The Culmination of a Modern Epic
This is the climax scene of TLO from Luke's POV, I wanted to try this out. Please read and review!
Kronos steered my legs through the once-charming streets of Olympus, trailed by Ethan Nakamura.
I felt drained. Every bit of my body ached, and I was relieved that I didn't have to move on my own, Kronos would do it for me.
He is gaining strength.
We reached the throne room, and once again I appreciated the vast magnificence of the place. Kronos eyed each throne with hatred. His golden pupils came to rest on the trio of thrones belonging to the most powerful of the gods.
There was a barely intelligible shift in Kronos' mood as he looked on at the seats of power of his three sons. I couldn't exactly place what this was. It wasn't hatred, it wasn't anger.
Was it remorse?
My left underarm erupted in pain, but it energized me ever so slightly.
Annabeth was coming, and Percy was with her. Kronos sensed it. His eyes shifted from the thrones of his sons. The Titan of Time stood poised, ready to attack.
Not Annabeth.
I fought him, but he subdued me once again.
"Finally! The Olympian Council - so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first?" Kronos' voice echoed off the empty thrones.
I was reawakened to Ethan's presence in the room. He stood swaying by my side.
He spoke. "My Lord."
Kronos' golden eyes darted to Percy, then to Annabeth. I felt my face crack a menacing grin.
Annabeth's eyes were wide. She let out a barely audible gasp of pain.
Annabeth. I won't let him hurt you.
I fought hard, harder than ever, but Kronos was not easily subdued.
"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson? Is this the choice you will make - to fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know." Kronos' deep voice rang out from my body.
Percy glared at him. "Luke would fight with a sword. But I suppose you don't have his skill."
Somewhere deep within my lost mortal soul, I felt a rush of affection for him.
Percy was my friend.
I felt Kronos' scythe morph in my hands, into my old sword with its deadly blade. Backbiter.
Annabeth gasped as though she had had a revelation. "Percy, the sword!" She pulled out her knife, the same one I had gifted to her all those years ago. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap."
I didn't understand. And in my moment of hesitation, Kronos took full control, darting at Percy. Kronos willed my hand to slash and attack Percy, but we were evenly matched.
Not for long. Kronos was gaining power by the minute, I could feel myself fading.
Annabeth was fighting Ethan Nakamura to my right. Grover was playing his reed pipes, and the tune seemed to be holding back Kronos, ever so slightly.
The sword in my hand directed Percy into Hephaestus' throne, which began whirring. Percy jumped out of the way and a bolt of electricity hit me full on in the face. I crumpled, as did Kronos.
"ARG!"
I saw Annabeth.
"Luke, listen!"
Annabeth! I fought again, but Kronos pushed me back. With a flick of his hand, Annabeth was airborne, colliding with Athena's throne.
No! I fought again, as Percy yelled out her name.
I lay crumpled for several seconds, before Kronos commanded my body to rise. The pain was excruciating.
"Nakamura!" Kronos' voice issued from my mouth. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure." He still sounded weak.
"Look around you, Ethan. The end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed - the good with the bad. Everything?"
Is this what I want?
Ethan looked to me, then around the room. "There is no throne to Nemesis. No throne to my mother."
"That's right! Strike them down! They deserve to suffer." Kronos' voice was gaining strength again.
"You said your mom is the goddess of balance," Percy said, advancing slowly. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."
Ethan swayed again, then charged. Suddenly, I felt his knife in my neck.
The change of mind had surprised Kronos, but Ethan could not hurt him. His blade shattered and a shard pierced his armor.
"Treason," Kronos snarled.
"Deserve better. If they just…had thrones - " Ethan spoke his final words, before Kronos blasted him through the ground. He plummeted down, screaming.
"So much for him," Kronos said, his eyes glinting. "And now for the rest of you."
Annabeth. That was my only thought. Kronos was destroying everything in his path. Everything I had known, the good, the bad, everything.
Is this really what I want?
In my heart of hearts, I knew the answer.
Kronos and Percy duelled fiercely. Percy was backed up against Ares' throne, then Poseidon's. Percy only grew more fierce.
Then Kronos began working his magic. Percy slowed down, and Kronos waved his hand, creating a thin white sheet.
I saw demigods and monsters fighting everywhere. The mortals were awake and they were terrorized. Hades fought in the background. Manhattan was crumbling. Total destruction.
The scene shifted, and Typhon entered the picture, a fierce storm. The gods were all there, fighting with all their might, but I could see they were tiring.
"The Olympians are giving their final effort. How pathetic." Kronos laughed.
The gods were still fighting, and then I saw him. Hermes.
My father.
It must have been my imagination, but he spoke.
You know the way forward, son.
You are no father to me, Hermes.
His eyes pleaded. Luke…
I wanted to pull away, I didn't want to hear this.
Is this what you want, son? Everything destroyed? Everything?
Something flared up inside me. What are you to me, Hermes?
Luke, I am your father. I am family.
What kind of a father are you? You've done nothing for me! I expected him to fire up at me, to blast me into a million pieces.
He didn't do either. After a long pause, he spoke.
I'm sorry, Luke.
What?
Luke, my son, I am sorry.
I wanted to run, to cry, to hide. But none of these options were feasible. I had to face my crumbling world and make a choice.
The choice is yours.
What am I going to do, Dad?
Hermes looked shocked. You called me Dad?
Our connection was fading, and the raging battle came back into focus. Typhon was being attacked by an army and they were winning. The monster was in pain.
You know what to do.
Yes, I do.
Just know…know that I always cared for you.
Our connection broke.
"BAH!" Kronos screamed, tearing the misty image to shreds with his sword.
Percy's eyes were blazing. "They're on their way. You've lost."
"I haven't even started." Kronos began advancing towards Percy at the speed of light.
He came at me with a move I knew well. My body reacted instinctively, countering his strike and sending his sword straight into the fissure through which Ethan had fallen.
"STOP!" Annabeth walked toward me, slowly. Kronos struck, but she countered the move with a maneuver so quick, it was hard to catch. It was a maneuver only the most experienced of knife fighters could even attempt.
"Luke. I understand now. You have to trust me."
I will.
Kronos didn't think so. "Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!" He knew it wasn't true
Annabeth knew as well. Her voice was weak, yet she persisted. "Your mother. She saw your fate."
I was torn between fear for Annabeth and confusion at her statement.
"Service to Kronos! This is my fate." My insides bubbled up with anger. Intelligently, Kronos had used the first person to veer Annabeth off track.
Annabeth! I was screaming.
"No!" she insisted. "That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy - she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"
And everything fell in place.
Your mother. She saw your fate.
Just know I always cared for you.
You know what to do.
"I will crush you, child!" Kronos bellowed.
With all my might, I fought against him. You will not touch her, Kronos.
"You won't. You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."
I was. And it seemed to be working. Kronos could not touch her.
But he was fighting too. It was a fierce power struggle. "LIES!" Kronos shoved Annabeth down, advancing with my sword raised.
She was bleeding. "Family, Luke. You promised."
I was screaming again. Annabeth! She couldn't hear me. I summoned all my willpower to pull Kronos back.
And he staggered.
"Promise." Her gray eyes met mine, pleading with me.
I yelled again. And at last she could hear me.
"Annabeth…you're bleeding…" My voice was barely audible, but there it was.
Our eyes were locked. "My knife," she said, reaching for her dagger which clattered onto the floor. She broke eye contact and turned to Percy. "Percy, please…"
In a few seconds, he had scooped up Annabeth's knife and knocked Backbiter out of my hand.
I didn't care. I moved towards Annabeth.
Percy got between us. "Don't touch her."
Anger flared up inside me. How could he possibly think I would hurt her?
Kronos took control again. "Jackson…" I felt heat radiating from my skin. I knew the moment was rapidly approaching.
"He's changing. Help." My voice again. "He's-he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please-"
Kronos took over. "No!" He stumbled toward his sword, pushed Percy out of the way. I heard Annabeth mutter something to him, though I couldn't place the words.
Kronos managed to close his hands around his sword. Then suddenly flames shot up my spine and I was burning. Kronos was bellowing. He dropped the sword.
It was nearly time. "Please, Percy…" I said.
He hovered toward me with Annabeth's knife. In that instant, I knew his plan.
"You can't…can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I…I can keep him controlled."
Percy hesitated for several seconds.
"Please," I pleaded. "No time."
And he handed me the knife.
I held it in my hands, savoring the feel of a weapon I had known so well.
Then I unlashed my armor and plunged the knife into my only weak point weak point.
My body was burning with freezing flames. The pain was excruciating. I howled.
I could feel him leaving me. Kronos exiting my body, entering, once again, the depths of Tartarus. Then there was an explosion, and everything was silent.
The deed is done.
"Good…blade"
Annabeth, Percy, and Grover knelt over me. Annabeth's gray eyes glistened.
"You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew…"
"Shhh. You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium." I savored the sound of her voice.
I shook my head. "Think…rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of Blest."
She sobbed softly. "You always pushed yourself too hard."
I gazed into her eyes, and asked the question.
"Did you…" Her eyes widened. "Did you love me?"
The moment the words were out of my mouth, I knew what her answer would be.
"There was a time I thought…well, I thought…" She turned to Percy, and something passed between them; something invisible, but meaningful.
Annabeth turned to me. She spoke softly. "You were like a brother to me, Luke. But I didn't love you."
I nodded. I had expected it, but the words came as a blow nonetheless.
Grover spoke. "We can get ambrosia. We can-"
"Grover." I gulped. "You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But no. There's no healing…" I coughed and sputtered.
I thought about the battles raging outside. The ruined lives of innocent people. All because…
I gripped Percy's tattered shirt. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it…Don't let it happen again."
He nodded. "I won't. I promise."
Promises.
I looked around the room. I'll be back again soon.
Then everything disappeared as I faded quietly into the dark.