After locking Annabeth up in one of the rooms they walked deeper into the ancient ruined palace until Jason halted in front of a wooden door at the end of the hallway. "I'll release him in there and I'll have full control of him because I'm the one holding the box." Jason said as he pushed the door open. They stepped into a small round room with a single window. A chair and a table in the middle. "Ready?" Jason asked, his eyes scanning each and every one of them. They nodded in response. Jason pulled the box from his jacket's pocket and placed it in his palm, pointing towards the chair. He took in a deep breath and removed the lid.

Black smoke erupted from the box, filling the space around them. The room began to shake violently and they all lost their balance. However, Jason still held the box in his hands, not daring to let it go. The black smoke collided in front of him, taking the shape of a man. Then, in matter of seconds, Percy appeared before them. He was still in his black armor with riptide at his side. The room stopped shaking as he sat down on the chair and propped his legs on the table. "About damn time," he said with a smirk on his face. "It's tight in there."

Jason rolled his eyes and stepped closer to him. "I'll say this once Percy, I'm the one holding the box which means I can control you. We're trying to help you, by disobeying the Olympians."

"I think you might have to say that again Jason. I usually zone out when you start speaking. You're boring, lighten up a little." Percy said with a grin plastered across his face. "One of you is missing, where's my dear Annabeth?" Piper stepped forward, her arms crossed against her chest. "That is not your concern, she's busy."

"Busy being locked up somewhere, I guess?" The king of darkness asked. The shocked looks not their faces told him everything. "What? I'm not an idiot." He simply said.

"Why did you sell her out then? Why tell me that she told you I posses the box?" Jason asked. Percy shrugged, clearly bored, as if Annabeth was another toy in his game and her use was done. "She was no longer useful to me. I had to make sure she was taken care of."

"Percy, listen to yourself. The darkness is doing this to you. You love Annabeth and you know it." Hazel argued.

He burst out laughing, a real laugh. "Is this what you intend to do with me? Bring me out of the darkness? I didn't know you were all desperate."

"If you won't cooperate, I'll end you right now. Right here." Jason warned. Percy spread his arms, a sign of welcome for Jason to try. "Come on lightning boy, be the hero you so badly want to be."

Jason shook his head in disbelief. "I should've ended you on that battlefield."

"Ha! But we both know why you didn't." Percy said removing his legs from the table and leaning in closer. "It's because you can't. Everyone knows you are not on my level. Which is why you agreed to Frank's plan in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked. But his eyes sold him, the fear that was evident in them. "You left the island because you knew I don't stand a chance of being saved, you know I can't be saved from who I truly am. I'm the demigod that represents the darkness Jason! But you knew you can't end me in battle so you took the safe way out, locking me up in a box."

Jason had turned pale and countenance was unreadable. "In other words lightning boy, you just doomed everyone by brining me here. Your fear of losing will make Olympus mine." Percy's black blood appeared, spreading across his face. "Don't you get it by now Jason? My plan was for you to bring me here! What type of hero are you now?"

Jason charged but Frank stepped in front of him. "Forget it Jason. He's playing with you; we all know that's not true."

"You sure Franky? The only reason he attacked me is because it's true." Percy said leaning back in his chair.

Jason sighed and stepped back. "That's enough for one day, we'll try again tomorrow." Jason handed Piper the box. "You'll take first watch, don't let him get to you." Jason then left the room, the others following behind.

Once the door was sealed shut, Piper turned to face him. "Don't annoy me or I'll make you hurt yourself." She said as she sat on the floor, next to the door.

"Oh Piper, don't worry. I'm not the one who will be getting hurt."

~

After the group reached Olympus' palace, Jason excused himself and went back to the room he was occupying in the palace. He needed to stay away from everyone else, he couldn't let them see the truth. Who he truly was. A coward. A coward who couldn't face Percy in battle because he was scared to die. To let everyone down, especially Piper.

But he mostly did it for himself. He acted selfish and he tried to convince himself against it ever since agreeing to Frank's plan. But now, it was too late. If Percy managed to get away...he didn't want to consider it. He reached his room, locking the door behind him as he collapsed on his bed. The risk he took, giving Percy another chance, will either save them all, or destroy them all. Jason had no choice but to watch the consequences of his actions unfold.

Maybe killing Percy was the right thing to do. Chiron had warned him and the others, it will be nearly impossible to bring Percy back. But what if Percy is meant to be brought back because this is who he truly is? There is good and there is evil. And Percy was the demigod that represented the darkness. And if what he said was true, his plan to come here, what were his true intentions? Jason didn't want to know. Brining him here was a mistake, and he knew it. Percy can't be saved. There is nothing to save. He got up from his bed and left his room, he couldn't stay alone, his thoughts would drive him mad. He made his way back to the celebration, hoping Percy won't bring Olympus down.

~

"You could at least talk to me, I'm bored." Percy said as he leaned back in his chair. "You're always bored." Piper snapped. He had been trying to start a conversation with her for the past hour. She wouldn't let him get to her, she had promised Jason. Jason, another problem she had to deal with. What Percy had said to him, it snapped something in him. And maybe it was true, maybe Jason was scared of him.

"You see me destroying cities or killing somebody? Of course I'm bored." He replied.

Piper rolled her eyes. "That's not my fault. You're the one who got yourself into this mess."

"Last time I remember; it was your boyfriend who got me into this mess." Percy said, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"He isn't my boyfriend and for the last time, shut up!" Piper yelled. Percy then stood from his chair and made his way towards her. "Go ahead, make me shut up."

Piper stood up from the dusty floor, they were both now face to face. "Don't challenge me, Percy."

"My goodness, you're just like your boyfriend, a coward. I know why you won't force me to do anything. You know I'll somehow get out of here and you're afraid of the things I'll do to you." Percy suggested.

"You won't get out of here, I promise you that. Get comfortable. And for the last time he isn't my boyfriend." Piper stepped closer to him, taunting him. "Now, be a good boy and go back to your chair. Now." Percy's eyes turned darker, her aura appearing around him. However, he didn't resist it as his body was forced to move back and sit down.

"See, that's better." Piper said as she sat back down. Being trapped in that box, it should've drove him to madness. But Percy was stronger than that, even when his body had dissolved to black smoke, captured in a tight space, moving in the darkness. If anything, being trapped in the darkness made him grow closer to it. He was Percy Jackson. Invincible. He had drained all of Tartarus' powers and made it his own. He could defeat that ancient box of power. He just had to get Piper out of his way. That he would enjoy.

His powers were a web of darkness. Present all around him. The box may have restricted him from using his own arsenal of darkness. But that darkness was all around him. The shadows in the room. And the sun was setting, soon Piper would fall before him, begging for mercy. He willed the shadows of the room to do his bidding, a smoke like black form appearing from it. His shadow creped across the wall to where Piper was sitting, too lost in her thoughts to notice that he was about to strike.

The shadow figure stepped out of the wall, standing in front of Piper. By the time she noticed it, it had already lunged, grabbing her by the collar, pulling her up that he legs dangled in the air. Due to the shock, she had dropped the box. She thrashed and pushed against the shadow, but failed miserably. "Piper, Piper, Piper, I warned you. You underestimate me." Percy stood from his chair and strolled towards her, taking his time just to annoy her. He halted next to the shadow, the small box now at his feet. He crushed it under his boot. The wood splattering into pieces.

He instantly felt his powers come back to him, like he had been hit with it. "Let her down." He ordered. The shadow dropped her and dissolved into nothing. Piper fell to her knees, gasping for air. "What a good obedient subject you are Piper, kneeling before your king."

"You're not my king." She said, but her voice cracked, she was shaking with fear. He raised her chin with his finger. "When your king speaks to you, don't look away, it's disrespectful."

"You're not my king!" She yelled.

"Then why are you kneeling before me?" She didn't answer him, she only kept her head down. "Beg. And maybe I'll take it easy on you."

She then looked up, her cheeks shining with tears. "Please Percy, don't do it."

"Do you think I'll kill you? That fun won't last long. And its Lord Percy to you. Try again." He said. He was clearly enjoying it.

"Lord Percy, please. Don't do this, don't destroy Olympus. Leave, you have a whole island for yourself. Leave Olympus in peace." Piper begged.

"Mmm, kneel lower. And maybe I'll consider it." He wouldn't kill her, he wanted her to see him take the throne and kill countless of demigods she cared for. Piper knelt lower, till her forehead touched the floor. "Would you do if I visited your dear father? He must miss you, when's the last time you saw him?"

Now, he could hear her sobbing. "I'll do anything. Anything. But please, leave my dad out of this."

"Under one condition, where did you imprison my army? All of them?" He asked.

"In the dungeons. I'll tell you the directions to it's entrance." She gave him the directions; which Percy already knew where it was. He also knew where his army was, he knew the palace very well. He knew for a fact that he was now in the Titan's palace. He just wanted to see Piper fail her friends, fail everyone. "Stand." He ordered.

She didn't hesitate, she instantly stood up, facing him. He stepped closer to her and slowly stroked her hair. "Jason and the others will be disappointed to hear that you just failed. Right?" She stayed silent, not daring to answer him. She was afraid to day the wrong thing. He sighed. "Your boring me." With a snap of his fingers, she fell into unconsciousness.

Slowly, his body dissolved into black smoke, escaping from the open window to the night sky. The black smoke travelled into the palace, no one noticing it, they were all busy celebrating. But tonight, another army will be celebrating. The smoke travelled through the halls, descending down a staircase that led to the dungeons.

There were no guards guarding the cells, they were all celebrating. The black smoke hit the ground with a loud thud, Percy emerging out of it. In front of him, hundreds of cells lay, spreading out more into the void. His army was in it. The minute they all saw him, the campers and who was left of the Upper guards, they all fell to their knees. He snapped his fingers and all the doors to the cells opened, freeing what remained of his army. Thousands of them. "You didn't think I was actually dead now, did you?" Percy asked, his white grin evident in the darkness. 

~

At this point Hazel wasn't sure whether her splitting headache was from the music or from the conversation with Percy earlier that day. It was way past midnight, and Olympus was still celebrating. Hazel could never understand such things. What as the point of this celebration? So many innocent demigods died from their side. This wasn't right. It was the reason why she didn't take part in the celebration, it was all wrong to her.

Her friends must've had the same thoughts because they were all sitting at the table, silent and observant of the party in the throne room. People danced, drank and laughed. All happy and naive of what was truly going on. That their enemy was in the same palace, alive and well. "We need to go see Annabeth tonight. Talk and reason with her." Frank said, breaking the unbearable silence that had settled between them lately. Jason nodded. "You're right. Frank you'll take watch right now, Piper's probably had enough of Percy." Frank nodded and stood up and was about to make his way out of the throne room when it's doors flew open violently, the night air rushing in. 

The music stopped and silence filled the room. Every god, minor god and demigod turned their attention on the well built tall figure that walked in. Dressed in armour that was black as night. His green-red eyes glowing with power and rage. Gasps and muffled screams echoed across the throne room. 

Percy Jackson, king of Tartarus and the darkness, with Riptide glowing faintly at his side stood there with a smirk on his face. "Now the real celebration could begin."