Chapter 13: Entertain Me
...
"Brother!" Shouted Tyson.
The silver-haired demigod turned his head slowly to see his younger brother and Hades, floating in the air by their respective powers.
"…" An unreadable expression painted Silba's face as his metal foot remained firmly pressed against Zeus's unconscious body, the King of Olympus groaning faintly beneath him as it singed with an uncomfortable heat.
"Damn it… we're too late." Hades muttered, his bident flaring alive in hellish black and crimson flame.
They both stared, unsurprised, at the wreckage around them. The conflicting divine energy from the fight hung heavy in the air. Zeus, beaten. Poseidon, unconscious. And above them all, Silba, the strongest demigod, stood triumphant.
"Look at all this." Hades gestured to their surroundings. "Haven't you had enough?"
"Uncle H is right, Percy. You've proven your point. There's no need to keep doing this anymore!" Tyson added.
Kronos, ever the venomous serpent he was, chuckled darkly, but even though it looked like he was in a good mood, it was the exact opposite. Because his golden eyes looked at the Cyclops with scorn.
'That little shit.' He sneered, glaring at Tyson like an insect beneath his heel. 'Always in the way… and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!' He snapped.
The Titan Lord was an ever power-hungry and ambitious individual who had a firm belief that the world was harsh and merciless, that only the strong had the right to live in it while the weak were fated to perish, and due to that, he held a certain disdain for the weak and undriven. That's why he disliked Tyson so much. He was the complete opposite with his stupid smile and kind nature.
It made him sick. Were it not for the Cyclops's usefulness and Perseus being so attached to him, Kronos would've ordered the exception of the one-eyed nuisance without batting an eye.
Silba didn't pay any mind to his grandfather's temper tantrum and instead focused his attention on two, mainly Tyson. "Tyson… Leave. Now." He told plainly and simply.
Tyson froze in place. His brother never behaved so coldly to him like this before, maybe annoyed sometimes but never like this. It was like the day when they first met. "B-Big brother…" He muttered, looking down.
Since the day Percy saved him, he always listened to his big brother and did whatever he asked without question simply because the demigod knew better, and by listening to him, they would always stay by each other's side. It was an awkward but healthy relationship, but Cyclops never complained. They were family.
Tyson's worst fear was the day when Percy would cast him aside for being dead weight. When the brother he looked up to would not want him anywhere near him. It was terrifying thought because he didn't want to lose the only family he's ever known.
"Leave… or else." He told him.
This wasn't the brother he knew and loved. This wasn't the same person who taught him to forge and made weapons and armors with. Tyson trembled as he gasped for breath. Hades himself wasn't looking any better.
With shaking fists, Tyson stepped forward with a scowl on his face. "No!"
"No?" His brother repeated getting a tiny yelp from his younger brother.
"…That's right." He said more firmly this time. He gripped his molten hammer, lava running like blood through his fingers. "I'm your little brother, so you're crazy if you think I'll walk away!"
The silver demigod's brow furrowed. "Richard put you up to this, didn't he?"
"He begged me to come stop you. Along with Mr. Kael." Tyson shot back. "And not just them. Miss Hecate also had a hand in this." He revealed it, getting a small look of surprise from his brother.
"Heca…?" He paused.
Besides being his teacher, the Goddess of Magic was also his lover. She loved him dearly, and the feelings were more than reciprocated. Hecate was attracted to his skill and natural talent and taught him to the best of her abilities to witness the heights he would reach with her guidance, and Perseus sought out that knowledge to further his power.
It was tough work, but Hecate managed to break down his walls, and the two became a couple in secret. They truly loved each other.
However, because of the never-ending fights against the gods, their relationship was tested, and when she found out about his plans to create the Ultimate Weapon, they ultimately broke the relationship off.
She meant the world to him. Only two other women were as close to him romantically as the Goddess of Magic was.
Kronos felt his eye twitch. 'You've got to be kidding me. Even that witch is meddling in my plans.'
Tyson. Hades. Persephone. Poseidon. Richard. Hercules. Typhon. Calypso. Thalia—all of them had a hand in messing with his perfect creation. They caused him to hesitate and empathize with the helpless. They were ruining his masterpiece. And Kronos despised them for it.
'Just how many times are you vermin going to get in my way?!' He thought infuriatingly.
"She helped because she still loves you." Tyson growled, stepping forward, hammer burning. "Everyone is waiting for you. So, I don't care if I have to break every bone in your body to do it."
"Listen to the boy." The god of the underworld spoke as shadow and darkness and even hellfire expanded all around them. "The machine has also been neutralized. You need to stop."
Darkness surged beneath their feet, laced with hellfire, expanding further and further, a combination of the dark and hellfire. The king of the dead wasn't sure if he could combat this new form of his nephew, but he wasn't going to shy away from a fight.
The surroundings became a black canvas, the only light coming from his flames, Tyson's hammer, and the very bright form of Silba. "Please." Tyson pleaded, voice cracking as he reached out, "Come back."
Silba palmed his head with his hand, covering the tears that streamed down his face, evaporating in the heat he was emanating. 'I'm sorry, Tyson… I can't.' Perseus internally apologized before saying, 'Grandfather, switch with me.'
Kronos' lips curled into a slow, exhilarated grin. 'Sure, I'll take it from here. I've been dying to stretch my legs anyway.' He cracked his knuckles.
'Whatever you do, do not kill Tyson.' He warned his grandfather in a dead serious tone.
The Titan paused in thought. 'Mmm… no promises. I've never been great at holding back. If he breaks… he breaks.'
'Kronos!' Perseus yelled within the confines of his mind.
'Alright!' The Titan threw his hands up in surrender. 'You're lucky I'm so fond of you, child.'
Back on the battlefield, Tyson and Hades were waiting for the silver demigod's answer, thinking they'd reached him.
But then—
A low chuckle, dark and twisted, echoed across the air, causing them to tense up.
The silver demigod's body trembled—not from weakness, but laughter. A new presence had emerged. One that oozed ancient malice and unfiltered arrogance.
"Percy?" Tyson asked in a worried tone.
"Hihihihi… Sorry, but your time's up." The silver demigod slowly lifted his head, and Tyson's heart dropped at the sight of his eyes.
Gold. Blazing, merciless gold.
"Father!" Hades exclaimed in shock. Many questions were circling in his mind, but now wasn't the time.
"Grandpa…?" Tyson whispered, equally stunned.
"No." The Titan denied the Cyclops use of that word before continuing, "You're all utterly laughable."
The Titan rolled his neck with audible pops. "As much as I'd like to see your asses get kicked like an angry farmer to a pack mule, I doubt you two can meet my standards." He fiddled with his nails.
"So go ahead—scamper off like the bugs you are while you still have the chance."
"No way, Jose!" Tyson shouted defiantly. "Let me talk to my brother. Percy! Percy!" However, his brother did not respond at all much to the cyclops's sadness. "Big brother, please talk to me!" But his elder brother remained silent.
Tyson's face became panicked. "What…what did you do to him!?"
Silba—No, Kronos piloting the body tilted his head to the side lazily, like a predator humoring its prey. "I wouldn't waste your breath if I were you."
"What are you talking about?" Hades stepped forward, wariness flaring in his eyes. Shadows stirred at his feet like smoke ready to ignite.
"I thought it was obvious by now?" He motioned to himself. "Perseus gave me the front seat. I'm the captain now." Kronos placed a hand on his chest.
It didn't take the Lord of the Dead long to understand what his father was saying.
"You can do that?" Hades questioned in disbelief, receiving a lazy nod out of Kronos.
"We usually don't. I prefer my role in the passenger seat more. Buuuut…" He lifted one golden-clad hand and pointed directly at his son. "He's leaving dealing with you in my hand." His gaze snapped to Tyson.
Tyson took a step back, his body shaking. "I—I don't understand..."
"Well, that's not a surprise. You're an idiot." Kronos scoffed derisively before saying, "So read my lips, Cyclops."
Then, without warning, the mouth of the silver demigod split open. Horizontally. A monstrous, demonic grin bloomed across his lower face, revealing jagged, obsidian-like teeth that wouldn't look out of place for a monster. "He doesn't want to speak to you." He told him with a dark smile.
Tyson recoiled in horror. But the Titan wasn't done. He still had plenty of salt he wanted to rub. "You should have stayed pissing in your forge like a good little boy. You're no hero."
The Titan Lord reveled in the look on Tyson's face. "Ahahahahha!"
The despairing face on the cyclops didn't last long and was replaced by a look of fury. "Bite me, Kronos." Tyson's aura exploded as magma and flames poured out of him. Above, a flaming horse brayed.
Kronos, ever unimpressed, simply arched a brow. "Well, isn't this precious?"
"I'll stop you! And I'll knock some damn sense into my brother while I'm at it!"
"That's a lot of confidence for a pawn." Kronos muttered, brushing his nails as if utterly bored. "But then again, pawns always assume they're tough shit when they think they flip the board."
"What kind of cryptic garbage are you spewing now!?" Tyson bellowed, charging the air with steam and power.
Kronos rolled his eyes. "Sigh. You're so tragically dense. Honestly, it's not even funny. No wonder your brother didn't want to stay."
"Just spit it out already, you crappy parent!" Hades snapped, stepping up beside Tyson, his eyes burning violet with divine rage.
Kronos's golden gaze flickered to his son with a mock hurt expression. "Now that was uncalled for." He then went onto explain.
"Earlier when Perseus was winning against the three of you." Kronos began, voice dripping with smugness, "You turned tail and ran off to find the Ultimate Weapon."
Hades glared but didn't let his father bait him. "What of it?"
"Oh, I'm getting there." He rolled his neck with a sigh like he was dealing with a couple of toddlers. "The moment you left that chamber—we already knew." His smile widened.
Hades and Tyson exchanged glances.
"He didn't go out of his way to stop you because it wouldn't change the outcome." Kronos said softly. "Victory was always ours from the beginning."
"What the hell do you mean?" Tyson demanded.
Kronos gave a slow, theatrical bow as the shadows bent around him by the pressure he emitted. "My divinity over time? It's been used to encircle everything the minute you flew out. Every hallway you ran through… every second you spent running… all of it was us stalling you while he brought down Zeus and Poseidon."
"No… If that's true…" Hades's voice trailed off, realization dawning.
"That's right, Perseus accounted for Richard's betrayal weeks ago." He chortled, voice rising as thunder echoed in the background. "He knew he'd flip, so he let him do as he pleased. The device you just disabled… was the first."
"There's more than one!?" The two replied in unison.
Kronos' hand moved, and he grabbed the air. The air shimmered, and the space bent around his fingers as he pulled something out of it—a golden device. Small. Smooth. Glowing. Too perfect.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He raised it above his head as he admired it.
The surrounding space warped, crimson and violent, seething with colliding divine power. Even Hades' darkness recoiled. Tyson stumbled. Hades dropped to one knee, shadows faltering. Their power was draining at an accelerating rate.
"We were tricked!" Hades struggled to get up. "What is wrong with you? You're the closest to it, so why—" The Lord of the Dead stopped himself as he noticed that Kronos didn't seem the least bit affected.
Kronos stood still, unfazed and still smiling.
"You figured it out." The Titan of Time gave a slow, mocking clap. "Bravo, son. You're not completely hopeless."
His gaze turned cold.
"I'm using my power over time to reset myself. Every instant this thing tries to drain me, I rewind. Just a tick. Over and over again." He snapped his fingers. "Infinite divine power glitch in the flesh."
His grandson was the one to discover this new form of his time divinity and Kronos was more than thrilled to see his power used in such an exploitive manner, and that was only scratching the surface.
"Gghhm…" Zeus murmured incoherently, but it was pitiful—barely more than a pained grunt.
His muscles refused to obey as the device was devouring him, unable to move so much as a finger.
*STOMP!*
A stomp to the head immediately shut him up, burying his face deeper into the silver water platform.
"Shut up. The adults are talking." Kronos casually dragged his heel over Zeus' skull.
"Now, where were we…?" His golden eyes gleamed at them. "Ah, right. This—" He gestured to the pulsing golden device by his side, "is the second Ultimate Weapon. Size doesn't matter. That's what spatial expanse magic is for."
As he said this, light surged from the lamp in violent, spiraling coils—and then, it latched onto the closest divine power it could find, the unconscious Zeus. The God of the Sky's body trembled violently as his divine essence was pulled from his body like thread unwinding from a spool.
"Now, before you throw your little tantrums about fairness…" Kronos raised his arm. "—2nd Chair: Harvest."
*FWOOOOM.*
Black and gold flames licked up his arm, and with a flash of light, a scythe appeared.
The golden scythe was ominous, just like its wielder. Black and gold, exuding a sinister elegance, with a jagged, curved blade adorned in swirling golden patterns and a twisted, shadowy handle that seems to writhe like living darkness. This was Deeny in its cruelest form.
Kronos twisted it into his arms like some arrogant scarecrow and tilted his head. "Since you're both so eager to stop us, I'll throw you a bone. Try and take it." The weapon floated beside him like a moon orbiting its sun.
He could've beaten them easily. But he didn't. Kronos just got here so he wanted to enjoy himself. This so-called fight that was about to happen was nothing but entertainment for him. Something to just pass the time.
They felt their power stop leaking and stood back.
"You'll regret that, you scumbag." Hades then shadow-jumped toward Kronos in a blur of darkness.
The spikes all shot out at Kronos, but they were long gone, destroyed by the spatial collapsing of the ultimate weapon.
"Are you sure?" Kronos hummed as the glowing veins in his body brightened. The pressure he was releasing was insane. "You can't win."
*CLANG.*
He blocked the flaming bident with his weapon.
"We'll see about that!" Tyson bellowed, volcanic flames erupting from his feet as he launched himself like a meteor.
Tyson suddenly stopped midair. He was suspended in time. "Oh, did I forget to mention I can fully stop time now?" Kronos added, getting a shocked look from Hades.
Hades brought out his hand to blast a stream of hellfire. "Not so fast." Kronos countered as, in his hand, black golden flames erupted from his scythe, and the two opposing fires clashed.
*BOOM!*
A spire of conflicted flames appeared in a tornado as they fended off each other.
While Hades' flames, which are derived from his being the god of the dead, the opposite of life, can consume the soul, Kronos' flames can do the exact same thing due to the destructive influence of his divinity over time and evil.
Kronos then jumped and kicked Tyson in the stomach, sending the Cyclops crashing into the wall. "Aww, too bad~." He thought before raising his scythe up to intercept an attack he saw coming through his use of time.
Though he was acting very relaxed, he was keeping a keen eye on both of them.
He spun, scythe up—
*CLANG!*
Hades was already there, the bident thrusting for his face.
"So close, ha ha!" Kronos laughed maniacally, his face mere inches from his son's. His voice dropped into a whisper only Hades could hear. "But not good enough."
Before Hades could react—
*PUNCH!*
A thunderous blow exploded across Hades' jaw. His world spun.
He'd never felt anything like that. Never seen his father move so fast. Never imagined the titan lord to become this powerful.
As Hades crumpled to the ground, Kronos loomed over him, a devilish silhouette with divine fire casting his monstrous shadow.
Hades skidded across the platform before pulling himself back together, boots scathing the surface itself as he recovered from the blow. On his cheek was a singing bruise.
'That hit…' He thought, palm pressed to his face. 'It was so strong. What's going on—did they combine their power?'
As if Kronos could read his mind, the Titan answered mid-hover. "Right again." He pointed to his vessel. "Our strength. Speed. Divinity. All merged. Enhanced. Amplified. Though between us, I prefer my own attacking style over the silver water gimmicks. Too complicated." He joked, receiving a blank expression from Perseus.
Hades shot a spear of darkness at Kronos, who, with a flick of his hand, stopped it midair, but that was only a distraction, as with his power he created multiple doubles of himself and commanded them to distract Kronos.
The forty doppelgangers nodded and flew to the titan, who smirked confidently.
They shot charged lances of hellfire at the titan, who cut them down before they could even be thrown at him with ease. The scythe arced through the air like a butcher in a slaughterhouse. All they could do was stare in frozen awe as their bodies were cleaved apart—halved with surgical ease. "I'm getting bored over here."
The lord of the dead was above him, his bident encased in swirling hellfire. "You should've stayed in Tartarus where you belong!" He plunged down at the titan.
"Oh, you've brought me a present!" Kronos retorted as he swung the scythe like a baseball bat.
Golden dark flames surrounded it, and the two weapons collided as flames spread everywhere in a violent collision.
"HAAAAAAGH!" Hades screamed, pushing forward. His flames condensed, spiraling into a drill of infernal power.
"Oh? Now that's new." Kronos hummed as he wasn't budging. In fact, it was Hades who felt like he was getting pushed back.
"C'mon, sonny, try harder." The Titan barked, and that did just the trick as Hades increased the power of his flames further as his flames condensed into a drill. "Very good." Kronos replied, but that was still not enough to trip him up.
The clashing fires have been melting the place apart, swarming all across like a wildfire through a redwood forest.
Kronos was having the time of his life, as if it were nothing more than a game. Whereas before he would have been reckless, his time spent with his grandson has mellowed him out. Without a body and being relegated to a guide, he had no choice but to become more friendly out of necessity. It made him view the world in a new light. That said, the Titan Lord was still the same.
The Titan of Time added more power into his swing, breaking apart the flaming drill and causing his son to back off. Black chains then came out of Hades. Thousands of them appeared, chasing after his father.
Kronos, with a smile plastered across his face, simply ran back, dodging and countering them with his weapon. This was nothing short of a game to him.
The Titan danced between them, laughing, dodging, slicing. And just having a great time. This was all a game to him.
Hades shadow-jumped—reappearing in front of Kronos' path, but Kronos was already there. He'd seen this future a minute ago. His hand closed around Hades' neck. "Nice try."
From under his helm, Hades' eyes flared. A wave of fear and despair exploded outward, causing Kronos to flinch for a second. "TYSON, NOW!" He yelled.
Tysons appeared. His shoulders heaved, and his eye narrowed at the titan. Fire erupted from his skin, rivers of magma tearing through his veins as his body twisted and expanded. He was a behemoth.
"AAAAAGHHHH!" He roared as he slammed his hammer at the titan.
*BOOM!*
The impact sent Kronos crashing down three floors. Dust and fire poured up through the cracks. "You think you're special, Cyclops?" Kronos' voice echoed from below. "Well, you're not."
Kronos appeared in an instant in front of Tyson.
*KICK!*
*CRACK!*
A rib-snapping impact echoed across the room.
"AKE—!" Tyson cried out, flung into the wall like a cannonball.
Hades was already mid-attack. He swung down his bident with divine fury. "Shadow Bident. Hammer of the Underworld!" It came down like a divine judgment, much like Poseidon did against Sparta's shield wall.
*BLOCK.*
But Kronos caught it. With a single hand. "Too lukewarm." He mocked before gut-punching the king of the dead and sending him through multiple walls.
The heat in the atmosphere spiked suddenly. The walls melted, and the silver platform brightened in a red hue. "Hmph."
"KRONOS!!!" Tyson's booming voice called out the titan.
*BOOM!*
A behemoth of living lava exploded from below, stone and molten metal sparks flying in every direction.
The lava monster locked onto the titan of time with its single eye burning like the sun. His obsidian-black skin gleamed with crimson cracks and veins of molten magma. Lava dripped from his mouth. It was like staring at an erupting volcano.
Just like his brother, he too had a special transformation that set him apart from the rest. Unlike his brother, however, it wasn't as built for combat as Silba. It did have its charm in the fact that this form gave a deeper understanding of forging and the widespread elemental destruction.
Black smoke came out of his mouth like a chimney. "I'LL MELT YOU!" He thundered.
Beside him, Hades rose from the shadows. Cloaked in a storm of darkness, his eyes hardened with unyielding resolve.
"Don't count me out yet." His arms stretched wide as hundreds of shadow lances ignited in swirling hellfire around them, all aimed straight for Kronos.
Kronos just smiled. "Do your worst." He beckoned for them to come.
The duo didn't have any more of an invitation and charged at the titan lord. The king of the dead let loose all the flaming lances, only for them to stop midway before disintegrating in gold lights.
Tyson was next, with a massive fist coming down just as Kronos summoned a yellow barrier to fend it off.
*BOOM!*
The shockwaves quaked the structure. Lava spiraled upward in a column where he landed the hit. Kronos's barrier that caught the blow cracked, then shattered. The titan retaliated, flinging a wave of flames.
"ARGHH!!" Tyson roared, but he was made of much stronger stuff and responded by vomiting a stream of magma and fire at Kronos.
Kronos, in a blinding flash of golden black light, ran to the mid-forearm and, raising his scythe up, sliced through it with his scythe. "AAAAGH!" Tyson yelled as he reeled back as lava splashed down from his missing arm, much to the titan's enjoyment.
But that was short-lived as mocking laughter came out of the Cyclops' mouths. "You're really stupid, you know that!"
Kronos raised an eyebrow in confusion before feeling himself become still and feeling a sense of dread. "Fuck you, Hades." Was all he could say before black chains erupted out of the cyclops's sliced arm and bound his limbs and torso.
The Titan Lord tried to break out like a Tasmanian devil in a line to the DMV, but these chains were constricting his abilities so that he could neither move nor exercise them properly.
'These are really incredible.' He admitted internally as he felt the chains preventing him from channeling even 1/6th of his power. It wasn't like it completely sealed him off. It'd just take him too long to do anything.
"Heads up!" Hades's voice rang like an execution bell as he dashed to Kronos before delivering a nasty hellfire punch to the head.
*PUNCH!*
*BOOM!*
The winds howled as Kronos's head whipped to the side from the blow. A searing burn stretched across his cheek, hissing and steaming in the air. If it weren't for the absurd defenses granted by this form, that hit might've actually scarred him.
Glowing yellow light stitched across his face, slowly undoing the damage he accumulated, but it was far too slow.
"Don't stop now!" He said to Tyson as his body whipped back to Kronos to deliver an onslaught.
*PUNCH!*
*BOOM!*
*PUNCH!*
*BOOM!*
*PUNCH!*
*BOOM!*
Each punch came like an explosion. Lava spewed from Tyson's mouth like a flamethrower. Hades leapt above them, bringing his hands together to rain down hellfire in black-red streaks, engulfing the Titan in an inferno of shadow, flame, and molten rock.
The Titan's soul was too powerful to be snuffed away by the intense heat, but it hurt, nonetheless.
"AAAAAGH!" Kronos hollard but then started laughing, much to the irritation of the duo. "HAHAHAHA! Keep going, you two. Your determination is too adorable."
They forgot to account that the titan of time endured centuries' worth of torment in Tartarus. Kronos was never driven mad by the horrors. Whether it was because of his thirst for revenge or because he was already crazy to begin with was up for discussion.
Hades, who was still above, pointed his bident at the titan. "Shadow Bident: Stygian Descent!" Hades declared, summoning countless bidents from the shadows in tandem with his own thrust.
It was a pincer attack.
The attacks all landed, chipping away at Kronos's defense as magma and fire crashed against him. Their joint attack was doing wonders, but at the same time, it was irritating the titan lord.
Kronos snarled in disdain. "Stop hounding me like ants, you pieces of shit!" He roared as he moved the chains to intercept Hades' thrusts.
*CLANG!*
Just like the gods, the divine chains had a fatal flaw. While perfect at binding a deity, their energy was so concentrated on suppression that enough external force could shatter them. Very contradictory when one thought about it, but not every divine chain can be like the Chains of Heaven.
"RAAAAAAGH!" He shouted an ear-piercing screech that caused the both of them to stop in their movements.
The titan lord deflected the attacks and vanished in a flicker and reappeared behind the unsuspecting Hades.
"Uncle!" Tyson called out, and Hades was about to use his helm's power.
*SWIPE.*
But Kronos, with a swipe of his hand, removed it and slashed Hades' arm off. Hades was left stunned as ichor spilled, and before he knew it, a kick was sent his way, sending him crashing through the wall.
"NOOOO!" Tyson yelled and sent a wave of lava at the titan.
The titan ran straight toward the lava monster and cut through it with his dark gold flames before bursting through the cyclops's chest like a dynamite. "HUGH!" Tyson clutched his chest as he fell down.
He crashed several floors beneath the throne chamber.
'Kronos.' He heard the annoyed voice of his grandchild calling his name.
'Don't get pissy with me, Perseus.' He blurted out, but the silence he got wasn't helping his case. 'Considering what I can truly do in this form, I've held back just enough.' He told him, receiving an accepted sigh from the silver demigod.
Just then a geyser of magma exploded from beneath him. Kronos effortlessly slashed through with the scythe.
But it was a trap as black tendrils and chains came out from everywhere, binding the titan by his legs, arms, and throat, locking him in place. "You one-trick pony. Don't you have anything original?" Kronos sighed.
From the shadows, Hades stepped out to meet his father.
His sliced arm was wrapped in shadows and darkness, preventing his ichor from spilling out. "I won't let you end us!" He thrust the bident forwards, its form shrouded in a drill-shaped hellfire aimed squarely at the titan's chest. "AAAAAAGH!"
It made contact, but it might as well have been a plastic spork trying to chip through ice. The combined defense of the titan lord and silver demigod proved too hard to penetrate. The most it managed to do was make a tiny chip.
"Not bad. But it won't help you." Kronos told him plainly.
"Put a sock in it!" Hades retorted as black magical sigils in Greek writing appeared, circling around him.
The drill expanded, and the flames intensified, reaching whole new levels. Everything around them was melting beyond imagination, disappearing in the heat.
*CRACK!*
The chip in the chest area grew bigger. Kronos's brow lifted. 'So that's it.'
The Titan wasn't an expert in the mystic arts, but he'd been around his grandson long enough to recognize what those sigils around Hades' body were. Those symbols were transferring his immortality for power, which he was using to increase the power of his flames and physical abilities, sacrificing some of his immortal soul to pierce through to victory.
'Fascinating. He's using an enhanced version of a simple life force conversion spell to fuel the attack, and because he's a major god, the price he's paying is equivalent to that.' He heard Perseus's analysis.
Such a spell was usually used by masters of the mystic arts for sacrifices or rituals and other things to either increase a spell's potency for the price of someone's life force or fill the demands of the ingredients needed. Because Hades is a god, the spell is increasing his power like never before. Gods were genuinely selfish about parting with their immortality because losing it would mean living as a mortal. They would never think of doing that.
However, Hades was different. He was willing to sacrifice everything to beat them. Kronos, genuinely impressed, said, "Not bad at all…" He murmured. "But it won't save you."
*CRACK!*
Slowly but surely the king of the dead's hellfire was making progress. If he kept this up more without stopping, he would actually be able to break through the sturdy exterior of this transformation, but the titan wasn't going to let that happen.
Because of the heat, the chains melted away into nothingness, and Kronos was freed. In a flash, Kronos appeared next to Hades, but instead of being caught off guard, he countered with his bident. The conversion of his immortality not only increased his flame's potency but also his physical prowess, thereby empowering his reaction time.
"That's not going to work." He smirked, pushing back.
In the area where the Titan sliced off his arm was now an arm made of hellfire. It hurt just to have it, but Hades didn't care.
Kronos grinned like a madman, and a split second later they began clashing their weapons wildly. Sparks erupted like rain as the winds blew up in their exchange. Fire swarmed all around, engulfing the surroundings. "HAHAHAH!" The Titan Lord laughed all throughout the chaos.
*CLASH!*
*SPARK!*
*CLANG!*
It was pandemonium. Kronos soared through the air like a golden black comet, his divine aura tearing through as it clashed with Hades, going toe-to-toe with each other for however long it would last.
*CLASH!*
*SPARK!*
*CLANK!*
Their repeated exchange sparked shockwaves across the throne room. Their flames burned nonstop. "Yes, that's it. Keep going. Good, very good." He praised as he went in midair to parry another strike.
*BOOM!*
*CLASH!*
The two were in a stalemate. Kronos's scythe and Hades's bident pole held each other. "More, more! You can do it. I believe in you." Kronos said with a crazed look. He was truly enjoying this moment.
Hades bared his teeth, eyes glowing furiously at the titans' nonchalant attitude.
The King of the Dead vanished into the shadows, reappearing inches behind Kronos. His flaming bident punched forward, aiming for his back, but the titan lord twisted his body and skillfully maneuvered the bident away with his scythe.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
They collided again. Flying all around. Hades sent down millions of flaming lances at his father, but the titan could see all his movements like a book, evading them with ease. Kronos sent long-range slashes of flames from his scythe at Hades, who managed to evade them by shadow-jumping out of the way.
*BOOM!*
*CLANG!*
*SPARK!*
Hades was holding his own. But this wouldn't last long. Each exchange drained him further, his shadows growing thinner, his strikes more sluggish. He was feeling exhausted. The price he's paying wouldn't last forever. Not in this fight where everything he has is being pushed to the limit.
Still, he had one card left to play. All he had to do was find the opportune moment.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
The two spiraled upwards in the air, clashing all throughout in short exchanges. 'Not yet.' He thought with gritted teeth.
*CLASH!*
*CLINK!*
'Still not yet.' He just barely countered another strike.
*CLASH!*
*CLANG!*
'Almost there!' He fended off the next as they flew even further until reaching space.
*CLASH!*
*CLINCH!*
*CLASH!*
*CLUNK!*
*CLASH!*
'Now!' The King of the Dead flew further with the aid of his flames before plunging down to his father. "HAAAAAGH!" His hellfire enveloped his bident into a drill as he thrust it downwards.
Kronos already seen it coming, and with his own flames countered the attack, but unlike before, the hellfire failed to fend off his golden-black flames and was easily sliced through. Taking the opportunity laid before him, Kronos sliced Hades remaining arm off. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted." Kronos smiled, savoring the expression on his son.
But the despair was replaced with a grin. "What?!" Was all the Titan could say before Hades turned into shadows.
He passed through his father before putting himself back together. A second arm of hellfire manifested out as Hades interlocked his arms and legs around his father.
Hades body began to blaze. Fire erupted from his chest. The heat in the atmosphere might as well have been nonexistent as his skin cracked like molten stone. "You talk too much." He said, and Kronos could only blink.
The fire burst outward like a solar eruption, a screaming, devastating nova of hellfire. Everything turned red, and the temperature soared to unbearable levels as the red beacon consumed all. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!" Hades screamed at the top of his lungs but didn't once let go.
From below, Tyson witnessed the scene, his mouth agape, hoping that his older brother would survive that.
Soon, the bright beacon died down, and in its place, two trails of black smoke can be seen falling down to the platform of hardened lava the cyclops made. Tyson caught Hades while Kronos crashed landed. "Uncle, are you alright?" Tyson asked.
The king of the dead's body, except for his face, was burned and scorching to the touch. Hades was exhausted, but he still had the strength to open his eyes. "MMM...mhm!" He mumbled, which meant 'No, I'm not fucking alright!'
"Here, eat this." Tyson pulled out a cube of ambrosia and fed it to his uncle.
The ambrosia did its job, but it was clear that Hades needed immediate medical care. He had already burned through his immortality, but the strength he traded for remained. Only his own healing factor was also slowed down drastically by this.
"Don't worry, I'll bring you back with me to get you patched up." The Cyclops assured him, receiving a silent nod in return.
Hades turned his head to where Kronos landed. "Is he down?" Hades questioned in a raspy voice.
Tyson looked towards the fallen Titan and noted the equally black charred body. It was thinner than before, like he hadn't eaten for years, and looked like he was on the brink of death. Tyson was immediately worried for his brother's safety. "He is in just as bad a condition" He assured him.
Before they could celebrate their victory, a dark laughter came from Kronos's lips. "AHAHAHAHAHA!" He bellowed as golden light enveloped his body.
"No!" Tyson whispered as the golden figure stood back up. He immediately picked up his hammer and charged but was slapped away to the side, sending him skidding across the obsidian floor.
The light died down and revealed Kronos fully restored. The damage he sustained from the flames was gone.
"Th-this is impossible." Tyson stuttered out.
"Anything is possible with time, Cyclops." Kronos said as he flexed his fingers.
What he did was use the power of time to reverse all the damage he sustained. On top of that, from beginning to end, he knew how this battle would play out thanks to his future sight. He let it play out for his amusement and now that he did, there was no more use in keeping this going.
"Alright, now that I've had my fun, it's already 11:58, and it's time I ended this." Kronos gazed at the broken forms of Tyson and Hades with a look of evil. "I am going to end your fucking lives." He pulled out the Ultimate Weapon from his person.
Power surged, humming with the divine essences sealed inside it. At the same time, memories of him and his grandson danced in the titan's mind. The training he drilled into the child, the knowledge and experiences he imparted, and the battles they won together.
The elder titan was a cruel maniac who would never think of raising and caring for his own children, and throughout all his vast life, Perseus was the only exception.
From his mouth a warm, genuine smile no different from a parent's appeared for the briefest moment. Then it vanished, replaced by the wild grin of a mad titan as the doomsday device lit up.
Tyson rushed forward. "I won't let you!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as fire blasted from the soles of his feet.
At the same time, Hades raised a trembling hand. Tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground as well as skeletal warriors, but they were too slow.
"NOOOOO!" Tyson screamed with a stretched-out hand.
But Kronos had already tossed it above them. With his divine magic, he willed to fly upwards, soaring like a jet. "All of you, watch… and learn what happens when you drive someone beyond the edge."
The sky split open.
Everything became grey before all colors returned to the world, and a blinding blast of raw divine energy surged upward in a spire of multicolored light.
Tyson, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus were thrown back by the blast while Kronos teleported away.
...
..
.
(When Percy transforms into Silba, his heterochromatic eyes become a pair of silver, and his transformation to this new one stays the same until Kronos is in control. That's when they become full gold. Sayonara)