AWAKENING

"ARRGH!"

With a yell Anteas charged forward, his arms wide open, trying to block out any available path for his opponent. Perhaps if he were in his right mind, it would've caused some trouble for Athos, but currently, the giant was practically dancing in his palm.

He ducked underneath an outstretched arm and launched an uppercut at Anteas' liver causing the giant to arc his back in pain, which allowed him to throw two more heavy punches to the spine, but the fat absorbed most of the shock.

"AAAH! You pest!", a further incensed Anteas hollered, whirling around, his arm wideout, but Athos ducked under that too. He then mustered up all his strength and launched a high kick right between Anteas' legs.

*BANG*

The crowd collectively winced at the underhanded move while the giant let out the sound of a mouse being trodden on. He stumbled back and fell to his knees, spewing curses. His eyes were so red with rage, that the veins in them looked as though they could pop any second.

"T-tha....THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES!!!", Anteas bellowed, large amounts of spit flying from his mouth, his body trembling due to the sheer pain coursing through it. He was right in a way. Pankration was a sport where anything was permitted except biting, gouging and of course,.....attacking the genitals. The act was seen as scummy, but Athos didn't care. He was playing with his life here.

The only rules that mattered were quite simple, "What a man can do, and what a man can't do." Jack Sparrow spouted some truly good quotes from time to time.

"I don't care", he replied, summoning Leviathan. Anteas' eyes widened at the sight of the large axe but then narrowed with ridicule.

"Do you not know who I am? Did your father not warn you? Come! Use your axe and despair demigod. I am infallible!", the giant roared, grinning the best he could while his body continued to shake with pain. Yet Athos did not hesitate in the slightest, bringing down Leviathan on Anteas head, but instead of using the axe blade, he used the hammer-side.

*BOOM*

With a loud sound that echoed in the arena, Anteas was knocked out cold, his body slumping onto the ground. Athos knew if he now tried decapitating the giant or snapping his neck, he would just heal instantly due to the earth, thus he refrained from doing so. Any injury that was fatal or made the giant bleed would be promptly healed by the earth. It was Gaea's blessing.

Percy had killed this giant in a totally unorthodox way when compared to his father. He had suspended the giant using chains that hung from the ceiling. That plan never made sense to him. It was an insane strategy and relied on having way too much luck. But he was Percy, the protagonist. Other than batman, he was plot armour incarnate.

Athos wanted to do this in a different way. Keeping the giant away from the earth was the only way to kill him. 'Earth' here wasn't mud or dirt per se. He was dealing with concepts. He knew that any structure connected to the earth wasn't considered 'Earth' by definition, as Anteas had died while hanging from a dirt ceiling in the books. The arena was underground.

He then looked over to the spectator's wall that was made of stone and grinned. He grabbed the unconscious giant, slinging him over his back and carried him across the arena while the crowd watched with bated breath. A small boy who was barely 5 feet and 8inches was carrying a giant more than thrice his size. An odd sight indeed.

With a 'Hup!' he threw the 3-ton behemoth on top of the wall where he landed sprawled across his own seat. Athos quickly followed with a giant leap. He then summoned Leviathan again and swung at Anteas' neck, this time aiming to kill.

"Let's see if your mother can reach you now"

The giant's head was cleanly sliced off and rolled down, stopped by Athos' feet. Anteas's body started to disintegrate, turning into the sand and the arena ground started to rumble. The earth rose up in a mound and tried crawling up the wall, but it was in vain. It could not touch the stone. It was as though an invisible force prevented it from doing so.

Strange.

Athos' face morphed into a grin as he saw the giant completely crumble to sand and the earth cease its activity. He had done it. He had felled the monster only his father had managed to kill. Percy did it too, but that was supposed to happen in the future. It wouldn't happen now as he had killed Anteas before that could take place. He had changed the timeline, but he couldn't give two fucks about it right now. He was benefitting from Anteas' death after all.

He looked toward the crowd that had mixed expressions. Some monsters looked uncertain while some were angered. Some even seemed to have enjoyed the fight, but whatever the case, all of them didn't seem too happy with a demigod winning.

He snorted and jumped down, into the arena, Leviathan in hand. Perhaps he should start culling the monsters in the arena before they caught on to the fact that they numbered in the tens and he was all alone.

He spread his arms wide, raising Leviathan in the air.

"Why the long faces? Do you not like death? Are you not entertained?", he announced walking forward. "Are you NOT enter-

*BOOM*

Athos was thrown forward as the ground behind him exploded. He rolled to the side and quickly got to his feet, gripping Leviathan tight , surprised and confused. This didn't happen in the books.

Large tendrils of earth emerged from the ground and started to slowly sway in the air while an ancient aura engulfed the arena, making the monsters instinctively shrink in fear. It was an aura of endlessness, of power and....of the earth.

The tendrils stopped their swaying and intertwined, morphing into a sand figure of a woman wearing a cloak made of black dirt that churned and shifted as though competing with itself.

A thin veil made of dust formed and hid an unnaturally beautiful face that appeared to be asleep.

"Gaea", Athos whispered, taking a few steps back, fear slightly seeping into his heart while question after question popped up in his head.

How and most importantly why was Gaea here? It was most definitely not for Anteas. She hadn't materialised when Percy killed him. Moreover, she should've been asleep now, especially after Hazel's sacrifice in the 1900s. Yet she was here, in front of him. An incredibly powerful, primordial entity that excelled in manipulation. What could have possibly stirred her awake?

Gaea then opened her mouth and spoke, her voice a crackling noise, as though plants were growing in her throat.

"I was indeed entertained, tainted one. Why don't we have a talk? I believe it would be in line with your interests."