Chapter 85: The Peak

NOTICE: If you sign up to my at my $3 tier before July 31st, you get to KEEP that price point until you decide to leave my . HOWEVER, from July 31st onwards, the minimum price of my will be increasing to $5.

Sign up now for FOUR extra chapters of this story along with four extra chapters of my six other Story Polls, as well as FIFTEEN extra chapters of my current daily free write!

A/N: Finally arriving at their destination… yippee!

-x-X-x-

Even ten minutes later, with passed out red head handed off to Phoebe for looking after, Percy is still reeling from his first meeting with Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Supposedly, she was just a victim in all of this. She wasn't a demigod; she was just some young woman that had been taken by Luke to use in their schemes against Artemis.

Still, the way she'd talked made her sound like she was familiar with him. Calling him by name. And that message that she'd given him.

"They're all getting it wrong, by the way. It's not thoughts, its thoughts."

What did it mean? Was she just talking crazy, or was there some deeper meaning that he didn't understand? Unfortunately, with her having fallen unconscious a moment later, Percy couldn't exactly ask for clarification right now. Instead, Rachel was going to have to be put on the backburner for a bit.

With Phoebe carrying the poor girl, they leave the Garden of the Hesperides behind and continue to make their way up the Mountain. Unfortunately, while Percy had felt Hera's eyes on them the entire time they were in her Garden, he can feel her gaze leaving him the further they climb.

It would have been nice if she could have ordered Ladon to help them out with this, or even participated herself, but Percy suspected there were some 'rules' in place that kept her from interfering too much more than she already had. Frustrating to say the least, but at least they were finally nearing the finish line.

The only problem is, Percy doesn't quite know how they're going to fix all of this. If Artemis is currently holding up the damn sky and Atlas is in the wind, then how are they going to free Zoe and Phoebe's Goddess from her imprisonment? From what Rachel had said, someone COULD take her place… but then they'd be in the same exact position.

The most obvious solution was getting Atlas back under the sky. The Titan of Endurance had been handling the load for millennia already at this point after all, and he could continue handling it for millennia more, hopefully.

However, that meant they would need to find and hunt down the escaped Titan. Something that someone like Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, might be best suited for if they got someone to temporarily replace and free her.

Of course, whoever that was could be decided after they dealt with Artemis' guards. Percy isn't surprised when they creep up on the area and quickly manage to spot Luke Castellan waiting for them. He's not that surprised by the presence of more of those Spartoi either. The Skeleton Warriors are even more numerous than they were back at the museum.

And there, behind them all… is Artemis. The Maiden Goddess is on her knees, her arms stretched out on either side of her as though to emphasize that she's currently holding the weight of the entire damn sky on her bowed back. Percy can hardly imagine how that's supposed to work or what would happen to the world if she just stopped, but then… his life has been so fucking crazy since he found out he was a demigod. What's one more bit of nonsense among the rest?

Seeing her Mistress, Zoe lets out an explosive breath even as she's eyeing what they're up against.

"Alright, it could be worse… at least the Titan isn't here right now. We just need to make a plan of attack. Bianca can handle the Spartoi again like before with us backing her up… but we'll need to keep Castellan in mind as well."

Thalia speaks up then.

"I can handle Luke, but I have a condition. I want a chance to talk to him first."

Everyone frowns at that, even Percy. But then he remembers what Annabeth told him about her, Thalia, and Luke all being good friends in the past. It was Luke and Annabeth that Thalia had sacrificed her life for so they could get safely to Camp Half-Blood, after all.

For the rest of them, Luke was the bad guy. Even Percy hadn't really gotten a very good impression of the other demigod before he'd turned on them all. Not to mention how he'd tried to send Percy straight to Tartarus with those winged shoes, the fucker.

Zoe scowls, shaking her head.

"You can't be serious. You want us to give up the element of surprise just so you can have a chat?"

Frowning, Thalia opens her mouth to respond only to pause with the rest of them as Luke's voice carries on the wind.

"We know you're there. There doesn't have to be a fight, you know. The General doesn't specifically want any of you dead."

Silence falls over their group for a moment as Thalia raises an eyebrow at Zoe and the Lieutenant of Artemis huffs in response.

"Fine. But Phoebe stays here to watch over the mortal woman and cover us from a hidden spot. And Percy, you should give Bianca that celestial bronze sword you have now so she's ready if the Spartoi attack."

Fair yeah. He's loath to part with Riptide, but the precedent had been set back in the museum and to be fair, Bianca had more than proven herself a deft hand at killing undead with it at that time. He hands over the capped pen sword to the Daughter of Hades, who gives him a solemn nod in return.

With that, they rise up and move out into the open except for Phoebe and Rachel. Him, Zoe, Thalia, and Bianca all move forward as Luke and the Spartoi focus on them immediately. Though not just Luke and the Spartoi.

"Z-Zoe… my Lieutenant…"

Artemis has clearly seen better days. She doesn't look visibly injured nor is she bleeding from anywhere but sweat dripping from a Goddess' brow where her hair is sticking to her skin is still a rather disturbing sight. Especially when Percy knows just how strong divinity is supposed to be.

Zoe straightens up, her jaw clenching and her grip on her bow tightening.

"Don't worry Lady Artemis. We'll get you out of there."

Luke chuckles at the byplay.

"That won't be happening, I'm afraid. Unless you have another god lying around to take her place."

Before Zoe can do more than bristle at Luke's condescending tone, Thalia takes a step forward, a snarl on her lips.

"What the fuck, Luke?"

The traitorous demigod has the good grace to look a little ashamed as he gazes upon his resurrected friend.

"Thalia… I was happy to hear you came back from the dead."

But Thalia isn't buying it.

"Fuck you! You don't get to say things like that after what you've done! After trying to hurt everyone. I didn't die for you to betray us like this. What are you even thinking?"

Luke straightens up, his eyes getting stormy as he scowls at the dressing down Thalia is giving him.

"You didn't die for anything except the vanity of gods, Thalia. The only reason you had to die in the first place was because Hades wanted to get back at Zeus. It's always about the gods. It's always about their wants, their needs, their fucking whims. You want to know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that I'm sick of it."

The handsome Son of Hermes sneers as he clenches his hands into fists.

"I'm sick of us being nothing but playthings to them. I'm sick of being sidelined, ignored, or unacknowledged. They made Camp Half-Blood to contain us because they couldn't handle those of us who got 'too big for our britches' anymore. They didn't want to have to deal with another Hercules so they made sure Chiron would keep us all weak and helpless. All so they could continue playing their games."

Thalia looks taken aback by the sheer vitriol coming out of Luke. Percy just thinks the other man is finally being honest. There are some parts he could even agree with… but Luke's methods leave a hell of a lot to be desired. Thalia, it turns out, agrees.

"So what… you turn to the Titans? To Kronos and Atlas? Do you seriously think that they're any better than their children Luke?! Do you think that helping them overthrow Olympus and take back control is the best thing for the rest of the world or the rest of us demigods?!"

Before Luke can answer, Thalia continues on, clearly on something of a roll now.

"If you want to talk about real change, look to Percy! Look what he's done! The King of the Gods is dead and the Olympians are ruling by Council! That's change! That's progress!"

Percy isn't sure how he feels about Thalia tangentially attributing Zeus' death to him. Sure she hadn't outright said he killed the god, but she certainly implied it. Luke, meanwhile, scowls angrily as his gaze flickers to Percy. In that gaze, Percy sees something like jealousy among the fury. Was… was Luke seriously jealous of Percy for some reason?

Whatever the Son of Hermes might have said in response however, they never get the chance to find out. Because instead… another voice rings out. Deep. Powerful. And not human.

"We are in agreement, young Ms. Grace."

All eyes turn and Zoe curses under her breath as the Titan of Endurance reveals himself. Leaping down from a nearby ledge holding a wriggling wet sack in his hand… is Atlas, the very being who is supposed to currently be holding up the sky.

The Titan looks like a living statue. His hair is raven black and slicked back, his eyes are stone grey, and his skin is light brown. He has an extremely muscular build while also standing at over eight feet tall… though he can probably be even taller, Percy imagines.

For now though, he seems to be taking a similar size to all of them as he stomps forward, the Spartoi moving aside to give him room. If the Manticore was a bit of a disappointment, by comparison Atlas was most certainly not. He was the real deal, his very presence giving off a sense of 'commanding'.

He also only has eyes for Percy at the moment.

"You have done well making it this far, Perseus Jackson. The damage you have already dealt to the Olympians through your machinations has impressed my brother and I. Now though, it is time for you to fulfill your destiny."

… What the fuck was Atlas even talking about? His machinations? Percy had thought he'd been pretty clear when he shut down Kronos in his dreams. The bastard had not only tried to lull him into a false sense of security by showing up as a woman, but he'd also had some crazy fucking plan to have Percy drain the power of multiple Goddesses in order for him to become a God faster.

Percy had given a pretty unequivocal 'no' to that offer at the time, so he didn't understand why Atlas was talking like they still had a chance of convincing him. Either the two Titans didn't talk much, or Kronos and Atlas were simply ignoring the last failed attempt to get him on side.

If they thought they could make him turn on his friends now though, they had another thing coming…

Only, just as that thought is passing through Percy's mind, the clattering of more feet causes him and the others to twist around. Percy's eyes widen as he realizes they've walked right into a trap, with even more Skeleton Warriors coming up behind them… and frog marching Phoebe with them, as well as carrying a still-unconscious Rachel bridal style.

Meeting Bianca's eyes, Percy sees the terror and doubt in her gaze. She might be a Daughter of Hades and therefore capable of dealing with undead like the Spartoi in a way no other demigod could… but she can't handle an entire legion of the things on top of Luke and Atlas.

They are… thoroughly outgunned here.

Turning his gaze back to Atlas, Percy curls his hands into fists and clenches his jaw, but before he can speak the Titan of Endurance almost unceremoniously opens the wet sack he's been carrying… and dumps Ophiotaurus out onto the ground in front of all of them.

Percy's eyes widen in horror and outrage as Bruno flops onto the ground at his feet, bleeding from what looks like a dire wound.

"The Bane of Olympus. I've prepared it for you. Kill it, burn its entrails… and you will have the power you need to topple Mount Olympus and stand side by side with my brother and I. Not as a subordinate… but as an equal."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. How had this happened? Bruno and his escort must have been intercepted by Atlas and his soldiers before they reached the ocean. Fuck, Percy should have… he should have traveled with Bruno all the way to his father's domain or something, maybe. Just to make sure the cowfish got to safety.

Instead… Bruno is dying. His one visible eye looks up at Percy sadly, even as the blood drips steadily from his wounds.

… But why the hell was Atlas making this offer in the first place? The Titan should have already killed the Ophiotaurus and burnt his entrails if he wanted the power to destroy Olympus. Why was he so insistent on making it be Percy? Why was Kronos so insistent on trying to turn Percy to his side?

Then it hits him. The Great Prophecy. They think he's the one from the Great Prophecy. To be fair, so does everyone else apparently. And as far as Percy knows, he's the only half-blood currently on his way to godhood, so unless they want to wait, he's their main option.

The final lines of the prophecy state that a single choice, presumably by him, will decide if Olympus rises or falls. Clearly, Kronos and Atlas have decided that Olympus is going to fall at his hand and they're doing everything in their power to make that happen.

Percy doesn't want to destroy Olympus though. He doesn't want to overthrow the gods. But as he stares down at poor Bruno, he doesn't know what to do to get out of this situation. He doesn't see an easy answer to all of this.

… He's not sure it's possible to save everyone.

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[ ] Percy puts Bruno out of his misery to protect everyone else - 13%[X] Percy stands by his principles and risks it all - 87%

If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!

If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on .com/Cambrian

Thanks for reading!