Posted: Mar 26, 2016

Italics are pieces of actual text from the book!

.x.

"We have to help," Annabeth said.

She was right. I'd just been standing there frozen in amazement. Mrs. O'Leary tried to get up but yelped again. One of her paws was bleeding.

"Stay back, girl," I told her. "You've done enough already."

Annabeth and I jumped onto the monster's back and ran toward its head, trying to draw its attention away from Clarisse.

Her cabinmates threw javelins, most of which broke, but there were enough that it forced the drakon to attempt to weave through them. Running on its scales was hard enough while it was just moving forward. Add in some serious sideways movement and it's a no-brainer.

Annabeth and I slipped off the side. As we fell I slammed Riptide point first hoping to gain enough traction to slow the descent. The blade had made no cuts earlier and it didn't really help now. But it did allow me to change my angle enough that I was able to launch myself for a (relatively) safe landing.

Through it all, my ADD/battle awareness let me know that Annabeth had fallen earlier than I and was clear to make a safe landing, with perhaps a bit of bruising. To be expected really, Annabeth was incredible like that. Until I saw the tail flick out and catch her shoulder, sending her flying into the side of a building.

I screamed her name as she crumpled, running toward her but a far more powerful scream turned my head. The drakon had spit venom directly in Clarisse's face. The other Ares campers tried to defend their fallen counselor. I drove Riptide between two of the creature's scales and managed to turn its attention to me.

As it turned its terrible attention to me, I forced myself to focus on nothing else as we clashed in a battle of teeth, blade and poison. At the edge of my vision, I saw a flying chariot land on Fifth Avenue. I took a brief moment to dare look over but what my eyes saw, my brain could not understand.

Clarisse was lying on the ground where she'd fallen. But kneeling next to her, face full of tears… was Clarisse.

The drakon pulled its head from the brick wall and roared, furious with all the tiny morsels scattered before him. Clarisse stood, her face filled with absolute hate, a look I'd only seen on her father once before.

What happened next was a legend in the making. It would never be forgotten. Clarisse grabbed the spear that has fallen with her substitute and with no armour or shield, charged the drakon. She jumped straight onto its head and drove her electric spear into its eye as it reared up. The blow was done with such force it shattered the shaft, releasing all of the weapon's magical power. Electricity arced across the creature's head and through its body, sending it into spastic twitches. Smoke roiled out of the gaping maw and the flesh dissolved as Clarisse jumped clear and rolled to a stand. Without glancing back she ran to the wounded girl.

I found Annabeth and hauled her back to group as the others gently pried the helmet off a blistered and melted face.

It was Silena Beauregard.

The whole story came out in broken sobs and gasps. Helping Luke, broken promises, Charlie's death, which still rang hollow in my chest, exposed lies.

When her last breath came, we were all quiet. Clarisse looked at me, "She was a hero, understand? A hero."

I nodded and together we made our way back to the Empire State Building. It was mostly Clarisse doing the work, for which I was thankful, as I carried Annabeth across my shoulders. When the monsters retreated, Clarisse hooked the drakon's body to her chariot and drove around the building, a giant corpse trailing behind her. As she yelled and challenged the enemy, her body flickered with a red glow until it encased her whole chariot.

Thalia gasped beside me, "The Blessing of Ares. I've never seen it in person before." I looked at the warrior before turning back to Annabeth.

"Let's get her inside. There's no damage but some bruising and scrapes, but she hit her head and I no nothing of healing."

Together she and I brought our one connection to each other into the lobby where others were being healed of their injuries, to the best of our joint abilities.

We rested for a brief time with people coming to me to hear what had happened, and I staunchly kept to Clarisse's declaration of Silena being a hero. Small talks about strategy and defenses led us to the conclusion that we had to go to Olympus.

Grover came with me, Thalia staying with the ground troops as a last defense for the elevator. Just as the doors began to close, Annabeth dodged through. She had woken up, and with a bit of Ambrosia was doing fine. Relatively. All things considered. Well enough anyway.

I wasn't sure how to broach the topic of Luke's betrayal and Silena's spying, since Annabeth had been unconscious during that confession, but every time I opened my mouth, Annabeth would glare at me. Apparently she'd heard the mutterings downstairs.

"He's not evil!"

I gaped at her, "I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to Percy. You've never liked Luke. You always thought he was the bad guy, and no matter what everyone is saying downstairs, he didn't do that. Luke wouldn't!"

Grover cradled the laurel sapling that used to be Leneus, "Well…sure good to be together again. Arguing. Almost dying. Abject terror. Oh, look. It's our floor."

As we made our way to the palace, we called out encouragement to the others already up here, Grover went to plant the laurel, and I got Pollux to stay behind and rest.

We met Rachel in the throne room, because why not. Rachel seemed to pop up everywhere she wasn't supposed to. I took back the jar while Annabeth and Grover scouted the room.

Rachel took me to meet Lady Hestia. We had a very confusing chat, I assume that's because I was with two females who seemed to understand something I didn't, but I am slowly getting used to never understanding women, so that was okay I guess.

I gifted the jar to Lady Hestia, sat on my father's throne in an incredibly stupid idea, which somehow managed to work in my favour. Thank the gods. Perhaps Lady Hestia's blessing saved me this time, but I couldn't count on any more luck.

We went back to the ground and shored up defenses for when Kronos came. And come he did. Chiron confronted him and fought, before being frozen in time. Thalia broke the spell and went against Kronos as Annabeth was frozen in denial. I think Thalia had just as much reason as Annabeth did, but I'm a guy and who knows how girls think.

Thalia was pushed back shortly and just as I raised my sword to take her place, an unearthly howl sounded. Mrs. O'Leary came bounding up the street, through the (uneasy, and shifting) enemy lines. At the far end of her trail was a small black figure.

"Nico?"

Nico strode forward and the enemy fell back before him, like he radiated death. Which he did, of course.

He smiled at me, "Got your message. Is it too late to join the party?"

Kronos snarled and tried to call Nico out, but the younger demigod stood firm and then the shadows rose up in a way that was so against the norm, even someone as used to the supernatural as I was wary of it.

Hades stood, cased in black armour and a cloak the colour of blood, Lord of the Dead, his wife and sister stood on either side, also battle ready.

Fighting broke out between the two armies clashed, the time bubble collapsed to the area just around the Empire State building and I saw my mom and Paul wake up from their car. I was torn between helping them, not drawing the enemy's attention to them, and helping my friends. Nico made my decision for me and sent me off to the elevators with Annabeth, Grover and Thalia.

The bridge to Olympus was dissolving and we had to jump. If the rest of our trials up here were like this first thing, I had a feeling we were going to be in trouble. We lost Thalia when she saved us from the falling rubble. She didn't die, but a statue had pinned her so completely we had to leave her behind.

We returned to the throne room, for the second time that day, and I, perhaps stupidly, goaded Kronos into attacking me. Grover helped by playing music that slowed the Titan and called plant-life to twine around his form. Annabeth fought against Nemesis' half-blood son before knocking him back and racing over to me as I tried to avoid Hephaestus' chair defenses.

I was pitted against Ethan, Annabeth against Kronos. Some fast talking, and a desperate plea to the gods, let Ethan go against his master, though he paid for that with his life.

Kronos and I fought again, clashing blades, matching strike for strike. Kronos was stronger, but I had desperation for not just my life, but Annabeth and Grover's, pushing me beyond any limits I'd previously had.

As he knocked my sword to the side, skittering between the thrones, Annabeth came charging in, forcing the titan-lord to a standstill with only her little dagger.

"Luke, I understand now. You have to trust me."

"Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"

Annabeth grunted, "Your mother, she saw your fate." Her eyes teared up, "Service to Kronos isn't the end Luke. The prophecy; she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"

Kronos glowered, "I will crush you child!"

"No! You won't. You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."

"LIES!" Kronos pushed again, and this time Annabeth lost her balance. She slid backwards when he struck across the face.

Blood trickling from her mouth, Annabeth looked up at him, "Family, Luke. You promised."

Golden eyes looked at the blood on her face, the dagger in her hand. And then he was gasping like he couldn't breathe.

"Annabeth….You're bleeding…"

He moved towards her and I jumped in front of him, "Don't touch her."

He growled and his body pulsed with light, turning gold. Another gasp, then Luke's voice, "He's changing. Help….He's almost ready. Soon he won't need my body anymore. Please-"

Luke begged me, and I moved toward him. I should kill him. That was the plan. Luke shook his head.

"You can't…can't do it yourself. He'll break what control I have. He'll defend himself. I need to do it. I know where his weakness is. Only my hand…"

I remembered Rachel's words, You are not the hero. It will affect what you do.

Luke groaned, "Please Percy."

I gave the knife over Grover's protestations. It wasn't a big cut, but the energy that was released felt like a nuclear explosion. When everything went silent, I opened my eyes to see Luke sprawled on the hearth. His eyes were open, blue, the way they used to be.

He looked to Annabeth and tried to speak, but she shushed him, "You were a hero at the end Luke. You'll go to Elysium."

A hint of a grin tugged at his lips, "Think…rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest."

"You always pushed yourself too hard," Annabeth sniffed.

"Did you…" Luke coughed, blood spattering on the ground. "Did you love me?"

Gentle hands cupped his face, grey eyes soft with grief, "Always, Luke. Always."

Blue eyes closed and then he reached out to grip my sleeve. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it….don't let it happen again."

I clasped his hand on my arm, solemn, "I won't. I promise." He nodded and then his hand went slack in my grip.

It was then the gods arrived in full battle regalia. My father looked around before looking at me, "What…what is this?"

I looked at all the gods. I felt disillusioned about what they were capable of, and how petty there were. But looking at Luke's body, Annabeth quietly crying over him, I knew we could do better. We would. We had to.

"We need a shroud. A shroud for the Son of Hermes."

In the aftermath when things had been settled, Nico got a hero's welcome in Olympus, his father, Hades, got a throne on the council and a cabin at the Camp. Tyson was named General of the Cyclopes, Hera didn't seem to want to kill me, or Annabeth, Grover was named a member of the Council of Cloven Elders, and Annabeth was given the task of remodelling Olympus to her unending delight.

And I? I was given the option of becoming immortal. A god. It was awesome and terrifying and I turned it down. Zeus wasn't thrilled with the idea of me being immortal, but having his generous offer rebuffed was probably more than his pride could take.

Instead I asked for an oath on the River Styx, which was given, before demanding (in a very polite manner) that the gods recognize all the children. Of all the gods.

There would be no more undetermined children.

.x.

A/N: Yeah... Not edited at all. Just wrote this in a few hours. Been reading some HP/PJO fics and then just PJO and was having trouble finding what I wanted to read. So I gave in and decided to write what I was looking for.

This story is going to be a springboard for future fics and they will all be one-shots, be aware.

Hope you enjoyed it!

-August