All Heroes Fall

If you've ever seen a cat that's been run over by a truck, then you'd know how I feel right about now. I take the ring off of my index finger and am about to shove it down Percy's throat when I have an idea. "Nico, I need to ask you a favor," I whisper in his ear. Nico eyed me warily and hesitantly nods one time. The black in his eyes deepen. I pull him aside from the group and we begin conversing in hushed tones. "You're a really powerful demigod-god Nico, you know that right?" He again nods, more sure of it, and of himself. "I need you to create something. Something really powerful, and something really scary. Something so scary, it gets a god's attention. . ."

~


"MORE POWER, COME ON FOR SOMEONE WHO TALKS TO DEAD PEOPLE YOUR IMAGINATION IS LACKING IN THE DEATH AND SCARY DEPARTMENT." Jason snickers at my taunts as Nico's rage deepens and he begins the second round of his deadly disaster. The ground begins to split open and the sky begins blacken into the same hue as Kronus' very soul. The clouds gather and rain starts to pour and Polybotes stirs again and again. He will wake any second now, and we need to be ready. Thunder roars and lightning flashes and still, nothing happens.

"CRANK IT UP WOULD YA." I yell to Nico. I know I'm probably stressing him out and putting him on the spot, which he hates. So the sooner he gets a god, the sooner he can stop. And then I can apologize, but that's not exactly a pressing issue at the moment. I look at Percy, and a word doesn't even need to leave the hole in my face for him to understand. He re-sheaths his sword and closes his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths as the sky darkens even more than it already had. We are covered in the shade of a typhoon raging above us and yet no god has still appeared. I begin to stress when Leo comes to the rescue. Surprisingly.

"No need to worry wise, chick. Or whatever the hell he calls you. I got you covered." He smirks and blasts fire all around the arena until there is nothing but open flame. And the fire begins to spread. Out into the forest, burning everything in it’s wake. With the forest, the fire also takes countless monsters and their screams with them. A boom sounds from deep within the sky, and I know this wasn't Jason, or Percy, or Nico. The commander's come to join us for the party. What little population of monsters that were left, are scrambling for an exit at the sound of Zeus's return. Soon the arena is empty and it's just a handful of natural disasters and one angry, awake, monster. He descends from the sky in a cloud and shouts for all destruction to stop. Silence returns as abruptly as it always has when we are in trouble. But this time, we are happy to see it come.

"What is the meaning of this destruction? Are you fools asking for us to incinerate you lot?" Zeus's heavy breathing comes to a hault when he spies his own son. "You.You are supposed to be an example to these rats. You're supposed to be a leader. How can you, lead, when you're the one fueling the fire!"

"Actually, your, airy-ness" Leo says nervously. “I believe the fueling’s coming from these babies.” He guiltily shakes his hands in front of the Olympian King. Zeus looks as if he will explode from anger and choke Leo to death. But his anger is redirected at the throaty laugh that sounds from behind him.

"The Sky God, losing his temper over eight, foolish, children. I always thought you hopped off that high horse of yours sometime. Evidently not, you just lower it enough to blast anyone you dislike in the moment." He laughs at his own terrible joke as we all look expectantly to the god. Zeus does nothing but stare the monster down, seemingly to mentally stab the creature when the silence become unbearable.

"Well?!" Piper asks impatiently. "Are you going to help us destroy dirt face over here or not? Maybe we should just pray and hope we get a better god?" I wince at her words but am thankful somebody said anything at all. Zeus gives us the same smirk Jason carries with him. He turns to Percy.

"I do not take orders from children. Especially superficial arrogant ones. But I am willing to make an exception, love.” He turns to Percy with a determined look in his eyes.“Well Perseus, I do believe we have work to do." Percy nods and they both charge the weakened monster on his knees. They both take their swords in hand, and simultaneously pierce the monster's flesh. They watch as he slowly turns to ash and disintegrates into the ground, returning to Tartarus, whose doors still happen to be open. Nico shuffles back and falls into the shadows.

An hour or so later, he returns ragged and weak. But he nods and gives us all what looks to be a smile. We all understand the message clearly. The doors are closed for good.

Notes