21. Shit Goes Down

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A blue wisp of light rose from the ground at Ethan's feet. The building rumbled, only the wisp of energy went straight into the coffin.

"Now, Kryseis," Hyperion called. "This is what you were born for."

I looked down at the sword in my hands, seeing my reflection in the flat of the blade. I could do it now, help Kronos to rise. But why? The gods may not have done anything for me, but it wasn't their fault. It was Hyperion's.

"No," I said sternly. "It isn't."

The Titan of Light started to burn brightly in anger. "You will pay for your disobedience. Our lord will end you, permanently."

"Xavier," I whispered, holding out my sword in a defensive position. "On my count, run. Are you with me?" He nodded, stepping up next to me.

"Always," He said, drawing his sword, which he transformed into its spear version. "Ready when you are."

"Really?" I asked. "You don't have to, I know your fatal flaw is loyalty."

"It is, but not to the cause, Krys," he said. "Not to Kronos."

It was then, though, that Kronos sat bolt upright in his coffin. Only... it was Luke. His eyes were no longer blue, but golden. He leaped out of the coffin, and the marble frosted over where he landed on the floor.

"This body has been well prepared," he said, his voice scraping under my skin. "Don't you think so, Percy Jackson?" I shuddered, the room becoming colder by the second. He eyed me. "Why are you not dead?" he asked.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," I told the Titan.

Kronos hummed in surprise. "No matter, you'll be dead soon enough," the Titan of Time said, waving me off absentmindedly. He turned to face Percy.

"Luke feared you," he told Percy. "His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you."

Percy lunged at Kronos with his sword, aiming straight for his chest, but the blade was deflected off of Luke's skin like it was made of iron. The Titan looked at Percy, almost looking amused, before flicking his hand. Percy immediately went flying across the room, smashing into a pillar.

"Percy!" I yelled. The Son of Poseidon struggled to his feet. Kronos grabbed his Scythe from where it was placed beside the coffin. It looked to be half celestial bronze and half steel, eerily similar to Luke's old sword, backbiter.

"Ah.. much better," Kronos sighed. "Backbiter, Luke called it. An appropriate name. Now that it is reforged completely, it shall indeed bite back."

"Are we gonna go?" Xavier asked from beside me. "Or do you just wanna wait for our impending demise to finish monologuing?"

"Let's go," I said, spinning on my heels and bolting for the doorway. Apparently Percy had the same idea, because he almost ran into me. Suddenly, the air thickened, and it felt like I was trying to run through Jello.

"Run, little hero," Kronos laughed from behind me. "Run!"

"Clearly I'm trying!" I yelled back to him, but no amount of attitude was going to save me now.

"Hyperion," Kronos said, not taking his eyes off of Percy. "Deal with your daughter." I was released from Kronos' time bending power, and promptly tripped over my feet. I guess I wasn't planning on living today.

Hyperion ran towards me, sword raised to cleave me in two. But before I could be sliced like a vegetable, I was pushed out of the way.

"Let's go!" Xavier started dragging me towards the door. "Duck!" he said to me as what looked like a blue plastic hairbrush flew past us.

"Ow!" I heard Luke's voice exclaim. Luke's real voice.

I stopped in my tracks. "Luke?" I questioned. I turned, and Percy swept past me, along with Annabeth, Rachel, and Nico.

"No time!" Xavier said. "C'mon Krys!" I shook my head, taking a step back towards the throne room.

"You heard that too right?" I asked Xavier. "He's still there."

"No, he's not," Xavier said. "Now we have to go, have you forgotten that they're trying to kill us? If we don't go now, we're going to die, Krys. And we're not going to Elysium."

That was the wake up call I needed.

"Okay, let's go," I said, turning back to follow the campers. I made it down three halls before Xavier stopped.

"Xavier!" I said. "Allez your ass over here!" He shook his head sadly.

"You guys won't make it," he said, as a glow came from around the corner at the end of the hall. The temperature raised by at least 10 degrees, and the roaring of fire drew closer. "Hyperion is faster than any of us. You have to go."

"No!" I said. "I'm not just going to leave you."

"You have to, Krys," he told me. "My loyalty isn't to Kronos, it's to you. Ever since you jumped off the Hoover Dam for me" He nodded to someone behind me, and a strong hand gripped my arm. "Get her out of here."

I struggled against Percy as he pulled me with him down the rest of the hallway. We rounded the corner, and I caught a glimpse of Xavier smiling at me before he was engulfed in flames.

And in that moment, when nothing was the same anymore, I did the only thing I had always known.

I ran. 


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Short but not-so-sweet chapter. What did you guys think?

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