TEARS

*BOOM*He was smashed into the ground, his body pushed deep into the earth. The Nemean Lion skin did nothing to stop the blow, making Perastos face the brunt of the attack. His duster could only negate mortal attacks and the white flame coating the enormous cleaver was anything but that.

His body was on fire and It was as though his every organ had begun tap dancing. He crawled out of the crater and found the cleaver swinging straight for his head. He leapt into the air knowing that it would pass under him but it seemed as though he'd never dodged in the first place. It slammed into his side and a sickening crack sounded. His body scraped across the ground and bashed into a block of granite, leaving an deep imprint. The blue-half mask could only do so much and internal damage was a bitch.

"Fuck!", he gurgled and spat out a glob of blood. He'd probably cracked a rib and it hurt to breathe. Seeing that his attacks missed but Thoon's attacks didn't, meant that the destiny-altering worked but what could he possibly do to stop it? His soul would only react if he was at the receiving end of such sorcery.

Thoon slowly trudged forward and raised his cleaver.

'Can I just run away?'

Athos peeled himself from the slab of granite and bounded back but it was as if he was moving in sludge. On the other hand, Thoon's every step seemed to cover twice as much distance.

"Die....already....", Thoon growled and slowly swung his cleaver.

As Athos saw the cleaver descend, time seemed to slow down. He could almost see the drop of blood trickling down his chin slowing its pace. He had to have something to get out of this - anything, but there was no point in attacking the wizened giant and no point in defending either. He racked his brain for anything he could do but he was meeting dead end after dead end. Was this it? Was he going to die here?

The blade descended akin to a guillotine on a criminal fully intent on smashing him to bits, but at the very last moment, Athos was struck. Not with the blade, no - but with an idea. The sand dollar he'd taken back when tackling Achelous materialized in his hand and he closed his fist, crushing it.

*BOOM*

"AAARGH!!!"

Poseidon's divinity exploded in a mist of green energy knocking back the blade. It formed a giant cloud of mini waves and storms, engulfing both Thoon and Athos. Athos stuffed a square of ambrosia in his mouth and summoned the bronze sword he'd gotten from camp. With a grunt, he got to his feet with difficulty and ran toward Thoon.

The cloud on his side was calm and peaceful, forming waves that one would see at a tropical beach, but the cloud on Thoon's side was wild and unforgiving. Mini cyclones attacked Thoon's wounds making him drop his cleaver and claw at his body while screaming his lungs out. A white flame flickered on and off on his body as if Poseidon's divinity was messing with whatever spell he put on his body.

Athos jumped on Thoon's knee using it to propel himself up and sank the sword into the giant's heart, making him fall over. He pulled the sword out and stabbed Thoon in the eye.

"DEMI....AAAARRGGGHHH!!!"

The hilt of the sword snapped owing to Athos' strength but he didn't care. The Oni half-mask turned red and he pummelled the living shit out of the giant, his every punch cracking the earth - deforming Thoon's already ugly face. Once the yells of pain ceased, he stumbled back, his wrists coated with an odd mixture of blood and golden dust and stared at the fallen giant. Thoon's left hand was slowly reforming and so was his face.

Athos froze. The Gigantes were not feared because they were exceedingly strong or wielded incredible powers - although that did contribute a tiny bit - but because of their conditional invincibility. As a giant, Thoon could only be killed by a god and a demigod working together. Even if Zeus himself blasted Thoon over and over and over, he'd just get up again and again and again.

Just then, as if responding to Athos' trepidation, the cloud froze and shot into the remains of Thoon. The giant body began to tremble and its veins bulged with green light. A green flash temporarily blinded Athos and all that was left was dust and an absurdly oversized cleaver.

Thoon was dead.

The self-proclaimed ruler of Destiny was slain.

Did Poseidon's divinity automatically finish the job or did Poseidon himself interfere? Given that Gigante were natural enemies of the gods, the first option was more likely but the second option was still plausible.

He walked over to a granite block and sat down, wincing as he did so. Another block of ambrosia appeared in his hand and he swallowed it, forgoing the demigod tradition of savouring every bite. He continued shovelling ambrosia in his mouth until he felt a faint burning feeling in his chest. That was a warning sign. He sighed and stared at the giant meat cleaver at his side.

"O Slayer of Destiny, O Breaker of Fate,", he recited

Did they know this was going to happen?

***

Once he could breathe without making a face, he got up and dusted himself off. His duster had a nasty gash on its side but Perastos had already healed itself. He made sure Leviathan had reformed and he set off toward the mountain's summit. The closer he went, the louder the sounds of thunder and lighting were. He climbed over a large rock and his eyes narrowed.

A few yards ahead of him was his target. Hidden within the funnel cloud on his back was a universe in itself. Shining stars spun about, moving in their destined paths, leaving trails of aurous light in their wake while galaxies merged and formed and twirled in hypnotizing dances.

He looked like a living statue. If not for the stone-grey eyes filled with absolute loathing and his slicked-back black hair, one could think he was but a sculpture. Two large hands that could squash Athos' head like a watermelon supported the dome while his incredibly muscular body exuded brutality. If there was anyone who fit the image of 'Titan', it was this guy. He was bafflingly tall, around eight feet and had huge shoulders. Lifting the sky for over three thousand years probably gave him massive gains, along with a stiff neck. If he weren't kneeling down, Athos would've had to crane his neck to even speak to him. He was bare-chested and wore only a loincloth.

"Why are you here, half-breed?!", Atlas growled and spit at Athos' feet. His voice was nothing like any of the immortals he'd met before. It was deeper, lower and stronger - as if the earth itself was speaking.

"I am here for your heart."

"WHAT?!"

"That may have come out wrong", Athos sighed and summoned Leviathan before walking up to the Titan.

"What are you doing?!", Atlas frowned.

Athos walked up to the Titan's chest and raised his axe.

"CEASE YOUR ACTIONS AT ONCE, DEMIGO-AARRGHH!!!'

Athos inserted Leviathan right in Atlas' breastbone but soon realised that the Titan's skin was much harder than he thought. Cutting into Atlas' skin was akin to sculpting marble using a plastic spoon. He grit his teeth and placed his hand on Leviathan's hammer side. He took a deep breath and pushed with all his might.

"AAAAARGHHH!!! NOOO!!! CURSE YOU!!! AAAAARGHHH!!!"

The veins on Atlas' arms bulged as he roared bloody murder. Ichor flowed freely and Athos managed to make the blade fully sink in. Once that was done, he pushed the hammer side sideways with all his might. The red half-mask doubled his considerable strength and he put his back into it.

*CRACK*

Atlas' sternum cracked open and the ribs spread wide, acting like hinges. The Titan bellowed with such strength and pain that Athos' ears began bleeding. Atlas tried biting and even sucker-punching Athos but it was physically impossible. The sky would just crush him more and more and make his punishment all the more worse. All he could do was endure. He was called the Titan of Endurance after all.

Athos, who was now covered in Ichor, stared at the large beating heart in front of him. It beat with such power that every time its ventricles contracted, a loud, 'THUMP!' would sound. He reached out and grabbed the giant heart earning another howl of pain. Suddenly, the flesh around the heart began to regrow and the open chest began to close. Just before Altas' body could trap him, he pulled back, ripping the heart right out of Atlas' chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

The arteries in Atlas' eyes burst and he shed tears of golden blood.

***

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