Chapter 44 - His Fatal Flaw
published: Wednesday, 27 November 2019

"Oh my gods," Annabeth gasped as Festus dipped in altitude. They were honing in on Camp Half-Blood by the second, and soon she'd be home.

It was still early in the day, but it seemed like the war had been waging on for hours already.

From what she could see of Long Island, Tartarus' army has wreaked absolute havoc upon their ranks. Grass was scorched with obvious marks of grenades and fire, vines were scattered and trapping dead bodies — possibly the work of the satyrs.

And the dead bodies; Annabeth was terrified that she would recognise the blank stares of old friends. Hellhounds ravaged the area, picking out lone, injured survivors.

Annabeth wasn't sure how much longer the demigods could hold on.

She prayed that her friends had made it back alive, not only because she couldn't bear the thought of losing them, but also because Percy had both the scythe and the spell. Without him, everything would've been for nothing.

"We're touching down," Leo said with his jaw set in a grimace. She didn't blame his negativity; everything seemed so hopeless now that they had seen the true face of the war.

"Wait!" Annabeth gestured wildly to a group of saytrs and dryads being massacred by the monsters. "They need our help!"

Festus swooped down and landed on an invictus, the shell crunching horribly as the creature crumbled to dust.

Annabeth promptly slid off the metal dragon and leaped into the fight. She'd seen a familiar pair of horns that she couldn't ignore.

"Grover!" Annabeth yelled, sprinting rapidly to her friend.

Grover was playing frantically on his reed pipes, encouraging the ground to swallow some monsters, but his eyes brightened instantaneously at the sight of one of his best friends.

Annabeth leaped onto the harpy he was fighting and grappled with the monster. They tumbled through the air, Annabeth pummelling and slashing wherever she could with her dagger.

By the time she hit the ground rolling, the harpy was simply bronze dust. She struggled to her feet, Grover pulling her up.

Without a second thought, Annabeth flung herself at him, her arms squeezing him so tightly she thought she might break his ribs.

"I missed you," she groaned, burying her face in his shoulder. Grover had always been one of the most important people in her life, especially after Percy had disappeared.

He was a constant, someone she could rely on.

Not seeing him for two months had unknowingly taken its toll.

Grover staggered back with her full weight, patting her back awkwardly. Annabeth gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

"How's the fight been?"

Grover pulled a face. "Horrible. They've got all the children huddled in the infirmary, but it's already crammed with injured demigods. Will and the healers are trying their best, but the death toll's climbing by the minute."

Annabeth nodded vigorously. "We can stop them," she told him. "Well, Percy can."

Grover's mouth fell open. "P-Percy? Like, Percy — Percy Jackson? Our Percy?"

Annabeth knew he was holding back tears. "Yeah," she said, but her face fell. "I don't know if he made it back. Our ship exploded and..." She shook her head frustratedly.

Grover exhaled through his teeth with a relieved expression. "Can't believe he's actually alive. Our empathy link was severed when he disappeared." He frowned. "Foul play, I suppose."

"Annabeth!" Another voice.

Annabeth whipped her head around to see Piper and Nico racing towards her.

"Oh my gods!" Piper practically sobbed as she swept Jasper into her arms and Jason hugged her as tightly as possible.

"Piper?" Annabeth nearly passes out from the overwhelming gratefulness that washed over her. "Oh my gods, Piper!"

"No time for hugs!" Annabeth rushed. "Percy! Is he alive? Does he have all of it?"

Piper nodded furiously. "The scythe, the spell."

"What spell?" Grover asked in bewilderment. "Wait, are you talking about Kronos' scythe?"

Nico waved a hand impatiently. "Yes, yes, it's complicated. Annabeth, is Percy going to host Ouranos?"

She bit her lip. "If everything goes according to plan."

Nico cursed under his breath. "We don't know how to contain it!" he protested. "Chiron said that the host can't control Ouranos' spirit other than release it. It could destroy Tartarus and all of us at the same time."

"We'd need something to hold in an energy blast that big," Grover fired off. "A wall? A shield?"

"No, me." Annabeth ran a hair through her hair. "My powers; it all makes sense now. You'd need something strong enough to hold in an energy blast that big — I can do it."

"Percy said you'd die from overexertion," Piper argued. "Annabeth, it won't help anyone if both you and Percy die trying to do this."

"It's the only way!" Annabeth cried. "Don't you see? It's either this, or we all die. Wouldn't rather take the chance?"

Piper fell silent.

"This is what we've been sailing around for," Annabeth said bitterly. "Our first quest, the first Great Prophecy; me and Percy started all of this. Doesn't it make sense that we have to end it?"

Grover fiddled nervously with his pan pipes. "I don't like this."

"The Fates are cruel," Annabeth said with pursed lips. "We don't have any other choice."

"Okay, assume you're right," Nico cut in. "Percy doesn't know any of this. He doesn't even know if you're alive. What stops him from confronting Tartarus now and destroying us all in the process?"

"He wouldn't do something so rash," Annabeth protested.

"Sorry, are we talking about the same Percy?" Grover bleated. "Annabeth, he'd kill for you. It's his fatal flaw. Give up the world to save the people he loves."

"I'm not one of those people anymore," Annabeth hissed. "You weren't there during the quest—" She closed her eyes. "Apate messed with my head, put a fake memory of Percy cheating on me in there. The way I've treated him..."

"Annabeth, it doesn't matter," Piper said frustratedly. "One look at the boy and you just know that he's head over heels for you!"

Annabeth gritted her teeth. "It doesn't matter anyway," she forced herself to think differently. "Whatever is between us, it'll still take both of us to kill a primordial."

She sheathed her dagger. "I have to find him," Annabeth said helplessly. "I'm sorry. Can you guys handle this on your own?"

Her friends looked at each other, and it struck Annabeth then that she'd become close to them all at different times, but in the end, here they were.

"We'll be fine," Nico assured her. "Find him and end this."

Annabeth made a humorous noise in the back of her throat. "No pressure."

She forced herself to turn her back and take off back towards camp, her heart hammering wildly.

Everything was out in the open now. And the lives of everyone they knew and loved were at stake.

What else was new?

^^^^

Riptide slashed an arc into the air so quickly that the whistling sound actually broke the noises of clashing metal over the battlefield.

Percy rolled under the giant's legs and sliced his upper thigh, making Polybotes snarl in anger.

To set the scene, Percy was at Poseidon's side in an attempt to vanquish his father's giant bane.

The Curse deflected every hit that Polybotes threw at him, but it didn't make him immune to being thrown around like a human football.

Percy stood up with a dizzy groan as he stumbled around, trying to regain his balance. Polybotes had flung him into a tree. He probably had a major concussion, but at least he didn't have any splinters, right?

"Dad!" Percy yelled in warning, seeing another giant sneak up behind him.

The giant's long braids recalled the memory of Athena's bane — Enceladus. Percy remembered thinking his name was enchiladas. Yeah, that had really confused him for a bit there.

Percy parried Enceladus' strike and kicked him away, thrusting his fist into the air so that a flurry of raindrops pelted him and sent him sprawling to the ground. Percy grinned as he felt the winds of a forming hurricane swirling around him.

Athena leaped in to join the fight. "Finish Polybotes, then come help me," she shouted at him, spears flashing in the sunlight as she and Enceladus fought in a blur of limbs.

Percy raced to his father's side, bounding up onto Polybotes' back, his legs hooking round the giant's shoulders as he threw himself on the ground, taking the giant with him.

Percy sprang to his feet once again, the hurricane's winds buffeting Polybotes whenever he tried to get up. Raindrops from his personal storm turned to poison the moment they touched the giant.

"Enough!" Polybotes roared, slamming his fist into the ground. The tremors knocked Percy off his feet and sent Poseidon into a state of unbalance.

"Come on," Percy repeated under his breath as he tried to force his aching limbs to budge. Polybotes was edging closer to Poseidon, his large sword slamming again and again into Poseidon's trident.

Poseidon hissed in pain when Polybotes finally disarmed him, the blade of his sword slicing into the god's wrist. Percy felt a shiver of fear ripple down his spine as he spotted the golden ichor dripping down.

"And now," Polybotes sneered. "The world bids goodbye to the god of the sea. They won't remember you."

Percy reaches out a hand in horror. "No!"

Polybotes swung a hand back and a stream of poison erupted from his palm, ready to dispel Poseidon back to Tartarus.

Then, a flash of silver.

Athena leaped in front of Poseidon, her shield Aegis open, the snarling face of Medusa making Percy wince. The poison dripped off her shield aimlessly as the goddess whipped out her spear and flew at Polybotes.

Percy staggered towards them, ensuring the Enceladus was properly stuck between in the winds while he finished Polybotes off.

Athena blasted Polybotes away from her as Poseidon caused an earthquake that trapped his foot inside a crack in the ground.

"You'll never win," Polybotes hissed as he glared up at the two Olympians.

"Save it for next time, Polly," Percy growled, slashing Riptide down to decapitate the giant.

When the celestial bronze sword made contact with the giant, Polybotes burst into bronze dust that picked up in the wind.

Percy stumbled backwards, his vision flickering. Someone gripped his arm and held him steady.

"Save your energy, son," Poseidon said gently. "Your part to play hasn't even come yet."

Percy felt revitalised once his father squeezed his hand, probably something to do with the sea. He nodded tightly, knowing that Poseidon was talking about how he would soon have to host Ouranos.

"We're not done yet, water boys," Athena murmured, drawing her spears again as Aegis shrunk back into her cloak.

"Water boys?" Poseidon demanded. He was interrupted by Enceladus attacking him with flying knives.

Athena shrugged. "Not the worst name I've called you."

"Yeah," Percy said warily as he backed away from the giant. "I'd take it, Dad." He hacked at Enceladus, sending the giant to the ground.

Enceladus swept his bulky legs at Percy's shins, knocking him over like a bowling pin. Percy slashed blindly above as he rolled over several times, narrowly avoiding Enceladus' knives.

He reminded himself again that he now had iron skin. He could focus on the offensive this time.

Percy leaped to his feet, circling the giant slowly. When Enceladus jumped forward to attack again, Percy slammed Riptide through the giant's gut, impaling him through the abdomen.

He wrenched the sword out, panting as Enceladus staggered backwards, where Athena blasted him into oblivion.

"Not too shabby," she noted.

Percy gave her a grin that he hoped didn't come across as impertinent.

"You know, Perseus," she cleared her throat. "I rarely make...mistakes. But it seems that I made one in my judgement of you." She glared at Poseidon. "Not a word."

Poseidon closed his mouth, sticking a massive smirk.

"If you wish to be with my daughter, you have my blessing," Athena swallowed. "I couldn't imagine anyone...better suited for her."

Percy could've thought she was in pain by the way she was forcing her words out.

"Thank you," he informed her. "But I don't think your blessing would really affect anything. Annabeth doesn't..." Percy trailed off.

He really, really didn't know what was going on in Annabeth's mind.

So she'd thought he was cheating on her. But that meant that she'd basically gotten over him in the five years that he'd been gone for. Percy didn't know if she was up to try again, or if she even wanted to.

"Find her," Athena said firmly.

Percy swallowed. "I don't even know if she's alive."

"She has to be," Athena insisted. "She is essential to the prophecy, and to how this war will end."

Percy frowned. "What?"

"It doesn't matter," Athena shook her head. "Find her. It will all make sense with time."

Percy's heart jumped in his chest. He'd thought of nothing else but Annabeth the entire ride back to camp, but now that he was here, not knowing whether she was alive or dead...

His train of thought came to a screeching halt as Percy's gaze zeroed in on two figures further up on a hill.

He recognised the spindly hands and sharp, hawk-like features.

"Excuse me, my lady," Percy said suddenly, capping Riptide as he started forward. "Dad. There are some people I need to speak to."

Poseidon followed his gaze to the two silhouettes.

Apate and Dolos.

The gods of mischief.

Percy's face was set with determination. He was getting to the bottom of all the trickery today.