The Nature of a Demigod

The Helping Dead

As she rode in, she swore at the enemy and taunted them, daring to fight her now. As she rode in the night, I noticed she was actually glowing. An aura of red fire flickered around her. "The blessing of Ares," Thalia said. "I've never seen it in person before."

The enemy threw spears and arrows, but nothing hit her. "I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON SLAYER!" she yelled. "I will kill you ALL! Where is Kronos? Bring him out! Is he a coward?"

"Clarisse!" I yelled. "Stop! Get back!"

"What's the matter, Titan lord?" she yelled. "BRING IT ON!"

The enemy didn't answer. Slowly but surely, they finished their retreat, disappearing behind their shields, all while Clarisse drove in circles around the street, daring anyone to come at her. The drakon corpse made a hollow scraping sound against the pavement. Like nails on a chalkboard almost.

While she taunted them, we treated the wounded, hauling them inside the building. Long after the enemy had disappeared, Clarisse kept riding up and down the avenue with the drakon in tow, demanding Kronos step out and battle her now.

Chris said, "I'll watch her. She'll get tired eventually. I'll make sure she comes inside."

"How about camp?" I asked. "Anyone still there?" Chris shook his head. "Only Argus and the nature spirits. Peleus the dragon is still guarding the tree."

"They're not going to be able to last on their own." I mumbled. "But thanks for showing up anyway." Chris nodded sadly. "I'm sorry it took so long. I tried to reason with Clarisse. I said there's no point in defending the camp if you guys die. All our friends are here. I'm sorry it took Silena..."

I shook my head and let out a soft breath, clutching at my chest. My heart was starting to burn now. I couldn't keep pretending it wasn't an issue, because I winced every time I tried to take a breath.

"My Hunters will help you stand guard," Thalia told Chris. "Y/N. You, Annabeth and Percy should go to Olympus. I have a feeling they'll need you up there, to set up the final defense."

***

The doorman wasn't in the lobby anymore. His book was abandoned, and his chair was thrown to the ground. The rest of the lobby though, was jam packed with wounded. Whether it be campers, hunters, or satyrs, there was someone getting treated everywhere I looked.

The Stolls met us by the elevators. "Is it true?" Connor asked. "About Silena?" I nodded. "She died." Percy interrupted. "She died a hero." Travis shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I also heard-"

"That's it," I insisted. "End of story." I figured talking about it now wasn't going to help anything."Right," Travis mumbled. "Listen, we figure the Titan's army will have trouble getting up the elevator. They'll have to go up a few at a time. And the giants won't be able to fit at all."

"That's our biggest advantage right now." I said. "Have you guys been able to figure out a way to put this thing out of commission?"

"It's magic," Travis said. "Usually you need a key card, but the doorman vanished. That means the defenses are crumbling. Anyone can walk into the elevator now and head straight up."

"Then we need to keep them from the doors." I planned. "We can funnel them in the lobby. It'll be like a shooting gallery. They've got to come through the door."

"We need reinforcements," Travis said. "They'll just keep coming. Eventually they'll overwhelm us."

"There are no reinforcements," Connor complained. I looked outside at Mrs. O'Leary, who was breathing against the glass doors and smearing them with hellhound drool.