"Can I ask what that was back there?" Leo asked after several minutes of walking in silence.
Percy shrugged, kicking a loose rock across the ground. "You can."
"And will you answer?" Leo frowned slightly.
"Depends on how you phrase the question," Percy hummed.
"Right," Leo nodded, "so, what the bloody Hades was that?" He demanded, his voice rising to a strained yelled. "I'm not sure if you all know what happened back there, because I sure as Tartarus do not!"
Percy huffed, "Ask Nico. He knows."
Nico blinked, suddenly realising that Percy had heard the conversation between him and Iapetus, which meant he knew he was going to be going insane soon after exiting Tartarus, and yet he was still wanting to leave. "Uh, yes. Percy was turned immortal, as you've all figured out by now. Fully immortal, not half-immortal like us, but no one can just be an immortal and not have a title or domain. So Percy's either going to be a god or a... Titan. It depends on what immortal he spends most time around."
Leo shifted, suddenly nervous that he'd asked to know. "And he's been around only Titans for centuries," he murmured.
Percy kept his gaze focused ahead of them as he walked. "By my calculations, I'm about eighty five percent Titan, fifteen percent demigod at the moment, so I'm actually quite eager to be around the gods."
"What does that mean?" Hazel asked, "If you're mostly Titan?"
Percy sighed, his eyes flickering over to Jason who was carrying an unconscious Piper, "The one I was around the most was Lord Kronos, so I've got knock-offs of his abilities. It's actually pretty cool, once you get past the idea that he used to play with mortal's lives by changing time for them. I can release the burst of power that I used back then, but it takes quite a bit out of me, because I use my own energy." Percy paused slightly, contemplating on whether or not he should tell them the rest. He decided not to. "That's all I know about now, I may find that more abilities have rubbed off on me, but I doubt it."
"So you aren't going to suddenly disappear or anything, right?" Leo asked, "Because then we'll be down here on our own with Titans chasing after us."
"I can vapour travel," Percy shrugged, "but that's nothing to do with the Titan abilities."
"Percy, why do you think Tartarus wanted us to bring Annabeth with us?" Thalia asked, "What's he going to do?"
Percy winced slightly, "Honesty? I don't know. As far as I'm aware Tartarus can't raise the dead."
Clarisse narrowed her eyes. "Do you even care that she's dead?" The daughter of war demanded, "Because you're acting too callous about her death."
Percy clenched his jaw, but otherwise ignored her as he sped up slightly. "We're nearing the House of Night. Stay on the path if you don't want to die."
"Wait – what?" Hazel asked. "Why would we die if we go off the path?"
Percy held his hand above the wisps of black smoke on either side of the path as he continued walking. After a few seconds the demigods saw the spiky back of a reptilian creature slither through the smoke towards them.
Nico let out a short curse, "Percy! What are you doing?"
Percy grinned, "You did ask." The monster surfaced above the smoke beside them, its poisonous green eyes flicking to look at each of the demigods.
"What is that?" Jason asked warily.
"Colchian drakon," Percy explained, "the one that originally guarded the Gold Fleece in Ares' sacred grove at Kolkhis."
"The one that Jason killed?" Frank asked.
Percy nodded, "The original Jason, yes." He turned his attention to the drakon as it rubbed up against his hand, "Tell the Lady Night we are approaching."
The drakon slithered away, ducking beneath the layer of smoke and Percy rubbed his hand on the ground, leaving a line of yellowish goo. "Who's Lady Night?" Leo asked.
Percy sighed, "Why are you all asking so many questions?"
"Because we don't know the answers?" Leo offered.
Percy grimaced, "The Mansion of Night? Seriously, none of you can guess?"
"I know," Nico grinned as the other demigods shrugged.
Percy stopped, still looking ahead. "Look. See if you can guess now." In front of them was a massive house made completely out of solid shadows. "When Annabeth and I came through here before we couldn't look at the Mansion. It's too powerful for mortals to look upon – their minds will go insane."
"I can understand why," Jason breathed.
Percy nodded. "Looks pretty cool, doesn't it?"
"Cool?" Frank asked incredulously as he eyed the black gargoyles on the parapets. "It's terrifying. How's it cool?"
Percy shrugged, "I've been here many times before."
There was a loud grinding sound and a drawbridge detached itself from the mansion, crashing down in front of the demigods. "Will Tartarus be able to help Piper?" Jason asked as he held Piper closer to him, the daughter of Aphrodite still sleeping. "And what about Clarisse?"
"Clarisse, no," Percy murmured, "Piper, hopefully."
"Why won't he help me, but will help Piper?" Clarisse demanded.
"Piper's been cursed to sleep forever," Percy explained in irritation, "you had acid cursed into your eye. There's a difference." He shook his head, "Look, we're safe here from the Titans. None of them dare to come here and for a good reason. The being that inhabits this Mansion could batter them down within an instant."
"Is that good or bad?" Thalia asked.
"Good for us, bad for the Titans, because who wants to fight the very Night, the darkness around us?" Percy grinned. "Who wants to fight Nyx?"
*A few hours later*
"Fire!" Malcolm yelled. "We don't want any monsters getting through!"
The campers were hurrying to stop the monsters from entering the camp and causing mass destruction. Chiron and the Hunters were releasing arrow after arrow into the hoard of monsters, killing at least one every two seconds. A dracaenae fired an arrow over their heads, the flaming point setting fire to a tree.
"Darren, deal with that," Malcolm ordered. The Athena cabin had quickly set up an organised system for the demigods, and Malcolm was leading it.
Darren (the only son of Poseidon to be born after Percy) summoned a wave of water from the creek and quickly put out the fire before it could cause too much damage. He ran back into the fight a moment later, taking up a position in the front line and his sword a flash of bronze. Darren had made it a mission of his to be like Percy who had become a legend in the two demigod camps and tales of the older demigod's quests still spread like wildfire around the campers.
Malcolm frowned as he glanced over to where the gods were standing. They had appeared in the late morning of the day. It was nearing down and the only one able to fight out of the immortals was Artemis, claiming that killing wilds beasts was within her domain and all monsters were wild beasts. None of the demigods were claiming. The presence of the gods ensured that the demigods were willing to fight, if only to prove themselves to their respective parent. None of the gods had told anyone why they had come and seemed content to wait for something to happen.
The ground rumbled as more monsters charged out of the Doors of Death, only to be cut down by arrows or impaled on celestial bronze stakes. Many hellhounds leapt over the stakes and entered hand-to-claw combat with the waiting demigods. The Apollo campers were working overtime to heal the wounded and most of them hadn't slept since the Doors opened two days before, but they were refusing to stop.
The shadows cast by Zeus' Fist were covering the ground when the monsters exiting the Doors suddenly stopped. Hades' eyes widened, "Get away from the Doors!" He shouted. The demigods hurriedly moved to do as he'd said and the gods summoned their weapons as lightning flickered in the sky.
One of Malcolm's siblings frowned. "What's happening?"
Malcolm shrugged. "I don't know, but the gods obviously do."
Chiron cantered over to the gods, slinging his bow over his shoulder as he did so and dozens of demigods came over to the command tent the Athena Cabin had set up. They were immediately swamped with question about what was happening. Malcolm soon found himself shouting: "Everyone shut up! I don't know what's happening, so stop asking! Ask the gods-" he paused, peering over their shoulders to frown at the Doors. His eyes widened. "Hades' Underpants," he breathed as he watched a white mist emerge from the darkness within them.
"Stay back," Chiron ordered, his expression grim, "the gods will deal with this."
"What is 'this' exactly, Chiron?" Will Solace demanded.
"It seems that some Titans have found the Doors," Chiron said, warily watching the mist creep forward. "Lord Hades says there are six of them."
"That's why the gods are here, isn't it?" Travis Still asked, "They knew this was going to happen... how did they know this was gonna happen?"
"They didn't tell me," Chiron said as he shot a glance over at Zeus.
Zeus' master bolt was humming in his hand as a shockwave erupted from the Doors, blasting bacl all the stakes, most of which buckled and snapped under the force/
Dust danced around Zeus' Fist, gradually floating down to the ground. Zeus' hand tightened as he inspected the six Titans that had exited the Doors. "Greetings, Zeus," Eurybia the consort of Krios nodded, her voice rich and holding a strong Greek accent, "so good to see you again."
"Why have you come?" Poseidon demanded.
Pallas smirked, "Our Lord wishes for us to send you a message. And an offer."
Metis nodded slightly. "Yes, he said if you prevent Perseus from reaching the surface he shall not destroy all of you. Only Olympus itself shall fall."
Zeus laughed, "We're supposed to believe he'll spare us?"
"Our Lord has given you all a gracious offer, gods," Menoetius sneered, "surely you are not so stupid as to turn it down."
"You call us stupid, and yet we're not the ones that marched into enemy territory that is heavily defended," Athena said pointedly.
Theia laughed lightly, "Ah, but, youngling, we're hardly weak."
Pallas grinned wickedly and raised his hands. "You are aware of my domains, yes?" In the clearing the shadowy figures of warriors formed. "Soldiers are a part of warfare, and I've heard there was a battle here over three centuries ago."
Hades' eyes narrowed, "The dead have earned their rest. Leave them where they are, it is sacrilege to disturb the fallen."
Pallas laughed, "And they shall earn their rest again." The shadows rising from the ground became solid corporeal figures with glowing yellow eyes. The risen dead shifted, all of them turning to look obediently at Pallas. Will sucked in a sharp breath when he saw Lee Fletcher amongst them, his bow in his hand and his eyes completely blank. He also recognised Castor the son of Dionysus, and Daedalus.
"Hold them a moment, my dear," Eurybia murmured, her eyes flickering back to glance at the Doors of Death behind them as they changed into a gold colour and started shaking slightly.
Pallas nodded. "Of course, Mother."
"Your decision, Olympians?" Mnemosyne asked.
Zeus narrowed his eyes. "If you think we're going to stop Perseus from leaving the Pit you're insane. He's a hero of Olympus and needs to be rewarded."
Theia laughed, "Oh, my poor nephew, how little you truly know. Perseus has changed in his time with us; he can no longer be called the Hero of Olympus. Not after what he has done."
Poseidon clenched his jaw, "Take care of how you speak, Titan, that is my son."
"I am aware," Theia said dryly. "Pallas, you may continue."
"Lladd nhw i gyd, fy filwyr," Pallas breathed, and the dead stiffly turned to face the campers. The two sides stared at each other for several moments. "Now," Pallas said sharply, and they charged as their weapons appeared in their hands. The campers waited and formed a phalanx, their spears pointing forward.
The Doors opened with a pleasant DING and revealed three figures in the elevator. "Stopio! Mae hynny'n ddigon . Titanos , yr ydych wedi croesi'r llinell am y tro olaf . Byddwch yn cael eu cosbi i'r radd uchaf ar gyfer eich troseddau wrth anufuddhau ewyllys Tartarus'." The dead stopped short and the campers' eyes widened as a figure garbed in black armour exited the Doors, a very familiar demigod beside him.
"Frank!" Malcolm exclaimed.
Frank was dressed in black leather armour and red trim ran around the edges as he held his bow with an arrow knocked and pointed at the Titans. "Stop! That is enough. Titans, you have crossed the line for the last time. You shall be punished to the highest degree for your transgressions in disobeying Tartarus' will." He paused and added, "That was a translation for all of you that don't know the Old Tongue."
Pallas' eyes were wide, "Impossible! You can't be out already."
"Lord Kronos is hardly as good at tracking as you seemed to believe," the figure in black armour said. "It was rather simple to lose him by travelling the Path of Curses and entering the House of Night."
"Efydd Cleddyf," Theia greeted as her eyes narrowed.
"I'll never know why you Titans decided to name me that," he said.
"Would you prefer the name you tried to bury... Perseus?" Mnemosyne asked coldly.
"I prefer it to 'Bronze Sword'," Percy grinned behind his helmet, "and all of you have seriously got Tartarus pissed at the moment. I mean, sure. Of course this was gonna happen sometime soon, but seriously. Can't you try to be at least a little considerate of other beings in Tartarus when you plan your rebellions? You know, like the one that you lost one hundred and fifty years ago that was spearheaded by Lord Kronos? The one that got him grounded?"
Theia hissed, her blue eyes glowing dangerously, "Our Lord has ordered you to be returned to him, though he didn't seem to care whether it was in pieces or not."
"Yeah," Percy said, "I sort of managed to figure that out when nearly every monster in Tartarus started trying to kill us on the way out."
A beam of light erupted from Theia's now outstretched hand, and Percy twisted slightly to the side, watching the blast as it passed him. He slowly turned back to face the Titaness. "Now that wasn't very nice," he smirked, and his two swords shimmered into existence. "Are you sure you want to do this? You haven't forgotten I've beaten all of you at least one, right?"
Pallas gritted his teeth, "Ladd," he ordered, and the dead warriors all pointed their weapons at Percy.
Percy cocked his head to the side, "You're stupider than I remember."
"Percy," Frank said warily, "what're you doing?"
"Just sit back and watch," Percy ordered, not even turning to look at Frank. "Come on, Pallas, are you ready for round three?"
Pallas snarled, "FIRE!" The dead immediately did so, but as soon as the arrows left their bows they slowed down until they no longer had enough speed to stay in the air. Percy grinned as he watched the arrows land in the mud several dozen feet from him.
"Stop hiding behind your army of the dead, Pallas. I thought the dead were no match for Titans?" Percy smirked.
Pallas clenched his jaw and the dead suddenly vaporised, the bodies dissolving into the ground. "Calm yourself, Pallas," Menoetius murmured, "he's trying to get you angry."
Percy grinned and shot forward, leaving the safety of the elevator to charge at the six Titans. The gods' eyes widened and they quickly moved to help the Hero of Olympus. Percy slashed at Pallas, and the Titan allowed Riptide to hit his armour, the blade not leaving a single mark on the ancient metal. Percy grinned, realising that the Titans armour was one of the best out of all of the older immortals – it would be an honour for him when he hacked through. Pallas' longsword appeared in his hand and he easily blocked Percy's second attack, shoving the demigod back and swinging with speed that was surprising for such a big weapon. Percy's eyes flashed gold briefly as he made enough time for him to duck under the blade, twisting to the side to hack at the Titan's left leg.
Riptide clanged against his armour and Percy grimaced as he backed away. Pallas laughed as he turned to face Percy, his dark blue eyes glowing with energy. "Poor little demigod, you can't even break through my armour. How do you hope to win this?"
Percy concentrated on the creek running through the forest and felt a tug in his gut as the water surged out of its banks, racing towards them as he blocked Pallas' swing. Percy's arm shook slightly from the force being exerted down on him, and he slipped out from underneath the longsword as a ball of water smashed into the Titan's side. Percy hacked into Pallas' armour with Oceanus' sword and the blade easily tore through the metal. Pallas roared in anger and tried to swat Percy away with his left hand, but Percy cut into his palm with the silver sword. The water rose and circled around Percy, lashing out at the Titan whenever he got too close.
Percy grimaced as he realised that without the presence of Tartarus around him he was a lot weaker than usual, and quickly decided to finish the fight as soon as possible. He charged towards Perses, the Titan laughing as he did so. "Come on, little hero," he crooned. Percy hacked at Pallas' chestplate with Riptide, and the bronze blade just deflected off of the metal. Whilst Pallas was distracted by the hit, Percy twisted and brought Oceanus' sword down on the back of the Titan's leg. Pallas fell to one knee and Percy pressed Riptide against the back of his neck.
"Say hello to Lord Kronos for me, will you?" Percy hissed before cutting the Titan's head off. He looked up to see three of the other Titans dead on the floor, but Metis and Eurybia were nowhere to be seen. Percy frowned as he took off his helmet and scanned the clearing.
"They fled," Frank said coming up to stand beside Percy, "back into the Doors of Death."
Small Bob loped over to Percy, and the son of Poseidon's eyes immediately turned to Annabeth. "Come on," he murmured, "breathe. Annabeth... breathe."
"Percy!" Poseidon exclaimed incredulously.
Percy ignored him as he focused on Annabeth. "Come on. Annabeth!"
Frank shook his head, "It's not working, Percy," he said sadly, "Tartarus said it might not, that it wasn't definitely going to-"
Percy suddenly cut him off with a shout of joy as he saw Annabeth take a deep breath and her eyes fluttered open. "Annabeth..." he murmured as she met his eyes, "it worked. It actually worked!"