The Spartan of Olympus

10

Percy's POV

When Atlas flicked Percy's hood off, he immediately wished he was a turtle so he could just hide in his shell. No doubt Zeus and the other gods were watching this, and Zeus's next move would be to figure out why he willingly helped Hades, and won't then find out that Bianca and Nico were his children. On top of that, Zoë looked like she was about to cry. I was both relieved and worried; Zoë knew I was Perseus, but Bianca and Nico were in extreme danger now.

Atlas let out a booming laugh. "You're the one my daughter fell in love with?"

Phoebe whirled on Zoë, glaring at her in betrayal. "You fell in love? How? Why?"

Zoë just continued staring at Percy, tears running down her cheeks. While Phoebe and Bianca watched Atlas to make sure he didn't make any sudden movements, Percy bent down and wrapped his arms around her tightly, which then caused her to burst into tears. It was almost a hysterical sobbing, like when someone finds out that the love of his or her life isn't dead. Yeah. Like that.

"Y-You're real," Zoë whispered, her teary eyes gazing up at Percy's, "you're alive."

"I am," Percy confirmed, tears of his own forming, "and I still love you."

Zoë's mouth fell open slightly, and she was about to reply, but was interrupted.

"Oi! Get your hands off my soon-to-be-girl!" A new voice called.

Percy turned his head and felt fury course through his veins when he recognized the huge form of Heracles, standing next to Atlas. His eyes widened when Annabeth stood next to him, glaring at Zoë. Then, Percy's eyes about popped out of his head. Zane—the Zane who supposedly died in the defective Talos—was standing next to Annabeth, his sword drawn.

Percy felt betrayed. He thought he made progress with Zane when they talked in the van earlier in the quest, but Percy obviously didn't. Had Zane lied about everything? All the stuff he said about Zoë and Miranda? He was just manipulating Percy into thinking that he wasn't a threat. Percy mentally berated himself for letting his guard down so easily.

Zane looked hesitant, however, like he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. His eyes kept anxiously flicking between Annabeth and Percy, as if he was expecting them to grow a second head or something.

"I will take great pleasure in dismembering you limbs," Heracles taunted, "and then making that huntress my immortal wife afterward."

Percy glared at him for a moment, before swiveling his head towards Zane.

"You, traitor," Percy spat.

Zane actually looked hurt for a second, but he quickly recovered and plastered a sneer on his face. "You're an idiot for thinking I was actually on your side."

"So you lied about everything? You actually did hit that little girl, and you actually despise Zoë for being a demititan? I actually mourned you when you supposedly died." Percy said, his voice laced with betrayal.

His group looked shocked, and Zane shook his head. "I didn't lie or die. Annabeth provoked the fight so she could find an opening. And I'm a son of Zeus. Did you actually believe I could be electrocuted to death?"

Percy inwardly punched himself in the face for not realizing that he was immune to electricity.

"An opening?" Phoebe asked curiously.

Annabeth snorted and pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it to Percy. It clattered to the ground and rolled to his feet, and he grabbed it. It was an empty syringe.

"What is this?" Percy wondered aloud.

Annabeth chuckled a bit. "Damn, you're slow. I was invisible during that fight. While Zane distracted Zoë, I invisibly inserted some lethal toxin into her bloodstream. It was risky; I expected her to feel it and turn around, but she kept fighting. She probably thought Zane had somehow hit her. It was a risk I was willing to take in order to kill one of our biggest adversaries. Now we have recruited a son of Zeus, and we are about to kill the son of Poseidon and daughter of Hades. After that, we will kill that annoying son of Hades and then the daughter of Zeus. That way, we will have the only child of the Big Three on our side. It's an inevitable defeat for you. A plan worthy of Athena."