Demigods Assemble (PJO/MCU)

Chapter 45

Percy

Percy was ready to be done. They'd been fighting for nearly two hours at this point, and the monsters still showed no signs of slowing down. Percy was ecstatic now that he'd beaten Chrysaor and some of the others had taken out Keto, but that still left an army plus Echidna and Phorcys. And from his sporadic appearances around the battlefield, Percy could tell Phorcys was really angry. Percy was itching for Phorcys to show his gross face so he could put an end to him as well, but the immortal was intelligently staying away. Percy had to settle for dicing up any monster that crossed him while searching for an opportunity to attack Phorcys. Once he was gone, it would just be Echidna. Percy awaited hungrily the moment he would finally defeat her.

Percy stabbed two telekhines in unison before sweeping out his leg to knock off his feet a lone HYDRA agent who had tried to sneak up on him. The ploy worked and Percy was able to kick him unconscious before he could get up, allowing Percy to focus on the monsters he could permanently incapacitate. A Cyclops roared and charged Percy, who grimaced and rolled to the side, drawing Riptide across the Cyclops' stomach and turning him into dust. Every time he faced an enemy Cyclops, he had to remind himself that they weren't nice like Tyson. If he hesitated, they wouldn't give the same courtesy before ripping him apart. Polyphemus had taught Percy that.

He hadn't seen Annabeth since she went off with Peter to dispose of Medusa's head, which worried him a bit. Her voice over the comms reassured him, but he still wished she was there fighting beside him. That way he could make sure she was safe. Plus, the two of them worked better together rather than alone, as they'd learned the hard way throughout the fulfillment of the two Great Prophecies—especially during their unplanned trip through Tartarus.

The length of the battle was weighing on everyone, and it had spread. There were now people fighting in the alleyways, in the buildings, and some on the rooftops as well. Percy saw more and more bodies on the ground, or the injured being dragged to safety by their friends. The ground was covered in monster dust of course, but there were just too many to keep up with. It seemed like only the best and strongest fighters were still standing—the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and other superheroes, the counselors and centurions, the oldest Hunters, and the remaining Seven of the Prophecy.

A burst of light caught Percy's attention about twenty feet to his right.

Phorcys, Percy thought.

Percy finished off the stubborn empousai he was fighting and dashed towards the light, hoping to catch Phorcys before he vanished again. He hacked through a cluster of monsters, emerging just in time to see Phorcys deal a fatal blow to a Hunter. He glanced up at the roof of a fifty-story building and smirked. Percy followed his gaze and noticed a scuffle. Phorcys winked at Percy, and just as Percy lunged for him, he disappeared.

Percy knew where he was going, so when he spotted Frank a few feet away, he helped him defeat his opponents, and then pointed. "I need you to get me to the roof of that building!"

Frank didn't even question the request. He turned into a giant eagle, grabbed Percy in his talons, and took off. Within seconds, they were touching down on the gravel-covered rooftop and Percy's heart jumped in his chest at the sight.

Thalia, Natasha, and Clint were fighting off multiple monsters and HYDRA soldiers at once, seemingly unaware of the god stalking toward them. Percy immediately ran at him, yelling, "Hey, Phorcys!" to draw his attention and warn the others.

Phorcys ducked under Riptide, reacting quicker than Percy had expected, and flung out a hand. Percy was thrown off his feet by an invisible force, hitting the gravel hard enough to knock the air at his lungs. Thankfully, Frank engaged Phorcys, giving Percy the chance to recover. He scrambled to his feet and readied his sword, nodding determinedly at Thalia, Natasha, and Clint, who had defeated their opponents and were now ready to join the fight against Phorcys. Percy vowed not to let Phorcys leave this rooftop alive.

Thalia and Clint strung their bows simultaneously as Percy and Natasha charged Phorcys. The two archers' aims were perfect, their arrows sliding between Percy, Natasha, and Frank and lodging in Phorcys flabby flesh. The sea god howled and backhanded Frank, but the stocky son of Mars wasn't so easy to knock down. He transformed into an enormous grizzly bear, raking his claws down Phorcys chest. At the same time, Percy swiped at his legs and Natasha climbed onto his back and pressed her fists on either side of his throat. Phorcys grunted as ichor flowed out of his wounds and contorted in pain as Natasha activated her widow bites.

Percy backed up to give Natasha and the grizzly some more room. He heard a faint thudding, like footsteps somewhat close by. He didn't have time to think too much about it when Phorcys growled and rose to his feet, tossing aside Frank and Natasha. Frank landed hard, back in human form and clutching his ribs. He must not have been hurt too badly, because he was quickly climbing to his feet.

Natasha was pummeling Phorcys with punches, too fast for the weakened god to catch. When she saw Percy rushing forward, she backed up. When he was a foot away from Phorcys, lightning—courtesy of Thalia—struck the god, dazing him. It gave Percy the chance to rake Riptide across Phorcys' chest and kick him down. A volley of arrows sent by Clint and Thalia sprouted from his wetsuit, drawing more ichor.

Together, Percy and Frank raised their swords and drove them deep into Phorcys chest. His bellow of pain was abruptly cut off as he vanished in a burst of light, leaving behind nothing but ichor and the faint smell of the sea.

"We had better not have to deal with him a fourth time," Frank panted, leaning on his sword.

Percy patted him on the back. "If that's not payback for trying to turn us into an aquarium attraction, I don't know what is."

Frank laughed, trying to catch his breath. Percy, meanwhile, felt more strengthened than ever. Phorcys and Keto were no more, all that was left with Echidna. She had to show herself soon, there was no way she could wait much longer. "Mother of all Monsters" or not, her army must be almost depleted. And there was no way she was letting this end without facing Percy in person, she'd planned this for too long not to.

Percy was giddy with adrenaline. They were so close to victory. If they could just hang on a bit longer until Echidna appeared, they could win. The prophecy was right—Good can prevail before the world is overrun / But only with the fall of Poseidon's son. Chrysaor had fallen, and "good" was about to win.

"Phorcys has also been eliminated," Clint reported over the comms. He and Natasha were taking inventory of their weapons, looking tired but determined to see the fight through to the end.

Their teammates' cheers echoed through their earpieces in response, and Percy breathed a sigh of relief to hear Annabeth's voice. But then the First Law of Percy Jackson reared its ugly head.

Percy was reminded about the thumping he'd heard earlier when the stairwell to the roof burst open and dozens of monsters and soldiers thundered out, surrounding Percy, Frank, Thalia, Clint, and Natasha. Percy raised Riptide. The five of them shared looks and charged.

All Percy saw was the next monster. It seemed like half of Echidna's army had cornered them and each monster he cut down was replaced by two more. Percy's good feeling quickly disappeared as he saw no easy way out of this unless someone was able to help them.

Percy was backed up to the edge of the rooftop. He had lost sight of the others and was struggling to regain ground. His vision was filled with dirt and claws. He sliced through a couple of dracaenae and took a split second to wipe some monster dust out of his eyes. The gesture was ill-planned, however, and all Percy had time to do was widen his eyes when the Laistrygonian lunged. His fists slammed into Percy's stomach with such force that he stumbled backward. His legs hit the edge of the rooftop and he lost his balance.

There was nothing Percy could do as he toppled backward and fell.