Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝕋he weight of the world

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.

Percy turned and attacked the Titan Lord Atlas. He laughed as Percy approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armour. "Go on, then!"

"Percy!" Zoë said. "Beware!" Nicki, who had been restraining the half a dozen dracaenae, with a basic trapping spell, spun around at Zoë's calls.

Percy swung his sword, and Atlas knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. He flew through the air and slammed into a black wall.

"Perseus!"

The palace was rising, brick by brick. It was becoming real.

"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoë's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?" Percy shook off his daze and charged again. The javelin's point slashed toward him like a scythe.

He raised Riptide, planning to cut off his weapon at the shaft, but his arm felt like lead. His sword suddenly weighed a ton.

Nicki let out a yell, sending a stream of purple out of her fingertips. Percy tried to dodge Atlas' attack, Nicki's spell wrapped around Percy just as the javelin slammed into his chest. He was sent flying like a ragdoll. He slammed into the ground, his head spinning. Nicki tore toward him, her heart beating out of her chest.

Percy looked up and found he was at the feet of Artemis, still straining under the weight of the sky.

"Run, boy," she told him. "You must run!" Atlas was taking his time coming toward Percy. His sword was gone. It had skittered away over the edge of the cliff.

Luke and Thalia were fighting like demons, lightning crackling around them. Annabeth was on the ground, desperately struggling to free her hands.

"Die, little hero," Atlas said. He raised his javelin to impale Percy.

"No!" Zoë yelled, and a volley of silver arrows sprouted from the armpit chink in Atlas's armour.

"ARGH!" He bellowed and turned toward his daughter.

Percy reached down and felt Riptide back in his pocket. He couldn't fight Atlas, even with a sword. None of the demigods could hope to beat Atlas. But there was someone else who might stand a chance.

"The sky," He told the goddess. "Give it to me."

"No, boy," Artemis said. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"

"Annabeth took it!"

"She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long."

"I'll die anyway," He said. "Give me the weight of the sky!"

Percy didn't wait for her answer. He took out Riptide and slashed through her chains. Then Percy stepped next to her and braced himself on one knee—holding up his hands—and touched the cold, heavy clouds. For a moment, Artemis and Percy bore the weight together. Percy breathed deeply.

As Artemis slipped out from under the burden, Nicki skidded across the ground. Her knee was bleeding into the dirty floor, the other had blood trailing down her leg. It was the heaviest thing she'd ever felt as if she was being crushed under a thousand trucks. She felt like she was going to blackout from the pain.