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🍦— 010. a final breath of a half-blood.
BAD NEWS: THE bridge to Olympus was dissolving as soon as the group of five stepped out of the elevator and onto the white marble walkway, cracks appeared at their feet.
"Jump!" Grover said, which was easy for him since he's part mountain goat. He sprang to the next slab of stone while the one the four demigods were on tilted sickeningly.
"Gods, I hate heights!" Thalia yelled.
Together, Vivi, Percy and Thalia leaped to the next stone. But Annabeth was in no shape for jumping after the ricochet of her blade against Kronos.
She stumbled and yelled, "Guys!"
Vivi ran, catching the blonde's hand as the pavement fell, crumbling into dust. For a second the girl thought Annabeth was going to pull them both over, but Vivi would never let that happen. Her feet dangled in the open air. Her hand started to slip until she was holding her only by her fingers. Then, Vivi felt arms wrap around her waist, and others grabbed her legs, pulling her. Annabeth was not going to fall. Finally, Vivi was able to pull her best friend up and they laid trembling on the pavement.
"Thank you, V," Annabeth said, looking up at Vivi who layed underneath the blonde.
"Always."
"Keep moving!" Grover said.
They all scrambled up and sprinted across the skybridge as more stones disintegrated and fell into oblivion. Five of them made it to the edge of the mountain just as the final section collapsed. Vivi looked back at the elevator, which was now completely out of reach ─ a polished set of metal doors hanging in space, attached to nothing, six hundred stories above Manhattan.
"We're marooned," Vivi said. "On our own."
"Blah-ha-ha!" Grover said. "The connection between Olympus and America is dissolving. If it fails ─"
"The gods won't move on to another country this time," Thalia said. "This will be the end of Olympus. The final end."
"Well, let's not let that happen," Vivi said.
They ran through streets. Mansions were burning. Statues had been hacked down. Trees in the parks were blasted to splinters. It looked like someone had attacked the city with a giant Weed wacker.
"Kronos's scythe," Percy said.
They followed the winding path toward the palace of the gods. Vivi didn't remember the road being so long. Maybe Kronos was making time go slower, or maybe it was just dread slowing them down. The whole mountain top was in ruins ─ so many beautiful buildings and gardens gone. A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords and spears broken in half.
