Book 5 - The Last Olympian
Ayden teleported back down to the entrance to the Empire State Building. Percy was the only one left. He moved toward her holding her close.
"You wouldn't mind giving me a lift to the rivers would you?" He whispered. Ayden leaned back and smiled at him.
"We're already here." She explained. He looked around and realized she'd teleported them there already. He grimaced when he saw the state of the water.
"I'll be right back," He kissed her forehead and waded into the water until she couldn't see him. Ayden paced back and forth as she looked around. There was smoke rising in the distance. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she wished he would hurry. "Well, that's finished." He walked out of the rivers. They looked cleaner somehow.
"What did you give them?" Ayden asked as she reached for his arm.
"A sand dollar helps with the pollution," He smirked. "Where to now?" Ayden pointed toward the smoke with her other hand. She teleported them to Apollo's bridge. They were holding it off well for now.
"Percy," She pointed in the distance seeing the minotaur.
"Looks like I'll be seeing an old friend," He pulled Riptide from his pocket uncapping the pen. There was an explosion from the other side of the city that shook the ground.
"Ayden!" Charlotte yelled. She used her fire to burn the monsters to ash, or she would hold them with the darkness as the Apollo children shot the celestial bronze arrows at them. "Ayden, where is my brother?"
"I don't know," Charlotte had burn marks on her face as she gripped her hand. "Why?"
"Something is wrong, I have to go to him." A tear slid down her cheek. She was hyperventilating.
"I'll do it, you stay here." Ayden looked at Percy. "I'm trusting you, Jackson." He smiled and moved closer kissing her.
"And I won't break that trust." He told her. "Go we'll hold this bridge." She hesitated as Charlotte held onto her hand. "Ayden, go." He charged into the fight. She touched the charm and realized his heart wasn't even racing, he was calm.
"I'll go see what's happening?" Ayden told her.
"Please make sure he's alive, please bring him back." Charlotte wiped her cheeks. "Please Ayden, I can't lose him."
"I'll go see." She patted her shoulder. "Keep your head level. You can do this. Defend the bridge." Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment taking a deep breath. When she opened them all emotion was gone from her face. Her hands burned as she turned letting out a black flame that incinerated each of the monsters on the front lines. Percy went straight toward the minotaurs so he was out of harm's way. Ayden turned teleporting toward Athena's cabin, but he wasn't there.
"Annabeth!" Ayden saw her in the distance as a monster incinerated in front of her.
"Ayden!" She teleported next to the girl as they fought back to back.
"Where is Dean?" Ayden cut her arm. She was shocked to see the blood wasn't red. It was gold. She'd just cut a long mark down her arm across Chaos, Achlys, and Aion. She had Nyx and Thalassa on the other side.
"He went back with Katie's group. Some of them had retreated since the monsters were breaking through their lines, he said he was-Ayden what is that," Annabteh saw the gold ichor on the ground. Ayden was thrown to the side by a monster as she hit the bridge railing. "Ayden!" Annabeth killed the monster and pulled her to the feet. "Why are you bleeding gold ichor?"
"I don't know-wait you said Demeter's cabin?" Ayden asked. Annabeth nodded, but before she could speak Ayden teleported to the tunnel. Katie was dragging someone's body toward the top.
"Katie, what happened?" Ayden looked through the bodies searching for Dean.
"We can't stop them-are you bleeding?!"
"Where is Dean?!" Ayden looked won into the tunnel hearing a yell. She teleported deeper into the tunnel nearly missing a dracanae's claws. She stabbed it through with her sword. She'd had two strapped to her back. Her daggers are at her waist. "Dean!"
"Ayden!" He was deeper in the tunnel as it shook. Ayden tried to use Chaos's marking to destroy the monsters ahead of her. Around her, she could hear the groans of the demigods as they went down.
"Ayden! Help!" She hated the way he was pleading, he was begging for her to get to him. She couldn't even see him past all the monsters.
She forgot about trying to access her markings. Eris must have blocked then, that's what the gold ichor is. She'd cursed Ayden as her blood touched her skin. She slashed, stabbed, gutted, and decapitated until she saw Dean. He had his hands out as the monsters around him stopped for a few seconds and moved.
"Dean!" She teleported to him covering him as something scratched her back. She could feel the clothes rip away. She teleported to the other side of the monsters closer to the entrance to the tunnel. "Katie!" Ayden screamed. Dean had scratched all of his body.
"I couldn't," His chest shuddered. "I'm sorry. I couldn't hold them."
"It's okay," She gave him a tight smile. "You'll be okay. Katie!" She appeared. "Take care of him." Katie's face paled as Ayden revealed his stomach. "Keep pressure on it!" Ayden teleported back to the tunnel. The lights were flickering on and off as the monsters laughed. She had no backup. The other Demeter children were sealing off the end of the tunnel, the ones that were still conscious that is. They'd worn themselves out fast.
"Looks it's a child all alone!" Their laughs sounded like hyenas, each of them getting ready to prance on Ayden. She took a deep breath controlling her heart rate. She had to take into her blood lust, she was going to wear herself out. She started laughing with them, the moment of hysteria hitting her bloodstream. She was glitching so fast she'd become transparent, that's when their laughter stopped.
She was there and then gone.
They didn't even see her coming.
***
Ayden had thought of it as composing a dance routine for a while. Slice, duck, stab, roll, punch, turn, gut, bow, shove. She did it over and over as she teleported so fast none of them could see or touch her long enough to do damage. The cut on her arm was the only thing causing her harm. The gold ichor had covered her arm and the ground trailing behind her.
The monsters near the end of the tunnel had started to retreat. Ayden couldn't tell how long she'd been down there, but when she came out the other side it was getting lighter outside. She felt confident they wouldn't go back so she teleported to the other side. Dean was lying on his back staring at the sky. His hand was on his stomach as the others tended to the others.
"Katie!" Ayden yelled at her. The girl turned seeing the sword pointed at her head. "I should kill you."
"Ayden. He was going to die with or without my help." She defended. Ayden's smile stayed on her face, she didn't move. "Prove me right then." She blinked and stepped back.
"Ayden," Dean coughed. She teleported ot his side.
"Hey buddy, you'll be alright," Ayden blinked hard when she saw the little bits of dried blood around his mouth. You'll be okay,"
"Ayden," He coughed again. His chest barely rose. "I don't wanna die." A tear fell from his eye. "Ayden, I don't wanna die."
"I know. I know." Ayden brushed his tears away. She lifted the bits of shirt trying to see if there was anything she could do, but there wasn't.
"I don't wanna die." Ayden tried to blink back the tears as she held his hand tightly.
"I'm right here with you."
"I want-."
"I'm right here, I won't go anywhere. You did great." She ran her hand through his hair. "You're a hero."
"I want my-my sister. Please," His grip tightened for a second. "Please, you have to take care of her."
"I will, you need to rest." He coughed up more blood as his chest slowly stopped. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." A tear fell from his eye as he stopped moving. His hand was limp in hers as she sat down.
"Ayden-."
"Shut up!" Ayden glared at her. "Take his body back to the hotel lobby. I mean it, Katie, if you don't I will kill you I don't give a shit." Ayden teleported away as the other Demeter children stared at her. She teleported to Charlotte, but she was engaged with monsters on the bridge. Michael Yew fired one of his arrows and it blasted a few of the monsters back.
"Ayden," He muttered when he saw her. She didn't hear him though she was staring ahead of her at the people a small smile on her face. "Ayden." He reached for her, but she teleported away making her way through the crowd. Dominos falling, the monster was thinning out as she made her way to Percy. She's teleported just behind him when a sting hit her shoulder. She turned slashing at Ethan, she'd knocked the dagger from his hand.
"You!" She tried to stand up but fell on her knees.
"Ayden!"
"Ayden?!" Charlotte yelled as she saw the girl struggle too. Ayden shook her head as more gold ichor leaked from her eyes.
"Back up!" Percy yelled at the monsters. He knelt down in front of her staring at her face, he was risking himself to check on her.
"Stop." She shoved him back. "I'm fine." There was laughing in the distance. Ayden saw Kronos on a chariot with Eris just behind him. He was in Ki's body. She tried to stand up, but her legs gave out and her breathing became shallow. "Percy." She moved her hand seeing the gold blood.
"Blackjack" Percy yelled. Kronos seemed to move fast as they got closer to them. Ayden wanted to go after them. She wanted to end it all for Dean, but she couldn't see anything. She tried to open her eyes, but it was all just black.
***
Percy had run back to the Plaza Hotel to see how Ayden was. She was in a different section from the others since she kept bleeding gold ichor. Charlotte, Knox, Annabeth, and Silena were with her as she would convulse from time to time.
"I don't understand what this is?" Knox dapped her forehead.
"Which part?" annabeth asked. Ayden had cut all of her, but a poisoned knife wound on her arm. "I would suggest cutting Achlys's mark, but it seems they don't work right now." Charlotte hasn't said a word since she saw her brother's body. She was sitting near the corner with her head buried in her knees.
"I could try to call them," Knox touched his own marking. Ayden told them to cut small amounts so they didn't bleed out as they fought.
"Where is she?!" the doors smacked the wall as Percy walked in. Annabeth and Silena stepped back to reveal Ayden. "Has she woken up? What's happening?"
"We aren't sure, just yet." Knox paced back and forth. The balcony doors opened and in walked Chaos, Aion, and Thalassa.
"What the fuck happened?" Thalassa knelt down next to Ayden turning her over to see the wounds on her back.
"Thalassa, look at the ichor," Chaos added as she turned Ayden's arm.
"What is that? What does that mean?" Percy asked. Aion put his hand on Percy's shoulder.
"You're Percy," He nodded. "Annabeth take him near the corner, please. We need space."
"What are you going to do to her?" Percy asked. "I won't leave her side." Annabeth grabbed his arm.
"Percy, just hold on." Silena stood back by Charlotte. Percy gripped Annabeth's hand. He couldn't breathe, he had to blink several times to clear his vision.
He couldn't-he wouldn't live without Ayden. She had to be okay. It was the first day, he'd never seen her like this before. He'd never seen her this wounded, she was on the brink of death he could feel it through the charm around their necks.
"What are you going to do?" Knox asked. "Can you save her?"
"Wait," Charlotte stood up. "Can you save Dean, please? Please?" Charlotte choked on her words as she collapsed in Knox's arms. "Please, can you save Dean too?"
"Even if I wanted to Charlotte," Aion gave her a sad smile. "He's been gone for too long. It's too late for him." Her sobs pierced the air. Ayden shot up as she looked around. She teleported toward the wall but fell knocking some painting off the wall.
"Ayden," Percy tried to move toward her, but she put her hands up.
"Stop, stop, stop," She huffed. She had sweat all over her forehead as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
"Eris, cursed her if we don't do something soon she'll die too." Thalassa rubbed her face. "What's the plan?" Chaos and Aion shared a look as they nodded.
"What does that mean?" Annabeth asked.
"Thalassa, what are they going to do?" Knox asked. He was still holding onto Charlotte as she sobbed. Aion picked Ayden up as she shivered.
"We are going to heal her," Chaos knelt down next to her bed.
"What do you want me to tell her?" Thalassa knelt down next to them. Everyone else in the room was confused about what was going to happen, but they kept silent. Aion took Ayden's hand and brushed her hair to the side as she grimaced.
"Can you tell her we love her? If she asks, tell her anything she wants."
"Tell her she will always be," Chaos's voice wavered. Her eyes were watering. "That she'll always be my little girl and I'll always try to protect her." Chaos leaned forward pressing a kiss to Ayden's forehead as she whispered something. Aion and her bowed their heads. One moment they were there, the next they were smoke. Ayden's veins on her arms turned dark as they moved up her body. Her wounds closed and her body stilled.
"Is she," Percy stepped forward. Ayden blinked a few times and then grumbled.
"Ow," She whispered.
"Ayden," Percy knelt a her side as he grabbed her hand. "Ayden." He kissed her forehead, her cheek.
"Hey Jackson," She sighed and then looked over to see Charlotte. She sat up fast. "Where is Dean?" Charlotte started crying once more. The doors opened and in walked Esme and Blair. They both looked beat to shit.
"What happened?" Blair asked.
"Dean's dead," Charlotte interrupted. "He died." Ayden looked at the girl the two of them holding eye contact for a long while.
"I'm sorry."
"She also threatened Katie," Annabeth pointed out. "The Demeter kids were convinced she'd switched sides." Ayden let her head fall in her hands.
"Hey," Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. "Gods, I'm glad you're okay."
"I would have been fine."
"I can't live without you." He leaned back resting his forehead on hers. "You can't."
"I won't if you won't."
"I promised on River Styx." Percy pulled her into another hug.
"What happened? How am I here?" Ayden asked. She looked up at Thalassa. The goddess had tears in her eyes.
"Chaos and Aion wanted me to tell you they loved you." She explained. Ayden just shook her head confused. "That you would always be their girl."
"What-."
"To heal you they had to use up the last of their essence here," Thalassa explained. "They aren't dead, they can't die, but they had to go back to their original state which isn't in a human form."
"Wait, so," Ayden covered her face. "They saved me?"
"Yeah," Thalassa nodded. "Despite what you think they do care for you. We all do." she looked down at her arms seeing the cuts were sealed. The markings were still there. "I'm glad you're better. Charlotte, I'm sorry about Dean." The girl had stopped crying finally. She just nodded her eyes not leaving Ayden.
"Thanks," Ayden stood up and hugged Thalassa quickly as she started to pace back and forth.
"Why are you pacing now?" Percy reached out for her. "Ayden you need rest."
"I can't," She looked over at the others. "Blair, oh my gods, I'm sorry."
"I got her," Esme shook her head. "You worry about yourself, you aren't responsible for all of us." Ayden closed her mouth and nodded.
"We might not be able to defend Olympus for much longer," Blair explained. "Hermes cabin was wiped through."
"We need the Ares cabin," Ayden explained. "With our bloodlust, we can at least make it for a while."
"I can, that's it! I'll try to get Clarisse, I can convince her." It was light hope that struck her. Silena ran out of the room with her idea.
"Let's pray to the gods that works." Annabeth paced back and forth.
"Did any of the other Ares' kids make it?" Ayden asked. They all looked at each other.
"We haven't had a chance to look at anyone else," Percy admitted. The other looked at Ayden.
"How do you feel?" Annabeth asked. "I've never seen anything like that before."
"Yeah, well I'm kind of a new thing," Ayden looked to Knox, Esme, Blair, and Charlotte.
"What did he tell you?" Charlotte asked.
"Maye it's not-" Knox tried to stop her, but Charlotte moved closer to Ayden.
"No, I wanna know what he said. You were with him, weren't you?" Charlotte stood close to Ayden. "What did my brother say before he died." Ayden swallowed the lump in the back of her throat.
"I'm sorry about your brother, Charlotte." She muttered.
"What. Did. He. Tell. you." Her nostrils flared and her hands were lit on fire.
"He didn't want to die," Ayden muttered. "That he wanted his sister," Charlotte's eyes water. "And it was my turn to protect you now."
"As if," Charlotte laughed. "You can't protect anyone."
"I shouldn't have to," Ayden muttered. "You are older. You should be able to handle yourself, I thought you all could, but I was wrong. From now on you are to provide support, you can't go out on your own," She stared at Charlotte. "No matter how much you want to."
"We should rest," Blair interrupted them. She grabbed Charlotte's hand. "Let's go find a spot. Knox can build us another blanket fort." Knox nodded and followed the three as they left the room. Ayden just shook her head.
"It's not your fault," Annabeth tried to make her feel better. "You couldn't have done anything."
"I could have killed him already." Ayden looked down at her hands. "Gods, I need to stop pitting myself. The more I do that the less I will be able to fight."
"You seemed pretty capable today," Percy added. "You went through them like they were water."
"I could say the same about you," Ayden reached her hand out taking his. Annabeth left the room giving the two of them some privacy as she walked back down to the entrance to see what else was going on. "Where is your weak spot?" she asked her hand going to the back of her shoulder. "Ethan knows where it is."
"I'm sorry you took that for me," Percy frowned. "Although you did save my life."
"Mhmm, so where it is?" Ayden moved around him as she pointed at his back. "Here." He reached around grabbed her hand and guided her to the spot.
"Here." his voice wavered as he told her. He turned around to face her as she kissed him. "You seem better."
"Yeah, well I'm trying to just not let anything settle in until this is all over then, I'll need a week to process," Ayden admitted as she stepped back. She stared at her arms her hand running over the Chaos and Aion marks. "We should go check on the others. Then you have to sleep."
"And you?" Percy smiled as he took her hand in his. He opened the door for her.
"Well I'll rest, but I'm not tried. I was just brought from the brink of death within ten seconds, I'm on full charge right now."
"Me too then." Ayden smacked his arm making him laugh. He wanted to talk to her, like truly talk, but he knew it wasn't a good time. She was trying to contain her emotions of the past few hours so he wasn't going to push them with an admission.
He would wait.