"…I love you too …" she said softly before she heard Pallas grunt before both closed their eyes, waiting for the spear to hit and knowing it would probably not only run through Annabeth but Cloelia herself as well.
...
Even then she didn't try to push away from her mother, instead sending another silent prayer to the wolf pendant still pulsing at her wrist. The same pendant that had glowing a near blinding light as she pulled at Riptide before she'd erupted into a divine form. She heard the air part as the spear drew close, felt her budding senses demanding her to move as her survival instincts flared … but she denied them knowing it would only delay it all.
She was alone, weak, and would be at her captor's mercy so why not go out with her mother? However instead of hearing or even feeling the spear hit home, all she felt was a sudden chill around her before she heard a soft shuffling followed immediately by the sharp clang of the spear colliding with something. She heard the shocked gasps that sounded muffled, almost like there was something between herself and the other gods.
Silence then took its hold for all of three seconds before she slowly dared to open one eye, feeling her mother softly stir as she looked as well. Cloelia blinked in confusion as the purest black feathers surrounded her and her mother before they stared moving. She followed them as slowly they pulled back enough to show the enormity of the obsidian wings surrounding them before she gazed along their length, her mouth parting in awe as her head slowly turned around.
Her eyes widened as she gasped along with her mother, both looking up as a figure of pure darkness slowly stood tall from crouching over them, dwarfing them at 30 feet as his wings silently folded at his sides.
Eyes of writhing black flame and icy blue pupils looked down at her, betraying no emotion before the darkness pulled back. Like someone surfacing from a pool of ink he appeared, his tanned face revealing itself first before more of his body became apparent. The pure coat of living darkness condensing on his form as he stood tall with two blades tied at the opposite ends of his hips.
Still she recognized him. Even if he looked different to any of the old pictures she'd seen, she could feel the same signature resonating within him as her bracelet, a gift her mother told her he had made specifically for her. Her greatest idol and hero, the godfather she'd wanted to meet for so long had arrived.
Percy was here.
However her moment of awe and elation was cut short as her mother doubled over in a coughing fit, falling into Cloelia's arms as the young goddess looked on in horror. Her mother wasn't just coughing up ichor but there was a sickly green, sludge like substance mixed in.
"Poison," she heard the deep baritone voice speak above her and glance up only to see Percy's eyes looking back down passed her.
She followed his gaze and her eyes alighted on the spears, now noticing a thin liquid dripping off the tips. Horror dawned on her as she realized what was happening as she hastily placed her mother down on her side, gripping the spear shaft with her right hand while placing the other around her mother's wound. Her left started to radiate small bits of divine power as she focused, trying in the simplest way any god could heal others; by simply wishing it so and throwing power at it.
It was the barest minimums allowed by her lack of knowledge or experience but she didn't care as she desperately funneled her power around the wound as she prepared to pull the spear out but couldn't as her mother weakly draped her right hand over Cloelia's and slowly pushed her away. Cloelia looked at her mother in a mix of outrage and disbelief but was only met with a sad smile and a shaking head.
"It's too late sweetie," her mother said softly, already so weak that even her voice lost the echo of power.
Her mother's eyes then shifted to Cloelia's hand, the same had that was slowly turning black with the icy blue veins already running up to Cloelia's shoulder making the young goddess register that she could barely even feel anything from that hand and arm as is. But then her mother's eyes moved on and looked up making Cloelia do the same to meet Percy's gaze as the primordial stood above them.
"Percy …" her mother said softly, her weak voice almost pleading. "… please …"
Cloelia wasn't sure what was passing between them, lost to it as Percy seemed to nod slightly which in turn earned a small smile from her mother as she released a slow breathe.
She then looked to Cloelia again and gestured for her to come closer which she did only to receive a soft kiss on her forehead. Cloelia didn't make a sound as her mother then she closed her eyes as she leaned back, her head resting against the ground with a peaceful smile on her face. Cloelia watched as tears streamed down her cheeks in renewed force, her entire frame shaking as she watched her mother's chest rise one last time.
She watched as her body softly glowed a pure white before beginning to break down into tiny mots of white dust that blew away in a non-existent wind. Silence reigned as Cloelia watched the white dust disappeared before her arms dropped to her sides. Her limps started to tremble along with the shaking of her shoulders as her vision went blurry, her power fluctuating wildly before she felt a gentle touch to her side.
She moved numbly as she looked to see an huge hand as big as her entire upper body curl around her before looking up to see Percy's eyes again. This time his eyes held a sense of sadness … and understanding.
Then his thumb moved slowly, gently pressing against her cheeks and wiping away the unending tears. But it seemed that the tender display was the straw that broke the camel's back as she let herself fall against his hand before letting loose…
...
( Pallas POV )
The titan stood still as he watched, unable to bring himself to move as the other gods stood around him in equal stupor. Did he care for watching a daughter cry over a fallen mother? He couldn't if he tried, having done much worse intentionally millennia ago. To punish, to make examples, to break others, and to even satisfy the sadism any war deity had to them. It didn't matter to him as he watched the goddess cry, wail, and scream into the hand of the primordial standing over her.
But it was the primordial that kept him still.
Pallas was sure the others felt it the moment the dark god had made his sudden and unexpected arrival. The sudden pressure that enveloped them yet seemed to be kept just a hair's breath away from actually coming down and crushing them. The sense of danger that gripped his heart like an icy claw making his every instinct to scream in retreat.
But he simply couldn't.
He knew that he was in the presence of the alpha predator and that any motion to even think of escape would bring him down on them so they remained rooted to the stop. Pallas couldn't even recall that last he took a breath as he watched, internally wincing at the agony still throbbing from his groin.
How he hated that goddess and cursed her, knowing he'd been irreparably mutilated unless he planned on reforming but with a new master of the Pit, that would only delay a worse fate. Even worse still was even with silently diverting his raw power to the area, the healing was slow and shallow, and leaving him majorly impaired combat wise.
However he was broken out of his thoughts as he noticed the cries of the goddess had tapered off and watched in slight wonder as the now unconscious goddess slowly shrunk. Less than ten seconds passed before the goddess looked again like a simple godly save for her nearly black arm and torn clothing, easily fitting in the palm of the dark god's hand.
They watched as the hand gently curled up and the dark god slowly stood straight again with the godling safely held close to his chest. With his gaze still on the child and his hair hiding his eyes from them he wordlessly opened his hand at the cursed blade laying on the floor by his feet. Some flinched as the blade spun around and launched itself into his hand handle first, growing to perfectly fit as the blade started to emit a cold mist upon touch.
Silently he held it around and placed it on his back between his wings before letting go as the sword remained before he suddenly looked up. The pressure that had been waiting all but pounced on them as two of the gods immediately fell to their knees while gasping and even Pallas himself almost buckled as he met that gaze. His pupils had narrowed to icy slits as a frozen fury was leveled at them, the entire throne going darker and colder with every second.
Then Jackson flicked his wrist and Pallas felt a barrier pass over them and with it, he felt a new sense of dread take root in his chest. It didn't take long before some of the minor gods started panicking and flashing golden only to remain in the stop.
Fear saturated the air as they looked at the dark god who in turn had his eyes directed on the mortal still present. Pallas followed his eyes to see that very mortal brought to his knees, quivering and stuttering as his eyes remained tightly shut but it did nothing for the pressure baring down on him.
Then, with what seemed like a blink, Jackson stood over the mortal with a foot raised. Pallas watched as the primordial brought his foot down and slammed on a small, shell-like barrier flashing to life just over the mortal.
It was useless.
===================
Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.
...
if you want to support me or just to read ahead of the public release, you can join my p@treon :
p atreon/Moonhorse