Chapter: 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Rick Riordan does.

Percy's P.O.V.

Percy didn't really think it was an honour to get killed by Tartarus.

As Percy stared at his whirlpool face he decided, he'd much rather die some less memorable way, like falling down the stairs at the age of 80, after having a nice quiet life with Annabeth. Annabeth. She was dead. It would never happen.

He wished he could just die, but he couldn't. He had promised his Wise Girl something and he wasn't going to let her down. Thinking about her made a lone tear trickle down Percy's cheek. Of course, Tartarus thought he was just afraid.

Your fear smells wonderful. I see the appeal of having a physical body with so many senses. Perhaps my beloved Gaia is right, wishing to wake from her slumber.

"The fuck?" Percy muttered. How did Tartarus think he was afraid?

He wanted to say something else but what could he say? 'You're not getting away with this!' ? Of course he's getting away with this, he's the goddam pit.

I'll have to admit, it was truly fun to see that idiotic girl- Annabeth I think- die. Your reactions were perfect entertainment for me.

Anger bubbled up in my stomach. For the 3rd time in Tartarus, he was about to control something which wasn't just water.

He created a bubble of poisonous sulfuric water. "For your information." He growled. "I am no entertainment and Annabeth is not idiotic." He closed his fist making the poisonous water slowly close around Tartarus. Sure, it took a lot of energy. But all Percy was focusing on the anger in his stomach.

Tartarus was probably amused, and slightly irritated. It was kinda- no very- hard to read his expression considering that his face was a whirling pool of darkness.

He swatted aside the water, causing small hissing sounds and burns where the water touched him.

Interesting. Very interesting.

He reached towards Percy and probably would've picked him up like a weed but Bob interrupted.

"Begone!" Bob leveled his spear towards the god. "You have no right to meddle!"

Meddle? I am the lord of all creatures of the darkness, puny Iapetus. I can do as I please.

His black cyclone face spun faster. The howling sound was so horrible, Percy fell to his knees clutching his ears.

Bob stumbled, the wispy comet tail of his life force growing longer as it was sucked toward the face of the god.

Bob roared in defiance. He charged and thrust his spear at Tartarus's chest. Before it could connect, Tartarus swatted Bob aside like he was a pesky insect. The Titan went sprawling.

Why do you not disintegrate? You are nothing. You are even weaker than Krios and Hyperion.

"I am Bob." said Bob.

What is that? What is Bob?

"I choose to be more than Iapetus." said the Titan. "You do not control me. I am not like my brothers." The collar of his coveralls bulged. Small Bob leaped out. The kitten landed on the ground in front of it's master, then arched his back and hissed at the lord of the abyss.

As Percy watched, Small Bob began to grow, his form flickering until the little kitten had become a full-sized, translucent skeletal sabre-toothed tiger.

"Also," Bob announced. "I have a good cat."

No-Longer-Small-Bob sprang at Tartarus, sinking his claws into Tartarus's thigh. The tiger scrambled up his leg, straight under the god's chain-link skirt. Tartarus stomped and howled, apparently no longer enamoured with having a physical form. Meanwhile, the god thrust his spear into his breastplate. Tartarus roared and swatted at Bob, but he stepped back out of reach. The Titan thrust out his fingers, which made his spear yank itself free of the god's flesh and flew back to Bob's hand. Small Bob dropped out of Tartarus's skirt and ran to his master, his sabre-toothed fangs dripping with golden ichor.

You will die first, Iapetus. Afterwards, I will add your soul to my armor, where it will slowly dissolve, over and over, in eternal agony.

Bob turned towards Percy, ginning: which probably wouldn't have been Percy's reaction to a threat of eternal agony.

"Take the Doors," Bob said. "I will deal with Tartarus."

Before he could protest, Tartarus threw his head back and bellowed- creating a vacuum so strong that a few demons were pulled into his vortex face and shredded.

Deal with me? You are only a Titan, a lesser child of Gaia! I will make you suffer for your arrogance. And as for your tiny mortal friend... The god gestured towards the army, beckoning them forward. DESTROY HIM!

Percy had heard that word enough to snap him out of his trance.

He picked up Annabeth's body which was on the ground next to him with one hand and dived for the chains holding the doors of death. Riptide cut it in a single swipe. He then went and slashed against an arai and yelped. "Gah! Stupid curses." It was some sort of pain curse, but he ignored the pain and kept on fighting. He then ran to the chains on the other side.

The Doors shuddered, then opened with a pleasant Ding!

Bob and his sabre-toothed sidekick continued to weave around Tartarus's legs, attacking and dodging to stay out of his clutches. They didn't seem to be doing much damage, but Tartarus lurched around, obviously not used to fighting in a humanoid body. He swiped and missed, swiped and missed.

More monsters surged towards the door. Percy dodged a spear coming towards his head and stabbed an empousa in the gut. Then he dived for the doors as they started to close.

He kept them open with his foot as he fought. At least he didn't have to worry about attacks from behind.

"Bob!" Percy yelled. "I'll hold the button, you can go!"

"No." Bob protested.

As an entire phalanx of Cyclopes charged forward, Percy gave a battle cry. At the Cyclops' feet, a red vein in the ground burst open, spraying the monsters with liquid fire from the Phlegethon. The firewater might have healed mortals, but it didn't do the Cyclopes any favours. They combusted in a tidal wave of heat.

"Bob you have to go!" Percy insisted.

"No!" Bob replied. "Percy will go, Bob will stay."

Unfortunately, Tartarus was learning how to control his new body. Small Bob lunged at the god, but Tartarus smacked it aside. Bob charged at him, bellowing in rage but the god caught his spear and yanked it out of his hands, kicking Bob downhill.

YIELD!

"I will not," Bob said. "You are not my master."

Die in defiance then. You Titans are nothing to me. My children the giants were always better, stronger and more vicious. They will make the upper world as dark as my realm!

Tartarus snapped the spear in half. Bob wailed in agony. Small Bob leaped to his aid, snarling at Tartarus and baring his fangs. But Percy knew it was over. Even the monsters turned to watch, as if sensing that their master Tartarus was about to take the spotlight. The death of a Titan was worth seeing.

I'm going to help him. Percy thought.

You can't. Tartarus can't be fought. Not by a demigod at least. The back of his mind argued.

It doesn't matter, I'm going. He thought, then suddenly a ripple of alarm passed through the army.

In the distance, Percy heard shrieks, screams and a persistent boom, boom, boom that was too fast to be the heartbeat in the ground - more like something large and heavy, running at full speed. An Earthborn spun into the air as if he'd been tossed. A plume of bright-green gas billowed across the top of the monstrous horde like the spray from a poison riot hose. Everything in it's path dissolved.

Across the swath of sizzling, newly empty ground, Percy saw the cause of the commotion and started to grin.

The Maeonian drakon spread it's friller collar and hissed, it's poison breath filling the battlefield. It shifted its hundred foot body, flicking it's dabbled green tail and wiping out a battalion of ogres.

Riding on it's back was a red-skinned giant with flowers in his rust-coloured braids, a jerkin of green leather and a drakon-rib lance in his hand.

"Damasen!" Percy cried.

The giant inclined his head. "Percy Jackson, I took your advice. I chose myself a new fate."

What is this? Why have you come, my disgraced son?

Damasen glanced at Percy, a clear message in his eyes: Go. Now.

He turned towards the god of the pit. The Maeonian drakon stamped it's feet and snarled.

"Father, you wished for a more worthy opponent?" Damasen asked calmly. "I am one of the giants you are so proud of. You wished me to be more war-like? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!"

Damasen levelled his lance and charged.

The monstrous army swarmed him, but the Maeonian drakon flattened everything in it's path, sweeping it's tail and spraying poison while Damasen jabbed at Tartarus, forcing the god to retreat like a cornered lion.

Bob stumbled away from battle, his sabre-toothed cat at his side. Percy gave them as much cover as he could- causing blood vessels in the ground to burst one after the other. Some monsters were vaporized in Styx water. Others got a Cocytus shower and collapsed, weeping hopelessly. Others were doused with liquid Lethe and stared blankly around them, no longer sure where they were or even who they were.

Bob limped to the doors. Golden ichor flowed from the wounds on his arms and chest. His janitor's outfit hung in tatters. His posture was twisted and hunched, as if Tartarus breaking the spear had broken something inside him. Despite all that, he was grinning, his silver eyes bright with satisfaction.

"Go," he ordered. "I will hold the button."

Percy gawked at him. "Bob, you're in no condition-"

"Bob will stay. Percy promised Annabeth. I will help you keep your promise."

If he wasn't in the middle of a battle, Percy might've had a break-down on the name Annabeth.

"But I can't just leave you and Damasen!"

"You must friend," Bob clapped Percy on the arm, nearly knocking him over. "I can still press a button. And I have a good cat to guard me."

Small Bob growled in agreement.

"Besides," Bob continued. "It is your destiny to return to the world. Put an end to this madness of Gaia."

Fifty yards away, the Maeonian drakon trampled through monsters, it's feet making sickening squish squish noises as if stomping grapes. On its back, Damasen yelled insults and jabbed at the god of the pit, taunting Tartarus further away from the doors.

Tartarus lumbered after him, his iron boots making craters in the ground.

You cannot kill me! I am the pit itself. You might as well as try to kill the earth. Gaia and I- we are eternal. We own you, flesh and spirit!

He brought down his massive fist, but Damasen sidestepped, impaling his javelin in the side of Tartarus's neck.

Tartarus growled, apparently more annoyed than hurt. He turned his swirling vacuum face towards the giant, but Damasen got out of the way in time. A dozen monsters were sucked into the vortex and disintegrated.

"Bob, don't!" Percy said, his eyes pleading. "He'll destroy you permanently. No coming back. No regeneration."

Bob shrugged. "Who knows what will be? You must go now. Tartarus is right about one thing. We cannot defeat him. We can only buy you time." By now Percy was on the verge of tears. He already lost Annabeth, he couldn't lose Bob, not someone else.

"Twelve minutes," said the Titan. "I can give you that."

Percy forced himself to not break-down. First Annabeth, now Bob- it was all too much for him.

Percy nodded, not trusting himself.

Bob smiled. "Until then, my friends tell the sun and the stars hello for me. And be strong. This may not be the last sacrifice you must make to stop Gaia." He paused before continuing, "No more time. Go."

Percy hesitantly stepped into the elevator.

'Make sure Tartarus never forgets your name.' Bob and Damasen, both of them were going to die- most likely with no regeneration. Annabeth was gone. All because of the god in front of him.

Anger, grief both bubbled in his stomach. He felt the god's blood. Suddenly Tartarus started twisting and turning in pain. Percy clenched his fists, making the pain worse. He writhed in pain for a minute. That's when Tartarus saw Percy, as the doors started closing.

S-STA-F TEMM!! He yelled, unable to form words from the pain. The monsters didn't understand, but when they did, It was too late. The door had closed.

(A/n: so.... How was the chapter? I'm so sorry I posted late, and honestly I have no excuse. Hope you like it. I'll try to post the next chapter as early as possible)

~Da Yeeter