The Animal Within

Chapter 50 - Ruination

Percy decided he hated Giants. He'd already hated them before – but now even more so.

"You have a lousy welcoming party," Percy called. He shot a dark glare up at Aquila, but the smug bird looked far too preoccupied with plucking at a loose feather on his chest than paying the demigod any attention. Percy wished he'd let Frank shoot him before.

"He is not ours." The Giant King seemed nearly as irritated with the bird as Percy was.

Privately, Percy was amused that demigods, Titans and Giants all despised the ruddy bird. Maybe they'd get lucky and Aquila would be collateral damage in the battle to come. "Leo – the Moly," Percy muttered under his breath.

"I know, I know."

There was a low snarl, and Percy's heart rose into his chest when he saw the hellhounds that emerged from the shadows behind them. Porphyrion seemed delighted as the demigods were crowded together. "This is unfortunate for you all," the Giant King said. "All that effort to get here, and this is what comes from it. The best Olympus has to offer – seven little demigods and a bird." His laughter echoed around the ruins. "How disgraceful."

Aquila actually hissed, like the heathen he was. He was apparently offended at being lumped in with them. Percy could empathise with him there.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Jason said. He looked particularly tense, eyes flicking between the other demigods and the Giants. There was still no sign of the gods, though whether they were truly dealing with a Titan incursion or not Percy didn't know. After everything, Percy was realising this was most definitely a suicide mission.

Percy knew that he didn't want to die. That was entrenched, demigod instinct was the survive – their brains were hard-wired for it. His palms were sweating on Riptide's hilt but he didn't dare move them to wipe it off in case they were attacked. One of the hellhounds behind them growled, muscles bunching in its legs. Percy had been around Kronos enough when he was in a mood to know what that meant – he spun to face the hellhound even as it leapt at them, but before he could do anything to stop it an arrow landed between its eyes. Frank notched a second arrow, training it on the other hellhound as it circled them.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't have a plan," she admitted.

"I have one, but it's not very good," Percy said.

"Any plan's better than nothing," Hazel retorted. "If we do nothing we're all dead."

"We need an immortal," Piper hissed.

Aquila squawked, flaring his giant wings. Porphyrion snarled and a giant loosed an arrow in his direction, but the great eagle avoided it with a deft flap of the wings. "We have one," Percy murmured, his eyes on the immortal bird.

"Enough talking!" Porphyrion bellowed, turning his white eyes away from Aquila flaring his wings overhead and onto the group of demigods. "We need a female volunteer," the Giant King said to the demigods. "Else I will simply take the choice out of your hands and have one of your heads removed. We will use that blood instead of an offering." His hungry white eyes lingered on the Moly. "For true immortality."

Percy clenched his jaw. "You won't," he said. Even Percy could admit the protest sounded weak and hardly a likelihood.

Porphyrion laughed at him. "What? You believe your gods will help you? The Titans have them far too busy at Olympus for any one of them to help you little mortals."

Percy hesitated. Now he was mostly certain that was a lie, that or Porphyrion truly wasn't aware that Kronos had been skulking around the ruins only an hour before. Hopefully it was the latter.