LET'S GET THINGS STRAIGHT.
I began this story in FIFTH GRADE. It has been so, so long since I have read this series and a lot of stuff has happened. School got harder, my parents got divorced, and I've had to meet a lot of new people because of that.
I know I haven't updated… I'm so sorry… But please don't harass me in the reviews. I have a few minor errors here and there, but again, I was in the fifth grade.
To all the reviewers who have given me feedback, thank you so much! It's because of you that I have been inspired to continue this story.
A special thanks to these guys:
TailsTheFoxx-
This awesome person made fan art. Seriously, how cool is that?! :D You can find them on Deviantart. They are titled Luke and Percy: Another Story and The Hero's Dark Side.
Guy-
Dude, again, I was in fifth grade. But thanks for the idea, that really stuck with me. I hope you don't mind…
Mynamesnotmario-
Thanks for the final push; I hope you enjoy this :)
If I've made the characters too OOC, please tell me how I can fix this to your liking. I will try to research the characters more in the future.
To everyone who enjoys this fanfiction, thanks again for everything you've done!
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And this time, when she hugged me, I didn't push her away. I just sat there, stunned, like a complete moron. And yet I was relieved to hear this new piece of information. I truly believed in Annabeth's vow. As if a huge weight had been lifted, the darkness in my soul completely disappeared. If only for a moment.
And for that one moment, the old Percy Jackson decided to show himself.
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Kronos was well aware of what the blond child was trying to do. Athena's daughter (Annabeth, something or rather,) was attempting to force Percy into the light. It had been the titan's goal to extinguish the son of Poseidon's spirit, turning his family and allies into his most despicable foes. Now, a mere daughter of Athena was trying her will against that of a Titan's.
It truly was a pitiful attempt. To be blatantly honest, he was quite amused by the young demigod's feelings towards the blonde. He really was relieved to hear about her relationship with that one boy, wasn't he? But Perseus was far too long gone, now. It was too late for any sentimental reunions.
Such a nuisance… Kronos thought to himself. Alas, it was useless. He had the boy under his finger. If he so much as stepped out of line, death would surely follow. There would be no other options.
Besides, time was running out. Percy would either die or become a shell for Titan King.
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My hands slowly made their way around Annabeth, returning the hug. She didn't love Tyler, after all… All this time I had been so angry at her, but for what? I should've known Annabeth would never have gone for a guy like him.
I had been acting like a child for so long now, and the anger I felt had blinded me from using my head. Not just from Annabeth, but from others as well. Nico, the Olympians, my parents… At the time, it had all seemed so worth it. Did I really hate them? I'd been alone for so long, I didn't think that anybody would care… They did, though. My father had proven that to me, and now, so had Annabeth. A lot of people resented me, especially since I'd joined the Titans. But not everyone. Not the people I loved the most.
My hands were numb; it took me a moment to realize I was shaking. I felt like I was about to cry. I'd made such an awful mistake. How could I betray everyone after everything we'd been through?
Kronos stirred inside my mind, his irritation becoming present. He knew something was wrong. My skin was burning, but I still clung onto Annabeth. She had become my lifeline to the real world.
…And with a 'snap' it all came crumbling down.
The sound of a twig breaking reawakened my senses. I looked to the right, and with a jolt I pulled Annabeth backward from the oncoming black pillar. It became swallowed in the remaining grapevines behind us, and I quickly turned to see what had happened.
"The fight's not over!" Nico shouted.
Sharpened black stones hovered behind him, radiating a dark and deadly aura. Geokinesis must have been quite helpful in a fight. He glared at me, obviously no longer caring about the blond girl to my right. Or maybe he just couldn't see her; he was blinded by hatred and rage. In my head I wondered if he wanted to kill me. Bring it on, I thought. I won't lose again.
In an odd turn of events, it was I who charged towards Nico, leaving Annabeth away from us instead of drawing him closer. It had all happened so fast, I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking when we (just barely) dodged that rock. She was most likely putting the pieces together as well. If she knew what was good for her, she'd stay back this time.
As I ran to the son of Hades, Riptide drawn, I couldn't help but notice Tyler's unconscious body. It was flipped over, face-first in the dirt with a good sized rock close by. Had Annabeth knocked him out for me? It was shocking, but I couldn't help but feel a little pleased with her work. She must have thrown it from a distance. Smiling, I knew that the daughter of Athena could take care of herself.
A weight formed in my chest, pounding away like never before. My heart rate had quickened. I struck first, sending Anaklusmos towards Nico's head. Scarcely missing, the blade cut off a good chunk of his hair. He was obviously shocked by this, because he stumbled back and nearly fell over. His counter was good though, which contained a series of small and black bullet-like rocks heading my way. One found my ribcage, though I no longer felt pain. When you're a constant bonfire, you get used to these kinds of things. Plus I now had a reason to defeat him.
I didn't want to be angry at the kid, except with the way he was acting it was hard not to. He just wouldn't listen to reason, now would he? Nico missed Bianca, which I could understand, but such a grudge couldn't go unheeded. Let him blow off some steam. He won't beat you this time.
The fight continued. With every attack I wore Nico down more and more, refusing to lose just by sheer force of willpower. I didn't stop to feel how tired I was. Couldn't stop. Over time I could see small cuts and bruises forming across the boy's flesh, and I could perceive his breathing, which had deepened into long, jagged gasps. His energy must have been used up by Luke.
Suddenly, I paused, wondering why Nico had attacked in the first place. Where was Luke?
For a mere second, I took my eyes away from the battle and looked around. Luke, my partner and guide, was lying in the dirt, beaten to a bloody pulp. Even from this distance I could tell he had been cut up pretty badly. Annabeth had realized this as well. A surge of panic rushed through my veins. Well? Would she help him or leave him?
This was all Nico needed to get in a move. Before I could blink, dead hands burst from the earth and latched onto my legs, pulling me down and again forcing Anaklusmos out of my grasp. More arms proceeded to burst from the ground and held me in place, using me as a rope to bring them upwards.
Stupid, stupid, stupid ADHD…
Nico didn't hesitate to chew me out, "You liar!"
"I never lied." I retorted, raising my gaze to meet his, "Nico, you can't hold grudges forever. It's not my fault that Bianca is dead!"
"You promised, Percy…" The boy said, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. "She left me, so I trusted you to protect her. You failed."
I shook my head in irritation, growing increasingly angry. "Just listen to me for once! I did promise, I tried, but in the end it was out of my-"
Hades' son didn't let me finish. I could see tears of fury begin to peak in his eyes and he looked away. I'm not sure if it was involuntary or not, but sharp fragments of rock and earth began hurtling towards me with incredible speed.
No! I began to panic. I couldn't lose again.
What happened next, I'm not sure. But I somehow managed to break the arm of corpse on my left, setting my right hand loose and sending me into action. A jet of water burst from the Styx and shot towards Nico, sending him spiraling into the dirt. His face remained the same, seemingly in a daze. There was no pain present, almost as if he were a ghost. That's when something weird happened:
Nico's body began to twitch.
It started with some rapid eye movements. Then, slowly, the boy arose to his feet, seemingly floating in mid-air. The cuts on his body grew, sending small streaks of red down his face and clothes. He looked as if he was about to say something, but the words just couldn't come out.
"P-Percy…?" He managed, slowly realizing that he was no longer in control of his body.
I looked down and was shocked to see that the dead beings were no longer there. My hands were free, but I wasn't the one moving them. It was Kronos. Alas, he had managed to possess me without my consent.
"Son of Hades, do you love your dear sister so much that you wish to join her?" Kronos' voice bellowed from my mouth, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who heard it.
With a flick of my wrist, a burst of blood erupted from Nico's arm, causing a horrible scream to resonate from his mouth. What was going on? Why couldn't I control myself? Nico… What's happening? My skin began to glow, and suddenly I felt rather fuzzy, like my mind was beginning to melt. The burning sensation was now a full-fledged fire, eating me up from the inside out. My vision began to fade…
Then Luke pushed me into the Styx.
It. Was. Horrible.
It was worse than being hit by that truck. It was worse than being hit with one of Zeus's master bolts. It was even worse than being possessed by the Titan Lord himself.
If I had known the extent of the pain earlier, I may have just let Kronos kill me. The pain was like jumping into a vat of boiling acid, except fifty times worse. No, way worse than that. I had submerged completely under the waves.
With a start, I realized that I could no longer breathe underwater. Was this what it was like to drown? Every nerve was being suffocated by the blackness of the liquid. My skin was dissolving, just like sand on the ocean shore. I saw faces- Mom, Tyson, Annabeth, Grover- but they faded before I could be sure.
I heard my mother's voice, "…I give you my blessing…"
The pain grew, if that was even possible. I had to act quickly. But was being Kronos' host still worth it? The choice was mine. I could still stop this nightmare from happening.
"Your lifeline, Perseus." A dark familiar voice echoed.
And just like that, I could no longer think on my own. A cord connected the base of my arm (the left,) to the shore of the Styx. The bad memories returned. Smelly Gabe, that brat Nico, my father and the other Olympians almost sentencing me to death… These along with other unpleasant thoughts arose in my mind.
No! I didn't care about my past anymore, it was all for the best. My family and friends still loved and accepted me. I was just too blind to see that until now. Smelly Gabe was a jerk, but my mom did it to protect me. My father left for the same reason. Nico… He was a brat, but he had a reason to be. Bianca was all he had left. All the horrors I'd been through had happened for a reason, not because I was the enemy.
Then why did you join the Titans, Percy? I froze. You're a monster. Annabeth's a liar. Caring is just a ruse your family and friends are using to lure you in. What do you think will happen once they've done that, hmm? They certainly can't let the host of Kronos live on.
"I'm not Kronos!" I cried, trying frantically to hold onto the shards of my sanity.
But you are, Percy Jackson. You are.
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(Kronos, 3rd person)
The Titan King arose out of the Styx, his eyes fully golden and Anaklusmos at the ready. He had seized control of Perseus Jackson, but not easily. The daughter of Athena had done better than he'd previously thought. The boy's mind was nothing but a broken mirror. It was already close to snapping, it had been for a while. Annabeth had been doing a quick stitch-up to give him more time. But stitches could be easily cut.
Now, it was time to harness Percy's true potential. Using his godly powers, Kronos healed his servant. Slowly, Luke stood up from the cold earth. He wobbled at first, slowly becoming more stable as time went on. His cuts and gashes healed rapidly. You've done well, Kronos thought, giving Luke a contented glance.
There was a reason he'd wanted Poseidon's son to be his host. He truly was one in a thousand. His powers were much greater than the average demigod, and not just because he was one of the big three. No, it was ability far greater than that.
Percy Jackson had power over water, that much was certain. But there was one element similar to water that only someone superior could control: Blood. It was what he had used to attack Nico, after all.
The Son of Hades no longer mattered to Kronos. The death god's servants would find his unconscious body soon enough. It was the girl he needed to dispose of. After pulling a stunt like that, the Titan Lord couldn't afford a second attempt.
The blond child met his gaze, eyes burning with love for Percy, but hatred for him. Percy's possessed hands twisted strangely, moving with small, complex motions. Annabeth's body stiffened, though you could tell she was struggling to get away. A flick of his wrist and she was unconscious.
As Kronos stepped forward, he was shocked to discover a sudden pounding in his head. Perseus was comatose, but his anger rang clear: "Do this and I'll kill you. Don't think I won't find a way!" Ignoring this, he took another step forward, only to be greeted with a harsher, more violent pounding.
"Very well... But your actions will have consequences!" Kronos hissed.
Just like that, the Titan Lord disappeared; taking his host and Luke along with him.
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I'm currently working on updating my older chapters. They won't be too different, but they'll be greater in detail and more graphic with better grammar. I've already re-finished chapter one.
So, how was this for you? Did you guys like it? Read and review! :)