The Darkness Within

Chapter 26

Percy POV

All hell breaks loose. Literally.

Monsters are everywhere. My old cabin, the Poseidon cabin, is on fire. Ironic. Chiron on in full battle armor with bow and arrow in hand. Campers are cornered from every side and they are starting to retreat. 

Unknown stands on top of the Athena Parthanos, commanding an army of spiders. He is obviously enjoying himself, wielding a sword in each of his four hands.

"Come to see the show, Alpha?" He sneers.

I grab the hilt of my sword, threatening.

"Uh no, you don't want to do that." Unknown shakes his head.

He gestures to the side and Annabeth was tied up in spiderwebs, trying so hard to stay strong an not scream, despite the spiders crawling all over her.

"Surrender and she lives. Severely injured, but she lives. Continue fighting, and my brethren shall consume her alive."

Annabeth's eyes widen at that.

I look around at the monsters who continue to lay waste to the camp. Leo throws fireball after fireball, but even he is getting tired. Piper covers him from behind and slashes at any monster that dares come near. Frank fights the monsters in the sky as a dragon alongside Festus, but his wing is severely injured. Hazel struggles to stay on top of her horse, Arion, her left arm bleeding. Nico fights by her side while Will struggles to keep up with the battle.

And Pax?

Pax defends the little ones who are cowered into a corner. Her face bleeding from a wound over her right eye, reminiscent of Luke's scar. Her brown eyes gleamed defiantly.

"No." I mutter.

"What?" Unknown's face falls.

I smirk. "I know you won't kill her. You said so yourself in Tartarus. You need her. Call of your army. Fight me. You know that I am your only threat. If I'm alive, then your plan is endangered. Whoever wins is the one who survives."

Unknown curses his stupidity.

"Sure." He stated through clenched teeth.

He held up his hand and the monsters ceased to attack.

Pax looks over, nervous, and I wink at her. I hold up my sword, ready to strike. Unknown laughs and taunts me.

"You know, I used to look up to you. You were one of the first to escape the Pit. For that you shall have my eternal respect, but now, I must kill you."

He lunges forward and I dodge.

"Once we win, and we will win, we shall lay waste to this petty race of demigods."

He throws a knife at me and I dodge again.

"Have some self respect and fight back, you coward!" He growls. "Is this the hero Olympus has to offer?"

I yawn. "Your villain monologue done yet?"

He scowls and rushes towards me.

I hold up my sword, countering his attack.

"I'm no hero..." I mutter and push him back.

Our swords clash and sparks fly. Unknown is overcome with rage and uses too much of his energy. I calmly counter his attacks as we move towards the Great Hall, demigods and monsters following our battle.

He stands on top of a table to gain high ground. I follow him onto the table and kick him off it. He lunges his four swords at me and I merely shadow-travel away.

"What are you doing? Be a man and actually fight!" 

I stab his weak spot in the armor and he groans from the wound.

Unknown staggers back into a fighting stance, lunges forward, and quickly disarmed me.

"Prepare to die, Jackson, for your sorry excuse of a battle."

I laugh and Unknown frowns.

"Who said I was fighting you? I was merely distracting you."

Annabeth and Pax appear behind me, the former free from the webs.

Unknown growls and and holds his four swords to my neck.

I shadow-travel behind him and kick him down. 

I take one of his swords and slash through him. Unknown dissolved into golden dust, probably reforming somewhere in Tartarus.

The monsters groan and grab their heads. They melt to the ground.

Campers look out from their hiding spots, relieved. We all rejoice.

Leo comes running from somewhere.

"Hate to break up the fiesta,  but we have a bigger problem on our hands." He pants.

Everyone looks confused and follows Leo.

On the side lay the motionless corpse of the great trainer, Chiron.

A/N: Yes I did do that. Feel free to hate me, teehee.

~ Saph