Percy POV

The resonant plea for help had stopped now, but the after effect still left me weak. I shakily pulled myself to my feet.

"To answer your question, I simply want a wife, and a form." The sound bounced around the room. One second it was right next to my ear, and the next it echoed from the corner. "Thalia can provide both." My mouth twisted into a snarl as I paced the floor of the cage, much like the lions did when they were anxious.

"Why use her? Why couldn't you have used me instead?" The voice came from my left.

"We never would've been able to take you. Always so cautious. Thalia was powerful, fiery, and had such bitterness tucked away. With Hestia as one of your patrons, you might not have had the negative energy necessary." I thought I felt cold hand on my cheek, and I turned away, focusing my gaze on Rhea. I summoned a ball of white hot flame in my hand, and sent it at the bars, hoping to melt them. Instead, it bounced off, leaving a scorch mark on the ceiling.

"Tut tut. Don't you know a cage made of the pure essence of time would be harder to break than that? It can only be dissolved by another immortal. Somebody who has physically remained unchanged by time." Rhea clenched her jaw. My eyes darted to Thalia.

She was sprawled on the ground, her choppy black hair faded to a dark grey, and her skin deathly pale. It scared me, as her coloring had been normal a few moments ago. The brightness seemed to be draining out of her. Kronos chuckled.

"It's already beginning." Her head tilted back, exposing her neck as her mouth opened in a perfect 'o' shape. A hissing echoed throughout the chamber. Rhea cried out.

"Stop! Stop Kronos, you're hurting her! Stop!" Her hands clutched at the bars of her cage, as she pulled at them desperately. Unfortunately, she was already weak, and Kronos had already revealed only another deity could break the bars. Somebody who had defied time. A form started to take shape in the center of the room, upon a golden pedestal.

"And to think, in a few moments you won't even be bothered. All her rage and bitterness is being transferred to you. Replacing you. And isn't it great, that out of all of the gods, she hates Zeus the most? Soon you'll be without compassion, and therefore my perfect bride. Meanwhile, the rest of her energy will be given to me, or rather, my new form. Children are so full of life, nothing else would have been strong enough to do this!" I growled at him, wishing I had the strength to break the steel bars that had been dropped on the three of us. I reached out futilely to Thalia's bent shape. Her color was being leeched out of her. Her eyes were a milky gray now. Did I know anybody who could do anything? An immortal? Suddenly the prophecy clicked in my head.

"Lady of death shall be redeemed." I muttered. Annabeth's eyes widened with realization.

"Melinoe." She whispered to me. I nodded.

"Melinoe! I need you!" I remembered her telling me if I ever needed help, she would come. I felt a light breeze swirl around the room. Black sand piled itself into a petite figure I was getting to know well. As it finished, cracks that glowed a blinding white spread throughout the shape. It burst suddenly, and the pieces evaporated as they flew off the form. Melinoe stood in the chamber now.

A charcoal grey tunic hung down to her ankles, and as always, her feet bore no shoes. Her hair was in an elaborate updo, and she held a shield in her hands. Her eyes had lost the hazel color that was normally there, and they were a pure pitch black, no white to be found. For the first time since I had first met her, she looked like a goddess.

"Dear grandfather, were you terrorizing my favorite demigod and his friends?" voice seemed to come from everywhere now.

"This is none of your concern Melinoe." What surprised me, was the shaky, uncertain vibe it had to it now. I had a goddess who would back me. He hadn't expected this. Her face remained impassive.

"That is where you are mistaken Kronos. He may not have my blessing, but he is the only hero who has it in him to to an act of redemption for the goddess of ghosts. He has more than earned my protection." Rheas brown eyes darted over to me.

"Percy, what is my granddaughter talking about?" I stood up.

"Melinoe kept me company while I was tucked away in the shell. Strong bonds can be formed after a month of conversation." She nodded, and smiled at Melinoe.

"Look at you. You're beautiful." Melinoe bowed.

"Thank you grandmother. I'm sorry to see you in such a state. This is precisely why I believe I need to set you free." A smile spread over my face.

"Another deity is the only one who can break those bars. A touch is all it will take." I murmured to her. She gave me a slight nod, before she charged. Eris lept in her way, and the goddesses became a blur as they fought.

Discord shall guard her eonic cage.

Rhea called out to me.

"Percy! I may be freed, but Thalia will still die! Her soul is being sucked away as we speak!" I looked over to my cousin again. Her entire being had faded away, with just the faintest traces of color left. I kicked the bars again, and was shocked to find that they bent. I stepped back, eyes widening. I let my fingers graze the metal again, and gently pushed. It was a feather light touch, but the bars shaped to my liking like butter. Not fully understanding, but appreciating it none the less, I yanked hard at the bars. They opened fully, and I stepped through.

Raising my hands, I clenched my fists. The metal tore itself away, and filed itself into a sharp point. Annabeth freed herself as well. She stepped out next to me, and dropped into a defensive crouch.

"How did you work the metal Seaweed Brain?" I grinned, slightly manically.

"Not one hundred percent sure, but it's certainly worked out in our favor." She grinned back, grey eyes shimmering in the fervor of battle.

"Shall we get our cousin?" I nodded, and burst into a sprint. Rhea looked dumbfounded in her prison, before a sly smirk appeared on her lips.

"Bet you weren't expecting that one, son." She muttered. Reaching Thalia, I put my hands on the chain. It molded to my grip like putty, as I snapped the metal encircling her wrist. Back with Eris, Melinoe was turning to smoke as she fought.

She would be engaged in a fierce duel, before turning into smog and reappearing behind her foe. Occasionally, I saw her flicker in and out of being, like she had in the forest. Then there was the fog certain parts of her faded into. She'd be solid, and then her hands would turn translucent, made of black fog. She nearly lost her grip on her weapon multiple times. Speaking of that, she was a force to be reckoned with. Although the shield never changed, her weapon did. It would be a spear, then morph into a dagger, and back into a spear again. As I watched she landed a critical blow.

The butt of a sword rammed itself into the back of Eris's head. She crumpled, and Melinoe advanced on the cage. She reached out to grab the cage, before she stopped. Her face twisted in an expression of agony, as she stood paralyzed. It was like time was speeding up.

A golden box sat on the pedestal that had arisen earlier. A shape that looked vaguely human like was in front of it, and was in a kneeling position. It shook viciously, like it was taking momentous energy to keep itself together.

"Ah, but what a shame. It seems you were much closer to fading than you thought. I have enough energy left to speed things up. You won't free her." Melinoe's arm turned to the see through fog. Her face changed into one displaying pure pain. Unbeknownst to any of us, Luke had been awoken. Melinoe appearing had discharged the power needed. He stood up, stumbling out of the door, while keeping silent.

"I was so close to having a form before you interrupted, Jackson. Luckily, it gives me enough power to make the little ghost goddess fade. Joining her subjects, yes?" I broke into a run, trying to make it over to her. I felt myself slow, like I was moving through jello. His malicious laughter filled the room, until it was broken by a sharp gasp. Luke.

The son of Hermes barrelled into the blob while Kronos let out a roar of anger. Melinoe broke free, and as the black fog was expelled from her being, her fingers brushed the bars of the cage. The golden substance dissolved, while a blinding flash of light encompassed Rhea. When it cleared, my patron stood with a furious look to her eyes. Her chiton had been restored to its scathing white, while her hair had piled itself into an updo not unlike Melinoes. What stole my attention away from the two was luke. His veins had turned to the same color the cage had been made out of. He was curled in on himself, arms wrapped around his own torso. Large gasps of pain fell from his lips. Kronos' voice filled the room again.

"Mine." A screeching laughter followed his words. "You may have stopped my rising for now, but the son of Hermes absorbed the form, and now it's making him immortal. Better yet, his soul took the impact as well. The fact that he absorbed what was supposed to be my form, has tied him to me for all eternity! He can't deny an order from the very core of my being. He's my servant, a slave to time." The words of the prophecy rang in my head, and my hand flew up and over my mouth. Hot tears sprang forth in my eyes. Annabeth was just standing there in shock.

Luke screamed. His icy blue orbs were slowly gaining a golden sheen to them. Annabeth ran towards him, before an invisible barrier made her stop. She pounded on what appeared to be thin air, but it made a loud thud sound. Kronos laughed again.

"Foolish girl, stand down. There's only one in your group who can stop what has begun. You can thank your beloved patron for that. If I recall correctly, her blessing granted Perseus rather strong powers over the mind. He contains the power to withstand the mental and physical aura of pain Castellan is giving off right now. His mortality as well, allows him to get close. Any god can't come near him. Your mixture of titan, god, and mortal gives you a way around the rules." I glared. Not particularly directed at any specific location, just forward. Unknown to me, my eyes changed. Rhea gasped, and my head spun quickly in her direction. Annabeth looked taken aback as well.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice coming out in a hiss of anger.

"Your eyes." Annabeth whispered, grabbing ahold of Melinoes shield to show me my reflection. When I looked at it I was in for a surprise. My eyes had turned to a solid marble mixture. Mixed in it was orange, sea green, pure white, and black. The white of my eyes was gone, as was my pupil. My iris had expanded, leaving my eyes a swirling vortex of color. Ignoring it for the time business, I advanced towards Luke. As his cries of pain intensified I broke into a lithe run. I had never lost my feline qualities. As I reached him, I kneeled by his side, and squeezed his hand, crying angry tears.

"What can I do?" I asked him. Kronos's voice drew in close, next to my ear.

"Nothing. His only escape his death, which is something only you can bring him." A low chuckle followed. I gritted my teeth.

"What do you want me to do, Luke?" I choked out. I didn't want to lose the son of Hermes, who had become my big brother figure over the months and adventures we had had together. He turned to me, panting in an effort to hold back his cries of agony.

"Do it Percy. I won't serve him. He'll use me against you, and we both know you won't be able to fight me with that fatal flaw of yours." One of the tears fell, making a dark splotch on his tan shirt. I shook my head.

"I don't want too Luke." He smiled weakly at me.

"Please Perce. I don't want to be Kronos' pawn for all time. We'll see each other in Elysium, okay?" I nodded, wiping my tears.

"Thanks for everything, Luke. I couldn't have done it without you." His grin didn't fade.

"Always happy to be of service." He rasped out. I pulled Riptide out of my pocket, uncapping it, and it sprang to full length. He gave my hand one last squeeze. I had to avert my eyes as my hands betrayed me, and brought the blade down in one swift slice across Luke's throat. The son of Hermes fell limp.

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A/N: 

1) The dream contest is over. Nobody guessed it, and full explanations will be in the next chapter or two.

2) I 'm not going to add more to this Authors Note because you guys are most likely going to stab me to death anyways. Goodbye.

Your (Least) Favorite Demigod,

                                            Isa Rivers