Percy Jackson - Bane of Tartarus

Chapter 16

Artemis's POV

I still don't know if it's real and how Perseus is here but if there is even a slightest chance it is real, I do not want to lose this opportunity for escape. I must commend that boy for his bravery, going to fight a titan and a giant alone. I would have protested but I barely have the strength to stand let alone fight. Then again without me he would not be able to defeat the giant and end up as monster fodder. At this thought I gathered every ounce of strength I had and started standing up holding the wall. As I stood the room got even darker if it could before revealing a teen age boy. He wore a pair of black sneakers, a very black jeans, a white T-shirt and a jacket that showed stars blinking all over but what caught my eye most were his eyes. They looked like a pair of very bright stars emitting light of their own. I suddenly recognized the now smiling teenage boy, it was the creator, primordial Chaos.

I tried to kneel but my strength faltered and my knees buckled. As I was falling face first on the rocky floor, I stopped midfall before floating back into a standing position. Before me stood the creator smiling at me.

"Forgive me, Lord Chaos"

He waved his hand in dismissal. "There isn't anything to forgive Artemis. I don't like people kneeling before me anyway". I gave him a weak smile.

"I need to talk to you, do you have a minute?" he said before bursting into laughter.

"I see the creator can create jokes too", he laughed again. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Let's get you healed up first, shall we?" He stepped forward, touched my forehead and I felt my pain being washed away and my strength returning back. After a few seconds I opened up my eyes which I didn't realize I closed. I felt myself again. I saw Lord Chaos grinning at me before suddenly turning serious.

"Now to the matter at hand. Why do you think you are here?" he asked.

"Because I was kidnapped by Gaia"

"That is obvious but why? Do you know?"

"As a last attempt at revenge"

"No, you being here is a start of another war on earth. A war I have been part of for very long" His voice became even more serious.

"Against whom?" I enquired.

"You'll know that in due time but I will tell you this, when Gaia awoke she wasn't the only one to awake"

"You mean another Primordial is rising?"

"I mean that the giants helped Gaia rise but she was only their mother"

"Tartarus" I said as I suddenly remembered Perseus's and that Athena spawn's fall in Tartarus. He nodded but that left me confused.

"But you are the creator, Tartarus although a primordial cannot hope to stand against you." I expressed my confusion.

"Tartarus is just a pawn, an important one but still a pawn. Although he is the immediate threat he is not the real threat." As I was about to ask who was the real enemy he spoke again, "As I said earlier all your queries will be answered in due time." I nodded.

"Now since we are running out of time, I'll get to the point." I nodded again.

"You were kidnapped because you and your hunters have become a problem for Tartarus' soldier. As his followers roam the earth he becomes stronger. Someday you might even face a full scale war with him. But unlike my daughter Gaia who was holding back, he won't" I was dumbfounded at this information. Gaia caused so much destruction, we barely managed to defeat her and she was holding back! He nodded his head sadly as if reading my mind.

"Why was she holding back?" I was genuinely curious as to why my great grandmother hold back when she could have easily destroyed us.

"Because she is not evil like you all think. It was not her, she was under influence and have been for a long time. She was trying to fight back for control over her mind to stop the destruction hence the holding back. You all are her children, she wouldn't dream of hurting you if she was in her right mind after all she is called MOTHER earth for a reason." He answered me, sadness dripping from his eyes. So, great grandma is under influence, I wonder whose.

As if he read my thought he spoke, "Isn't is obvious? What is the place where most of the evil gathers?" I knew the answer to that question.

"So Tartarus corrupted Gaia? Can she be helped?"

"She can and all the other ones he had affected can also be cured" I sighed in relief, atleast there was still hope for her. "But for that to happen Tartarus must be overthrown and I don't mean put to sleep. He must be destroyed." His tone was grim and there was a good reason for it.

"But how? He is a primordial and cannot die" I expressed my concern.

"He can and he will in due time but since time is running out I want ask something of you"