The Rise of Tartarus: Prologue

Josh's P.O.V

One night, after the Camp Half-Blood feast, which is held anually every century, I was full. I had so much to eat and have fun with my friends. I remembered my old friend, Sylvio Newton, whom I haven't met for a long time. He is the son of Helios.

Anyways, I decided to go back to the dining pavilion, where everyone is having a food party. Leo Valdez is currently having a barbecue and he gave each one of us one piece of steak. I liked to eat steaks. In fact, I wished I could eat them every day, but we cannot since the camp meals changes every day.

I found a suitable place to relax on the couch found near the dining pavilion. I just wished that nothing will be wrong right now.

My barrier stage is at 4/5, which is great since I am looking for more fun before I do my next cleansing coma, and I hoped I wouldn't have to do a self-induced coma for another 5 years.

Layla approached me. "So Josh, anything exciting lately?" She asked.

"Well, this is exciting." I said. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure!" Layla said excitedly and I took her hand and we went to dance.

To tell you the truth, I rarely danced. I just simply wanted to learn by watching her dance. I got to admit she's a great dancer, with her hip hop style dancing, and it really suits her. She shakes her head left and right and her whole body. I watched with amazement and I copied her move. I was really amazed with myself and her.

I grabbed her shoulder and neared her head to me. "Thank you Layla, for helping me dance."

After a few hours, the Camp Half-Blood feast had ended. It ended at approximately 11:30 PM. I was already tired, and a few of my friends told me that I had the talent of dancing. I was really excited with the fact that my friends had told me that I could dance well. Maybe in the near future I can dance for them.

After the feast, I decided to head back to my cabin, with my full-blooded sister inside.

"Hey Bella." I said.

"Hello Josh! Did you have fun?" Bella asked.

I nodded.

Strangely, my sister did not get affected by the fact that Hypnos and Morpheus is in our veins. It appears she didn't need protection from Morpheus and Hypnos. She didn't even induce herself in a coma, probably because it's how she used her powers.

"Now go to bed, little brother. There's going to be an interesting day tomorrow."

I nodded and went to bed straight away.

My dreams is very strange today.

I stood on top of Mount Othrys, watching the Titans council. The titans are organized as usual, and they are discussing about the present threat.

"It appears that there is a new group." Theia said.

"What new group?" Hyperion asked. "The Dumpsters?"

"No." Coeus said. "I fear that we might heard of this name before, but we always knew them as a myth."

"The myth about Brushogun?" Krios asked.

"NO!!" Hyperion snapped. "It's not Brushogun! You're reading too much Japanese comic books, and look at you! You can't even focus just for a minute!"

Krios sat back in his chair.

"Now, as we can see...."

The counsil was halted by a sudden darkness appearing right behind Mount Othrys, and the sky Atlas was holding became much more heavier as more darkness gathered around Mount Othrys. Eventually, the darkness subsided and it revealed a group of people.

"Leave this place." Ordered the people behind the shroud of darkness. The voice sounded very powerful, in fact, much more powerful than Kronos.

Hyperion stepped forward and his armor ignites into a very bright column of light and heat. The people who are shrouded in darkness covers their eyes as the light of Hyperion shines throughout the mountain. The darkness began its march towards Mount Othrys but they looked like they were about to give up.

But they weren't.

As I watched, the darkness grew and Hyperion began to glow brighter and brighter as the other titans started attacking the sphere of darkness.

Then, the darkness engulfed them, and an explosion is heard, and the next thing I saw is that the titans are getting blasted away a few hundred meters.

"Now, let's see...." A voice from the darkness said, and the darkness subsided, revealing 10 pitch black figures. The tallest one seemed to be reaching for his pocket to grab something, and as I watched, it's a scroll, like a To-Do-List kind of thing.

"Kidnap the baby, check." The voice said. "Get rid of the titans, check. 死ヒーロー, check."

Did he just say something in Chinese? How could I understand it? It meant death, and I kept hearing it over and over again.

Just then, I woke up to screaming.