𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐗𝐈𝐑, 𝐏𝐉

𝟎𝟎𝟖.𝟓

𝟎𝟎𝟖.𝟓

Juliet felt like she was going to die. She was bleeding out, she knew she was bleeding out and she was probably poisoned. Her hand went to her stomach, there were two wounds, Percy knew about the first one on her arm but not the one on her stomach, she'd been dealt two blows.

She'd somehow stopped the bleeding in her stomach, healed herself enough so now the wound was just poisoned and ached, but the hand was still gushing blood out and she felt beyond dizzy.

"Get me a gauze bandage," She whispered breathlessly to Augustus who nodded and immediately rushed out, Juliet clasped Annabeth's hand and held it over her wound. "Stop the bleeding,"

The Apollo cabin wasn't here, no medics around them, Juliet herself, was her only hope. She had to save herself here.

Augustus came back with a gauze, handing it over to Silena as Juliet instructed them to wrap in on her arm, "Tightly to to stop the bleeding,"

Juliet shivered, her blood pressure was low, she'd lost too much blood, her body was getting cold, "Blankets, please, it's cold."

Annabeth nodded as she found some blankets, Augustus and her hastily wrapping Juliet in them to stop the shivering. Juliet's eyes dropped, she was loosing breath here, she was tired, if she just had a little more energy she could've stopped the bleeding.

Juliet heard some shuffling around her, and soon felt the gentle hands of Will unwrapping the bandages to examine the wound. The bleeding had stopped but the gash looked deep. The skin around the cut was a horrible shade of green.

"Blood pressure low, blood loss, venom hasn't seeped in yet, used the gauze to stop the flow," Juliet mumbled her diagnosis to Will, knowing she would be safe, now. Will was one of the best healers in the camp.

"Jules. . ." Juliet looked up, her drooping eyes meeting Percy's as he choked up. A jolt of hot pain went through her stomach making her convulse.

Fuck, the wound on the stomach was bad.

Will exhaled with relief, wiping her forehead gently, "It's not so bad, Julie. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past the shoulder yet due to your first aid. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nectar."

Percy grabbed a canteen. Will cleaned out the wound with the godly drink while he held Juliet's hand.

"So tired," She mumbled looking him in the eyes, her own drooping, "Just want to rest."

She gripped his fingers lightly as if there was no pain in her body. Will put some silver paste over the wound and hummed words in Ancient Greek—a hymn to Apollo. Then he applied fresh bandages and stood up shakily.

The healing must've taken a lot of his energy. He looked almost as pale as Juliet.

"That should do it," he said. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies."

He grabbed a piece of hotel stationery, jotted down some notes, and handed it to one of the Athena guys. "There's a Duane Reade on Fifth. Normally I would never steal—"

"I would," Travis volunteered.

Will glared at him. "Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat."

Nobody disagreed. There was hardly a single demigod who hadn't already been wounded . . . except Percy.

"Come on, guys," Augustus said. "Let's give Juliet some space. We've got a drugstore to raid . . . I mean, visit."

The demigods shuffled back inside. Annabeth grabbed his shoulder as she was leaving. "We'll talk later, but it's under control. I'm using the shield to keep an eye on things. The enemy withdrew at sunrise; not sure why. We've got a lookout at each bridge and tunnel."

"Thanks," he said.

She nodded. "Just take your time."

She closed the terrace doors behind him, leaving Silena, Juliet, and Percy alone.

Silena pressed a cool cloth to Juliet's forehead. "This is all my fault."

"No," Juliet said weakly. "Silena, how is it your fault?"

"I've never been any good at camp," she murmured. "Not like you or Percy. If I was a better fighter . . ."

Her mouth trembled. Ever since Beckendorf died she'd been getting worse, and every time they looked at her, it made them angry about his death all over again. Her expression reminded them of glass—like she might break any minute. Percy swore to himself that if he ever found the spy who'd cost her boyfriend his life, He would give him to Mrs. O'Leary as a chew toy.

"You're a great camper," He told Silena. "You're the best pegasus rider we have. And you get along with people. Believe me, anyone who can make friends with Clarisse has talent."

She stared at him like he'd just given her an idea. "That's it! We need the Ares cabin. I can talk to Clarisse. I know I can convince her to help us."

"Whoa, Silena. Even if you could get off the island, Clarisse is pretty stubborn. Once she gets angry—"

"Please," Silena said. "I can take a pegasus. I know I can make it back to camp. Let me try."

Percy exchanged looks with Juliet. She nodded slightly.

He didn't like the idea. He didn't think Silena stood a chance of convincing Clarisse to fight. On the other hand, Silena was so distracted right now that she would just get herself hurt in battle. Maybe sending her back to camp would give her something else to focus on.

"All right," he told her. "I can't think of anybody better to try."

Silena threw her arms around him. Then she pushed back awkwardly, glancing at Juliet. "Um, sorry. Thank you, Percy! I won't let you down!"

Once she was gone, he knelt next to Juliet and felt her forehead. She was still burning up.

"You're cute when you're worried," she muttered. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together."

"I'll act cute for you just don't make me worried." Percy kissed her forehead, swiping stray hair away from her face. Juliet's eyes grew misty, as she reached for his palm.

"Percy,"

"Yeah?"

"Percy, I'm bleeding out." His casualness dropped when he felt the warmth of liquid on his palm, his eyes snapping to where she held his hand on her stomach, her eyes pained as she cried. Percy's entire being shut down, why was she holding his hand right where Patroclus had been stabbed. "I'm bleeding out. I don't want to bleed out."

"Jules, Jules look at me! Medic! We need a Medic!" Percy grasped Juliet's crying face, holding it and shaking her lightly as her eyes drooped, "Medic!"

Lee burst through the door, his eyes scanning the scene before dropping to Juliet's blood soaked t shirt, making him curse as he rushed forward. "I'm not a good medic, Percy," He pressed his palm on Juliet's injury, before looking at Percy, "I'll hold her out but get a good medic, find my siblings, there is not much I can do!"

Percy didn't know where the speed came from, but he was rushing, Annabeth and Augustus looked at him in confusion as he went around grabbing the children of Apollo, until he found Austin Lake healing an Athena kid.

He grabbed Austin by collar dragging him up. Everyone around him looked shocked and confused at his behaviour, "Juliet, help Juliet!"

Then they were all rushing, as soon as Percy talked about Juliet, they were all on high alert helping him rush Austin up. By the time they reached the terrace, Lee was hunched over Juliet his palms glowing, while Juliet's face was utterly calm, as if she was asleep.

"Juliet!" Percy yelled loudly rushing forward, tears nearly escaping his eyes, "Why is she not moving? What's wrong?"

Lee didn't reply back, pushing Percy aside and dragging Austin forward, making his younger sibling take a look at Juliet. Percy made to move forward but Lee held him back with a grim look, "She needs air, don't crowd her."

"Why isn't she waking up?" Percy's words were pure devastation as he looked at her. Lee breathed in harshly, "She's lost too much blood, that's all."

"The pulse is barely there." Austin mumbled and it was enough to send Percy into a frenzy, he struggled against Lee, who was much bigger than him given his age, to reach Juliet. Austin didn't pay him any mind, chanting and mumbling as he got to work.

nearly 15 minutes passed before Austin stood up, staggering on his feet as he moved forward, slumping on Augustus who helped him stand, "Stopped the bleeding, she's fine. Needs rest." He winced lightly as he spoke, the healing having taken too much energy.

Percy rushed forward, making himself at home by Juliet's side. Augustus helped Austin walk downstairs, once they were far away, Austin spoke up, "Gus, don't tell Percy, but Juliet,"

Augustus returned back upstairs with a haunted look. Annabeth looked at him worried, whatever he'd talked about with Austin had been bad. She cornered him, asking him questions, and he just replied with, "Don't let Juliet fight anymore, Beth."

Annabeth didn't know what was happening, or what was going wrong, but she nodded determinedly, promising him she'd take care of it.

They watched Percy napping beside Juliet, he'd been too tired and had fell asleep while holding Juliet's hand.

Annabeth and Augustus watched the sun come up over the city. The traffic should've been heavy by now, but there were no cars honking, no crowds bustling along the sidewalks.

Far away, they could hear a car alarm echo through the streets. A plume of black smoke curled into the sky somewhere over Harlem. They wondered how many ovens had been left on when the Morpheus spell hit; how many people had fallen asleep in the middle of cooking dinner. Pretty soon there would be more fires. Everyone in New York was in danger—and all those lives depended on them.

"You asked me why Hermes was mad at me," Annabeth said.

"It's not important right now—"

"No, I want to tell you. It's been bothering me for a long time. Last year, Luke came to see me in San Francisco."

"In person?" Augustus felt like she'd just hit him with a hammer. "He came to your house?"

"This was before we went into the Labyrinth, before . . ." She faltered, but he knew what she meant: before be turned into Kronos, before she'd fought with him about Luke, "He came under a flag of truce. He said he only wanted five minutes to talk. He looked scared, Gus. He told me Kronos was going to use him to take over the world. He said he wanted to run away, like the old days. He wanted me to come with him."

"But you didn't trust him."

"Of course not. I thought it was a trick. Plus . . . well, a lot of things had changed since the old days. I told Luke there was no way. He got mad. He said . . . he said I might as well fight him right there, because it was the last chance I'd get."

She looked ready to cry. Augustus didn't know that he was capable of feeling sorry until that moment.

"It's okay," he said. "Try to get some rest."

"You don't understand, Gus. Hermes was right. Maybe if I'd gone with him, I could've changed his mind. Or—or I had a knife. Luke was unarmed. I could've—"

"Killed him?" he said. "You know that wouldn't have been right."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Luke said Kronos would use him like a stepping stone. Those were his exact words. Kronos would use Luke, and become even more powerful."

"He did that," Augustus said. "He possessed Luke's body."

"But what if Luke's body is only a transition? What if Kronos has a plan to become even more powerful? I could've stopped him. The war is my fault."

Her story made him feel like an absolute jerk for hating on her. He remembered last summer, when the two-headed god, Janus, had warned Annabeth she would have to make a major choice—and that had happened after she saw Luke. Pan had also said something to her: You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined.

He wanted to tell her that he forgave her, that he was sorry himself. That everything was fine between them, but before he could get up his nerve, the terrace door opened. Connor Stoll stepped through.

"Annabeth, Augustus." He glanced at Percy and Juliet like he didn't want to say anything bad in front of the sleeping couple, but Augustus could tell he wasn't bringing good news. "Mrs. O'Leary just came back with Grover. I think you guys should talk to him."

Grover was having a snack in the living room. He was dressed for battle in an armored shirt made from tree bark and twist ties, with his wooden cudgel and his reed pipes hanging from his belt.

The Demeter cabin had whipped up a whole buffet in the hotel kitchens—everything from pizza to pineapple ice cream. Unfortunately, Grover was eating the furniture. He'd already chewed the stuffing off a fancy chair and was now gnawing the armrest.

"Dude," Augustus said, "we're only borrowing this place."

"Blah-ha-ha!" He had stuffing all over his face. "Sorry, Guys. It's just . . . Louis the Sixteenth furniture. Delicious. Plus I always eat furniture when I get nervous, where's Percy?"

"Asleep," Augustus said. "So what's up?"

He clopped on his hooves. "I heard about Juliet. Is she . . .?"

"She's going to be fine. She's resting." Annabeth provided softly.

Grover took a deep breath. "That's good. I've mobilized most of the nature spirits in the city—well, the ones that will listen to me, anyway." He rubbed his forehead. "I had no idea acorns could hurt so much. Anyway, we're helping out as much as we can."

He told them about the skirmishes they'd seen. Mostly they'd been covering uptown, where the campers didn't have enough demigods. Hellhounds had appeared in all sorts of places, shadow-traveling inside their lines, and the dryads and satyrs had been fighting them off. A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated.

As Grover talked, Thalia entered the room with two of her lieutenants. She nodded to them grimly, went outside to check on Juliet and Percy, and came back in. She listened while Grover completed his report— the details getting worse and worse.

"We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington," he said, his voice trembling. "Almost half my kinsmen. River spirits drowned the giants in the end, but . . ."

Thalia shouldered her bow. "Kronos's forces are still gathering at every bridge and tunnel. And Kronos isn't the only Titan. One of my Hunters spotted a huge man in golden armor mustering an army on the Jersey shore. I'm not sure who he is, but he radiates power like only a Titan or god."

"Great," Augustus said. "Any good news?"

Thalia shrugged. "We've sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan. My best trappers took care of it. Also, it seems like the enemy is waiting for tonight to attack. I think Luke"—she caught herself—"I mean Kronos needs time to regenerate after each fight. He's still not comfortable with his new form. It's taking a lot of his power to slow time around the city."

Grover nodded. "Most of his forces are more powerful at night, too. But they'll be back after sundown."

Annabeth tried to think clearly. "Okay. Any word from the gods?"

Thalia shook her head. "I know Lady Artemis would be here if she could. Athena, too. But Zeus has ordered them to stay at his side. The last I heard, Typhon was destroying the Ohio River valley. He should reach the Appalachian Mountains by midday."

"So at best," Augustus said, "we've got another two days before he arrives."

Jake Mason cleared his throat. He'd been standing there so silently they'd almost forgotten he was in the room.

"Augustus, something else," he said, and with surprise Augustus realised everybody was talking to him like he was Percy's second in command. Their fill in leader until Percy came. "The way Kronos showed up at the Williamsburg Bridge, like he knew Percy was going there. And he shifted his forces to our weakest points. As soon as we deployed, he changed tactics. He barely touched the Lincoln Tunnel, where the Hunters were strong. He went for our weakest spots, like he knew."

"Like he had inside information," Augustus said. "The spy."

"What spy?" Thalia demanded.

He told her about the silver charm Kronos had shown Percy, the communication device.

"That's bad," she said. "Very bad."

"It could be anyone," Jake said. "We were all standing there when Percy gave the orders."

"But what can we do?" Grover asked. "Frisk every demigod until we find a scythe charm?"

They all looked at him, waiting for a decision. He couldn't afford to show how panicked he felt, even if things seemed hopeless. He wasn't Percy, he wasn't cut out for this, he was no leader. But he held up strong for his injured best friend resting in there, he needed to make sure she rested.

"We keep fighting," he said. "We can't obsess about this spy. If we're suspicious of each other, we'll just tear ourselves apart. You guys were awesome last night. I couldn't ask for a braver army. Let's set up a rotation for the watches. Rest up while you can. We've got a long night ahead of us."

The demigods mumbled agreement. They went their separate ways to sleep or eat or repair their weapons.

"Augustus and Annabeth, you too," Thalia said. "We'll keep an eye on things. Go lie down. We need you guys in good shape for tonight."

They all hit the hay, but it wasn't long before Thalia was shaking them all awake. Both Augustus and her rushed to wake Percy up, who was still sleeping clutching on to Juliet.

"Percy," Thalia said, shaking him awake. "Come on. It's late afternoon. We've got visitors."

He sat up, disoriented. His gaze going to Juliet who had still not woken up, he softly caressed her head.

"Visitors?" he said, distracted not even looking at them.

Thalia nodded grimly. "A Titan wants to see you, under a flag of truce. He has a message from Kronos."

"You've met them?" He said.

"Come on, Will is going to watch over Juliet." At those words of reassurance, they finally walked down.

They could see the white flag from half a mile away. It was as big as a soccer field, carried by a thirty-foot- tall giant with bright blue skin and icy gray hair.

"A Hyperborean," Thalia said. "The giants of the north. It's a bad sign that they sided with Kronos. They're usually peaceful."

"Mmm. There's a big colony in Alberta. You do not want to get into a snowball fight with those guys."

As the giant got closer, Percy could see three human-size envoys with him: a half-blood in armor, an empousa demon with a black dress and flaming hair, and a tall man in a tuxedo. The empousa held the tux dude's arm, so they looked like a couple on their way to a Broadway show or something—except for her flaming hair and fangs.

The group walked leisurely toward the Heckscher Playground. The swings and ball courts were empty. The only sound was the fountain on Umpire Rock.

Percy looked at Grover. "The tux dude is the Titan?"

He nodded nervously. "He looks like a magician. I hate magicians. They usually have rabbits."

Augustus stared at him. "You're scared of bunnies?"

"Blah-hah-hah! They're big bullies. Always stealing celery from defenseless satyrs!"

Thalia coughed.

"What?" Grover demanded.

"We'll have to work on your bunny phobia later," Percy said. "Here they come."

The man in the tux stepped forward. He was taller than an average human—about seven feet. His black hair was tied in a ponytail. Dark round glasses covered his eyes, but what really caught their attention was the skin on his face. It was covered in scratches, like he'd been attacked by a small animal— a really, really mad hamster, maybe.

"Percy Jackson," he said in a silky voice. "It's a great honor."

His lady friend the empousa hissed at him. She'd probably heard how Percy'd destroyed two of her sisters last summer.

"My dear," Tux Dude said to her. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?"

She released his arm and drifted over to a park bench.

Percy glanced at the armed demigod behind Tux Dude. He hadn't recognized him in his new helmet, but it was the old backstabbing little fuck Ethan Nakamura. His nose looked like a squashed tomato from their fight on the Williamsburg Bridge. Anger roared in his ears as he looked at him.

"There will be no talking with him here" He pointed riptide straight at Ethan's neck, "I'll kill him."

Ethan glared at him. The Titan motioned lightly and Ethan immediately walked away near the empousa.

"To business." Tux Dude extended his hand. "I am Prometheus."

Percy was too angry to shake. "The fire-stealer guy? The chained-to-the-rock-with-the-vultures guy?"

Prometheus winced. He touched the scratches on his face. "Please, don't mention the vultures. But yes, I stole fire from the gods and gave it to your ancestors. In return, the ever merciful Zeus had me chained to a rock and tortured for all eternity."

"But—"

"How did I get free? Hercules did that, eons ago. So you see, I have a soft spot for heroes. Some of you can be quite civilized."

"Unlike the company you keep," He noticed.

He was glaring at Ethan, but Prometheus apparently thought he meant the empousa.

"Oh, demons aren't so bad," he said. "You just have to keep them well fed. Now, Percy Jackson, let us parley."

He waved Percy toward a picnic table and they sat down. Thalia, Augustus, Annabeth and Grover stood behind him.

The blue giant propped his white flag against a tree and began absently playing on the playground. He stepped on the monkey bars and crushed them, but he didn't seem angry. He just frowned and said, "Uh- oh." Then he stepped in the fountain and broke the concrete bowl in half. "Uh-oh." The water froze where his foot touched it. A bunch of stuffed animals hung from his belt—the huge kind you get for grand prizes at an arcade. He reminded Percy of Tyson, and the idea of fighting him made him sad. But he was getting irritated, his girlfriend was half dead upstairs and he was watching a giant play here.

Prometheus sat forward and laced his fingers. He looked earnest, kindly, and wise. "Percy, your position is weak. You know you can't stop another assault."

"We'll see."

Prometheus looked pained, like he really cared what happened to Percy. "Percy, I'm the Titan of forethought. I know what's going to happen."

"Also the Titan of crafty counsel," Grover put in. "Emphasis on crafty."

Prometheus shrugged. "True enough, satyr. But I supported the gods in the last war. I told Kronos: 'You don't have the strength. You'll lose.' And I was right. So you see, I know how to pick the winning side. This time, I'm backing Kronos."

"Because Zeus chained you to a rock," Augustus guessed.

"Partly, yes. I won't deny I want revenge. But that's not the only reason I'm supporting Kronos. It's the wisest choice. I'm here because I thought you might listen to reason."

He drew a map on the table with his finger. Wherever he touched, golden lines appeared, glowing on the concrete. "This is Manhattan. We have armies here, here, here, and here. We know your numbers. We outnumber you twenty to one."

"Your spy has been keeping you posted," Annabeth guessed.

Prometheus smiled apologetically. "At any rate, our forces are growing daily. Tonight, Kronos will attack. You will be overwhelmed. You've fought bravely, but there's just no way you can hold all of Manhattan. You'll be forced to retreat to the Empire State Building. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen."

Prometheus spoke with such certainty it was hard not to believe him.

"I won't let it happen," Percy said.

Prometheus brushed a speck off his tux lapel. "Understand, Percy. You are refighting the Trojan War here, you've fought it once, Patterns repeat themselves in history. They reappear just as monsters do. A great siege. Two armies. The only difference is, this time you are defending. You are Troy. And you know better than anyone what happened to the Trojans, don't you?"

"I always stand on the winning side Prometheus, I led the Greeks to victory then and I'll do it again."

Prometheus smiled. "Troy was completely destroyed, Percy after Achilles's death. You don't want that to happen here. Stand down, and New York will be spared.You wouldn't have to die and your troy wouldn't have to fall. Your forces will be granted amnesty. I will personally assure your safety. Let Kronos take Olympus. Who cares? Typhon will destroy the gods anyway."

"Right," Percy said. "And I'm supposed to believe Kronos would spare the city."

"All he wants is Olympus," Prometheus promised. "The might of the gods is tied to their seats of power. You saw what happened to Poseidon once his undersea palace was attacked."

He winced, remembering how old and decrepit his father looked.

"Yes," Prometheus said sadly. "I know that was hard for you. When Kronos destroys Olympus, the gods will fade. They will become so weak they will be easily defeated. Kronos would rather do this while Typhon has the Olympians distracted in the west. Much easier. Fewer lives lost. But make no mistake, the best you can do is slow us down. The day after tomorrow, Typhon arrives in New York, and you will have no chance at all. The gods and Mount Olympus will still be destroyed, but it will be much messier. Much, much worse for you and your city. Either way, the Titans will rule."

Thalia pounded her fist on the table. "I serve Artemis. The Hunters will fight to our last breath. Percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?"

He figured Prometheus was going to blast her, but he just smiled. "Your courage does you credit, Thalia Grace."

Thalia stiffened. "That's my mother's surname. I don't use it."

"As you wish," Prometheus said casually, but Percy could tell he'd gotten under her skin. He'd never even heard Thalia's last name before. Somehow it made her seem almost normal. Less mysterious and powerful.

"At any rate," the Titan said, "you need not be my enemy. I have always been a helper of mankind."

"That's a load of Minotaur dung," Thalia said. "When mankind first sacrificed to the gods, you tricked them into giving you the best portion. You gave us fire to annoy the gods, not because you cared about us."

Prometheus shook his head. "You don't understand. I helped shape your nature."

A wiggling lump of clay appeared in his hands. He fashioned it into a little doll with legs and arms. The lump man didn't have any eyes, but it groped around the table, stumbling over Prometheus's fingers. "I have been whispering in man's ear since the beginning of your existence. I represent your curiosity, your sense of exploration, your inventiveness. Help me save you, Percy. Do this, and I will give mankind a new gift—a new revelation that will move you as far forward as fire did. You can't make that kind of advance under the gods. They would never allow it. But this could be a new golden age for you. Or . . ." He made a fist and smashed the clay man into a pancake.

The blue giant rumbled, "Uh-oh." Over at the park bench, the empousa bared her fangs in a smile.

"Percy, you know the Titans and their offspring are not all bad," Prometheus said. "You've met Calypso."

His face felt hot. "That's different."

"How? Much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was Atlas's daughter. We are not your enemies. Don't let the worst happen," he pleaded. "We offer you peace."

Percy looked at Ethan, yeah sure he'd go on the other side and join hands with his girlfriend abuser dude.

Prometheus studied him as if trying to understand his anger. Then he nodded like he'd just picked a thought from his brain.

"Achilles has taken over your emotions," he decided. "And it bothers you why Luke did what he did, Hestia didn't show you the full story. Perhaps if you understood . . ."

The Titan reached out.

Annabeth cried a warning, but before Percy could react, Prometheus's index finger touched his forehead.

The image faded. Prometheus pulled his hand away from Percy's forehead.

"Percy?" Thalia asked. "What . . . what was that?" he realized he was clammy with sweat.

Percy was too stunned to answer.

Prometheus nodded sympathetically. "Appalling, isn't it? The gods know what is to come, and yet they do nothing, even for their children. How long did it take for them to tell you your prophecy, Percy Jackson? Don't you think your father knows what will happen to you?"

"Perrrcy," Grover warned, "he's playing with your mind. Trying to make you angry." Grover could read emotions, so he probably knew Prometheus was succeeding.

"Do you really blame your friend Luke?" the Titan asked him. "And what about you, Percy? Will you be controlled by your fate? Kronos offers you a much better deal."

Percy clenched his fists. As much as he hated what Prometheus had shown him, he hated Kronos a lot more. "I'll give you a deal. Tell Kronos to call off his attack, leave Luke Castellan's body, and return to the pits of Tartarus. Then maybe I won't have to destroy him,"

The empousa snarled. Her hair erupted in fresh flames, but Prometheus just sighed.

"If you change your mind," he said, "I have a gift for you."

A Greek vase appeared on the table. It was about three feet high and a foot wide, glazed with black- and-white geometric designs. The ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness.

Grover whimpered when he saw it.

Annabeth gasped. "That's not—"

"Yes," Prometheus said. "You recognize it."

Looking at the jar, Percy felt a strange sense of fear, but he had no idea why.

"This belonged to my sister-in-law," Prometheus explained. "Pandora."

A lump formed in his throat. "As in Pandora's box?"

Prometheus shook his head. "I don't know how this box business got started. It was never a box. It was a pithos, a storage jar. I suppose Pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that. Yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind—fear, death, hunger, sickness."

"Don't forget me," the empousa purred.

"Indeed," Prometheus conceded. "The first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by Pandora. But what I find curious about the story—Pandora always gets the blame. She is punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe that this is the lesson: mankind should not explore. They should not ask questions. They should do what they are told. In truth, Percy, this jar was a trap designed by Zeus and the other gods. It was revenge on me and my entire family—my poor simple brother Epimetheus and his wife Pandora. The gods knew she would open the jar. They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us."

Percy thought about his dream of Hades and Maria di Angelo. Zeus had destroyed an entire hotel to eliminate two demigod children—just to save his own skin, because he was scared of a prophecy. He'd killed an innocent woman and probably hadn't lost any sleep over it. Hades was no better. He wasn't powerful enough to take his revenge on Zeus, so he cursed the Oracle, dooming a young girl to a horrible fate. And Hermes . . . why had he abandoned Luke? Why hadn't he at least warned Luke, or tried to raise him better so he wouldn't turn evil? Apollo who walked around calming his love for Juliet had been the one who had killed her in her past life.

Maybe Prometheus was toying with his mind.

But what if he's right? part of him wondered. How are the gods any better than the Titans?

Prometheus tapped the lid of Pandora's jar. "Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it."

"Hope," Percy replied.

Prometheus looked pleased. "Very good, Percy. Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, would not abandon humanity. Hope does not leave without being given permission. She can only be released by a child of man."

The Titan slid the jar across the table.

"I give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like," he said. "Keep Elpis, if you wish. But if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. Let Elpis go. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors."

Percy stared at the jar and got a very bad feeling. He figured Pandora had been completely ADHD, like him. He could never leave things alone. He didn't like temptation. What if this was his choice? Maybe the prophecy all came down to him keeping this jar closed or opening it.

"I don't want the thing," He growled.

"Too late," Prometheus said. "The gift is given. It cannot be taken back."

"I'll chuck it at your head and it will be taken back," Augustus spoke up, but was ignored with a smile by the Titan as he stood up. The empousa came forward and slipped her arm through his, Ethan right behind her.

Percy looked at Ethan and spoke harshly, "Don't show me your face again, kid. I'll fucking kill you."

Ethan turned away, not meeting his eyes.

"Morrain!" Prometheus called to the blue giant. "We are leaving. Get your flag."

"Uh-oh," the giant said.

"We will see you soon, Percy Jackson," Prometheus promised. "One way or another."

Then the truce party turned and strolled up the lane through Central Park, like it was just a regular sunny Sunday afternoon.

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞! So as you guys can see I'm skipping over the whole visions and dream thing because we've all read the books and it's really irritating to read the same stuff again, You guys are here for the Juliet Percy drama not for Luke's backstory, so I will skip on the visions and dreams.