Percy's POV
Mrs. O'Leary was the only one happy about the sleeping city.
We found her pigging out at an overturned hot dog stand while the owner was curled up on the sidewalk, sucking his thumb.
Diego, on the other hand, didn't look so pleased. If anything, he looked alarmed. He's been constantly looking in different directions while walking close to Theo and Annabeth.
Argus was waiting for us with his hundred eyes wide open. He didn't say anything. He never does. I guess that's because he supposedly has an eyeball on his tongue. But his face made it clear he was freaking out.
I told him what we'd learned in Olympus, and how the gods would not be riding to the rescue. Argus rolled his eyes in disgust, which looked pretty psychedelic since it made his whole body swirl.
Percy: You'd better get back to camp. Guard it as best you can.
He pointed at me and raised his eyebrow quizzically.
Percy: I'm staying.
Argus nodded like this answer satisfied him. He looked at Annabeth and drew a circle in the air with his finger.
Annabeth: Yes. I think it's time.
Theo: For what?
Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much standard issue—the same kind of round shield we always used in Capture the Flag. But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty—which wasn't anywhere close to us.
Percy: Whoa. A video shield.
Annabeth: One of Daedalus' ideas. I had Beckendorf make this before—
She and Theo glanced at Silena.
Annabeth: Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon, as long as natural light is touching it. Look.
We crowded around as Annabeth concentrated. The image zoomed and spun at first, so I got motion sickness just watching it. We were in the Central Park Zoo, then zooming down East 60th, past Bloomingdale's, then turning on Third Avenue.
Connor: Whoa. Back up. Zoom in right there.
Annabeth: Why? You see invaders?
Connor: No, right there—Dylan's Candy Bar. (grins at Travis) Dude, it's open. And everyone is asleep. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Katie: Connor! This is serious. You are not going to loot a candy store in the middle of a war!
Connor: Sorry.
He didn't sound sorry.
Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield, and another scene popped up: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.
Annabeth: This will let us see what's going on across the city. Thank you, Argus. Hopefully, we'll see you back at camp...someday.
Argus grunted. He gave me a look that clearly meant Good luck; you'll need it, then climbed into his van. He and the two harpy drivers swerved away, weaving around clusters of idle cars that littered the road.
I whistled for Mrs. O'Leary, and she came bounding over.
Percy: Hey, girl. You remember Grover? The satyr we met in the park?
Mrs. O'Leary barked. I hoped that meant Sure I do! And not, Do you have more hot dogs?
Percy: I need you to find him. Make sure he's still awake. We're going to need his help. You got that? Find Grover!
Mrs. O'Leary gave me a sloppy wet kiss, which seemed kind of unnecessary. Then she raced off north.
Pollux crouched next to a sleeping policeman.
Pollux: I don't get it. Why didn't we fall asleep too? Why just the mortals?
Silena: This is a huge spell. The bigger the spell, the easier it is to resist. If you want to sleep millions of mortals, you've got to cast a very thin layer of magic. Sleeping demigods is much harder.
Zoe: How do you know so much about magic?
Silena: I don't spend all my time on my wardrobe.
Annabeth: Percy, Theo. You'd better see this.
The bronze image showed Long Island Sound near La Guardia. A fleet of a dozen speedboats raced through the dark water toward Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. At the back of the lead boat, a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe flapped m the night wind. I'd never seen that design before, but it wasn't hard to figure out: the battle flag of Kronos.
Theo: Shit.
Percy: Scan the perimeter of the island. Quick.
Annabeth shifted the scene south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was plowing through the waves near Ellis Island. The deck was crowded with dracaenae and a whole pack of hellhounds. Swimming in front of the ship was a pod of marine mammals. At first, I thought they were dolphins. Then I saw their doglike faces and the swords strapped to their waists, and I realized they were telekhines—sea demons.
The scene shifted again: the Jersey shore, right at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. A hundred assorted monsters were marching past the lanes of stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclopes, a few fire-spitting dragons, and just to rub it in, a World War II-era Sherman tank, pushing cars out of its way as it rumbled into the tunnel.
Percy: What's happening with the mortals outside Manhattan? Is the whole state asleep?
Annabeth: I don't think so, but it's strange. As far as I can tell from these pictures, Manhattan is totally asleep. Then there's like a fifty-mile radius around the island where time is running really, really slow. The closer you get to Manhattan, the slower it is.
She showed me another scene—a New Jersey highway. It was Saturday evening, so the traffic wasn't as bad as it might've been on a weekday. The drivers looked awake, but the cars were moving at about one mile per hour. Birds flew overhead in slow motion.
Theo: It's Kronos. He's slowing down time.
Katie: Hecate might be helping. Look how the cars are all veering away from the Manhattan exits like they're getting a subconscious message to turn back.
Annabeth: I don't know. But somehow, they've surrounded Manhattan in layers of magic. The outside world might not even realize something is wrong. Any mortals coming toward Manhattan will slow down so much they won't know what's happening.
Jake: Like flies in amber.
Theo: So, we're on our own.
Annabeth: (nods) Yeah.
I turned to my friends. They looked stunned and scared, and I couldn't blame them. The shield had shown us at least three hundred enemies on the way. There were forty of us. And we were alone.
Percy: Alright. We're going to hold Manhattan.
Silena: Um, Percy, Manhattan is huge.
Percy: We are going to hold it. We have to.
Zoe: He's right. The gods of the wind should keep Kronos's forces away from Olympus by air, so he'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off the entrances to the island.
Michael: They have boats.
An electric tingle went down my back. Suddenly I understood Athena's advice: Remember the rivers.
Percy: I'll take care of the boats.
Michael: How?
Percy: Just leave it to me.
Theo: There're still twenty-one bridges and fifteen tunnels that lead in and out of Manhattan. We need to guard those, or at least booby-trap them.
Percy: That's right. Let's assume they'll try a midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael, take Apollo's cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, Demeter's cabin takes the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to do but keep them out of there! Conner, take half of Hermes cabin and cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And no stopping for looting or pillaging!
Hermes Cabin: Awww!
Percy: Silena, take the Aphrodite crew to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.
Aphrodite Camper: Oh, my gods. Fifth Avenue is so on our way! We could accessorize, and monsters, like, totally hate the smell of Givenchy.
Percy: No delays. Well...the perfume thing, if you think it'll work.
Six Aphrodite girls kissed me on the cheek in excitement, and I could've sworn I saw Zoe's eye twitch.
Percy: Alright, enough! The Holland Tunnel. Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got.
Jake: (grins) Gladly. We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!
The whole cabin roared in approval.
Percy: The 59th Street Bridge. Clarisse—
I faltered. Clarisse wasn't here. The whole Ares cabin, curse them, was sitting back at camp.
Annabeth: We'll take that. (turns to her siblings) Malcolm, take the Athena cabin, activate plan twenty-three along the way, just like I showed you. Hold that position.
Malcom: You got it.
Annabeth: I'll go with Theo. Then we'll join you, or we'll go wherever we're needed.
???: No detours, you two.
There were some giggles, and Theo looked at whoever said that and gave him the middle finger.
Percy: Alright. Keep in touch with cell phones.
Silena: We don't have cell phones.
I reached down, picked up some snoring lady's BlackBerry, and tossed it to Silena.
Percy: You do now. You all know Annabeth's number, right? If you need us, pick up a random phone and call us. Use it once, drop it, then borrow another one if you have to. That should make it harder for the monsters to zero in on you.
Everyone grinned as though they liked this idea.
Travis: (clears his throat) Uh, if we find a really nice phone—
Theo: You can't keep it, Travis.
Travis: Aw, man.
Jake: Hold it, Percy. You forgot the Lincoln Tunnel.
I bit back a curse. He was right. A Sherman tank and a hundred monsters were marching through that tunnel right now, and I'd positioned our forces everywhere else.
???: How about you leave that to us?
I'd never been happier to hear anyone in my life. A band of thirty adolescent girls crossed Fifth Avenue. They wore white shirts, silvery camouflage pants, and combat boots. They all had swords at their sides, quivers on their backs, and bows at the ready. A pack of white timber wolves milled around their feet, and many of the girls had hunting falcons on their arms.
The girl in the lead had spiky black hair and a black leather jacket. She wore a silver circlet on her head like a princess's tiara, which didn't match her skull earrings or her Death to Barbie T-shirt showing a little Barbie doll with an arrow through its head.
Theo: Holy shit!
Annabeth: Thalia!
Thalia: (grins) The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty.
The first one to act was Theo. With a smile on his face, he walked up to Thalia and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, which she immediately reciprocated with a smile of her own.
Theo: (smiles) It's great to see you, Thunderstruck.
Thalia: (smiles) You too, Pinhead.
While they were hugging, Diego ran up to them and rubbed his head on Thalia's leg while purring. Thalia and Theo separated, and then Thalia knelt down and gave Diego a scratch under his chin.
Thalia: Hey, little guy. You're all grown up now, huh?
Diego purred as he rubbed his face against hers.
As Thalia got up, both Annabeth and Zoe hugged her tightly, and she hugged her back. Then I hugged her.
After that, there were more hugs and greetings all around...or at least Thalia was friendly. The other Hunters didn't like being around campers, especially boys, but they didn't shoot any of us, which for them was a pretty warm welcome.
Percy: Where have you been the last year? You've got like twice as many Hunters now!
Thalia: (laughs) Long, long story. I bet my adventures were more dangerous than yours, Jackson.
Percy: Complete lie.
Thalia: We'll see. After this is over, you, Annabeth, Zoe, Theo, and me: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West 57th.
Percy: Le Parker Meridien. You're on. And, Thalia, thanks.
Thalia: Those monsters won't know what hit them. (turns to Zoe) You in, Zoe?
Zoe: (smirks) I would be honored, sister.
Thalia: So would I. Hunters, move out!
She slapped her silver bracelet, and the shield Aegis spiraled into full form. The golden head of Medusa molded in the center was so horrible, that the campers all backed away. The Hunters, plus Zoe and Diego (whom Theo told to go with them), took off down the avenue, followed by their wolves and falcons, and I had a feeling the Lincoln Tunnel would be safe for now.
Annabeth: Thank the gods. But if we don't blockade the rivers from those boats, guarding the bridges and tunnels will be pointless.
Percy: You're right.
I looked at the campers, all of them grim and determined. I tried not to feel like this was the last time I'd ever see them all together.
Percy: You're the greatest heroes of this millennium. It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win. (raises Riptide) FOR OLYMPUS!
They shouted in response, and our forty voices echoed off the buildings of Midtown. For a moment it sounded brave, but it died quickly in the silence of ten million sleeping New Yorkers.
Theo's POV
After Percy's speech, all of us moved into position.
Thankfully, I still had my car fob. All the other cars that were on the streets were all wedged in bumper-to-bumper traffic. None of the engines were running, which was weird. It seemed the drivers had had time to turn off the ignition before they got too sleepy. Or maybe Morpheus had the power to put engines to sleep as well. Most of the drivers had apparently tried to pull to the curb when they felt themselves passing out.
I took out my car fob and pressed the unlock button. A bright silver light appeared before dimming, revealing my silver Mercedes SLR McLaren.
Annabeth: Where did you...
Theo: A little birthday gift from Artemis and Hermes. Come on.
We got in the car, and I started the engine. I weaved through the idle cars as Annabeth guided me to wherever she wanted me to go.
I weaved down Broadway with our engine roaring through the eerie calm. The only sounds were occasional cell phones ringing—like they were calling out to each other as if New York had turned into a giant electronic aviary. Our progress was slow. Every so often we'd come across pedestrians who'd fallen asleep right in front of a car, and we'd move them just to be safe. Once we stopped to extinguish a pretzel vendor's cart that had caught on fire. A few minutes later we had to rescue a baby carriage that was rolling aimlessly down the street. It turned out there was no baby in it—just somebody's sleeping poodle. Go figure. We parked it safely in a doorway and kept riding.
We were passing Madison Square Park when...
Annabeth: Pull over.
I stopped in the middle of East 23rd. Annabeth got out of the car and ran towards the park. I turned off the engine, got out of the car, and pressed the lock button on the fob, making the car disappear, before running after Annabeth.
By the time I caught up with her, she was staring at a bronze statue on a red marble pedestal. I'd probably passed it several times but never really looked at it.
The dude was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed. He wore an old-fashioned suit—Abraham Lincoln style—with a bow tie and long coattails and stuff. A bunch of bronze books were piled under his chair. He held a writing quill in one hand and a big metal sheet of parchment in the other.
Theo: William H. Steward?
Annabeth: Seward. He was a New York governor. Minor demigod—son of Hebe, I think. But that's not important. It's the statue I care about.
A few days before I left to blow up the Princess Andromeda with Percy and Beckendorf, Annabeth told me about plan twenty-three. Turns out, most of the statues were actually automatons planted by Daedalus in case he needed an army for whatever reason. You activate one automaton, and it will activate the others until they are all activated. It was dangerous, though. Every time I come across an automaton, either I or someone I know gets close to dying or actually dying.
Theo: You sure this is a good idea, Annabeth?
Annabeth: No. But right now, we don't have a lot of options.
I nodded.
Annabeth: Here we go.
She pressed the tip of Seward's boot, and the statue stood up, its quill and paper ready.
Annabeth: Hello, William.
Theo: Bill.
Annabeth: Bill...Oh, shut up.
The statue tilted its head, looking at us with blank metal eyes.
Annabeth: (clears her throat) Hello, er, Governor Seward. Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Defend Manhattan. Begin Activation.
Seward jumped off his pedestal. He hit the ground so hard his shoes cracked the sidewalk. Then he went clanking off toward the east.
Annabeth: He's probably going to wake up Confucius.
Theo: You mean the statue on Division?
Annabeth: They'll keep waking each other up until they're all activated. And, hopefully, they'll all defend Manhattan.
Theo: Cool. How long do you think it'll take for them to figure out that the bigger threat against Olympus would be us?
Annabeth gave me a blank look.
Annabeth: How many times have you watched Terminator?
Theo: Way too many.
Then a ball of green light exploded in the evening sky. Greek fire, somewhere over the East River.
Theo: Let's go.
We ran for the street. I pressed the unlock button on the car fob, making the car reappear, before we entered the car and drove off.
Timeskip
We were coming up on the Williamsburg Bridge, where the Apollo campers were. Earlier, we got a call from Michael Yew, who said that they needed help. And the monster leading the enemy was the Minotaur.
And you know what else? The Odontotyrannos was with it.
Eventually, we made it to the bridge, and we were shortly joined by Percy, who carefully landed next to the Mercedes as Annabeth and I got out.
Theo: Why did you avoid landing on this car, but you landed on a Prius?
Blackjack neighed.
Percy: He said that even he knows not to ruin a beauty like this one.
I scoffed as I pressed the lock button on the fob, making the Mercedes disappear.
From the waist down, he wore standard Greek battle gear—a kiltlike apron of leather and metal flaps, bronze greaves covering his legs, and tightly wrapped leather sandals. His top was all bull—hair and hide and muscle leading to a head so large he should've toppled over just from the weight of his horns. A double-bladed axe was strapped to his back, but he was too impatient to use it. As soon as he saw Percy circling overhead, he bellowed and picked up a white limousine.
The Odontotyrannos, on the other hand, was just as prepared. It had a full set of bronze armor as well as bracers that protected its shins. It has a horse body but with Velociraptor feet instead of hooves. It stood at thirteen feet and had three horns on its head as well as two tusks sticking out of the sides of its mouth. It lifted a pickup truck with its horns and flung it off the side of the bridge.
Michael: Glad you could join us. Where are the other reinforcements?
Theo: Right now, we're it.
Michael: Then we're fucked.
Annabeth: You still have your flying chariot?
Michael: Nah. Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever, you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honor for the last time or some stupid thing.
Percy: At least you tried.
Micheal: (shrugs) Yeah, well, I called her some names when she said she still wouldn't fight. I doubt that helped. Here come the uglies!
He drew an arrow and launched it toward the enemy. The arrow made a screaming sound as it flew. When it landed, it unleashed a blast like a power chord on an electric guitar magnified through the world's largest speakers. The nearest cars exploded. Monsters dropped their weapons and clasped their ears in pain. Some ran. Others disintegrated on the spot.
Michael: That was my last sonic arrow?
Theo: A gift from Apollo?
Michael: (grins) Loud music can be bad for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't always kill.
Sure enough, most monsters were regrouping, shaking off their confusion.
Michael: We have to fall back. I've got Kayla and Austin setting traps farther down the bridge.
Percy: No. Bring your campers forward to this position and wait for my signal. We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn.
Michael: (laughs) How do you plan to do that?
Percy and I drew our swords.
Annabeth: Let me come with you.
Theo: No. Too dangerous. Go help Michael coordinate the defensive line. Percy and I'll distract the monsters. You group up here. Move the sleeping mortals out of the way. Then you can start picking off monsters while Percy and I keep them focused on us. If anybody can do all that, you can.
Michael: (snorts) Thanks a lot.
Annabeth nodded reluctantly, but then she grabbed the collar of my jacket and pulled me into a deep kiss. It only lasted a couple of seconds when she pulled away, drew her knife, and stared at the army marching toward us.
Annabeth: Good luck.
I then looked at Percy.
Percy: I'm not kissing you.
I shook my head before Percy and I stepped out from behind the school bus. We walked up the bridge in plain sight, straight toward the enemy.
When the Minotaur and Odontotyrannos saw us, The Minotaur's eyes burned with hate. He bellowed—a sound that was somewhere between a yell, a moo, and a really loud belch.
The Odontotyrannos let out an unholy shriek when its eyes met mine. It sounded like a mix between the Xenomorph from Alien and Venom from Spider-Man 3.
Theo: I got the Odontotyrannos, you take the Minotaur.
Percy nodded before turning his attention to the Minotaur.
Percy: Hey, Beef Boy! Didn't I kill you already?
He pounded his fist into the hood of a Lexus, and it crumpled like aluminum foil.
A few dracaenae threw flaming javelins at me. I blocked them with my shield. A hellhound lunged, and I swung at its throat, making it crumble into dust.
More monsters surged forward—snakes and giants and telekhines—but the Minotaur and Odontotyrannos roared at them, and they backed off.
Percy: (to the Minotaur) One on one? Just like old times?
The Minotaur's nostrils quivered. He unstrapped his axe and swung it around.
It was beautiful in a harsh I'm-going-to-gut-you-like-a-fish kind of way. Each of its twin blades was shaped like an omega: Ω—the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Maybe that was because the axe would be the last thing his victims ever saw. The shaft was about the same height as the Minotaur, bronze wrapped in leather. Tied around the base of each blade were lots of bead necklaces. I realized they were Camp Half-Blood beads—necklaces taken from defeated demigods.
The Odontotyrannos swung its front legs back, ready to run at me.
Theo: (to the Odontotyrannos) We got a score to settle, asshole. It's time to pay up.
The monster army cheered for the Minotaur, but the sound died when Percy dodged his first swing and sliced his axe in half, right between the handholds.
Me? I used the confusion to sprint at the Odontotyrannos, which was running at me. Right before we clashed, I slid under it and slashed his back left leg, just above the bracer. The Odontotyrannos fell to the ground as I got up and turned around to face it.
The Odontotyrannos slowly got up and shook its head while turning around to face me with a limp. It huffed at me as I taunted it.
Theo: How the fuck was I scared of your ugly ass, huh? If anything, you pissed me off when you killed Eric! Now, get ready for Round 2, bitch!
It ran at me, which was still pretty fast with the limp. I decided to jump over it, using my flying shoes for extra height, and sliced off two of its horns with one swing before landing feet-first behind it.
It squealed in pain as I smirked. It quickly turned around and tried to stab me with its remaining horn. However, I deflected it with my shield, which forced the horn into the side of a semi-truck. It was struggling to tug itself free, so I decided to grab it by the tail and pull it off before slamming it into the asphalt.
I guess super strength is an extra ability from the Curse of Achilles.
It slowly started to get up, so I pressed my knee against its neck and put my whole weight onto it, pinning the Odontotyrannos to the ground, as I replaced my sword with my right hidden blade.
Theo: Requiescat in pace, motherfucker.
I thrust my hidden blade into the Odontotyrannos' neck, making it squeal as it crumbled to dust.
I got up and took out my sword before staring at the Greek initial on the rain guard.
Theo: That one's for you, Eric.
I looked at Percy and saw that he had beaten the Minotaur as well. We both gave each other a nod before looking back at the monster army.
It was now roughly one hundred and ninety-eight to two. Percy and I did the most sensible thing.
We charged right at them.
You're going to ask how the "invincible" thing worked: if I magically dodged every weapon, or if the weapons hit me and just didn't harm me. Honestly, I don't remember. All I knew was that I wasn't going to let these monsters invade my hometown.
Percy and I sliced through armor like it was made of paper. Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. I slashed and stabbed and whirled, and I might have even laughed once or twice—a crazy laugh that scared me as much as it did my enemies. I was aware of the Apollo campers behind me shooting arrows, disrupting every attempt by the enemy to rally. Finally, the monsters turned and fled—about twenty left alive out of two hundred.
We followed with the Apollo campers at our heels.
Michael: YEAH! That's what I'm talking about!
We drove them back toward the Brooklyn side of the bridge. The sky was growing pale m the east. I could see the toll stations ahead.
Annabeth: Percy! Theo! You've already routed them. Pull back! We're overextended!
I knew she was right. I slowly pulled back, but Percy stayed put, slashing any monster that got in his way.
Then I saw the crowd at the base of the bridge. The retreating monsters were running straight toward their reinforcements. It was a small group, maybe thirty or forty demigods in battle armor, mounted on skeletal horses. One of them held a purple banner with a black scythe design.
The lead horseman trotted forward. He took off his helm, and I recognized Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold.
Annabeth and the Apollo campers faltered. The monsters we'd been pursuing reached the Titan's line and were absorbed into the new force. Kronos gazed in our direction. He was a quarter mile away, but I swear I could see him smile.
Percy: Now we pull back.
The Titan lord's men drew their swords and charged. The hooves of their skeletal horses thundered against the pavement. Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept riding.
Percy: Retreat! I'll hold them!
In a matter of seconds, the monsters were right on top of him.
Theo: Fuck this!
I ran towards Percy.
Annabeth: THEO, NO!
She ran right after me as we helped Percy fight. I fought with my sword and shield, while Annabeth was fighting with her knife and mirrored shield as we slowly backed up the bridge.
Kronos's cavalry swirled around us, slashing and yelling insults. The Titan himself advanced leisurely like he had all the time in the world. Being the lord of time, I guess he did.
I tried to wound his men, not kill. That slowed me down, but these weren't monsters. They were demigods who'd fallen under Kronos's spell. I couldn't see faces under their battle helmets, but some of them had probably been my friends. I slashed the legs off their horses and made the skeletal mounts disintegrate. After the first few demigods took a spill, the rest figured out they'd better dismount and fight us on foot.
Annabeth, Percy, and I stayed shoulder to shoulder, facing opposite directions. A dark shape passed over me, and I dared to glance up. Blackjack and Porkpie were swooping in, kicking our enemies in the helmets, and flying away like very large kamikaze pigeons.
We'd almost made it to the middle of the bridge when something strange happened. I felt a chill down my spine—like that old saying about someone walking on your grave. Behind me, Annabeth cried out in pain.
Theo: ANNABETH!
I turned in time to see her fall, clutching her arm. A demigod with a bloody knife stood over her.
In a flash, I understood what had happened. She'd been trying to stab me. Judging from the position of her blade, she would've taken me—maybe by sheer luck—in the small of my back, my only weak point.
Annabeth had intercepted the knife with her own body.
But why? She didn't know about my weak spot. No one did.
I locked eyes with the enemy demigod. It was Maryam Aziz, daughter of Nemesis. Right next to her was Ethan Nakamura, her half-brother. Somehow, they'd survived the explosion on the Princess Andromeda. I slammed Maryan in the face with my shield so hard I dented her helm, while Percy did the same to Ethan with his sword hilt.
Theo: BACK THE FUCK UP! DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!
???: Interesting.
I looked up and saw Kronos, his scythe in one hand. He studied the scene with narrowed eyes as if he could sense that I'd just come close to death, the way a wolf can smell fear.
Kronos: Bravely fought, Percy Jackson, Theodorus. But it's time to surrender...or the girl dies.
Annabeth: Don't.
Her shirt was soaked with blood. I had to get her out of here.
Percy: BLACKJACK!
As fast as light, the Pegasus swooped down and clamped his teeth on the straps of Annabeth's armor. They soared away over the river before the enemy could even react.
Kronos: Someday soon, I am going to make Pegasus soup. But in the meantime...
He dismounted, his scythe glistening in the dawn light.
Kronos: I'll settle for another dead demigod.
Percy: (to Theo) Get out of here. I got this.
I nodded and ran towards the other side of the bridge, which suddenly shook. I looked back and saw Percy actually holding his own against the Titan. But each blow weakened the bridge.
Kronos: So...You and your friend had the courage to visit the Styx. I had to pressure Luke in many ways to convince him. If only you had supplied my host body instead...But no matter. I am still more powerful. I am a TITAN!
He struck the bridge with the butt of his scythe, and a wave of pure force blasted Percy backward. Cars went careening. Demigods—even Luke's own men—were blown off the edge of the bridge. Suspension cords whipped around, and Percy skidded halfway back to Manhattan.
Percy got unsteadily to my feet. The remaining Apollo campers had almost made it to the end of the bridge, except for me and Michael Yew, who was perched on one of the suspension cables a few yards away from Percy.
Percy: MICHAEL, THEO, GO!
Theo: GET OUTTA THERE! THE BRIDGE IS ALREADY WEAK!
Patches of the road were half melted from Greek fire. The bridge had taken a beating from Kronos's blast and the exploding arrows.
I scanned the bridge for weaknesses, and I found one in a fissure between Percy and Kronos. I swapped my sword and shield with my bow and quiver. I nocked an arrow and aimed it at the fissure as the arrow and my right forearm started glowing.
Normally, I'd only be able to make it glow bright enough to be on par with a flashlight. Now, thanks to the Curse of Achilles, my forearm and the arrow began glowing a silver glow so bright, that it was blinding the remaining monsters all the way on the other side of the bridge.
I was straining as I aimed at the fissure between Percy and Kronos. Finally, I released the arrow.
On impact, the arrow released a concussive blast so powerful, it sent Percy and Kronos flying a hundred yards away from each other. Percy landed a few yards behind me as the fissure I hit grew. The bridge shook and began to crumble. Chunks the size of houses fell into the East River. Kronos's demigods cried out in alarm and scrambled backward. Some were knocked off their feet. Within a few seconds, a fifty-foot chasm opened in the Williamsburg Bridge between Kronos and us.
The vibrations died. Kronos's men crept to the edge and looked at the hundred-and-thirty-foot drop into the river.
I didn't feel safe, though. The suspension cables were still attached. The men could get across that way if they were brave enough. Or maybe Kronos had a magic way to span the gap.
The Titan lord studied the problem. He looked behind him at the rising sun, then smiled across the chasm. He raised his scythe in a mock salute.
Kronos: You got lucky. Until this evening, Jackson.
He mounted his horse, whirled around, and galloped back to Brooklyn, followed by his warriors.
Percy: Thanks.
Theo: Don't mention it.
Percy looked around and his face paled.
Percy: Where's Michael?
I looked behind me, and a lump formed in my throat. Twenty feet away, a bow lay in the street. Its owner was nowhere to be seen.
Theo: NO!
I searched the wreckage on my side of the bridge. I stared down at the river. Nothing.
Theo: FUCK!
I yelled in anger and frustration. The sound carried forever in the morning stillness. Suddenly, Percy's phone rang. Percy looked at it, then at me before answering it.
Percy: Hello?
After a few moments, Percy held the phone out to me.
Percy: It's Silena. She wants to talk to you.
I reluctantly took the phone from Percy and held it next to my ear.
Theo: Yeah?
Silena: (on the phone) Theo? Plaza Hotel. You'd better come quickly and bring a healer from Apollo's cabin. It's...it's Annabeth.