(Y/N)'s POV
As he held the scythe in his hands, he told himself that he had to be fast enough, as he raced through the air, he remembered back in the cemetery, the scythe showing him Hazel, he remembered the fear that she would die.
He thought perhaps this was the reason, perhaps the scythe was much like his father, it knew how bad this could have ended. Maybe it was trying to warn him, to prepare him for this.
As the golden weapon flashed through the air like a beam of light, (Y/N) knew it only had one target. The shadow wanted to hurt him, kill him, so it knew who to target, it knew who (Y/N) would protect.
It wasn't a choice between one friend or another, (Y/N) acted on instinct. He felt the scent of death in the air, and just reacted, like last time. Hazel didn't even have time to react. (Y/N) shielded her, remembering his promise to Nico.
As it impacted, his mind wandered, to the collapsing corridors within the Talos replica he once fought. He remembered the feeling of failure that was still with him, and told himself, not this time.
He held onto the spear, trying to slow it even a fraction, but it made very little difference, all he could do was grit his teeth as the weapon pierced through him and his father's scythe fell to the icy floor.
Frank's POV
The scythe fell with a 'Clank' against the ice. In the moment, for some reason that was lost to him, Frank could only focus on that fact, he never would have expected the scythe of death itself to make such a noise, or any at all. But it went 'Clank.'
Everything around him seemed to be drowned out by the noise, as he saw the scythe clatter to the ground. Looking back, it was probably because the noise was something he could understand and make sense of.
Whereas everything else around him seemed to be moving far too fast, but crawling along incredibly slow at the same time. Like the moment was fleeting, but felt as though it went on for an eternity.
The shock of Percy diving off a cliff, knowing he may drown, the thought of Hazel coming that close to death, and the sight of (Y/N) stood in front of her as she was thrown from Arion, with a spear through his chest, was far too much for Frank to handle at once.
However, the manic eternal fleeting moment didn't end there, as fresh blood flicked onto Frank's face. He finally looked at the scene before him, he was frozen in place as he heard his friend scream in pain.
He felt like a glacier himself as he watched the whole landscape change, shattered by a scream of anger so chilling Frank feared his heart may have stopped. Wind kicked up around him that was so cold Frank instinctively put his hand to his pocket to protect his flame.
Cold wind was just the beginning. Darkness enveloped the world around them, it was as if someone had decided it was night and blotted out the sun. It was like all the color was drained from the world.
Harsh, cold winds were slamming into Frank so hard that it stung, but he still remained immobile as he watched something that both horrified and impressed him deeply. He watched as (Y/N) began to pull the spear free of himself.
You'd think after the incident with Gwen, nothing would have surprised him, but seeing this was like watching a force of nature, he was entranced, and a little queasy, as he watched (Y/N) pull the now crimson red spear from his own chest.
"RAAAHH!" (Y/N) screamed with a final burst of effort as his whole body turned grey, Frank didn't know magic very well, but enough to recognize it. (Y/N) began to heal once the spear as free of him, but not enough.
(Y/N) fell to one knee as Hazel rushed to his side, "(Y/N)!" she said, (Y/N) glanced at her for a second, and Frank took note of the smile on his face seeing her safe. "Not again..." He said weakly. "Never again."
Losing strength in his body, (Y/N) almost fell forward, but Hazel held onto him. Wrapping her hands around his neck, "Please no." She begged. He dropped the spear to one side oh him, "S' ok". He said weakly.
His hand reached out for his father's scythe, which laid on the ice, motionless. Something in Frank's mind awoke upon seeing it, an urge that he didn't know he had. That weapon was powerful, he knew it.
If he had that, if he took it, he could use that amount of firepower to do a lot of damage, he could protect his friends. He could crush his enemies, he could win the battle. But the thought died away as quick as it came.
Frank hadn't realized he had reached out towards the weapon, until (Y/N)'s hand smacked his away. The moment their skin touched, Frank's whole hand felt like it was being burned by acid. Like with the basilisks.
That single touch, that half a second connection, made Frank feel like his entire body was about to turn into jello, he almost collapsed from the sudden feeling of exhaustion. (Y/N) said three words to Frank, "Not. Dead. Yet!"
With Hazel's support, he got to his feet, shrugging the girl off, he took the scythe in his hands. From that moment on, his eyes swelled in both color and intensity. The magic around him became like a vacuum, drawing in the light around him.
(Y/N)'s wound closed, but there was still a baseball sized scar over his chest, where the weapon had pierced him, he tore off the remains of his shirt, which Frank didn't really think was entirely necessary.
But he didn't voice that opinion because he and Hazel were both too amazed with what came next. They stood in awe of the transformation before them, the shadows that had once encircled him now latched onto (Y/N).
The latched onto him and spread throughout his entire torso, emanating from the scythe, and slowly they began to form something. First it trailed down his back, blocking out his form, then, it trailed up his neck.
By the time Frank realized what it was, (Y/N) was already enshrouded in a cloak of darkness like his father. The solid black scythe in his hands seemed to hum with power. The emotion began to fade from his expression. Until he finally spoke. "No."
(Y/N) stood still and the scythe looked like it melted away into shadow. Instead he reached down to the golden spear. "Not this time...." He turned to them, and like Percy had, calmly said "Go." Frank finally saw why.
Alcyoneus was still unconscious, but Frank felt two more presences approaching, his instincts told him he was in for a fight, he turned to see the witch Circe and the evil imaginary friend both closing in on them.
Hazel mounted her horse again, looking as if she was about to charge them. But (Y/N) raised a hand. His voice raising a little as he spoke, anger clear in his tone "The giant can't die here. GO! I'll take them." It was the same faux confidence that Percy had.
Again, Frank knew he was being protected. But if (Y/N) wanted them to leave he shouldn't have raised the spear above his head with two hands, and deliver what was most definitely the icing on the crazy moments cake. Bewildering them both.
"WE END THIS! NOW!" (Y/N) roared as he looked at the approaching enemies and the solid imperial gold spear was broken over his knee. Frank and Hazel both watched in utter shock as it splintered into two.
(Y/N) held the two jagged ends in either hand, before throwing both towards his enemies and looking to Frank. "You don't have much-" His emotional state changed on a dime. He looked concerned and did something absolutely bizarre. Even for a moment like this one.
(Y/N)'s face suddenly became normal, he gave Frank a small smile. "Oh," With a sudden tenderness, (Y/N) bent down into the ice and held some snow, rubbing it beneath his hands so it melted, then he stood up, said, "Sorry about that." Before he wiped the blood from Frank's face.
The cold chill of his hands should have woken up Frank to the world around him, but Frank was still stood in awe. He knew Percy and (Y/N) were strong, he had always felt it, but this strong? It was amazing.
To be able to create your own personal hurricane at will and to control the tides, to be able to blot out the sun and summon enough strength to break a godly metal, it was insane. "Now go!" (Y/N) proclaimed, suddenly disappearing.
Frank was so stunned that Hazel had to yell his name a dozen times before he realized Alcyoneus was getting up again. He slammed his shield into the giant's nose until Alcyoneus began to snore.
Meanwhile the glacier kept crumbling, the edge getting closer and closer. Thanatos glided toward them on his black wings, his expression serene. "Ah, yes," he said with satisfaction. "There go some souls. Drowning, drowning. You'd best hurry, my friends, or you'll drown, too."
"But Percy..." Frank could barely speak his friend's name. "Is he—?" "Too soon to tell. As for this one..." Thanatos looked down at Alcyoneus with distaste. "You'll never kill him here. You know what to do?"
Frank nodded numbly. "I think so." "Then our business is complete." Frank and Hazel exchanged nervous looks. "Um..." Hazel faltered. "You mean you won't...you're not going to —" "Claim your life?" Thanatos asked.
"Well, let's see..." He pulled a pure-black iPad from thin air. Death tapped the screen a few times, and all Frank could think was: Please don't let there be an app for reaping souls. "My son gave me this." Thanatos said proudly.
Thanatos tapped the iPad a few times, "I still struggle some times, it seems after I went digital...there were some admin errors." "I don't see you on the list," Thanatos said. "Pluto gives me specific orders for escaped souls, you see."
"For some reason, he has not issued a warrant for yours. Perhaps he feels your life is not finished, or it could be an oversight. If you'd like me to call and ask—" "No!" Hazel yelped. "That's okay."
"Are you sure?" Death asked helpfully. "I have video conferencing enabled. I have his Skype address here somewhere..." "Really, no." Hazel looked as if several thousand pounds of worry had just been lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you."
"Urgg," Alcyoneus mumbled. Frank hit him over the head again. Death looked up from his iPad. "As for you, Frank Zhang, it isn't your time, either. You've got a little fuel left to burn. But don't think I'm doing either of you a favor. We will meet again under less pleasant circumstances."
The cliff was still crumbling, the edge only twenty feet away now. Arion whinnied impatiently. Frank knew they had to leave, but there was one more question he had to ask. "What about the Doors of Death?" he said. "Where are they? How do we close them?"
"Ah, yes." A look of irritation flickered across Thanatos's face. "The Doors of Me. Closing them would be good, but I fear it is beyond my power. How you would do it, I haven't the faintest idea. I can't tell you."
"Although now I think of it, my son may have an idea." He smiled, and Frank understood, Thanatos couldn't just give them all the answers, his son however, had showed time and time again he didn't have such qualms.
"Exactly where they are. I cannot tell you, the location isn't...well, it's not entirely a physical place. They must be located through questing. I can tell you to start your search in Rome. The original Rome."
"You will need a special guide. Only one sort of demigod can read the signs that will ultimately lead you to the Doors of Me." Cracks appeared in the ice under their feet. Hazel patted Arion's neck to keep him from bolting.
"What about my brother?" she asked. "Is Nico alive?" Thanatos gave her a strange look—possibly pity, though that didn't seem like an emotion Death would understand. "You will find the answer in Rome."
His iPad dinged. "And now I must fly south to your Camp Jupiter. I have a feeling there will be many souls to reap, very soon." "What bout your scythe?" Hazel asked. "Oh, tht thing, yes. I will claim it shortly, after my son has had his turn."
The god smiled, Frank didn't expect the god of death to be so talkative even about his son. "Farewell, demigods, until we meet again." Thanatos dissipated into black smoke. The cracks widened in the ice under Frank's feet.
"Hurry!" he told Hazel. "We've got to take Alcyoneus about ten miles due north!" He climbed onto the giant's chest and Arion took off, racing across the ice, dragging Alcyoneus like the world's ugliest sled.
It was a short trip. Arion rode the glacier like a highway, zipping across the ice, leaping crevices, and skidding down slopes that would've made a snowboarder's eyes light up. Frank didn't have to knock out Alcyoneus too many times, because the giant's head kept bouncing and hitting the ice.
As they raced along, the half-conscious Golden Boy mumbled a tune that sounded like "Jingle Bells." Frank felt pretty stunned himself. He'd just turned into an eagle and a bear. He could still feel fluid energy rippling through his body, like he was halfway between a solid and liquid state.
Not only that: Hazel and he had released Death, and both of them had survived. And Percy...Frank swallowed down his fear. Percy had gone over the side of the glacier to save them. The son of Neptune shall drown.
No. Frank refused to believe Percy was dead. They hadn't come all this way just to lose their friend. Frank would find him—but first they had to deal with Alcyoneus. He visualized the map he had been studying on the train from Anchorage.
He knew roughly where they were going, but there were no signs or markers on top of the glacier. He'd just have to take his best guess. Finally Arion zoomed between two mountains into a valley of ice and rocks, like a massive bowl of frozen milk with bits of Cocoa Puffs.
The giant's golden skin paled as if it were turning to brass. Frank felt a subtle vibration in his own body, like a tuning fork pressed against his sternum. He knew he'd crossed into friendly territory—home territory. "Here!" Frank shouted.
Arion veered to one side. Hazel cut the rope, and Alcyoneus went skidding past. Frank leaped off just before the giant slammed into a boulder. Immediately Alcyoneus jumped to his feet. "What? Where? Who?"
His nose was bent in an odd direction. His wounds had healed, though his golden skin had lost some of its luster. He looked around for his iron staff, which was still back at Hubbard Glacier. Then he gave up and pounded the nearest boulder to pieces with his fist.
"You dare take me for a sleigh ride?" He tensed and sniffed the air. "That smell...like snuffed-out souls. Thanatos is free, eh? Bah! It doesn't matter. Gaea still controls the Doors of Death. Now, why have you brought me here, son of Mars?"
"To kill you," Frank said. "Next question?" The giant's eyes narrowed. "I've never known a child of Mars who can change his form, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me. Do you think your stupid soldier of a father gave you the strength to face me in one-on-one combat?" Hazel drew her sword. "How about two on one?"
(Y/N)'s POV
The moment he put his hands back on the scythe, (Y/N) understood why Thanatos didn't want it here. (Y/N) was dying, the blood was pouring from his chest, he could barely see, the only reason he even vaguely knew what was happening were because of Hazels voice.
He was fading in and out, unable to focus, he had no strength at all, he couldn't even stand on his own, as his vision started to fade and his breaths became shallow, he saw a light. At first he thought he recognised the doors of Elysium.
Until he saw the tiny spark, flickering against the cold of the world around it, and he understood it was not the doors, but a flame, a tiny, fragile flame, like a candlelight. about he had never felt so warm in it's presence.
The life of Frank Zhang had always been a fragile one, (Y/N) had known that since the first day he met the boy, he didn't know how, or why, but that was a fact. But upon getting to know Frank, (Y/N) learnt about his resilience.
Frank knew, he knew this whole time how fragile his life was, but for all his faults, (Y/N) had never seen the boy ever truly despair abut it, Frank was always smiling, or childishly fumbling around with things, or blatantly fawning over Hazel.
But he had never given up hope. He knew his life could dwindle away so easily, but he refused to let that stop him from living his life. (Y/N) was no stranger to the flame of hope, he had been burnt by it a few times, but something about Frank Zhang's was special.
That was why (Y/N) pushed himself, even as he was dying, that was why he persevered through the relentless agony that the shadow had left him in, because he wouldn't let that flame go out, just like with Hazel, not on his watch.
Frank reached for the scythe. A feat he shouldn't have been capable of, (Y/N) knew it was a mistake, as strong and defiant as that flame of Frank's had been up until now, there was no fairness in death.
(Y/N) knew it would be snuffed out just as quickly as it was set ablaze if Frank touched that scythe. So with his last ditch effort to help his clumsy, Canadian friend, (Y/N) reached out to stop him.
It was by a stroke of luck that he survived the effort of doing so, as the two brushed fingers, (Y/N) felt like he had been struck by lightning. His whole being swelled with newfound strength, and the rage of Blackbeard was born in him again.
His blood began to boil with the rage of Ares. But his strength didn't fully return until he reached for the scythe. He knew his enemies were coming, he knew he needed power, what he didn't expect was the scythe to want something in return.
It was a gentle urge at first, as the weapon laid in his hands, a simple thought. He barely even noticed it, as his powers swelled, he felt cold, as if he were holding a block of ice. He wanted something to cover himself, to keep him warm.
Before the thought had even finished, he was protected, shielded from the cold by something. A fabric he didn't recognise, but one that made him warm. Then it came again. The thought, "Leave" It told him. "There are many souls to guide"
As (Y/N)'s eyes were empowered, and he felt like he could see every soul in the world, he saw his two friends behind him, and more importantly the two presences, the two souls that were really just one, running towards him.
His instinct as a demigod told him to stand and fight. But something else was stronger, as (Y/N)'s heartbeat stopped, he felt the idea of doing his duty overtake him, there were millions of souls that needed him.
"Forget about them, they are living," (Y/N) would have to focus on the dead. That was the thought that pushed him over the edge. "No." He said quietly looking at the shadow approaching him, "Not this time."
If the scythe had some sort of its own will, like Charon's boat, it didn't like being ignored. (Y/N) felt his strength begin to be drained, his soul even, was beginning to fade. But (Y/N) had been overpowering the wills of others all his life.
As the scythe tried to take from him, he focused on a different magic, putting it back into his personal shadow space, where it could do no harm. He turned to his friends. Telling them to leave. Hazel didn't listen. (Y/N) picked up the nearest weapon to defend himself with.
But (Y/N) could see the giant Alcyoneus in his slumber, and (Y/N) knew it wouldn't last forever. He looked around at the battlefield and saw the same power as was present in the giant, glistening in the snow.
Alcyoneus was different from his brethren, his 'immortality' has it's limits, and (Y/N) trusted Frank and Hazel to exploit it. Telling them to leave once more, he turned to his enemies, fast approaching, but both too weak to shadow travel.
Same as before, as his eyes fell upon the shadow, the nightmare of his own making, his first instinct was to escape it, there was still the stake of fear in his heart that the monster had driven into him over the years. But he made his choice. "No. No more running." (Y/N) said. "We end this now"
Knowing one spear could not stop them both, he snapped it in two, not even really thinking about it, and threw each piece, Circe was sent reeling as the spear absolutely decimated her, hitting her somewhere in the head and leaving nothing but a mess.
As she skidded on the ice, (Y/N) threw the second edge towards the shadow. The golden spear flew like a torpedo, impacting just as hard, ripping through the creatures chest, the spirit collapsed in on itself, like it had been sucked into a black hole, and disappeared.
This was his opportunity, both had died from that strike, both would be recuperating, Circe would be free of the shadow for a short while. But first, he noticed a sad sight. (Y/N) turned and cleaned the blood from Frank's face before diving back into the battle.
Frank's POV
The giant growled and charged at Hazel, but Arion nimbly darted out of the way. Hazel slashed her sword across the back of the giant's calf. Black oil spouted from the wound. Alcyoneus stumbled. "You can't kill me, Thanatos or no!"
Hazel made a grabbing gesture with her free hand. An invisible force yanked the giant's jewel-encrusted hair back ward. Hazel rushed in, slashed his other leg, and raced away before he could regain his balance.
"Stop that!" Alcyoneus shouted. "This is Alaska. I am immortal in my homeland!" "Actually," Frank said, "I have some bad news about that. See, I got more from my dad than strength." The giant snarled. "What are you talking about, war brat?"
"Tactics," Frank said. "That's my gift from Mars. A battle can be won before it's ever fought by choosing the right ground." He pointed over his shoulder. "We crossed the border a few hundred yards back."
"You're not in Alaska anymore. Can't you feel it, Al? You want to get to Alaska, you have to go through me." Slowly, understanding dawned in the giant's eyes. He looked down incredulously at his wounded legs. Oil still poured from his calves, turning the ice black.
"Impossible!" the giant bellowed. "I'll—I'll—Gah!" He charged at Frank, determined to reach the international boundary. For a split second, Frank doubted his plan. If he couldn't use his gift again, if he froze, he was dead.
Then he remembered his grandmother's instructions: It helps if you know the creature well. Check. It also helps if you are in a life-and-death situation, such as combat. Double check. The giant kept coming. Twenty yards. Ten yards.
"Frank?" Hazel called nervously. Frank stood his ground. "I got this." Just before Alcyoneus smashed into him, Frank changed. He'd always felt too big and clumsy. Now he used that feeling.
His body swelled to massive size. His skin thickened. His arms changed to stout front legs. His mouth grew tusks and his nose elongated. He became the animal he knew best—the one he'd cared for, fed, bathed, and even given indigestion to at Camp Jupiter.
Alcyoneus slammed into a full-grown ten-ton elephant. The giant staggered sideways. He screamed in frustration and slammed into Frank again, but Alcyoneus was completely out of his weight division.
Frank head-butted him so hard Alcyoneus flew backward and landed spread-eagled on the ice. "You—can't—kill me," Alcyoneus growled. "You can't—" Frank turned back to his normal form. He walked up to the giant, whose oily wounds were steaming.
The gems fell out of his hair and sizzled in the snow. His golden skin began to corrode, breaking into chunks. Hazel dismounted and stood next to Frank, her sword ready. "May I?" Frank nodded. He looked into the giant's seething eyes.
"Here's a tip, Alcyoneus. Next time you choose the biggest state for your home, don't set up base in the part that's only ten miles wide. Welcome to Canada, idiot." Hazel's sword came down on the giant's neck. Alcyoneus dissolved into a pile of very expensive rocks.
For a while Hazel and Frank stood together, watching the remains of the giant melt into the ice. Frank picked up his rope. "An elephant?" Hazel asked. Frank scratched his neck. "Yeah. It seemed like a good idea."
He couldn't read her expression. He was afraid he'd finally done something so weird that she'd never want to be around him again. Frank Zhang: lumbering klutz, child of Mars, part-time pachyderm.
Then she kissed him—a real kiss on the lips, much better than the kind of kiss she'd given Percy on the airplane. "You are amazing," she said. "And you make a very hand some elephant."
Frank felt so flustered that he thought his boots might melt through the ice. Before he could say anything, a voice echoed across the valley: "You haven't won." Frank looked up. Shadows were shifting across the nearest mountain, forming the face of a sleeping woman.
"You will never reach home in time," taunted the voice of Gaea. "Even now, Thanatos is attending the death of Camp Jupiter, the final destruction of your Roman friends." The mountain rumbled as if the whole earth were laughing. The shadows disappeared.
Hazel and Frank looked at each other. Neither said a word. They climbed onto Arion and sped back toward Glacier Bay. Percy was waiting for them. He looked mad.
He stood at the edge of the glacier, leaning on the staff with the golden eagle, gazing down at the wreckage he'd caused: several hundred acres of newly open water dotted with icebergs and flotsam from the ruined camp.
The only remains on the glacier were the main gates, which listed sideways, and a tattered blue banner lying over a pile of snow-bricks. When they ran up to him, Percy said, "Hey," like they were just meeting for lunch or something.
"You're alive!" Frank marveled. Percy frowned. "The fall? That was nothing. I fell twice that far from the St. Louis Arch." "You did what?" Hazel asked. "Never mind. The important thing was I didn't drown."
"So the prophecy was incomplete!" Hazel grinned. "It probably said something like: The son of Neptune will drown a whole bunch of ghosts." Percy shrugged. He was still looking at Frank like he was miffed. "I got a bone to pick with you, Zhang. You can turn into an eagle? And a bear?"
"And an elephant," Hazel said proudly. "An elephant." Percy shook his head in disbelief. "That's your family gift? You can change shape?" Frank shuffled his feet. "Um...yeah. Periclymenus, my ancestor, the Argonaut—he could do that. He passed down the ability."
"And he got that gift from Poseidon," Percy said. "That's completely unfair. I can't turn into animals." Frank stared at him. "Unfair? You can breathe underwater and blow up glaciers and summon freaking hurricanes—and it's unfair that I can be an elephant?"
Percy considered. "Okay. I guess you got a point. But next time I say you're totally beast—" "Just shut up," Frank said. "Please." Percy cracked a smile. "If you guys are done," Hazel said, "we need to go. Camp Jupiter is under attack. They could use that gold eagle."
"Wait, you mean go back to camp? Now? What you're saying we just leave (Y/N)?" Frank said, affronted at even the thought of leaving a comrade behind, to his surprise, it was actually Percy who was most agreeable to that course of action. "Yeah, he'll catch up, he always does."
"Besides-" 'BOOM!" A chunk of the glacier as big as three football fields was obliterated, cracks spread along the entire surface of it, "-Explosions usually mean he's doing fine, he'll be okay." Part of Frank respected Percy faith, but he still protested
"-But he almost died, he got impaled by a spear and-" "Yeah, he does that." Percy nodded and went on with his plan. "Hazel, there's about a ton of Imperial gold weapons and armor at the bottom of the bay now, plus a really nice chariot. I'm betting that stuff could come in handy...."
It took them a long time—too long—but they all knew those weapons could make the difference between victory and defeat if they got them back to camp in time. Hazel used her abilities to levitate some items from the bottom of the sea.
Percy swam down and brought up more. Even Frank helped by turning into a seal, which was kind of cool, though Percy claimed his breath smelled like fish. It took all three of them to raise the chariot, but finally they'd managed to haul everything ashore to a black sand beach near the base of the glacier.
They couldn't fit everything in the chariot, but they used Frank's rope to strap down most of the gold weapons and the best pieces of armor. "It looks like Santa's sleigh," Frank said. "Can Arion even pull that much?"
Arion huffed. "Hazel," Percy said, "I am seriously going to wash your horse's mouth with soap. He says, yes, he can pull it, but he needs food." Hazel picked up an old Roman dagger, a pugio. It was bent and dull, so it wouldn't be much good in a fight, but it looked like solid Imperial gold.
"Here you go, Arion," she said. "High-performance fuel." The horse took the dagger in his teeth and chewed it like an apple. Frank made a silent oath never to put his hand near that horse's mouth.
"I'm not doubting Arion's strength," he said carefully, "but will the chariot hold up? The last one-" "This one has Imperial gold wheels and axle," Percy said. "It should hold." "If not," Hazel said, "this is going to be a short trip. But we're out of time. Come on!"
Frank and Percy climbed into the chariot. Hazel swung up onto Arion's back."Giddyup!" she yelled. The horse's sonic boom echoed across the bay. They sped south, avalanches tumbling down the mountains as they passed.
(Y/N)'s POV
When he arrived at her side, Circe had almost entirely reformed. Her skin looked fresh, red and raw on her face, but she still had the capacity to glare at him as he approached. She flew into the air. Or at least tried to.
Before she had risen a few inches from the floor, (Y/N) reached her, grabbing her by the hair and slamming her back into the snow, the rage he felt from Blackbeard was still there, he punched her as she raised her arm to try and use magic.
"It'll be gone for a while. So I'll ask you alone." Now the fight had been halted and (Y/N) had taken a short reprieve, his mind finally connected a few dots, he punched her once more, "Where is Fleecy, where's Iris? What have you done with them!"
Circe looked up at him with playful eyes "Now you care?" She smiled through bloody teeth. (Y/N)'s heart did a crash landing, ending up somewhere near the bottom of the glacier. "Tell me!" He snapped, pressing the last Flintlock to her head.
"What's that meant to do?" She laughed, pressing her forehead into the barrel, "I'm already dead." She lamented, (Y/N) grit his teeth, "Yeah, but you can either go back to Tartarus quickly and easily, or in chunks. Your choice. Where are they!"
She just looked mildly impressed "There you are, there's the real you. Now your friends are gone, now nobody can judge you, there you are." She said slyly. "Acting like you care about the friends you abandoned." (Y/N) shouldn't have let her get to him, he would have ignored it, if it wasn't absolutely true.
He could try to justify it, saying that he had spent all his time fighting, and that he couldn't have afforded to lose focus, but it wasn't true. Not at all.(Y/N) was so caught up on finding his father's scythe, and everything else, since they had disappeared he had barely gone looking.
When he received visions of his father, chained up ion the glacier, he didn't even look for them, it never even crossed his mind, he hadn't been checking the Iris network like he should have been with every spare second he had gotten, even when he knew they were in the hands of his enemy.
It was made worse by the fact this wasn't even the first time he had forgotten about the people he supposedly cared about. When he visited camp after turning on Olympus, Hypnos had warned him about this, after he forgot to save Clovis and the others to indulge himself by seeing his friends.
(Y/N) was so selfish it wasn't even slightly comical. Maybe that was what she wanted, maybe that was why he reacted so suddenly, again without thinking when she asked "Want to know what a storm nymph's screams sound like?"
(Y/N)'s only response was putting the flintlock to the temple of the witch and pulling the trigger. "Powder's wet genius." She said, and hit him in the face. But just like Blackbeard, he stood firm, her fist crunched against his cheek.
"Where are they?" He said, she snarled at him and said "You'll be dead before you find out!" A flare of green magic danced off Circe's palm. It trailed up his arm like a serpent, faster than he could react, and tightened around his neck.
He threw the gun with wet powder at her face, she caught it, pointing it at him. "Thanks." She scoffed, drying the powder with magic, but before she could pull the trigger, (Y/N) had an idea, he let out a spark of magic, a small flicker of fire, igniting the black powder inside the pistol.
Fingers and metal pieces were scattered around as the witch cried out in pain. It must have disrupted her concentration a little because the magical binding faded away. Good thing too, because (Y/N) was about to lose his composure.
It did put things into perspective though, as the discomfort and irrationality flooded from him, he realised that Thanatos said it was a bad idea to bring the scythe here, but he only did so when he was chained, when he had the same feeling running through him.
The witch held her hand in pain, (Y/N) stared at her, he knew what he had to do the moment he held that scythe. He knew why Hypnos sent him to collect it, and why Thanatos had protected it so fiercely.
Because it was the key to all of this. His father was right. (Y/N) didn't need it. The scythe clattered to the floor in front of the witches feet. Because she did. Just for a moment, she needed it.
She was so scared of the alternative, she didn't question it she didn't think it was odd that her hated nemesis would put the one thing she wanted so much within reaching distance without a fight.
She raised the scythe, ready to use it on herself, but then it happened, the same trade (Y/N) ignored. As a cloud of shadow tried to latch onto her, (Y/N) saw all her power being torn from her, taken away by the scythe.
That was what Thanatos feared. That someone else would take his power, not from a source of envy or ego, but because nobody else could survive it for long, he knew it's power and how dangerous it was.
Hypnos however, had no such issue. (Y/N) could tell the god of sleep took someone coming after his twin brother rather personally. That wasn't the only reason either. From Circe, the scythe drew its power, but it started with the power closest to Thanatos's.
It stole (Y/N)'s power from her, the abilities and power she stole after he was resurrected, from both sides of him, where stricken from her suddenly. That also meant one other thing.
From the shadows beneath her sprouted a set of arms, pulling the blade away from her. "NO!" She screeched. Genuine fear in her eyes. "No!" She said as she used all her strength to drive the scythe towards herself. "Please!"
Something pulled away from her chest. Tearing through her as it did. They were no longer compatible, and the shadow was free. It was in it's spiritual form. Meaning it looked like (Y/N) did, almost.
As it tore free, it grabbed Circe by the face and pushed her away with such force that she fell out of sight. It glared at (Y/N), its eyes full of hatred and malice. It picked up the scythe in one hand. "You won't escape this time." It promised.
"I'm not trying to." (Y/N) responded. Before adding, "It's not your fault...none of this. None of it is on you. It's not your fault." He said, extending his hands. The shadow looked at (Y/N) like he was crazy. Then, before (Y/N) could blink, they were nose to nose. Only not for a hug.
"I know. IT'S YOURS!" It said with venom in it's tone, and (Y/N) looked down to see that it had stabbed him in the gut with three of it's clawed fingers. "One day, that's gonna work." He thought. Followed closely but an internal scream of pain.
(Y/N) had Blackbeard's speed to thank for his survival following that. It swung the scythe at him, not with the skill or poise of Thanatos, or even (Y/N)'s natural ability, just reckless abandon. As (Y/N) kneed the spirit in it's chest and pulled it's hand free, he dodged the swing by a hair.
"Watch where you swing that thing. It's pointy." He said as he used his last reserve of magic to heal the fresh wound, he was getting really tired of having to do that. The spirit just laughed, and again, it started talking. "After trying to kill your girlfriend, I realized something." It said.
(Y/N) sighed, "And let me guess, I'm hearing all about it before I die..." He said under his breath, it didn't take long for him to be proved right. The spectre flew towards him, swinging the scythe and his claws at him as it spoke.
"You were so afraid of me, of what I was, but what you really feared was so much more, as all those emotions poured in, as all the malice and resentment built up, I was met with a moment of clarity."
"The things I feel now, the things I am now, they are your true emotions, your true feelings about the world, even when you tried to hide them away, they would always spill out. No matter how they made you feel. The things you tormented me with, that was the true you."
"I was the one that felt them, I was the one who suffered through it all, that means, I am the true you!" (Y/N) sighed, "Sorry buddy, it's too late in the series to be recast." With that he punched the ghost in the chest, which as you can imagine, was quite surreal.
It didn't recoil, and only got stronger and faster by the second, it was born from (Y/N), who in turn was born from Thanatos, it could handle the scythe's power much better than Circe could ever dream of.
"Just die!" it screamed. "JUST DIE!" The cry echoed throughout the camp. It's rage growing and growing, along with it's frustration as (Y/N) dodged every blow. Scythes and him still had that agreement, even if this one was kind of a jerk.
As the frustration finally built up, and the shadow overextended his arm as it charged forward, (Y/N) made his move. On the next swing, he pulled Glimmer from it's sheathe. Cutting at the creature's wrist.
The scythe was freed from it's hands, (Y/N) caught it with his other hand as it sailed free of the shadow's grip. and plunged it deep into the chest of his Genus. After that, the two did not move, facing one another, and the shadow refrained from speaking, now it was (Y/N)'s turn.
"I am so very sorry for what I did to you. I learned from an old friend, that I made a lot of stupid decisions when I was young, life seems simple when you're young." He explained, lamenting his past mistakes with Reyna and Hylla.
"I'm still going to make some mistakes, I'm still going to feel the anger and pain, and frustration from them, but I don't need you any more." He said, placing his hands on the creatures head, holding it still.
"I have my own scars now, I don't need you to bear the pain for me. Don't worry, I'll get through it." As (Y/N)'s powers flared, he could tell that it was working, the same as Scylla, and with Ethan. It was happening again.
"You didn't deserve this, you never did. But...thank you, for suffering when I couldn't. You were the only reason I survived. The only real reason. I am who I am because of you. You were right, you are real, you just aren't the real me."
"Thank you for always watching over me." He saw the scar on the creatures chest, the thing that once bound them together. "But that scar has already healed. I have a new one now." He said, pointing to the scar on his chest from the spear he had taken.
"I won't forget what you've done for me. But it's time to grow up. No more hiding..." He said, as his shadow finally faded away into him, and (Y/N) was free of it after all these years. His final words to the shadow were a promise.
(Y/N) used to hide from his father. It seemed silly now, but when he was a kid, death scared him even more than it did now, before he even knew his connection to Thanatos he was terrified of him.
Because it always felt like it was around the corner. His heart never worked as it should, doctors always rushed around him like something was wrong, his mother was ill and some people said she was on her deathbed.
So it was always a fear of his. The scar on his chest from a surgery during his first few years of life always scared him, because it still hurt, if he moved the wrong way, or breathed too hard, his heart would pain him.
Every time, he would think he was about to die. He viewed death as a monster, coming to take him away, like every doctor had said in hushed words, he shouldn't have lived this long. He was still scared of it, that was what the shadow was born from.
Not from the stress of the moment, or the need to protect himself and his mother. But the fear of dying. He finally understood that the fear he showed back then, was exactly what the shadow had been trying to save him from.
He thought he had gotten over his childhood fear, that his experiences had made him tough enough to overcome it. The shadow had been protecting him, in it's own horrific way, showing him that there were worse things than death.
In a way, his oldest friend had always been protecting him, always watching over him as was it's original purpose. Despite everything that happened to it. It stayed true to himself. Now, (Y/N) could keep his promise.
This time, as the pain came. He embraced it. It swelled from his heart, growing and shifting, eventually becoming a tidal wave of emotions, the emotions he had rejected years ago. Pain, frustration, resentment, hate.
But there was one emotion that crashed over the others like a tsunami. Greif. It seemed to seep into his skin, digging under every pore, running through his bloodstream like he had once felt with the rivers of the underworld.
It overpowered everything else, every other feeling that overcome him was drowned out. He had never really considered it before, but there was not much time between his mother dying, and Olympus using him as a lap dog.
Throughout that time, the worst times of his life, he had already entrapped the shadow. He didn't realize just how much emotion he had lost, how much emotion he had refused to accept. He always had a mission, always had something to do that allowed him to push this emotion to one side.
He had never processed the emotions of his mothers death, not truly, because of that, he musty have still been in the denial stage, all this time. As it hit him, all at once, he began crying, unable to contain the emotions that he should have processed years ago.
As the tears left his eyes, they chilled, made bracing by the Alaskan climate, the opposite of the heat he felt rise in his chest as a huge portion of his magic was restored, and his heart was freed.
He screamed for so long and so loud that by the time the words died in his throat after passing his lips, he had forgotten when he had started. He opened his eyes and saw that the environment around him had shifted.
He saw the world as he was always meant to see it, he looked into the distance. The vivid color of disenchantment bay brighter than he ever had seen before, his eyes seemed to see the world in a clearer light, like a fog that he didn't know was there had been lifted from the landscape.
His moment of serenity was cut short however by the vindictive voice of Circe. "You may have freed me. But it doesn't matter." She said as she crawled up from the snow. "You can't defeat me, you can barely stand."
In her hands she held a black orb of power, it was a frightening, spiky orb that looked as though not even she was controlling it, just keeping it at bay. (Y/N) didn't know what it was, but he knew getting hit by it was game over. "You can't defeat me, or my patron-"
"No." (Y/N) said, serene in his expression. Circe didn't like to be interrupted so she let go of the orb, it didn't shoot from her hands like a lazer. It began to unfurl itself, it looked like a shadowy row of thorns, spiky and sharp.
As the line of magic shot out towards him, he explained. "Maybe I can't beat you." He said, looking at her bleeding hands and seeing the magic cutting through the ice like a hundred chainsaws. "But I can do this."
Hand, hand, foot, foot. He threw himself to one side, and as his amazing tutor would have put it. Went 'woosh.' Even he was surprised as the magic tore past him and he cartwheeled out of the way on the ice.
"And since this is a land free of the gods. Nobody can stop me..." He raised his hand and the weather began to change, he channelled the last of his power into a final ditch effort he never thought he'd ever use.
Magic he had only learned to spite someone, magic he only learned to annoy a certain god. He felt like his fingers were curling around a storm cloud, he felt like he controlled it. "FROM DOING THIS!" He said as he pulled his hand down from the sky like he was ripping it down.
The moment it impacted. His vision went white. As lightning tore through the glacier, and thunder boomed like a nuclear explosion. (Y/N), Circe, and about of the third of the glacier was knocked away from the earth, the ground cracked beneath (Y/N) he fell into the water.