Chapter 69 - Lieutenant Chase (AU) (Part IV)
published: Monday, 31 August 2020
"Chiron's smart," Annabeth said, wiping the sweat off her face. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."
"But the enemy—"
"They're not defeated," she agreed. "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time."
Percy frowned. Annabeth knew he didn't like pulling back, but he didn't dispute her decision. He watched as the last of the telkhines scuttled toward the East River. Then reluctantly, Percy turned and headed back toward the Empire State Building.
They set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed them that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union. Roughly five hundred total had answered his call, but even with that many, they couldn't defend more than a few blocks.
Annabeth helped to round up the rest of their forces, helping a limping Willow back to camp. Kayla and two other Hunters were dead, and Annabeth didn't want to think about that, so she forced herself to press ahead, walking towards Percy and Chiron, who were having a discussion in low tones.
"And Typhon?" Percy asked.
"Typhon?" Annabeth looked between them. "What?" She knew the name from mythology, but she was surprised that Percy did.
Chiron's gaze darkened. He explained everything about the Olympians fighting the strongest mythical monster in history to keep him from ravaging New York. Annabeth paled at the mention. In the flurry of activity, Percy had forgotten to inform her about it.
"The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday," Chiron said gravely. "Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians. No one has seen him since. Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia. He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhon's approach. But the monster can not be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces—"
"Then what chance do we have?" Percy said despairingly. "We can't hold out another day."
We'll have to," Thalia said, joining them. "I'll see about setting some new traps around the perimeter." Annabeth gave her a tired nod.
"I will help her," Chiron decided. "I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer."
As Chiron cantered away with Thalia, Annabeth felt a jolt of guilt. "I feel like I'm abandoning them," Annabeth murmured. "I'm being a terrible lieutenant. I've barely had enough time to talk to them personally—"
"You're being a leader," Percy said, face serious. "You can't blame yourself for it."
Annabeth wasn't convinced, but she nodded anyway. There were so many reasons why she wasn't fit for this role, but it was too late to do anything about it.
As she cleaned the slime off her dagger, she saw Percy watching her like a hawk.
"It feels like this is the last we'll ever..." Percy trailed off.
Annabeth lowered her knife. "Percy, even with the centaurs' help, I'm starting to think—"
"I know." Percy hesitated. "Listen, there were some visions Hestia showed me."
Annabeth regardes him warily. Something about his tone told her that it wasn't good news. "About Luke?"
"Yeah," he sighed. "You and Thalia and Luke. The first time you met. And the time you met Hermes."
Memories flickered through her mind. "Luke promised he'd never let me get hurt. He said . . . he said we'd be a new family, and it would turn out better than his."
"Thalia talked to me earlier," Percy blurted out. "She's afraid—"
Annabeth bit her lip. "That I can't face Luke."
He nodded. "But there's something else you should know." Percy swallowed. "Ethan Nakamura seemed to think Luke was still alive inside his body, maybe even fighting Kronos for control."
Hope sparked in her chest and Annabeth had to stop her mind from hurtling into the millions of possibilities that was Luke.
"I didn't want to tell you," he admitted.
Things with Luke had been complicated even before Annabeth joined the Hunters. He'd sided with Kronos, tried to kill Percy, and was essentially her enemy.
But in the last year, it had, weirdly, gotten less convoluted. Annabeth knew how she felt about Luke now. There had been a time where she didn't know whether she loved him or hated him. She'd had a crush on him, and then he left, and she hated him for that.
She still loved him now. Annabeth knew that. Luke had taken her in — was basically her older brother — but he'd been led astray.
"Percy, for so much of my life, I felt like everything was changing, all the time. I didn't have anyone I could rely on. I ran away when I was seven," she explained. "Then with Luke and Thalia, I thought I'd found a family, but it fell apart almost immediately." Annabeth looked down at her feet. "What I'm saying . . . I hate it when people let me down, when things are temporary. I think that's why I want to be an architect."
"To build something permanent," Percy guessed, and he was spot-on. "A monument to last a thousand years."
She held his eyes. "I guess that sounds like my fatal flaw again." An image from the Sea of Monsters flashed through Annabeth's mind; sinking to the bottom of Siren's bay with Percy's arms wrapped around her. It felt like a million years ago.
"I guess I understand how you feel," Percy said slowly. "But Thalia's right. Luke has already betrayed you so many times. He was evil even before Kronos. I don't want him to hurt you anymore."
Annabeth pursed her lips. Percy was just worried about her. But he didn't understand Luke. Not like she did.
She paused, then countered, "And you'll understand if I keep hoping there's a chance you're wrong."
Percy tore his gaze away from her, looking across the street at the medics from the Apollo cabin, a faraway look in his eyes. Suddenly he turned back to her, blinking like he'd been jarred out of a reverie.
Annabeth frowned. "What?"
"Nothing," Percy said in a terrible lie. "I guess..." He cut himself off with a horrible inhale.
Annabeth followed his eyeline to see him staring at a beat-up blue Prius down the road. Then Percy took off running like a madman, and Annabeth thundered at his heels. "Percy, wait!"
"No, no!" he babbled furiously. "They must've seen the blue lights in the sky! My mum knew something was wrong — she was coming to find me—"
"Percy," Annabeth pleaded helplessly. Now that she looked closer, she could see Sally Jackson sitting in the passenger's seat, clear as day. She hadn't seen Percy's mother since last summer, but Sally had always been so sweet.
Annabeth turned around, waving Chiron and a few centaurs over.
"I can't leave them here," Percy's voice broke. "I can't—I have to get them out—" He sounded almost hysterical, and closer to tears than Annabeth had seen him this entire time. Percy pounded on the the windshield.
Before she could stop herself, Annabeth reached and pulled his hands back, huddling him towards her. "Percy, look, they're gonna be fine; we'll—we'll pull the car to a sideroad, alright?"
Percy didn't answer, but he nodded, eyes filled with pain. His hands trembled in hers, and he held onto her like his depended on it. Annabeth hated seeing him like this; the last few days had been hard on all of them, but Percy had been keeping together for everyone's sake, and she hadn't even realised it.
"Oh, dear," came Chiron's worried voice. "Percy, they will be fine. What we need to do is focus on our jobs."
Annabeth squinted as she spotted something sitting in the backseat. A black-and-white Greek jar strapped in behind Sally.
"No way," Percy muttered in disbelief. He wasn't physically shaking anymore, but his face was as ashen as before.
He shot her an incredulous look.
"I thought you left that at the Plaza."
He nodded. "Locked in a vault."
Chiron frowned. "Is that..."
"Pandora's box," Percy finished.
"Then the jar is yours," Chiron said grimly. "It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest."
Wonderful, Annabeth thought.
Percy pulled his hands out of hers as he drew Riptide and easily cut through the driver's window. Some colour had returned to his cheeks.
"We'll put the car in neutral," he said steadily, looking at her for approval. Annabeth nodded. "Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus."
Chiron nodded. "A good plan. But, Percy..."
Whatever he was going to say, he faltered. A mechanical drumbeat grew loud in the distance—the chop-chop-chop of a helicopter.
Annabeth blinked. After two days of silence, a mortal helicopter was the most unlikely of circumstances to find herself in. Tilting her head up, a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright green "DE" logo on the side.
Beneath the logo read "Dare Enterprises".
Annabeth clenched her fist, feeling a steely resolve form. "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered, her cheeks flushing angrily. Percy sent her a wide-eyed look and she knew that he'd recognised the logo too.
"What is she doing here?" Annabeth demanded. "How did she get through the barrier?"
"Who?" Chiron looked confused. "What mortal would be insane enough—"
Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward.
Rachel Dare was here. Despite being in the middle of the war, Annabeth had been relishing in the fact that she could spend time with Percy. That would all be over now that his redhead mortal friend — Annabeth didn't want to think about how plausible it was that she wasn't just a friend — was here.
Everything they'd said to each other in confidence in the terrace of the Plaza disappeared from Annabeth's mind.
"The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron cried. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep."
Annabeth watched, both horrified and outraged at how stupid Rachel Dare could be, as the helicopter started careening sideways, falling towards a row of office buildings.
She glanced to her left, where Percy stood gaping and stunned still. A tiny part of Annabeth was extremely tempted to leave the helicopter, but she knew she wasn't going to listen to it.
She did her best taxi cab whistle, summoning Guido the pegasus.
"Come on, Percy," Annabeth almost snarled. "We have to go save your friend."
As Guido executed some fancy flying to avoid being shredded to bits, Annabeth tried to formulate the best plan. Unfortunately, all her scraps of planning involved someone who knew how to fly a helicopter.
She could hear Rachel screaming — gods, of course, she was still awake — and see the pilot slumped over the controls. Adrenaline pushed her mind into overdrive.
"Ideas?" Percy called frantically.
"You're going to take Guido and get out of here," Annabeth ordered.
"What about you?"
Before Annabeth could reply, Guido swerved into a nosedive to avoid one of the chopper blades. "Duck!" she yelled. The rotors were close enough to whip her hair into a frenzy.
It's just like monkey bars, Annabeth told herself nervously as she looked at the helicopter.
Mustering up her courage, Annabeth just managed to grasp the handle of the helicopter with her hand. That's when everything went wrong; Guido's right wing bashed against the helicopter side, sending him and Percy plummeting towards the ground and Annabeth hang off of the helicopter, clinging to the door for dear life.
"Annabeth!" Rachel shrieked, grappling for her hands as she pulled her into the helicopter. Annabeth scrambled to her feet once she landed on the floor of the flying vehicle. "Oh my God!"
"Please, shut up," Annabeth said through gritted teeth as she shoved the pilot off the control board and slammed herself into the seat. Her gaze roved over the levers and buttons that were seemingly meaningless.
"Do you know how to fly this?" Rachel said, bewildered.
"Uh." Annabeth experimentally jabbed on the autopilot button, which didn't work. "No." Wracking her brain for the aviation controls on her dad's old planes, Annabeth recognised one of the levers as the stabilisers.
With her heart thudding, Annabeth allowed her instincts to take over. Her hands flew over the controls, mostly through informed guesses.
"Turn," Annabeth urged, alarmed as they neared one of the buildings. "Turn, turn, turn!" Rachel's hands flew to her head protectively.
By some miracle at Zeus' hand, the helicopter turned as Annabeth steered the joystick as quickly as she could. The helicopter swerved out of the way, narrowly missing the glass building.
"Come on," Annabeth murmured, adjusting the torque and blade controls. "Please, work." The helicopter stopped spinning, and Annabeth released a relieved breath.
The helicopter began to descend, and though it felt like hours, within a few minutes, they had landed in the middle of Fifth Avenue. Annabeth sunk into her seat, heart in her throat.
Through the window, she could see Percy's expression go slack with astonishment.
Annabeth glanced over to see Rachel stumbling out of the helicopter. She was dressed in beach clothes — t-shirt, shorts and sandals — and Annabeth felt the familiar feeling squeeze her chest. Now she knew it was jealousy.
This is good, she told herself sternly.
Rachel was a reminder of reality; once this was all over, she would be gone and Percy would have to remain here. There wouldn't be anymore clandestine kisses in the woods or heartfelt whispers exchanged on balconies.
Annabeth allowed herself a few seconds to shut her eyes and just breathe. Then she willed herself to march out of the helicopter with a straight face.
When she stepped out, Chiron, a few centaurs, and curious campers were surrounding them, in awe. Rachel had set the pilot on the ground, and had thrown her arms around Percy, whose eyes were wide and round as he failed to respond, looking like a deer frozen in headlights.
Rachel stepped back and Percy marvelled at Annabeth. "I didn't know you could fly a helicopter."
"Neither did I," she said. "My dad's crazy into aviation. Plus, Daedalus had some notes on flying machines. I just took my best guess on the controls."
"You saved my life," Rachel said, grateful and astounded. "Th-thank you."
Annabeth flexed her bad shoulder. "Yeah, well —let's not make a habit of it." She crossed her arms. "What are you doing here, Dare? Don't you know better than to fly into a war zone?"
"I—" Rachel glanced at me. "I had to be here. I knew Percy was in trouble."
"Right." If Annabeth stayed here any longer, she was going to punch the girl. "Well," she cleared her throat. "If you'll excuse me, I have some injured friends I've got to tend to. Glad you could stop by, Rachel."
Percy cast her a desperate look. "Annabeth—"
Annabeth stormed off before he could finish, feeling his gaze piercing into the back of her head.
She didn't stop till she reached the lobby of the Empire State Building, where the other Hunters were.
Annabeth felt her anger start to disperse, replaced by guilt and regret as she saw her Hunters sprawled on the ground. "I should've come to check on you earlier," she said, voice low and small.
"We're okay, Annabeth," one of the girls, Priscilla, assured her as she nursed an arrowhead wound on her shoulder.
Annabeth threw a glance over her shoulder at the corpses being wheeled out. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, kneeling down to hug Maryanne, whose sister had been one of the victims. Maryanne returned it, sobbing into her shoulder.
She spent the next few minutes doing rounds with her troops. It might not be her first choice, but Annabeth was a leader, and she'd walk to the ends of the earth to protect these girls.
"Annabeth," Thalia's voice broke into her reverie. Annabeth looked up to see the other girl looking down at her worriedly. Annabeth reluctantly left the side of her Hunters to join Thalia by the reception.
"You're barely staying on your feet," Thalia said urgently. She brushed a hand over Annabeth's poisoned wound, making her wince. "Get some rest."
"Don't need rest," Annabeth mumbled. Images swam before her eyes; dead friends, Rachel and Percy, Luke and his golden eyes. "Need a distraction."
"Is this about Percy?" Thalia asked quietly.
Annabeth sunk into the leather chair, holding her head in her hands. "What do I do?" the words tumbled out miserably. "Thalia, I-I don't know if I can't just leave after this. When this is over, I'll really never see him again. Artemis already has her suspicions — she'll never let me near him."
Thalia settled by her side, pulling Annabeth into a side hug as she sniffled. "I hate seeing you like this," Thalia confessed.
"It hurts so much more to know that," Annabeth hesitated. Thalia was a Hunter, but she was Thalia. If she couldn't trust her, then she couldn't trust anyone. "That this could be something. But my oath..."
Thalia withdrew, giving her a steady, serious look. "The oath is about romantic love. Feelings, not actions."
Annabeth shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "Don't," she whispered. "If she finds out I've broken my oath..." Annabeth opened her eyes to give Thalia a hopeless look. "You know that I didn't mean for this to happen, right? I didn't—I didn't want to feel like this — to fall for—" She hung her head dejectedly. "He just sneaked up on me," she admitted.
"It's not your fault," Thalia sighed. "It's love. It...happens."
Annabeth swallowed. "Have you ever..."
Something in Thalia's expression changed. She looked down at her feet. "Once," she finally said. "Maybe. I don't know. Not anymore, though."
Annabeth felt a pang in her chest. She had a feeling she knew who Thalia was talking about, and it killed her.
Footsteps reverberating in the lobby alerted her to Percy's entrance. He was slumped forward, stumbling like he was about to keel over at any second. His gaze raked the room until it landed on Annabeth, and he pitched forward, hurriedly making his way across the room.
"Annabeth," he blurted out. "I-Can we talk? Please?"
Annabeth opened her mouth to snap "no". It's too painful, she wanted to say. Stop it.
"Go," Thalia interjected before Annabeth could reply. "Both of you need to sleep. I've already had my nap — we're taking them in shifts."
Annabeth frowned.
"Go find an empty bunk," Thalia ordered both of them. "Two birds with one stone," she remarked as she shoved them both off to the side.
Annabeth caught Percy before he could fall from the force of the push. They looked like homeless stragglers as they wordlessly made their way to the hallways, checking for an empty bunk.
One of the offices had a leather couch that doubled as a sofa bed. Annabeth pulled it out with a creak as Percy waited silently.
He cleared his throat. "So, I'll take the floor—"
"Like hell you will," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'll take the floor, Percy. I'm a Hunter. We camp for a living."
"You need more rest," he protested. "I have the Achilles curse."
"That's invulnerability," Annabeth corrected. "Out of the two of us, I'm the only immortal one."
"Half-immortal—"
"Yeah, but I can't die from exhaustion, unlike you."
"Your shoulder—"
"You know what?" Annabeth snapped. "Forget it. Get on the bed, Seaweed Brain. We're sharing." She ignored his wide-eyed stare as she turned to the wooden cupboard and pulled out a pillow and a blanket.
"Can you just slow down for a minute?" Percy demanded frustratedly.
"How can I slow down?" Annabeth said harshly. "We don't have time. There is a war going on—"
"Exactly!" Percy exploded. "This could be the last time we ever—" He broke off, chest heaving as he lowered his voice. "My last chance to—to just talk to you. Annabeth, one of us could be dead tomorrow."
Annabeth's fingers pressed deep into the pillow as she tightened her grip. "Don't think like that," she said weakly. "We can't—I can't just accept that."
"You've heard the prophecy," Percy said miserably. "'Hero's soul cursed blade shall reap'. Promising, right?"
Annabeth sat down at the foot of the bed, smiling despite herself. "Aren't the odds always against us, though?"
Percy scrunched up his nose. "Since when am I the logical one? Kronos is, like, a billion times more powerful than us."
"Not yet," Annabeth corrected. "He's still in Luke's form. A mortal vessel," she faltered.
Percy had the realisation at the same time. "Well, we're screwed," he muttered.
Luke was just a stepping stone. Kronos was regaining his strength, preparing to return to actual form as a Titan.
"We won't stand a chance against him if it gets to that," Annabeth said, shaking her head.
"Then we won't let it," Percy said firmly.
"How can you be so sure?" she asked warily.
Percy just shrugged. "All I can do is hope. It's all any of us can do, really." He stared down at the sheets for a few seconds before he tentatively climbed onto the bed, pulling the blanket over his shoulders.
Annabeth slid in beside him, rolling onto her right side so that they were facing each other. Percy was a lot taller than her, so this was the first time she had really looked him in the eye since they were 13.
"What are we doing?" Annabeth whispered helplessly.
Percy swallowed thickly. "I don't know." He paused for a moment. "Over the summer, uh, I went on a few dates with Rachel."
Annabeth fought back the urge to slap him. "You're dumber than I thought. Don't mention another girl when you're in bed with someone."
Percy flushed a dark red at her humour. "I have a point," he promised. "I swear."
Annabeth waited expectantly.
"And Rachel's perfectly nice and a good friend," Percy continued. "But," he suddenly looked awkward. "It didn't feel right. None of it did. All I could think about was you."
"Now that is what you say to a girl," Annabeth whispered.
Percy grinned. "Told you I had a good point." He shifted forward so their knees touched under the blanket. "I just needed you to know," he said. "That her being here doesn't—doesn't change anything I said on the terrace. I would still piss off the gods for you."
"Thanks." Annabeth smiled. "Then again, you'd piss off the gods for a cookie. It's, like, your favourite pastime."
"Okay, shut up," Percy grumbled. "Go to sleep."
Annabeth laughed quietly, but she closed her eyes, feeling Percy's warm presence to her right as she drifted off into unconscious. It was the best she'd slept in years.
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Annabeth was awoken by Percy's frantic gasp as he was suddenly sprung into a sitting position.
"Hades!" she swore, panting as she shot him a furious look. "Was that necessary?" Annabeth faltered once she caught Percy's pale face. "What is it?"
The doors burst open, and Grover galloped in. Annabeth sensed that he was a harbinger of bad news.
"Did you hear that?" Grover said breathlessly. He spared them a strange glance, but didn't comment on their sharing of the bed.
Percy nodded throat tight. Annabeth focused on her surroundings, and she could just hear the echoing of a low, full-bellied growl. "They're coming," he said, frowning. "And we're in trouble."
Sorting out their forces was a huge commotion and flurry of arguments.
Chiron trotted up with Rachel on his back. Annabeth felt a twinge of annoyance at the sight of her, but having spent the night with Percy, she was less worried than before. And then all that memory did was make her blush.
"Your friend here has some useful insights, Percy," Chiron said. His gaze narrowed upon the two of them, and Annabeth felt like he knew exactly what was going on with them.
Rachel shrugged embarrassedly. "Just some things I saw in my head."
"A drakon," Chiron informed them. "A Lydian drakon, to be exact. The oldest and most dangerous kind."
Percy stared at Rachel. "How did you know that?"
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But this drakon has a particular fate. It will be killed by a child of Ares."
Annabeth crossed her arms. "How can you possibly know that?" She hated the jealous tone that came out.
Rachel shook her head frustratedly. "I just saw it. I can't explain."
"Well, let's hope you're wrong," Percy said. "Because we're a little short on children of Ares..." He trailed off, then promptly cursed under his breath.
"What?" Annabeth demanded.
Percy turned to her, looking almost defeated. "The spy. Kronos said, 'We know they cannot beat this drakon'. The spy has been keeping him updated. Kronos knows the Ares cabin isn't with us. He intentionally picked a monster we can't kill."
Thalia scowled. "If I ever catch your spy, he's going to be very sorry. Maybe we could send another messenger to camp—"
"I've already done it," Chiron assured. "Blackjack is on his way. But if Silena wasn't able to convince Clarisse, I doubt Blackjack will be able—"
A roar shook the ground. It sounded very close.
"Rachel," Percy urged, "get inside the building."
"I want to stay," the mortal insisted. Annabeth had to admit that, when she looked past her burgeoning dislike for Rachel, she was exceptionally brave for a non-demigod.
A shadow blotted out the sun. Across the street, the drakon slithered down the side of a skyscraper. It roared, and a thousand windows shattered.
"On second thought," Rachel said in a small voice, "I'll be inside."
While the enemy army advanced down Fifth Avenue, Annabeth and the rest of their forces held a defensive line, the Party Ponies skittering nervously but staying put.
A two-hundred-foot-long serpent as thick as a school bus slithered down the side of a building, its yellow eyes like searchlights and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
"I'll take the drakon," came Percy's quiet voice. "I'll take the drakon," he repeated, louder this time. "Everyone else, hold the line against the army!"
Annabeth glanced at Thalia, who was eyeing the serpent with looming dread. "He's either stupid or brave," Thalia paused. "Or both."
"You want to take this one?" Annabeth asked desperately.
Thalia snorted. "Not a chance."
Annabeth grabbed her bow off of her shoulder, feeling the reassuring weight of her quiver against her back as she walked over to Percy.
"Will you help me?" Percy asked nervously. Riptide was clutched in his right hand, but he looked as uncertain as Annabeth felt.
"We can't kill it," she said with a mirthless laugh.
"But we can slow it down," Percy reminded. "Come on," he said, with more energy this time. "Look for weak links in its armor while I keep it busy."
Annabeth nodded as she knocked an arrow, pulling it up to eye's level as she aimed for a late of skin protruding beneath two of the drakon's scales.
The drakon roared as Percy charged it, swallowing up three centaurs in one gulp before he could even get close.
Percy yelled something, and Mrs O'Leary came flying out of nowhere, knocking the drakon off the side of building and letting it crash into the ground, kicking up the pavement and concrete.
Annabeth let her arrows fly, and three of them sprouted from the drakon's neck; it only made the monster angrier. The drakon roared, but remained unaffected.
All around her, the demigods and centaurs clashed with the Titan's army. It wasn't going well; everyone was panicking under the onslaught of demons. Annabeth could see the wave of enemies sweeping closer and closer to the Empire State Building. They were losing ground.
Frustrated, Annabeth tossed her bow to the side. Arrows weren't making any difference in the fight against the drakon, and she couldn't even help the rest of their forces if she couldn't even keep their leader alive.
Drawing her dagger, Annabeth slipped her Yankee's cap on and disappeared. Ignoring the pleasant sensation at fighting with her magical item again, Annabeth sprinted towards the drakon, nimbly scaling the serpent's side, using the chinks as hand and footholds while praying that the monster would suddenly turn over.
Annabeth slashed at any skin she could find — which wasn't much to begin with — wobbling on her feet until she managed to scramble onto the drakon's back, balancing like on a surfboard.
As she raised her dagger again, Annabeth felt her cap fly off as she materialised. She drove her dagger into the drakon's neck, making the monster roar and coil back, and before she knew it, Annabeth had been flung through the air.
The air whistled for a few seconds before the pavement slammed into her right side, knocking the breath right out of her. Annabeth didn't even have time to catch her breath before strong hands came up and rapidly dragged her off to the side.
The drakon flipped and smashed its tail into the lamppost where she had been.
Annabeth groaned and struggled to her feet, Percy helping her up. "Thanks." Her bad shoulder throbbed.
"Be careful," Percy insisted.
"Yeah, well," Annabeth cut off her sarcastic retort as she saw the drakon slither towards them. "DUCK!"
Annabeth tackled Percy to the ground as the drakon's long teeth snapped at the air above them. Mrs O'Leary pounced on the drakon's head, forcing it to swing away.
Propping herself up on her elbows, Annabeth found herself nose-to-nose with Percy, practically lying on him as her hips pressed against his.
"This isn't compromising at all," Percy said, cheeks reddening, though he couldn't help a bashful lopsided grin. Annabeth rolled her eyes, rolling onto the ground beside him.
The army had surrounded their forces and the Empire State Building, seconds away from cutting Percy and Annabeth off from their friends. The demigods were in full retreat, fighting with their backs to the doors.
Then, in the south, the rumbling of chariot wheels. "ARES!" came a girl's shout.
Annabeth felt relief wash over her as she saw a dozen war chariots charge into battle. Each flew a red banner with the symbol of the wild boar's head and was pulled by a team of skeletal horses with manes of fire. A total of thirty fresh warriors, armor gleaming and eyes full of hate, lowered their lances as one—making a bristling wall of death.
"The children of Ares!" Annabeth said in awe. "How did Rachel know?"
Leading the charge was a girl in familiar red armour and a boar-head helmet — Clarisse, Annabeth's brain filled in helpfully. She raised a crackling electric spear.
Mrs O'Leary was thrown off the drakon's back, and Percy hurried to help her.
"Ares, to me!" Clarisse screamed. Her voice was high, shrill, even, and for a heart-stopping moment, Annabeth thought, no, something's wrong.
Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. No one could say the Ares campers weren't brave. Clarisse was right there in front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eye. But as they watched, things started to go wrong. The drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who retreated in a panic, his armor melting.
"We have to help," Annabeth rushed, ignoring the feeling of dread lodged in her stomach. "Percy," she nudged him. Percy shook himself out of his reverie and told Ms O'Leary to stay back.
Annabeth leaped onto the drakon's scales, grabbing Percy by the hand as she used her strength to toss him onto the monster's back. He used his momentum to take her with him, and they landed on their hands and knees on the drakon's back.
The Ares campers threw javelins, most of which broke, but some lodged in the monster's teeth. It snapped its jaws together until its mouth was a mess of green blood, yellow foamy poison, and splintered weapons.
"You can do it!" came Percy's shout at Clarisse. "A child of Ares is destined to kill it!"
Annabeth saw Clarisse freeze up at the sound of Percy's voice.
"ARES!" she shouted, in that strangely pitchy voice. She levelled her spear and charged the drakon.
"No," Annabeth heard Percy mutter. "Wait!" he yelled.
But the monster looked down at her—almost in contempt—and spit poison directly in her face.
A scream burst forth from her lips as Clarisse stumbled backwards and collapsed to the ground.
"Clarisse!" Annabeth jumped off the monster's back and ran to help, while the other Ares campers tried to defend their fallen counsellor, leaving Percy to drive Riptide between two of the creature's scales and turn its attention on him.
"Oh my gods!" Annabeth gasped as she fell to her knees at Clarisse's side, hands growing weak at the sight of the damage. It was bad, really bad. The acid was corroding rapidly through her armour, releasing steam with each burn.
Annabeth was struggling to unfasten the fallen girl's helmet when her worst fears were confirmed; a distance away, came the scream from the real Clarisse, "No! Why?"
Clarisse crumpled by the fallen camper's side, face stained with tears.
"What's going on?" one of the other campers said bewilderedly.
Annabeth chided herself. She'd known something was wrong, and she had ignored it anyway.
Behind them, Percy narrowly dodged a hit from the drakon. "Look out!" Chris yelled, but all that did was attract its attention. The drakon reared its massive head to the group of huddled demigods.
"YOU WANT DEATH?" Clarisse screamed at the drakon. "WELL, COME ON!" She grabbed her spear from the fallen girl. With no armor or shield, she charged the drakon.
She leaped aside as the monster struck, pulverizing the ground in front of her. Then she jumped onto the creature's head. As it reared up, she drove her electric spear into its good eye with so much force it shattered the shaft, releasing all of the magic weapon's power.
Electricity arced across the creature's head, causing its whole body to shudder. Clarisse jumped free, rolling safely to the sidewalk as smoke boiled from the drakon's mouth. The drakon's flesh dissolved, and it collapsed into a hollow scaly tunnel of armor.
Annabeth's hands faltered as she stared at Clarisse in awe. She had never seen anyone take down such a huge monster single-handedly. But Clarisse didn't seem to care. She ran back to the wounded girl who'd stolen her armor.
Finally, Annabeth regained her thoughts and managed to yank off the melting helmet. The battle still raged along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed except our small circle and the fallen girl.
Her features, once beautiful, were badly burned from poison. No amount of nectar or ambrosia would save her now.
Annabeth stared numbly as Clarisse took Silena Beauregard into her arms, cradling her more gently than she had ever seen the daughter of Ares do before.
Their soft exchanges faded in and out of Annabeth's ears. All she could do was stare helplessly as Silena pulled up her sleeve to reveal a silver scythe charm, making her heart sink like heavy stone.
"You were the spy," Percy choked out.
No. No. No.
"Before . . . before I liked Charlie, Luke was nice to me. He was so . . . charming. Handsome. Later, I wanted to stop helping him, but he threatened to tell. He promised . . . he promised I was saving lives. Fewer people would get hurt. He told me he wouldn't hurt . . . Charlie. He lied to me," Silena whispered.
Annabeth felt dizzy, almost ready to pass out or burst into tears. The Luke she remembered had always been good. If anything, she could still believe all his promises; but she saw that they were empty now. He didn't care about her. He didn't care about anyone. He didn't have loyalty to anyone but himself.
Across the group, Percy met her gaze. Annabeth flinched, expecting see "I told you so" etched into his expression. Instead, all she saw was desperation and despair.
He'd told her, though, hadn't he? Everyone had. They'd warned her about Luke, and she hadn't listened to anyone, fervently wishing that it wasn't too late for him.
Behind them, the battle raged on. Clarisse scowled at her cabinmates. "Go, help the centaurs. Protect the doors. Go!" They scrambled off to join the fight, casting sad glances back at them.
Silena took a heavy, painful breath. "Forgive me."
"You're not dying," Clarisse promised.
"Charlie..." Silena's eyes were a million miles away. "See Charlie..."
She didn't speak again.
Clarisse wept into Chris' shoulder as Annabeth's own vision blurred with tears that refused to fall. Reaching out with trembling fingers, Annabeth shut Silena's eyes.
"We have to fight." Annabeth's voice was brittle. "She gave her life to help us. We have to honor her."
Clarisse sniffled and wiped her nose. "She was a hero, understand? A hero."
Percy nodded before he slowly got to his feet. "Come on, Clarisse."
She picked up a sword from one of her fallen siblings. "Kronos is going to pay," Clarisse snarled.
Together, they drove the enemy back. Honestly, Clarisse did most of the work. She was terrifying, riding her chariot straight through the monsters' ranks and demanding Kronos come meet her for battle.
After Annabeth ensured that she wasn't any real threat and Chris promised to keep an eye on her, she retreated into the lobby of the Empire State Building, seeing the rest of their forces recovering and bandaging wounds.
"I'll get the Hunters to stand guard," Annabeth informed Thalia and Chiron, who seemed to have formed a battle council of sorts with her. "We need to go up to Olympus; set up the final defence." She wished it didn't sound so hopeless.
Percy rejoined her, expression dark as they walked in silence towards Grover.
First Beckendorf, and now Silena. Every friend she lost only served to reinforce how real this was. They could actually die today. For someone who was almost immortal, it was a jolt to reality. Annabeth's humanity felt realer to her now than ever.
They found Grover, who was kneeling over a wounded satyr. Leneus died within moments, leaving behind a laurel sapling.
Grover accompanied them in the elevator. Smooth music lilted from the speakers as Annabeth tried not to feel like this might be their last adventure together.
Annabeth kept her eyes fixed on the moving numbers as they passed each floor. "Percy," she said quietly. "You were right about Luke."
"Annabeth," Percy said. "I'm sorry—"
"You tried to tell me." Her voice shook. "Luke is no good. I didn't believe you until . . . until I heard how he'd used Silena. Now I know. I hope you're happy."
"That doesn't make me happy."
Annabeth leaned against the elevator wall wordlessly.
Grover cradled his laurel sapling in his hands. "Well . . . sure good to be together again. Arguing. Almost dying. Abject terror. Oh, look. It's our floor."
As Grover planted the laurel sapling, Annabeth and Percy made rounds, trying to cheer up the wounded campers.
When they arrived in the Olympian throne room, Annabeth did a double take when she saw Rachel sitting beside Hestia at the hearth, Pandora's jar in her arms.
"We have to go check some," Annabeth paused. "Traps!" She grabbed Grover by the elbow and exited, catching Percy's eye as she left.
He gave her an apologetic look, and Annabeth found that she wasn't mad. She wasn't jealous. Okay, she was a little jealous, but she was just so tired of it. Of hating Rachel for no apparent reason. Percy needed this.
When they left the throne room, Annabeth made for the other campers, but something stopped her. Grover was appraising her with a strange, unreadable look.
"I have an empathy link with Percy, you know," Grover said slowly.
Annabeth flushed.
"And he told me some things," Grover admitted. "What's going on with you two?" he asked urgently.
The dreaded question. Annabeth had no idea how to answer it, but Grover was one of her best friends, and she owed it to him to at least try.
So Annabeth explained everything to him, holding him to a promise not to mention any of this to anyone ever. She felt a little guilty doing this on Artemis' literal home ground.
Annabeth told Grover, blushing embarrassedly, about how she'd never had stronger feelings for anyone before. And the even greater surprise was that Percy returned them. Unfortunately, nothing ever went right for them. First, the problem had been communication. Now, they were stuck in a terrible "what if" predicament where neither of them could do anything about this.
When she was done, Grover stared at her for a few seconds before he said, "I can't say I'm surprised." He shrugged. "We all kind of figured you'd get together at some point. Then you joined the Hunters and completely messed up our betting pool."
"Betting pool?" Annabeth interjected, arching an eyebrow.
"Uh," Grover stuttered. "A joke." Annabeth rolled her eyes; even her kid brothers could lie better than that, but she decided to let it slide. "Any idea what you're gonna do?"
Annabeth's shoulders sagged. "None at all. There isn't really a choice. Even if we don't all die at Kronos' hand — which is a huge possibility at the moment — I'll have to leave with the Hunters after this is over. If I don't, Percy and I will probably be turned into some kind of small fowl and killed."
Grover made a face. "Ouch."
She nodded. "Ouch, indeed."
"We'll figure something out," Grover said reassuringly. "We always do." He sounded far more convinced than she felt.
They returned to the throne room, Annabeth feeling lighter than before. Thalia was a good confidante, but Grover wasn't a Hunter, and she didn't have to feel any guilt in telling him about all this.
When they entered the throne room, Percy was staring at Rachel dumbfoundedly, Hestia looking at him expectantly.
"Percy?" Annabeth voiced doubtfully. "Should we...leave again?"
Percy shook his head. "You're not gonna do anything stupid, right?" he asked Rachel. They exchanged more vague sentences that Annabeth was too exhausted to read into.
Finally, Percy picked up Pandora's jar. The spirit of Hope fluttered inside, trying to warm the cold container. "Hestia," he declared, "I give this to you as an offering."
The goddess tilted her head. "I am the least of the gods. Why would you trust me with this?"
"You're the last Olympian," he said emphatically. "And the most important."
Hestia looked intrigued as well as surprised. "And why is that, Percy Jackson?"
"Because Hope survives best at the hearth," he said. "Guard it for me, and I won't be tempted to give up again."
The goddess smiled. She took the jar in her hands and it began to glow. The hearth fire burned a little brighter.
"Well done, Percy Jackson," she said. "May the gods bless you."
Percy struggles to his feet. "We're about to find out." He looked at Annabeth and Grover. "Come on, guys."
Annabeth followed him blankly until they reached Poseidon's throne.
"Help me up," Percy said, looking up at the black leather seat attached to the pedestal.
Annabeth made a disbelieving sound in the back of her throat. "Are you crazy?"
"Probably," he admitted.
"Percy," Grover said nervously, "the gods really don't appreciate people sitting in their thrones. I mean like turn-you-into-a-pile-of-ashes don't appreciate it."
"I need to get his attention," Percy insisted. "It's the only way."
"Well," Annabeth exchanged a wary glance with Grover. But by now, they both knew to trust Percy. "This'll do it."
They linked their arms to make a step, then boosted Percy onto the throne. Next to the massive chair, Percy looked like a baby.
A few seconds passed before anything really happened. Percy's face twisted up in a painful expression before he said, "I'm sorry, Father," he murmured. "I needed to get your attention."
Another paused. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "Listen, things are rough up here."
The rest of what Percy said was mostly to himself in a series of mumbles and occasional jarring protests. Annabeth watched him in puzzlement; this had to be one of the most confusing things she'd ever seen.
After about three minutes, Percy slipped off the throne, landing lightly on his feet.
Grover studied him nervously. "Are you okay? You turned pale and...you started smoking."
"I did not!" Steam was curling off his shirtsleeves. The hair on his arms was singed. Percy looked down at himself, as if only just realising it.
"If you'd sat there any longer," Annabeth frowned. "You would've spontaneously combusted. I hope the conversation was worth it?"
The Ophiotaurus made a "moo" sound in his sphere of water.
"We'll find out soon," Percy said vaguely.
The doors of the throne room swung open, revealing Thalia. She marched in, and Annabeth felt her stomach churn when she saw that the huntress' bow was snapped in half and her quiver was empty.
"You've got to get down there," she said urgently. "The enemy is advancing." Thalia hesitated. "And Kronos is leading them."
By the time they hurried down to the street, it was too late.
Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse must've lost a fight with a Hyperborean giant, because she and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen. Either they'd panicked and ran or they'd been disintegrated.
The Titan army ringed the building, standing maybe twenty feet from the doors. Kronos's vanguard was in the lead: Ethan Nakamura, the dracaena queen in her green armor, and two Hyperboreans.
Luke — no, Annabeth reminded herself, Kronos — himself stood right in front with his scythe in hand. "Chiron," she said, voice trembling as she saw that the old centaur was the only thing standing between Kronos and them.
Kronos' gaze slipped to Percy, and his golden eyes flared angrily. "Step aside, little son," he growled to Chiron.
"I'm afraid not." Chiron's tone was steely calm.
Annabeth strained to move forward, but her feet felt like concrete — Kronos' doing, no doubt.
"Chiron!" Annabeth yelped, spotting the impatient dracanae queen preparing to charge. "Look out!"
Chiron's arrow flew and struck the monster between the eyes. She disintegrated, but Chiron's quiver was now empty. He drew his sword.
Kronos chuckled. He advanced a step, and Chiron's horse-half skittered nervously. His tail flicked back and forth.
"You're a teacher," Kronos sneered. "Not a hero."
"Luke was a hero," Chiron said. "He was a good one, until you corrupted him."
"FOOL!" Kronos boomed. "You filled his head with empty promises. You said the gods cared about me!"
"Me," Chiron noticed. "You said me."
Kronos looked confused, and in that moment, Chiron struck. It was a good maneuver—a feint followed by a strike to the face — but Kronos was quick. He knocked aside Chiron's blade and yelled, "BACK!"
A blinding white light exploded between the Titan and the centaur. Chiron flew into the side of the building with such force the wall crumbled and collapsed on top of him.
"No!" Annabeth wailed. The freezing spell wore off, and Percy and Thalia scrambled off to help Chiron, but Annabeth was frozen to her spot, not by magic this time.
"You!" she cried. "You—to think I—" Annabeth furiously shrugged off Percy's feeble attempt to hold her back as she charged Luke, unthinking and a blur of anger. Her blade bounced off his collarbone like it was made of iron, and agony shot up her previously wounded shoulder.
Percy held her more tightly this time as Kronos slashed at the air she had been a second before.
Annabeth couldn't help the tears that dripped from her eyes. She hadn't cried when she was told of Beckendorf's death, or when Silena died right in front of her eyes. But she cried now in the face of the boy she had once loved and treated like family.
"I hate you!" she spat as venomously as she could manage. "Traitor!" she yelled.
"I have to fight him," Percy murmured.
Annabeth wrenched herself out of his grip. "It's my fight too, Percy!" She turned to face him, and saw that Percy was looking at her with an almost pleading look. It was a foreign expression, but it made her falter for just a second, momentarily dispelling the haze over her mind.
"So much spirit," Kronos remarked. "I can see why Luke wanted to spare you. But that simply won't be possible." He raises his scythe, and Percy leaped in front of Annabeth defensively, but they were interrupted by a loud howl.
"Arooooo!"
Percy blinked, exchanging an astounded look with Annabeth. "Mrs O'Leary?"
The enemy forces stirred uneasily. Then the strangest thing happened. They began to part, clearing a path through the street like something behind them was forcing them to.
Soon there was a free aisle down the center of Fifth Avenue. Standing at the end of the block was my giant dog, and a small figure in black armor.
"Nico?" Percy called.
Annabeth's mind was flooded with images of a small Italian boy, with more anger than any 11-year-old should have, that matched the demigod there.
Nico strode up it them, Mrs O'Leary bounding at his side. "Got your message," he said to Percy. "Is it too late to join the party?" Percy was just grinning at him like he'd just heard the most ridiculous thing ever.
"Son of Hades." Kronos spat on the ground. "Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?"
"Your death," Nico said impertinently, "would be great for me."
"I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. You have no business here, and no chance to live."
Nico drew his sword—three feet of wicked sharp Stygian iron, black as a nightmare. "I don't agree." Every syllable was charged with power.
The ground rumbled. Cracks appeared in the road, the sidewalks, the sides of the buildings. Skeletal hands grasped the air as the dead clawed their way into the world of the living. There were thousands of them, and as they emerged, the Titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up.
"HOLD YOUR GROUND!" Kronos demanded. "The dead are no match for us."
The sky turned dark and cold. Shadows thickened. A harsh war horn sounded, and as the dead soldiers formed up ranks with their guns and swords and spears, an enormous chariot roared down Fifth Avenue. It came to a stop next to Nico. The horses were living shadows, fashioned from darkness. The chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death. Holding the reins was Hades himself, Lord of the Dead, with Demeter and Persephone riding behind him.
The lord of the dead radiated fear. Only Kronos's power and authority kept his ranks from fleeing.
Hades smiled coldly. "Hello, Father. You're looking...young."
"Hades," Kronos growled. "I hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance."
"I'm afraid not." Hades sighed. "My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." He glanced at me with distaste. "As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing we agree on—it is that you were a terrible father."
"True," muttered Demeter. "No appreciation of agriculture."
"Mother!" Persephone complained.
Hades drew his sword, a double-edged Stygian blade etched with silver. "Now fight me! For today the House of Hades will be called the saviors of Olympus."
"I don't have time for this," Kronos snarled. He struck the ground with his scythe. A crack spread in both directions, circling the Empire State Building. A wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, separating Kronos's vanguard, my friends, and me from the bulk of the two armies.
"What's he doing?" Percy demanded.
"Sealing us in," Thalia said. "He's collapsing the magic barriers around Manhattan—cutting off just the building, and us."
Pedestrians all around started to wake, looking at them uncomprehendingly. Annabeth saw Percy pale when he saw his parents climb out of the Prius down the road.
Fortunately, Hades caused a distraction. He charged at the wall of force, but his chariot crashed against it and overturned. He got to his feet, cursing, and blasted the wall with black energy. The barrier held.
"ATTACK!" he roared.
The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan's monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos. Mortals screamed and ran for cover. Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field. Persephone changed the dracaenae's spears into sunflowers. Nico slashed and hacked his way through the enemy, trying to protect the pedestrians as best he could.
"Nakamura," Kronos said. "Attend me. Giants—deal with them." He pointed at the demigods. Then he ducked into the lobby. Percy's expression morphed into one of anger.
The first Hyperborean giant smashed at Percy with his club. I rolled between his legs and stabbed Riptide into his backside. He shattered into a pile of ice shards.
The second giant breathed frost at Annabeth, she stumbled away just in time while Thalia went to work. She sprinted up the giant's back like a gazelle, sliced her hunting knives across his monstrous blue neck, and created the world's largest headless ice sculpture.
"Ambrosia," Grover panted, handing her pieces of the godly food. Annabeth accepted it without any argument. Having to face Luke again was more tiring than the actual fight. The throbbing in her shoulder started to dissipate again as she waited impatiently for her head to clear.
Once she came to herself again, Annabeth saw Grover gazing at her with concern. Percy and Nico stood behind him, discussing in low tones.
"I'm good," Annabeth assured the satyr. "Come on, Seaweed Brain!"
Percy nodded. "Mrs. O'Leary," he called, pointing to the pile of rubble. "Please, Chiron's under there. If anyone can dig him out, you can."
She bounded to the pile and started to dig. Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, and Percy raced for the elevators.
The bridge to Olympus was dissolving. Annabeth leaped out of the elevator to see the white marble walkway crumbling underneath her feet.
"Jump!" Grover yelled as he flew through the air onto the next slab of stone.
Thalia followed suit — yelling "Gods, I hate heights!" — and in her normal state, Annabeth wouldn't have had any problem, but her shoulder was aching and she was still exhausted from the last few days.
She stumbled and fell, instinctively crying out, "Percy!" His hand shot out and grasped hers just in time, Annabeth hanging over open air and gasping as she kicked her legs uselessly.
"You're not falling," Percy said through gritted teeth, his own fingers on the stone starting to slip.
"Let go," Annabeth croaked. She was seconds away from pulling both of them down. Her hand slipped so that he was holding onto her by just her fingers. "Percy—"
"No," he said fiercely, and his green eyes angled downwards to her, filling Annabeth with renewed energy and reassurance.
Then she was being pulled up, Percy's other arm coming to wrap around her, both of them sitting huddled in a trembling heap on the pavement.
It was a few seconds of shaky breaths before Annabeth struggled to her feet, Percy's arms falling away as he helped her up. He didn't let go of her hand.
"We have to keep moving," Grover urged. The quartet continued to sprint across the sky bridge as more stones disintegrated and fell into oblivion. They made it to the edge of the mountain just as the final section collapsed.
Annabeth looked back at the elevator, which was now completely out of reach—a polished set of metal doors hanging in space, attached to nothing, six hundred stories above Manhattan.
"We're marooned," she breathed. "On our own." Percy squeezed her hand, and she turned to look helplessly at him. What the hell were they going to do?
Grover bleated miserably. "The connection between Olympus and America is dissolving. If it fails—"
"The gods won't move on to another country this time," Thalia said darkly. "This will be the end of Olympus. The final end."
They ran through streets. Mansions were burning, statues had been hacked down, and trees in the parks were blasted to splinters.
As they followed the winding path up to the palace, the whole mountaintop was in ruins—so many beautiful buildings and gardens gone.
A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords and spears broken in half.
Somewhere ahead of them, Kronos's voice roared, "Brick by brick! That was my promise. Tear it down brick by brick!"
A white marble temple with a gold dome suddenly exploded. The dome shot up like the lid of a teapot and shattered into a billion pieces, raining rubble over the city.
Annabeth snarled. "That was a shrine to Artemis."
Thalia grumbled in agreement, "He'll pay for that."
They were running under the marble archway with the huge statues of the Olympians when the entire mountain groaned, rocking sideways like a boat in a storm.
"Look out!" Grover yelped. The archway crumbled. Annabeth looked up in time to see a twenty-ton regal Aphrodite topple over onto them.
Percy been flattened, but Thalia shoved them from behind and both of them tumbled onto the side, just out of danger.
"Thalia!" Grover cried.
When the dust cleared and the mountain stopped rocking, Annabeth found her still alive, but her legs were pinned under the statue. When they tried to pull Thalia out from under it, she yelled in pain.
"I survive all those battles," she growled, "and I get defeated by a stupid chunk of rock!"
"It's Aphrodite," Annabeth said frustratedly. "I pissed her off. That statue was supposed to fall on me."
Thalia grimaced. "Well, don't just stand there! I'll be fine. Go!"
"We'll be back," Percy promised.
"I'm not going anywhere," Thalia groaned.
A fireball erupted on the side of the mountain, right near the gates of the palace.
"We've got to run," Percy told them gravely.
"I don't suppose you mean away," Grover murmured hopefully.
Percy sprinted toward the palace, Annabeth right at his heels. "I was afraid of that," she heard Grover sigh as he clip-clopped after them.
The doors of the palace were big enough to steer a cruise ship through, but they'd been ripped off their hinges and smashed like they weighed nothing.
Kronos stood in the middle of the throne room, his arms wide, staring at the starry ceiling as if taking it all in. His laughter echoed even louder than it had from the pit of Tartarus, back in Annabeth's first quest. "Finally!" he bellowed. "The Olympian Council—so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first?"
Hestia and Rachel were nowhere to be seen — somewhere safe, Annabeth hoped — and Ethan Nakamura, who stood by Kronos' side, was the first to spot them.
"My lord," he warned as the three of them stepped into the torchlight.
Kronos turned, and a slow smile spread across his face. It was so familiar and so foreign at the same time that Annabeth couldn't help the whimper that escaped her.
"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson?" Kronos mused. "Is that the choice you will make—to fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know."
"Luke would fight with a sword," Percy retorted harshly. "But I suppose you don't have his skill."
Kronos sneered. His scythe began to change, until he held Luke's old weapon, Backbiter, with its half-steel, half-Celestial bronze blade.
Annabeth's gaze flickered from Riptide, to Backbiter, to her own knife. One of the prophecy lines echoed in her head.
Of course. The knife was the answer. The dagger Luke had given her all those years ago. How hadn't she seen it before?