In Pursuit of Power: Chapter 36

A/N: We're finally back! There's not a huge amount of this story left, so I might start writing chapters when I have free time even on weeks it doesn't do amazing in the polls. Just to bring it to its conclusion.

Chapter 36

The Stand

“Peeercy, here you are!”

Evening was dawning when he found me. My nymph playmates had already retired to their brooks and trunks to recover their energy. I was watching the sunset over the treetops, still shirtless but dressed beneath the waist. Grover galloped up to me at the speed of a horse.

He stopped and smelled the air. His smile got a little more wild.

“Nymphs are fun, right? I understand why the Olympians were always chasing one.”

“They’re pretty good company,” I said.

He collapsed next to me to watch the view. “Who pulls it now?” he wondered, his eyes on the sun. “Hyperion faded ages ago, and there’s no way they left Apollo free.”

“Maybe nobody,” I said. “There’s two suns, remember?”

Apollo explained it once. The sun was a real star a hundred million miles away, but mortals’ idea of the sun was real, too. I once hitched a ride from Maine to Long Island on it.

“It could be,” Grover said. “But what if it’s gods that are making it move? Just… not any of ours?”

“Like, gods from other places?”

“The Romans are real. We’ve met them. Sometimes, I run into things that give me strange feelings,” Grover said. “Like there’s something else out there. Something that’s not us, but not normal either.”

When he said it, my core ached in a weird way. I didn’t like the feeling. I decided to move the conversation along.

“Grover. If we’re both alive, don’t you think there could be a chance that—”

“Wait!”

It wasn’t like him to interrupt me. He shot to his hooves. Grover winced, scowled, and flinched in the space of a second.

“They’re here,” he whispered. 

He spun to me.

“They’re here!”

He grabbed my shoulders, so I had to hold his wrists to stop him from shaking me. “Who is here? Explain it to me buddy.”

“Death. Destruction. The Titans!” 

Something exploded.

Thankfully it wasn’t inside the city. It was from the edge of the forest. A plume of flames shot into the air, followed five seconds later by a shockwave. Grover flinched like he’d stubbed his toe.

“The treeeeees,” he bleated. “The treeeeeees!”

I remembered that all of this came from him. Originally, his blood had spilled on the desert’s sand, and life formed from there. The trees were part of him… and they were going down fast.

To go with the flames water flooded through the forest, ripping out roots and sweeping away the animals we’d seen that day. Grover screamed. I couldn’t tell if it was pain or anger, maybe both. His skin turned green and his height grew. I grabbed his arm before he could hurl himself toward the cause of the destruction.

“I know this hurts,” I said. “But think of the city.”

Reason returned to Grover’s eyes. His anger simmered into a controllable rage until I felt safe letting go of his his arm.

“Something was on our tail at the coliseum. Could they have followed us?” I asked.

“They must have,” Grover said.

“But who is it?”

“Krios,” Grover said. “Atlas. Oceanus.”

“Three of the oldest Titans are here?”

“Krios isn’t the strongest of his brothers,” Grover said. “He isn’t the smartest, either. But he’s the craftiest. He knows how to use help without hurting his pride. While Hyperion made sure he was alone and Menoetius surrounded himself with losers, Krios made alliances with some of the strongest beings in the world. He found what they liked and brought them to his side. He’s never alone. That’s his greatest strength.”

The destruction was creeping closer. “We have to evacuate the city. We can’t stop them all.”

“I have plans,” Grover promised. “I knew this day might come. Take everyone to the tunnels. I’ll hold them off.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, and what he saw made his expression look like we were back at Yancy Academy.

“No,” he said. “It’s my home, Percy. I’ve gotta be the one who protects it!”

“You know the evacuation plan. The forest is part of your body. If anyone can lead them out of here, it’s you.”

“There are three elder Titans! You can’t do it alone! We’ll… We’ll both go…”

My expression didn’t change. The hope in Grover’s eyes dimmed. He knew what he had to do, he just hated it.

“When everyone is safe, I’m coming back,” he said.

“Not if I win and catch up with you first.”

My voice was full of bravado I didn’t feel. I knew that I was strong, just look at Hyperion. But I wasn’t delusional about my chances.

I wasn’t giving up on Kronos. I would hold them off, escape, and join my people again once they were safe. Being a god was all about acting on your desires. I would make this happen.

Grover sprung away, sprinting into the city. His voice rose over the clamor of the attack, organizing people and animals at the speed of a darting animal. I faced the direction the damage was coming from. My true form enveloped me. I launched myself to the front of the city, and there I waited.

O-O-O

“You are not the god of the wild.”

They arrived as a trio. Oceanus was the first to speak, his voice mellow and curious despite the situation. My father’s predecessor was huge in height with a broad frame and a mossy seaweed beard. Bull horns curved off of his head, and he wasn’t even in his true form yet.

“I recognize this one!”

That was Atlas, or the General as I’d known him. The last time I saw him was with Artemis, working together to trap him underneath the weight of the sky. He was wearing a suit and dark sunglasses like the mortal mercenaries he loved to hire. 

“He used to be a hero,” Atlas announced. “The child of the prophecy who battled Kronos. I don’t know how he became a god… he was always full of slimy little tricks.”

“Big talk,” I said. “Should I shove you under the sky again?”

Atlas spat at me, his glistening saliva covering the distance with unnatural ease. I tilted my head to the side, letting it miss. “Gross.”

The last Titan laughed and clapped. This one I’d never met, but I’d heard stories. The Ruler of the South. Kronos’ brother. Krios.

He had the eyes of Prometheus— a schemer’s eyes. Krios’s looked mostly human right now, handsome even, but his muscular body was built for war.

“What a treat!” he said. “You’ll be a fantastic draw in my arena. I can already see the advertisements. Come one, come all, and watch mortals’ last hope battle to the death! How many wounds can he handle before he fades? We’re taking bets now!”

I fought the urge to tell him to shut up. The longer he yapped for, the more time I could stall.

Somehow, it was like he read my mind.

“If you’re standing here… You must be trying to let my property escape.”

“You have no property here,” I said.

He made a game-show-style buzzer sound. “Incorrect. Cutting chains off my slaves doesn’t make them not slaves, it just makes them stolen. I’ll be collecting now. With interest.”

“I’m glad you’re immortal,” Atlas said. “It means you’ll survive enough blows to make this fun.”

“...I bear no grudge against you,” Oceanus said. “This is business, young one.”

They changed.

Atlas’ true form looked like the ultimate NFL player. His muscles had muscles that had muscles. He was basically a titanic hunk of well defined meat, ripped enough to drive any bodybuilder self-esteem problems.

Oceaunus’ beard grew past his waist. Scales appeared along his legs and torso, while his arms changed into serpents with jaws where his hands should be.

Krios was shrouded in black obsidian armor. He had a plumed helmet in the same dark color. Other than his height, not much about him changed— not his smug face, not his crafty eyes, and not the slimy vibe he gave off.

True to my impression of him, Krios slowed down a step while he was charging. While Atlas and Oceanus struck without hesitation, Krios lagged and watched. He was hedging his bets, just in case I was strong enough to hurt them.

I took Atlas’ punch right on the jaw, turning my head. It felt like a bomb had gone off against my skin. At the same time, I caught the neck of one of Oceanus’ snake arms.

Krios’ tentative approach worked against him. I channeled the power from both blows I’d taken into my mouth. Like a hydra spitting acid, I blasted him in the chest with a roar of pure force.

He was sent hurtling back. If he didn’t dig his spear shaft into the ground and hang on for dear life, he might’ve flown for miles. He wasn’t hurt when he stood up, but he ran a hand over his obsidian breastplate. Small chips were falling off.

“My mind changed,” Krios said. “He can’t live. Make him fade.”

A javelin materialized out of thin air in Atlas’ hands. Oceanus attacked with his other hand, adding more fangs to the frey. I didn’t want to see what would happen if I let myself get bitten. Those teeth smelled like poison. 

I let Atlas hit me in the stomach with the shaft of his javelin. I flew away— but before I got far, I kicked him in the chest. He skidded back while I was launched through the air. When I landed in a crouch, I had to bend my head to dodge an arrow. Krios was firing them from a low bong as tall as he was.

My stomach ached slightly after taking a single one of Atlas’ blows. He was stronger than Hyperion had been. Worse, he looked perfectly fine after taking my return blow. A vague memory popped into my head, reminding me that his domain was endurance. In other words, he was a fast and strong tank on two legs. No wonder he was legendary in the first war.

I’d proven that I had some tricks, which meant this was where things started for real.

Oceanus spat vast amounts of seawater, turning his neck like a hose. Water seeped into the ground and made it muddy and hard to step on. It didn’t slow Atlas down, who plowed straight through, or hinder Krios, who was stationary with his bow.

Whenever I tried to move, Krios would send arrows at my head. He was no Apollo or Artemis, but he was still a damn good shot. Atlas lifted his arm and hurled his javelin at my chest.

It was too fast to dodge. I reacted without thinking and grabbed the shaft. It slid forward a few inches until my grip stopped it in the nick of time, the tip nearly brushing my chest.

I realized the attack had been a distraction when Atlas closed the distance in an instant. He grabbed the other end of the shaft and suplexed my whole body. I hit the ground headfirst, burying up to my ankles.

It was dark and tight being forced underground, but I hadn’t taken much damage. The force of the attack accumulated in my fist as I threw a punch. Dirt exploded everywhere, giving me cover to pull myself free.

I barely sensed the arrow coming toward my back. I tried to knock it aside, but it was heavy and hot, like a hunk of metal breaking through the atmosphere.

The force spun me around, at which point Oceanus struck. One arm missed, but the second one sunk its fangs into my shoulder. I’d been right. Poison entered my system as soon as my skin broke. It tried to create distance and ended up getting too much. Atlas caught me while my feet were off the ground and launched me like a bullet into the city.

My body reduced evacuated wooden homes to splinters. I dug my fingers into the ground to slow my flight. As soon as I wasn’t flying, I strained my arms and hurled myself forward. I met Atlas head-on as he chased me. Pulling a move that would have been suicide against Hyperion, I used put my godly forehead to good use and slammed it into his skull, regurgitating the power of the last three heavy hits I’d taken. Even Atlas was temporarily stunned.

I ripped his javelin out of his hands and threw it at Oceanus. He was forced to cross his serpent arms and block. The javelin pierced through the neck of both snakes, the point barely stopping in front of his neck. 

Another of those superheated, supercharged arrows Krios was firing tried to take my head off. Now that I knew it was coming, it wouldn’t be hard to dodge. Instead, I let it hit my shoulder.

The skin broke, spraying ichor. More ichor spilled when I wrenched the arrow out and threw it like a dart. Krios had better offense than he had defense. The arrow hit the side of his plumed helmet and chipped the obsidian.

It occurred to me that I’d done what I said I would do. I had stalled them. If I wanted to run, this was the best chance I would get, before they understood my tricks. Once they realized I was directing their power back at them, they’d be able to plan around that. I’d seen their coordination first-hand. Surely my people had escaped by now.

As soon as I considered running, though, something happened. I smelled the smoke and saw my surroundings more clearly. The haven Grover created was on fire now, matching the woods that surrounded it. Everything he’d built had been ripped down in a night. The damage needed compensation. The pain these beings had dealt needed reimbursement, I had to make the hurt—

Atlas grabbed my ankles.

“Should have run, godling,” he said.

I tried to shake him off but there was no way. His grip was too strong. Oceanus grabbed the javelin tip with his teeth and pulled it all the way through his arms, widening his wounds but allowing him to move again. While Atlas held me still he lunged, sending his fangs to dig into my arms. I tried to hold him back, but without any blows to turn into power, my strength failed against his. The serpents got to my shoulders and dug their teeth in, making me bellow.

Krios wasn’t so far away now. He casually lined up a shot with his bow, methodically taking aim.

“Were you trying to stall for your servants to escape?” Krios’ voice was conversational. I couldn’t move, the Titans’ grips holding me down while venom weakened my body. “It was useless from the beginning. Did you think I only have this many allies? The rest of my associates will be bringing them back any second. I’m almost tempted to keep you alive so that you can watch… but I think not. It’s safer to eliminate you now.”

“Why?” I was still trying to buy time. “Are you scared of me?”

“Yes,” Krios said. “That’s why I’m going to eliminate you.”

Something weird was happening with his notched arrow. It was glowing, orangish heat swirling around it. The aura surrounding it kept getting bigger. It felt like I wasn’t standing in front of an arrow anymore, but a force of nature: a shooting star.

Krios’ arms started to buckle faintly as if they were holding something supremely heavy. A sinking feeling developed in my gut— but also, strangely, an eager one. 

Part of me wanted this attack to land.

“Goodbye godling,” Krios said.

He released his arrow. Atlas let go of my ankles and rolled away. Oceaunus un-sunk his fangs and threw himself back. The poisoning was weakening my body… but I still lifted my arms protectively as I was struck.

The explosion that went off shook the ground across the entire state. Despite originally being an arrow, the impact felt blunt. I was blown away as if Typhon had dropkicked me.

But I didn’t fade.

This wasn’t a killing wound, no matter how much it hurt. I was launched airborne with burning wooden wreckage.

When Atlas and Oceanus grabbed me, I thought they’d figured out my trick. It turns out, they were just giving Krios time to land a monstrous attack. They hadn’t figured it out at all.

I felt like I was at the precipice of a very deep sleep. My brain was begging me to let go and slink into slumber, probably to recover the damage my body had suffered. But I held on. The violent thoughts that made me hesitate to retreat were still burning in my head. I funneled every scrap of power from Krios’ into my hands and clapped.

A shockwave shot toward the three Titans I battled. They hadn't expected it. Only Krios managed to throw himself back and dodge. Oceanus and Atlas were caught in the blast.

Atlas’ domain kept him in one piece. His arm and leg snapped in ways that would take time to heal, and he was beaten into the ground as a crater formed. I could hear his pained bellow from where I was in the sky.

Oceanus didn’t get the chance to scream. Maybe in water he would’ve been the strongest of the three, but he was out of his depth on land. When the shockwave hit him, his body was broken down so badly that it turned into bubbles, disappearing to Tartarus or the ocean’s depths to slowly and painfully reform. I smiled, full of savage satisfaction that I wasn’t used to feeling.

I held on against unconsciousness for as long as possible. I kept flying, and flying, and flying. The force of Krios’ best attack was tremendous. It was like I’d been spat out of Saint Helens for a second time.

When the landing finally came, it bent my body in unhealthy ways. I probably looked like a mess of ichor and warped limbs. Blinking three times, I felt the sleep I’d been staving off come over me.

But before it could fade, I saw something. I had landed in a field of snow. Not far away, a bird landed and became a girl. I couldn’t see anything about her except that she was holding a staff.

The last thing I remember experiencing was an odd twisting in my gut, the same one I felt when talking to Grover about what else might be out there in the world.