Their welcome back to Othrys had a mix of emotions. Kronos got punched a dozen times, with Leander squealing in glee in the background at the various expressions which crossed the King's face.
Kronos punched Hyperion in the face, before the two hugged and seemingly promptly forgot everything between them. Though Hyperion made sure he punched Kronos back - also in the face.
The rapid exchange of punches that followed were to be expected from the Titans, and Percy wisely stood back with Iapetus as the punches dissolved into an all-out wrestling match. Leander was calling out encouragements to the Titans.
"Go, Father!"
"Atlas, Lelantos just stared at your ass!"
"Kill him, Hype!"
"Fuck him, Father!"
That last one made Percy cover Leander's mouth. He glanced at Iapetus. "What have you been teaching him?"
Iapetus tilted his head to the side. "I'm afraid Hype stole him for several hours at a time."
Percy looked at him incredulously. "Hype?"
The Titan of the Underworld's lips twitched up. "He seems rather taken with Hyperion."
Percy growled under breath.
Leander grinned up at Percy. "Morning, Daddy," he greeted cheerfully.
When Percy and Kronos had appeared on the plateau where the entrance to Othrys was there had been only a few seconds of silence before Kronos was suddenly sandwiched between multiple Titans.
As Percy watched, the Titans abruptly stopped their free-for-all wrestling match. Kronos was stuck in a headlock. He pushed at Oceanus. "You can get off now, brother."
Oceanus smirked. "I think not," he said. They disappeared in a flash of light.
Curiosity aroused, Percy flashed after them, little Leander clutching his hand. Percy's eyes widened as he watched Oceanus lower Kronos towards the water of the dock. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"Showing Kronos why he shouldn't abandon us," Hyperion said cheerfully.
The passers-by stopped and watched as Kronos struggled against his eldest brother, but Oceanus was slightly stronger than Kronos.
Percy grinned as he watched Kronos be dunked under the water for several seconds, before Oceanus let go of him and Kronos toppled into the bay. Percy trotted over to the edge and peered down at Kronos. "Having fun?" he asked.
Kronos smiled wickedly and grabbed Percy's calf, tugging him down into the water. Leander scrambled back from the water as Percy landed with a splash.
"Bastard!" Percy spat out once he'd surfaced.
In response, Kronos smirked and dunked him again.
"Stop!" Percy cried out, barely holding back laughter.
Leander grinned down at them, leaning over the water. "Are you having fun?"
"Hyperion," Percy said, eerily serious, "we seriously need to talk about what you can tell my son and what you shouldn't tell him." Kronos opened his mouth, probably to argue. "Leander told you to fuck Krios while you were wrestling."
Kronos pulled a face. "Yes, Hyperion, we need to have a little chat."
Krios frowned at Kronos, offended. "Am I not good enough?"
"We are not discussing this," Kronos said. Percy clambered out of the water, leaning down to give Kronos a hand.
Once Kronos was standing on the dock - sopping wet and dripping water everywhere - Percy grinned. "You look like a drowned cat."
Kronos shoved him back into the water.
Percy glared at Kronos once he's standing on the dock, drying himself with a snap of his fingers. "I'm not drying you."
The older Titan just smirked and enveloped Percy in a hug, effectively drying himself. "There is really no need," he said smoothly, eyes gleaming once he lets go of Percy. "You will simply become wet later."
Percy's eyes narrowed at him. Beside him, Iapetus seemed to choke on air.
Kronos smirked as he turned back to the Titans. Oceanus speaks before he can. "We're going to need to be told what happened," he stated. "We've been sensing things... injuries from you over the past few months."
"A grand total of four times," Koios spoke up, "you've caused Percy to black out."
The King's jaw tightened. "Perhaps we should take this back to Othrys," he said lowly. "Where we cannot be overheard." He scanned the various mortals around them, before his eyes met Percy's. "I will explain."
But Percy hadn't missed the flicker of anger - and was that fear? - when Kronos turned back at him. Percy nodded. "Yeah, sure."
Kronos flashed out, and Percy spun around in time to see a figure slip into the shadows. Erebus grinned at Percy as the darkness enveloped him.
Percy ground his teeth, flashing back to Othrys. "Erebus," he stated angrily. "What the Tartarus, Kronos?" They had fought Erebus many times over the past few months, and he'd always stayed one step ahead of the Titans. Why did Percy get the feeling that things were moving faster than he realised?
Kronos looked up at Percy from where he was sitting at one of the tables in the mess. "Wait," he said, "I will only say this once."
The other Titans appeared in flashes of various colours.
"What happened, Kronos?" Hyperion asked.
"When?" Kronos returned, seemingly finding the table beneath his calloused fingers interesting.
"How about after Darren, Abiron and Zoe joined us?" Percy asked. "That night?"
Kronos' jaw twitched. "Erebus," he stated. "The half-breeds were foolish enough to leave me alone in the back of the van... in darkness. Erebus happened."
Percy sat next to Kronos, leaning against him and pointedly intertwining their fingers. "And the sting?"
Kronos' hand tightens, almost crushing Percy's fingers. "Pit Scorpion. Ares decided he was tired of me."
"Why would he be tired of you?" Oceanus demanded. Finally they were reaching the most pressing matter.
Kronos smiled thinly. "Fortunately, I knew little of our plans since they were always changing. The Olympians, however," he spat, "were less than pleased."
"They tortured you," Percy murmured.
"It is not the worst I have been through," Kronos remarked, sharing a look with his siblings which Percy would never understand. "Certainly not."
"Who?" Percy demanded. "Who did it? I'll force them to fade," he growled. Kronos smirked and leant towards the demigod-turned-Titan.
"Your concern is touching, Percy," Kronos drawled, "but I have already dealt out my revenge."
Percy blinked. "Huh?"
The Titan smiled darkly. "Poseidon's Cabin will have its memories for us..." he trailed off, before he smirked again. "Once they rebuild it and the remains of the Camp."
Utter silence falls, and Percy swallowed. "What did you do?"
"Percy," Iapetus started hesitantly. "We thought you already knew?"
"Knew what?" Percy demanded.
"You two were in the Labyrinth for nearly a week," Koios stated. "Look," he waved a hand and a screen forms before them, showing Camp. The pavilion was gone, along with half of the cabins. "Kronos set it... several gods were killed from the blast."
Percy slowly turned to glare at Kronos. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he demanded angrily.
The Titan scowled and turned, pulling his shirt over his head. "Look at this, and see if I am or not."
Percy's heart leapt into his throat as he stared at Kronos. He reached out with a trembling hand, touching the scar across the corded muscles. A scar which is obviously new. Then Percy sees the others, criss-crossing over his chest, more scars which are a shimmering white on Kronos' otherwise golden skin.
"They did this to you?" Percy asked hesitantly.
"We should have burnt Poseidon to ashes," Hyperion spat.
"Poseidon did not touch me," Kronos said. "No, it was Ares. And he now suffers in Tartarus." He raised an eyebrow when Percy's fingers brushes over his collarbone.
"You should have told me," Percy scolded.
The King scoffed. "What would you have done? Launched a foolish secondary assault on Olympus? They may have been busy pulling their dead out of the rubble and healing, but you cannot take on every being on Olympus alone. Even I cannot do that."
"Either way," Percy murmured, "I would have liked to know." His fingers rest on the scar just beneath Kronos' heart from the Pit Scorpion. "Definitely would have liked to know."
Kronos smiled faintly and tugged Percy closer, until the former demigod was touching him and their bodies pressed together. "Well," he mused, "now you do. If you plan on scaling Olympus, can you perhaps warn me first?"
Percy kissed him for a long minute before Hyperion awkwardly cleared his throat. "Perseus, you're making me jealous," he complained, the mighty Titan pouting slightly.
Kronos chuckled. "I am his, Hyperion," he remarked, "and he is mine."
Percy grinned. "I like the sound of that," he murmured.
Kronos tilted Percy's head up and kissed him until the Titans started to get uncomfortable. Then he turned to Hyperion. "Cysgodol's base is situated in the Rocky Mountains?"
Hyperion seemed relieved that the kiss wasn't going to become something more as he nodded. "Around there, yes. Buried underground."
"Why?" Percy demanded.
Kronos grimaced. "Because he told me that I would face him in battle, else he would kill you. And what thanks would it be to allow you to die?"
"You are not fighting him," Oceanus stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "If we must tie you down to stop you, then so be it."
Iapetus nodded in agreement. "With celestial bronze."
Kronos glowered at his brothers. "I will not allow Perseus to die," he stated. "And neither will you."
Percy noted that Kronos gave the other Titans no option to say otherwise. "I'll be fine. I've fought him before."
The King tightens his grip on Percy. "Not while you are asleep."
"If you must fight him," Hyperion said firmly. "Then we do it together."
Kronos slowly nodded. "Very well. Then we must prepare."
He broke through the surface of the earth with a loud explosion, sending rocks and snow flying. Why his siblings had thought he could be contained - kept asleep until they woke him - he would not know.
It was with annoyance that he realised the Titan was keeping his domain firmly under his control.
He turned south, knowing that while he didn't particularly like the Titans, they would assist him, if only due to Perseus' influence.
A harpy screeched as it dived down at him, hellhounds baying behind as Erebus' roar echoed around the valley. A single look up to the harpy and it wailed, erupting into dust which slowly drifted down to land on the frozen snow.
It would be a long trek to Othrys, over the land, but he had no other choice. His immortal abilities wouldn't come back for many days to come, and he wasn't all too fond of Erebus caching up to him again.
Large fingers flexed as the Primordial staggered through the snow, determined to not fall. The baying of hellhounds swiftly approached. He snarled in return and ripped apart their bodies in an implosion of golden dust.
Kronos would assist him, if only due to fear. The metallic yet sweet taste of ichor in his mouth soured. Kronos would also pay for killing him, or at least harming him enough that the mortal he'd used as a vessel died. Tartarus, however, hadn't died. It was impossible for a Primordial to die in their own domain, and Kronos knew that.
Of course, that didn't stop his step-son from claiming Tartarus as his own.
As the next chorus of howls and screeches struck up around him, he picked up his pace. Perhaps he'd be able to find a phone - find out how it works - and call Perseus. That seemed to be the best option, since he didn't have anything to send an Arke-Message with. The spat between Olympus and Othrys was no concern of his, but the war between his brother Erebus and Othrys was certainly his to interfere with as he saw fit.