7 Tartarus

"So we go into Tartarus, and we bring back the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones", Hades says casually.

"Easy", Hera says with a smirk on her face.

I grimace remembering how much Percy experienced in Tartarus, and I really, really don't want to go there. But I'm a god so it'll probably be way easier for me.

"Let's go", Zeus responds confidently.

....

It takes a while for us to find the entrance to the Underworld, Hades found a cave system that led deep into the ground and we followed it until we eventually got to the Underworld. He seemed to have a knack for navigating the tunnels, but I guess that makes sense.

He led us along a underground river I think is the Styx until the river spills of a cliff and into the void of Tartarus.

We all become pale faced at the sight of the void beneath the cliff, but then Zeus turned into a bat and flew down. We all copied him and turned into bats, then flew down into the void after him.

Once we reached the bottom of the cliff we found dark and dreary landscape of rock spires, volcanic ash, fiery pits, and tons of of nasty monsters and evil spirits roaming about.

We all couldn't help, but suck in a deep breath at the sight.

"How the f*ck are we supposed to find them in this!", I whisper furiously and nervously at the others.

Apparently Tartarus, the Primordial of the pit, had been breeding more Primordial entities down here in the darkness like Nyx and Eurobos, and they'd been having kids of their own.

"Just follow me and stay quiet!", Zeus whispers back just as furiously and nervous.

He leads us to creep around randomly for days until we come to a highly defended zone. There is an extremely high brass wall and it is patrolled by monsters and evil spirits.

In bat form, we fly over the wall easily without getting spotted; but once inside we see the jailer and we all almost lose our nerve.

I knew Kronos had personally hired one of the most horrible monsters in Tartarus to make sure his "important" prisoners don't escape, Kampê, but if my nightmares had nightmares of their own, they would most definitely be dreaming about Kampê.

From her waist up she was a humanoid female with venomous snakes for hair, like Medusa. But from the waist down she was a d*mn four legged dragon

Thousands of vipers sprout from her legs like a grass skirt. Her waist is ringed by the heads of many different animals, all snarling and growling. Bears, boars, lions, tigers—they're all there on her waist.

Huge, dark-green reptilian wings sprout from her shoulder blades and a black scorpion-like tail swishes back and forth behind her, dripping venom all the while.

She also holds a burning black whip decorated in barbs and spikes

We watch her from behind a pile of boulders as she walks back and forth in the yard— patrolling her prisoners.

"Peace?", Demeter asks timidly.

And to be honest, I don't even know the answer myself.

We're all trembling just from looking at her, how the heck are we supposed to fight that thing?

"We'll just observe the situation for a while, then try and come up with a plan after that.", Zeus says nervously.

The poor prisoners are forced to work with out any break—nothing like water, sleep, or food is available to them.

The Hundred-Handed Ones spent their time on the far end of the yard, carrying blocks of volcanic rock that they had to dig out of the ground themselves to build a building.

The Cyclopes are closer to us, they each had a forge where they smelted metals and hammered out plates of bronze and iron.

If the Cyclopes or the Hundred-Handed Ones tried to sit down, or even pause long enough to try and catch their breaths, Kampê would take her whip and lash fresh burning whip marks across their backs.

Even worse though, the Cyclopes and Hundred-Handed Ones were not allowed to finish making their creations. Kampê would either force them to discard it into the bubbling pits of magma or destroy it.

One might think....."Hey, they are a bunch of big dudes and there's only one her, why don't they fight and overpower her?"

Well that's because she's f*cking terrifying! She stabbed one Cyclops in the back with her tail and he layed on the yard floor incapacitated and screaming his lungs out for hours on end!

Besides, based on what I read from Percy Jackson, the Elder Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones are peaceful and nice dudes, not fighters really.

"I have a plan", Zeus said seriously.

"What is it", Hades responds.

"I'm going to wait until that huge monster goes to the other side of the yard, then run over and ask them to make us weapons", Zeus said.

"I'll come with you", I say.

I need to request to them that they make the weapons capable of storing divinity, not just enhancing it like originally.

Zeus and I wait until Kampê walks to the other end of the courtyard, then we sneakily sprint to where the closest Cyclops is.

"Hey!", Zeus calls, a little bit too loudly for my liking.

"I'm not Hey, I'm Brontes", The Cyclops named Brontes replies.

"Hey, Brontes," I speak cheerily, like trying to coax a puppy, "We're here to rescue you."

Brontes scowls and then says,"That's what Kronos said too," and then continues forging.

"We don't like Kronos either, if we work together then maybe we can get revenge," Zeus says just as coaxingly as me.

"Okay, but how?", Brontes says cautiously.

"First we need weapons", Zeus says.

"Kampê makes us destroy anything we build," Brontes responds,

"How about you make each piece separately and make them look harmless, but then quickly put the pieces together when she is away?", I add in.

"That might work!", Brontes responds excitedly.

"Can you also make it so that out weapons can store our energy?", I say.

"Maybe? We can try", Brontes adds in uncertainly.

Zeus and I smile at him, but then run away quickly once we see Kampê start returning. We join the others back behind the boulders and they ask if it worked and Zeus and I respond yes.

Then we all turn to look at the Cyclopes. Brontes taps a strange beat with his hammer and then whispers to his brothers—Arges and Steropes the plan, and the Hundred-Handed Ones— Briares, Kottos, and Gyes nod from far away from them.

Brontes and his brothers start forging, the way they forge though is like an art. They strike down forcefully and sparks fly, creating a beautiful arc, and we see the pieces of the first weapon start taking shape.

Once the Cyclopes finish the pieces, they wait for Kampê to start her march to the other side, then pass the pieces onto the Hundred-Handed Ones.

The Hundred Handed Ones assemble the weapon extremely fast, so fast that their movements blur. And then they toss the first completed weapon to us.

And Zeus catches it.