Child of Zeus {Interactive Story} (PJO/HOO/TOA)

THIRTY: Prometheus, Pandora, and the Pithos

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MA HALF-BRO PERSEUS JACKSON. He's getting so old, oh my gods. Anywho, what better day to post the climax and epic fight scene of our story than today, August 18th? Get yourself a slice of blue cake and settle down, demigods. It's gonna be a dangerous ride.

Flames danced across the roof like an out-of-control conga line. I crouched and pulled Johnny down with me, and Diana jumped out of the way as it flipped four inches above our heads. The impact of the Cable Car colliding with the ground seven feet away sent me to my knees. 

Supervisors jumped from control booths to try and take command of the crowd. Bystanders were up quickly, following them away from the mountain. 

"Well, no worries about anyone else going up," Johnny muttered, helping me to my feet.

"What about the people still up there?" I asked, looking up at the snow-coated mountain. The twin peaks seems to sit there mocking me.

"You know we don't have time to help them." Diana said, surging forward. "We need to get up there now. Now, Y/N."

As discussed, Diana slung my bag over her other shoulder, and we assumed the position we'd been in when I had my first flying lesson. We didn't have anywhere to keep our bags, so we had to bring them to battle with us. The fastest climb time was two hours, my goal was to get us to the top of the west peak in two minutes.

Before Diana grabbed my hand, she gave Johnny her sword with a warning. "Don't lose this one. I know you aren't the best at swordplay, but you can handle it."

I absentmindedly patted the dagger at my side, then grabbed the hands of my friends. 

"Whatever happens here, I couldn't have picked a better team for a quest." I told them. "Let's give Prometheus a fight not even he could have foreseen." And then I lifted us into the air.

~

Despite the flying taking its toll on my energy level, we dropped down on the top of the west peak in five minutes, and we didn't have any time to waste. We threw our bags to the side, where they'd hopefully be kept from the crossfire. Diana patted the chain around her waist, and Johnny caught me from tumbling into the snow.

"The air's thin up here, get used to it quickly." Diana said, as I tried to keep myself standing.  The air here didn't affect me at all. Being close to the sky somehow made me breathe easier. The energy drain from my flight definitely made me an easy target for Prometheus, but as far as I could tell, he was nowhere to be found. 

"Are you sure this is the right peak?" I asked Diana.

"Look," She pointed to the highest point, a triangular block of stone twenty feet tall. The flat side facing us seemed the ideal spot to bind a titan for a few centuries. "I'm sure. Try and find the Pithos. If we get to it before Prometheus comes back from wherever he's gone, we might be able to get it off the mountain. Then I can stay behind and bind him to the rock, and this whole crisis can be avoided."

"Oh, child of Athena," a deep voice like rolling thunder came from behind the binding rock. Prometheus stepped out from his hiding place. "Even you must have the foresight that you will not escape without a fight. In fact, you will not escape at all."

He was about seven feet tall, light skinned and totally, one hundred percent, ripped. His startling red eyes pierced into me like he could see right into my soul. He wore nothing but a white cloth around his waist, and his light brown hair reached just past his shoulders. He grinned at me with pearly white teeth. But the perfect exterior didn't deter me.

"Prometheus," I called, "Give us the Pithos, and we might consider leaving you alone."

"How about this," He stepped closer. The snow at his feet melted away, like the fire he had gifted humans with was burning inside of him. "I am the titan of forethought. I always choose the correct side, because I know which side will win. If you stand down now, I will make your deaths quick and without pain."