The Total Solar Eclipse of the Heart

After dinner and everyone was satisfied with their meals, everyone settled back into their seats. Chiron announced that the last match, and the match to decide the winner of the tournament, would be Zeno and Mateo. The two came out and got their swords at the ready. Zeno unsheathed his sword while Mateo unsheathed his sword. Mateo pulled out some seashells, earning a chuckle from the Ares kids.

 "What are you gonna do Matty throw seashells?" Damais taunted.

 Poseidon laughed, "Well that's one way."

 Mateo smirked, everyone watched as the sea shells became puddles as they hit the ground one by one. Zeno got into the air, and Mateo pulled him back down with the water. Their swords clashed, fabricating sparks. Zeno got into the air again, flipping his sword into a spear. Mateo used the water and disarmed him. Zeno got onto the ground and used the wind around Mateo to knock him over.

 Chiron called down Rue and Elara to the front. "Get ready to step in, with them using their powers, I need you to be prepared in case they lose control. Rue step in if he starts to seem like he is having an episode, Elara step in if you feel it's no longer safe. Okay?" They both nodded, sitting where Rue and Chris sat two rounds ago.

 Mateo felt his gut being pulled, and his eyes went wide. He took a deep breath before pulling more water from the seashells, pulling Zeno from the air. His vision started to get blurry, and he felt a familiar tug. He felt a connection he did not want to connect to. He knew Rue was nearby so he took a deep breath to calm down. He looked at Zeno and stepped forward, but suddenly he wasn't in the arena anymore, he was in the depths of Tartarus again.

 In front of him was Lamia, she was pushing towards him, his arm lifted, and the venom in her fangs started to drip down her throat. He enjoyed using it, 'No I don't!' Mateo thought, his breathing quickened to short fast breaths. His mind kept playing it over and over, he didn't like it. He hated it. He wouldn't like it. 

 Rue watched as the water moved towards Zeno, and her eyes widened as she watched it go in on a path towards him.

 "I need to step in, he mentally isn't in the ring." Rue told Elara, whose eyes widened realizing he was having an episode.

 Elara went to Poseidon while Rue told Zeno to move. Elara got Poseidon's attention, "You need to be ready to redirect all of the water. Mateo has PTSD from being down there and is having an episode. He is mentally back there, and is not in control of his powers, his subconscious is."

 He nodded, getting up, Apollo also got up and followed down to help. Elara looked at Dionysus, "He is going to need help when gets out of it. It's bad." Dionysus nodded and watched Mateo.

 Rue looked at Zeno, "Move. If you aren't in the path of the water you won't be hurt."

 He nodded and moved away, Mateo moved the water to where he moved from. Zeno was now glad he moved, as the speed the water was going was violent at best. Mateo's eyes were distant, Rue saw his breathing quicken, and the water got more violent.

 "Mateo?" Rue asked not wanting to make it worse. "Mateo, what was the promise?"

 He seemed to hear her that time. "Not to...not to...not to." He screamed, the violent water that he was controlling now getting rabid.

Poseidon stopped the water, Apollo got behind Mateo ready to catch him.

 "Mateo? Matty? Who do you see?" Rue said, trying to get his attention again.

 "NO! I don't like it! I didn't like it!" Rue took a deep breath knowing what he was seeing. It was hard not to guess at this point.

 "Mateo, hey. Breathe, will you try and breathe for me." Apollo said, trying to guide him to reality. "Come on. Breathe." He came up behind him, hugging him, and taking exaggerated breaths. "Match mine seashell." Mateo's breathing got more calm though his crying got worse.

 Dionysus got down from the stands heading towards Mateo and Apollo.

 "Mat?" He asked.

 Mateo looked up. All the demigods and satyrs left to leave Mat, Dionysus, Apollo, and Poseidon, on their own. The Gods started to leave but Mateo suddenly shouted for them to wait.

 "Mateo?" Artemis asked worriedly.

 He looked up, his eyes broken and hurt. "I...I don't trust myself."

 Hestia looked at the young hero, slowly walking towards him. "Mateo. It's okay. You had to survive. Would you have done that, outside of that place?"

 He shook his head no, he would never have. Would he have though? He could have done anything to stop her. He had his sword, and yet he still used venom from her fangs to kill her. It wasn't a last resort decision, he just wanted to see how much the child-eater could take.

 "Then you are not evil, or bad, or like the ones you had to fight. Definitely not like the ones there of all places."

 He let out a whimper that broke the hearts of the many gods who knew and loved him.

 Apollo looked at him, "What happened down there, seashell?"

 Mateo looked at Zeus, then at his Dad who nodded understandingly. "Zeus, if he says something and you feel threatened. Just remember you have been down there too, so you know he had to do it to survive." He nodded, gesturing for Mateo to start. But he didn't, he had other choices.

 "Rue and I were running from the minotaur and his friends. We had to go to Lamia and ask for her help hiding from them. She helped us, like we asked. We were hidden, and she sent them away in a different direction. But she soon betrayed us and started attacking. I tried to fight her and ended up using her own venom. I think Tartarus was affecting me mentally..." He stopped trying to catch his breath as more tears started coming down his cheek. He knew he had other options, but he couldn't tell them that. If they knew he did that because it was his first thought they'll spite him on the spot. But wouldn't that be better. The camp wouldn't have to deal with a sociopath like him.

 "Matty, what did you do?" Poseidon asked, drawing him out of his thoughts..

 "I drowned her. I used her own venom and drowned her." Percy gasped as he remembered the cracking sensation he felt through his whole body. "I don't know if it was because of the powers I was using or tartarus messing with me, but as I used my powers to.." Mateo's voice cracked, "to drown her I felt as if something cracked inside me."

 Dionysus gasped, "Did it smooth out after you quit using these powers?"

 Mateo nodded looking down. He knew it was own doing, this was his consequence for everything he did down there. Rue would never forgive him for this. He doesn't even know if Rue knew the full extent of the effect his powers from that day had on him mentally or physically.

 "Zeus we need to talk, I don't like this more than you but..." Poseidon trailed off looking at Mateo with sad eyes. "We need to talk."

Zeus nodded, "Yes we do. I will call a council meeting tonight. This is an important matter at hand."

Mateo was getting more and more scared as they continued talking. What did he mean about the important matter at hand? What issue was there to call a council meeting over? Then it hit him, he was the issue. He was what was wrong. He was the issue at hand they had to have a formal meeting about.

 "Matty?" Apollo asked, earning his attention. "Can you look at me?" He looked up at Apollo, he tried not to meet his eyes. He couldn't worry him more than he already has. "You did what you needed to survive, Tartarus is known to twist morals and make it easier to hurt people. Do you understand?" Mateo nodded, though truthfully no he didn't. How could he try excusing away his actions, he has no excuse that would work. None that felt right.

 "Mateo, can you look at me?" He looked at Hestia. "You did what you had to, you are not a monster. Now I would like you to breathe, then talk to Dionysus. He can help you. Okay?" He nodded, how could one argue with Hestia. They simply couldn't, she was too caring to try and tell her no. Mateo followed Dionysus to the an office that Linus and Chiron used to talk to students one on one.

 "Zeus, the use of our abilites takes part of a mortal soul everytime they use them, so he already had an incomplete soul before he fell. Then unlocking those abilities took even more of it. The cracking he described was the same thing Dionysus described before we found him. His mortality is burning away." Poseidon told Zeus, and he did the one thing Poseidon didn't want him to do, he nodded. 

With a grim look on his face Zeus looked his brother in the eyes, "Yes he is. We will tell the council tomorrow, then Apollo or Chiron can tell him before we help him ascend. He will have two weeks after we tell him to say his goodbyes, since it will probably be a good 50 years before he can interact again fully in control." Zeus said then flashed away. 

This was the one thing that Poseidon hoped wouldn't go this way. He wished his son would grow to want immortality in time and not be forced into it. He wanted his son to want to stay with him, not have his choice taken away. Why does his son always have the worst of luck? Who did he anger so he could apologize before things get worse. But how could they get worse? Poseidon didn't want to find out.

He already has to figure out how to break the news to son. But how does one explain to their son that they have to say goodbye to everyone in their mortal life, because of the chance of them not being there when he can see them again in 50 years? The answer they don't, they let a certain sun god do it. He knew this was the cheat way out, but he couldn't bear to be the one to hurt his son. Either Apollo would do it, or he would have to let him find out from his brother. No way was he putting this onto son's mind at the moment.

Poseidon watched Mateo leave with Dionysus. "I am so sorry that you have been handed this fate, son. I wish things were different." He said even though he knew his son couldn't hear him. Tears threatened to fall as he imagined the look on his son's face when he found out. The betrayal he would most definitely feel. He hoped he would understand this was the Fates doing, not his. He flashed to Atlantis, unwilling to see his son in more pain than he had to. He hoped this council meeting went well. He needed it to go well or else it was going to be a very hard beginning to Mateo's immortal life.