Theo's POV
We set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state 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, we couldn't defend more than a few blocks.
I told them what I did when he separated from us. Thalia loudly winced when I mentioned that the Mercedes was wrecked as I arrived at the Peace Fountain.
I said that he got the idea of getting Orion high up in the air to weaken him from Percy when he killed Antaeus, another son of Gaea, last year in the Labyrinth. Annabeth and Grover squealed in fright and Chiron widened his eyes in shock when I said that Orion and I had flown about 20,000 feet in the air, but they were all relieved when I told them that I had finally killed Orion by decapitating him.
Of course, I left out what Orion said to me before I killed him.
After a round of Grover and Percy geeking out about how badass I was, followed by a difficult session of extreme scolding from Thalia, Zoe, and Annabeth, Chiron finally spoke.
Chiron: I must say, it was extremely reckless of you, Theo...However, I am glad that you have finally ended that chapter of your story.
Theo: Yeah, so am I.
Annabeth leaned her head against my shoulder.
Theo: It's a good thing you and your buddies showed up when you did, Chiron.
Chiron: (shrugs) 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.
Zoe: How did you get through the magic defenses around the city?
Chiron: They slowed us down a bit, 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.
Percy: So maybe other reinforcements can get through.
Chiron: Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side...
I understood what he meant. Kronos wasn't beaten. Not by a long shot. I half hoped Kronos had been squashed under that Hyperborean giant's butt, but I knew better. He'd be back, tonight at the latest.
Theo: And Typhon?
Chiron: The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere m 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 Typhon's approach. But the monster cannot be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces—
Percy: Then what chance do we have? We can't hold out another day.
Thalia: We'll have to. I'll see about setting some 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.
Chiron: I will help her. I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer.
I thought "too overboard" pretty much summed up the Party Ponies, but Chiron cantered off.
Percy: Zoe and I'll leave you guys alone.
I nodded, and Percy and Zoe left, leaving me and Annabeth alone.
She cleaned the monster slime off her knife. I'd seen her do that hundreds of times, but I'd never thought about why she cared so much about the blade.
Annabeth: Theo, even with the centaurs' help, I'm starting to think—
Theo: I know.
I had a bad feeling this might be our last chance to talk, and I felt like there were a million things I hadn't told her.
Theo: Look, there was some...some visions Hestia showed me.
Annabeth: You mean about Luke?
Maybe it was just a safe guess, but I got the feeling Annabeth knew what I'd been holding back. Maybe she'd been having dreams of her own.
Theo: Yeah. You and Thalia and Luke. The first time you met. And the time you met Hermes.
Annabeth slipped her knife back into its sheath.
Annabeth: Luke promised he'd never let me get hurt. He said...he said we'd be a new family, and it would turn out better than his.
Her eyes reminded me of that seven-year-old girl in the alley—angry, scared, desperate for a friend.
Theo: Thalia talked to me earlier. She's afraid—
Annabeth: That I can't face Luke.
Theo: Yeah. But there's something else you should know. Percy told me that Ethan Nakamura and Maryam Aziz seemed to think Luke was still alive inside his body, maybe even fighting Kronos for control.
Annabeth tried to hide it, but I could almost see her mind working on the possibilities, maybe starting to hope.
Theo: I didn't want to get your hopes up, in case that...
Annabeth: Theo, for so much of my life, I felt like everything was changing, all the time. I didn't have anyone I could rely on.
I nodded. That was something most demigods could understand.
Annabeth: I ran away when I was seven. Then with Luke and Thalia, I thought I'd found a family, but it fell apart almost immediately. What I'm saying...I hate it when people let me down, when things are temporary. I think that's why I want to be an architect.
Theo: To build something permanent. A monument to last a thousand years.
Annabeth: I guess that sounds like my fatal flaw again.
Years ago, in the Sea of Monsters, Annabeth had told me her biggest flaw was pride—thinking she could fix anything. I'd even seen a glimpse of her deepest desire, shown to her by the Sirens' magic. Annabeth had imagined her mother and father together, standing in front of a newly rebuilt Manhattan, designed by Annabeth. And I had been there too, welcoming her home.
Theo: I guess I understand how you feel. But Thalia's right. Luke has already betrayed you so many times. He wasn't exactly a saint, even before Kronos. I don't want him to hurt you anymore.
Annabeth: And you'll understand if I keep hoping there's a chance that you're wrong.
I looked away. I felt like I'd done my best, but that didn't make me feel any better.
Across the street, the Apollo campers had set up a field hospital to tend the wounded—dozens of campers and almost as many Hunters. I was watching the medics work, and thinking about our slim chances of holding Mount Olympus...
Suddenly, I saw Percy sprinting past, with Zoe right behind him.
Theo: The hell?
I got up and ran after Percy and Zoe, Annabeth following me.
The four of us stopped at a beat-up blue Prius in the middle of the street. I immediately recognized its occupants.
Paul Blofis was passed out on the driver's seat, and Sally Jackson was snoring beside him.
Percy: They...they must've seen those blue lights in the sky.
Percy rattled the doors, but they were locked.
Percy: Help me get them out.
Zoe: Percy...
Percy: I can't leave them here! have to move them. I have to—
Zoe held Percy's hand and gave it a squeeze. I would've smirked at the sight if it wasn't for Percy being genuinely worried for his mother and stepfather's wellbeing.
Theo: Calm down, Percy. CHIRON, GET OVER HERE!
Soon, Chiron trotted over.
Chiron: What's...Oh dear. I see.
Percy: They were coming to find me. My mom must've sensed something was wrong.
Chiron: Most likely. But, Percy, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job.
Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius, and my heart skipped a beat. Seat-belted behind my mother was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness.
Theo: What the fuck? We had this thing locked in the hotel vault! How is it here?
Percy: I...I don't know.
Chiron: (widens his eyes) That isn't—
Percy: Pandora's jar.
He told Chiron about his meeting with Prometheus.
Chiron: Then the jar is yours. It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest.
Before anyone could react, I activated my shield and used it to break the window before taking out the jar.
Percy: We'll put the car in neutral. Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus.
Chiron: A good plan. But, Percy...
Whatever he was going to say, he faltered. 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 I'd 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 green "DE" logo on the side. The words under the logo were too small to read, but I knew what they said: DARE ENTERPRISES.
My throat closed up. I looked at Annabeth, Percy, and Zoe, and could tell they recognized the logo too. their faces were as red as the helicopter.
Annabeth: What is she doing here?
Zoe: How did she get through the barrier?
Chiron: Who?
Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward.
Chiron: The Morpheus enchantment! The foolish mortal pilot is asleep.
Theo: I got it!
I quickly activated my flying shoes and flew up towards the helicopter.
I could hear Rachel screaming inside as I approached. For some reason, she hadn't fallen asleep, but I could see the pilot slumped over the controls, pitching back and forth as the helicopter wobbled toward the side of an office building.
Once I reached the helicopter, I saw Rachel hanging on for dear life. I quickly entered and took the pilot off his seat before sitting in his place.
I quickly grabbed the cyclic and collective and quickly regained control of the helicopter. I took a deep breath and removed the headset off the pilot's head before putting it on mine.
Rachel: Phew. I didn't know you could fly a helicopter, Altair.
Theo: We're gonna need to talk about you being here.
Rachel: Yeah, that's fair.
After gently landing the helicopter on the street, Rachel and I quickly exited and walked towards Percy, Annabeth, Zoe, and Chiron.
Percy: Why am I not surprised that you could fly a helicopter?
I just shrugged.
Rachel: You saved my life.
Annabeth: Yeah, well...let's not make a habit of it. What are you doing here, Dare? Don't you know better than to fly into a war zone?
Rachel: I—I had to be here. I knew Percy and Theo were in trouble.
Zoe: Got that right. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some injured friends I've got to tend to. Glad you could stop by, Rachel.
Percy: Zoe...
She stormed off. Annabeth glared at Rachel before walking away following Zoe.
Rachel plopped down on the curb and put her head in her hands.
Rachel: I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to...I always mess things up.
Percy: It's okay. So what's the message you wanted to deliver?
Rachel: How did you know about that?
Percy: A dream?
Rachel didn't look surprised. She tugged at her beach shorts. They were covered in drawings, which wasn't unusual for her, but these symbols I recognized: Greek letters, pictures from camp beads, sketches of monsters, and faces of gods. I didn't understand how Rachel could have known about some of that. She'd never been to Olympus or Camp Half-Blood.
Rachel: I've been seeing things too. I mean, not just through the Mist. This is different. I've been drawing pictures, writing lines—
Percy: In Ancient Greek. Do you know what they say?
Rachel: That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping...well, if you had gone with us on vacation, I was hoping you could have helped me figure out what's happening to me. Maybe if you couldn't, I hoped that Theo might help if he managed to...
She stopped herself. I knew what she was going to say: Survive Orion.
She looked at me pleadingly. Her face was sunburned. Her nose was peeling. I couldn't get over the shock that she was here in person. She'd forced her family to cut short their vacation and hijacked her father's helicopter in order to see us. In her own way, she was as brave as Annabeth.
But what was happening to her with these visions really freaked me out. Maybe it was something that happened to all mortals who could see through the Mist. But my dad had never talked about anything like that. And Hestia's words about Luke's mom kept coming back to me: May Castellan went too far. She tried to see too much.
Percy: Rachel, I wish I knew.
Theo: I'm sorry, but I don't know what they mean. Maybe if we ask Chiron—
She flinched like she'd gotten an electric shock.
Rachel: Percy, Theo, something is about to happen. A trick that ends in death.
Percy: What do you mean? Whose death?
Rachel: I don't know. Don't you feel it?
Percy: No. I'm sorry. I'm not making sense, but that thought just came to me. The message I wrote on the beach was different. It had your name in it.
Rachel: Perseus. In Ancient Greek.
Rachel: I don't know its meaning. But I know it's important. You have to hear it. It said, Perseus, you are not the hero.
Percy: You came thousands of miles to tell me I'm not the hero?
Rachel: It's important. It will affect what you do.
Theo: Not the hero of the prophecy? Not the hero who defeats Kronos? What do you mean?
Rachel: I'm...I'm sorry. That's all I know. I had to tell Percy because—
???: Well!
Chiron cantered over.
Chiron: You must be Miss Dare?
Theo: Chiron, Rachel Dare. (turns to Rachel) Rachel, Chiron.
Rachel: Hello.
She didn't look at all surprised that Chiron was a centaur.
Chiron: You are not asleep, Miss Dare. And yet you are mortal?
Rachel: I'm mortal. The pilot fell asleep as soon as we passed the river. I don't know why I didn't. I just knew I had to be here, to warn Percy.
Chiron: Warn Percy?
Percy: She's been seeing things. Writing lines and making drawings.
Chiron: Indeed? Tell me.
She told him the same things she'd told me and Percy.
Chiron: Miss Dare...perhaps we should talk.
Percy: Chiron. You...you'll help Rachel, right? I mean, you'll warn her that she's got to be careful with this stuff. Not go too far.
Chiron: Yes, Percy. I will do my best to understand what is happening and advise Miss Dare, but this may take some time. Meanwhile, you should rest. We've moved your parents' car to safety. The enemy seems to be staying put for now. We've set up bunks in the Empire State Building. Get some sleep. You as well, Theo.
I nodded in agreement.
Percy: Everybody keeps telling me to sleep. I don't need sleep.
Theo: Have you looked at yourself recently, Jackson?
Percy glanced down at his clothes, which were scorched, burned, sliced, and tattered from his night of constant battles.
Percy: I look like death. But you think I can sleep after what just happened?
Theo: Dude, I just kamikaze-dived into a Laistrygonian giant from 20,000 feet in the air, then tore through half an army of monsters, and even I'm tired as hell. I guess it's a side effect of the Curse. It must be making our bodies work more, so it tires us out faster.
Rachel widened her eyes.
Chiron: Precisely, Theo. I remember Achilles. Whenever that lad wasn't fighting, he was sleeping. He must've taken twenty naps a day. You, Percy, need your rest. You may be our only hope.
Percy: Sure. Talk.
Percy trudged towards the Empire State Building. I looked at Rachel, who was still looking at me in shock.
Theo: It's a long story. I'll tell you later, alright?
Rachel: Yeah. Yeah, can't wait. What about Orion?
Theo: We won't have to worry about him anymore. He's dead.
Rachel sighed in relief.
Theo: I'm gonna go get some rest. Leave you and Chiron to talk.
I trudged toward the Empire State Building. When I glanced back, Rachel and Chiron were walking together in earnest conversation, like they were discussing funeral arrangements.
Inside the lobby, I found an empty bunk and collapsed, sure that I would never be able to sleep. A second later, my eyes closed.
I woke up to the sound of a loud roar that sounded like it came from a mile away.
Theo: The hell?
I sat up and saw Grover and Percy sitting up as well.
Grover: What was that?
Percy: They're coming. And we're in trouble.
Percy's POV
The Hephaestus cabin was out of Greek fire. The Apollo cabin and the Hunters were scrounging for arrows. Most of us had already ingested so much ambrosia and nectar we didn't dare take any more.
We had sixteen campers, fifteen Hunters, and half a dozen satyrs left in fighting shape. The rest had taken refuge on Olympus. The Party Ponies tried to form ranks, but they staggered, giggled, and they all smelled like root beer. The Texans were head-butting the Coloradoans. The Missouri branch was arguing with Illinois. The chances were pretty good the whole army would end up fighting each other rather than the enemy.
Chiron trotted up with Rachel on his back. I felt a twinge of annoyance because Chiron rarely gave anyone a ride, and never a mortal.
Chiron: Your friend here has some useful insights, Percy.
Rachel: Just some things I saw in my head.
Chiron: A drakon. A Lydian drakon, to be exact. The oldest and most dangerous kind.
Percy: (to Rachel) How did you know that?
Rachel: I'm not sure. But this drakon has a particular fate. It will be killed by a child of Ares.
Annabeth: How can you possibly know that?
Rachel: Well, let's hope you're wrong. Because we're a little short on children of Ares—
Theo: MALAKA!
Annabeth: What?
Theo: The fucking spy, that's what! He's still keeping Kronos updated! Kronos knows the Ares cabin isn't with us, so the son of a bitch intentionally picked a monster we can't kill!
Thalia: If I ever catch your spy, he's going to be very sorry. Maybe we could send another messenger to camp—
Chiron: I've already done it. Blackjack is on his way. But if Silena wasn't able to convince Clarisse, I doubt Blackjack will be able—
A roar shook the ground. It sounded very close.
Percy: Rachel, get inside.
Rachel: I want to stay.
A shadow blotted out the sun. Across the street, the drakon slithered down the side of a skyscraper. It roared, and a thousand windows shattered.
Rachel: On second thought, I'll be inside.
Let me explain: there are dragons, and then there are drakons.
Drakons are several millennia older than dragons, and much larger. They look like giant serpents. Most don't have wings. Most don't breathe fire (though some do). All are poisonous. All are immensely strong, with scales harder than titanium. Their eyes can paralyze you; not the turn-you-to-stone Medusa-type paralysis, but the oh-my-gods-that-big-snake-is-going-to-eat-me type of paralysis, which is just as bad.
We have drakon-fighting classes at camp, but there is no way to prepare yourself for a two-hundred-foot-long serpent as thick as a school bus slithering down the side of a building, its yellow eyes like searchlights and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth big enough to chew elephants.
It almost made me long for the flying pig.
Meanwhile, the enemy army advanced down Fifth Avenue. We'd done our best to push cars out of the way to keep the mortals safe, but that just made it easier for our enemies to approach. The Party Ponies swished their tails nervously. Chiron galloped up and down their ranks, shouting encouragement to stand tough and think about victory and root beer, but I figured any second they would panic and run.
Percy: I'll take the drakon.
My voice came out as a timid squeak. Then I yelled louder.
Percy: I'LL TAKE THE DRAKON! Everyone else, hold the line against the army!
Annabeth, Zoe, and Theo stood next to me. Annabeth had pulled her owl helmet low over her face, but I could tell her eyes were red. Theo rolled up the sleeves of his Hunter jacket. Zoe had her bow ready in her hand.
Percy: Will you help me?
Theo: What kind of dumb question is that? Of course, we will.
I smiled.
Percy: Annabeth, go invisible. Look for weak links in its armor. Theo, fly around, distract it however you can. Zoe, shoot at any opening you can find. I'll keep it busy. (whistles) Mrs. O'Leary, heel!
My hellhound leaped over a line of centaurs and gave me a kiss that smelled suspiciously of pepperoni pizza.
Theo: Diego, back Mrs. O'Leary up! Do whatever you can!
Diego roared in response.
I drew my sword, and we charged the monster.
The drakon was three stories above us, slithering sideways along the building as it sized up our forces. Wherever it looked, centaurs froze in fear.
From the north, the enemy army crashed into the Party Ponies, and our lines broke. The drakon lashed out, swallowing three Californian centaurs in one gulp before I could even get close.
Mrs. O'Leary launched herself through the air—a deadly black shadow with teeth and claws. Normally, a pouncing hellhound is a terrifying sight, but next to the drakon, Mrs. O'Leary looked like a child's night-night doll.
Her claws raked harmlessly off the drakon's scales. She bit the monster's throat but couldn't make a dent. Her weight, however, was enough to knock the drakon off the side of the building. It flailed awkwardly and crashed to the sidewalk, hellhound and serpent twisting and thrashing. The drakon tried to bite Mrs. O'Leary, but she was too close to the serpent's mouth. Poison spewed everywhere, melting centaurs into dust along with quite a few monsters, but Mrs. O'Leary weaved around the serpent's head, scratching and biting.
Diego, in full battle armor, jumped onto the drakon's back and gnawed at its scales, ripping each one out with his teeth. The drakon writhed its body around to shake the saber-toothed tiger off, but he just kept holding on.
I plunged Riptide deep into the monster's left eye. The spotlight went dark. The drakon hissed and reared back to strike, but I rolled aside.
It bit a swimming pool-size chunk out of the pavement. It turned toward me with its good eye, and I focused on its teeth so I wouldn't get paralyzed. Mrs. O'Leary did her best to cause a distraction. She leaped onto the serpent's head and scratched and growled like a really angry black wig.
Theo was flying around the drakon's head, shouting insult after insult at it while shooting several arrows at a time at it. Zoe was on the ground, shooting at whatever opening she could find in the drakon's armor.
The rest of the battle wasn't going well. The centaurs had panicked under the onslaught of giants and demons. An occasional orange camp T-shirt appeared in the sea of fighting, but quickly disappeared. Arrows screamed. Fire exploded in waves across both armies, but the action was moving across the street to the entrance of the Empire State Building. We were losing ground.
Suddenly Annabeth materialized on the drakon's back. Her invisibility cap rolled off her head as she drove her bronze knife between a chink in the serpent's scales.
The drakon roared. It coiled around, knocking Annabeth off its back.
Instantly, Theo flew towards Annabeth and caught her before she hit the ground. They both landed on the ground and Annabeth tackled Theo to the ground just before the monster's teeth snapped above Theo's head.
Zoe: PERCY!
I was tackled onto the ground by Zoe just as the drakon's tail slammed onto me.
Percy: Thanks.
Zoe: Thank me later.
Mrs. O'Leary body-slammed the drakon's face to get its attention, and we rolled out of the way.
Meanwhile, our allies had retreated to the doors of the Empire State Building. The entire enemy army was surrounding them.
We were out of options. No more help was coming. Annabeth, Theo, Zoe, and I would have to retreat before we were cut off from Mount Olympus.
Then I heard a rumbling in the south. It wasn't a sound you hear much in New York, but I recognized it immediately: chariot wheels.
???: ARES!
And a dozen war chariots charged into battle. Each flew a red banner with the symbol of the wild boar's head. Each was pulled by a team of skeletal horses with manes of fire. A total of thirty fresh warriors, armor gleaming and eyes full of hate, lowered their lances as one—making a bristling wall of death.
Annabeth: The children of Ares! How did Rachel know?
Theo: Doesn't matter! I'm just happy they finally showed up!
He took the words right out of my mouth. Leading the charge was a girl in familiar red armor, her face covered by a boar's-head helm. She held aloft a spear that crackled with electricity. Clarisse herself had come to the rescue. While half her chariots charged the monster army, Clarisse led the other six straight for the drakon.
The serpent reared back and managed to throw off Mrs. O'Leary and Diego. My poor pet and Theo's companion hit the side of the building with a yelp. Theo and I ran to help them, but the serpent had already zeroed in on the new threat. Even with only one eye, its glare was enough to paralyze two chariot drivers. They veered into a line of cars. The other four chariots kept charging. The monster bared its fangs to strike and got a mouthful of Celestial bronze javelins.
"Clarisse": ARES, TO ME!
Her voice sounded shrillier than usual, but I guess that wasn't surprising given what she was fighting.
Across the street, the arrival of six chariots gave the Party Ponies new hope. They rallied at the doors of the Empire State Building, and the enemy army was momentarily thrown into confusion.
Meanwhile, Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. Lances broke against the monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathed fire and whinnied. Two more chariots overturned, but the warriors simply leaped to their feet, drew their swords, and went to work. They hacked at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodged poison spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, which of course they had.
No one could say the Ares campers weren't brave. Clarisse was right there in front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eye. But as I watched, things started to go wrong. The drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who retreated in a panic, his armor melting.
Zoe: We have to help.
She was right. I'd just been standing there frozen in amazement. Mrs. O'Leary tried to get up but yelped again. One of her paws was bleeding.
Percy: Stay back, girl. You've done enough already.
Diego got up and shook his head as if shaking off a concussion.
Theo: Stand down, bud. You did great.
Theo, Annabeth, Zoe, and I jumped onto the monster's back and ran toward its head, trying to draw its attention away from Clarisse.
Her cabinmates threw javelins, most of which broke, but some lodged in the monster's teeth. It snapped its jaws together until its mouth was a mess of green blood, yellow foamy poison, and splintered weapons.
Theo: You got this! A child of Ares is destined to kill this thing!
Through her war helmet, I could only see her eyes—but I could tell something was wrong. Her blue eyes shone with fear. Clarisse never looked like that. And she didn't have blue eyes.
I turned to Theo, and he looked at me with widened eyes. He must've seen it too.
"Clarisse": ARES!
She leveled her spear and charged the drakon.
Percy: No. WAIT!
Theo: DON'T!
But the monster looked down at her—almost in contempt—and spit poison directly in her face.
She screamed and fell.
Annabeth: Clarisse!
Annabeth and Zoe jumped off the monster's back and ran to help, while the other Ares campers tried to defend their fallen counselor. I drove Riptide between two of the creature's scales while Theo shot an arrow between its scales and managed to turn its attention on us.
Theo and I got thrown but I landed on my feet, while Theo used his flying shoes to hover up in the air.
Percy: C'MON, you stupid worm! Look at me!
Theo: Right here, you fucking scaly bastard! Eyes on me!
For the next several minutes, all Theo and I saw were teeth. We retreated and dodged poison, but neither of us could hurt the thing.
At the edge of my vision, I saw a flying chariot land on Fifth Avenue.
Then someone ran toward us.
???: NO! Curse you, WHY?
I dared to glance over, but what I saw made no sense. Clarisse was lying on the ground where she'd fallen. Her armor smoked with poison. Annabeth and the Ares campers were trying to unfasten her helmet. And kneeling next to them, her face blotchy with tears, was a girl in camp clothes. It was...Clarisse.
My head spun. Why hadn't I noticed before? The girl in Clarisse's armor was much thinner, and not as tall. But why would someone pretend to be Clarisse?
I was so stunned, the drakon almost snapped me in half. I dodged and the beast buried its head in a brick wall. Theo shot a few arrows at the drakon's back, then looked at the scene that distracted me, and his eyes widened.
Clarisse: WHY?!
The real Clarisse was holding the other girl in her arms while the campers struggled to remove the poison-corroded helmet.
Chris Rodriguez ran over from the flying chariot. He and Clarisse must've ridden it here from camp, chasing the Ares campers, who'd mistakenly been following the other girl, thinking she was Clarisse. But it still made no sense.
The drakon tugged its head from the brick wall and screamed in rage.
Chris: LOOK OUT!
Instead of turning toward me, the drakon whirled toward the sound of Chris's voice. It bared its fangs at the group of demigods.
The real Clarisse looked up at the drakon, her face filled with absolute hate. I'd seen a look that intense only once before. Her father, Ares, had worn the same expression when I'd fought him in single combat.
Clarisse: YOU WANT DEATH?! WELL, COME ON!
She grabbed her spear from the fallen girl. With no armor or shield, she charged the drakon.
I tried to close the distance to help, but Clarisse was faster. She leaped aside as the monster struck, pulverizing the ground in front of her. Then she jumped onto the creature's head. As it reared up, she drove her electric spear into its good eye with so much force it shattered the shaft, releasing all of the magic weapon's power.
Electricity arced across the creature's head, causing its whole body to shudder. Clarisse jumped free, rolling safely to the sidewalk as smoke boiled from the drakon's mouth. The drakon's flesh dissolved, and it collapsed into a hollow scaly tunnel of armor.
The rest of us stared at Clarisse in awe. I had never seen anyone take down such a huge monster single-handedly. But Clarisse didn't seem to care. She ran back to the wounded girl who'd stolen her armor.
Finally, Annabeth managed to remove the girl's helmet. We all gathered around: the Ares campers, Chris, Clarisse, Annabeth, Zoe, Theo, and me. The battle still raged along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed except our small circle and the fallen girl.
Her features, once beautiful, were badly burned from poison. I could tell that no amount of nectar or ambrosia would save her.
Something is about to happen. Rachel's words rang in my ears. A trick that ends in death.
Now I knew what she meant, and I knew who had led the Ares cabin into battle.
Theo: Holy fucking shit.
I looked down at the dying face of Silena Beauregard.