DON'T BLAME ME! (p. jackson) (#2) (ON HOLD)

- eighteen

A TITAN STRODE TOWARD THEM, casually kicking lesser monsters out of his way. he was roughly the same height as bob, with elaborate stygian iron armor, a single diamond blazing in the center of his breastplate. his eyes were blue-white, like core samples from a glacier, and just as cold. his hair was the same color, cut military style. a battle helmet shaped like a bear's head was tucked under his arm. from his belt hung a sword the size of a surfboard.

the titan stopped in front of bob. he clapped him on the shoulder. "iapetus! don't tell me you don't recognize your own brother!"

"no!" bob agreed nervously. "i won't tell you that."

the other titan threw back his head and laughed. "i heard you were thrown into the lethe. must've been terrible! we all knew you would heal eventually. it's koios! koios!"

"of course," bob said. "koios, titan of..."

"the north!" koios said.

"i know!" bob shouted.

they laughed together and took turns hitting each other in the arm.

apparently miffed by all the jostling, small bob crawled onto bob's head and began making a nest in the titan's silver hair.

"poor old iapetus," said koios. "they must have laid you low indeed. look at you! a broom? a servant's uniform? a cat in your hair? truly, hades must pay for these insults. who was that demigod who took your memory? bah! we must rip him to pieces, you and i, eh?"

"ha, ha." bob swallowed. "yes, indeed. rip him to pieces."

percy's grip tightened around his pen.

rose was ready to draw her sword if she had to, but so far koios didn't seem to notice her and percy. and bob hadn't betrayed them yet, though he'd had plenty of opportunities.

"ah, it's good to see you...." koios drummed his fingers on his bear's-head helmet. "you remember what fun we had in the old days?"

"of course!" bob chirped. "when we, uh..."

"holding down our father, ouranos," koios said.

"yes! we loved wrestling with dad...."

"we restrained him."

"that's what i meant!"

"while kronos cut him to pieces with his scythe."

"yes, ha, ha." bob looked mildly ill. "what fun."

"you grabbed father's right foot, as i recall," koios said. "and ouranos kicked you in the face as he struggled. how we used to tease you about that!"

"silly me," bob agreed.

"sadly, our brother kronos was dissolved by those impudent demigods." koios heaved a sigh. "bits and pieces of his essence remain, but nothing you could put together again. i suppose some injuries even tartarus cannot heal."

"alas!"

"but the rest of us have another chance to shine, eh?" he leaned forward conspiratorially. "these giants may think they will rule. let them be our shock troops and destroy the olympians—all well and good. but once the earth mother is awake, she will remember that we are her eldest children. mark my words. the titans will yet rule the cosmos."

"hmm," bob said. "the giants may not like that."

"spit on what they like," koios said. "they've already passed through the doors of death, anyway, back to the mortal world. polybotes was the last one, not half an hour ago, still grumbling about missing his prey. apparently, some demigods he was after got swallowed by nyx. never see them again, i wager!"