Josh's P.O.V
I took a step forward, and then another step, still leaning heavily on Bella. She helped me with walking to the dining table in the Roman camp. Dallas offered to help, and Bella let him. Now, my weight is leaned on Dallas.
From what I know, Dallas Winston is the son of Chaos, and apparently he held this massive pain inside his heart because when I saw in my dreams, Dallas seemed to be pained when he was told that the war between the demons have started.
I have to start walking right away, because I was assigned to guide these heroes to training. I hoped that this doesn't turn out to be a trip to Mount Othrys because I don't want to hold up the sky again. Besides, my friend, Mary can hold up the sky for a year at most, and the war will probably last for about 3 years, which means she can switch burdens at least 3 times.
To be honest, I forgot about the book of prophecy. Sure the titan's curse should one withstand until the war is over, but I forgot who it is referring to.
Anyways, Dallas helped me to the dining table in the Roman Camp. I took a step forward, and then another, and as soon as I get to the ladder, I tried to lift my foot higher, but it won't go.
"Come on, Josh!" Dallas, Johnny and Darrel told me. "You can do it!"
I can do it. I told myself.
Sure enough, I was able to step up the ladder, and taking another step, eventually ending up on the dining table.
Annabeth's P.O.V
It has been 3 weeks since I held the sky, but the pain still goes on until now. Now, I am about to go to Mount Tamalpalis, California to fend off another group of Demons.
Once I got there, I saw demons materializing one by one. It's as if the demons are getting easier and easier to beat. But my logic is saying otherwise. My logic tells me that this is just another new invasion, just trying to make us think that we're winning, but I bet that the Pit has somethimg much more nasty than just the demons.
I immediately joined the party of the huntresses of Artemis, but I'm fighting on the other side, where the demons continue to materialize. I grabbed my dagger and stabbed one demon in the back. The demon bleed black blood, and it disintegrated. The demons blood stayed on the earth as I crouched down and when I touch it with my dagger's sheath, the part that it touches got burnt instantly and dissolves in a matter of milliseconds.
"No way..." I said, realizing that the blood of the demons are from the river Styx.
River Styx are one of the rivers that flow around the underworld. It serves as a borderline between the living and the dead. It is one of the divine rivers that the gods swore upon. If the gods break the oath, or any other living beings (monsters, mortals, half-bloods, minor gods, protogenos, titans, Olympian Gods), then they will be forced to drink from the river and lie breathlessly and listlessly for one whole year.
Anyways, I have learned to stay out of the demons way after I kill them. I continued to move swiftly side to side, dodging the demons stygian blood. So far, I've been successful, along with the other hunters of Artemis. But I believe that the surprise is yet to be released.
Gaea's P.O.V
I have been watching and feeling the upper world's battle. The battle was quite intense, and I have yet to release my latest children, the 20 main demons. They are 60 feet tall, and they weigh close to 4 tons.
"Relax, my children." I told them, in the depths of Tartarus. "Once this Josh boy kills any of my child, I will mutate my children so they will be much stronger than ever before. Joshy here should know better than to kill any of my children."
The 20 main demons pounded their weapons in approval, a weapon pound so hard it could be heard from the entrance of Tartarus.
"Very good, my children. Now, you will be released when the O-collapse effect had taken place. Such poor mortals only knew a part of my plans. Do the O-collapse effect and the whole war will end. No, it doesn't work that way. After the O-collapse effect, the 20 main demons will rise, and they will gave birth to a new race of powerful demons that will multiply within a blink of an eye, and during this time, poor Joshy will be forced to stay under the sky until the war is over. If he dies, then too bad."
2 weeks later
Josh's P.O.V
I was feeling okay now, thanks to my friends that helped me walk and run. Now I was able to run while holding my sword and I was ready to kick some demon butt again.
"Hey Darrel." I said to him. "Ready to kick some demon butt?"
Darrel laughed. "Sure! In fact, we are all ready to kick some demon butt!"
I laughed, and then nodded my head.
I saw Mount Othrys just right in front of me. Heavy clouds seems to swirl even more on the mountain, and I could see that holding the sky is the titan Atlas himself. Beside him, is Mary, his daughter, and she is helping the heroes killing the demons.
I paused a moment, and then Darrel asked. "So, how does it feel?"
I stared at him for a moment. "How does it feel what?"
"Well, your sister told me that you held that sky for 2 months straight. How does that feel?"
Then memories flooded through my head. I remember I was in severe pain, my bones broken and most cracked from the immense pressure of the sky. I could really imagine how the pain made me in the coma bed for 1 and a half month.
"It's..... so painful. I cant describe it with words it's just.... too painful. But I have to do it since if I didn't hold the sky, the demons will reform faster, which it is happening now."
I remembered the hesperides nymphs that told me that I was going to hold the sky. I really wished it was someone else who took the burden.
We entered the garden of the Hesperides, and a couple of figures started appearing next to me.
"How was the curse felt in thy hand, poor Joshy?" One hesperides began to taunt me in front of my face.
"I bet it's so painful!" The other one said. "Please! Help me!" The others began to taunt me.
I ground my teeth, and as I were about to lose it, Dallas held me in the back.
"Josh, don't pay attention to them. They're just there to distract you." Dallas told me.
Chiron told him that he can do the O-Collapse effect in a few weeks time, since the demons rate of materializing isn't really much at the moment, and so we're here to just kill demons.
We stepped inside Mount Othrys, and we all grabbed our weapons.
I hope you know what you're doing. A voice said in my head. It must be Hyperion.
Yes, I do, Father. I'm here to help. I replied.
I drew my swords, and started fighting the demons. Dallas swung his sword at a nearby demon and stabbed the demon in its belly and it bleed black blood.
I yanked him just in time to prevent the black stygian blood from spilling to Dallas's body.
"Thanks." Dallas told me.
"Don't mention it." I said back.
I drew my sword and cut a couple of the demons in the stomach. The demon roared and the demon is coursing with electricity and is about to shoot an arc of electricity at me when I held up my sword up in the air, causing the electricity to be absorbed in the sword, and I jumped and stabbed the demon in the neck. The demon disintegrated.
I jumped up to another demon, and stabbed that demon in the neck, the demon that I just stabbed disintegrated. I waited for any of the demons to reform quickly. Nothing. The demons just continue to materialize normally.
That lit up my fighting spirit. I summoned 3 plasma arrows and it hit 3 of the demons neck and it exploded in a 30 cm radius.
The demon that I just shot had a black stygian blood bursting out of his blood vessels, and it splattered onto the ground below.
I continue to fight the demons. They started to mature, or in other words, fight more experienced. They are no longer lunging and attacking wildly at the front. Now the demon can anticipate moves such as when we were about to strike or such. I got the feeling that Gaea is messing with us.
Gaea's P.O.V
I allowed my children to slowly transform, but however, once this Josh boy had held the sky, I will unleash the 20 main demons into the upper world, regardless of whether this Darrel boy do the O-Collapse effect or not. I waited patienly as Josh continued to fight the demons, ignoring the prophecy that is set upon him. But soon or later, the world will feel the consequence.
And yes indeed, I am messing with them. Since the demons are so many in this world, and in Tartarus, it's going to take more time to mutate more of my children, but when the 20 main demons are in place, they are going to do the mutations itself. And the power source?
The power source is myself, and the 20 main demons. I just continue to feed my children with black stygian water, making them much stronger and more powerful.
Right now, I am able to release the 20 main demons into the upper world. It's just going to be the question of the right time to release it.
Josh's P.O.V
Dallas, Johnny and Darrel were needed in the roman camp, so they told me quickly and I told them that they can go. Meanwhile, we're quite busy with the demons now. Mary was doing a fantastic job, because she was killing the demons left and right with ease, and her fighting spirit is high.
It was until when the sun starts to set something is definitely wrong. I felt that I should be heading back to the roman camp, but my gut told me that this isn't over.
It was... the 20 main demons itself. Their birth on this upper world causes the ground to tremble in a 3.5 richter scale, which can only be felt, but doesn't do a lot of damage, but that's more than enough for me to realize that the 20 main demons are coming, considering the fact that DOA's recording studios and this place is thousands of miles away, which can only mean that the magnitude of earthquake generated at the site it far more greater.