Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Tartarus

”This place gives me a bad vibe, honestly. I don’t think it’s the best idea to enter here, but just in case anything happens, I want to say it was nice to meet you all,” said Poseidon, smiling.

The brothers simply nodded, ignoring Poseidon’s concerns, which caused him to roll his eyes at their sometimes antisocial behavior.

On the other hand, Damon was feeling sensations that someone was watching him. He looked around but saw no one. He glanced at his brothers, wondering if they felt the same.

None of them seemed to notice. With every step, the sensation grew stronger... then vanished... then returned again.

Halfway along the path, he stopped feeling it, which calmed him, but now, at the entrance, the sensation was much, much more intense. At first, he dismissed that feeling since he couldn’t see anyone around him, justifying it as simply nerves about getting to know the world a little better.

”Damon!” The moment he heard his name, his body tensed. He turned quickly, scanning the entrance, the rocks, the shadows—anything that could have made that voice. But the echo twisted everything. It was impossible to tell where it came from.

He slowly lifted his gaze toward the sky—because that was where the feeling came from—like something above was staring straight through him. He stood there, waiting for the voice to speak again... But nothing happened. ”DAMON!” He heard his name again—louder this time. Now the voice was familiar.

”What are you doing?” Poseidon called back, annoyed. ”I’ve been calling you for a while. Is something wrong?”

Damon forced his face to stay calm. ”Nothing. Sorry. I got distracted.” He stepped forward and nodded toward the entrance. ”Let’s go in.”

Poseidon gave him a suspicious look, but he didn’t push it. This wasn’t the moment.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the feeling of being watched became a weight. It was not eyes; it was the presence. The air thickened, as if Tartarus wanted them to move more slowly.

”This place is really something else. Make sure to keep your guard up; we are not alone in here, even if most are kept behind bars or chained. We don’t know what we can end up facing,” Damon led the way, his senses on high alert. With every echoing footstep, he felt the prickle of an unseen gaze tracking their movements. The stories about this place don’t give it enough credit.

Just thinking about living here gave him chills. And the thought that the primordial goddess Nyx lives here in some cave in some desolate area alongside her children. Certainly, the primordials are something else, Damon thought.

As they went deeper into Tartarus, Damon caught glimpses of some of the prisons where he saw many dangerous beings that even the Titans feared. But few compared to the Hecatoncheires.

As they reached the prison of the Cyclopes, Damon caught sight of the Hecatoncheires; they locked their eyes onto Damon, but said nothing. Damon kept walking; he wasn’t here for them, but he would keep them in mind for the future.

”Damon, WATCH OUT!” Poseidon shouted.

Snapping back to the present, Damon reacted quickly, dodging what seemed to be a breath of fire. With no time to think... Damon steeled himself as something that looked like a dragon or snake lunged forward, her serpentine body twisting through the air with predatory grace.

Damon took a moment to analyze this new enemy, who had a terrifying mix of beauty and horror. Her upper body resembled that of a lithe, powerful woman, with long, flowing hair that undulated like dark serpents, each strand glistening as though wet. Her skin was a deep, mottled green, resembling the scales of a serpent, smooth yet intimidating.

As one’s gaze moved down, her lower half transformed into that of a giant serpent, coiling and twitching, covered in iridescent scales that shifted colors. She had multiple eyes scattered across her face and body, each one flashing with a predatory gleam that tracked the movements of her adversaries with unsettling precision.

Her attire was a blend of armor and skin, crafted from the remnants of those she had defeated—dark leather mixed with shimmering scales. ”What the hell is that thing?” Poseidon gritted.

”That’s Campe. It is said she was placed here by Kronos to ensure that no one frees the Cyclopes. I guess he fears that someone might release them to have powerful weapons. If we want to reach the Cyclopes, we’ll need to get rid of her,” Zeus replied seriously.

The fight quickly intensified. Campe, using her tail, attacked the brothers, slicing through the air with speed and agility. ”You’re faster than I expected,” Damon remarked.

”Damon realized that her tail is easily venomous. We must be careful with it: just a touch from that tail and we won’t know if we count it. Brothers, we have to work together; we don’t have weapons, but we have our strength and our powers.” The gods quickly accorded.

Zeus began shooting lightning bolts at Campe, who, with her enhanced agility and vision, easily dodged them, getting closer to Poseidon. Breathing out a sea of flames from her mouth, Poseidon saw it coming and quickly used his power to create a wall of water, defending himself. Meanwhile, Hades, taking advantage of the shadows, approached the draconic creature from behind to grab her tail.

This gave Zeus and Damon the perfect opportunity to close in, grab the dragon woman, and use their strength to tear her in half. ”Damn you, gods!”—the draconic being screamed as she disintegrated into particles. The silence of Tartarus returned momentarily.

Damon sighed and said, ”Alright, let’s move on; if she was here, it means we are close to the Cyclopes’ prison. The faster we finish this, the sooner we can get out of here.”

Thoughts and Critiques please.

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