CHAPTER THIRTY: LUMINOUS
The end of the world began with a volleyball game.
It had started as such a good day. The sun blazed down on Camp Half Blood, bathing the campers in warmth. It was a perfect example of the saying the calm before the storm.
Of course, impending war had been on the minds of many. Minds were anxious, and many campers were furiously training. It was hard to not see a weapon wherever your eyes were trained on. In the training mats, Sherman Yang and Ellis Wakefield were sparring as if it was life or death, stabbing so ferociously that if you hadn't known them, you would have thought they were actually trying to hurt each other. The rest of the Ares cabin was creating new landmines and bombs outside their cabin.
The Demeter cabin was supposedly creating a type of plant that could trap monsters. Miranda was throwing dirt at Travis, who was trying to talk to Katie.
The Athena cabin was restlessly coming up with a battle plan. Large maps were spread all around their cabin, since they ran out of space inside. Malcolm Pace was yelling at an Aphrodite girl who stepped on the corner of their battleground locations of Camp Half Blood.
Apollo's cabin was rushing to stock up on last minute medicine, making sure they had the maximum amount of everything. Will was running back and forth through camp, his arms full of glasses of ambrosia.
Hephaestus' cabin was hurriedly making new weapons, and handing them to the Ares cabin to distribute. They looked a tad bit wonky from the quick smelting, but they were still a weapon.
Aphrodite cabin was making glitter bombs and working on their charmspeak. Poor Nyssa had been a victim, who now was running around doing whatever Drew Tanaka wanted.
The Hermes cabin was working on traps. Well, most of them anyway. Travis and Connor were messing around, no surprise to Ellie there. She tried to ignore them, hyper fixating on making sure that she was prepared for war.
Her armor was slapped on crookedly, her Ceslestial bronze chest plate hung off of her chest to the side. Her hair had been thrown into a messy bun, but throughout the morning, most of the hair had fallen out. She had her trusty sword in it's scabbard, and her various knives hidden throughout her outfit, although she was still in her pajamas under her armor.
In conclusion, Ellie considered herself ready for the war that was bounded to come any day now. Her boyfriend on the other hand, she couldn't speak for. As she glanced over at Connor carelessly walking around, she felt a pang of annoyance. Connor couldn't take anything seriously.
Although, Ellie knew better then to blame him for that. Connor had been through a lot. Everyone dealt with the trauma differently, and he was no different. She knew that deep down he was worried, everyone was. Maybe he didn't show it to calm the others down, or to try to calm himself down.
She sighed, shaking her head. She was on the hunt for a helmet, she didn't feel like getting another head trauma in this battle. Not surprisingly, the armor bin had been raided in both the weapons room and the training area.
"What'ca looking for?" Connor's voice snapped her out of her daze.
"Helmet." She hummed, not meeting his eyes. She was sifting through yet another box. All that was inside was a few ripped-up shin guards and a leather knee pad.
She glanced up to the boy, who was no where near prepared for the war. He was leaning against a pillar with his signature mischievous smirk, one that never failed to make her blush.
He had gotten taller over the past six months. His curly hair had gotten longer, and his freckles were more prominent. He wore a orange Camp Half Blood shirt and plaid pajama pants that were too big for him.
"Connor," She scolded. "Where's your armor? And your sword? Reyna and Nico should be arriving any day now!"
Connor grinned. "Exactly. Want to play volleyball?"
"Volleyball?" Ellie asked, disbelievingly. "There's a battle coming to us!"
Connor shrugged. "Well, it's not here yet. I've already thought of the teams."
Ellie glared at him, but he didn't budge. Instead, he took her hand, and dragged her towards the volleyball courts. Some gave them odd looks, which Ellie completely understood.
Travis was grinning, dragging a complaining Katie behind him. Travis had dirt all over him, probably from Miranda attacking him.
"I've got the volleyball!" Travis yelled, throwing the ball at Connor. Connor grinned.
"C'mon Ellie," He called carelessly. "You're on my team!"
Ellie rolled her eyes, but didn't argue with him. Connor may have been right, they should relax as much as they could before the Romans attacked.
"Prepare to lose!"
Travis and Katie had just got into positions on the court. Then an orange glow illuminated the hilltops. Multiple streaks of fire climbed skyward like burning fingers.
The onagers had shot their first volley.
Ellie turned to Connor as her first instinct, fear tearing through her bones. No matter how much she tried to prepare, no one could possibly be ready for war. The paralyzing horror spread through her body like icy, liquid metal. She clenched her fists as she hesitantly took a step. She noticed her feet tremble.
After a split second of panic, Connor had made it to her side. His hands gripped her shoulders gently, bringing her back to reality.
Flashbacks of Manhattan flooded her vision, making her legs shake. She was not ready to lose anyone else.
"El!" He hissed, pushing her hair from her eyes. "It's okay!"
Ellie tried to calm herself, taking his hand and darting to her cabin, making Connor sprint to keep up with her.
"El-" He tried, but she just swung the Harmonia cabin door open. Rushing into the clean living area, that she hadn't touched in days, she passed to get to the stairs. She swung open the wardrobe. Pulling out her emergency armor, she threw it at Connor who barely caught them.
"Put them on," She ordered, leaving no room for argument. She was about to close the wardrobe when she saw a glint coming from the back.
"Ellie?" Connor asked hesitantly, putting on the chest plate that was tight against his torso.
She frowned, and reached for it. The glint turned to the blinding shine, she had to cover her eyes to grab the item from the back of the closet. It was warm to the touch.
As soon as the object was brought to the light, Ellie's breath hitched in her throat.
It was a short sword. It gleamed even in the tiniest of light that came from the windows of her cabin. For one moment, it looked gold, the next a blinding silver.
She held it carefully, eyebrows knit. She was pretty sure she had never seen something like this before.
On the side, από τον τιτάνα στο ημίθεο was written.
"From Titan to demigod," She whispered softly, translating the Ancient Greek. "Thea."
Connor took a step towards it. Ellie turned it to the other side. φωτεινός was written along the hilt in glowing letters.
"No way, is that from Thea?" Connor asked excitedly, running his fingers along the inscription that translated to Luminous. "It's still warm, Hephaestus must have just made it."
Ellie smiled absently, she missed her Titan friend. She tested the swords weight, holding it out. It was lightweight, the perks of having a shorter sword.
"Lucky," Connor grumbled, but he was smiling down at the sword. It was sign that the Titan hadn't forgotten about the two young demigods.
"Come on, Stoll," Ellie pressed a shot kiss to his lips. "We've got a war to win."
✩✩✩
Ellie thought her heart would explode. Her eyes were wide with fear. Her body wanted to run fast to the beach to get away, but instead she remained where she was. She had to face it, there is really only one thing she could do: Pray no one kills her.
She stood in a small group. Will Solace, Cecil, Lou Ellen, and Ellie were huddled around the Athena's cabin's maps. Connor had an arm wrapped around Ellie, a nervous frown etched on his lips.
"Connor Stoll," Will growled. "All we are doing is scouting the enemy. We are not going to engage, your girlfriend will be fine. Go help your brother collect medicine before you need one yourself."
Connor shifted. "Um, okay. Right. See you soon, El."
He scampered off like a wounded puppy.
"Will!" Ellie complained. "He's just nervous!"
Will rolled his eyes. "Shush. We need to be prepared to scout them out and leave. No combat, do not engage, and do not be seen. Got it?"
Ellie nodded, fixing her chest plate. Her new sword held at her scabbard. She had sheathed her sword because its shine would give them away in a second.
She felt ready as she would ever be.
"Lou Ellen, have you manipulated the Mist yet?"
Lou Ellen nodded.
Will handed them binoculars, which they hung around their necks and daggers at their side. They all wore black jeans and T-shirts at the command of Drew(she said it would make them look cooler), with black grease paint on their faces like commandos.
Ellie grinned. "I feel like a spy."
"You are a spy." Cecil said, confused.
Will shut them up by beginning to walk towards the Roman camp. Ellie turned and walked backwards to face Connor, who was frozen from his job of collecting medicine. She gave a mock salute, blew a kiss, and a silent promise that she would return in no time.
She crept behind the group. Will was surprisingly light on his feet after all of the time he spent stomping around.
Will ducked under a bush, the others following suit. He had spotted the Roman command tent, behind and to the left of the legion.
Will took out his binoculars, silently watching those would attack them any minute.
All of the sudden, a boy stumbled into view. Lou Ellen and Cecil ducked even further. Ellie felt herself begin to be controlled by fear again, fear of being caught, fear of leaving Connor behind.
"Nico?" Will whispered harshly before Ellie could slap a hand around his mouth.
The boy spun, his sword instantly in his hand, and almost decapitated Will Solace.
"Put that down!" Will hissed. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Nico!" Ellie said cheerfully, earning a slap from Lou Ellen.
Nico was dumbstruck.
"Me?" Nico asked. "What are you doing? Getting yourselves killed?"
Will scowled. "Hey, we're scouting the enemy. We took precautions."
"You dressed in black," Nico noted, "with the sun coming up. You painted your face but didn't cover that mop of blond hair. You might as well be waving a yellow flag."
Will's ears reddened. "Lou Ellen wrapped some Mist around us, too."
Ellie huffed. "Blame Drew, it was her idea."
"Hi." Lou Ellen wriggled her fingers. She looked a little flustered. "You're Nico, right? I've heard a lot about you. And this is Cecil from Hermes cabin."
Nico knelt next to them. "Did Coach Hedge make it to camp?"
Lou Ellen giggled nervously. "Did he ever."
Will elbowed her. "Yeah. Hedge is fine. He made it just in time for the baby's birth."
"The baby!" Nico grinned, an expression Ellie hadn't expected. "Mellie and the kid are all right?"
"Fine. A very cute little satyr boy." Will shuddered. "But I delivered it. Have you ever delivered a baby?"
"Um, no."
"Not everyone delivers babies in their free time, Solace," Ellie butt in.
"I had to get some fresh air. That's why I volunteered for this mission. Gods of Olympus, my hands are still shaking. See?" Will said, ignoring her.
He took Nico's hand. Nico quickly withdrew. "Whatever," he snapped. "We don't have time for chitchat. The Romans are attacking at dawn and I've got to –"
"We know," Will said. "But, if you're planning to shadow-travel to that command tent, forget it."
Nico glared at him. "Excuse me?"
Will's blue eyes stayed fixed on his – annoyingly determined. "Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You can't try that again."
"I just did try it again, Solace. I'm fine."
"No, you're not. I'm a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you'd be in no shape to fight. But you wouldn't make it. One more slip, and you won't come back. You are not shadow-travelling. Doctor's orders."
"The camp is about to be destroyed –"
"And we'll stop the Romans," Will said. "But we'll do it our way. Lou Ellen will control the Mist. We'll sneak around, do as much damage as we can to those onagers. But no shadow-travel."
"But –"
"No."
Lou Ellen, Ellie, and Cecil's heads swiveled back and forth like they were watching a really intense tennis match. Ellie grinned at the two.
Nico sighed in exasperation.
Nico gazed down at Camp Half-Blood, where the rest of the Greeks were preparing for war. Past the troops and ballistae, the canoe lake glittered pink in the first light of dawn.
'Whatever," Nico said after a moment. '"But we have to hurry. And you'll follow my lead."
"Fine," Will said. "Just don't ask me to deliver any more satyr babies and we'll get along great."
They made it to the first onager just as chaos broke loose in the legion.
On the far end of the line, cries went up from the Fifth Cohort. Legionnaires scattered and dropped their pila. A dozen centaurs barrelled through the ranks, yelling and waving their clubs, followed by a horde of two-headed men banging on trash-can lids.
"What's going on down there?" Lou Ellen asked.
"That's my distraction," Nico said. "Come on."
All the guards had clustered on the right side of the onager, trying to see what was going on down the ranks, which gave the group a clear shot to the left. They passed within a few feet of the nearest Roman, but the legionnaire didn't notice them. Lou Ellen's Mist magic seemed to be working.
They jumped the spiked trench and reached the machine.
"I brought some Greek fire," Cecil whispered.
"No," Nico said. "If we make the damage too obvious, we'll never get to the other ones in time. Can you recalibrate the aim – like, towards the other onagers' firing lines?"
Cecil grinned. "Oh, I like the way you think. They sent me because I excel at messing things up."
He went to work while the others stood guard.
Ellie shifted uncomfortably. She hoped Connor was alright and wasn't worrying too much.
Meanwhile the Fifth Cohort was brawling with the two-headed men. The Fourth Cohort moved in to help. The other three cohorts held their positions, but the officers were having trouble keeping order.
"All right," Cecil announced. "Let's move."
They shuffled across the hillside towards the next onager.
This time the Mist didn't work so well. One of the onager guards yelled, "Hey!"
"Got this." Will sprinted off and six of the guards chased after him.
The other Romans advanced on the rest, which was Ellie's cue. She took off in the opposite direction of Will, sending a wink to one of the guards as she took off for the woods.
She had two guards on her trail. She had no idea where her group was at, but she had to push her worry aside so she could outlive the next five minutes. She unsheathed Luminous, allowing it to enter the sunlight. She could barely look at it, but she skidded to a stop. She held it out to the two Roman guards, threatening them.
"We've got your cornered," One of them said with a confident smirk, taking a step towards her.
"Cornered?" Ellie snorted. "Unless this is beginners lessons, I believe there's only two of you. I could do this in my sleep."
The other didn't seem fazed. "Are you sure?"
Three more soldiers emerged from the woods.
Ellie hesitated. "Whoa, you guys live in there or something?" She said weakly.
The five soldiers didn't respond, only taking a step in to close in.
Ellie smiled. "Guess it's time to test this bad boy out," She twirled the sword, getting in a defensive position. The sword felt right in her grip, the perfect balance that she had a feeling would be good in a fight.
The sword grew warm in her grip. She swung first, making contact with the first solider. He stumbled forward, clutching his shin. Distracted with his comrades injury, she sliced the second solider's shoulder. He stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. She turned to the last three, eyes burning with determination.
They all charged at once, and Ellie had to stumble back, holding the sword out as a defense. Their Imperial Gold swords clanged against hers.
One of them let out a cry, shielding his eyes. Ellie almost hesitated, and had to scramble out of the way as a girl's sword was a moment from piercing her through the chest. She gritted her teeth, deflecting her next move and kicking her in the chest, sending her back.
The third charged, Ellie tripped him. He fell on his face, getting a mouthful of mud.
She glared at the soldiers, holding the sword above the fallen boy's back.
"Stop!" The girl cried, her eyes murderous. "Don't hurt him."
Ellie's heart clambered with sympathy. She had no intentions of taking his life.
"Just let me go back to camp, then." Ellie spoke, her voice raspy. "I don't want any trouble."
The girl nodded, dropping her sword. Her eyes were full of shame, and she didn't look up from her fallen comrade. Ellie turned to leave when the first man she had bested tried to stab her in the chest.
She glared daggers, deflecting the attack effortlessly, and slamming the sword hilt into the guy's forehead, causing him to slump over.
The second also charged, giving reason for the rest of them to betray their promise.
Soon, she was fighting all of them again. She inhaled quickly, getting ready for a good fight.
She didn't want to kill other demigods. She jumped into the four, slamming faces with the flat of her blade, bashing helmets with her pommel. The Romans all lay groaning and dazed on the ground.
She stood proudly at the fallen soldiers who would be alright in a few hours.
"Toodles!" She called sarcastically.
She turned and ran right back into the fight. Literally. She ran directly into Cecil, who was currently trying to fight back more Romans.
"Ellie!" He cried. "Are you alright?" He asked as he tackled a girl.
"Yeah!" She said breathlessly, scanning her surroundings.
Nico spread his hands. In front of the Romans, the ground erupted. Five skeletons clawed out of the earth. Cecil and Lou Ellen charged in to help. Nico tried to follow, but he would've fallen on his face if Will hadn't caught him.
Ellie followed Lou Ellen and Cecil, twirling her sword as she joined the second fight in two minutes. Sherman's boot camp was certainly coming in handy.
"Where were you?" Lou Ellen yelled over the battle cries of the First Cohort.
"Cornered in the woods!" Ellie yelled back, pining a boy to the ground.
"Fun!" Cecil called, before he was tackled to the ground with a yelp.
Ellie hit another solider with her hilt as Cecil and Lou Ellen came up with some kind of plan. Together, they managed to summon some kind of robe made of bones. At the last second, Ellie shoved the girl she was fighting underneath the robes, which then instantly tightened and trapped the First Cohort.
"Hey." Cecil limped over, looking like he'd pulled a muscle. "You guys kind of missed the fight."
Lou Ellen and Ellie followed, grinning.
"Thanks for the skeletons," she said. "Great trick."
"Which he won't be doing again," Will said.
Nico was still leaning against Will. He pushed him away and stood on his own two feet. "I'll do what I need to."
Will rolled his eyes. "Fine, Death Boy. If you want to get yourself killed –"
"Do not call me Death Boy!"
Ellie glanced away from them, looking around. They were surrounded.
Lou Ellen cleared her throat. "Um, guys –"
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
The fight at the third onager had not gone unnoticed.
The entire First Cohort was advancing on them, spears levelled, shields locked. In front of them marched Octavian, purple robes over his armour, Imperial gold jewellery glittering on his neck and arms, and a crown of laurels on his head as if he'd already won the battle. Next to him was the legion's standard-bearer, Jacob, holding the golden eagle, and six huge cynocephali, their canine teeth bared, their swords glowing red.
"Well," Octavian snarled, "Graecus saboteurs." He turned to his dog-headed warriors. "Tear them apart."
Ellie gulped. "Will," She whispered. "You told Connor we wouldn't engage."
"That is obviously not an option anymore, Dalton."
As the dog-headed men barrelled forward, Ellie raised her sword. She doubted she had the skill left to win against so many, but, before she could attack them, Will let out a piercing taxicab whistle.
All six dog-men dropped their weapons, grabbed their ears and fell down in agony.
"Dude." Cecil opened his mouth to pop his ears. "What the actual Hades? A little warning next time."
"It's even worse for the dogs." Will shrugged. "One of my few musical talents. I do a really awful ultrasonic whistle."
Nico waded through the dog-men, jabbing them with his sword. They dissolved into shadows.
Octavian and the other Romans seemed too stunned to react.
"My – my elite guard!" Octavian looked around for sympathy. "Did you see what he did to my elite guard?"
"Some dogs need to be put down." Nico took a step forward. "Like you."
For one beautiful moment, the entire First Cohort wavered. Then they remembered themselves and levelled their pila.
"You will be destroyed!" Octavian shrieked. "You Graeci sneak around, sabotaging our weapons, attacking our men –"
"You mean the weapons you were about to fire at us?" Cecil asked.
"And kill all our friends?" Ellie added.
"And the men who were about to burn our camp to ashes?" added Lou Ellen.
"Just like a Greek!" Octavian yelled. "Trying to twist things around! Well, it won't work!" He pointed to the nearest legionnaires. "You, you, you and you. Check all the onagers. Make sure they're operational. I want them fired simultaneously as soon as possible. Go!"
The four Romans ran.
Octavian marched up to Nico. The augur didn't seem afraid, though his only weapon was a dagger. He stopped so close that they could see the bloodshot veins in his pale watery eyes. His face was gaunt. His hair was the colour of overcooked spaghetti.
"Tell me, son of Pluto," The augur hissed, "why are you helping the Greeks? What have they ever done for you?"
"I'm helping the Greeks and the Romans," Nico said.
Octavian laughed. "Don't try to con me. What have they offered you – a place in their camp? They won't honor their agreement."
"I don't want a place in their camp," Nico snarled. "Or in yours. When this war is over, I'm leaving both camps for good."
Will Solace made a sound like he'd been punched. "Why would you do that?"
Ellie frowned. She knew that the boy felt out of place at camp, it wasn't a secret. She wished there was something more she could do to help him.
Nico scowled. "It's none of your business, but I don't belong. That's obvious. No one wants me. I'm a child of –"
"Oh, please." Will sounded unusually angry. "Nobody at Camp Half-Blood ever pushed you away. You have friends – or at least people who would like to be your friend. You pushed yourself away. If you'd get your head out of that brooding cloud of yours for once –"
"Enough!" Octavian snapped. "Di Angelo, I can beat any offer the Greeks could make. I always thought you would make a powerful ally. I see the ruthlessness in you, and I appreciate that. I can assure you a place in New Rome. All you have to do is step aside and allow the Romans to win. The god Apollo has shown me the future –"
"No!" Will Solace shoved Nico out of the way and got in Octavian's face. "I am a son of Apollo, you anaemic loser. My father hasn't shown anyone the future, because the power of prophecy isn't working. But this –" He waved loosely at the assembled legion, the hordes of monstrous armies spread across the hillside. "This is not what Apollo would want!"
Octavian's lip curled. "You lie. The god told me personally that I would be remembered as the saviour of Rome. I will lead the legion to victory, and I will start by –"
All the onagers fired at once, and six golden comets billowed into the sky.
"By destroying the Greeks!" Octavian cried with glee. "The days of Camp Half-Blood are over!"
From the three sabotaged machines, the payloads veered sideways, arcing towards the barrage from the other three onagers.
The fireballs didn't collide directly. They didn't need to. As soon as the missiles got close to one another, all six warheads detonated in midair, spraying a dome of gold and fire that sucked the oxygen right out of the sky.
The heat stung Ellie's face. She had to look away, she felt a serious case of sunburn settling in. In a moment's thought, she covered her face with her new sword. Instantly, it embraced the heat, just leaving a faint heat on her cheeks. The grass hissed. The tops of the trees steamed. But, when the fireworks faded, no serious damage had been done.
Octavian reacted first. He stomped his feet and yelled, "NO! NO, NO! RELOAD!"
No one in the First Cohort moved. Nico heard the tromping of boots to his right. The Fifth Cohort was marching towards them double-time, Dakota in the lead.
Further downhill, the rest of the legion was trying to form up, but the Second, Third and Fourth Cohorts were now surrounded by a sea of ill-tempered monstrous allies. The auxilia forces didn't look happy about the explosion overhead. No doubt they'd been waiting for Camp Half-Blood to go up in flames so they'd get chargrilled demigod for breakfast.
"Octavian!" Dakota called. "We have new orders."
Octavian's left eye twitched so violently it looked like it might explode. "Orders? From whom? Not from me!"
"From Reyna," Dakota said, loud enough to make sure everyone in the First Cohort could hear. "She's ordered us to stand down."
"Reyna?" Octavian laughed, though no one seemed to get the joke. "You mean the outlaw I sent you to arrest? The ex-praetor who conspired to betray her own people with this Graecus?" He jabbed his finger in Nico's chest. "You're taking orders from her?"
The Fifth Cohort formed up behind their centurion, uneasily facing their comrades in the First.
Dakota crossed his arms stubbornly. "Reyna is the praetor until voted otherwise by the Senate."
"This is war!" Octavian yelled. "I've brought you to the brink of ultimate victory and you want to give up? First Cohort: arrest Centurion Dakota and any who stand with him. Fifth Cohort: remember your vows to Rome and the legion. You will obey me!"
Will Solace shook his head. "Don't do this, Octavian. Don't force your people to choose. This is your last chance."
"My last chance?" Octavian grinned, madness glinting in his eyes. "I will SAVE ROME! Now, Romans, follow my orders! Arrest Dakota. Destroy these Graecus scum. And reload those onagers!"
At that moment, the entire army of Camp Half-Blood appeared on the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Clarisse La Rue rode in the lead, on a red war chariot pulled by metal horses. A hundred demigods fanned out around her, with twice that many satyrs and nature spirits led by Grover Underwood. Tyson lumbered forward with six other Cyclopes. Chiron stood in full white stallion mode, his bow drawn.
Clarisse yelled, "Romans, you have fired on our camp! Withdraw or be destroyed!"
Octavian wheeled on his troops. "You see? It was a trick! They divided us so they could launch a surprise attack. Legion, cuneum formate! CHARGE!"
Ellie faltered, eyes filling with inescapable tears as she realized she was being forced to fight in another deadly battle. She tried to search for Connor in the Greek crowd, but she couldn't find him.
Will Solace saved the day.
He put his fingers in his mouth and did a taxicab whistle even more horrible than the last. Several Greeks dropped their swords. A ripple went through the Roman line like the entire First Cohort was shuddering.
"DON'T BE STUPID!" Will yelled. "LOOK!"
He pointed to the north, the Athena Parthenos gleaming in the sunrise, flying in from the coast, suspended from the tethers of six winged horses. Roman eagles circled but did not attack. A few of them even swooped in, grabbed the cables and helped carry the statue.
Reyna Ramírez-Arellano rode on Guido's back. Her sword was held high. Her purple cloak glittered strangely, catching the sunlight.
Both armies stared, dumbfounded, as the forty-foot-tall gold and ivory statue came in for a landing.
"GREEK DEMIGODS!" Reyna's voice boomed as if projected from the statue itself, like the Athena Parthenos had become a stack of concert speakers. "Behold your most sacred statue, the Athena Parthenos, wrongly taken by the Romans. I return it to you now as a gesture of peace!"
The statue settled on the crest of the hill, about twenty feet away from Thalia's pine tree. Instantly gold light rippled across the ground, into the valley of Camp Half-Blood and down the opposite side through the Roman ranks. Warmth seeped into Ellie's bones – a comforting, peaceful sensation she hadn't had since before the Battle of Manhattan. A voice inside her seemed to whisper: You are not alone. You are part of the Olympian family. The gods have not abandoned you.
"Romans!" Reyna yelled. "I do this for the good of the legion, for the good of Rome. We must stand together with our Greek brethren!"
"Listen to her!" Nico marched forward.
He strode between the battle lines, his black sword in his hand. "Reyna risked her life for all of you! We brought this statue halfway across the world, Roman and Greek working together, because we must join forces. Gaia is rising. If we don't work together –"
YOU WILL DIE.
The voice shook the earth. Ellie's feeling of peace and safety instantly vanished. Wind swept across the hillside. The ground itself became fluid and sticky, the grass pulling at Ellie's boots.
A FUTILE GESTURE.
Ellie felt as if he was standing on the goddess's throat – as if the entire length of Long Island resonated with her vocal cords.
BUT, IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, YOU MAY DIE TOGETHER.
"No ..." Octavian scrambled backwards. "No, no ..." He broke and ran, pushing through his own troops.
"CLOSE RANKS!" Reyna yelled.
The Greeks and Romans moved together, standing shoulder to shoulder as all around them the earth shook.
Ellie's heart pounded, her entire body consumed with fear. Yet, she felt her feet moving as she pushed around the ranks, trying to find Connor. She didn't trust her voice to call for him, but she continued to push through her friends to find her love.
Octavian's auxilia troops surged forward, surrounding the demigods. Both camps put together were a minuscule dot in a sea of enemies. They would make their final stand on Half-Blood Hill, with the Athena Parthenos as their rallying point.
Ellie's breathing became labored, panic setting in. She shoved by Sherman, who grabbed her shoulders.
"What are doing?" He hissed angrily. He had black war paint splattered on his cheeks, making him look even more scary then normal. Ellie's greasy lines were probably wiped away by sweat by now.
"Connor," She breathed. "Where's Connor?"
Sherman held her from pushing further, but she saw someone making their way to her. She tore away from Sherman, sprinting into his arms, allowing him to envelope her into his arms.
"Are you alright?" He rushed out. He pulled apart from her to check her face for injuries, gently placing his hand on her chin to see both sides of her cheeks.
"I'm okay," She breathed, pressing herself into his warmth.
They stood on enemy ground. Because Gaia was the earth, and the earth was awake.
Whatever happened next, Ellie would do it beside Connor Stoll.
"Together?" He whispered, squeezing her hand.
"Together."