Chapter Ten: The War's End
Point of View: Perseus Jackson
"So sad that Olympus falls in just a few days." I laugh at Zeus.
Poseidon comes forward. "You could have finished us off sooner. If you gave us some time, then you are still in there. Please, Perseus."
All the monsters and my family laugh. I smirk. "You mean the human you once called son. Sorry, he's dead. Or at least, he doesn't care and finally realized you're no better than bugs under his boot. Sorry to burst your bubble sea god, but, your son no longer exists. Sure, I have his fatal flaw and that personality is buried deep within, but I'm not your son. I never will be and I never want to be."
He looks shattered. "Don't repeat what happened to you?" Zeus begs.
"Repeat? That's all history does, if you haven't noticed. But, that isn't what's happening. Let me explain," I clear my throat and my family chuckles. "What you did to Poseidon's son, was unjust, sucked, and ultimately led to this outcome. What's happening now, completely different concept. This is just. And, I'm not killing you forever. I'm not that merciful. You'll be reformed for our amusement forever."
"You've become a monster." Athena says.
"Yes," I nod. "But a monster you made." She pales dramatically. "Born from your cruelty, your mercy. At least, what you thought was mercy. It would have been more merciful to let me die."
"Don't be so scared Athena, Porphyrion will be very gentle with you." Gaea says sweetly.
Porphyrion winks at the wisdom goddess and I look away. "Even if it was unjust, you shouldn't have turned out this way." Hades looks confused.
I tilt my head in curiosity. "How so?"
"Your soul would have fought harder. It would have lasted forever, even down in that place." Hades says, relieved at the break in the inevitable fight.
I raise an eyebrow and look at my father. Tartarus walks up to stand beside me and rests a hand on my shoulder. I look back at Hades and he gulps at seeing Tartarus so close to me and I I'll at ease with it. "Still have not come to the answer?" Tartarus asks him.
"I lost a lot and seeing how others were affected by it furthered my point." I tell Hades.
"He almost died on us when he came across us. Silent, unresponsive, and downcast. What we have him was a gift and he appreciates the gesture. We've grown to care for each other like a real family." Kronos's comes up on my other side.
Hades's eyes widen, finally understanding. "Four lone Olympians." I analyze each and ever one of them. "Such a waste." I say and draw my sword. I start for them and they look confused. I raise my sword. "Your final chapter as rulers. Your final days of glory."
"And what of Artemis?" Athena asks.
"Oh, she's not an Olympian." I grin. "As my wife, she lost her claim to Olympus and gained something stronger." I am closer now.
"Like what?" Poseidon asks sadly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I chuckle and stop twenty feet from them. "Too bad you never will."
"And the others that came peacefully?" Hades asks.
"Hmm. They have my blessing. Minor, sure. But it's my blessing all the same. They aren't Olympians. Your lines end with you." I tell them.
"Thalia?" Zeus asks nervously.
"Has my blessing. Afraid for the future of Olympus now? Because once you lose to me, it falls, never to return." I reply.
"Why?" Poseidon asks.
"Once, when I was your child, you came to visit me as an infant. And what did you see?" I look at him and the air turns cold and quiet. The wind blows eerily and Poseidon looks right into my eyes.
"You, grown up as my son, and on a path far different from this one. Bright and vital in another way. Not this one." He answers.
"In that moment, you should have known how I should have turned out and you made your choice. As the only soul to ever be created so pure, I am the will of fate itself. Not just a deciding factor. To defile my soul, is the death of all you hold dear." I am next to him with my blade at his throat in the blink of an eye. "But gods never learn and due to your arrogance, I'm bringing down Olympus. I'm forsaking the path I took as your child. I'm forsaking everything in my past and I'm letting go. Once Olympus is out of the sky, I'm free." He looks down at me. "I'm forsaking the line of Poseidon and fully accepting Tartarus and Gaea."
I glow black and green and Poseidon starts to weaken considerably. "Finally." Gaea whispers and Tartarus grins.
"You don't know what you've done." Zeus looks at me in fear.
"Now they can never be overthrown." Athena whispers.
"So be it." I spit and I cut off my former father's head.
Athena shrieks and Hades and Zeus just stare at their bread brother as the pull their weapons out. Poseidon's body shimmering and then it disappears. I parry Hades's sword with one hand and deflect Zeus's master bolt with the other.
"Why do they not help you?" Hades asks in a strained voice.
"Because I must fight alone. I am going to destroy you on my own power and you are too weak to stop me." I tell them. I kick Hades clear into the throne room and tackle Zeus. "I've been waiting forever to get my hands on you, Olympian King. I'll rip your heart out." I growl.
My hand sinks into his chest and I do exactly that, I tear the beating organ clear out. I crush it in my bare hand and shove it down his throat. "Burn forever in eternal agony, fool king." I spit. I crush his throat and he starts to gasp, his body in shock.
I rise and drag Hades out in front of Athena. I feel it as Zeus dies. "Two left. In most cases, I would say ladies first because I'm a nice guy. But I wanted you to see your last dear uncle here die, just before you do." I tell her.
I break all of his limbs and then pull off his entire left arm, Ichor splattering Athena across the face. Hades screams. "Oh, don't be such a baby. You live to cause pain, shouldn't you be immune to it? Or at least like it like I do?" He cries out as I shove my hand into the hole where his missing appendage should be. "You deliver a lot of the injustice Zeus deals out to numerous souls. I can name all of them and they are all going to be released to live once again." I rip his stomach out through the wound and Athena is frozen in traumatizing shock. "Do you still process what I am doing, wisdom goddess?" I chuckle at her dumbfounded look and rip out both of Hades's intestinal trails, looking into Athena's eyes and she flinches. I rip out all his organs until I get to his chest. He shakes violently in my arms. "Almost there, I promise, god of the dead. Do you want your uncle's suffering to end?" I ask Athena.
She nods almost imperceptibly. "Are you sure?" I ask.
"Yes." She starts crying.
"Much better. We will have to break you of that down in the Pit." I smile viciously at her and she whimpers. Hades jerks and I laugh in pure joy. "Oh, I can't let you die without feeling the last of this." I whisper in his ear and everyone hears me. I rip out his lungs first and then his heart. I drop him and Athena crawls over to him.
"What have we done?" She asks as she buries her face in his hair.
Hades disappears and she looks devastated. "Oh. The last one." I say in fake care. I touch her cheek and crouch down next to her. She hugs me and cries into my shoulder. I pat her back and shush her. "Now, now. There's no need to worry, dear. Yours won't be so painless. You are the last one after all. I was taught manners. I haven't lost that at least. Even as a monster."
She stiffens in my arms and I stand up with her. She breaks down and I hear the snickers behind me. "I'm so sorry."
"I'm not. I actually prefer monster over demigod. I wish I would have joined Luke Castellan now. I should have jumped at the offer. That poor thing. If only he could have changed my ties or gotten closer before breaking it off with the others, then Olympus would have fell sooner. People would have been saved and some of the gods wouldn't be in certain situations." I tell her.
I removed her arms and she cries more. I push her away by her shoulders and put my hand on her cheek. I wipe away a few tears. "And what do you have to say in all your wisdom, Athena?" I ask.
"Don't be corrupted." She whispers for only I to hear.
"Corrupted?" I boom with laughter. "You think I'm corrupted? Oh, the gods truly have fallen far. Well, they did. And so the line of Olympians ends with you. Hmm." I grip her face. "As you are well aware, I cannot be corrupted. It's why nothing works on me. I'm immune to everything that could corrupt me. Change, now that is inevitable. I changed because I need to, I wanted to. There's a difference. I was not influenced. I came to a conclusion."
"What is that?" She asks.
"That they," I jerk my head back at my family. "Are better than you in every way and it was time I made the decision to join them and kill all of you." I let go of her face and grab onto her throat. I lift her into the air and she grabs onto my arm as she struggles to breathe. I squeeze off her airways. "See you in the Pit, Athena." I break her neck and drop her body. She shimmers away and I head into the throne room, everyone following.
I take my sword and plunge it into Zeus's throne. "I, Perseus Jackson, forever claim the Olympian rule, over." I say and Olympus starts to shake. "So let it be. Fall." I secure Artemis, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, and Apollo's thrones while the others crack and burst. Hephaestus has long since faded in the second Giant war. He couldn't bear to live any longer and that's why Hestia and Hades returned to the council. The smith god was tired and now I suspect that he somehow knew this day would come. I respect him more so now than ever.
Tartarus lays a hand on my shoulder. "Come, my son. We can watch them tear it down together from a better place." He tells me kindly. I touch the center of my chest and look at the throne room sadly. "Second thoughts?" He asks serenely.
I shake my head and he squeezes my shoulder, inquiring. "Just thinking. I was looking back and now I am so glad the source of all of my pain is gone. My true agony is gone. I'm actually free. I've never felt so light before." I tell him.
He puts his arm around my shoulders as he shrinks more to my size. "It's over." He turns me away and a tear trails down my face. I wipe it off and stare at it in confusion. "Come." I look up at him and we share a smile. "It will be nice to finally get to spend more time with you and your new additions to our family. I'm still mad about the sun though."
I chuckle wholeheartedly for once, surprising myself and he grins. "Yeah, me too. But I think I can grow used to it." I tell him grudgingly.
He bellows with laughter and the walls of the throne room crumble as we walk out of it. "As I understand it, I'm going to be a grandfather."
I smile warmly and he tightens his hold around my shoulders. "Yes, Artemis seems wonderfully excited at the prospect."
"I hate to inform you of this now, but," he begins and looks down at me.
"What is it?" I ask.
"The sea." Is all he says.
"What about it?" I sigh.
"Oceanus is taking control over it and all water along with Polybotes. Porphyrion has the sky. All of them have a set place to rule over. And we over them and our domains. But Kronos and Porphyrion aren't able or truly fit to rule. And despite what they think, we need humans." Tartarus tells me.
"I don't understand. Where is this going? What are you trying to tell me?" I ask and we stop when I have to look at him from so much befuddlement.
"Son," He starts and this time, believe it or not, I am scared and I start to back away, shaking my head. He brings me back and looks me in the eye. "I want you to rule."
It's like a bomb was dropped right on me. In reality, a bomb couldn't hurt me at all. But right now, figuratively, it's devastating. I sit down hard and he crouches in front of me. He holds my hands and I grip them tightly. "What?" I ask in a small voice.
"You are the only one right enough to rule now." Tartarus tells me.
I can feel and hear my brothers and my exquisite mother flash in around me.
I shake my head. "No." I protest. "I can't."
"Yes you can." Owen comes over to me.
"Even if I could, I don't know how." I whisper.
"Easy, do the opposite of what Zeus and I did. Ouranos and our mother. Do what you think is right. Like you told Athena, you can't be corrupted and you'd be best suited in any position of power. It's right for you to take the throne." Kronos smiles at me.
"And you're all fine with that?" I look at them all.
Hyperion shrugs and Gration rolls his eyes. "Brother or half-brother. Doesn't matter. I'm perfectly at ease with it." Ephialtes tells me.
"You are the main reason we have gained our spheres of power fully." Porphyrion says.
"And, to be completely honest, you've made us all a little better." Gaea comes over to me.
"Old enemies make the best of friends and the closest comrades when it comes to becoming close. We always aim to know one another better than each other, automatically learning secrets you have hardly told anyone else. Resulting in a closer bond than anything. It made us a family before you joined and now we are inseparable. You'll be fine." Atlas pats my back.
Father helps me to my feet. "It's the dawn of a new age." Gaea murmurs.
"The Last Age." Three rasping voices sound from behind Tartarus.