AN: Heya! I know I haven't updated in 5 weeks. To be perfectly honest, due to circumstances outside of my control, my mental health has done a downward spiral. I've scheduled some counselling and I hope that it helps me. Updates may be a little bit sporadic for a few months, but hopefully it won't be 5 weeks without an update again. Thank you so much for understanding!
"Master!" Ethan stammered. He looked sweaty and exhausted from running around the underworld all day, trying to avoid Persephone's wrath. "We have the sword. We should-"
"Yes, yes." Iapetus waved him off. "You have done well, Evan."
"It's Ethan, master."
"Whatever. I'm sure my brother Kronos will reward you. But now we have killing to attend to."
"My lord," Ethan tried again. "You're not at full power. We should ascend and summon your brothers from the upper world. Our orders were to flee."
"Flee?" The titan whirled on Ethan, rage in his awful eyes. "Did you say FLEE?"
The earth shook. Ethan scrambled back, panic flooding his face. "M-master, please-"
"IAPETUS DOES NOT FLEE!" Iapetus roared. "I have waited three aeons to be summoned from the Pit. I want revenge, and I will start by killing these weaklings!"
Leaving a shaking Ethan Nakamura on the ground, Iapetus turned, aimed his spear at Percy, and charged.
Even when weakened, Iapetus was fast. Faster than Atlas had been, on Mount Tam. Back then, they had only beaten Atlas because Artemis had been with them. They didn't have any gods with them this time, and Percy was gravely injured. As it was, he barely managed to dodge in time, and Iapetus's spear clove the ground in two where Percy had been less than a second before.
Ethan tried to draw his sword, but Nico had it covered in a second, summoning a phalanx of skeletons that charged Ethan, locking him in combat and away from the main fight.
Next to Mari, Thalia fired off a volley of arrows, which found their mark in Iapetus's arms, legs and torso. Iapetus roared, but he didn't look hurt. Just pissed off. He heaved his spear from the earth, and turned towards Thalia. Mari stepped in front of Thalia and threw up a shield of the mist, chest heaving with the effort. She'd pushed herself way past her limits.
Iapetus snarled, pressing his spear down onto the mist. Thalia yanked Mari out of the way just in time as the mist shattered. Iapetus's spear tore into the ground, the momentum blasting both her and Thalia with air.
"Here." Thalia shoved her bow and quiver towards Mari, pulling out a set of hunting knives for herself. "Those are just a loan. Be careful."
"Thanks." Mari tasted blood from her nose as she spoke. Her head felt like it was about to split open from exhaustion. She slung the quiver over her shoulder, pushing back against the pain. Thalia, Percy and Nico charged Iapetus. Mari notched an arrow and looked for an opening.
Thalia sliced at Iapetus's legs with her knives, Nico went for his ankles with his emo-sword, and Percy jumped up and launched his sword right at Iapetus's stomach. A bow was a long-range weapon, so Mari couldn't do a lot of damage up close, but she did have the highest access. She aimed right at Iapetus's neck and shot off three arrows, all of which nailed Iapetus right in his scalene muscles.
But there was a problem. Iapetus roared in anger, but he did not roar in pain.
They could spend hours landing hit after hit, but it would all be for squat if none of those hits actually hurt the titan. And eventually they would get tired, or Ethan would defeat the skeletons and make a break for the sword while they were distracted.
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Melpomene (PJO)
Fantasy𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 𝟚 As it turned out, Mari was actually living a nice, normal and more importantly safe(ish) life somewhere sunny. Most of the time. Nobody was more surprised about this turn of events than she was. Problem was, things aren't ever that simpl...
