call with a deafening screech. As The Horde sprinted into view, Percy met their charge with one of his own.

As he ran, he called upon the strings of time and increased his own speed a hundred-fold, making him seem to be a ball of light running through the ranks of The Horde, leaving dead bodies in its wake. Percy whirled through their ranks like he was a hurricane; decimating anything in his path. Anywhere Riptide struck, another member of The Horde would fall; anytime a swipe of his shield hit home, his wish to return home came closer.

Faster than thought, Perseus sheathed his weapons and transformed his spear into a scythe. Using the scythe as a catalyst for his power, he simultaneously further increased his speed and slowed down The Horde. Holding his scythe in both hands, Perseus moved through the remaining Horde so fast that even he didn't realize when the fight was over.

When he finally did, Perseus collapsed to the ground in a heap - his light diminishing and his grasp on time leaving him. Percy had never tried to control time to that extent, and he was happy to say that he was near the brink of collapsing. Even through his exhaustion, Perseus couldn't keep the smile off his face; he would be coming home soon.