chapter four
battle time
THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS — was fast asleep. It was strange to Gabriella, seeing the noisy city she had grown to love being in complete silence. The only one who seemed happy about this was Mrs. O'Leary, Percy's pet hellhound. They found her by a fallen hot dog stand, peacefully licking the owner's thumb while he was asleep.
Every demigod looked like they were freaking out. Argus, who was waiting for all of them, had his one hundred eyes wide opened in fright. He never spoke, supposedly because there was an eye on his tongue, but it seemed clear he was just as nervous.
Percy filled him in on what happened on Olympus and how the gods wouldn't be doing anything. Argus rolled his eyes in disgust, making Gabriella squirm a little. His whole body swirled.
"You'd better get back to camp," Percy told him. "Guard it as best you can."
Argus pointed at him and raised his eyebrow.
"I'm staying," Percy informed him.
Argus nodded, then looked at Annabeth, drawing a circle in the air with his finger.
"Yes," Annabeth agreed. "I think it's time."
"For what?" Percy questioned.
Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield, handing it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much like the round shield they'd used in capture the flag. However, once Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty—which wasn't even near them.
"Whoa," Percy stared at it. "A video shield."
"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth explained. "I had Beckendorf make this before—" she glanced at Silena. "Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon, as long as natural light is touching it. Look."
Everyone crowded around as Annabeth concentrated. The image zoomed and spun at first, which made Gabriella a little motion sick just watching it. They were in the Central Park Zoo, zooming down East 60th, going past Bloomingdale's, then turning on Third Avenue.
"Whoa," Connor said. "Back up. Zoom in right there."
"What?" Annabeth said nervously. "You see invaders?"
"No, right there—Dylan's Candy Bar." Connor grinned at his brother. "Dude, it's open. And everyone is asleep. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Connor!" Katie scolded. "This is serious. You are not going to loot a candy store in the middle of a war!"
"Sorry," Connor muttered, not even with an ounce of shame.
Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield, and another scene appeared: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.
"This will let us see what's going on across the city," she said. "Thank you, Argus. Hopefully we'll see you back at camp...someday."
Argus grunted. He and the two harpy drivers swerved away, leaving clusters of idle cars, littering the road. Percy whistled for Mrs. O'Leary, and she came over.
"Hey girl," Percy greeted. "You remember Grover? The satyr we met in the park?"
"WOOF!"
"I need you to find him," Percy instructed. "Make sure he's still awake. We're going to need his help. You got that? Find Grover!"
Mrs. O'Leary gave him a sloppy wet kiss and ran north.
Pollux crouched down by a sleeping policeman. "I don't get it. Why didn't we fall asleep too? Why just the mortals?"
"This is a huge spell," Silena answered. "The bigger the spell, the easier it is to resist. If you want to sleep millions of mortals, you've got to cast a very thin layer of magic. Sleeping demigods is much harder."
Percy stared at her in surprise. "When did you learn so much about magic?"
Silena blushed. "I don't spend all my time on my wardrobe."
"Percy," Annabeth called. She was still looking at the shield. "You'd better see this."
The bronze image revealed Long Island Sound close to La Guardia. A fleet of a dozen speedboats raced to Manhatten in the dark waters. Every boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. At the back of the boat, there was a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe that flapped in the night wind. Gabriella never saw that design before, but she instantly knew what it meant: it was the battle flag of Kronos.
"Scan the perimeter," Percy ordered. "Quick."
Annabeth shifted the image south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was furrowing through the waves near Ellis Island. The deck was full of dracaenae and a whole pack of hellhounds. Swimming in front of the ship were marine mammals. Gabriella assumed they were dolphins—until she saw their doglike faces and how swords were strapped to their waists. They were telkines—sea demons. Last summer, she encountered them for the first tine with Percy, and it wasn't exactly a great experience. She grimaced.
The scene changed again: the Jersey shore, right at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. Hundreds of monsters marched past the lanes of the stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclopes, some fire-spitting dragons, as well as, a World War II–era tank that pushed cars out as it made it's way to the tunnel.
"What about the mortals outside of Manhattan?" Gabriella questioned. "Would this mean the whole state asleep?"
Annabeth frowned. "I don't think so, but it's strange. As far as I can tell from these pictures, Manhattan is totally asleep. Then there's like a fifty-mile radius around the island where time is running really, really slow. The closer you get to Manhattan, the slower it is."
She showed them another scene—a New Jersey highway. It was Saturday night, so the traffic wasn't as bad as it might've been on a weekday. The drivers looked awake, but the cars were moving at around one mile per hour. Birds flew in slow motion.
"Kronos," Percy realized. "He's slowing time."
"Hecate might be helping," Katie said. "Look how the cars are all veering away from the Manhattan exits, like they're getting a subconscious message to turn back."
"I don't know." Annabeth admitted frustratedly. Gabriella knew all too well how much Annabeth hated not knowing. "But somehow they've surrounded Manhattan in layers of magic. The outside world might not even realize something is wrong. Any mortals coming toward Manhattan will slow down so much they won't know what's happening."
"Like flies in amber," Jake murmured.
Annabeth nodded. "We shouldn't expect any help coming in."
Gabriella turned to the rest of camp. They all looked terrified and stunned, which was completely understandable. Although she didn't show it, she felt the same way. There were forty of them and no other help.
"All right," Percy decided. "We're going to hold Manhattan."
Gabriella stared at him wide eyed. "Percy, Manhattan is huge."
"We are going to hold it," Percy repeated determinedly. "We have to."
"He's right," Annabeth agreed. "The gods of the wind should keep Kronos's forces away from Olympus by air, so he'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off the entrances to the island."
"They have boats," Michael pointed out.
"I'll take care of the boats," Percy replied.
Michael frowned. "How?"
"Just leave it to me," Percy said. "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll try a midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael, take Apollo's cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, Demeter's cabin takes the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to do, but keep them out of there! Conner, take half of Hermes cabin and cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And no stopping for looting or pillaging!"
"Awwww!" The Hermes kids complained.
"Silena, take the Aphrodite crew to the Queens– Midtown Tunnel."
"Oh my gods," Drew exclaimed. "Fifth Avenue is so on our way! We could accessorize, and monsters, like, totally hate the smell of Givenchy."
"No delays," Percy reminded. "Well...the perfume thing, if you think it'll work."
Gabriella couldn't help but laugh seeing some of her siblings give Percy kisses on the cheek. Percy looked at her for help, his face flushed.
"Don't expect a kiss from me," Gabriella shook her head, smirking. Percy rolled his eyes.
"All right, enough!" He closed his eyes, pausing for a moment. "The Holland Tunnel. Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got."
Jake grinned. "Gladly. We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!" The whole cabin roared in approval.
"The 59th Street Bridge," Percy stated. "Clarisse—" His voice faltered, remembering the Ares cabin was sitting out.
Gabriella frowned. Melody had convinced Michael gave them the chariot back, yet they still want to sit out. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with Clarisse.
"We'll step in," Annabeth stepped in. "Malcolm, take the Athena cabin, activate plan twenty-three along the way, just like I showed you. Hold that position."
"You got it." Malcolm nodded.
"Gabriella and I will go with Percy," Annabeth stated. "Then we'll join you, or we'll go wherever we're needed."
Gabriella looked at her questioningly. "We are?"
"You're stuck with me, Beauty." Annabeth's eyes widened for a moment as she let the old nickname slip out.
Gabriella felt her cheeks tinted pink. She couldn't remember the last time Annabeth called her that. She knew it was definitely pre-Percy. It was an old name Annabeth came up with after she called her Wise Girl. Not that Gabriella would say anything, but she was kinda sad that nickname never stuck.
"No detours, you two." A voice called out.
Gabriella's head whipped to face the crowd, wondering who said that. Then back at Percy, who looked like he was fighting back a smile.
"All right," Percy said. "Keep in touch with cell phones."
"We don't have cell phones," Silena protested.
Percy reached down, picked up some snoring lady's BlackBerry and tossed it to Silena. "You do now. You all know Annabeth's number, right? If you need us, pick up a random phone and call us. Use it once, drop it, then borrow another one if you have to. That should make it harder for the monsters to zero in on you."
Everyone grinned as if they liked this idea.
Travis cleared his throat. "Uh, if we find a really nice phone—"
"No, you can't keep it," Percy shook his head.
"Aw, man."
"Hold it, Percy," Jake cut in. "You forgot the Lincoln Tunnel."
Of course, Percy forgot to position forces in one of the most highly anticipated places monsters would come.
Suddenly a girl's familiar voice called from across the street. "How about you leave that to us?"
A group of thirty adolescent girls crossed Fifth Avenue. They were wearing white shirts, silvery camouflage pants, with combat boots. Swords were at their sides, quivers on their backs, and their bows ready. White timber wolves crowded around their feet, and many of the girls had hunting falcons on their arms.
Gabriella immediately recognized the girl who led them: Thalia Grace. She had spiky black hair and a black leather jacket on. She wore a silver circlet on her head almost like a princess's tiara, which did not go with her Death to Barbie T-shirt showing a little Barbie doll that had an arrow through its head.
"Thalia!" Annabeth cried.
The daughter of Zeus grinned. "The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty."
There were hugs and greetings all around... well mainly just Thalia. The other Hunters didn't like being around campers, especially boys. But they didn't try to attack them, which was good enough.
Once Thalia released Annabeth from a long hug, she looked at Gabriella. "Good to see you again, Gabriella."
"You too, Thalia." Gabriella grinned. A few years ago, when Thalia turned back into a demigod, they got the chance to hang out a little bit with Annabeth. At first, Gabriella was a little intimidated by the girl. But now, even though Thalia was still a little intimidating (being like Annabeth's older sister and all), Gabriella thought she was pretty cool. Turns out, there was no better way to bond than catching her up on all the juicy Camp Half-Blood drama she missed while being a tree.
"Where have you been the last year?" Percy asked Thalia. "You've got like twice as many Hunters now!"
She laughed. "Long, long story. I bet my adventures were more dangerous than yours, Jackson."
"Complete lie," Percy stated
"We'll see," she promised. "After this is over, you, Annabeth, and me: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West 57th." She looked back at Gabriella and Annabeth, a playful glint in her eyes. "Gab can come too. And anyone else you think is special enough to join." Gabriella could've sworn she saw Percy's gaze flicker to Melody.
"Le Parker Meridien," Percy decided. "You're on. And Thalia, thanks."
Thalia shrugged. "Those monsters won't know what hit them. Hunters, move out!"
She slapped her silver bracelet, and the shield Aegis spiraled into full form. The Hunters took off down the avenue, followed by their wolves and falcons. Gabriella was sure Lincoln Tunnel was in good hands.
"Thank the gods," Annabeth said in relief. "But if we don't blockade the rivers from those boats, guarding the bridges and tunnels will be pointless."
"You're right," Percy nodded. He turned to address the rest of camp. "You're the greatest heroes of this millennium," Percy told them. "It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win." He raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!"
Everyone shouted in response, forty voices echoed off the buildings of Midtown. For a moment it sounded brave, but it died quickly as the silence of New York took over.
As everyone quickly dispersed into their areas, Percy quickly made his way over to Melody. Now Gabriella knew eavesdropping was wrong...but she was curious.
"Good luck," Percy told her, taking her hand. "Be careful, okay?"
Melody nodded. "You too. I know you have the Achilles curse and stuff—but still." She gazed up at him, her eyes soft with concern.
Yep. It was crystal clear to Gabriella her best friend was definitely falling for him.
"Melody!" Michael called, gesturing for her to get moving.
"Yeah, totally. I—I'll see you around." Percy said. Melody squeezed his hand, and giving him one last smile. He watched as she ran to join her siblings.
Okay Gabriella will admit, at first the idea of Melody and Percy together was...not exactly ideal. But as she saw their cute, awkward interactions over the last year, Gabriella realized they are actually a good pairing. Sure, she thought the same thing about Annabeth and Percy—but she had a feeling it was different this time. She knew Percy long enough to know that he would be a good boyfriend. Gabriella always pictured him as a boyfriend for Annabeth, but now she knew he was meant for someone else all along.
Gabriella elbowed him. "Slick, Jackson."
"Shut up, Lover Girl." Percy grumbled. "Let's go."
If luck was ever in their hands, the trio would've probably fought over which car to take. However, none were an option, since they were all wedged in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It was strange, since none of the engines were running. Most drivers looked like they were about to pull over to the curb. The streets were still hard to navigate though.
Finally, they found an unconscious courier leaning against a brick wall on his red Vespa. The demigods dragged him off the scooter and laid him gently on the sidewalk.
"Sorry, dude," Percy mumbled.
"You know how to ride this thing?" Gabriella raised her eyebrow.
Percy shrugged. "It can't be that hard." He sat down in the front seat and gestured for the girls to sit behind him. "I promise I won't crash."
Gabriella hesitantly sat behind him, wrapping her awkwardly wrapping her arms around his waist. Then Annabeth sat in the back, wrapping her arms around her waist. Gabriella felt her head leaning on her shoulder. Now that made her feel a lot more comfortable.
They zigzagged down Broadway, their engine buzzing through the eerie, calm city. The only sounds were occasional cell phones ringing—like they were trying to call each other. It was almost like New York turned into a giant electronic aviary.
The progress was slow. They'd often pass civilians who fell asleep right in front of a car, and they'd move them just to be safe. Then, Percy had to extinguish a pretzel vendor's cart that had caught on fire. Then they found a baby carriage that was rolling aimlessly down the street. Gabriella panicked, and ran after it. Turns out, there was no baby inside—but there was a cute, sleeping poodle.The trio parked it safely in a doorway and kept driving.
When they passed Madison Square Park, Annabeth said, "Pull over."
Percy stopped in the middle of East 23rd street. Annabeth jumped and ran toward the park. Gabriella and Percy exchanged looks, and ran to join her. By the time they caught up with her, they saw her staring at a bronze statue on a red marble pedestal. Gabriella had seen it plenty of times, but never really looked deeply into it.
The guy was sitting in a chair, his legs crossed. He wore a suit, giving Abraham Lincoln vibes, with a black tie and long coattails. Bronze books were piled under his seat. "He held a writing quill in one hand and a big metal sheet of parchment in the other.
"Why do we care about..." Percy squinted at the name on the pedestal. "William H. Steward?"
"Seward," Annabeth corrected. "He was a New York governor. Minor demigod—son of Hebe, I think. But that's not important. It's the statue I care about."
She climbed on a park bench and studied the base of the statue.
"Don't tell me he's an automaton," Percy groaned.
Annabeth smiled. "Turns out most of the statues in the city are automatons. Daedalus planted them here just in case he needed an army."
"To attack Olympus or defend it?" Percy questioned.
Annabeth shrugged. "Either one. That was plan twenty-three. He could activate one statue and it would start activating its brethren all over the city, until there was an army. It's dangerous, though. You know how unpredictable automatons are."
"Uh-huh," Percy nodded. "You're seriously thinking about activating it?"
"I have Daedalus's notes," she told him. "I think I can...Ah, here we go."
She pressed the tip of Seward's boot and the statue stood up, its quill and paper ready.
"What's he going to do?" Percy muttered. "Take a memo?"
"Shh," Annabeth. "Hello, William."
"Bill," Percy suggested.
"Hi Bill," Gabriella greeted.
"Bill...Oh, shut up," Annabeth rolled her eyes. The statue tilted its head, looking at them with blank metal eyes.
Annabeth cleared her throat. "Hello, er, Governor Seward. Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Defend Manhattan. Begin Activation."
Seward jumped off his pedestal, startling Gabriella. His shoes cracked the sidewalk. Then he casually went clanking off toward the east.
"He's probably going to wake up Confucius," Annabeth guessed.
"What?" Percy asked.
"Another statute on Division. The point is, they'll keep waking each other up until they're all activated."
"And then?"
"Hopefully, they defend Manhattan."
"Do they know that we're not the enemy?"
"I think so."
"Very reassuring." Gabriella thought about all the bronze statues scatttered around New York. She was sure there more than a hundred—maybe thousands of them.
Then a ball of green light exploded in the night sky. It was Greek fire, somewhere in the East River.
"We have to hurry," Percy urged. They ran to the Vespa.
The demigods parked outside Battery Park, where the Hudson and East Rivers came together and emptied into the bay.
"Wait here," Percy told the girls.
"Percy, you shouldn't go alone." Annabeth shook her head.
"Well, unless you can breathe underwater..."
Gabriella sighed. "You're so annoying."
"Like when I'm right?" Percy raised his eyebrow. "Trust me, I'll be fine. I've got the curse of Achilles now. I'll all invincible and stuff."
The girls didn't look convinced.
"Just be careful. We don't want anything to happen to you." Annabeth told him earnestly. "We need you in battle."
Gabriella nodded. "And if I have to tell Sally that something happened to her son—again, I swear to g—"
Percy just grinned. "Be back in a flash."
He clambered down the shoreline and waded into the water. Now it was just Gabriella and Annabeth. Alone. Together. She could count on one hand how many times they actually got to hang out just the two of them this summer. They either had a third person with them, or were in a large group.
"So..." Annabeth started awkwardly.
"So..." Gabriella repeated.
The next few seconds were filled with silence.
"It's weird right?" Annabeth began. "Seeing New York so silent?"
"Very." Gabriella agreed. "Percy and I would always drive pass these bustling streets, going to the movies after school, hang out with Ra—a friend."
She didn't miss the way Annabeth stiffened at the sound of Rachel's name. Annabeth looked down at the ground, fiddling with her dad's ring.
It was a known fact that Annabeth absolutely despised Rachel. Gabriella couldn't really pinpoint why. Maybe it was because she took over her quest, or...?
While Gabriella and Percy attended Goode, Rachel was their only friend. She gave them a taste of normalcy. Gabriella liked her company, and they hung out a lot this past year—with and without Percy. Being with Rachel didn't seem complicated, well at least for the most part. Things happened, things got awkward, and the last time Gabriella had seen her was the day before she left for camp.
"Um... look Brie," Annabeth began hesitantly. "I need to tell you something." Was she...blushing?
Gabriella nodded. Annabeth took a deep breath. "About last summer—" The phone rang, interrupting her. The daughter of Athena closed her eyes for a moment in annoyance, then answered the phone.
It was Michael Yew. Annabeth spoke in a hushed voice, but Gabriella could still hear part of their conversation. Her eyes widened, in surprise. She muttered a curse word in Greek.
When they saw Percy coming back to them, Annabeth hung up the phone, looking shaken up.
"It worked," Percy told them. "The rivers are safe."
"Good," Annabeth nodded. "Because we've got other problems. Michael Yew just called. Another army is marching over the Williamsburg Bridge. The Apollo cabin needs help. And Percy, the monster leading the enemy...it's the Minotaur."
this was kinda boring but its okay bc more shit is gonna go down next chapter !! 😜
literally like a bridge falls apart + more fun stuff especially for melody :)