Chapter 138: A Twist in the Guts

[Third Person's PoV] 

Lucian and Thalia moved at speeds that defied detection, their weapons clashing with a rapid succession of strikes. Lucian's eyes glowed red as he tapped into his Foresight, predicting Thalia's swift movements with precision and countering each strike with calculated grace.

Thalia, realizing the difficulty of landing a hit, distanced herself slightly before creating afterimages using nothing but her incredible speed. The images surrounded Lucian, all aiming their weapons at him, a daunting sight that would have overwhelmed any ordinary opponent.

Suddenly, a blur of motion materialized behind Lucian. Thalia's eyes glowed bright blue—a stark contrast to Lucian's red—and she thrust her spear toward his back with deadly precision.

Lucian, however, remained unfazed. His expression stayed neutral as he shifted his scythe into a bo staff, twirling it behind him just in time to block Thalia's attack. The staff spun with expert control, and Lucian launched a counterattack, twirling the bo staff with such force that it sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.

Thalia, her reflexes just as sharp, blocked the powerful strikes with her shield. The force of Lucian's attacks was immense, but Thalia absorbed the shockwaves into her body, channeling the energy down to her feet. With a swift motion, she raised her leg and stomped down, releasing a massive shockwave that caused a miniature earthquake in the area, a feat made possible by the heavy boots Medea had gifted her for Christmas.

The ground beneath Lucian trembled, causing him to momentarily lose his footing. Seizing the opportunity, Thalia thrusted her spear forward with incredible force, piercing through Lucian's armor and chest.

Lucian gripped the spear embedded in his chest, his expression a mix of surprise and amusement. Then, in true Lucian fashion, he stuck out his tongue playfully. "Kidding~ You've already taken my heart figuratively; you didn't have to do it literally," he quipped with a wink.

Thalia couldn't help but smirk, despite the intensity of their duel. "It will always amaze me how you're able to come up with those corny lines so quickly," she said, withdrawing her spear. As she did, she noticed the hole in Lucian's chest was surrounded by swirling darkness. The darkness began to coalesce, knitting itself back together until the wound was completely healed, leaving no trace of the damage she had inflicted.

"You're impossible," Thalia muttered, shaking her head with a small smile.

"And you're irresistible," Lucian retorted with a grin, readying his bo staff for the next round.

Lucian's smirk widened as his shadow expanded, spreading across the ground and giving rise to multiple figures, each an exact replica of him, all wielding bo staffs. "Wanna see something I've learned while I took magic lessons from Hecate?" he asked, his tone brimming with excitement.

As the shadowy clones fully materialized, they all spoke in unison, their voices echoing eerily. "I was finally able to do this," they said with identical smirks. Lucian then exclaimed, "Apart from turning my body into a pure elemental for a while, I've learned Shadow Clones, bitches!!" With that, all the clones surged forward, bo staffs twirling as they swung lightly but with enough force to demonstrate their potential.

Thalia, unfazed by the approaching horde, leaped into the air, her body enveloped in a crackling aura of lightning. "I think you've forgotten something," she called out, her voice laced with confidence. "While you were training with the goddess, Annabeth and I were training under your mother. And you, more than anyone, understand she's one badass woman."

As Thalia spread her arms wide, the javelins of pure lightning and electricity formed around her, thick and glowing with immense power, crackling with energy that lit up the space. The air hummed with the anticipation of her upcoming attack.

Lucian, seeing the impending assault, didn't hesitate. With a confident wave of his hands, he conjured an identical attack using his black flames. Javelins materialized in the air, each one wreathed in dark, fiery energy that seemed to absorb the light around it. The intense heat emanating from the black flames caused the air to shimmer and distort, creating a sense of overwhelming pressure in the battlefield.

Both warriors locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. Without another moment's hesitation, they launched their javelins at each other simultaneously. 

The two opposing forces collided in midair with a deafening roar, each javelin meeting its counterpart with explosive power. The clash of lightning and black flames created a series of massive explosions, each one shaking the ground and the air around them. The force of the blasts sent shockwaves rippling through the area, uprooting nearby trees and shattering rocks.

Black and blue smoke billowed out from the point of impact, the two colors swirling together in a chaotic dance, obscuring the battlefield. The smoke was thick, choking, and charged with residual energy from both attacks. The air was heavy with the scent of ozone and burning ash.

For a moment, everything was still. The sounds of the explosions faded, leaving only the crackling of lingering flames and the distant rumble of shockwaves. The smoke slowly began to clear, revealing the battlefield once more.

As it did, Lucian's shadow clones suddenly appeared beside Thalia, dark smiles on their faces.

Thalia waited until they were close, and just as they all attacked in unison, she released a powerful electric pulse from her body, causing the shadow clones to dissipate into nothingness.

"Was that all?" Thalia asked smugly.

"I never said they were durable," Lucian replied with a shrug, unfazed by the outcome. 

"Since you've shown off a new move, why don't I do the same? I based this one on a lightning attack you once described to me, and honestly, it might just be my strongest yet."

Dark clouds began to gather overhead, crackling with electricity, growing denser and more ominous.

Seeing what Thalia was preparing, Lucian laughed. "Oh? We're using our strongest attacks? Then here's one I've developed recently. One of the things I've learned from my training is how to add details to my attacks, making them more realistic and intimidating—kind of like psychological warfare."

Lucian raised one hand, igniting it with black flames, while the other summoned a swirling wisp of shadows. His shadow expanded, and from it, a serpentine figure began to rise.

The creature grew larger and more detailed, scales forming across its body. Long antlers sprouted from its head, sharp shadowy teeth took shape, and a mane of pure black flames ignited along its back. Two flame-like whiskers flickered from its snout, and its eyes, burning with black fire, slowly shifted to a bright, swirling red, filled with madness.

Meanwhile, Thalia retracted her weapons and raised a hand towards the sky. The lightning within the dark clouds converged, gathering in the center before shooting down towards her hand, forming a massive animal head with two forelegs, its eyes glowing orbs of plasma.

"What did you call this move?" Thalia asked teasingly. "Oh, that's right... Kirin!" She shouted the name with a burst of energy.

Lucian stepped forward, pointing two fingers at the incoming lightning attack. "Oh so we were shouting out attacks, Cursed Dragon!," he declared.

The dragon let out a mighty roar as it soared past Lucian, charging towards the Kirin swimming through the sky.

As the two legendary creatures collided, they released a final, earth-shaking roar, and then, everything went white.

…

A bit before… 

Luke and Annabeth were locked in a fierce duel, her feathers shooting out like knives, trying to pierce through his defenses. But Luke, moving with near superhuman speed, expertly twirled his sword, deflecting each attack with precision.

"You know," Luke said, maintaining a focused expression as he dodged another barrage, "this is a really good workout. We should spar more often."

His eyes darted around, tracking every feather, before he began spinning rapidly, becoming a blur. The speed of his movements made it impossible for any of the feather-knives to touch him as he charged forward.

Seeing Luke rush toward her, Annabeth wrapped her wings protectively around her body. Even so, she felt the force of his charge pushing her back. She quickly unfurled her wings, sending Luke flying off his feet. He twisted mid-air with a smirk, landing gracefully and sliding back slightly before immediately charging again.

Annabeth activated the thrusters embedded in her wings, propelling herself forward to meet him head-on.

Luke swung his sword overhead with tremendous force, but Annabeth raised her arm, blocking the strike with her metal braces. She then poured all her stamina into her other fist and delivered a powerful punch to Luke's midsection, landing it squarely on his armor.

Luke couldn't help but spit out in surprise as the impact sent him flying backward. He hadn't expected her attack to be so strong. As he flew back, he slammed his sword into the ground, slowing himself down. Coming to a stop on one knee, gasping for air, he looked down at his armor in shock. The once-solid metal was now dented and twisted, with the clear imprint of Annabeth's small fist at its center.

He looked up at Annabeth, astonished, as she stood there breathing heavily, flicking her hand in pain. "I didn't expect that to hurt me so much," she admitted in a tired tone.

"How the hell did you do that?" Luke asked, still catching his breath.

Annabeth just smiled as she adjusted her metal braces. "I have an amazing mother-in-law, what can I say?"

Meanwhile, Percy, who had been watching the entire fight, was stunned. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a twig snapping beside him. He quickly turned and saw five members of the Ares cabin charging towards him, led by Clarisse.

"Those stupid twins were such a pain in the ass," Clarisse muttered.

Percy raised his shield and spear, his eyes filled with determination. 'I can't fight all five of them at once! Well, let's see if I should have invested my time in becoming a child actor.' 

"Stop! Don't come any closer," he warned.

"Or what, Pipsqueak?" Clarisse scoffed, confidently striding toward him.

"I will not hesitate to put you down," he threatened, thinking to himself, 'Ooh, that was pretty good. Now, let's see if she buys it.'

Clarisse scoffed, "Let's take him down!" she ordered.

'Well, Mom, your baby boy might be coming to see you soon,' Percy thought as one of the campers charged at him, shield up and sword ready, swinging it at Percy.

Percy rolled out of the way, hitting the camper behind the knee with his shield, making them kneel. He then spun around on one knee, blocking a spear thrust from another camper with his shield, while swinging his sword behind him to strike the first camper in the back, sending them to the ground.

He barely managed to jump away as a different member thrust a spear at him, but not quickly enough to avoid a scratch on his leg.

Clarisse sneered, "Is all you know how to do is crawl on the ground? Pathetic."

"And is all you know how to do is bark?" Percy winced as he got back on his feet, feeling blood trickling down his leg.

Clarisse's spear began to glow bright red. "You're so dead," she growled, charging forward with the others following.

They surrounded Percy as he fought back, getting scratched and cut all over. Blood smeared his arms and legs, but he managed to push one camper back with his shield and jump out of their encirclement. As he escaped, Clarisse lunged at him with her spear, but Percy caught it between his shield and body, rolling away and breaking the spear in half.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Clarisse shrieked in rage, causing Percy to jump back in shock, frightened by her outburst.

As he retreated, he felt water soaking his feet. Looking down, he realized he was standing by the river.

Clarisse glared at him, tears of fury in her eyes. "I will fucking kill you!"

Percy took another step back, his gaze shifting to the Ares campers emerging from the woods, pointing excitedly towards the flag.

Lucian's words echoed in his mind: 'The water will empower you…'

He focused on Clarisse as she and the others charged again. As she got closer, Percy closed his eyes, remembering Lucian's advice: 'A twist in my gut.'

When Percy opened his eyes, they were glowing a brilliant green. He saw Clarisse reaching out to grab him, and the other Ares campers stretching their hands towards the flag.

"Step away!" Percy commanded, his voice filled with authority, as a massive wave rose up behind him, crashing forward with a powerful push of his hands. The wave swept over him, slamming into Clarisse and the others, and then surged ahead, knocking back the remaining Ares campers from the flag.

Percy stood soaked and gasping for air, feeling weak. Clarisse groaned on the riverbed as she slowly lifted herself onto her elbow.

"You'll pay for this," she said, her voice strained with pain. But before she could make another move, she, along with everyone else, froze as they watched the skies overhead.

A massive Kirin formed in the dark clouds, crackling with lightning, before being sent down from the heavens. Simultaneously, from the ground, a large black Eastern dragon rose up to meet the Kirin head-on. The two legendary creatures roared as they clashed, a blinding white light exploding from their collision.

It felt like a nuke had gone off. The shockwave knocked everyone off their feet, followed by a deafening explosion that echoed through the battlefield.

Percy was thrown back by the force, while Clarisse was sent skidding along the ground by the gust of wind.

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