LAST TIME

'We need to do something quickly. Even Hestia's power isn't working fully.'

#But it is working.# Alexander said. #You need to call upon her. But since you're on a quest…#

"It'll need a sacrifice," I breathed, catching Clarisse's fist. "And for it, I need space. I'm sorry, Clarisse."

I punched her hard on the head, and she stumbled into Annabeth, both the girls falling to the floor in a tangle of limbs. The Storm Tamer appeared, in the form of a long chain, and threw it at them, willing it to twist like water under my commands and wrap around them.

The chains obeyed, and I leaped over them, glancing at Hecate, who smiled. "One crossroad down. The choice was made. Now, comes the test. Let's see you face what you fear most, Percy."

Her high cackle was the last thing I heard before the mist enveloped me, and I felt the surroundings vanish.

Ch.58 Crossroads and Mothers

I wandered down a foggy hallway, my footsteps echoing in my ears. I gripped the Thyella Kavalris tighter, the flames upon it casting an ominous orange glow upon the cold fog. A chill ran up my spine as I looked around the whiteness, the fog thickening around me.

'Alexander. Where're my friends?'

#I have no idea, Percy.# Alexander admitted. #I don't even know what this is. This fog's magical. More magical than the mist or anything I've encountered.#

"Deduced that, Sherlock," I muttered.

I called to the storm within me, and winds picked up, ruffling through my clothes, yet the fog didn't budge. I cursed under my breath and scooped up some fog in my hand before igniting a ball of flames that consumed it, growing higher in my palm.

'It doesn't like fire though, does it?' I smirked.

Something behind me moved in a blur, and I spun, unleashing the ball of flames. It tore through the fog, hitting a wall that I could've sworn wasn't there a moment ago. I looked around and found myself in a narrow corridor, with doors on either side, stretching endlessly.

"What the fuck?" I kicked the wall on both sides, cracks spreading upon the plaster, the walls as solid as steel. "The house is changing itself."

#These aren't illusions or tricks of your mind.# Alexander confirmed. #I am fortifying your mind regardless, and the helm should help. But I think that your only way out is through. And Hecate can be nasty as they come.#

I grimaced. 'Is there any other option?'

#You don't have the resources to summon something big. Not until you can get rid of whatever spell is dampening your powers. And I feel it is doing so by quite a bit. The best case right now is that you get out, sacrifice something to Hestia or Hera, and get their help in some form to free your friends.#

'I am not leaving them here and betting on something I cannot control, quest rules and all.' I trudged down the corridor, eyeing the doors as I walked past them. 'What are our other options?'

#Well, this is the stuff gods themselves could potentially deal with— the elder ones at least. Athena could find a way, but I doubt she'd have enough time to get her plan going. The moment any Olympian shows up, they'll get desperate. Apollo could probably break through it, and so could Artemis, but I can't be certain. Hecate's about as powerful as they are and more versatile in things like these.#

'Who's the best one I can contact?'

#Elder Olympians. Hades, Hera, or Hestia would be the best. I would've preferred Hades, as he knows this stuff, and he and Hecate share a domain. But you don't have a big enough sacrifice to summon Hades right now. And he might not be allowed to intervene in person because he has two children here. Hestia or Hera are your best bets.#

'Hestia's flames can burn through this, whatever it is. I used it to loosen the magic's grip on Clarisse, but Hecate said it wasn't enough.' I kicked the wall again, and it rumbled, cracks spreading all over it. A moment later, the cracks vanished, and I growled. 'I am going to burn her house down and then set Hecate on fire once I get out.'

#Percy, your friends are somewhere around here. And your powers are dampened.# Alexander pointed out. #Act wisely, not rashly. Best, get aid— some divine thing that'll help you with what you have.#

'I am getting a god, Alexander,' I said. 'Not some magical object which Hecate will break with a snap of her fingers.'

Alexander remained silent for a while as I examined the doors, all of which were identical.

#This is a quest, Percy.# Alexander said slowly, after a few moments. #Calling on a god to fight for you would require something… humongous.#

'I'll deal with it,' I declared. 'First, I need to get out of this illusion or trap or whatever the fuck it is. And since the only way out is through…''

My leg slammed the nearest door open, and the fog rushed through, like water flooding out of a dam. Yet, the fog didn't lessen around me, flitting like tiny waves as I stepped into the room, and looked around in the light of my sword.

"Finally took the time out for your dear old mom, did you, Percy?" A voice called, and I turned to see my mom standing in the room, beaming at me. "Come here, give your mother a hug."

I instinctively took a step toward her before stopping short, remembering where I was. My veins turned cold, and I leveled my sword at her. "You're not real."

She frowned, a flash of hurt passing in her eyes. "Percy, what do you mean?"

"You're Hecate's illusion or something. I am not home. I'm nowhere near where you should be right now." I looked around at the stone walls and drifting fog. "And I'm not even home."

The fog twisted and sank into the walls, and the world around me spun until I stood in my living room, my mom looking at me with concern. "Honey. Are you alright? You're home when you're supposed to be on a quest. Did something happen? Percy, talk to me honey."

"I'm alright." I looked over my shoulder to see the door intact, the photo frames on the wall gleaming in the sunlight. "But this isn't real. A very good replica. Commendable even, Hecate. But I know how traps like this work."

"Percy, are you alright?" My mom shuffled closer to me. "You're rambling. Come on, sit on the couch. I'll get you something and we can talk."

"We don't need to talk." I backed away from her, ignoring the stabs at my heart.

"Percy, don't go back again. You never stay." My mom's voice broke. "You barely spend time with me now. What happened to you, Percy? I am worried about you!"

I felt my heart clench. 'Alexander? Is this real? Could Hecate teleport me to my house and… you know?'

#She could. But go with what your gut tells you.#

'I cannot leave my mom's fate on my gut.' I snarled. 'I have to confirm if it is her.'

"Percy?" My mom asked. "Are you okay? What's happening with you?"

"What's my favorite food, mom?" I turned to her. "Tell me."

She froze, her face twisting, her mouth moving soundlessly.

"My mom would know that." I tugged at the power of the sea within me as my second sword appeared in my hand.

She dove away as I brought my swords together, unleashing a shockwave that tore through the illusion and cracked the stone walls of the room, shaking the ground below us. She snarled, and her features changed, her hair turning redder and her eyes an emerald-green.

"You found out," Hecate said. "You're strongly rooted in reality." Her head tilted to the side. "And… that Helm's helping you, isn't it?"

I lunged, my sword arcing toward her, but Hecate didn't move. The sword sunk through the goddess, into the ground, without a drop of ichor or an iota of resistance.

I glowered at her as I realized she was just an illusion.

"But it was with you all along. A powerful divine object." Hecate continued, in a voice that was almost regretful. "So, no rules broken. But it does make it easy for you. Oh, so very easy."

"Give me my friends back, Hecate," I wrenched my sword out of the floor and leveled it at her illusion. "Free them from your spell and face me properly. Face me if you have the guts."

"I am not choosing that road, Percy Jackson," Hecate said, a smile curving on her lips. "I have chosen what path I must walk on. I choose not to be a fool and face doom."

"Well, a true Titaness would've not employed tricks and instead faced me fairly," I eyed her as the edges of her illusion glowed. "You think your magic's too weak to win in a fight against me."

Her eyes flashed a deadly emerald, and the room's temperature dropped.

"My magic's not weak, Percy Jackson." Hecate floated up. "If it was weak, why can't you break out of this?"

She waved her arm around the room, which glowed a searing purple. The stone walls flowed like water, filling the cracks before solidifying.

"Because I am a warrior, not a wizard," I replied. "I don't know the ABCs of magic or spells. Though, I did see through your little illusion right now. I'll break through this room or whatever it is too. I will get to you like I did just now."

"This was merely the first test."

"And I destroyed it." Flames licked the blade of my sword. "I say this: face me like a true witch. You versus me, to the end, no holds barred. Winner takes all."

Hecate scoffed. "A stupider titaness would've taken the bet. But I know of you, Perseus Jackson. I know how you killed my father. I know your blade has drunk the ichor of more titans and gods than any other blade before. I hear the terror of monsters, who fear you as much as they fear the Goddess of the Hunt."

"All I hear is that you are scared," I smirked. "The mighty titaness of magic trembling against a mere demigod, too afraid to even fight him." Hecate remained silent, the fury in her eyes growing. "Let me make it sweeter. You can call your friends too. You all, against me. Alone."

Hecate took a deep breath, and I inched my sword closer to her to check if she was still an illusion. She was.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that, for it is not the road I have chosen," she declared. "Hate as I do to admit it, you'll kill us all. You'll find a way, even through my magic. You've faced worse odds before."

"I have," I agreed. "But as you said, I'll find a way out. I'll get to you, through these traps, and then kill you. The only thing you'll be doing is testing my patience and pissing me off more by torturing my friends." I let my eyes flash. "Is that what you really want?"

"They'll be worth it by the end."

I snorted. "Yeah, right. I suggest that you start running. Unless you surrender right here, right now, and give me my friends back, I'm going to kill you."

"I can't surrender. I refuse to walk down that road."

"Then I suggest that you start running."

"You'll hunt me down," Hecate grimaced. "It is the path the fates have chosen for you. I see their hand on you. Heroes don't back down from quests," Hecate's voice turned bitter. "You and your friends will chase me and hunt me down. And you'll only come better prepared. I was well hidden here. Yet you found me."

"So, what's your plan here, Hecate?" I asked. "You can't hold me forever. Even the test of gods must amount to something. I know the laws. You cannot kill me till I touch you. And you know that if I come within touching distance, I will kill you for what you're doing." Hecate flinched. "So, what's the plan with the rooms and illusions, Hecate? What do you intend to do?"

"You'll be trapped here forever, disconnected from reality. Unable to escape or run, trapped in a loop of horror and terror like what is happening with some of your friends." She closed her eyes. "The daughter of Hades is resilient, I must say. The Satyr hasn't fallen but is scared while the daughter of Zeus just electrocuted Er— an illusion."

#Eris. Goddess of Discord. She couldn't affect you, but she must've directed her full power at Annabeth and Clarisse, turning them against you.# I could hear the grin in Alexander's voice. #Which also means she isn't running these illusions by herself. Her friends are helping.#

"What about Nico?" I asked.

"Oh, he has fallen into my illusion. Living amongst a family." Hecate smiled. "He's so happy. His perfect little world." Hecate's eyes gleamed. "His father, mother, and sister live as a normal, happy family. He chose happiness over reality. His sister is skeptical but she too, will fall."

"Free them all, Hecate." The flames on my blade flared, and the winds picked around me. "Or I'll break out from here and make your life a living hell before I kill you. Tell me, Hecate, do you really want to take the gamble that these illusions will hold me? These tests? They can't even hold my friends."

"They'll all fall. Even the mightiest warriors fall at the games of the mind."

"Then it is your funeral. I took your old man down in five minutes because he made a comment he shouldn't have. He begged for mercy before I killed him."

"I know. I watched it happen." She looked away. "We all felt the storm."

"Great. So, you know." I walked closer to the illusion. "He made an inappropriate comment. You? You're terrorizing my friends, turning them on each other. I will kill you so hard that you won't even go to Tartarus. You'll fade."

Hecate flinched, and I grinned like a shark.

"You've three options. Surrender with your friends, run away, or wait for death as you piss me and my friends more and more."

"I do not get crossroads. I give them," Hecate murmured. "And I've chosen mine."

"Tables turn. Do you think I'm bluffing? Ask Atlas. He's the only enemy of mine who has survived, and that's only because I needed him to hold the sky to free Artemis. Ask him how I brought his plans crashing down before he even had a chance to gloat. Ask him how I got this shield."

I tapped my watch, and Coeus' shield spiraled onto my arm.

"You're only confident because you passed the first test." Hecate eyed the shield. "The others, you won't. Your entire bluff is based on nothing but speculation. You've never fought traps or illusions or faced me. The only reason you passed the first test is because of that helm. I recognize its power. The clarity it gives. I've seen objects like those before."

"If I play a game, I play by my own rules or none at all," I said. "Now, I'm giving you one last chance. I won't repeat myself. Surrender and free my friends. I won't offer it again. Swear loyalty to Olympus, tell us all you know, and I will let you live. It is the only option that doesn't end in your death."

"I can't," Hecate said in a strangled voice. "I can't betray the Titan Lord. It is a road I cannot walk upon, not for my sake but for my children."

"He won't get in the camp," I said. "Your children are safe there."

"I am not talking about the ones at Camp Half-Blood, Percy Jackson." Hecate closed her eyes. "I have sons and daughters who chose the path to the Titans. To get me the respect I deserve. And for children like them, a mother too must fight. To protect them."

"That's what you tell yourself to sleep better at night. A mother wouldn't have let them make that bad choice."

"If I betray Olympus, the gods won't take it out on my children. Not directly. The Titan Lord will." She looked away, her eyes growing teary. "I can't surrender. He'll kill my children for betraying him. Nemesis and Theia could turn because they had nothing to lose. I have children who'll die. Don't you understand?"

I felt my heart clench as tears streamed down Hecate's cheeks, her face helpless. For her, it was death or her children's death. And she had chosen her children's lives over hers.

And I understood that. She may be the enemy, but she wasn't doing it for her own gain.

"I give you one more option," I said. "Take me to him. Leave my friends and take me to Kronos."

#Percy, that is a terrible idea.#

'I'll escape. The car's there. So are you. And Artemis won't let me die there. She'll know because Annabeth and Thalia will pray to her. Kronos doesn't want me dead either. Not till I'm sixteen.'

"It is not yet time for you to meet the Titan Lord," Hecate said quietly. "He doesn't wish to face you until he's ready and has ordered the rest of us to kill you and your friends if we can." She smiled bitterly. "He is the lord of time. He can choose when to face his crossroads unlike us."

"But you don't want to fight me. Let's take the middle path. Release my friends and run. I won't chase you."

"You don't understand. The Titan Lord will see it as a betrayal. You shouldn't have come here. I told you to get away while you could. You chose something different. You chose wrong." Sadness brimmed in her eyes. "We must give it our all now to stop you. Or die trying."

"Your friends have children too? Or are they just in it to get glory?" I asked.

"All of them do. They may not show it a lot, but they are in it for the same reason as me."

"Then we're at an impasse."

"Crossroads." Hecate insisted. "And I have chosen myself over my children. Now, it is your turn. What will you choose, Perseus Jackson?"

"Alright then, let us play your game. Do I get a reward?" I asked. "Any fair goddess would give a reward to someone who passed their test. Are you a fair goddess, Lady Hecate?"

Hecate paused. "A test must have a reward, and a game must have rules. The fates decree it. Yet, a crossroad must be offered at each reward, for I am the one decreeing the game. The rules of fate are clear. I must teach the importance of choice to you while accomplishing what I must."

"You won't, but sure. You're delaying the inevitable, and you know it."

Hecate smiled. "I have chosen my path. I know where it ends, and I will walk it to the end. I just beg of you to not hold it against me, Perseus. And I apologize."

#Told you. Mother persona is the trickiest. Crone or maiden might have been easier.#

"I don't like it, but let's go along for now," I said. "What're the rules?"

"Starting from the next test, each door you pass through, you'll be allowed to liberate one of your friends from their horrors, who'll then join dear Annabeth and Clarisse outside." Hecate declared. "You must choose which friend goes out. And whoever goes out will fall under the same power they were under until you knocked them out."

"So they'll fight each other."

"To death unless they overcome it. It is a crossroad for them as much as it is for you," Hecate said, a gleam entering her eyes. "But then comes the reward for the first test. The reward is that you can awaken one of your friends— Annabeth or Clarisse. And to prevent whoever it is from falling into the same discord as the rest will, you can give your chosen something."

"Something, I'm guessing, that's my helm." I snorted. "You really don't like me seeing through the test that easily, do you?"

"It is my wish that you fail, for it is my ideal destination." She gave me a sad smile. "But it is your choice. You could keep the helm yourself to give yourself an edge and do it all faster, and hope each of your friends can survive each other until you're free." She drifted closer and whispered in my ear. "So, tell me, Percy. Which road will you choose?"

"How do I believe—"

"You have my word and the fates shall ensure that I don't cheat. You're the one in my game. And I cannot end you or allow you to attack me as I would've liked. But I can test you. Play you by way of gods." She gave me a piercing look. "Tick-tock, Percy. Choose."

"Right." I removed my helm from my head, feeling fear crawl down my spine, the dread gathering in my gut. "I choose Annabeth. Wake her up properly, ensure that she wears the helm, and explain your game to her too. Be fair."

"Very well." She snapped her fingers, and my helm disappeared. "Choose wisely if you pass through the tests. Remember what's on the other side. Your friend will be informed."

"I will remember." I turned the sword in my hand into a trident, its prongs burning with orange flames. "Oh, and once I get through this, this trident you see will go through you. You've chosen your road, I chose mine. So, live to your fullest."

Hecate inclined her head and slammed her fist into my chest, and the world twisted. The wind whirled in my ears as the ground below my feet vanished and I tumbled into darkness until I hit water.

The power of the sea within me roared, and the fear drained away as my senses opened, and I grinned. The sea was my home. And Hecate had just dropped the greatest advantage I needed in my lap. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel the power of the waves, the salt of the sea that churned below me.

The sky above was starless, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, a pang went through my chest as I hoped to see Artemis pull her chariot across the sky but couldn't.

I submerged my head below the water, and a glint of light far down below caught my eye. A light, which I instantly knew where it came from.

In hindsight, I didn't think it through as I dove deeper into the darkness, toward it.

The Palace of Atlantis.

My feet touched the ground, disturbing the silt on the ocean floor. The silence of the ocean grated on my ears as I walked toward the gates of the palace, feeling flames burn beyond them. There were no guards present nor a single fish swam in the waters.

Most of all, I couldn't sense the presence of power that Atlantis radiated.

I pushed the Atlantean steel gates open and felt my gut drop as bodies of soldiers burned in Greek flames, the great city beyond it in ruins. Bodies of dead mermen and naiads were strewn by the road, littered amongst shafts of arrows and broken tridents.

'This is not real, Alexander, is it? Just an illusion.' I felt desperation claw in my chest. 'Alexander?'

#It likely isn't.#

'But not surely?' I jabbed my hand, and the fires around me were extinguished, leaving ashes behind.

#I'm afraid that it may be a trap within a trap. A trap that lures you into false assumptions, only to have you fall into one you aren't prepared for. Knowing Hecate, it is likely an illusion. But the prophecy didn't speak of her.#

'It spoke of golden waters. The… water of Atlantis?' I frowned, walking around the debris of buildings and the buried soldiers underneath.

#I've never heard it called that. But Atlantis was once referred to as the golden city when it was newly made. A lot changed, but there's a golden palace and everything near the main one. You've seen it.#

'Yes.' I clenched my fists, my heart drumming in my chest. 'And prophecies are tricky things. So is Hecate. Gods, I hope this is an illusion like the first one was. Because these bodies feel very real.'

#Each test is going to be a crossroad, Percy. It will always be a crossroad where you'll regret not taking the other till you reach the end. And I don't think Hecate will make matters easy. I can feel the fear in you. You aren't usually afraid. This fear… it is being induced in you.#

'Which means someone is doing it. Likely Hecate or one of her so-called friends.' My grip on my trident tightened. 'Discord, Fear, and Rage. Eris, Phobos or Deimos, and… someone?'

#Clarisse and Annabeth were angry at you. It checks. The only Titan of rage I can think of is Meneotius whom you have already killed. Maybe some minor deity of anger? Like Lyssa? She drew Hercules mad.# Alexander paused. #It could be something philosophical too. I mean your friends are angry at you in some measure, aren't they.#

'They are.' I winced. 'I do what's best for them, but they don't always like it as they lack the whole picture. Clarisse and Annabeth expressed it today. Heck, Clarisse has expressed it several times before too.'

#Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Percy. And you are the one who wears it for them. The leader of the camp, this quest, and a person whom everyone, including most of the hunt, looks up to.#

I trudged down the ruined city, my heart sinking with every step as I looked around the ruined homes and dead soldiers.

On the side, a pile of dead mermen lay, from which a spear stuck out, Delphin's head mounted atop of it. I knelt and poked a dead merman, his skin cold, but very real.

'I don't think this is real either, but it seems real enough.' I gulped.

I felt a movement in the water and whirled around, extending my senses. I tugged at the power around me and poured it down the shaft of my trident, leveling it at a broken building nearby. A brilliant beam of sea green roared from my trident, lighting up my surroundings before it smashed through the debris, which distorted into a tapestry of red and gold, surrounded by brick, a yell reverberating through the water.

The next second, someone slammed into me, and we fell onto the floor. My reflexes kicked in as I swatted away a trident and shoved the figure away. In a flash of steel, I caught the trident upon mine, staring into sea-green eyes like my own.

"Triton?"

The god looked startled and pulled his trident away before pulling me into a fierce hug. "Percy! By the gods. You're here. We tried to call you. But you were out of our reach somewhere. Gods above, but you came."

"Uh-huh," I looked over my shoulder to see dust rising in the water, the red or brown nowhere to be seen, and frowned. "What's happening here?"

"Oceanus has won. Father and Mother are held captive while the city is in ruins. Oceanus took over the palace… or what was left of it."

"He did?"

"Yes. We were betrayed, Percy. They sieged us. I was searching for someone. Anyone to help. I can fight Oceanus, but not alone. I need help."

"Well, I'm here now," I said. "Let's free Dad and Amphitrite. We can talk about how to get Atlantis back after."

"Yes, yes. Come." Triton turned away.

'My dad's trident didn't come to me. Hecate didn't know about it or anticipate it.' I told Alexander gleefully. 'This is nothing but an illusion. Did you see how that rubble distorted when my beam hit it?'

#I did. Yet, one way or the other, you've to go along with it. Because, as I said before, the only way out is through.#

'Will be a lot easier if I am not worried about it being real, won't it?' I followed the illusion of Triton through the city. 'And a relief.'

#That, I believe, is also true. But the sooner you do it—#

'The faster I free my friends. I know. And once I do, I am going to kill Hecate. She said she chose her path.' The tips of my trident glowed. 'Now, she'll live with the consequences too. Or die with them.''

AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter!

Admittedly, a seemingly innocuous chapter, but the chapter is important. Oh, so very important. It is like the small piece of the machine you ignore only to perhaps later find out that it was the part without which the machine can't function. It also has enough sneaky foreshadowing that you'd realize and appreciate only after rereading once the arc is done.

If you want to read what happens next, the next THREE chapters are up on Pat-reon, alongside over 15 side-stories, and lore-compendium pieces. So, if you want to (and can), please support me as an author. Your support will mean a lot to me.

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Guest: I request you to comment with an account so I can answer you directly, and timely. And when you do so, do hop into my PMs, or in discord to have a discussion. Also, yes, I will upload those three chapters in time. You just have to wait. I update the same day for both pat-rons and FFN.

TheSuperSnacker: I do get you, but I am afraid it is too late to change it now. I'll try if/when I have the time, but I'd have to go through 40+ chaps to do it, to get until the original weapon was destroyed. Right now, he has forged himself a scythe.

Frenzy8: Artemis knows of Alexander, but if you're asking if she knows that Alexander is in Percy's head, the answer is no.

ThunderBuns935: Yep, I do. She wasn't... this way at that time, at least publicly afaik. At that time, she was like, an author who was a single mother, having struggled through some pretty impossible things. All the bad, rotten stuff came later.

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Thank you for all your reviews!

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