Perseus The Disgraced Archangel

Othrys

     "How much farther?" Thalia asked.

     "Not too much." Percy said.

     They were near the top, and about to enter the garden of the Hesperides. Zoë was looking a little nervous. Her face steeled up. She had her hands behind her back. She seemed to be fiddling with something. One look made Percy realize it was her crown.

     When Zoë first was crowned Queen of Hell, Percy made her a crown. She almost never wore it, but here it was in her hands. It was a wreath of bones, lit ablaze. On the front was a ruby.

     They entered the garden. It was teeming with plant life, and a couple of animals. And of course, it wouldn't be complete without a 100 headed dragon with breath able to kill an entire city. All in all, it reminded Percy of the garden of Eden.

     In the middle of the garden, was a giant tree with golden apples growing on it. Actually, looking back on it, Percy was pretty sure that this was the garden of Eden, just repurposed for the Hesperides. Yeah, because there was the spot where he gave Eve that apple.

     The garden brought mixed feelings to Percy. One one hand, he used to tend to this garden when he was bored. On the other, his wife was betrayed here.

     In front of the questers, the shadows moved. They rose, and shimmered into 4 young women. They looked a lot like Zoë. Though, not as dangerous. Zoë had this look in her eyes that just screamed that she could fuck you up. And Percy loved it. But her sisters, they just looked like they could maybe punch you, and that was it.

     "Sisters." Zoë said,

     "We do not see a sister here." One of the Hesperides said. "Just a satyr, 2 half-bloods and a hunter of Artemis."

     Percy decided to intervene. "Pretty sure we have, a satyr, a half blood, a demon, who just also happens to be the Queen of Hell, and a fallen archangel." He said, pointing to each of them respectively.

     They looked at Zoë, unbelieving. She just smirked and put her crown on her head. Then she shrugged, like the absolute Queen she was.

     "Father will kill you all, regardless. I mean, how can that one even fight? He's wearing a suit!"

     Percy scoffed. "I happen to fight just fine in a suit. Besides, it's already ripped. Bloody Nemean Lion." He muttered the last part to himself, though they all heard him.

     The Hesperides swiftly shuffled to the side, granting them access. Their 'sister' was in a far higher spot of power than when she left. Talk about promotion of a lifetime. And this 'archangel' was clearly a threat, maybe much more than their father worried he was.

     They walked out of the garden to the top of the mountain. Black walls rose up from the ground. Rubble would levitate and fill in gaps that were missing. The original palace of the titans was slowly rebuilding itself.

     "What's going on?" Thalia asked.

     "Othrys. It's rebuilding itself. The Titan's palace."

     "How is it here?"

     "It moves, just like everything else." Zoë explained. "But the fact that it's here, that's not good."

     "Why?"

     "Because this is the mountain where Atlas. Where he holds- Where he used to hold the sky."

     Thalia was quiet after that, and they finished the trek up the mountain. Artemis was trapped under a giant rounded cone of clouds and dark lightning. Her legs had been bound with celestial bronze chains.