Chapter Text
Ch.49 Traitors of Olympus
PERCY POV
Rain drummed down on the roof tiles gurgling down the sewers at the side of the pavement. Lightning flashed across the dark clouds and thunder rumbled, its noise drowning under the traffic of Manhattan.
"You do realize that if we go through with this…" Annabeth bit her lip, her eyes running over Daedalus' laptop screen. "We are going to cause millions of dollars' worth of damage?Hundredsof millions?"
"And save the world?" I arched an eyebrow. "Annabeth, the only way the Titans can get to Olympus is through mortal means. As in, through the city of Manhattan, into the Empire State Building, and up the elevator to the Six-hundredth floor."
"And what is stopping them from teleporting right into the lobby?" Annabeth frowned.
"The gods, owl brain." Clarisse grunted. "They would have some sort of magic to stop such an attempt. If they hadn't—"
"Olympus would've been overrun with enemies long ago." I nodded. "That is true. Even the gods cannot randomly teleport anywhere they wish,especiallywithin a certain vicinity of Olympus unless they are invited. Usually, it is only a little further than the Empire State Building, but the Olympians are now extending the radius to encompass all of Manhattan and a little beyond."
"Butyoucan still teleport." Annabeth said. "Even in Olympus."
"I have permission. Athena told Zeus something and he agreed to it." I shrugged. "I think it is because she needs me immediately available anytime I am needed. So, right now, only the Olympians, Hestia, and I can teleport into Olympus and within alongside a couple other exceptions."
"I wish I could teleport." Beckendorf rumbled. "Maybe I can build something."
"Well, it might not be impossible." Annabeth's fingers ran over the keyboard. "The main problem with it is—"
"That we are about to rig every bridge to New York and not build a teleportation machine." Clarisse cut in sharply.
I glanced around the cafe we were sitting in, to see if anyone had paid attention but the mortals were going their own merry way.
'The mist is working wonderfully.' I smiled before extending my senses. 'And there are no gods or monsters around, so no one is spying on us either.'
"Yes." I agreed. "Annabeth, I need you to calculate the amount of explosives and theexactplace to put them in order to cause maximum damage to incoming forces. I need legions of monsters to go down under in a single go when needed."
"Right, of course." Annabeth murmured. "There are about a dozen such bridges and some of them are rather important ones…"
"I will pull strings to get you to remodel them after the battle." I offered.
Annabeth's eyes widened and she beamed. "Done!"
"Right." Clarisse drawled. "And where are we getting the explosives? And how do we put them in?"
"That's what Beckendorf is for." I glanced at the son of Hephaestus who nodded. "I have provided him with several jars of Greek fire and C4—"
"Where the f*ck did you get C4?" Clarisse blinked.
"Your father had a stash." I shrugged nonchalantly. "All I had to do was make a bet with him and win."
"What was the bet?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
"A fight of course." I rolled my eyes. "I told him I could defeat him without a sword or a weapon."
"And you won?" Clarisse blurted.
"I never said that I couldn't use my powers, did I?" I smirked. "For all his strength and skills, your father doesn't look before leaping, and neither does he learn. I nearly burnt him in the process and broke several of his ribs but the C4 was worth it."
"Trickery." Annabeth nodded. "Alright, I have a lot of work to do now it seems. I need specification of how much everything is—"
She stopped as Beckendorf slid a pendrive across the cafe table. "Here."
"Great." Annabeth plugged the device in, her eyes running over the screen. "Give me a day or two. I will distribute the materials and do some calculations."
"Wonderful. Operation blow-up bridges in Manhattan is a go." I announced.
"That's not how the operations are named, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth gave me an exasperated look.
"We should name it something sensible." Beckendorf rumbled in agreement.
"I have named it something sensible." I scowled. "There could not be a more sensible name."
"Operation ka-boom." Clarisse suggested.
"That could mean anything."
"It is still better than yours." Annabeth said. "Anyhow— who will have the trigger to blow so many bridges up at once? And how will we—"
"We will not blow up every bridge at once." I cut in with a frown. "We start with only a few bridges, limiting the enemy. The other places will have traps and our army waiting on the other side. If we are not able to hold a bridge, we blow it, deal with remnants, and then move on."
"And in the process, destroy as many enemies as we can." Clarisse nodded. "After all, even if the bridge is full of monsters when we blow it up, at best a thousand will go under. That'snothingfor monster numbers."
"She is right." Beckendorf rumbled. "Hellhounds and cyclopes spawn faster than bunnies at times. And this is the titan lord we speak of. He is the Titan ofevil."
"So we also have to design traps?" Annabeth frowned.
"I have put Malcolm on it alongside the Stolls." I told her. "Though, Malcolm will also help withthisplan if needed."
"Percy, what exactly are you envisioning?" Annabeth pushed her laptop screen close. "We don't really have numbers. Not like the titan lord does. And Manhattan is abigplace to be held by a handful of demigods. And yet, you seem confident that we will do it."
"We have the home-ground advantage, Annabeth." I pointed out. "We can prepare in advance which the Titans can't. Not until they draw the gods away. And once they are gone, we step in."
"To hold Manhattan and Olympus." Beckendorf rumbled.
"We will have help. You are not the only people in play here. Nor the only ones preparing." I gave her a soft smile. "I am building contingencies. Traps. Surveillance. Numbers. The game is on many fronts."
"And who is it that you are planning it with?"
"The gods, Annabeth. Your mother, Artemis, Ares— and well, they do report to Zeus, so, him."
"And are you going to tell us?" Annabeth huffed.
"Not until everything is in place." I shook my head. "And right now, half the plans are just that—plans."
"You're playing a game of chess." Annabeth said. "On a grand scale."
I paused.
#She isn't wrong. You're arranging the pieces already.# Alexander said. #Annabeth, Clarisse, Thalia— you prepared them just like you are preparing Nico and Bianca now. You saved Pan so the gods would've had more help. You have been playing this since the day you entered the camp.#
"I am… maybe." I saw my forehead crease in the reflection on the glass table. "I have plans, I am making backups, and I have contingencies in casebothfail. But I do not see you as pieces as one does while playing chess. I do not sacrifice my friends and allies, Annabeth."
"That you don't." Annabeth agreed. "But you're not telling us stuff."
"Actually, he shouldn't." Clarisse said. "Spies are as much part of the war as the warriors are. Knowledge is important as long as your enemy doesn't get their hands on it."
Annabeth frowned. "None of us would betray—"
"We thought the same about Luke." Clarisse said unrepentantly. "You never know who will stab you in the back and for what reason. The thing is, it is not aboutyou."
"And you cannot tell what you don't know." I cleared my throat. "Neither can the information be ripped out of your heads. You would not betray us willingly. But sometimes, you may not have that choice."
"Exactly." Clarisse said. "This is war, Owl Head. Fair and honorable have no place here."
"When did you get so wise, Clarisse?" Beckendorf asked with amusem*nt.
"This is war." Clarisse's lips curled into a grin reminiscent of her father. "And war, Beckendorf, is what I do best."
The pungent odor of ozone burned against my nose as I blinked spots out of my eyes to see a pile of smoking rubble a distance away. Thalia stood, panting several feet away, tendrils of electricity running against the edge of her Ax.
"Next one." My voice rang over Thalia's ragged breathing and the faint crackle of electricity. "NOW!"
Thalia raised her ax and feebly jabbed it toward the fifth boulder, a bolt of lightning cracking toward it, blasting the boulder into several pieces. I watched as the pieces rolled onto the floor, several still huge enough for a grown man to take cover behind.
"Is that the best you have got?" I yelled as Thalia collapsed to a knee, sweat dripping down her face. "Is that how you're going to defeat Titans? Is that how you are going to protect your friends?"
Thalia gritted her teeth. "f*ck you."
"Oh, it is not me who will f*ck you, Thalia. It is the Titans. Once they capture you." I snarled. "You think they will let you go? Run in the woods? You, the lieutenant of Artemis and the daughter of Zeus!"
#Too dark even for reverse-motivation.# Alexander commented dryly.
Thalia's eyes darkened with rage and the sky outside rumbled. I felt the hair on my body prickle.
'It is about to work.' I watched as Thalia got to her feet and hurled her ax in a blinding white flash toward the boulder. 'And this is how you trained me. Pushing me just beyond my limits.'
The Arena shook as the ax blasted through not only the pieces of boulder but the sixth and seventh rocks too, reducing them to dust before embedding in the wall. Thalia collapsed to her knees before falling face-first into the mud, her breathing heavy. Mud stuck to her face and silver parka as She raised her face feebly, seeing me near.
"Drink." I knelt next to her, offering her a small bottle of nectar. "You did good."
I dribbled the nectar through Thalia's lips and she gulped greedily, consuming the whole bottle. A few seconds later, she slowly rolled onto her back, taking deep, measured breaths.
"Take the rest of the day off. Annabeth will help you to your room."
"Is— is that all you're going to say?" Thalia breathed. "f*cker."
"Thalia, this is how you break your limits." I sighed, sitting next to her. "I did this every week. Summoned storms even after I could no longer stand. I manipulated water and fire till I barely had the energy left to crawl to bed…. That is how I pushed my boundaries. That is how Athena and Ares trained me."
"Really?"
"Thalia, if I fail, consequences are going to be a hell of alot more dire than this." I closed my eyes. "It is the one thing I cannot afford to do. Plus, you're the only person powerful enough to pull attacks that could cripple Titans. I cannot always face them all at once."
"You're scared for the others more than yourself." Thalia said. "A f*ckton more than you show. And you show it a lot."
"They still cannot defeat me five-on-one." I said dryly.
"They came close the other day. I believe you have a bruise to prove it." Thalia rolled her eyes. "Plus, you are a hell of an opponent."
"Not as bad as Titans."
"Don't f*cking kid me, Percy." Thalia snapped "I have seen you fight and I have seen Artemis fight. I know her powers. Against gods and against us. There is a BIG difference. You don't have that difference because you don't have restrictions levied on you. They have defeated Ares in the past week and injured Artemis to the point of Athena having to stop the fight because Artemis doesn't give up."
"They used trickery." I said. "It was a well-prepared fight, I won't deny that. Perfectly coordinated to take her down. Ares… well, trickery works just fine. But with Artemis? It didn't, did it."
"They injured a goddess to the point that the ref had to call it. I'd say it worked." Thalia retorted. "A plan, as Annabeth says, worthy of Athena. It was not a fluke, Percy. And you know it."
"But the opponent won't hold back in a real fight. Artemis and Ares held themselves back." My jaw twitched. "And nearly is not good enough."
"Percy, right now, you're hell-bent on believing that they are not ready." Thalia glared. "You want to shelter us. But you're foolingyourself. Nico and Bianca have grown by leaps and bounds. Clarisse and Annabeth can hold their own in a spear fight against Athena and Ares respectively! Heck, Annabeth even lands occasional blows on Ares. No demigods exceptushave done that in history."
#She's right, you know?# Alexander commented. #Not many demigods could take on a god or a Titan and hope to come out on the winning side. Not unless they are a child of the Big Three. And then too, it depends on the demigods themselves.#
"Maybe." I said. "But it is my duty as the leader of this quest to make sure you all are sufficiently prepared."
"That we will never be, by your standards." Thalia snapped. "Not evenme."
I felt rage well up in my chest.
"If you're looking for an apology, you aren't getting one, Thalia." I stood up. "We have two more weeks until we go off on this hunt. A hunt ofgods. I am having you as prepared as I can. I do not want to regret what-ifs, Thalia."
"From what Annabeth tells me, you're preparing for a lot of what-ifs already." Thalia snarked.
Without a word, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room, back onto the streets of Olympus. Nymphs moved out of my way immediately, and the muses stopped signing as I passed by them. My feet carried me toward the edge of Olympus.
A device sparked, its tip cracking with electricity but didn't move.
#There is no reason to get mad.# Alexander said.
'Is it wrong of me to worry for them, Alexander?' I asked. 'They are going to face Titans and gods. A fight, to kill, not live.'
#You're worried about the hunters becoming the hunted.# Alexander said. #Your concerns are understandable, Percy. But you have to show faith in them. At this point, you are alienating your friends. You keep secrets, you push them to their limits and insult them to do so.#
'If I don't…'
#I am not saying that your intent is flawed. But your methods are.# Alexander cut in. #You have to let them know that you believe in them. Not verbally but by your actions. Theyalllook up to you. And you need to let them know that you trust them. Right now, all you are telling them is that they are not yet ready.#
'They are not.'
#Neither were you when you faced Ares. Or Atlas. Or heck, even Oceanus and Tethys. The only ones I hadcompleteconfidence in you winning were Coeus, Asopus, and Eridanus.#
'Thanks.' I said dryly.
#The point is, you can never be ready for this. But belief? Belief is important.# Alexander said. #I told you that you could win. That you could conquer your enemies. If you're fighting a battle you think you are going to lose— you won't win it anyway.#
'But if you think you can win—'
#You just might.# Alexander replied. #Even the most impossible battles. Right now, the person who has fought the most titans and won is telling them they can't. You're not giving them hope, Percy. And hope—#
"Is humanity's greatest weapon." I whispered. "Indeed."
#You have to let them know that they are good enough to win. To defeat gods and Titans.# Alexander said. #And let us face the fact. They are. If you all were coming for me, I'd be trembling in my boots. Look at the team, Percy. You have the best of the best. The satyr who found Pan. The most intelligent daughter of Athena. The most powerful child of Ares in centuries. Two children of Hades and… Thalia, who has defeated a Titaness before by stabbing her with her own sword.#
'Right.' I sighed. 'There is no one better I could've hoped for.'
#Exactly.#
'I still wish Zeus had allowed a goddess on the quest.'
#And you also wish for Artemis to be everywhere with you.# Alexander snorted. #Sometimes, Percy. You have no choice. Despite all your power, all your skills— it falls to fate.#
I took a deep breath, calming myself, pushing the frustration back, willing it to disappear like the ripples in a lake.
'Maybe you're right. I should encourage them instead of being a critic.' I said. 'Or encourage while being a critic.'
#I think they'd appreciate it.#
I nodded before turning around. In the distance, I saw a figure, walking toward the edge too. I extended my senses, straining them to reach the distance.
'Goddess. One not very powerful.' I deduced, squinting to see who it was.
#Enyo.# Alexander said. #I sense the domain of war. And she isn't powerful enough to be Athena.#
'Right.' I said.
Suddenly, a cold breeze blew and I felt shivers run down my spine. The sky darkened slightly and thunder rumbled. My insides plummeted sickeningly.
#Kronos.# Alexander breathed. #She is praying to him. Communicating. Go.#
With a thought, my armor and weapons appeared, and I rushed forward toward the figure.
#Percy, do the spell Athena taught you.# Alexander said as I neared the goddess. #Enyo cannot fly.#
I tugged on my divine power, feeling a sharp twist in my gut as power welled in my hands and rushed down my sword. I muttered a few words and the sword's blade flashed a shade of sea green. Immediately, a wave of divine energy flooded the surroundings, rolling over the ground for several yards, drowning it in the spell.
Enyo whipped around, her eyes widening. A golden coin clattered to the ground, the picture of a sickle visible on its head.
"Hello Enyo," I raised my sword. "You've been caught."
Enyo gulped, looking at the glowing Thyella Kavalris before her eyes flitted around, looking for a way to escape.
She had seen me in action, during several spars in which I had taken two gods of wars way older and powerful than she was. She had seen me rip through dummies without a care and break bones with a single punch.
She too had fought me once and lost the spar in less than a minute. Not to mention, I hadn't even used my powers to defeat her. The only escape she had was jumping off Mount Olympus onto the city down below.
But not even a goddess could survive that fall. Not unless they could slow down their fall. And Enyo was not one of them.
"You're making a mistake, Son of Poseidon." Enyo said steadily. "I—"
"You have two options right now." I said, ignoring her. "Either you can surrender peacefully, or I will drop you at Zeus' feet myself. And the second won't be pleasant."
Enyo's fingers glowed and a sword formed in her hands, but I was already moving. Pumping energy through my arms, I slashed my sword in a blue-tinged bronze blur, disarming her with sheer force and speed.
Her sword went soaring over the edge, into the city below.
But it was just a distraction for me in the goddess' mind.
Enyo lunged forward, her divine spear materializing in her hands, its tip pointed straight at my heart. I smoothly moved out of the way, using the weapon as a lever to flip Enyo to the ground before wrenching the spear out of her grasp, and tossing it over the edge.
Before she could retaliate, I brought down my foot on her, channeling my Earthshaker powers. The ground rumbled and cracks like a spider web spawned from beneath Enyo as she screamed.
"This is the point where I usually kill you." I pointed the tip of my sword at her neck. "But since you were spying on us, I am assuming that you have intel. So, I will get you to Athena now. And I assume that she will milk everything out of you until you've served your purpose."
"I can—" Enyo coughed raggedly, wincing sharply with every little movement. "I can… give it to you. For free if you let me live."
I raised an eyebrow, digging my foot deeper. "Go on."
"He… just wanted to know about what… what you all were doing." Enyo said. "I reported… your progress."
"So, he knows about the quest we are preparing for?"
Enyo nodded.
"And you've been reporting on us to him since day one?"
Enyo gave a tiny nod.
"So, they will be ready for us." I raised an eyebrow. "But they don't know where we will go first."
"Prophecy." Enyo wheezed.
"Which they won't hear unless someone tells them of it." I snorted. "That someone being you."
"Yes."
#You can pull a double with her.# Alexander said suddenly. #Make her your spy. Let her swear eternal loyalty to Olympus and she lives if she becomes your spy within Kronos' ranks.#
'A double agent.' I frowned. 'Like Snape?'
#You control the information that goes to the Titans.# Alexander said. #Those are always useful.#
"I will make you an offer, Enyo." I said. "Do you wish to live?"
Enyo nodded frantically.
"Then you swear loyalty to Olympus." I declared. "On the five rivers and your immortality. And then, becomemyagent in the Titan ranks. Once we win and the trials are due, you will be pardoned for your crimes given your help."
Her eyes widened.
"It is either that or I take you to the gods and let them kill you after they get every bit of pertinent information." I added. "Your call."
"I will take the vow," she croaked. "Just let me live."
"Go on." I said, not removing my sword from her neck or my foot from her chest. "Take the vow."
A few seconds later, thunder rumbled in the sky and her body glowed for a moment as she took the oath, sealing her promise.
"Good girl. Now, tell me everything you know of the Titan forces." I smiled. "It is time we stabbed back."
"Go on, Percy." Artemis nudged me. "It is time."
The day of the equinox had come and with it, the time to get the prophecy. The prophecy that would start the hunt for gods.
I nodded, glancing at Chiron before walking up the stairs toward the Attic where the Oracle of Delphi rested. Pulling the trapdoor open, I entered, my eyes fixed on the mummy. As soon as I shut the trapdoor, green mist poured out of her mouth, smelling strongly of serpents.
"Approach, seeker." Delphi's voice echoed through the attic, ringing through my bones. "Andask."
"I need a prophecy," I said. "To the hunt down of traitors of Olympus."
The mummy smiled. "TheIchor Purge. I am aware."
The green mist swirled, taking upon images of the throne room of Olympus. In front of me, six gods stood— the elder gods.
#Hades looks bad in green.# Alexander commented as the god in the image stepped forward.
"Children of war become the warrior's bane, to death's hand, a traitor be slain." Hades rasped in the oracle's voice.
Hestia took the next step. "Discord, fear, and rage shall be consumed by the chosen's blaze."
"Upon the maiden's land," Demeter rasped. "The destroyers battle the world must withstand.
"The enemy will heed the call," Hera said. "By the golden waters a brother shall fall."
"Thunder and the storm shall shake the world, as the sword's rage is unfurled." Zeus added, turning his glowing green eyes on me.
There was a pause as my father stepped forth, staring down at me. "Choices of the son shall have a price, the Trident's rule to sink or rise."
The mist retreated, leaving me in the attic, my heart pounding in my chest.
The prophecy had been issued. The hunt of the gods had begun.
