Midtown was a war zone. Y/N flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of the Rockefeller Center.
Y/N was tempted to stop and help, but he could tell from the smoke and noise that the real action had moved farther south. Their defenses were collapsing. The enemy was closing in on the Empire State Building.
He did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. The Hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just two blocks north of Olympus. To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy. To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover's nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos's demigods. The south was clear for now, but the flanks of the enemy army were swinging around. A few more minutes and they'd be totally surrounded.
Y/N spotted a familiar silver owl banner in the southeast corner of the fight, 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Annabeth and two of her siblings were holding back a Hyperborean giant.
He plunged toward the battle.
He changed to human shape and landed on the giant's head. When the giant looked up, it was already too late; he raised his sword high, point down, and drove it into the monster's skull.
Blue blood splattered out of Blue Boy's head. The Hyperborean breathed out a cloud of white mist, and the temperature dropped. Ice coated the pavement, and frost like a sugar donut covered Y/N. The Hyperborean buckled. Instead of falling, he froze. He literally turned to solid ice, and a new ice statue—which would have been a huge hit at an ice sculpting competition—now decorated Manhattan.
Y/N hit the pavement and ran to Annabeth. She was trying to catch her breath, but he kissed her anyway.
"Thanks," she said once they parted. "The pig?"
"Pork chops," he said.
"Good." She flexed her shoulder. Obviously, the wound was still bothering her, but she saw his expression and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Y/N. Come on! We've got plenty of enemies left."
Annabeth was right. The next hour was a blur. Y/N fought like he had never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telekhines, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods. No matter how many he defeated, more took their place.
He raced from block to block with Annabeth, trying to shore up their defenses. Too many of their friends lay wounded in the streets—or worse, but better not to think about it. Too many were missing.
As the night wore on and the moon got higher, they were backed up foot by foot until they were only a block from the Empire State Building in any direction. At one point Ethan was next to Y/N, running snake women through with his spear. Then Ethan disappeared in the crowd, and it was Percy by Y/N's side, driving the monsters back with the power of the Styx. Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth, and flung him into the air like a frisbee. Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind the enemy lines. Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on its face, Y/N knew Annabeth had been there.
But it still wasn't enough.
"Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere off to the left.
The problem was there were too few of them to hold anything. The entrance to Olympus was twenty feet behind Y/N. A ring of campers, Hunters, and nature spirits guarded the doors. He slashed and hacked, destroying everything in his path, but he couldn't be everywhere at once and was getting tired.
Behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine. He thought it was the sunrise. Then he realized Kronos was riding toward them on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners. The Titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength. He was taking his time advancing, letting them wear themselves down.
Annabeth appeared next to Y/N. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!"
She was right. He was about to order a retreat when he heard the hunting horn.
It cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around them, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.
Thalia frowned. "Not the Hunters," she assured. "We're all here."
"Then who?" Y/N asked.
The horns got louder. He couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching.
Kronos's forces looked as confused as the campers were. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos's honor guard looked uneasy.
Then, to Y/N's left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. Y/N thought they were doomed, but the monsters didn't attack. They ran straight past the campers and crashed into their southern allies.
A new blast of horns shattered the night. The air shimmered. In a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of light speed.
"Yeah, baby!" a voice wailed. "PARTY!"
A shower of arrows arced over Y/N's head and slammed into the enemy, vaporizing hundreds of demons. But these weren't regular arrows. They made whizzy sounds as they flew, like WHEEEEEE! Some had pinwheels attached to them. Others had boxing gloves rather than points.
"Centaurs!" Annabeth yelled.
The Party Pony army exploded into the midst of the battle in a riot of colors: tie-dyed shirts, rainbow Afro wigs, oversize sunglasses, and war-painted faces. Some had slogans scrawled across their flanks like HORSEZ PWN or KRONOS SUX.
Hundreds of them filled the entire block. YN's brain couldn't process everything he saw, but he knew if he were the enemy, he'd be running.
"Y/N!" Chiron shouted across the sea of wild centaurs. He was dressed in armor from the waist up, his bow in his hand, and he was grinning in satisfaction. "Sorry, we're late!"
"DUDE!" another centaur yelled. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!"
He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blasted an enemy hellhound bright pink. The paint must've been mixed with celestial bronze dust or something, because as soon as it splattered the hellhound, the monster yelped and dissolved into a pink-and-black puddle.
"PARTY PONIES!" a centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER!"
Somewhere across the battlefield, a twangy voice yelled back, "HEART OF TEXAS CHAPTER!"
"HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted.
It was the most beautiful thing Y/N had ever seen. The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and baseball bats. The centaurs trampled everything in their path.
"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and ACKK!"
The last part was because a panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on top of him. The Lord of Time disappeared under a giant blue butt.
The campers pushed the monsters back for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"
It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and they started to pull back, letting the enemy flee.
"Chiron's smart," Annabeth said, wiping the sweat off her face. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."
"But the enemy—" Percy started to say.
"They're not defeated," Y/N agreed. "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time."
They set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed them that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost everything in the Union: forty from California, two from Rhode Island, thirty from Illinois. . . . Roughly five hundred total had answered his call, but even with that many, they couldn't defend more than a few blocks.
"Dude," a centaur named Larry said. His T-shirt identified him as BIG CHIEF UBER GUY, NEW MEXICO CHAPTER. "That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!"
"Yeah," Owen from South Dakota said. He wore a black leather jacket and an old WWII army helmet. "We totally wasted them!"
Chiron patted Owen on the back. "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos should never be underestimated. Now, why don't you visit the diner on West 33rd and get some breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."
"Root beer!" The centaurs almost trampled each other as they galloped off.
Chiron smiled. Annabeth gave him a big hug, and Mrs. O'Leary licked his face.
"Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you too."
"Chiron, thanks," Percy said. "Talk about saving the day."
Chiron shrugged. "I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bend distance as we ride. Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies are not exactly organized."
"How'd you get through the magic defenses around the city?" Annabeth asked.
"They slowed us a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep mortals out. Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."
"So maybe other reinforcements can get through," Ethan said hopefully.
Chiron stroked his beard. "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side. . . ."
Y/N understood what he meant. Kronos wasn't beaten. Not by a long shot. He'd be back, tonight at the latest.
"And Typhon?" Y/N asked.
Chiron's face darkened. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians. No one has seen him since. Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia. He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhons's approach. But the monster cannot be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces—"
"Then what chance do we have?" Percy said. "We can't hold out another day.
"We'll have to," Thalia said. "I'll see about setting new traps around the perimeter."
She looked exhausted. Her jacket was smeared in grime and monster dust, but she managed to get to her feet and stagger off.
"I will help her," Chiron decided. "I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer."
"Too overboard" pretty much summed up the Party Ponies. Chiron cantered off, leaving Y/N, Annabeth, Ethan, and Percy alone.
And suddenly; Y/N wasn't there anymore.
He was standing in a long dingy bar with black walls, neon signs, and a bunch of partying adults. A banner across the bar read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBY EARL. Country music played on the speakers. Big guys in jeans and work shirts crowded the bar. Waitresses carried trays of drinks and shouted at each other. It was pretty much exactly the kind of place he would never go into.
He was stuck in the very back of the room, next to the bathrooms (which didn't smell so great) and a couple of antique arcade games.
"Oh good, you're here," the man at the Pac-Mac machine said. "I'll have a Diet Coke."
He was a pudgy guy in a leopard-skin Hawaiian shirt, purple shorts, red running shoes, and black socks, which didn't exactly make him blend in with the crowd. His nose was bright red. A bandage was wrapped around his curly black hair as if he were recovering from a concussion.
Y/N blinked. "Mr. D?"
Mr. D sighed, not taking his eyes off the game. "Really, Y/N L/N, how long will it take for you to recognize me on sight?"
He didn't bother to answer. "Where are we?"
"Why, Bobby Earl's birthday party," Dionysus said. "Somewhere in lovely rural America."
"I thought Typhon swatted you out of the sky. They said you crash-landed."
"Your concern is touching. I did crash-land. Very painfully. In fact, part of me is still buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine. It will be several more hours before I have enough strength to mend. But in the meantime, part of my consciousness is here."
"At a bar, playing Pac-Man."
"Party time," Dionysus said. "Surely you've heard of it. Wherever there is a party, my presence is invoked. Because of this, I can exist in many different places at once. The only problem was finding a party. I don't know if you're aware how serious things are outside your safe little bubble of New York—"
"Safe little bubble?"
"—but believe me, the mortals out here in the heartland are panicking. Typhon has terrified them. Very few are throwing parties. Apparently Bobby Earl and his friends, bless them, are a little slow. They haven't figured out that the world is ending."
"So I'm not really here?" Y/N guessed.
"No. In a moment I'll send you back to your normal insignificant life, and it will be as if nothing had happened."
"And why did you bring me here?"
Dionysus snorted. "Oh, I didn't want you particularly. Any of you silly heroes would do. That Annie girl—"
"Annabeth."
"The point is, I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger."
"How long did it take you to realize that?"
Dionysus glared at Y/N and momentarily forgot his game. Pac-Man got eaten by the red ghost.
"Erre es korakas, Blinky!" Dionysus cursed. "I will have your soul!"
"He's a video game character," Y/N said.
"That's no excuse! And you're ruining my game, L/N!"
"You looked away."
"Whatever! Now listen, the situation is graver than you imagine. If Olympus falls, not only will the gods fade, but everything that is connected to our legacy will also begin to unravel. The very fabric of your puny little civilization—"
The game played a song and Mr. D progressed to level 254.
"Ha!" he shouted. "Take that, you pixelated fiends!"
"Um, the fabric of civilization," Y/N prompted.
"Yes, yes. Your entire society will dissolve. Perhaps not right away, but mark my words, the chaos of the Titans will mean the end of Western civilization. Art, law, wine tasting, music, video games, silk shirts, black velvet paintings—all the things that make life worth living will disappear!"
"So why aren't the gods rushing back to help us?" Y/N said. "We should combine forces at Olympus. Forget Typhon."
The wine god snapped his fingers impatiently. "You forgot my Diet Coke."
"Gods, you're annoying." Y/N got the attention of a waitress and ordered the stupid soda. He put it on Bobby Earl's tab.
Mr. D took a good long drink. His eyes never left the video game. "The truth is, Y/N, the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to save Olympus yourselves—"
"Like Pan, depending on the satyrs to save the Wild."
"Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but the gods need heroes. They always have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around."
"I feel so wanted," Y/N said, mimicking a bow. "Thanks."
"Use the training I have given you at camp."
"What training?"
"You know. All those hero techniques and . . . No!" Mr. D slapped the game console "Na pari i eychi! The last level!"
He looked at Y/N, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "As I recall, I once predicted you would turn out to be as selfish as all the other human heroes. Well, here is your chance to prove me wrong."
"Making you proud is first on my list," Y/N said wryly.
"You must save Olympus, Y/N! Leave Typhon to the Olympians and save our own seats of power. It must be done!"
"Great. Nice little chat. Now, if you don't mind, my friends will be wondering—"
"There is more," Mr. D warned. "Kronos has not yet attained full power. The body of the mortal was only a temporary measure."
"We kind of guessed that."
"And did you also guess that within a day at most, Kronos will burn away that mortal body and take on the true form of a Titan king?"
Y/N gulped. "And that would mean . . . ?"
Dionysus inserted another quarter. "You know about the true forms of the gods."
"Yeah. You can't look at them without burning up."
"Kronos would be ten times more powerful. His very presence would incinerate you. And once he achieves this, he will empower the other Titans. They are weak now, compared to what they will soon become, unless you can stop them. The world will fall, the gods will die, and I will never achieve a perfect score on this stupid machine."
"You've got your priorities straight," Y/N said. "Can I go now?"
"One last thing. My son Pollux. Is he alive?"
Y/N blinked. "Yeah, last I saw him."
"I would very much appreciate it if you could keep him that way. I lost his brother Castor last year—"
"I'll do my best."
"Your best," Dionysus muttered. "Well, isn't that reassuring. Go now. You have some nasty surprises to deal with, and I must defeat Blinky!"
"Nasty surprises?"
Dionysus waved his hand, and the bar disappeared.
Y/N was back on Fifth Avenue. Annabeth, Ethan and Percy hadn't moved. They didn't give any sign that he'd been gone or anything.
Annabeth caught him staring and frowned. "What?"
"Um . . . nothing."
Chiron galloped over. "We have a problem."
Immediately a mechanical drumbeat grew loud in the distance—the chop-chop-chop of a helicopter.
On a normal Monday morning in New York, this would've been no big deal, but after two days of silence, a mortal helicopter was the oddest thing Y/N had ever heard. A few blocks east, the monster army shouted and jeered as the helicopter came into view. It was a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright "DE" logo on the side. The words under the logo were too small to read, but apparently Percy knew what they said because he muttered: "Dare Enterprises."
"What is she doing here?" Annabeth blurted. "How did she get through the barrier?"
"Who?" Chiron looked confused. "What mortal would be insane enough—"
Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward.
"The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep!"
Y/N watched in horror as the helicopter careened sideways, falling toward a row of office buildings. Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would probably swat it out of the sky for coming near the Empire State Building.
Y/N was too paralyzed to move, but Percy whistled and Blackjack the pegasus swooped out of nowhere.
"What are you doing?" Y/N yelled, but Percy was already taking off toward Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
A/N: Hey! Hope you liked the chapter!
I think you all know what song I listened to while writing this chapter XD
Also, a funny thing which happened to me: I had to write an essay about "Hero and Heroine." I think now my teacher knows I like Greek mythology looking at how many references to the myths I used as examples XD
See you next time, happy reading!