Nothing was left of the giants except heaps of ash, a few spears and some burning dreadlocks.
The Argo II was still aloft, barely, moored to the top of the Parthenon. Half the ship's oars were broken off or tangled. Smoke streamed from several large splits in the hull. The sails were peppered with burning holes.
Leo looked almost as bad. He stood in the midst of the temple with the other crew members, his face covered in soot, his clothes smoldering.
The gods fanned out in a semicircle as Zeus approached. None of them seemed particularly joyful about their victory.
Apollo had immediately gone to joined Artemis. They stood together in the shadow of a column, as if trying to hide. Hera and Poseidon were having an intense discussion with another goddess in green and gold robes – perhaps Demeter.
Nike tried to put a golden laurel wreath on Hecate's head, but the goddess of magic swatted it away. Hermes sneaked close to Athena, attempting to put his arm around her. Athena turned her aegis shield his way and Hermes scuffled off.
The only Olympian who seemed in a good mood was Ares. He laughed and pantomimed gutting an enemy while Frank and Jasper listened, Frank's expression was polite but queasy.
"Brethren," Zeus said, "we are healed, thanks to the work of these demigods. The Athena Parthenos, which once stood in this temple, now stands at Camp Half-Blood. It has united our offspring, and thus our own essences."
"Lord Zeus," Piper spoke up, "is Reyna okay? Nico and Coach Hedge?"
Zeus knitted his cloud-colored eyebrows. "They succeeded in their mission. As of this moment they are alive. Whether or not they are okay –"
"There is still work to be done," Queen Hera interrupted. She spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. "But my heroes ... you have triumphed over the giants as I knew you would. My plan succeeded beautifully."
Zeus turned on his wife. Thunder shook the Acropolis. "Hera, do not dare take credit! You have caused at least as many problems as you've fixed!"
The queen of heaven blanched. "Husband, surely you see now – this was the only way."
"There is never only one way!" Zeus bellowed. "That is why there are three Fates, not one. Is this not so?"
By the ruins of the giant king's throne, the three old ladies silently bowed their heads in recognition. I noticed that the other gods stayed well away from the Fates and their gleaming brass clubs.
"Please, husband." Hera tried for a smile, but she was so clearly frightened that I almost felt sorry for her. "I only did what I –"
"Silence!" Zeus snapped. "You disobeyed my orders. Nevertheless ... I recognize that you acted with honest intentions. The valor of these nine heroes has proven that you were not entirely without wisdom."
Hera looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut.
"Apollo, however ..." Zeus glared into the shadows where the twins were standing. "My son, come here."
I frowned. I feared that my father was in big trouble.
Apollo inched forward like he was walking the plank. I hadn't even noticed but his golden robes were gone and his new outfit reminded me a lot of Will. He looked so much like a teenage demigod it was unnerving – no more than seventeen, wearing jeans and a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, with a bow over his shoulder and a sword at his belt. With his tousled blond hair and blue eyes, he could've fit right in in Cabin 7.
I wondered if Apollo had assumed this form to be inconspicuous, or to look pitiable to his father. The fear in my father's face certainly looked real, and also very human.
The Three Fates gathered around the god, circling him, their withered hands raised. I remembered his words, from my dream. He feared the fates and the fact they were circling him now as he was getting yelled at by Zeus most likely didn't help his mood.
"Twice you have defied me," Zeus said.
Apollo moistened his lips. "My – my lord –"
"You neglected your duties. You succumbed to flattery and vanity. You encouraged your descendant Octavian to follow his dangerous path, and you prematurely revealed a prophecy to your demigod child, that may yet destroy us all."
"But –"
"Enough!" Zeus boomed. "We will speak of your punishment later. For now, you will wait on Olympus."
Zeus flicked his hand, and Apollo turned into a cloud of glitter. The Fates swirled around him,dissolving into air, and the glittery whirlwind shot into the sky.
"What will happen to him?" I asked concerned. Just when I was finally get time with my dad, Zeus had to go blaming him for something that wasn't his fault.
The gods stared at me, but I didn't care. Having actually met Zeus, I had a new found sympathy for his children, and even Hera (somewhat).
"It is not your concern," Zeus said. "We have other problems to address."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the Parthenon.
It didn't feel right to let the matter go. I didn't see how Apollo deserved to be singled out for punishment.
Someone must take the blame, my father had said.
But why?
"Father," Jason said, he to also have similar ideas as me, "I made a vow to honor all the gods. I promised Kymopoleia that once this war is over none of the gods would be without shrines at the camps."
Zeus scowled. "That's fine. But ... Kym who?"
Poseidon coughed into his fist. "She's one of mine."
"My point," Jason said, "is that blaming each other isn't going solve anything. That's how the Romans and Greeks got divided in the first place."
The air became dangerously ionized.
"Apollo wasn't the problem. He did nothing wrong." I spoke up. "To punish him for Gaia waking is –" I wanted to say stupid, but I caught myself – "unwise."
"Unwise." Zeus's voice was almost a whisper. "Before the assembled gods, you would call me unwise."
Shit.
I was about to get turned into glitter or blasted off the Acropolis.
Zeus took a step towards me, but suddenly Jasper stepped in front of me, challenging him to make a move.
It was a weird scene. Zeus, the king of the gods was staring down at my boyfriend. But Jasper...I didn't want to say towered over him. But he was a good three and half inches taller than Zeus. Which made for an awkward moment, as Zeus had to glance up at him slightly.
That's when Artemis stepped out of the shadows. "Father, this hero has fought long and hard for our cause. Her nerves are frayed. We should take that into account."
I started to protest, but my aunt stopped me with a glance. Her expression sent a message so clear she might have been speaking in my mind: Thank you, demigod. But do not press this. I will reason with Zeus when he is calmer.
"Surely, Father," the goddess continued, "we should attend to our more pressing problems, as you pointed out."
"Gaia," Annabeth chimed in, clearly anxious to change the topic. "She's awake, isn't she?"
Zeus turned towards her. Around me, the air molecules stopped humming. My skull felt like it had just come out of the microwave.
"That is correct," Zeus said. "The blood of Olympus was spilled. She is fully conscious."
"Oh, come on!" Percy complained. "I get a little nosebleed and I wake up the entire earth? That'snot fair!"
Athena shouldered her aegis. "Complaining of unfairness is like assigning blame, Percy Jackson. It does no one any good." She gave me an approving glance. "Now you must move quickly. Gaia rises to destroy your camp."
Poseidon leaned on his trident. "For once, Athena is right."
"For once?" Athena protested.
"Why would Gaia be back at camp?" Leo asked. "Percy's nosebleed was here."
"Dude," Percy said, "first off, you heard Athena – don't blame my nose. Second, Gaia's the earth. She can pop up anywhere she wants. Besides, she told us she was going to do this. She said the first thing on her to-do list was destroying our camp. Question is: how do we stop her?"
Frank looked at Zeus. "Um, sir, Your Majesty, can't you gods just pop over there with us? You've got the chariots and the magic powers and whatnot.'
"Yes!" Hazel said. "We defeated the giants together in two seconds. Let's all go –"
"No," Zeus said flatly.
"No?" Jason asked. "But, Father –"
Zeus's eyes sparked with power, we'd pushed him far enough today ... and maybe for the next few centuries.
"That's the problem with prophecies," Zeus growled. "When Apollo allowed the Prophecy of Nine to be spoken, and when Hera took it upon herself to interpret the words, the Fates wove the future in such a way that it had only so many possible outcomes, so many solutions. You nine, the demigods, are destined to defeat Gaia. We, the gods, cannot."
"I don't get it," Piper said. "What's the point of being gods if you have to rely on puny mortals to do your bidding?"
All the gods exchanged dark looks. Aphrodite, however, laughed gently and kissed her daughter.
"My dear Piper, don't you think we've been asking ourselves that question for thousands of years? But it is what binds us together, keeps us eternal. We need you mortals as much as you need us. Annoying as that may be, it's the truth."
"So how can we possibly get to Camp Half-Blood in time to save it? It took us months to reach Greece." Jasper pointed out.
"The winds," Jason said. "Father, can't you unleash the winds to send our ship back?"
Zeus glowered. "I could slap you back to Long Island."
"Um, was that a joke, or a threat, or –"
"No," Zeus said, "I mean it quite literally. I could slap your ship back to Camp Half-Blood, but the force involved ..."
Over by the ruined giant throne, the grungy god in the mechanic's uniform shook his head. "My boy Leo built a good ship, but it won't sustain that kind of stress. It would break apart as soon as it arrived, maybe sooner."
Leo straightened his tool belt. "The Argo II can make it. It only has to stay in one piece long enough to get us back home. Once there, we can abandon ship."
"Dangerous," warned Hephaestus. "Perhaps fatal."
The goddess Nike twirled a laurel wreath on her finger. "Victory is always dangerous. And it often requires sacrifice. Leo Valdez and I have discussed this." She stared pointedly at Leo. Jasper and I exchanged glances.
I remembered Asclepius's grim expression when the doctor had examined Leo. Oh, my. Oh, I see ... I knew what we had to do to defeat Gaia. So did Leo.
"Leo," Annabeth said, "what is Nike talking about?"Leo waved off the question. "The usual. Victory. Sacrifice. Blah, blah, blah. Doesn't matter. We can do this, guys. We have to do this."
A feeling of dread settled over me. Zeus was correct about one thing: the worst was yet to come.
To storm or fire the world must fall.
"Leo's right. All aboard for one last trip." Jason said.
***
So much for a nice farewell.
The last I saw of Zeus, he was a hundred feet tall, holding the Argo II by its prow. He boomed, "HOLD ON!"
Then he tossed the ship up and spiked it overhand like a volleyball.
If I hadn't been below deck I would have disintegrated. As it was, my stomach tried to stay behind in Greece.
The hatch opened and we all scrambled out and met Jason and Leo above deck.
The sky turned black. The ship rattled and creaked. The deck cracked like thin ice under my legs and, with a sonic boom, the Argo II hurtled out of the clouds. We spiraled downward in free fall. The sails were on fire. Festus creaked in alarm. A catapult peeled away and lifted into the air. Centrifugal force sent the shields flying off the railings like metal Frisbees.
Wider cracks opened in the deck as I staggered towards the hold, using the guiding rope we had attached.
Frank changed form. Instead of a dazed demigod, he was now a dazed grey dragon. Hazel climbed onto his neck. Jasper grabbed my hand and pulled me onto Frank's back with him. I glanced at Leo. He nodded.
We were leaving him behind. I hated it but I saw determination in Leo's eyes.
I took a last look at the splintering ship.
The Argo II had been our home for so long. Now we were abandoning it for good – and leaving Leo behind.
Frank grabbed Percy and Annabeth in his front claws, then spread his wings and soared away.
The view was a spinning kaleidoscope of sky, earth, sky, earth. The ground was getting awfully close.
The ground wasn't much less chaotic.
As we plummeted, I saw a vast army of monsters spread across the hills – cynocephali, two-headed men, wild centaurs, ogres and others I couldn't even name – surrounding two tiny islands of demigods. At the crest of Half-Blood Hill, gathered at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, was the main force of Camp Half-Blood along with the First and Fifth Cohorts, rallied around the golden eagle of the legion. The other three Roman cohorts were in a defensive formation several hundred yards away and seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack.
Giant eagles circled Jason, screeching urgently, as if looking for orders.
Frank the grey dragon flew alongside with his passengers.
"Hazel!" Jason yelled. "Those three cohorts are in trouble! If they don't merge with the rest of the demigods –"
"On it!" Hazel said. "Go, Frank!"
Dragon Frank veered to the left with Annabeth in one claw yelling, "Let's get 'em!" and Percy in the other claw screaming, "I hate flying!"
Frank veered right towards the summit of Half-Blood Hill.
My heart lifted when I saw Nico di Angelo on the front lines with the Greeks, slashing his way through a crowd of two-headed men. A few feet away, Reyna sat astride a new pegasus, her sword drawn. She shouted orders at the legion, and the Romans obeyed without question, as if she'd never been away.
I didn't see Octavian anywhere. Good. Neither did I see a colossal earth goddess laying waste to the world. Very good. Perhaps Gaia had risen, taken one look at the modern world and decided to go back to sleep. I wished we could be that lucky, but I doubted it.
I glanced behind me at Jasper. Determination was on his face. But yet he smiled at me and kissed me.
"Ready to win?" He asked.
"Yeah," I said, feeling adrenaline run through me again. "I'll show Zeus who he's messing with."
Frank dropped Jasper and I off on the hill, our weapons drawn, and a cheer went up from the Greeks and the Romans.
"About time!" Reyna called. "Glad you could join us!"
I grinned. "We had some giants to kill!"
"Excellent!" Reyna returned the smile. "Help yourself to some barbarians."
"Why, thank you!"
Jasper and Reyna launched into battle side by side. Jasper commanded the Roman legion and they followed not even hesitating to follow their new praetors orders. Piper and Jason soon landed and began fighting with them.
Nico nodded to me as if we'd just seen each other five minutes ago, then went back to turning two-headed men into no-headed corpses. "Good timing. Where's the ship?"
I pointed. The Argo II streaked across the sky in a ball of fire, shedding burning chunks of mast, hull and armament. I didn't see how even fireproof Leo could survive in that inferno, but he had to hope.
"Gods," Nico said. "Is everyone okay?"
"Leo ..." My voice broke. "He said he had a plan."
The comet disappeared behind the western hills. I waited with dread for the sound of an explosion, but U heard nothing over the roar of battle. Nico met my eyes. "He'll be fine."
"Sure."
"But just in case ... For Leo."
"For Leo," I agreed. We charged into the fight.
My anger gave him renewed strength. The Greeks and Romans slowly pushed back the enemies. Wild centaurs toppled. Wolf-headed men howled as they were cut to ashes.
More monsters kept appearing – karpoi grain spirits swirling out of the grass, gryphons diving from the sky, lumpy clay humanoids that made me think of evil Play-Doh men.
"They're ghosts with earthen shells!" Nico warned. "Don't let them hit you!"
Obviously Gaia had kept some surprises in reserve.
That's when I saw Will Solace, the lead camper for Apollo, my brother. He ran up to Nico and said something in his ear.
"Will!" I called out to him. There was a small break in the fighting and I ran and hugged him. I'd missed his familiar messy blonde hair.
"Eliana!" He said equally relieved to see me. "There's so much I want to ask you - but right now we've got to go." He glanced back at Nico.
Wait. I glanced between them. Was Will looking at him how I think he was looking at him. Will glanced back at me and caught my questioning gaze. His ears tinged pink.
No, freaking way.
In all of Olympus I never thought...
"Eliana, we gotta go!" Nico said. I gave look to Will that said: We will be talking about this later.
"Fine! I'm coming with you then!" I said. They looked like wanted to argue but just then a monster showed up.
I fought it and dodged an ogre club and stabbed a grain spirit, which exploded in a cloud of wheat.
I heard Reyna yell, "Eiaculare flammas!" and a wave of flaming arrows arced over the legion's shield wall, destroying a platoon of ogres. The Roman ranks moved forward, impaling centaurs and trampling wounded ogres under their bronze-tipped boots.
Somewhere downhill, I heard Jasper yell in Latin: "Repellere equites!"
A massive herd of centaurs parted in a panic as the legion's other three cohorts ploughed through in perfect formation, their spears bright with monster blood. Jasper marched before them. I beamed with pride.
"Ave, Praetor Herman!" Reyna called.
"Ave, Praetor Ramírez-Arellano!" Jasper said. "Let's do this. Legion, CLOSE RANKS!"
A cheer went up among the Romans as the five cohorts melded into one massive killing machine. Jasper pointed his spear forward and, from the golden eagle standard, tendrils of lightning swept across the enemy, turning several hundred monsters to toast.
"Legion, cuneum formate!" Reyna yelled. "Advance!"
Another cheer on my right as Percy and Annabeth reunited with the forces of Camp Half- Blood.
"Greeks!" Percy yelled. "Let's, um, fight stuff!"
We yelled like banshees and charged.
I grinned. I loved the Greeks. We had no organization whatsoever, but we made up for it with enthusiasm.
Will and Nico dashed off into the fray and I followed.
I plunged into the chaos, following Will. We passed Tyson and his Cyclopes, who were bellowing, "Bad dog! Bad dog!" as we bashed the heads of the cynocephali. Grover Underwood and a team of satyrs danced around with their panpipes, playing harmonies so dissonant that the earthen- shelled ghosts cracked apart. Travis Stoll ran past, arguing with his brother. "What do you mean we set the landmines on the wrong hill?"
We sprinted towards the nearest onager. As we got closer, I spotted Octavian furiously re- adjusting the machine's targeting levers. The throwing arm was already primed with a full payload of Imperial gold and explosives. The augur rushed about, tripping over gears and anchor spikes, fumbling with the ropes.
"Octavian!" Nico yelled.
The augur spun, then backed up against the huge sphere of ammunition. His fine purple robes snagged on the trigger rope, but Octavian didn't notice. Fumes from the payload curled about him as if drawn to the Imperial gold jewelry around his arms and neck, the golden wreath in his hair.
"Oh, I see!" Octavian's laughter was brittle and quite insane. "Trying to steal my glory, eh? No, no, son of Pluto. I am the savior of Rome. I was promised!"
Will raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, get away from the onager. That isn't safe."
"Of course it's not! I will shoot Gaia down with this machine!"
Will looked at me for help. But I was too caught up in what Octavian had said.
The savior of Rome
My father had uttered the same words. I glanced back down the hill.
I was feeling good about the battle, except for two big questions: Where was Leo? And where was Gaia?
Unfortunately, I got the second answer first.
Under my feet, the earth rippled as if Half-Blood Hill had become a giant water mattress. Demigods fell. Ogres slipped. Centaurs charged face-first into the grass.
AWAKE, a voice boomed all around them.
A hundred yards away, at the crest of the next hill, the grass and soil swirled upward like the point of a massive drill. The column of earth thickened into the twenty-foot-tall figure of a woman – her dress woven from blades of grass, her skin as white as quartz, her hair brown and tangled like tree roots.
"Little fools." Gaia the Earth Mother opened her pure green eyes. "The paltry magic of your statue cannot contain me."
As she said it, I realized why Gaia hadn't appeared until now. The Athena Parthenos had been protecting the demigods, holding back the wrath of the earth, but even Athena's might could only last so long against a primordial goddess.
Fear as palpable as a cold front washed over the demigod army.
"Stand fast!" Piper shouted, her charmspeak clear and loud. "Greeks and Romans, we can fight her together!"
Gaia laughed. She spread her arms and the earth bent towards her – trees tilting, bedrock groaning, soil rippling in waves. I called upon the horses of Helios again, Phlegom burned beneath me as we rose in the air, but all around me monsters and demigods alike started to sink into the ground. One of Octavian's onagers capsized and disappeared into the side of the hill.
"The whole earth is my body," Gaia boomed. "How would you fight the goddess of –"
FOOOOMP!
In a flash of bronze, Gaia was swept off the hillside, snarled in the claws of a fifty-ton metal dragon.
Festus, reborn, rose into the sky on gleaming wings, spewing fire from his maw triumphantly. As he ascended, the rider on his back got smaller and more difficult to discern, but Leo's grin was unmistakable.
"Jason! Eliana! Jasper!" he shouted down. "You coming? The fight is up here!"