Percy Jackson: Daughter of Shadows

15. My Stupid Decision Number One

The bridge to Olympus was dissolving. We stepped out of the elevator onto the white marble walkway, and immediately cracks appeared at our feet. 

  "Jump!" Grover said, which was easy for him since he's part mountain goat. He sprang to the next slab of stone while ours titled sickeningly. "Gods, I hate heights!" Thalia yelled as she and Percy leaped. But Annabeth was in no shape for jumping. She stumbled and yelled, "Percy!" 

  My wings expanded and I flew under the crumbling bridge, waiting to catch her of necessary.  Percy caught her just as the pavement fell, crumbling into dust. For a second I thought she was going to pull both of them over. Her feet dangled in the open air above me. Her hand started to slip until Percy was holding her only by her fingers. Then Grover and Thalia grabbed his legs, and he pulled her up. I flew up and crumbled next to them in a heap. Percy and Annabeth laid trembling on the pavement until Annabeth tensed when she noticed they had their arms around each other. "Um, thanks" she muttered. "Uh, duh" "Lilly?" Thalia said. "How did you just do that?" I threw one of the feathers into the abyss. "The wings are a part of my body, they're not magical. Aeolus maintains them so long as I lose one of the feathers" "No, I meant the sky is Zeus's domain. How-" "Thalia, I've been cursing your father's name for years and I've actually killed him. Plus, Hades is my father, Enyo, his own daughter is my patron god, and majority of the gods owe me favors. For once, your father isn't going to 'fuck around and find out' He's going to 'not fuck with who he shouldn't fuck with' "Fair" Thalia said, standing up. 

  "Keep moving!" Grover tugged on Percy's shoulder. We untangled ourselves and sprinted across the rest of the sky bridge as more stones disintegrated and fell into oblivion. We made it to the edge of the mountain just as the final section collapsed. Annabeth 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," she 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." 

   I noticed a whisp of someone floating in the oblivion. "You all go ahead. I need to check something out" "What? But if Kronos or the gods come here-" "I'll be fine, go!" Percy nodded, running with the rest of them through the streets. I dove into the abyss. 

   "Fancy seeing you here" Chaos said, blowing their hair out of their face. "What are you doing here, Chaos?" I asked, flapping my wings. "I've come to offer my assistance, Lilly, For a friend" I sighed. "What is it?" "I'll fix the bridge while you-" Kronos's voice roared up above us. "Brick by brick! That was my promise. Tear it down BRICK BY BRICK!" "Can you hurry? Sounds like I have to go handle my senile grandfather" Chaos laughed. "Senile is one way to put it. Very well. I'll fix the bridge; you go on ahead. Warning, Poseidon's coming" "Poseidon? But Oceanus-" "Will destroy his palace. But if you succeed, he will retreat back into the depths of the oceans. Every instance of fighting will end, depending on which side wins or loses" I nodded. "It better not be him then" I said. Chaos nodded. "Go. Oh, and Lilly?" "Yeah?" "Your brother and father live. As does Viktor, though he is in a deep sleep. I suspect he'll be waking up soon" I smiled. "Thanks" I flew back up to the mountain and took off running. 

    I was running towards the throne room when I spotted a fallen statue. "THALIA?!" I exclaimed, finding her under it. "How-" "Hera. I think that she's trying to send a message that she hates me" "I severely doubt it. As I told Percy and Annabeth, she quit doing this stuff after Heracles" "Then explain why it was her statue?" "She was the third child of Kronos to be eaten, and she married Zeus, the same guy who overthrew Kronos in the first place" "Fair point" Thalia said. "But you need to go. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth already are with Kronos. He's got Nakamura with him" "But what about you?" Thalia winked. "I saw who you went to talk to. If Chaos fixes that bridge, the Hunters will find me. Go!" I nodded and pulled out my sword, charging into the throne room. 

   Kronos and Percy were going to head-to-head when I got into the throne room. Kronos backed Percy against the throne of Hephaestus-a huge mechanical La-Z Boy type thing covered in bronze and silver gears. Kronos slashed, and Percy managed to jump straight up onto the seat. The throne whirred and hummed with secret mechanisms. Defense mood, it warned. Defense mood. 

    That couldn't be good. Percy jumped straight over Kronos's head as the throne shot tendrils of electricity in all directions. One hit Kronos in the face, arcing down his body and up his sword. "ARG!" He crumpled to his knees and dropped Backbiter. Annabeth saw her chance. She kicked Ethan out of the way and charged Kronos. "Luke, listen!" 

  "Annabeth, no!" I shouted. Kronos flicked his hand. Annabeth flew backward, slamming into the throne of her mother and crumpling to the floor. "Annabeth!" Percy screamed. Ethan got to his feet. He stood between Annabeth and Percy. "Ethan!" I yelled, running down the steps towards them. Grover's music took on a more urgent tune. He moved toward Annabeth, but he couldn't go faster and keep up the song. Grass grew on the floor of the throne room. Tiny roots crept between the cracks of the marble stones. My swords vibrated and Erebus started leaking through the doors, pouring towards Kronos. 

   Kronos rose to one knee. His hair smoldered. His face was covered with electrical burns. He reached for his sword, but this time it didn't fly into his hands. "Nakamura!" he groaned. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure" "Ethan, don't" I said, stepping in front of Annabeth. Ethan's eyes dropped to Percy's midsection, and that's when a lightbulb clicked in my head. "Percy's Achillies" I thought. Even if Ethan couldn't kill Percy himself, he could tell Kronos. Percy was dead either way. "Look around you, Ethan," Percy said. "The end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed-the with the bad? Everything?" 

   Grover was almost close to me and Annabeth now. The grass thickened on the floor. The roots were almost a foot long, like a stubble of whiskers. "There is no throne to Nemesis," Ethan muttered. "No throne to my mother" "That's right!" Kronos tried to get up, but stumbled. Above his left ear, a patch of blond hair still smoldered. "Strike them down! They deserve to suffer." 

   "You said your mom is the goddess of balance," Pery reminded him. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys" Ethan looked at the sizzling throne of Hephaestus. Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia-a wish to a see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but here. His good eye blinked. Then he charged... but not at Percy. 

   While Kronos was still on his knees, Ethan brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade ricocheted and pierced his armor. Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over Ethan. "Treason," he snarled. 

   Grover's music kept playing, and grass grew around Ethan's body. Ethan stared at me and Percy, his face tight with pain. "Deserve better," he gasped. "If they just... had thrones-" Kronos stomped his foot, and the floor ruptured around Ethan. "No!" I yelled, rushing forward. I grabbed Ethan's hand just before he fell. He looked up at me. "Why?" I looked back at Kronos. "Here's a tip, and this one Luke taught me-" I pulled Ethan up, laying him down next to me. "Never underestimate your enemy" I kicked my sword up and sent it flying to Percy. He caught the hilt. He stared at me. "Finish the job, Percy."