The Titan's Daughter | complete

22. To The End

Thysía's POV

I WAITED UNTIL I couldn't see the Brigadier and his posse before following them towards Mount Tamalpais, aka Mount Othrys.

The flight took around two hours, and since it was just me and the duffel bags we didn't have to stop and rest at any point over the three hundred and something miles.

But when we finally arrived, Chrysós dropped me off behind the ruins of Knonos' palace and walked around a pillar and promptly lay down.

I pulled some ambrosia out of my bag and fed it to him. I had a feeling we were going to need him.

Sneaking through the broken walls and toppled pillars, I eventually found the throne room, where the main action was happening. The scene made me shudder.

It was just like Ahomana had described. Th place was crawling with monsters. They spilled out of the ruins and covered the hill. There was the occasional demigod with them, most riding horses, fully armed and keeping the lesser monsters in check.

There was a dark, misty cloud that somehow looked solid swirling in the centre of the room. A golden armoured Titan was sweating under the pressure of holding it up. I guessed this was Hyperion.

Another Titan, tall and wearing silver Greek armour, holding a spear that made Ahomana's look like a toothpick. I guessed this was Atlas.

At Atlas' feet, where most of the smart monsters had cleared away, stood the Brigadier, with his sidekick bear man Oreius, and Dallas kneeling on the ground, her wrists and ankles chained with prison cuffs, a huge iron ball attached to her feet.

The whole palace was lightened by various torches, preventing the night from setting in.

Ahomana was no where to be seen, and I tried to hope he was just watching from somewhere, like me.

"-and the other boy, where is he?" Atlas was saying.

"Our sentries told us he went inside of the DOA Recording Studios and didn't come out when the others did." The Brigadier replied, eyes on the ancient stone ground.

Atlas chuckled. "Corpse-Breath will have some nasty tricks to play on him."

My breath hitched. What nasty tricks? Was Ahomana okay?

"Sir, if I may, what are you going to do with Hyperion's child?" The Brigadier asked, as if Dallas was a naughty two year old out of hearing range.

But she could hear them. She spat at Atlas' feet.

"You're going to let me go, if anything." She hissed.

"Hmm, her attitude will have to be... subdued." Atlas laughed, "But she will become my bride."

The Brigadier awkwardly scuffed his tan coloured Doc Martins against a dying weed that had only just made its way between the cracks of the stone.

Dallas glowered at the Titan.

"Well, their quest has failed." Atlas announced, "Brigadier, we leave at dawn."

"Oh no you don't." I muttered. I grabbed Chrysós by the mane and swung into his back, leaping over the fallen pillar and soaring out over the throne room.

I leaned forward and Chrysós took a plunge towards Atlas. I drew my sword and swung it as we rushed past Atlas. Unfortunately I missed and it just left and cut on his cheek. The golden ichor of the gods smeared across his face as he went to touch it.

"I thought you said he was dead!" Atlas glowered at me, but his words were directed at the Brigadier.

"I thought he was!" The green eyed boy stammered. At closer range, I noticed Dallas' sword strapped to his belt.

I landed Chrysós beside Dallas and turned towards Atlas.

"Let her go, it will cause you a lot less pain." I said, my voice louder than I anticipated.

The Titan looked at me for a few seconds, before he started to laugh.

"What pain, little demigod?" He asked, "I don't like your odds. One against a thousand monsters?"

"Two." Dallas stood up beside me, "That's two against a thousand. Five hundred each. Easy."

Atlas doubled over laughing. It boomed around the ruins. Nothing on the whole mountainside dared to make a sound.

"I can't have a suicidal wife." He sobered up, "If you want to die so bad, then I'll let you die. Brigadier, inform my armies that they have two targets to attack."

The Brigadier sighed, before turning towards the monsters and shouting something in Ancient Greek. I didn't bother to translate it, and quickly slipped off Chrysós and drew Dallas' sword from his belt.

I slashed the chains between her ankles and hands, leaving her with metal bracelets, and handed her sword to her. "Here, take Chrysós. I'll be better on the ground."

She grinned at me. "To the end?"

I laughed, "To the end."

Dallas mounted her pegasus and I stood by their side, my shield and sword ready. I started to wish I hadn't lost my armour to the back in Pennsylvania.

The monsters started to close in. I spotted some dracnae looking particularly at Dallas. But that was the least of our worries.

A huge Lastrygonian Giant lumbered towards me and I made a quick jump towards him, a stab with my sword, before jumping backwards again.

But the guy was faster than he looked. He made a grab at me, and I only just twisted out of the way, his gruesome fingernail scraping across my back.

Suddenly a booming roar of triumph echoed across the mountainside. I spun around and could hardly believe what I saw.

Hyperion was standing face to face to Atlas, his spear drawn and a grin on his face. Atlas looked completely betrayed. I only realised why when I looked down and saw who had taken the dawn Titan's place beneath the weight of the sky.

The green eyed demigod we called the Brigadier was kneeling beneath the swirling clouds, sweat dripping down his face, and a clouded expression on his face.

He had betrayed his own leader to save us.

But why?