We do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or any works of Rick Riordan. All rights go to their original owners. We only own OCs and concepts we're introducing to the canon.
Writing credits go to Uzumaki Ricky, Monsterhuntergod, Sharad the hedgehog, and Traines.
Masters of Defying Destiny
Book 1: The Frozen Trails
Chapter 5: Greeks Stand as One
"Must go faster!!" Corvo cried, seeing the Tupilaq in the distance behind them.
"It's a freeway, kid! Not a racetrack!" Birch called from the driver's seat, weaving the car between traffic frantically. "Lupe, where's the exit!?"
"It's the next one! I think!" Lupe cried, frantically trying to read the map.
"You think!? Need to be a bit surer than that, lady!" Alastair shrieked.
Lupe gulped and took a deep breath to focus herself. Looking at the map again, then at a nearby sign, she finally figured where they needed to go. Mercifully, the exit to reach their stop close to camp wasn't far. But it was going to get close, as the monstrous bear kept a relentless pace, smashing aside any car or truck that didn't get out of its way fast enough.
"Take the next exit!" Lupe called out.
"Hold onto your butts!" Birch cried out.
Right before the exit, Birch took the turn hard. Rubber screeched as they went into a drifting slide down the ramp. The demigods, especially the ones in the back, were sure at one point the car would flip over. Thankfully, Birch kept control long enough to begin to regain complete control. That was until Corvo, out of the corner of his eye, noticed something flying towards them.
"Brace for impact!" Corvo cried as something smashed into the car's left side, sending them off into a ditch.
Metal crumpled, glass went flying, and airbags went off as the old worn-out car settled into the ditch. Oil and fluids were leaking from the underside, as they all regained their bearings. To their shock, what hit them was another car, of similarly worn body. Lupe gritted her teeth and clambered out of the driver's side window to give them a piece of her mind.
"Watch where you're going, puta! You almost… Mike!?" Lupe cried out before turning to disbelief at who it was.
"Lupe!? What are you doing in that jalopy!?" Came the voice of Mike as he kicked the now ruined door off its hinges to get out of the wreck.
"I'm the one asking the questions here, hermano! What the hell could you five be running from to smash into us like that!?" Lupe shrieked in anger.
"Well, it was a horde of monsters, but we took care of most of them on the way." Marcus grumbled as he hobbled out of the driver's side of his wreck. "But now it's down to a Cyclops that somehow learned to roller-skate."
"... Say what?" Lupe asked in disbelief.
"I already regret coming along with you freaks." Argos growled as Valentina helped him out of the back seat.
"I don't know. So far, we've done pretty well." Alastair said with a shrug.
"I like that cheerful outlook, newbie. Now let's get to camp before…" Mike began to say only to be cut off.
From behind them they heard a monstrous roar, one that caught Mike's team off guard. The nine demigods and two Satyrs looked up the highway off ramp to see the Tupilaq staring down at them. Soon it began to wind up a charge, using the downward ramp to build up momentum. As soon as the group turned around came the Cyclops rolling in from the other side of the highway interchange. The more experienced demigods then grabbed their newbies and threw them forward, before rushing behind them. They barely avoided the wild swing of the Cyclopes club as it barreled past, smashing into the Tupilaq. The two monsters soon hit the ground in a heap, giving them all just enough time to get into the forest.
"That! Before that happens!" Mike called out as they kept running.
"You people are insane!!" Argos shrieked as he ran as fast as he could.
"You had to deal with that the whole time?" Laurel asked her sister as she ran.
"You get used to it." Holly replied with a shrug as they kept running.
"Chris! How far are we 'til camp!?" Lupe asked.
"Just a couple miles! If nothing goes wrong, we should get there soon!" Chris replied.
Right as Chris said that a massive tree fell in front of them, forcing them to stop. As the dust and splinters began to settle, they saw a great, black form bound over the fallen tree. Before them stood the unmistakable form of a Hellhound, one approaching the size of a box van. It snarled at them, bearing fangs big enough to be swords as it slowly crept towards them.
"... From now on, you are never allowed to speak. Ever." Argos said, glaring at Chris.
"We can head around the tree and outflank it!" Laurel cried out, before being stopped by the sound of thunderous footfalls.
Crashing out of the tree line came the familiar forms of the Tupilaq and the Cyclops. Trapped by the three monsters, the veteran demigods formed a defensive circle. The Satyrs got the newbies inside the circle as they looked for a way out. Each of the monsters sizing up the situation, readying themselves for the next move.
"Nowhere to go, so we'll have to fight our way out! I'll take the Cyclops!" Mike called out, punching his gloved fists together to turn the gloves into a pair of spiked cestus gauntlets before drawing out a ruler that transformed into a sword.
"I got the Hellhound! I always wanted one of those things pelts!" Lupe said with a smirk as she readied her spear.
"Marcus, Birch! Get the newbies across the boundary line! Sis, we'll take the bear monster!" Holly barked at the Satyrs before giving her sister a grin.
Laurel grinned back. "Whoever doesn't kill it cleans the other's part of Hermes Cabin?" She replied.
"You're on!" Holly replied as the twin sisters each brought out a spear and shield of their own.
With a cacophony of roars, the seven combatants rushed each other as the Satyrs tried to guide Argos, Corvo, and Alastair to safety. The Tupilaq, upon noticing, tried to turn its attention towards them before Holly and Laurel stepped into its path with twin feral grins on their faces. The bear monster roared as it reared up on its hind legs, trying to swat them aside with its clawed paw only for them to dodge. Its paw slammed into the ground, kicking up dirt and grass as Holly and Laurel stabbed into its arm together, the Tupilaq roaring in pain and fury as it pulled back.
"Eyes on us, Smokey!" Holly snarked as she hefted her shield defensively with her spear peeking out just above it.
"Yeah! We're your opponents!" Laurel added, mirroring her twin sister's stance.
Meanwhile, Mike used his gauntlet covered hand to catch a punch from the Cyclops as he smirked up at it. Thrusting with his sword, he stabbed into its finger, making it roar in pain as it stumbled back. Growling, the Cyclops shook its hand as it glared hatefully at the godling.
"You will suffer for that, boy!" The Cyclops roared in fury.
"Bring it on, Fat Boy Slim!" The Latino demigod roared back, holding his blade up and at the ready.
Lupe, on the other hand, raised her shield to block an attempted swipe from the Hellhound. Pushing it back, she stabbed it with her spear. The beast snarled as it jumped back, circling the girl like a shark that smelled blood in the water. Howling, it jumped to attack only for Lupe to dodge and thrust her spear, stabbing into its leg. Howling in fury, it tried to bite at the haft of her spear only for Lupe to pull the spear back and stab at its face, forcing it to jump back.
Lupe gave a feral smirk as she eyed the canine beast, the two circling each other as they watched for an opening. "You're gonna make for one hell of a nice rug, mutt." She told it, brimming with confidence.
As the demigods squared up to their chosen targets, Marcus and Birch scanned the surrounding forest. Regardless of the fact that they had seven veteran fighters squaring up to these colossal beasts, it wasn't going to be enough.
"We haven't reached any of the escape routes. I told Chiron to expand them, but does anyone listen to an old fart like me? Never!" Marcus growled.
"What about that gully over there?" Birch asked, pointing to their east.
"It's too shallow, it wouldn't hold the scent long enough." Marcus growled.
"But it looks like it has enough boulders and logs to slow a monster down. We just need to put some distance. We only have a few miles to go to the barrier." Birch argued.
Marcus stood there pensively at that prospect. It was risky, way riskier than what he was comfortable with. However, as the chaotic melee swirled around him, he realized that they had no other choice. They had to get out of there.
"Alright. Newbies! In that gully! Double time!" Marcus barked.
"Are you crazy! They'll run us down!" Argos yelled.
"Would you rather die trying, or die here like a dog?" Corvo asked.
"I know which one I'm taking!" Alastair yelled before running off into the small gully.
"... Please let me wake up from this nightmare." Argos muttered to himself as he began to run with Corvo.
"Alright, legs! Don't fail me now!" Marcus grumbled as he took up the rear as Birch sprinted ahead to guide the way.
As the colossal bear charged into the gully, Mike and Lupe stood back-to-back as the Cyclops and Hellhound began to circle them. Multiple sets of eyes were locked in, waiting for the first move to be made. Finally, it was the Cyclops who made the first move, rushing in with its club raised high.
Mike rolled to the side to avoid the smash from the club before rushing in. He then dashed forward while the Cyclops hefted his heavy weapon, blade drawn and ready to go for the legs. Ducking under a sweeping kick from the one-eyed brute, Mike stabbed his blade up into the bottom of the Cyclops' foot and slashed with all his might, nearly cutting the bottom of the foot in half. Roaring in pain, the monster nursed his injured foot as Mike got a running start and leaped up onto his back. Caught off guard, the Cyclops tried to shake the demigod off as Mike went for multiple stabs into his back, barely hanging on as he tried to weaken his foe enough to bring him down.
Meanwhile, Lupe dodged a lunge from the Hellhound's gaping maw. Spinning around to face the beast's back, she lunged at its back leg. However, the canine monstrosity leapt to dodge, getting some distance while eyeing the demigoddess cautiously. Circling around her, it tried to look for an opening. Soon spotting one, the massive hellbeast lunged at her from behind. Lupe barely brought her shield up in time to block as the Hellhound's jaws snapped for her head while its claws raked at her shield in an attempt to bring her down. Pushing it back with all her strength, Lupe sent the massive, canine demon skidding back as she rushed in and stabbed with her spear only for it to jump aside, the head of her spear stabbing into the ground where her opponent once stood.
Meanwhile, Holly and Laurel were having much less luck with their opponent than their team leaders were with theirs. The twins tried to coordinate their attacks on the bear monster, always making sure at least one of them was on offense at a time while the other was on defense. Each time, they switched roles to try to trip it up. However, none of their tactics were working. The massive bear demon's hide was too tough for their spears to penetrate too deeply, not to mention that the two were tiring quickly. They needed a plan before one of them dropped from exhaustion or slipped up.
To their surprise, the Tupilaq suddenly stopped, before almost robotically looking away from them. Its head craned to look down the gully, before sniffing the air. Hot breath shot from its nostrils as it bared its teeth in frustration. Seeing this opening, the twins charged forward in unison, weapons ready. Yet, without even looking at them, the right arm of the bear monster swung down, swatting them aside like insects. The twins were launched off the ground, before their flight was suddenly stopped by the trunk of a pine tree. With but a simple groan, their bodies slumped down, unconscious.
Growling and roaring, the Tupilaq soon charged down into the gully after its quarry. Boulders were swatted aside or crushed by its unholy strength, and fallen trees splintered like toothpicks. This trail of destruction was swiftly heard by the Satyr's and their charges, sending shivers up their spines. Even Alastair and Corvo, who were most familiar with this beast, had faces contorted by fear.
"Please wake up! Please wake up! Please wake up!" Argos shrieked as he tried to pick up his running pace.
"Old timer! Do you got any suggestions!?" Birch yelled.
"We need some way to slow it down! Or kill it, if possible!" Marcus replied in a panic.
The group remained eerily silent as they ran, before Corvo and Alastair spoke up suddenly.
"I got an idea. Al, go to the top of that tree and wait for my signal." Corvo instructed his younger brother, causing the younger boy to nod and break off from the group and make his way up a soggy and worn-down tree as they passed it. Skidding to a halt, Corvo turned on his heel and stood still, holding out his arms invitingly.
"Alright, you big bastard, come get me." the blonde taunted, and, despite his bravado, he had to stop his legs from shaking violently, his heart hammering in his chest, as the large creature barreled down on him.
The boy soon felt the ground shake from under him as the great white beast charged towards him. Soon he saw the soulless eyes staring at him, homed in on him like a missile. It was then he called up to his brother.
"NOW!!" Corvo shrieked.
With a nod Alastair leapt high into the air, before falling back down onto the old tree. They both heard the tree creak and crack, before letting out its final death rattle. The Tupilaq saw the tree start falling too late, its large bulk working against it as it tried to get out of the way. Soon the full weight of the tree slammed into its skull, sending a dead limb spur through its jaws, showering the surrounding forest in black, cold blood. It soon began to thrash and claw at the tree, trying to free itself, buying the brothers enough time to run after the group.
"That was amazing, you two!!" Birch cheered to them as they caught up.
"No talk, RUN!" Both brothers cried, Alastair jumping from the tree and landing in his brother's arms, who, despite the initial shock of the added weight, bolted ahead of the others.
This was all the motivation Argos needed as he tried to sprint even harder. However, from the great fall of the tree came a long splinter, spinning like a thrown knife. Right as Argos was about to start running next to Birch, the splinter swiped past his left arm, cutting through the shirt and drawing blood. It was then Argos finally realized. This wasn't a dream. He was actually going to die…
Meanwhile: With Mike and Lupe
"They need help, sis! We need to finish this now!" Mike called out, dodging a stomp from the Cyclops before slashing at its shin.
"Easier said than done!!" Lupe shot back, wrestling her shield from the Hellhounds' jaws.
Standing back-to-back, the two twins looked at each other. Their eyes widened a moment as they got an idea.
"SWITCH!" The two yelled out before running in opposite directions, squaring up at each other's opponents.
Mike barreled at the surprised Hellhound like a runaway locomotive, his feet cracking the ground as he surged into the canine monstrosity. For a brief moment, the Hellhound dangled in the air, before finally landing on its feet. Able to use its own great bulk to slow Mike's charge, it reached down to try to bite him. To avoid the bite, Mike slipped under its front legs, pushing into its stomach.
"Careful! The woods are a tripping hazard!" Mike yelled out.
Before the Hellhound could react, Mike pushed it through a boulder, shattering it to pieces. While it tried to bite, the canine noticed that it was no longer on solid ground. It howled as it was sent tumbling into a gully, its spine impacting with the ground in a sickening crunch. However, it still flopped about, attempting to still get up. It was then Mike looked to his left and noticed more boulders. And got an idea.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Mike roared as he heaved a boulder bigger than himself over his shoulders.
Bending down, Mike's legs strained as he leapt into the air, boulder in hand. The Hellhound only had enough time to look up to see the boulder slam into its head. With a crunch and a splat, the hellhound's body spasmed, before finally falling limp. Mike panted and put a hand on his back as the monster turned to ash in the wind, leaving behind a large, black pelt where the monster stood.
Mike smiled at the sight of it as he picked it up 'I can lord this over Lupe.' He thought as he hefted the pelt over his shoulders and began to climb back up the ledge.
Meanwhile: With Lupe
"Easy big guy! You've got time to do your Cardio!" Lupe shot at the Cyclopes as it swung its club repeatedly at, forcing her to dodge.
However, the giant wound up a big swing, and with speed unbecoming of such a hulking frame, forced Lupe to block the blow. It impacted her shield with a great clang, and the force sent Lupe flying into the grass across the clearing. The Cyclopes tried to pursue, but the pain in its shin caused it to stumble. Lupe groaned as she sat up and winced as she felt her arm ache in pain. Yet as she grabbed her arm, she noticed the state of her shield. The club hit it dead on in the center, crumbling it and caving it in. The young demigod gritted her teeth and stood up to face it, dropping her shield as she readied her spear.
"You ruined my shield, you son of a bitch!!" Lupe yelled furiously.
"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it, little girl?" The Cyclopes chuckled.
Squinting, Lupe lifted her spear up before throwing it at the Cyclopes. The great brute lifted its club up to try and block it but miscalculated where Lupe was aiming. The spear sailed through the air, skewering itself straight into the already injured leg of the Cyclopes. It roared in pain as Lupe then ran and leapt at its face, punching the monster square across its jaw. Yet, even as the Cyclopes fell to the ground, Lupe kept up the assault, punching it repeatedly in its face. Before opening her fist up into a clawed hand.
"This is for my shield!!" Lupe roared before plunging her hand into its eye.
Grabbing the bulbous eye, she then yanked back, pulling it out of the socket. At first, the optical cord of the Cyclops gave her trouble, as it was firmly rooted in its thick skull. Gritting her teeth, she dug her heels into the monster's thick neck and cheek, yanking back as hard as she could. Finally, she felt the cord snap, causing her to tumble back as a fountain of gore shot out from the vacant eye hole as the Cyclops screamed in agony. Lupe lay in the forest opening, panting and covered in gore, but alive.
"That… was for… mah shield… ugh…" Lupe panted as she slowly stood up.
"You always have to try and upstage me. Don't you?" Mike said with a deep sigh.
Lupe turned to look at her brother with a scowl. "That was my favorite shield." She scowled back.
"So, you will not mind me taking this fine Hellhound pelt with me then?" Mike asked with a smile.
"I called dibs on that!!" Lupe yelled furiously.
"To the victor goes the spoils, sis. But, if you're up for a trade…" Mike slyly said, before feeling something big and slimy hit his face. "Ewww!!!"
Lupe smirked after she threw the cyclops eyeball into her brother's face, taking the pelt off her brother's shoulder. "There's your prize." Lupe said with a smirk.
"It's in my mouth!! Gods, it tastes like iron and an old eel!!!" Mike yelled in disgust, before looking down at the eyeball. "Well as Chiron always says… 'waste not, want not.'"
Reaching into his backpack, before pulling out a large plastic bag. Gingerly, he picked the eye up by its still dangling optical cord and dropped it into the bag. Quickly dropping it in, the bag heavily dipped and sagged under the strain. He then let out a big sigh.
"Hope they make Preservation Jars big enough for this thing. I'm still in debt to the Hephaestus cabin…" Mike grumbled.
"Let's go get the victory twins and head for camp." Lupe replied.
"What about the newbies?" Mike asked in concern.
"I'm sure they're fine…" Lupe answered before turning to go get the twins.
Meanwhile: With the Newbies
"We are not fine!!" Birch cried out, scampering as best it could as they heard the pain fueled, throaty growls of the Tupilaq behind them.
"I thought that was supposed to kill it!?" Argos shrieked at the brothers.
"We've killed it a lot, it just gets harder to do every time!" Corvo cried as he ran, his legs felt like they were on fire, it was a good thing he had let Al down, his younger brother being near the head of the pack.
However, as the group ran, Argos began to fall behind. His body was covered in sweat, sticking his fine clothes to his skin. His legs felt like jelly on fire as he panted heavily. Then they all heard a great crash as the Tupilaq charged through the underbrush towards them. Before anyone could react, the massive ursine swung its great clawed paw, swatting Argos aside like a fly. The boy didn't have any chance to scream as his body fell limp on the forest floor. The others turned to see its eyes still the same icy coldness as its ruined jaws hung limp on its face, smeared in blood.
"I got an idea," Alastair cried, glancing over his shoulder, a determined look in his eye, Corvo's heart felt like it was going to leap into his throat at the look, but he quickly steeled himself and nodded. At the affirmation, Alastair moved to the left and broke off from the group, the Tupilaq quickly following, its large lumbering feet becoming quieter and quieter. Skidding to a halt, Corvo barely had time to catch his breath as he scanned the forest for something to throw at it; they had done this before, and it was just as terrifying then.
A pleased gasp left his lips as he saw an old branch on the ground. Scampering over to it, he gripped it in his hands and turned on his heel, glaring as he saw Alastair running directly at him. Pulling out a pocketknife from his pocket, he swiftly sharpened one of its ends, before breaking it into a manageable length over his knee. The large bear monster was hot on his heels, a robotic coldness in its eyes, not concerned in the slightest with the fact it was missing the upper and lower parts of its jaw, its teeth gnashing and cracking as it barreled down on them both.
"Al, move!" Corvo shouted, readying the stick, he aimed the pointed end at the creature and smirked as it reared on its hind legs to try and fall on top of his brother in an attempt to crush him.
Alastair quickly jumped to the right, the Tupilaq didn't have time to react as the makeshift spear flew into its chest and hit it directly in the heart. In an instant, the cold stare in its eyes was snuffed out. Its body then felt limp, before plummeting to the ground in a heap. Corvo in a panic looked over at Alastair, who lay face first in the ground from his leap of faith.
"Nailed it!" Alastair called out through the dirt, lifting a thumbs up into the air.
"I hate you bein' the bait, bro," Corvo sighed, his heart returning to a normal pace as he walked over to his brother and scooped him up in his arms. He smiled somewhat fondly as instead of a verbal response, small puffs of air left his brother's lips, he had fallen asleep, must've been too much for him.
"Rest up, brother, I gotcha." he said gently but with determination, he would keep him safe no matter what, it was his duty as the older brother.
Corvo carried his brother back to the group as Marcus and Birch took stock of the situation. All monsters were dead, several demigods were injured or still in the field, and they were only just outside of camp. Before any meaningful discussion could take place, the Satyrs' and Corvo noticed Mike and Lupe walking up to them with monster parts and the other demigods in tow. Mike had Argos over his shoulder like a bag of luggage, while Lupe carried the two unconscious twins.
"Okay. That's everyone accounted for." Marcus said with a sigh.
"Let's hope that Chiron doesn't…" Birch said before being cut off.
"Chiron doesn't what?" Came a voice from behind the group.
This caused everyone in the group to tiredly look behind them, turning around to see a Centaur who was a white stallion from the waist down standing behind them. Corvo looked around him to see the others with nervous looks and stares, quivering in his presence.
"Chiron… we can explain…" Birch tried to say, before getting cut off.
"Can you?" Chiron asked skeptically.
"Well… okay not really, no." Birch sighed in resignation.
Chiron cast a weary but fond look over the group, eyeing the unconscious members carefully. He then let out a deep sigh before addressing them with a tenderness in his voice.
"Well. At least you all got back from your quests alive… mostly anyway." Chiron said, before looking a worried eye at Argos.
"He's fine. Right, Argos?" Mike replied, shaking his shoulder a bit to get a response from the younger demigod.
"AAAAUUURRRGGGGHHHH…" came a loud, gurgling groan from Argos.
"See? He's fine." Mike told Chiron nervously.
"Get them all to Apollo cabin's infirmary for medical attention, please." Chiron sighed.
"Yes sir!!" Everyone except Corvo cried out.
Corvo followed closely behind them, holding his brother closely to his chest in his arms. After a small distance, he felt something wash over him as he and the others walked slumberingly into camp. The place gave off an aura of safety and security he hadn't felt in a long time, like nothing could touch them. It reminded him of home in a way, a sense of security and belonging that gave him some comfort. They made it. They were finally free.
To Be Continued…