Percy Jackson: Sacrifice of the Legend

A Trial Commences

(Percy)

From experience, the jump into the pit is almost as bad as the pit itself. It's better the second time, but it is no pleasant experience. The fear of what's to come is enough to cause even the most stable of minds to fall into madness. It claws at the back of your mind and won't let go like a leech stuck to your skin sucking out all your blood. The feeling that crawls over your skin will try to defeat you before you've even started your journey.

The fall continued for an eternity, but right as I was about to give in and give up the fight, I saw the hazy red dust and low light of Tartarus. Oddly enough, I was almost relieved to have finally made it. It was reckoning day. No more time to be nervous or fear the worst. It's do or die. Literally.

From the information I got from Hades and Nico, I knew that the entrance to Tartarus from the Underworld pit was the easiest and safest form of entry, but also the furthest from the heart. It was the perfect entrance. I can accustom myself to the conditions while meeting minimal resistance, then work my way deeper and deeper until I reach the end or die. It may be a crude strategy, but I do crude well and in the end there's no other way.

One of the reasons this entrance is so safe is that the River Phlegethon's right below it. Using my power over water I moved the river to catch and cushion my fall. With a slight crunch of broken glass underneath me I landed on my feet ready to uncap Riptide and attack any monster that ended up this far away from the heart. To my surprise there were two male cyclopes and a female cyclops behind in the process of berating them. Before they saw me I slipped behind a rock outcrop and observed.

"You idiots! You get us disintegrated with your stupidity, now we reform the furthest away we can be from leaving this place. I was happy in Detroit.Now we're here and this place is absolutely awful for my complexion."

"Sorry Ma" The two other cyclopes repeated in unison, seeming to shrink away everytime the female cyclops opened her mouth.

"You better be boys. If this happens again I'll make sure you never reform."

From the outcrop, I thought, why not? This is as good a place to start as any. This decision sent my brain into immediate overdrive.

Now how should I go about this? They have numbers and strength advantages, but a surprise charge might work. I could knock the bigger males out before they knew what hit them and take back the advantage. That's what Annabeth would do so it was decided. I waited a minute until they were on my spot then I made my move.

With a swift action I uncapped my pen and it sprung open into a 3 foot long celestial bronze sword that glimmered in the faint light. Before they saw anything I cut down the first cyclops with a thrust through the side and turned to the second. I thought I could get both before they came back to their senses, but I was wrong. My side cut was deflected with his club and he flew at me with his shoulder sending me flying. Fortunately my armour protected me and I didn't get hurt in the fall. If I had gotten hurt in the first fight to a cyclops there was no way I could make it all the way to the heart. Coming back to my senses, I saw both cyclops coming at me. I decided to run back at the male one. As I reached him I fainted an overhead strike and instead I baseball slid under him. Completely fooled he was not ready for the strike that went up his backside sending him to the void with his brother.

"Noooooo! My sons! You will pay for this mortal." With those words she charged.

The cyclops mother made a fatal mistake in her rage. She lost control. She may have been strong and fast, striking her club with a vengeance, but her strokes became long and sloppy. I could see it from a mile away. With 2 moves I was able to knock her club away. Without a club, I ran at her and without any more resistance I jumped up and loped her head off.