(A/N: Final Chapter of relative calm here.. chaos is about to break loose next time after this!
As for some of what I showed you in Chapter Twenty Nine, in this chapter, and in chapter afterwards.. some of this was inspired by a certain season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003, Season 5: The Lost Episodes. The elemental figures in Greek Armor is actually a reference to this series in and of itself, particularly to five evil elemental brothers called the Mystic Ninjas. If you don't know what this season is all about, I suggest you get to YouTube and start searching up and watching all twelve episodes right now if you are reading this chapter right now, because believe me, it will help you understand the references certain parts of this and upcoming chapters will make.
Also, I imagine the Strawberry Buses as actual buses here.. just extra long ones.
This chapter does contain references to Morro11 's fanfic "Annabeth Chase and the Last Olympian", as well as to TMNT 2003 Season 5 Episodes 5 and 11.
Plus the usual shoutouts to -JASONSGRACE and Imaginebooks as usual here, plus TheTimeTraveler24 and TsarinaTorment.)
Anyways, enjoy!)
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August 15th, 2009
Much of the time spent after breakfast before we departed.. I spent with Michael. Doing what, you might ask? Well.. helping Austin and Sherman - who both decided to ditch Clarisse and join the campers going to Manhattan today - load boxes upon boxes of ammo into the back of one of the strawberry buses. I mean, lots and lots of ammo. Pretty sure we loaded enough ammo to keep me supplied for the better part of three days, possibly four. I have no clue, but I think we loaded about every round Beckendorf has ever made for me from after the Battle Of The Labyrinth to when he died. The fact that Travis and Connor had recently stolen a spare school bus on one of their recent outings this summer that hadn't brought cops up our way definitely helped, since by the time the three of us were done, the back half of the Strawberry Bus we were loading was essentially filled to the brim with ammo.
There were still enough seats on the bus that as Lee got into the driver's seat - he had recently gotten his driver's license a few months ago - the entirety of both the Apollo and Demeter Cabins, plus me, Travis (who had ditched Connor on the other bus for some reason) and Sherman could still sit on the bus.
I sat down with Kayla next to me on one side and Belle on the other, which to be honest.. felt less weird than it had been during that war game with Quintus aka Daedalus last summer.
Travis sat with Katie, and the two just held hands, not really saying a word to each other. Simply, it just was Travis being there for her, which was kinda sweet.
Sherman and Miranda sat with each other too in a separate seat, as did Austin and Caeli. We were fortunate that the Aphrodite Cabin was on a different bus, but still.. tensions were definitely high among everyone.. since one of us was likely a spy. Believe me.. the tension was so thick.
Annabeth suddenly decided to hop on this van too at the last moment, surprising Lee and the rest of us. "Did you guys really have to stuff the back full of ammo?" she asked, looking squarely at me, Sherman, Austin, and Michael respectively from the way her eyes flicked between the four of us, seemingly a little annoyed by it.
"I mean.. I'm going to need every round I can get my hands on.. if you know what I mean.." I said back, albeit a little weakly because when Annabeth gets annoyed, she can be very scary to be honest.
We all felt fear there, that much was certain enough. We didn't know if we were going to live or die.. I at least had probably a good hint about how this fight was going to go, based on my visions and Kelli's info. But even then, I wasn't sure if I was going to live enough to see it. So it was that we set out like that. "This is not how I wanted to end my summer.." Belle said anxiously next to me and Kayla.
"Neither did we want it to end like this.. but hey.. Kronos has other ideas. It's up to us to make sure that he doesn't succeed.." I replied grimly, knowing that there was really no way to make her feel better. I felt bad about it, I really did.
"Come on.." Annabeth said. "Let's go defend Olympus."
- — - — - — - — -
The drive into the city was very long, to be honest with you all. The silence was also unbearable, too. Everyone was anxious and worried, and practically all their eyes were trained on me and Michael.
For better or worse, me and the Apollo Head Counselor shouldering the brunt of the effort during the Battle Of The Labyrinth last summer placed high expectations on both of us. The only problem was, it was going to be a very tall order to expect two guys to do the same kind of square stand-up fighting, not giving an inch, against a force that likely numbered in the tens of thousands if not in the high single digit thousands. Did I feel the pressure from it? Most certainly yes, if I had to be honest with you right now. No doubt about it.
Still, Kayla holding my hand was what kept the pressure from getting to me, and believe me when I say, this was no time to be cracking under the pressure right now. The final battle - or at least the first final battle, what we had trained for all these years was upon us now. Thanks to my sister's idiocy, we were going in a bit under strength, and that would be a big problem, because again.. massive force coming!
Percy called Annabeth during the ride and judging from the conservation, she was about to throw the phone out of the window. But she held herself back from doing so.
We had to make a stop at a hotel that housed clear sighted mortals loyal to Olympus, and was also a property under Zeus' mortal name. There, everyone else in the bus, including Kayla, could only wait anxiously as me, Travis, Austin, Sherman, Michael, and Lee hustled on the double to get all of the ammo unloaded and inside without wasting too much time in doing so. Needless to say, we all did it very quickly in relative comparison to the time it took me, Austin, Sherman, Michael to load all of that.
After that, it was on to Olympus, and the bus dropped us off at the Empire State Building. I had the MG42 and the Whitworth stowed away in a special case designed by Beckendorf to fit both of them that looked like a tuba case to mortals, slung over my back. It took me a bit to get it out of the bus, that's for sure. Other than that, I also had three swords sheathed on my back and full gear load out, so you could basically say I was fully loaded. Kayla had armor on too, with her bow in one hand, three arrow quivers on her back - don't ask me how she managed this - and an anxious yet determined look on her face. I felt the same way. She and I would get through this - whatever it took.
As lovers.
As soulmates - since half of camp saw us as that by now.
As king and queen.
- — - — - — - — -
Percy and Grover were there at the Empire State Building when we all arrived, and we marched into the building, and there was only one security guard there, sitting behind his desk, completely invested in his copy of New Moon. His attention changed to us, however, when he heard our armor clanking against our weapons.
"School group? We're about to close up."
"No.." Percy replied. "Six-hundredth floor."
Judging by the way this guy looked at us, he was definitely a clear-sighted mortal.
"There's no six hundredth floor, kid.." the security guard replied. "Move along."
Percy simply leaned across the desk. "Fifty to sixty demigods attracts an awful lot of monsters. Do you really want us hanging out in your lobby?"
That did the trick, as the guard thought about it for a moment before hitting the buzzer and the security gate swung open. "Make it quick."
"You don't want us going through the metal detectors."
"Um, no. Elevator on the right. I guess you know the way."
Guess this guy was new on the job. Poor him, given what was about to engulf Manhattan soon. Poor security guard.
Grover headed out of the building, intending to link up with other satyrs. The rest of us split up into two groups to head to the elevator, and somehow me, Belle, Jake, Michael and Kayla ended up in the first group along with Percy and Annabeth.
- — - — - — - — -
Let me just say, if you thought a serial killer with a bloody knife coming out of an elevator was scary, you probably would have pissed your pants upon seeing twenty four heavily armed demigods, including a dude with a MG42 and a civil war era sniper rifle slung across his back - I had opened the case in the lobby while Percy was talking to the guard - come out of the elevator, even if the song "Stayin' Alive" by the band Bee Jees was playing. Don't act like you wouldn't, you most likely would, let's be real here.
Anyways, when the elevator door opened, Olympus was there for us all to see. Words cannot describe the marvel that lay out before us. Kayla was awestruck by it. While I had seen Olympus once, she had never. Until now.
"It's... beautiful.." she muttered, amazed by the sight.
"Just like you.. goddess.." I teased her, and she giggled cutely.
Apart from that brief bright moment, there was no doubt about the fact that everything was.. deserted, in a sense. As we walked along the path towards it, the sense that Typhon was the distraction for Kronos became ever more evident. The streets we walked along were empty, devoid of life.. the shops were bare, some even boarded up.. and it was completely silent.. leaving the place with nothing but its physical beauty.
"Where.. is.. everyone..?" Michael gulped.
"Either gone to Typhon or hiding.." I answered, making everyone look at me. I didn't pay attention to them, and just kept on walking hand in hand with Kayla.
Then, Pollux cried out, "Look! What is that?"
I looked up, having been too busy looking at things for a while. There, streaking across the evening sky to Olympus, were what seemed to be blue lights leaving trails behind them like comets. They came from all directions, but when they neared the city, they fizzled out and dissolved into nothing. None seemed to make any impact at all.
"Like infrared scopes.." Michael muttered. "We're being targeted."
"Let's get to the palace.." Percy decided, causing all of us to pick up the pace. No one met us as we went on into the palace, but just as we were about to reach the throne room, Kayla yanked me aside down another hallway.
"Hey Kayla.. what are you.." I asked, flabbergasted. She shut me up with a kiss on the lips, and she started to have tears in her eyes. "Promise me Colton.. promise me that you won't die. I'm going to try my hardest not to.. since I can't bear the thought of you living without me. So do the same. Swear it on the River Styx."
It took me a moment, but I complied with what she was asking me. "I'm not going to die.. I swear it on the River Styx.." I said to her, and she smiled, just as things went black.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in the middle of Fifth Avenue with Kayla. She looked around left and right after opening her eyes, indicating that she had also blacked out. It was dark.. the whole place was deserted - no cars, no people, nothing except the stuff on the sidewalks and the buildings around us - and there were.. unusual hanging street lights illuminating the streets. It was really weird.
I was about to speak to Kayla, to tell her that I had no clue what was happening now, when we heard what sounded like hell incarnate behind us, chilling us both to the bone.
I turned to look at her. "Please tell me that wasn't you who made that noise.." she told me. I shrugged my head no. Then we both turned to look behind us, and Kayla screamed in horror.
There, barreling down on us, was the blurry figure from my visions - with the crown and everything - riding on a horse that.. definitely.. was unlike anything that I had ever seen. It was skeletal yes.. but with armor plates, a black fur outline, a face that looked almost demonic, armor from the Middle Ages on it making it very armored, and a tail made out of a Stygian iron chain with sharp spikes sticking out of it. The blurry figure held the same sword Typhon gave me once again, but this time, the blade was literally on fire.
The blurry figure cackled malevolently in what seemed like a distorted version of a very familiar voice to me - I couldn't tell whose voice it was though - as it bore down on us, but just as the figure on the horse was about to reach us, we woke up with a shock.
Both our heads whipped left and right quickly. We were still in Olympus, and I hugged Kayla to calm her down, and she was shaking, unnerved by that vision. I have no clue exactly what the hell was that horse.. and I didn't want to find out. Either way, I had managed to calm Kayla down just as Connor Stoll ran past the intersection with the way to the throne room.
"You need to see this.." Connor said as he ran into the throne room. "Now."
Percy, Belle and Annabeth followed Connor back out and the two of us followed them, both of us worried about what exactly Connor had seen prior to this.
- — - — - — - — -
The first thing that told me something was wrong the minute we all stepped out of the throne room and over to the small park that the other campers had gathered by on the edge of Olympus was the absolute silence from below. Manhattan, as you all know, normally is a very busy city. Usually, even if you are up on Olympus, you probably would be able to hear the sounds of cars honking and millions of people going about their daily lives, to quote what Annabeth would have probably said about this.
"I don't.. hear anything.." Annabeth said hesitantly, gazing down through one of the pairs of civilian binoculars that was at the edge of the park through which one could get a good view of Manhattan below. Kayla looked at me worried, as I was running through all of the possibilities in my head, trying to figure it out.
"What did they do?" Percy demanded a bit angrily, pushing Michael out of the way so he could get to one of the binoculars. Michael was a little annoyed by what Percy did to be honest, judging from the expression on his face. "What did they do to my city?"
Katie took a step back from one of the binoculars, fear present on her face, much to Travis' concern, who gave her a hug. As much as I wanted to enjoy the fact that she didn't push him away and merely clung to him for support, I couldn't really.
I took a step forward, looked over the edge, and was stunned. It seemed like the entire city below us had gone still.
"Are they dead?" Silena asked, anxiously.
I took another look, and then it hit me. The cold, hard dreadful truth.
And see the world in endless sleep.
Morpheus.
He put Manhattan to sleep.
It was just as I had feared. We were about to start living out the Great Prophecy now. I turned to look at Percy, and from the way he looked.. eyes wide and fist clenched, there was no doubt about it now.. he knew.
"Not dead.." Percy replied, slowly yet ominously. The next words out of his mouth confirmed what everyone else had dreaded, but I had suspected would happen this day. "Morpheus has put the entire island to sleep. The invasion has started."
We should have been gazing upward, because at that moment, according to some of the guardians who protected Olympus from air assault, the sky morphed into the upper half of the Monster King. They got a very good look at what his upper half looked like, as lightning flashed around it - somehow from above the clouds just like the image they saw - but don't worry. You'll get the description of what he actually looked like.. very, very soon. Promise you.
- — - — - — - — - ???'s POV - — - — - — - — -
Far below Olympus, near a fountain in New York's Chinatown southeast of the Empire State Building, the six figures wearing elemental suits of Greek armor stood in six different spots around it, having just materialized out of nowhere around it. This fountain may have been in Chinatown, but due to the Monster King's influence throughout multiple pantheons, they could gather in areas belonging to most current day religions, regardless of where they were for the most part.
The one in fire spoke up first, "Do you sense it as well, brothers? Kronos' army all gather around this island, the one our king is on too. He, the Queen, and their fellow.. 'campers'.." He was struggling to adjust to the fact that the ones who would be their next King and Queen had grown up among other people as equals, instead of other people being their subjects. "..are not strong enough to be able to defend the island without suffering significant pain and trauma. This is very concerning, particularly since we know from our visions of him that our king does not wish for his friends to suffer."
"We awoke for a reason!" shouted the one in water. "We awoke to assist our king. After just over half a century, a Monster King will finally return to restore order to the Monsters of this world. It was written in the Sibylline Books all those centuries ago.. that the six will preserve through the Lord Of Time's assault on the island of that which the mortals call "Manhattan" and help bring back the King to the world."
A chorus of agreement arose from the other four, as they all stood there, tridents made of their particular element in their elemental hands.
"We stand here and fight, for our king! For a better world for the ones he calls family! For a world where the Gods aren't this stupid!" the one in water continued. "The forces of the Monster King's army are continuing to gather here in the areas of East Village to Kip Bay, Lincoln Square to Manhattanville, Yorkville, Chelsea to Noho and Tribeca.. as well as pockets here in Chinatown and elsewhere around this part of NYC. So tell me, brother.." The one in water leveled his trident at the one in fire in anger. "Are you our leader or are you our enemy?"
The one in fire conceded. "I am your leader, brothers.." he responded. "..I concede that it was foolish of me to speak in such a non-distinctive manner." The tone of the fire one then grew more serious. "So.. with our forces still gathering.. we prepare for action."
The one in darkness decided to speak up. "That may not be enough to ensure that our king survives until the time the prophecy in the Sibylline Books foretold he would rise once more.." he said. "We may need some extra firepower to succeed in our goals."
The one in fire nodded, and then glanced down at the fountain for a while before he spoke on their next course of action.
"Then.. let us awaken the wardens."