Chương 60: Atlas
Thalia spat at Luke landing on his face. He wiped it off sadly making the General chuckled. "So much for old friends. And you, Zoe. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you."
"Do not respond," Artemis groaned. "Do not challenge him." However, Percy did not have fear. It's probably because he was a little dumb. Don't tell him that though.
"Wait a second, You're Atlas?" The mountain was shaking and even more, monsters fell from the cliff. He looked at the Liontari and at Percy. However part of his focus was on the mountain shaking. He feared that the whole thing would crumble to dust.
"So, even the stupidest of heroes can finally figure something out. Yes, I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. Congratulations. I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl."
"You're not going to hurt Zoe we won't let you." Bianca readied her bow, Annabeth her swords, and Thalia her spear and Shield.
The General sneered. "You have no right to interfere, little heroes. This is a family matter."
They all looked at Zoe and back to Atlas. "A family matter?" Only Kurayami knew who her father was as he did not tell anyone else. It was not his place to say.
"Yes," Zoe said bleakly. "Atlas is my father."
The horrible thing was: they could see the family resemblance. Atlas had the same regal expression as Zoe, the same cold proud look in his eyes that Zoe sometimes got when she was mad, though on him it looked a thousand times more evil. He was all the things they originally disliked about Zoe, with none of the good.
"Let Artemis go, I know you fear Kurayami. As soon as he finishes with Ladon he will come here, father." Zoe demanded.
Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Fear him? No daughter, why would I, a mighty titan fear a fallen angel, Longinus or not? As for Artemis, perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest. "
Zoe opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you. Just wait for Kurayami. He will deal with this soon."
Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.
"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Krono" Zoe shook her head as they were foolish. Kurayami had told them about Shiva and how he was the strongest without a doubt if you don't include Ophis and Great Red.
Percy looked at Annabeth she was the one who would volunteer to take the sky. With luck her touki would let her deal with it for longer. Percy was slow on the uptake as usual.
"I don't understand. Why cant Artemis just let go of the sky?"
Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape. " Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you. "
He approached them, studying Thalia, Bianca, Percy, and Annabeth. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Besides the blond, not much of a challenge."
"Fight us," Percy said. "And let's see," Liontari growled and Atlas looked at it.
"So much for that lion, I sent after you. I saw how easy the fallen tames beasts. As for you son of Poseidon, have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead. "
"So you're another coward," Annabeth and Bianca looked at him like he was a fool. Why would he keep taunting Atlas? Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia and Bianca.
"As for you two, daughters of Hades and Zeus. You know both your fathers hate each other why bother working together? You could join us and rule. How wrong Luke was?"
"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. If they didn't hate his guts so much, they almost would've felt sorry for him. "Thalia, Annabeth, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"
He waved his hand, and next to him a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. They could imagine Bessie in that pool. In fact, the more they thought about it, the more they were sure they could hear Bessie mooing.
"Don't think about him!" Suddenly Grover's voice was inside Percy's mind—the empathy link. Grover could feel Percy's emotions. He was on the verge of panic. "I'm losing Bessie. Block the thoughts!"
Percy tried to make his mind go blank. he tried to think about basketball players, skateboards, the different kinds of candy in his mom's shop. How his mom was in a harem. Anything but Bessie.
"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods. "
"Luke…" Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"
"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"
Thalia shook her head. "Luke you are a fool. The Greeks don't rule the world. At best they only rule a part of it. Even if the titans rose they would rule the western civilizations." Luke looked as if his world was crumbling. He shook his head.
"You lie. The Greeks rule the world and Kronos will take over." Atlas did not want Luke to falter now. Even if they could not rule the world they could wage war and take over more.
"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, Annabeth if you two don't agree…"
His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please." His life depended on Thalias joining his cause. And they were afraid Thalia might believe it, too.
"Do not, Thalia," Zoe warned. "We must fight them." Bianca grabbed her hand and begged her.
"You can't do this." Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame.
Annabeth shook her head. "No. I can't believe I thought of you as a brother. You were family Luke." Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, they saw images in the mist all around them, black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around them.
However parts of it kept crumbling again from the fight taking place between Ladon and Kurayami.
"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia, Annabeth. We are not weak. Kurayami while strong can't beat Ladon. If he can't beat Ladon how will he best lord Atlas."
Atlas coughed once while he was confident he could kill Ladon he definitely could not do it easily. That's just how strong the dragons were and Kurayami was fighting one right now. He hoped that Luke kept believing in his might or the plan would end.
Luke pointed toward the ocean, and their heart fell. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the Princess Andromeda was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hell hounds, harpies, and other things they couldn't even name.
The whole ship must've been emptied, because there were hundreds, many more than Percy had seen on board last summer. And they were marching toward them. In a few minutes, they would be here. However the army was intercepted by Tyrant, Castiel, Zhang, Aurora and Blitz. All of Kurayami's pets were out as he sent them before he fought Ladon.
For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear.
"You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore. Just don't fight and this will be easier."
"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me… Don't make him destroy you." Kurayami's pet's had the army and they seemed in great spirits as they got to stretch and fight their hearts out. Above the sky formed a huge ball of black fire and it crashed against the army. Castiel's body was covered in holy and light while spears of light crashed against the army.
"Now," Annabeth said. They all charged at their foes. Thalia went straight for Luke. The power of her shield was so great that his dragon-women bodyguards fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving him alone.
But despite his sickly appearance, Luke was still quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counterattacked. When his sword, Backbiter, met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.
As for Percy, he did the stupidest thing in his life, which is saying a lot. He attacked the Titan Lord Atlas. Atlas laughed as he approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armor. "Go on, then!"
"Percy!" Zoe said. "Beware!" The whole thing about ancient laws only applied to normal mortals. Any supernatural race was free to attack by immortals and Percy just fit the bill. He swung his sword, and Atlas knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. Percy flew through the air and slammed into a black wall. It wasn't Mist anymore. The palace was rising, brick by brick.
"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoe's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge me that you could stand up to me? Those are two different things."
Annabeth rushed to Artemis's side and cut off her restraints. "The sky, give it to me. Now."
"No, girl," Artemis said. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver.
"You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"
"No it wont." Her body ignited in dense touki and she stepped next to Artemis and braced herself on one knee—holding up her hands—and touched the clouds. For a moment, Artemis and Annabeth bore the weight together. It was the heaviest thing Annabeth ever felt. However, she preferred this to fight Kurayami. That was scary, not this."
Her touki was making this easier and she braised while Liontari was worried for her. Annabeth just thought one thought. 'I am turning into a fallen angel next time. Fuck this shit.' Then Artemis slipped out from under the burden. Every muscle in Annabeth's body turned to fire. Her bones felt like they were melting. She wanted to scream, but she didn't have the strength to open her mouth. Her touki was keeping her together while she just hoped that Kurayami hurried up.
There was Atlas in full battle armor, jabbing with his javelin, laughing insanely as he fought. And Artemis, a blur of silver. She had two wicked hunting knives, each as long as her arm, and she slashed wildly at the Titan, dodging and leaping with unbelievable grace. They both had to hold back as if they went all out their fight would be just as wild as Kurayami's.
Atlas could not risk Luke and the same for Artemis who would not risk the demigods who went to save her. Zoe shot arrows at her father, aiming for the chinks in his armor. He roared in pain each time one found its mark, but they affected him like bee stings. He just got madder and kept fighting. He wanted nothing more than use his true might, but it would kill Luke. He regretted bringing him here.
Thalia and Luke went spear on sword, lightning still flashing around them. Thalia pressed Luke back with the aura of her shield. Even he was not immune to it. He retreated, wincing and growling in frustration.
"Yield!" Thalia yelled. "You never could beat me, Luke. "
He bared his teeth. "Well see, my old friend. "
They all heard one last howl and heavy pressure that was unlike what they felt. Artemis and Atlas froze and looked toward Kurayami who had activated his abyss side balance breaker. Atlas shivered while Artemis used the moment he was distracted to impale his left leg with her hunting knives and yet Atlas punched at her face.
Zoe panicked and jumped on her father's back driving her blade through his back and yet he just slapped her away hitting her in the chest. Artemis used that moment and used his lance as leverage kicked him in the chest kicking him towards Annabeth.
Annabeth let go and Atlas crashed into her. Atlas then was crushed under the sky and he roared in rage as he was under his old burden. He rose to his knee and braced the sky once more. He bellowed in a rage shaking the mountain in his rage furthor.
"NOT AGAIN!" Like a lot of gods and immortals. Pride runs through their body. He should have gone all out and he would have not dealt with this. They looked at Luke who Thalai was close to killing.
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