Riptide was in his hand, gold swirling before his eyes – likely still damp to the touch.
Percy sighed and stared at the piece of paper in front of him, the words that he had written nonsensical and wrong. There was no way to write a note that would inform your team of your unfortunate demise – even if Percy was still hoping he'd be destroying said note before any of them had to see it. He looked at it for a moment longer before scrunching up the note and tossing it into the bin by his desk with his other attempts.
He bit his lip at the sight of the blank sheet before him and wondered if it was some sort of sign that he shouldn't leave a note.
Leaving a note seemed like he was admitting that he didn't think he was coming back.
A knock on the door settled his decision to leave it for now; especially if it was a member of his team on the other side. He couldn't exactly write such a note in front of them.
He dropped Riptide on the desk and stood, knowing that simply shouting to the person on the other side of the door wouldn't work.
And when he opened the door to find Apollo standing before him, he was genuinely a little surprised. He'd been expecting Luke.
"Oh, hey!" Percy smiled at him once he'd gotten over his surprise, swapping it for relief.
"Luke sent me to make sure you were awake in time for dinner," Apollo's returned smile was tentative and awkward. He looked tired, even more so than he had when Percy had left him after the incident with Orion.
"Just about," Percy shrugged, wandering back into his room with the expectation that Apollo would follow as he continued talking. "If you'd come up half an hour ago, I'd still be asleep."
When he turned, Apollo was still hovering in the doorway.
"You can come in if you want?" He found himself saying, a little unsure because he'd never had to invite Apollo in before. Not properly. "Or do we have to head down to dinner straight away?"
"No, no, we've got some time," Apollo shuffled in, still looking uncertain as he pressed the door shut behind him. "Did you sleep alright?"
Percy thought back to the nap he'd managed to grab and sighed. "I didn't want to wake up," he admitted as he sat heavily on the edge of his bed. "I debated throwing my alarm across the room but I knew Luke would only drag me out of bed by the ankle and I didn't want to run that risk. How about you, have you managed to get any rest?"
"I tried and failed," Apollo responded absently.
Percy frowned. This wasn't the Apollo he was used to. The Apollo that was always so easy to talk to, the Apollo that was always willing to share a smile. The Apollo that called him an array of nicknames that he pretended to hate when in reality they warmed his chest and made him feel like he was wanted.
This was not the Apollo he was used to, the Apollo that he could dare to say was his Apollo.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, unable to stop himself. "We have time now, if you want to talk?"
Apollo sighed softly and managed a tired smile. "I can't help but fear what comes this night," he confessed. "And I can't help but worry about you all. About you."
Percy winced, knowing that he couldn't reassure Apollo with false platitudes when they both knew that there was every reason to worry. And it would be pretty hypocritical of him to try and reassure Apollo when Percy was feeling the same way about him. He knew that their initial run-in with Kronos – the whole reason that Apollo had joined their team in the first place – was Apollo's first true encounter with his grandfather. He didn't know Apollo's history with Gaia well enough to comment on that area; Styx, history had never been his strong suit.
"I'm worried as well," Percy admitted. "I'd still be worried if the whole Council were here, but this? This is a nightmare."
"I wish I could disagree with you but you've just hit the nail on the head," Apollo groaned.
"Weren't you declaring your hatred for that particular metaphor yesterday?" Percy couldn't resist the opportunity to tease.
"I only like it when I say it, Seashell," Apollo huffed.
"I only like some things when you say them too," Percy blurted out unthinkingly before cursing his traitorous mouth when he received a raised eyebrow in response.
"Careful, Perseus," Apollo commented mildly. "You may give a guy the wrong idea."
Percy thought about laughing it off for a moment before he stopped himself, knowing for a split second that he didn't know what idea he wanted Apollo to have. And just like every thought he'd had along that particular vein, he thrust it to the back of his mind and promised himself that he'd deal with it later.
"You're right though," Apollo spoke to fill the silence, hastily returning to their earlier topic. "This truly is a nightmare scenario."
"I still can't believe what Chaos did," Percy admitted, almost wishing he had the courage to put his foot down and take their conversation down a wholly different track. "I just don't understand why he did it."
"You'll get the opportunity to ask," Apollo pointed out. "It just won't be today."
"Sometimes I think I'll never understand him," Percy spoke truthfully. "I just know he has terrible timing."
"A lot of things in life do," Apollo sighed. "I wish I'd known though, I would have kept hold of Hermes' sword."
"And you call yourself the god of prophecy," Percy laughed before realising the more serious implications of Apollo's words. "Wait, you've only got your bow?"
"I've got my bow and a few knives," Apollo confessed. "It would be a simple matter to return and ask to borrow it once more, but Artemis implied that if I were to step foot on Olympus, I would not be allowed to leave again."
Percy instinctively reached into his pocket, hand curling around the seemingly innocuous lighter that lay within. Passing over Riptide was out of the question, but he had two other swords at his disposal that he would be more than willing to cede into Apollo's possession. And, given the choice, he knew that it was Stormbringer that would fit the god perfectly; the Imperial Gold blade a perfect twin to the weapon the god typically favoured. The only issue lay with the fact that it had failed to protect Leo when he had given over custody in the Labyrinth and he feared that it would be doomed to repeat in Apollo's grip.
The weapon matched the gold of Apollo's skin, the gold of Apollo's hair, and the gold of Apollo's heart. Stormbringer matched the current nature of Apollo's eyes, swirling with the storm clouds that littered the sky above, and it matched the nature by which Apollo had come into Percy's life. A sudden summer storm that he was wholly unprepared for.
Mind made up, he stood and withdrew the lighter from his pocket before taking a few small steps towards Apollo. He flicked the lighter, making Stormbringer spring to life in his hand. He pointed the blade downwards, shifting his grip on the hilt in the process so his thumb was resting over the pommel.
"I want you to have Stormbringer," Percy took a step closer, offering his hand out to Apollo.
"Are you certain?" Apollo breathed, looking down at the sword between them for a moment before he looked back to Percy's face so he could search his eyes for answers. "Seashell, Perseus, are you sure?"
"I've never been more certain," Percy assured him.
"Stormbringer is a part of you," Apollo frowned, still uncertain. "A significant part of you. Why would you want to gift such a part to me?"
"Because I care about what happens to you," Percy responded truthfully. "There are very few people that I would entrust one of my swords to, but I am happy to gift Stormbringer to you."
Apollo's fingers curled around his but did not yet take Stormbringer from his grasp. "I could just borrow a sword from the armoury, you know?"
"I know," Percy acknowledged. "But I'd rather you take this one, so I can hope it brings you more luck than it brought Leo. And where else would find a weapon that matches your bow at such short notice? Unless you planned to steal Jason's sword, that is."
"I don't want to steal Jason's sword," Apollo smiled at him. "I'm more than happy to accept this one. If you're certain about letting me have it?"
"I am," Percy assured him once more and allowed Apollo to finally take it from his grasp. "Stormbringer is yours."
"Thank you," Apollo's smile somehow managed to widen. He glanced down to examine the blade, shifting it so he had one hand on the hilt and one balancing the flat of the blade, before looking back up with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "How does it transform back?"
"Here," Percy wrapped his hand over Apollo's and gently guided his thumb with his, pushing it over the crossguard where Stormbringer's name was etched so it settled on the rainguard. Just like Riptide, there was a raised trident there. "When you want it to transform back, just press the trident and it'll do so."
He removed his hand from Apollo's this time, allowing the god to transform the sword on his own accord. And when Apollo was standing there with just a lighter in his hand, he beamed at Percy.
"Thank you," Apollo repeated. He slipped Stormbringer's shrunken form into the pocket of his hoodie, one that made the corners of Percy's mouth quirk upwards when he realised that it was his. He'd given it to the god on their return journey to Camp, when Apollo was rushing between Nico, Eros, and Leo. Percy had seen him shivering and had taken the initiative to place it around his shoulders when his attention was fixed on Nico. "Y'know," Apollo spoke, making him flinch out of his reverie. "If Stormbringer is to be a token of luck, I should be gifting something to you too."
"Oh, no, it's-"
"I insist," Apollo cut him off. He reached up and hooked the golden chain of his hyacinth necklace with one finger, slowly drawing it out from beneath his shirt – revealing it inch by inch until the charm had been pulled forth. "Will you wear my necklace again, Perseus?"
Percy was speechless for a moment before he nodded. "It would be an honour, Apollo."
"It is I that should feel honoured," Apollo informed him before he carefully unclasped the chain and let it fall into his hand. They both stared at it for a second before Apollo lifted it by the undone hook and clasp, offering it out to Percy.
"I'm terrible with clasps," Percy lied like Apollo hadn't witnessed him undo it with ease on the night Will had been brought back. "Could you do it for me?"
Apollo simply raised an eyebrow but did not call him on the lie.
"Do you want me to turn?" Percy asked, despite it going against his better judgement.
"Oh no," Apollo assured him as he stepped closer. "I prefer to see your face, Seashell."
Apollo wordlessly lifted the necklace up and let the charm fall against Percy's chest before his arms coiled around Percy's neck. They were so close that Percy could see the storm clouds shifting in Apollo's irises and he absently wondered whether it meant they were shifting in Eros' eyes too.
It was at that point that Nathan's words from that morning hit him like a bolt of lightning and he was no longer able to force all of his treacherous thoughts to the back of his mind.
"Percy?" Apollo spoke his name softly and Percy was no longer able to deny that there was affection in the way the god spoke to him, affection that was different to the way he spoke to Nico, Will, and the rest of his Cabin. "Is everything okay in there, darling?"
The word was spoken in Greek, but Percy knew exactly what it meant.
"I thought I could ignore this until later," Percy admitted, the softness in his tone equal to Apollo's.
"Oh," Apollo's fingers brushed against the nape of his neck, hot against the coolness of Percy's skin. "I thought perhaps it was best."
"Like you said, a lot of things in life have terrible timing," Percy sighed. "This isn't how I pictured having this conversation."
"Oh, so you have pictured this conversation?" Apollo asked, gentle laughter in his tone. "It did cross my mind that I would have to hire a skywriter and spell it out for you, but then I realised that I could just use the sun chariot and do it myself, but that plan was going to be on hand after this damned battle." Apollo brushed his fingers against his skin again before allowing the clasped necklace to fall there, followed closely by clasped hands. "You're right, though, we do have terrible timing."
Percy wanted to groan and let his head fall against Apollo's shoulder, but he managed a smile instead. And if the smile was more of a grimace, Apollo didn't call him on it. "Perhaps we should delay this conversation," he suggested, though the words pained him. He tore his eyes away from Apollo's for just long enough to check the time before meeting them once more. "It's not fair on either of us to start something we can't finish right now."
"I hate that you're right," Apollo sighed. "I don't like to start things I know I cannot finish, not when they mean so much to me. And if I were to kiss you, I don't think wild horses could drag me away. Not this night."
"Promise me that you'll find me after the battle?" Percy bit his lip. "Since we can't do this now, not when we both have to show our faces at dinner."
"Will my word prevent you from doing something stupidly self-sacrificial?" Apollo teased, though his words were like a bucket of cold water when Percy realised he hadn't told the god anything of their plan.
"I mean," he started, though it pained him to hold the secret to his heart and not tell Apollo of the risk. "I'll try."
"Try hard," Apollo huffed. "Because I intend to collect on at least the promise of conversation."
Emboldened by the words exchanged between them, Percy couldn't resist placing a soft kiss on Apollo's cheek, making the executive decision to avoid teasing the god about the blush that lay there when he was well aware that there was a twin one upon his own features. It was the best he could do in their current situation, not wanting to seal their promise on Apollo's lips when he knew that such an act would not be fair to either of them.
Percy wanted to have an incentive to survive the night. He did not want their first kiss to feel like their last; no, he wanted it to be a memory he could cherish and associate with happiness instead of desperation and fear. It would be an injustice to them both if their current emotions tainted the memory.
"I will," he promised, hoping beyond all hope that his promise was not an empty one.
The sounds and sight of the Pavilion meant that they had to untangle their hands and put a distance between them once more – one that they would have to wait until after the battle to bridge.
"Ready to give your rousing speech?" Apollo teased, the topic of conversation one that anyone would expect to hear between them.
"Don't," Percy groaned. "You don't think they'll actually be expecting to hear one, do you?"
"Sweetheart, they'll absolutely be expecting to hear one," Apollo laughed. "You saw how they all reacted to your big reveal yesterday, they've got their leader back."
"Sweetheart is new," Percy commented, knowing that he was probably blushing when he couldn't afford to when they were seconds away from facing the rest of the world.
"Well, Baby Blue, it probably helps that I've called you everything but your name since you got back," Apollo pointed out with a wink. "Nobody would bat an eyelid if they heard. And what can I say? Subtly has never been my strong suit."
"You can say that again," Percy laughed.
"You aren't supposed to agree with me!" Apollo protested.
"Agree with you about what?" Nico asked, popping up between them.
"Zeus above!" Apollo yelped, flinching dramatically as Will's cackle sounded from behind them. "Where did you come from?"
"We ran to catch up with you," Nico informed them nonchalantly. "Figured we'd best step in when we realised it was you who got sent to wake Percy up – we all know how well that went last time."
"I don't," Will inserted himself between them too, swift to slip his hand into Nico's. Percy tried to ignore the small flare of jealousy in his chest, knowing that he and Apollo had separated for a reason. The two of them shouldn't have even given in to that much contact in the first place. "What happened?"
"Someone was refusing to get out of bed so your dad took it upon himself to-" Nico started before stopping and reconsidering. "Y'know, I don't know if you want to hear this."
"You've caught my attention now, di Angelo," Will huffed. "And you can't talk about people refusing to get out of bed, I know damn well what you're like."
"We can't all be morning people like you, Miele," Nico retorted.
"Oh look, we're here!" Percy was quick to step in before they started bickering, gesturing to the Pavilion. "We should eat."
"Well sweetheart, that was the whole reason for coming here," Apollo laughed. There was a challenge in his eyes, daring Percy to call him out on his blatant choice of endearment in front of their oblivious companions.
"Percy!" Luke yelled from where he and a few of the others had taken custody of the Poseidon Table, stopping him from issuing any type of retort to the sun god. "Are you joining us or what?"
Percy rolled his eyes and marched over to where his Lieutenant was grinning at him. "Nice choice in table," he huffed on arrival, fighting all of his instincts to look behind him to see if Apollo and their two idiots were following.
"Triton insisted," Icarus informed him from where he was sandwiched between said sea god and the god of love. "As did the rest of the Sea Squad. Said it was time to reclaim it from Nathan's evil clutches."
"Yeah, well, shift up a little bit," Percy nudged Bellerophon's shoulder with his elbow. "I want in on this 'reclaiming' thing."
He slid onto the bench beside his brother, knocking their shoulders so he'd fall into Theseus and Luke in turn. He didn't comment on the fact that Orion was sitting amongst the Hunters with Artemis by his side.
"Meanie," Bellerophon shoved him back, just as Apollo sat down beside him.
"Careful, sweetheart," Apollo didn't shift an inch, simply steadying him. "Anyone would think you're falling for me."
Someone, somewhere on the table snorted and Percy could feel his face turning pink. All he got from Apollo was an amused smile.
"Pigs would fly first," Percy managed to respond, giving the god an angelic smile.
"That hurts me here, Bluebell," Apollo pouted and tapped his heart.
"For the love of the gods, will the two of you stop staring into each other's eyes for five minutes and eat?" Nico asked as he dumped two plates on the table, sliding one over to Percy as Will did the same for Apollo. "Some of us are trying to keep an appetite here."
Even Apollo knew when to draw the line, softly snickering before they both thanked them for the food and did as Nico instructed. And if Apollo pressed their thighs close and linked their ankles together beneath the table, nobody had to know.
Percy regretted eating the minute his plate was clear, his stomach beginning to churn with nerves. He didn't want this moment to end, didn't want to have to walk away from this table where he was surrounded by family and friends and someone who could become something more and have to put on his armour and dive into the fight of his life.
That's what this was now, the biggest threat that they had ever faced and he wasn't prepared to come out on the other side missing people he cared about. He wished that it had never come to this, that the Fates had blessed them with good fortune for once.
"Hey, Jackson!" Clarisse yelled from her table, attracting the attention of the tightly packed Pavilion. "Are we getting a speech or what?"
Percy groaned, ignoring the soft laughter from the god beside him.
"Yeah, come on Kelphead!" Thalia joined forces with Clarisse. "Where's the rousing speech we all want to hear?"
"Do not say I told you so," Percy hissed to Apollo before reluctantly untangling their ankles so he could stand. "Do I have to?" He raised his voice and looked beseechingly to Chiron.
"My dear boy, of course you have to!" Chiron insisted with a warm smile and a twinkle in his eye. "There's no better person here to give one."
"I will if you won't," Apollo threatened.
"Fine," he groaned, knowing that if he allowed Apollo to stand and speak, he'd be asking Nico for tips on making the earth swallow him whole.
A few cheers went up and he winced, desperately scrambling for something inspirational to say. He'd never claimed to have a way with words, not in the way that would aid his current plight, and he was almost tempted to tug Apollo to his feet and utter the challenge 'do your worst'.
Almost.
Instead, he glanced at the god out of the corner of his eye and tried to bite back a smile when he remembered what Apollo had said that morning about the contents of his speech. He'd hate to say that the sun god was anything but inspiring.
"This is a speech I never thought I'd have to make," Percy started off by stating the obvious. "It's also a speech I never wanted to make. When I returned to Camp Half-Blood, it felt like coming home. For the first time in five years, I stepped foot over the border and realised that the place I had left to find was the very place I had left behind me. My home."
He could feel all of the eyes on him and he was beginning to become conscious of the fact that the sky above them was starting to dim.
"I know that many of you share the same sentiments that I do; Camp Half-Blood is home to you, or at the very least, a home away from home. For some of you, you have always known this home to be peaceful, while others have seen the way that war warped it several years ago. I hoped that war would never darken the doorstep of Camp Half-Blood again, but I was wrong," Percy sighed. "And even though the beacons have metaphorically been lit and we have called for aid, we stand alone in this fight to defend our home. Despite the fact that we are alone in this fight, it does not mean that we stand as individuals. We stand together, as one. We have each other and we share the same courage. A day may come when the courage of men fails... but it is not this day."
He could see Apollo's shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter out of the corner of his eye and decided to go all in.
"The board is set, the pieces are moving. We come to it at last, the great battle of our time. And, I hope, the last battle of our time," Percy continued. "Our time has come, we face the same evil and we will defeat it. Together!"
Several cheers went up as he sat back down, knowing that he'd start laughing if he stayed standing for a moment longer.
Beside him, Apollo's cheeks were wet with tears and the god had a hand pressed to his mouth, desperately trying to stop his laughter from escaping.
"I can't believe you just stood there and quoted Lord of the Rings like your life depended on it," Luke groaned.
"Blame Sunflower," Percy jerked a thumb in Apollo's direction. "It was his idea."
"It was not!" Apollo hissed, finally uncovering his mouth. "By the gods, I can't believe you actually just did that."
"Neither can I," Percy admitted, the fact that his speech was done and finished weighing upon him. He had been holding on to the idea that it was the last thing standing between their peace and the battle and could no longer hide behind it when it was over. The nerves were kicking in again and fear was curling around his heart. "I feel like I'm going to be sick."
Standing at the crest of the hill did nothing to alleviate the swirling of his stomach, not when all they could do was stand and wait for the sun to finish its descent in the sky and for dusk to fall over them properly.
War waited for no man, but they knew that they had to be ready for it.
Percy took solace in the fact he'd managed to convince the majority of the Campers to hold back until they knew what they would properly be dealing with; taking the stand on the hill with his team, their small council of godly support, Artemis' Hunters, and those who had refused to be left behind. They were armed to the teeth and pretended to be ready, though they all knew that there was truly no amount of preparation that could be enough for what was to come.
He just wished that it had never come to this.
This was not supposed to be something that they had to face again, it wasn't fair that they were having to face two enemies that were supposed to be banished to dust and dispersed by the winds. Then again, nothing about his life could have ever been classed as fair.
He shook his head in an attempt to dispel the thoughts from his mind, focusing on making sure his vambraces were properly secured as a way of distraction. In an ideal world, he and his friends would have headed for the Amphitheatre after dinner, Austin and Kayla would have started the sing-along and he'd be able to sit half in Apollo's lap without anyone batting an eyelid if he gave 'I'm cold' as his reasoning. Zeus, in an ideal world they would have actually been able to at least talk earlier.
Instead, it was as if they were stuck waiting in the Fields of Asphodel, held in eternal limbo.
"Pretty sure that vambrace is secure, Perce," Luke commented, making Percy flinch. He hadn't even noticed his own Lieutenant approach, too wrapped up in his own head to be aware of his own surroundings. It was less than ideal when they were about to fight the battle of their lives.
"I know," Percy sighed and let his hands fall down to his sides. "I'm just so sick of waiting for something to happen."
"We all are," Luke soothed. "We all want this over with. Though you know what they say."
"Be careful what you wish for?" Percy finished for him. "Yeah."
They stood in silence for a moment, both pairs of eyes scanning the horizon once more. It seemed like a redundant task now; they all knew that something could happen any second and they were rightly prepared for it, all of them only a step or two away from where they should be. There was nothing more that could be done, not really.
It really was just a waiting game.
Percy wasn't sure how much longer their wait lasted, the time between blurring together. It felt as though it had only been seconds between when he had last looked into the all-encompassing darkness that was the nearly-night sky to see nothing and when he had looked again to see something.
He understood why they had chosen to wait until dusk.
It was hard to distinguish their enemy from the dark while they were still waiting for the moon to show from behind the clouds; clouds that had shrouded the sky from their eyes for most of the day, as if hung there unnaturally.
"My eyes aren't deceiving me, are they?" He asked the group at large, already knowing the answer by the way their archers were all knocking arrows and looking to the horizon.
"They're here," Apollo responded simply, not looking over his shoulder to where Percy was standing. "Though it's hard to tell who is here."
"You can say that again," Artemis agreed with him from where she stood at the other end of the line, the two gods flanking the rest of their numbers who held a preference for long-distance weaponry. "We need to get rid of these clouds somehow."
"I'd be inclined to believe that Aeolus himself has something to do with this," Apollo sounded somewhat bitter as the name of the Master of the Winds passed his lips. "His loyalties can be as fickle as the direction of the wind."
Beside the sun god, Eros shifted uncomfortably. Percy internally debated the source of his discomfort, praying that the god wasn't two minutes away from declaring himself unfit to fight. They'd had a hard enough time convincing Apollo that he shouldn't be left in the woods to guard the Labyrinth in relative 'safety'.
"I may have a solution?" Eros offered, though his voice was drowned in uncertainty. "Though I doubt you'll like it, Apollo."
"At this rate, I'd be happy with anything," Apollo huffed. "Whatever it is, do it."
"Zephyrus?" Eros spoke to the open air, words carried away on a sudden soft breeze that did not take Apollo's sudden stream of colourful swearwords in the same way. Evidently, Apollo's proclamation to be happy with anything didn't quite extend to this.
The air around them started to shimmer and swirl, spring blossoms settling around their feet as a final gust of wind from the west solidified into human form.
"I thought I'd never hear you call upon me again, Eros," the new god greeted. Percy was going to make a wild guess and say that his name was Zephyrus. His eyes slid to Eros' company and a flicker of fear crossed his face at the sight of Apollo. "And I never thought it would be with this particular company."
"Believe me," Apollo hissed. "The feeling is entirely mutual."
"For the love of the gods, now is not the time," Eros groaned. "Zephyrus, I apologise for my absence and I hope my temporary replacement has been treating you well. I wish I was calling upon you in better circumstances, but we need aid."
"Aid is what I am in your service for, Eros," Zephyrus informed him dryly, the words sounding like they left his lips often.
"The clouds above, we need them shifted so the moon can break through and light the fields of war," Eros responded. "Please?"
"Your wish is, as always, my command," Zephyrus shrugged. He looked to the skies, eyes glowing brighter and whiter the longer he stared before there was a strong gust of wind from the west and he started to rise. His gaze snapped back down to Eros and a smile was painted across his face. "Allow me to deal with the Spirits of Storm holding the clouds in place and you shall have your moonlight."
The god dissipated as fast as he had arrived, cherry blossom whisked away as a few clouds started to shift above them.
Moonlight broke through and the cries of anger from their opposition were audible from afar.
As was another sound, one that felt familiar to Percy's ears – even if he couldn't quite place it. His heart sank when he did, cursing himself for forgetting.
"Hey, Sweetheart!" Apollo called over his shoulder, smirk on his face as the clouds truly broke above them to reveal the Clazmonian Sow flying in the moonlight. "Looks like pigs do fly."
If Percy had to pinpoint the exact moment that everything had gone to Tartarus, he would have picked that one. If he ever had to tell his life story, he'd tell them that the moment he knew they were in trouble was the same moment that the Thanksgiving Day Parade nightmare blimp with wings turned up in his life for the second time. And the description was still just as accurate this time around.
"Anyone got an army of statues that we can wake up and ask to attack that thing?" Percy asked with his eyes fixed firmly on the flying pig who was doing laps above the field they were preparing to fight on. He was conscious of the fact that the borders would steadily grow weaker and weaker as the night passed; they'd moved the Golden Fleece from Thalia's Tree into the Infirmary where Will and the few others who were staying back to treat any injured could protect it, which was a risk that they'd been willing to take to stop it from falling into the wrong hands.
"Can't say we have," Annabeth laughed as she caught his reference. "You may have to settle for Blackjack and a lasso."
"I'm sure we can come up with something better than that," Percy responded, despite the fact he had no faith in the words he was saying.
"Why'd you only visit me when the world is ending, boss?" Blackjack asked as they soared into the sky less than ten minutes later. Monsters had flooded the field below them when they realised that they were no longer moving under the cover of darkness, but Percy was keeping his eyes on the sky and the winged terror that was the Clazmonian Sow. He'd worry about those below when they'd dealt with the flying Miss Piggy.
"Believe me," Percy huffed, still unable to get over the fact that the sow hadn't stayed in Tartarus with the boar of her dreams for as long as he'd hoped. "I hate this just as much as you do."
"What's the plan?" Blackjack posed a valid question that Percy had mostly thought through. "Because I don't see no statues to set on our old friend."
"Don't worry, I have an idea!" Percy reassured him.
"Boss, I hate your ideas," Blackjack reminded him.
"I know!" Percy groaned. "Just fly in front of the pig! We need to distract it!"
Blackjack put in some token grumbling before he swooped into the path of the sow, Percy twisting slightly to look at the ungodly pink blob that was flying behind them. She was still just as monstrous as he remembered; thirty tons of squealing ham with wings, flesh as pink as a flamingo.
Percy would happily take a flock of fire-breathing flamingos over adult-Piglet on steroids.
"Hey!" He yelled, internally cursing himself for doing so. "Remember us?"
"REEEEEEET!" The pig squealed in response.
Percy wasn't an expert in pig, but he was going to assume that she'd said 'yes' if the fact she was now following them intently was anything to go by.
"I think that's a yes, boss!" Blackjack agreed with him. "What now? You gonna throw a spear or something at it?"
Before Percy could answer, the familiar sound of creaking wings came into earshot and he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to risk seeing how long they could keep the pig's attention before she decided that causing havoc on the field below was a better idea than chasing a fellow farmyard favourite.
Blackjack would probably throw him to the pig himself if he knew that Percy had just compared them, so he kept that particular thought to himself.
"We're the distraction!" He answered Blackjack.
"Oh yeah, make the horse be the distraction!" Blackjack complained, kicking the sow in the snout when she came too close. "You owe me doughnuts if we don't get turned into pig chow, boss."
"Festus can finally repay Peleus for the sheep," Leo yelled from his seat on Festus' back as the metal dragon swooped into position behind the pig. "Sorry Peppa, you're about to become bacon!"
Percy directed Blackjack to swoop down, not wanting to be barbequed in the same breath. He would have facepalmed at Leo's words but he didn't want to miss the sight of the Clazmonian Sow being engulfed in flame, pink skin becoming extra crispy.
If he made it to breakfast time, he made a mental note to give any bacon a miss.
Apollo had intended to stay behind the border of Camp and shoot at the encroaching army for as long as possible before he realised that Percy would undoubtedly have Blackjack drop him directly into the fray when they finished dealing with the situation in the sky. It was that particular bout of motivation that had him draw Stormbringer for the first time and a smile crept onto his face as the blade transformed from its seemingly innocuous form into that of the sword Percy had entrusted to him.
"Are you planning to use that thing or check your reflection in it?" Luke yelled from where the demigod was decapitating a Dracanae. "Wait, is that-" he ducked an oncoming blow from one of the Dracanae's angry sisters. "-Stormbringer?"
Apollo rolled his eyes at the demigod's desire to gossip in their current situation and threw himself into the fray, quick to dispatch the Dracanae before she could take a chunk out of Luke.
"Well?" Luke pestered as Apollo himself had to duck.
"For the love of the gods, yes!" He yelled in response as he had to duck beneath the swing of an Empousa. He was fairly certain that she'd just tried to whack him over the head with her own metal leg, but he didn't give her the opportunity to take a second swing. "I didn't have a sword after I returned Big Herm's to him."
"Will you please-" Luke paused to stab a rather vicious Telekhine. "-stop calling my dad 'Big Herm'?"
"I've been calling him what I want to call him for longer than you've been alive, Baby Herm! So shut it!" Apollo responded before his attention was swept away by the sight of Eros sprinting after a rather terrified looking Laistrygonian Giant.
Apollo narrowed his eyes at the rose tattoos on the monster's bicep, connecting them to said tattooed giant that Eros alleged was one of his kidnappers.
"-king get back here so I can feed you your own toes and make you fall in love with your ankles, you bast-"
Apollo was going to say yes, it was one of the giants who had a hand in his kidnapping if Eros' foulmouthed yelling was anything to go by.
"Think we should help?" Luke asked, appearing suddenly by his elbow.
"I think he's good," Apollo nodded, unable to tear his eyes away even as he absentmindedly thrust Stormbringer through the chest of yet another Dracanae.
The god of love had succeeded in catching up to the giant and was currently climbing the monster like a tree. A tree that was yelping and furiously trying to shake said god off as he swung himself up onto his shoulders and plunged a rather wicked looking sword directly into the top of its head.
"Wow," Luke marvelled as Eros landed steadily on his feet, uncaringly stabbing a Telekhine that tried to rush at him before returning to brushing monster dust from his shoulders. "He seems angry."
"Oh, he's not angry," Apollo informed him as they both plunged their swords into the same Empousa. "I think that's just 'mildly inconvenienced' Eros."
"Well," Luke whistled. "I'd hate to see him when he was pissed off."
Apollo lost track of that particular demigod shortly afterwards, carried away in different directions by the tide of monsters. It was easy to get lost in the repetitive motion of hacking and slashing his way through the field, allowing himself to consistently check the situation above without having to worry about being skewered.
His main concern, however, was the sheer lack of a commanding presence. He was yet to encounter a figure of authority in the never-ending stream of monsters and he was half tempted to shout out to Percy to pull him astride Blackjack so he could check from the skies the next time his demigod flew close.
From a distance he could see Aether facing off with a circle of giants, his old friend seemingly having the time of his life while whirling around like a miniature tornado, sweeping them down and turning them into piles of dust before they could attempt to relight their flaming bowling balls.
It was an easy choice to head in his direction, knowing that they had probably covered a wide swathe of the field between them. If anyone would have answers for him, it would be Aether.
Unfortunately, crossing a field of monsters was not exactly an easy task. It seemed every manner of beast and bother wanted to halt his progress, engaging him in too many fights for him to focus on his true goal. He sighed as he plunged his sword into another damned Dracanae, resigning himself to accepting that he wouldn't be able to ask for answers for some time.
Blackjack swooped low over the field for Percy, expertly dodging the stray spear and arrow that crossed their path.
"Where d'you want me to set you, boss?" Blackjack asked as Percy scanned the ground to see where he was needed most.
It was obvious that they were coping with the current onslaught, but anything more would mean that the rest of the Campers would have to enter the fray to assist.
He could see Nico directing soldiers of bone with ease, shadows dancing and swirling around him as he took down all manner of monster.
Achilles and Patroclus were hard to miss, fighting through the fray in tandem and leaving nothing but dust in their wake. They would be classed as a formidable pair under normal circumstances, but Achilles' invincibility elevated them even higher up the food chain. Percy was just relieved that they were on his side.
Triton was hard to miss, facing Telekhines and Cyclops alike with the practiced ease of a god who had seen many a war. He seemed to be working in tandem with Theseus and Icarus, the three barely straying from formation as they worked their way through the onslaught. The god was using his trident and torrents of water to trap their targets, sending them to their deaths at the hands of the other two.
Bellerophon was swooping through the skies on Pegasus now that Kermit's girlfriend was no longer a threat, raining down arrows from above with literal torrents of what could technically be classed as rain. If the steam radiating off said streams was any indication though, the water was scalding to the touch.
Finally, his gaze fell on the biggest threat on the field so far, currently unchallenged.
"Drop me close to the Hydra?" Percy asked, feeling a little apprehensive about facing such a large foe. This one was by far larger than any he had faced before; it made the one that he and Apollo had taken down on Kronos' first trip to Camp look like a baby, albeit a very mean baby with multiple heads.
"Your funeral, bossman!" Blackjack informed him cheerily before complying.
Percy landed steadily, Riptide already in hand. It was a wise move when he was rushed the moment his feet connected with the ground, almost bowled over by a snarling Telekhine. He steadied himself before using Riptide to cut through him like butter, absently wondering what had happened to his old friend with the Lil' Demon's Lunchbox.
He didn't have much time to think about it though, attention fully on his new foe when he finally broke into the vicinity of the Hydra. It didn't seem to care about the fact it was making mincemeat of its supposed allies; ploughing through a group of Empousai, sending metal and donkey legs in all directions as it made meals of their heads.
There was acid flying from the two mouths in the centre of the beast's nest of necks, both of them wearing familiar Monster Donut bibs. Percy groaned. He hated the ones who spat acid. He also knew that he couldn't exactly deal with the damned thing alone.
He needed help and he didn't know who was on hand to provide it.
Apollo's heart had been in his mouth ever since he'd seen Percy tumble from Blackjack's back close to the raging Hydra. He'd known from the moment he'd seen the thing that Percy would be headed straight for the biggest bad guy on the playing field; especially when Apollo was fairly certain that nobody else had managed to cross its path.
If Percy managed to get himself killed, Apollo was going to successfully pull an Orpheus so he could send Percy back to the Underworld himself. Perhaps in the form of a literal Bluebell.
He fought his way through the influx of monsters that dared cross his path before swiftly growing frustrated, feeling as though he was getting nowhere.
It took two seconds for him to make up his mind, looking around swiftly to make sure there weren't any errant demigods before he closed his eyes with a grin on his face.
If anyone was to look into his eyes when he opened them again, all they'd see is sunlight.
Apollo began to glow, brighter and brighter before he extinguished the rays suddenly, leaving the surrounding monsters blinded and stumbling. He ran through them, dusting a few of them for good measure, before finally reaching Percy.
Percy had to stop himself from screaming when Apollo skidded into the small circle that was clear of monsters in the Hydra's vicinity, instantly drawing the beast's attention.
And when acid was spat at the sun god, he acted on sheer instinct. The acid stopped inches away from the flicker of fear on Apollo's face, hovering steadily in the air for a few seconds before Percy sent it streaming back in the Hydra's direction.
"Sweetheart, I think you just saved my face," Apollo sounded slightly shell-shocked as he finally reached Percy's side. In front of them, the Hydra was writhing in pain from the splash of acid across its chest, flesh burning and melting off in chunks.
Percy didn't think he'd be able to stomach any breakfast when the night was through.
"It's a very pretty face," Percy couldn't resist the compliment. "I'd hate to see it ruined."
"I'm glad we're on the same page, Bluebell," Apollo beamed at him before gesturing to the Hydra. "Same plan as last time?"
"I decapitate it and you deal with cauterising the wounds?" Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Got it in one," Apollo winked at him before exchanging Stormbringer for his bow once more. Percy couldn't help but smile at the fluid ease with which Apollo handled his weapon. "We're the dream team."
Percy laughed before realising that they couldn't rely on the Hydra's concern for itself as a distraction any longer. He gave Apollo a soft smile before gesturing to the beast. "Shall we?"
Apollo couldn't help but feel as though their fight with the Hydra was a case of déjà vu, just with a few added heads. And by a few, he meant that there were twelve of the damn things instead of the seemingly paltry seven that they'd dealt with the first time around.
"That felt like déjà vu," he said as much to Percy as they plunged back into the fray together, many of the monsters trying to flee in the opposite direction after witnessing the way that they'd dealt with the Hydra together.
Percy simply laughed in response, looking the vision of one of the warriors that Apollo used to cross swords with on the fields of Ancient Greece. The moonlight above them made Percy's hair shine in the darkness, his eyes a window to the waves that crashed upon the shore. There was a smear of blood on his cheek and monster dust coated his resplendent silver armour, but there was a smile on his face and it was aimed at him.
Apollo sorely wanted to kiss him, battle be damned.
"I agree!" Percy shouted over the severed head of a Telekhine and Apollo had to remind himself that he was merely agreeing with Apollo's remark, not consenting to the god connecting their lips. Not yet.
It was with great reluctance that he allowed the tide of battle to sweep them in opposite directions, wishing that he could stay in Percy's vicinity for a while longer.
Though when pain blossomed in his rib cage and he was felled to the floor, he was almost relieved that Percy wasn't there to witness it. He sucked in a sharp breath as he looked down to see that an arrow had found a weak spot in his armour, allowing it to hit home. It was nestled between two of his ribs, that much was obvious from the feeling of metal scraping bone each time he breathed, but the fact he was still breathing somewhat normally reassured him that it hadn't managed to puncture a lung.
He'd be in a whole world of pain if that were the case. This, however, was something he could deal with.
It took a moment to work himself up to it, but he was swift to grit his teeth and yank it out again, discarding the presumably ichor tipped arrow to the dust. He didn't want to look and check, lest he make himself feel queasy at the sight of his own blood. The feeling of his flesh trying to knit itself back together was never a pleasant one, but he hoped that the process was quick as he tried to push himself back to his feet before any of the nearby enemies decided to take an opportunistic swipe while he was down.
"Here," Orion was in front of him in the blink of an eye, offering him a hand up with reluctance written all over his face, "Let me help you."
"Thanks," Apollo tried to hide his surprise, but he doubted he did a very good job. Despite the revelation earlier that day, he figured that Orion would be one of the last people willing to aid him on that field. Zeus, Apollo would have bet on a few monsters being more willing to help him than the demigod who had previously thought that he was responsible for his death.
"Yeah, well," Orion shrugged once he was on his feet again. "I've just found out that I'm not allowed to shoot you, or even threaten you anymore, so you can't rub it in by getting shot around me. You'd upset your sister. And to my utmost displeasure, my little brother."
"I'll be sure to avoid arrows around you then," Apollo assured him.
"Though, if you hurt Percy..." Orion threatened. "You may find yourself shoved into the path of several."
The demigod disappeared again with a familiar smile, just as swiftly as he arrived.
"Duly noted," Apollo informed the empty air, knowing that Percy would find it hilarious when he told him. Well, after he got over the fact that Apollo was shot in the first place. He took a few steps towards the nearest Cyclops before he almost faltered in the swing of his sword when a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Kronos had arrived.
Luke was the one to spot him.
A cold chill had wracked through his body only moments before a path before him cleared and the Titan King appeared at the other end of it, scythe in hand.
Luke's grip on his sword tightened, the still-unnamed weapon the only form of protection he had against a weapon he already knew the wrath of. He knew that it would be unwise to throw himself into this fight; the Prophecy that had been uttered during their absence foretold that it would be Percy who dealt the killing blow, but Luke was finding it hard to pass up the opportunity to spill some of the Titan's blood himself.
"Well, well, well," Kronos purred, his new form's lips being pulled into a garish smile. "If it isn't my former host."
"Kronos," Luke greeted through gritted teeth. "You're looking a little more put together than I ever expected to see again."
"You're looking a little more alive than I expected, dear boy," Kronos laughed. It was a disturbing sound, one that sent another chill down Luke's spine. "Easily rectified though, I suppose."
It was the only warning that Luke had before Kronos was swinging for him with the scythe, blade arcing through the air with the same grace and finesse that Luke himself used to handle the weapon with. The metal alloy gleamed in the moonlight, light dancing upon it as it missed Luke by inches as he simply stepped out of range.
"Come now," Luke drawled. "You'll have to do better than that.
Kronos released a noise of frustration and swung again, a blow that Luke easily deflected with the flat of his sword. He found himself wondering why the Titan didn't just reform the scythe into a sword in the way he had when Percy had challenged him to a duel on Olympus.
After a few more blows that didn't land, one finally did. He winced, expecting pain that never came. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realised that the Curse of Achilles had done its duty to protect him. And judging by the look on Kronos' face, the Titan had not factored in the possibility that Luke was still a bearer of the curse.
Luke took the opportunity to swiftly disarm the man while he was momentarily distracted, the Scythe falling into his hands when he instinctively dropped his sword to catch it. It felt as though the whole world had silenced, the eyes of the field fixed upon them. The only thing that was audible was a sudden whistle of wind from the west, one that washed over the field and swirled up the layers of dust around their feet. When the dust settled, the silence returned.
It didn't last.
Cries went up around them as monsters had to shield their eyes from the bright white light that emanated from Luke's hand, from the scythe in his possession. He had to avert his own eyes for a moment as the light consumed every inch of Kronos' weapon, only looking back when he felt an adjustment to his grip.
Backbiter was in his hand once more.
"No!" Kronos cried out, fury obvious from his tone.
Luke couldn't help but marvel at the sensation, slowly turning the blade in his grip. He was finally holding a sword that felt like it belonged to him again, a sword that had been taken and recast to suit its master in the same way Luke's body had been.
Kronos swept Luke's discarded sword up from the ground, his anger plain to see. It was written all over the Titan's face as he attempted to challenge Luke once more, but Luke felt unstoppable.
"You can't kill me, boy," Kronos scoffed as Luke parried his old blade once more, the dance between them incapable of ending. "And I know your weak spot."
"You'll have to get to it first," Luke pointed out, tearing a large gash in Kronos' forearm. He stilled for a moment, not realising that the sword would connect when the one the Titan was now wielding had merely passed through the man with a shimmer of gold. "And I may not be able to kill you, but I know who can."
"Perseus Jackson is long dead," Kronos scoffed, though he was eyeing his arm warily. It was obvious that Backbiter had not torn his soul from his body in the way that it would have previously and Luke couldn't help but wonder how much of the metal they had managed to salvage from the hearth on Olympus. It was the same sword, undoubtedly, but it was clear to the trained eye that the colouration was ever so slightly off – as if they'd had to compensate for missing materials by adding extra Celestial Bronze to the alloy. "And if he had risen from the dead, we would know."
"You know," Percy spoke conversationally from where he was standing a short distance behind Kronos. "Raising the dead is my brother's area of expertise, not mine."
"Newsflash, asshole," Luke laughed. "Percy Jackson never even left the land of the living."
Kronos had stiffened at the sound of Percy's voice, whirling around to face him with a snarl. "You," he hissed. It was obvious that he was livid and Luke revelled in it. It was one of the sweetest sounds he had heard for a long time.
"Me," Percy responded sweetly, giving Kronos a wicked smile. "Which is terrible news for you, I suppose. I've heard that I'm the only one who can send you back to the depths of Tartarus in which you belong. I've also heard that you were banking on me being too dead to follow through."
"A minor inconvenience," Kronos scoffed. "I'll destroy you myself."
Percy's smile only widened. His eyes were trained on the sword in Kronos' grasp and Luke couldn't help but smile as well. They already had the Titan at an advantage, one that he was utterly unaware of.
Luke's sword had been shattered into three pieces on one of their old missions and he'd refused to replace it, despite the lack of emotional attachment he had. Beckendorf had reforged the pieces and Luke had sworn it was as good as new, but he knew from experience that the two joins were far weaker than the rest of the blade. He'd always fought to compensate for it, but Kronos would be completely unaware of the hindrance. And Percy knew exactly where to aim for if he wanted to shatter it all over again.
After all, it was Percy who had broken it in the first place.
Though they'd neglected to mention that part to Beckendorf.
Kronos attacked first, placing Percy on the defence.
Luke couldn't bring himself to be concerned, not in the way as some of their audience. The battle around them had ceased, monster, god, and demigod alike all captivated by the confrontation. Apollo's worry was written across his face like an open book, while Artemis' was a careful mask. Triton was staring at his younger brother with wide eyes, Eros and Aether wearing matching expressions of dread by his side.
Percy swept around Kronos like a hurricane, moves well-practiced and as fluid as the sea. He was a marvel to watch and Luke didn't envy Kronos for being on the wrong end of Riptide. It wouldn't be the first time that Luke was glad he was free of the Titan's possession and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but he couldn't help but feel relieved that it wasn't his form facing Percy this time around.
There was a deafening ring as Percy parried Kronos' blade, catching it at just the right angle to shatter the weapon into three once more. Kronos was left staring at the jagged piece of bronze that protruded from the hilt, the main body of the sword falling into the dust below.
It only took a few moments for Percy to force him to his knees, resting Riptide's edge against the Titan King's neck.
"You won't win," Kronos still laughed. "You know that, don't you? You may have won this fight, but you won't win this war. There's still so much more to come for you."
Percy stood over Kronos, expression calm. There was dried blood smeared on his cheek and he was covered in monster dust, but he was otherwise unharmed. It was only the slight slump to his shoulders and the look in his eyes that gave away the fact that he was tired. They all were.
With his free hand, he gestured for Luke to come forward. The Titan froze as Backbiter pressed against the other side of his neck, Percy not bothering to look down. He met Luke's eyes and nodded. "Together."
It was a simple word but it held so much weight.
They moved their blades together, Kronos' head being separated from his shoulders by their combined strike. Luke was well aware that Riptide did most of the work, but the fact that he'd assisted allowed him to find relief in Kronos' death – relief that he was deprived of the first time around when the Titan's end had signalled Luke's too.
Neither of them looked down until they had stepped away, Kronos' body falling to rest in the dust below.
Golden ichor pooled from the separated pieces, seeping into the earth below. The Titan's body began to shimmer and glow, but Luke couldn't bring himself to avert his eyes. It exploded before them, reduced to ashes in the same way the rest of the monsters were, but the golden dust that Kronos had become did not settle. It burrowed itself into the dirt of the earth and sank from their gaze.
It was at that moment that their fragile peace was disturbed. The ground began to rumble beneath their feet, shaking and quaking in a wholly unnatural way. Across from him, Percy closed his eyes and whispered a small prayer to his father.
This was their endgame.
Despite the momentary exhilaration, Percy could only find despair in his heart as they regrouped on the crest of the hill. The sight before them was grim.
Where there was once dust and death, reanimated monsters stood. Percy could see the flailing heads of the Hydra and hear the sound of the Clazmonian Sow's cries. They could no longer discern the line of the horizon, both land and sky filled with creatures from the abyss. The moon was drowned out by a cloud of Stymphalian Birds, leaving them standing in darkness once more.
It was too much.
Any hopes that Percy had formerly had for a win were extinguished like the skyline, shot down before they'd truly had a chance to rise. He'd known it would be a longshot, but he'd been quietly hoping for a miracle.
Now it seemed the only miracle they'd have would be the one orchestrated by his hand.
It was an easy decision to make in the end, especially when he looked down the line to see three solemn faces all nod in succession. They were in agreement; they wanted to use the spell before any unnecessary loss of life occurred, before they had to watch loved ones suffer needlessly when they had the power to prevent it.
So when the rest of their numbers ran forward to be lost in the fray once more, the four of them retreated back. Everyone was thankfully too distracted by what lay before them to realise that they'd moved back instead of forward, peeling away slowly to reconvene in the silent centre of Camp.
"You can go and say goodbye," Percy nodded to the path that would take Nico to the Infirmary. "If you want, that is?"
"No," Nico shook his head, though there was pain in his eyes. "Seeing him would change my mind and we can't afford that right now."
"Saying goodbye is an admission that we don't think we'll come out the other side," Thalia reasoned, though she didn't sound convinced by her own words. "And I'm sure we've all already said enough goodbyes."
Percy couldn't help but think of Apollo and the conversation he had promised him, hoping that he'd get to honour his promise at the end of the night.
"So we're doing this then?" He found himself saying, looking to Nico and Thalia and then to Aether.
"We are," Aether nodded, expression grave.
They shifted so they stood in the centre of the meadow, the Cabins looming shadows around them. Hestia's hearth was still burning close by, but the goddess was not there to guard her flame. Not this time.
"How do we do this then?" Percy posed the question, looking to Aether for guidance.
The god gave him a gentle smile before a discoloured sheet of parchment appeared in the palm of his hand. "We're all standing perfectly," Aether informed them, gesturing to the ring that they had subconsciously formed. "We just need to join hands."
Percy offered his left to Aether and his right to Nico once he had returned Riptide to his pocket. Aether joined hands with Thalia and she grabbed hold of Nico's with a roll of the eyes when Nico awkwardly held his free hand out to her. The parchment floated in front of Aether, suspended by his magics so he could still read the incantation.
"Ready?" Aether asked gently.
They all nodded, none of them able to speak.
"Children of the Ancient Gods,
Join hands together to break all odds,"
Percy squeezed Nico's hand reassuringly, giving Thalia a weak smile when he caught her eye.
"One born from the Underworld, a spawn of the sea,"
Shadows and seawater started to swirl around their feet, pace quickening with each word that left Aether's lips.
"A child of lightning shall make three,"
Lightning sparked within the shadows and sea, bright flashes of white that would likely blind any onlooker.
"Use Primordial power to unite thee."
The wind carrying their associated elements picked up as golden light began to weave its way through the shadows, darkness and light combining effortlessly.
"Draw upon the essence of Earth and Sky,"
Percy flinched as a hand clamped itself around his elbow, eyes widening when he twisted his head to see Nathan stood there. His hands were firm around Percy and Nico's arms, grip unwavering. Percy panicked for several long seconds, thinking that Nathan was going to tear their hold apart and break the spell, but he gave Percy a rueful smile and didn't move a muscle.
"Eros needs to keep better track of where he drops his hair clips!" Nathan informed him, having to yell to be heard. "I want to help!"
"Are you stupid?" Percy yelled back. "This could kill you!"
It was the first time he had acknowledged the possibility aloud and he winced, wishing he could take it back and unsay the words.
"I know," Nathan responded, a relieved smile on his face. "I'd get to see Tav again. That's all I care about."
Aether simply nodded in response when Percy looked to him for guidance, pointedly looking to where their elements were swirling as one. Earth was among them, the circle awkwardly bending to include Nathan.
"Close thy eyes when the end is nigh."
Aether continued to speak as a final acceptance of Nathan's presence, so it was his lead that they followed when the god looked to the sky and closed his eyes.
"Intertwined hero's breath,"
Somehow, above the rest of the noise, Percy could hear them all breathing as one.
"Will save the world from certain death."
It took a moment for the pain to register, five sets of eyes flaring open. The four in the circle were unseeing, with the fifth pair barely managing to focus on the clouds above. Around them, their combined elements circled higher and higher until they were level with the rooftops, before the spell flared outwards and raced towards the borders of Camp.
On the battlefield, their allies were mystified when a wave of energy burst through the field, with each enemy it touched disintegrating before their very eyes. It was indiscriminate with who it took, tearing down Gaia's giant children and ordinary monsters alike with practiced ease.
When it reached the Earth Mother herself, it tore the goddess away from the sun god that she had pinned to the ground and threw her up into the skies. Apollo blinked for a moment, slightly dazed, before she exploded into a shower of dirt. He was quick to shield his eyes as the particles began to rain down upon him after a shout from his sister, confusion overwhelming him when he realised that the wave of power had simply washed through him with the gentleness of a lover's caress.
Gaia's forces were decimated in an instant and it seemed like a miracle.
Nobody on the field was foolish enough to think it was.
In the middle of the meadow in the centre of the Cabins, four bodies lay still. The fifth had managed to conjure up enough strength to take his form through to the tunnel of the Labyrinth that lay below, not wanting to be found within the borders of Camp and completely unaware of the cost that the others had paid.
Perhaps, if he had realised, he would have stayed to explain what he had witnessed, and the nature of the spell in which he had been a late participant.
In the same way that Luke had been the first to spot their true enemy, the son of Hermes was the first to connect the dots when they had realised who was absent from the field of war. He'd been quick to realise that he had not stumbled on an ordinary meeting when he had burst into Percy's bedroom the night before, but a meeting in which the four missing persons had likely been conspiring to create whatever plan that had just saved their lives.
The question at that point was where the four of them could be, but the gods amongst them had been swift to direct them to one of the epicentres of power within the borders of Camp Half-Blood. They'd only had to follow the god of the sun when he had started running, Percy's name on his lips.
They arrived in the moonlit meadow at the same time as the Olympian Council, the sudden flare of old magic and Hestia's insistence that there was an issue close to her hearth having driven them there. Silence reigned as they stared at the four fallen bodies, torn by several anguished cries when they reached a collective realisation.
None of them were breathing.