Demigods Vs Magic.

A Gift.

14.5K huh? That's one hell of a Christmas Gift guys. So, here's one in return. 

A little snippet from the sequel: 

Ablaze.

If he were to describe the world around him, that would be the word uttered from his lips. A fiery haze of hues blotted out the very skies and seas, a mesh of blazing orange scorching the world itself. Orange light burned within sea green eyes, as the very oceans seemed to burn in agony. Smoky winds choked the world in their grip, as the ground begged for mercy in its cremation.

Sea green eyes stared at the world around them in abject terror, with steam curling from the tips of messy blond hair. Ashen snowflakes layered his skin akin to fine dust, as a glint of bronze lit up his devastated expression. Tears were evaporated before they even made it past their window, and a charred up corpse lay beneath him. It may have been burnt beyond recognition, but the person was unforgettable.

Flaming cracks within the body illuminated it, as stony magma layered what was once a demigod. The half blood of the eldest gods, vibrant with life no longer. To fire the world had fallen, and one had been betrayed by who was once called a friend. He despaired, as all life lay entombed in flames, as may were lost in this land without rain. Many had lost to a fate worse than death, and many more fell to the cursed blade.

A shout made its way to his ears, but the words too muffled for him to discern. The sounds itself seemed to vaporize around him, as waves of heat burned the very vibrating molecules that passed on the sound. A moving tongue and open mouth were the only remnants of the sound left behind in this world. Existence itself seemed to crumble around him, as he looked up into the falling sky, fiery embers cascading down like meteors.

The silhouette of a man shone with a silver lining, a tall man with a Celestial Bronze blade in hand, a trident in another. He knew who the man was, who didn't? But even so, he didn't know why he was there. The Sun's fiery gaze swept across the world, yet it never locked down on him. It was almost as if the silhouette above him was shielding him, protecting him. The darkness cast down below was his only solace, and within this cold embrace, he found security from the flames of the world beyond him.

Percy was having a shitty time living, and that was before he woke up in freefall.

Now now, credit where credit is due, he did just reset his entire timeline, practically his entire Universe, so it was natural for him to have a massive headache.

Alas, it wasn't his only headache.

Now, here he was, caught up in a Multiversal scaled version of the Hunger Games. And knowing him, he wasn't going to have as much of good fortune as Katniss did. Order had just declared that all of their Universes, the Universes of the 16 alternate versions of himself were about to collide. To ensure that one Universe survives, all 16 of them need to get down and dirty in a battle to the death. The loser dies and their universe gets destroyed.

Pretty simple, right?

And here he was, falling downwards onto a planet with a fire and water contrast so absurd it would give the Firefox logo a run for its money. The corners of the world sizzled in flames, while the equator drowned in a wide ocean that spanned its entire length. He noticed the shoreline, and a little distance beyond it being a charred landscape, the only possibly hospitable land of the entire planet.

Wind blew in his face as he descended into the orbit, gravity pulling him downwards as the air resistance threatened to set him alight. His sea green eyes scanned the world below him, and he aimed himself for the ocean in the center. He was going to make one Hades of an impact, that much was for certain.

"Or we could simply use your water abilities, remember? Then there wouldn't be an impact." The ancient voice of Horus, the Egyptian God of War, spoke in his mind. His wise companion had been a great help to Percy, even in adventures older than the one that had led him here.

"You have no appreciation for a dramatic entrance, you know?" Percy rolled his eyes, falling soundlessly into the water below. Beneath its surface, Percy found the purest ocean he had ever seen. Waves of sapphire brushed past him, and while there didn't seem to be any aquatic life nearby, pure fresh water lay over his skin, giving it a soothing embrace.

Floating with the waves, Percy found himself lost in thought. There was much that he had in his mind, and a distracted mind would fare him no good for the enemies he was about to face. Time was a fickle thing. Percy didn't know how much time had passed since Order took him from his family. It could be 5 seconds or 5 centuries, Percy would never have a clue. However, the temporal displacement did make his family immortal to aging, but he was no longer there to watch over them.

"Perseus, your family will be safe. Now is no longer the time to ponder over what will happen there. Focus your mind, it is time for battle." Horus spoke to him, bringing Percy out of his stupor. Percy sighed.

"It sounds so easy when you say it, when it's anything but." Percy looked around, spreading his senses across the vast ocean around him. "Seems like we're alone. No one else has landed in the ocean."

"Indeed. Now Perseus, let's take stock of what we have in store for this battle." Horus advised him, choosing to bring up the odds that lay against him, along with Percy's own arsenal.

"I have to face 15 alternate versions of myself, in a death match if I want to return home." Percy recalled. "And 1 of them is Egyptian, while 2 of them are Norse. And even if I do win against all of them, it gives me no guarantee that Order will let me go home. So, if I have to go see my family again, I have to face them, and then, possibly the nigh Omnipotent creator of the Universe."

"Indeed." Horus agreed. "That only leaves one question.

Are you ready?"

See you all soon, 

Knight Crawler.