A BLACK HEART

HOST ANTAEUS IN THE ARENA!

This technique, however, requires incredible concentration and no demigod is capable of using it at will. If you can land a Death Flash... then your opponents will be reduced to ashes in mere seconds. Anger is an important trigger for a Death Flash and children of the big three are the best people that can use this technique.'

Percy thought of everything that angered him... Kronos, The Titans, Luke, Antaeus, the gods... everything.

He made a fist, and red streaks of light and energy started to form around his fist. He roared and punched Antaeus's open stomach with all the might that he could produce. Red energy flashed around them and turned black upon impact, shocking Antaeus as his hair started to smolder.

The giant yelled as he was pushed back with enough force to break an entire set of stands. He groaned and growled as he sat up, energy still flashing around his hair and clothes as his muscles spasmed.

The crowd cheered and Rachel gasped as Percy stood there, looking at the giant with nothing but a look of awe and disgust.

"Urgh... I will—" The Giant started and lumbered forward when suddenly Hector's knee interrupted him rudely as it crashed with his jaw.

"ARGH!" Antaeus roared, as the crowd cheered again, much loudly, making it seem like they didn't really like him much.

Antaeus growled and stomped his foot and raised his hands as spikes flew in the air, straight towards the two demigods.

Both of them dodged and jumped up, hitting the giant at the same time, crushing him to the ground.

"Come on Hector, let's kill this son of a bitch." Percy said, and Antaeus got up grinning, fully rejuvenated who stomped his foot again and this time, a row of spikes appeared on the walls of the stadium, surprising the people sitting in the rows.

Percy and Hector paid no heed and charged together, as the giant dodged and turned around to kick them but, Hector punched him, making him fall right towards Percy, who was ready for him, sparks coming out of his leg.

Antaeus's eyes widened as the son of Hades did a perfect 720 kick and lightning struck the giant's open back, making him fall to the ground, his muscles spasming violently due to the heavy overdose of electricity.


Percy didn't wait for him to recover this time. He jumped up and with his fist coursing with lightning, punched at his head.

But the giant was clever, he rolled on his stomach and grabbed Percy's leg.

And for a second no one moved as the son of Hades tried to get over the shock of the fact that he had been intercepted.

Before he could react, Antaeus swung his hand and threw Percy back, straight towards the spikes on the walls waiting to kill him.

"Percy!" Hector said, wanting to run after him but the giant had turned on him and he needed to dodge. He attacked Antaeus, but he anticipated it and blocked the punch.

Annabeth gasped and screamed out his name as she saw Percy getting closer to the spikes, almost as if they had already pierced him, but suddenly he clapped his hands and shadows covered the entire thing.

The entire thing was pitch dark with not a single sound coming as everyone held their breaths.

Then came the sound of spikes piercing flesh and everyone waited anxiously to see the outcome.

When the shadows evaporated, the entire crowd was shocked to see Antaeus stuck on the wall, thorns protruding from his chest and stomach, and Percy was standing next to a really shocked Hector.

"What.... What!?" Antaeus bellowed, and sand poured out of his wounds, but he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him. Antaeus growled and struggled but he just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty spikes, a big loincloth on them.

"What was that Percy?" Hector asked dumbfounded.

"I'll explain later."

"Babington! Jackson!" Luke yelled. "I should have killed you both long ago!"

"Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. We're the winners." Percy said.

But Luke had other plans, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."

He pointed at Annabeth. "Spare the girl." His voice quavered just a little. "I would speak to her before-before our great triumph."

Every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. Hector looked around and realized that they were all trapped, hopelessly outnumbered.

Percy sighed. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. He took the whistle out of his pocket and blew. It made no audible sound but it shattered into shards of ice, melting in his hand.

Luke laughed, along with some dracaenae. "What was that supposed to do?"

Suddenly there came a surprised yelp and the son of Hermes turned around, surprised. The Laistrygonian giant who'd been guarding Annabeth flew past them and smashed into the wall.

"AROOOOF"

Kelli the empousa screamed as a five-hundred-pound white mastiff picked her up like a chew toy and tossed her through the air, straight into Luke's lap. Helena snarled, and the two dracaenae guards backed away. For a moment the monsters in the audience were caught completely by surprise.

Percy then clapped his hands together and Mrs O'leary appeared behind Helena the white hellhound, barking loudly.

Hector leaped on Helena with Annabeth and Percy gave Rachel a boost to climb on Mrs. O'leary.

"Come on!" Rachel yelled to Percy but he shook his head.

"I have something to do!"

Saying that, the son of Hades slammed his hand on the ground and instantly, cracks started to appear as the monsters started to back away, expecting the usual skeletons to come out.

But instead of undead warriors, flames erupted from the floor, melting the nearest dracaena.

"There, that'll deal with them for some time!" He said and climbed on top of Mrs. O'leary as Rachel cried.

"The far exit! That's the right way!"

Ethan Nakamura took his cue. Together they raced across the arena and out the far exit. Helena and Mrs. O'leary bounded forward.

"This way!" Rachel yelled.

"Why should we follow you?" Annabeth demanded. "You led us straight into that death trap!"

"It was the way you needed to go," Rachel said. "And so is this. Come on!"

Rachel guided them around corners and didn't even hesitate at crossroads. Once she said, "Duck!" and they all crouched as a huge ax swung over their heads. Then they kept going.

Soon they reached a tunnel that was too small for them, so the demigods slipped down the dogs' backs and then they again ran together.

They made many turns here and there and didn't stop to rest until they came to a room the size of a gymnasium with old marble columns holding up the roof.

Percy petted both the dogs and cuddled them and then they both vanished away.

Ethan collapsed on the floor. "You people are crazy." He pulled off his helmet. His face gleamed with sweat.

Annabeth gasped. "I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in the Hermes cabin, years ago."

He glared at her. "Yeah, and you're Annabeth. I remember."

"What-what happened to your eye?"

Ethan looked away.

"You must be the half-blood from my dream," Hector said. "The one Luke's people cornered. It wasn't Nico after all."

"Who's Nico?"

"Never mind," Percy said quickly. "Why were you trying to join up with the wrong side?"

Ethan sneered. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I-"

"Sign up with an army that makes you fight to the death for entertainment?" Annabeth said. "Gee, I wonder."

Ethan struggled to his feet. "I'm not going to argue with you. Thanks for the help, but I'm out of here."

"We're going after Daedalus," Hector said. "Come with us. Once we get through, you'd be welcome back at camp."

"You really are crazy if you think Daedalus will help you."

"He has to," Annabeth said. "We'll make him listen."

Ethan snorted. "Yeah, well. Good luck with that."

Hector grabbed his arm. "You're just going to head off alone into the maze? That's suicide."

"You shouldn't have spared me, Babington. Mercy has no place in this war."

Then he ran off into the darkness.

Annabeth, Rachel, Percy, and Hector made camp right there in the huge room. Percy had found some scrap wood and they started a fire. Shadows danced off the columns rising around us like trees.

"Something was wrong with Luke," Annabeth muttered, poking at the fire with her knife. "Did you notice the way he was acting?"

"He looked pretty pleased to me," Hector said. "Like he'd spent a nice day torturing heroes."

"That's not true! There was something wrong with him. He looked...nervous. He told his monsters to spare me. He wanted to tell me something."

"Probably, 'Hi, Annabeth! Sit here with me and watch while I tear your friends apart. It'll be fun!'" Hector said tauntingly.

"You're impossible," Annabeth grumbled. She sheathed her dagger and looked at Rachel. "So which way now, Sacagawea?"

Rachel didn't respond right away. She'd burned the tip of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor, images of the monsters they'd seen. With a few strokes, she caught the likeness of a dracaena perfectly.

"We'll follow the path," she said. "The brightness on the floor."

"The brightness that led us straight into a trap?" Annabeth asked.

"Lay off her, Annabeth," Percy said. "She's doing the best she can."

Annabeth stood. "The fire's getting low. I'll go look for some more scraps while you guys talk strategy." And she marched off into the shadows.

"Hey! I'm coming as well!" Hector yelled and followed her.

Rachel drew another figure with her stick-an ashy Antaeus dangling from his spikes.

"Annabeth's usually not like this," Percy told her. "She's just jealous of you... "

"I know... Do you know? Hector was right," she said. "I can see the path. I can't explain it, but it's really clear." She pointed toward the other end of the room, into the darkness. "The workshop is that way. The heart of the maze. We're very close now. I don't know why the path led through that arena. I-I'm sorry about that. I thought you were going to die."

She sounded like she was close to crying and the son of Hades couldn't see her so sad.

"Hey, Hey, hey... I'm usually about to die," Percy said holding her face with both his hands. "Don't feel bad."

She studied his face clearly, looking at the crinkling of the demigod's brows. Their faces were inches away from each other. Suddenly, Rachel acted on impulse closed the distance between them, and kissed Percy straight on the lips.

Percy's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Of course, it wasn't the first time he had been kissed but it sure was surprising.

After five seconds, Rachel pulled away.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry Percy! I don't know what occurred to me, I just... you looked so cute like that reassuring me and all that... I couldn't help it... I'm sorry..." Rachel stammered.

"It's ok Rachel, it's ok..." Percy said, blushing.

"We're good right, Percy?" Rachel asked after a moment.

"Yeah, yeah, we are..."

"Percy?" A voice came, and a figure came out of the shadows having white hair and wearing an orange Camp-Half-Blood T-shirt and black pants.

"Cam?" Percy asked astounded with Rachel in his arms.

A/N:- So... I changed a lot of things here from the previous version... especially the scene with Camilla and Percy and also added things to the fight with Antaeus! Old readers... do let me know how you liked the changes and new ones, leave your opinions down below! Have a nice day! Bye!