Flowergirl, Percy Jackson

013. Blood, Dirt and Dust

On the road to Sixth Avenue, Lila spots many of her friends fallen on the ground, bleeding out. One or two cry out for help, but most simply smile up at her, wave her on her way, accepting their fate, or at least understanding the dire situation. 

That doesn't make it hurt less, to run past them. With each abandoned demigod she leaves behind, the campers from the Hermes cabin, the Aphrodite cabin, even Pollux from the Dionysus cabin, who is unconscious on the ground, Lila represses a sob. Yet she forces herself on. If she doesn't get to the final defence of demigods, to the height of Kronos's strength, all these demigods' sacrifices will be for nothing. So she continues to run ahead, ignoring them. 

It's a decision she doesn't regret. When she gets to the Avenue, it's clear to see that the Demeter cabin are entirely overrun. It's turned into a jungle, with all kinds of plants and trees growing out of the tarmac like weeds bursting into the air. 

When Katie spots Lila, her face breaks into a grin. Her right eye is black and bruised, and there's blood dripping from her lips, but she seems otherwise unharmed. "Reinforcements?"

"On the way," Lila promises. "We had to give up Central Park." 

Miranda nods grimly. She's limping, but has armed herself with a bow and is picking off demigods from a distance. "We have to hold this street, for as long as possible." 

Lila agrees. Exhausted - from running to the street, from turning Hyperion into a tree, from the hours of fighting she's been taking part in - she forces herself to dig deep, as deep as she can go, for any power she can muster. 

With some effort, the tarmac dissolves into a steaming swampland of mud, slowing down the advance of those demigods, forcing them to crawl through mud and water. Miranda picks them off with her arrows, while Katie summons more vines to help. 

Grover and his satyrs eventually join them, helping in the effort to slow down the enemy demigods' advance. Yet, for every ten they injure and maim, twenty replace them. 

They fight through the night, as the moon gets higher and higher. Lila weaves through monsters, slashing with her spear. Vines and poppies burst wherever she steps, pulling demigods and monsters downwards, but each effort tires her further, until she's near collapse. Slowly but surely, they're backed up foot by foot. Kronos's forces attack from the North, the South, the East, the West, slowly forcing all their forces backwards until they're only a block away from the Empire State Building in a defensive circle. 

"Hold your lines!" Katie shouts. 

Somehow, Lila's ended up beside Percy again. He seems relieved to see her alive, though there are more pressing concerns. He's covered in blood and dirt and monster dust, with not a cut on him. Lila's thigh is bleeding- she can't remember when it happened, and she almost doesn't register it, with so much adrenaline running through her body. It's not bleeding much, so she assumes it's just a minor wound, another scar, should she live long enough for it to brand her skin. 

A few blocks to the east, a bright line shines. At first Lila thinks it is sunrise, and then Hyperion, having broken through their enchantments. Then, with horror, she realises it's worse - Kronos, on a golden chariot. He advances slowly, leisurely, toward their final stand, like he's been resting for hours. 

This was all just a ploy, Lila realises. He's just trying to tire them out enough so he can sweep through them with a final blow. 

Annabeth appears beside them. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!"

Percy nods, opening his mouth to order it, when the sound of a hunting horn ripples through the battlefields. In reply, horns answer from everywhere around, the entire island of Manhattan replying.