Ch. 5

Thalia sat on a stool in front of the kitchen counter. A bacon, egg and cheese sandwich sat partially eaten in front of her as she enjoyed the silence of the home as the two children of Hades continued to sleep.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of how she was going to escape this rather benign prison to which she and the two younger demigods had been taken. In another situation, she likely would
have enjoyed this place, a break from the monotony of Camp Half-Blood. It was peaceful and actually quite beautiful if she really thought about it.

The dream of Perseus and Artemis from their childhood also played in her mind.

The way they'd interacted and played, it was clear they had been close. It made his reaction to her mention make more sense as well. When he'd been banished from Olympus, it was her betrayal that had hurt him the most.

She almost caught herself feeling sympathetic for him before she reminded herself that he'd taken her prisoner, even if her surroundings seemed nothing like a jail.

"Not hungry?"

She almost fell backwards off her stool when Perseus appeared on the other side of the counter, eyeing her plate curiously.

"Gods!" She growled as she caught herself. "Don't do that, you creep!"

Her words were harsh but they didn't sour his expression. He reached over and grabbed the remains of her sandwich and took a big bite before setting it back on her plate.

"Didn't mean to startle you," he said with a mouth full of food.

Thalia glared at him, "Do I look like I care about your intentions? You kidnapped me. You should just kill me and get it over with because I will never help you."

Perseus began to play with a ring on his left ring finger, spinning it around the digit absentmindedly.

"You have me all figured out, don't you?"

Thalia shoved her plate towards him. It slid across the countertop and hit him in the chest before dropping and smashing on the floor.

Perseus looked down at it lazily and then waved his hand and the plate materialized back in front of her, the partially eaten sandwich sitting there like it'd never moved. She shoved it at him again but this time he caught it, stopping the plate in front of him and grabbing the sandwich again and finishing it in two quick bites.

"I don't want to figure you out! You're a creep who kidnaps kids and takes them to your creepy little beach house because you're a psycho!"

He raised an eyebrow as he swallowed down the last of her breakfast.

"You know, you should work on your people skills. I have every intention of letting you return to your little camp."

That surprised Thalia but she covered it up with a sneer.

"Good! Then send us back!"

Perseus raised a finger, "You can return. The other two cannot go to Camp Half-Blood or are you really naive enough to think Zeus would allow two demigod children of Hades live amongst the rest of his little pawns?"

Thalia opened her mouth to snap back at him but her tongue failed her. She didn't actually haver a retort to that comment. She had heard plenty about children of Hades and her father would undoubtedly do something to make sure they were not a threat.

"Fine! I don't even know them! Just send me back!"

He just leaned back and his stool transformed into it a large leather chair.

"In time. I cannot simply return you, it would not be safe for you."

She growled under her breath, "Shut up! Camp is my home! Its the only safe place for me!"

Perseus gave her a somewhat bored expression.

"And when the gods ask what I wanted you for and you don't have an answer... then what? They just take you at your word? You demigods these days are not familiar with the true nature of the gods."

He had kicked his feet up, the foot rest rising up as he sat with his hands in his lap. He continued to play with the ring on his finger which only made Thalia's frustration grow.

"What is that? Are you married? Let me guess, your wife left you when you betrayed the gods too?"

A chill ran down her spine when a look of rage crossed his face, though it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Don't speak about things you know nothing of, child." He kept his tone even but Thalia could tell she'd struck a nerve.

"You kidnapped me! I'll say whatever I want!" Thalia was rolling now. She wanted nothing more than to make this insufferable immortal as upset as possible. "Oh no! Poor, Perseus, dumped by his wife and now he just wallows around with only his ring to remember her by! Boo Fricken Hoo!"

Perseus jumped to his feet, both his hands smashing into the kitchen counter between them. The marble top erupted as it was smashed to pieces. Thalia stood up and backed away as fast as she could but Perseus was in front of her in an instant. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and picked her up off the ground, shoving her into the far wall as he put his face inches from hers.

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME OR WHAT I'VE ENDURED. I'VE SUFFERED ENOUGH PAIN THAT YOUR LITTLE MORTAL FORM WOULD DISINTEGRATE IF YOU HAD TO ENDURE JUST A FRACTION OF IT!"

Tears streaked down her face from the sheer terror of his rage.

"YOU WANT TO PLAY THE TOUGH GIRL CARD? LET'S SEE JUST HOW TOUGH YOU ARE!"

Before she could respond, they both vanished in a swirl of black energy, leaving only the remains of the countertop and a crack in the wall as evidence of their struggle.

-X-

The three Olympians had been hunting Perseus for over a week. The winter solstice was only a few days away and they were no closer to capturing him than they'd been when they began. They would find his trail and follow it for a couple days only to lose him right as they thought they were closing in. Their failures were beginning to weigh on the group as they all had different opinions of what they should do.

"I will never forgive you for this Artemis." Hermes growled as they stood in the middle of a forest of redwoods in northern California. "The fact you thought I would want to help you shows me how little you've changed."

Artemis narrowed her silver eyes at the god of messengers but did not respond.

"Are you that much of a fool to think that was an accident?" Athena asked condescendingly. "Oh my, you really are that stupid." The goddess feigned laughter though she did not find anything about this humorous.

"Ohhhh!" Hermes smiled sardonically. "And you, the brilliant Athena! You, I understand quite well. You present yourself as Zeus' brilliant strategist but you are nothing but a petty little Daddy's girl. I'm sure nothing would please you more than to bring him back in chains to Daddy dearest."

Athena's grey eyes turned icy. She took a step towards Hermes but Artemis cut in before this could escalate further.

"Quiet! Both of you!" She snapped. "Yes Hermes, I am well aware of your feelings about this. I did not consider your feelings because their is little I care less about in this world than keeping you happy."

Hermes opened his mouth to say something when Athena cut him off.

"Wait!" Her eyes were narrowed as she scanned the area around them. "We're being watched."

Artemis and Hermes both followed Athena's eyes, they all sensed what she'd felt and their skin crawled at the sensation of being surveyed.

"It's probably just Zeus..." Hermes began but then stopped when a figure materialized twenty feet in front of him. But unlike Athena, his face fell when he laid eyes on it.

"By Chaos, you three squabble like little children. To think, you actually believed you could track me down."

Perseus leaned against a Redwood and eyed the three Olympians with distaste.

"I see you didn't grow any smarter in your exile, Perseus." Athena's face was full of satisfaction as she knew he wouldn't be able to elude them now.

"What? You think you've won? Perhaps you will capture me. Of course to do that, you'd have to make a sacrifice I don't think you're ready to make."

Athena's eyes narrowed and Perseus waved his hand. A mist formed and inside it was sight that made both Hermes and Athena pale.

Annabeth and Luke both stood in chains inside a dark cavern. The only light in the room came from a swirling vortex coming through a hole in the top of the cavern. The vortex came down and rested on the shoulders of a dark haired girl in tattered clothes. Her face was beaded with sweat and her body looked like it was slowly being crushed under the weight being forced on it.

Thalia Grace tried to push through the pain but her body was already failing her.

Suddenly, a large man in a silk suit stepped from the shadows laughing at the daughter of Zeus' agony.

"Such spirit in this one!" The giant cackled. "But it appears that even she will break under such a burden!"

"Let her go!" Luke screamed and tried to run towards Thalia. His shackles were yanked backwards hard and he landed roughly on his back.

"No, no no." The man laughed. "There will be none of that. You will sit here and watch her slowly be crushed under the weight of the sky, a burden I held for millennia!"

"What do you want?" Annabeth sobbed as she looked between her friend and the Titan Atlas.

His lips curled into a cruel smile, "To give you a choice, of course. This girl won't survive the hour, the strength of a mortal cannot withstand the burden for long. But perhaps, if you are willing, the three of you together will be able to survive the weight long enough for your replacements to be found."

"Annabeth," Thalia whimpered. "Don't. Do. It." The words came out as grunts before she dropped to a knee, unable to stand under the weight any longer.

"I'll do it!" Luke yelled as he struggled back to his feet. "Free me and I will join her!"

"I will too. The gods will come. They will free us and put you back where you belong!" Annabeth snapped.

Thalia shook her head but she couldn't even get the words out to protest their decision.

Atlas smiled and rubbed his hands together, "I so very hope you're right." He snapped his fingers and the shackles binding both demigods vanished. They both raced forward and crawled beside Thalia. They both got into crouches and raised their hands as they pushed with everything they had. Slowly, the burden was raised until Thalia was able to rise from her knee.

Atlas began laughing hysterically as he watched his three new prisoners stuck under the burden their godly parents had forced him to endure.

The image vanished and Perseus crossed his arms as he grinned at the three stunned Olympians.

"Guess you have a choice," he chuckled. "Capture me and bring me back to Zeus, or come to Othrys and save your children from certain death."

Perseus melted into the shadow of the redwood and vanished from sight.

Neither Hermes nor Athena spoke. Instead, they went supernova and vanished from the woods. They reappeared in front of Othrys and immediately looked up to find Perseus standing beside their children as they strained to not be crushed under the sky.

"I swear that if it is with my last breath, I will destroy you for this!" Athena spat as she took a step towards her daughter. A golden net dropped from above and ensnared the goddess before she could get any closer.

Atlas appeared beside the goddess grinning manically. He grabbed the net and pulled it away, leaving Hermes staring in disbelief at Perseus who was now holding a stick in his hand. He poked Luke in the ribs and almost made him lose his grip. All three demigods whimpered as the weight shifted a little. Streaks of grey ran through their hair as they struggled.

"Hmm," Perseus chuckled. "Let's see if they can survive that again." He made to poke Luke again when Hermes shouted.

"No! Stop this Perseus, please!"

Perseus pulled the stick back and used it to scratch his back.

"We both know there is only one way for you to save them, Hermes. Take their place and I swear on the River Styx, I will let them free."

Thunder rumbled overhead and Hermes closed his eyes, a look of defeat covering his face.

"This is wrong, Perseus."

"Perhaps," Perseus surmised. "But let's just say a few millennia in exile can really distort ones view of right and wrong. Make your choice Hermes or we'll see how ticklish your boy is."

Perseus placed the stick near Luke's ribs.

"Okay! I'll do it!" Hermes yelled. "Just stop!"

Perseus grinned and waved his hand towards the demigods, showing Hermes the way in. The god of messengers stepped up to where the sky was being held from the earth. He gave Perseus a look of pleading but the god of night did not relent.

Hermes stepped under the burden and raised his hands as the veins in his arms started popping from his skin. He used his leg and shoved the three demigods out from under the sky, taking the full weight himself.

Hermes almost lost his grip on the sky when the images of the three demigods shimmered. They merged together until they formed into the single form of a hulking figure.

The Titan Atlas rolled over, panting heavily but a huge grin had spread across his face. Perseus leaned down and offered his hand, which the Titan took gratefully. Perseus pulled him to his feet and the two embraced briefly.

"What the..." Hermes was too stunned to even get the question out.

Perseus ignored him as he and Atlas grinned at each other.

"I had my doubts," Atlas admitted.

"I told you it would work. Hecate's illusions are good enough to fool even the gods."

A beautiful dark haired woman appeared beside the two immortals with a golden net containing one enraged wisdom goddess.

"Nicely done, Hecate. Everything worked perfectly." Perseus complimented. "Now, with Athena captured and Hermes stuck under the sky, we can begin preparations for war."

"What have you done, Perseus?" Hermes groaned from under his new burden.

Perseus finally looked up at him, his smile threatening to split his face in two.

"What does it look like? We're going to destroy the gods and replace them under our new king, the soon to rise Lord Kronos."

"You'll never succeed you fool!" Athena bellowed from inside her golden net. Perseus took a step forward and kicked the goddess right in the face, knocking her flat on her back.

"I've waited more than two millennia to say this to you," Perseus growled as he leaned down close to her face. "Shut that big fucking mouth of yours, Athena."

A.N: Plot twist anyone?