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Part 1
Carnage and wreckage was all that seemed to surround Percy anymore. Among the sleepless citizens of Manhattan were cars set on fire, buildings torn down, windows smashed, and hotdog carts overturned. It was a complete mess. New York, while confusing and crazy, had an organized system. But the system had been lost. Now, it was pure chaos.
For the demigods of Camp Half-Blood, it was difficult to fight Kronos' army. They were trying their best to not harm the mortals by moving them to safety, but with each moment they did this, the more pressing the dark army became.
It felt like a week since the war started, but in reality, it had only been about three days. Black clouds swirled overhead among the darkened sky as a chilling breeze rode through the area. Typhon was getting nearer and nearer to Mt. Olympus. Percy figured they had less than four days before he would get to the palace, and then it would be all over. Kronos would overtake the gods, and the world as he knew it would end.
He couldn't bear to let that happen. Having braved the Curse of Achilles, Percy found it his responsibility to handle as much fighting as he could. He could take the blows—both physically and mentally—better than anyone else could. He couldn't get wounded, and right now, that was their best defense.
Currently, he, Annabeth, and the Apollo campers were in a fray with about two hundred monsters, ranging from dracaena to hellhounds. Percy was on a role—he was striking down monsters like there was no tomorrow (for all he knew, there was no tomorrow), as if their armor was made of butter. He felt empowered. Nothing could stop him!
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "You've already routed them. Pull back! We're overextended!"
Annabeth watched, breathless, as he hesitated slightly. He stared off in the distance at something, causing his body to run stiff. Annabeth glanced up and faltered.
Luke…No. Kronos. He was there atop his skeletal horse, his intensely sharp, silver scythe strapped to his back. He was leading a small group of demigod reinforcements. They were the demigods who had turned and joined the Titan King. Annabeth felt no sympathy for them, no remorse at all.
She couldn't look away from Kronos. She could never get over the fact that he was using Luke's body. It was disgusting. It made her want to wretch and run up and kill him herself. But that would be extremely foolish, and undoubtedly, impossible. Instead, she clenched her jaw and steadied her hatred. Her grasp around her dagger tightened.
"Now," Percy spoke with a hint of anxiety, "we pull back."
Almost like the army had heard his words, the demigods unsheathed their swords and weapons. They charged with wild yells. Horses hooves clomped on the cement as those on horses rode ahead of the group of thirty. The Apollo campers launched a volley of arrows, but while it struck down a few, the rogue demigods kept coming.
"Go! I'll hold them!"
Percy braced himself for the onslaught of soldiers as the other campers tried to escape, uneasy about this new progression. Annabeth, however, took stance beside Percy. She held her dagger up along with her mirrored shield.
Percy growled. "What're you doing?"
Annabeth glowered. "I'm staying with you."
"No! It's too dangerous!"
"I'm not leaving you!"
Percy stared at Annabeth, incredulous. She stared back with an intense fury. She wasn't leaving. However, before he could protest more, a demigod tried slashing at his shoulder, only to have Annabeth's dagger block the attack.
The cavalry encircled the group, blocking off the few Apollo campers who hadn't been able to escape. Percy and Annabeth tried their best to not kill the demigods. While Annabeth held no compassion for the traders, she wouldn't allow herself to become a murderer. Percy was skilled enough that he was able to cut off the skeleton horses' legs off, causing them to disintegrate.
The circle around the two became tighter, completely cutting them off from help. Percy and Annabeth were back to back now as demigods pressed on them. They jeered and threw insults at the two, but they merely ignored them. Percy suddenly saw a black shadow pass over. He glanced up, only to be met with the dark figure of Blackjack. Porkpie was flying alongside him. They were swooshing around and kicking down some of the demigods.
Annabeth was feeling weary and nervous. They were going to be done for. There was no way they could fight off these demigods, especially since Kronos was nearby. An escape was impossible.
Suddenly, a figure dressed in all black, wearing an eye patch, stepped forward and thrust a sword towards Percy, his eyes intent on a spot on his back. Annabeth, eyes wide, jolted in front of the sword to block the attack. She cried out in pain and fell to her knees. She wouldn't allow him to hurt Percy, even if it meant wounding—or ultimately killing—her.
"Annabeth!" she heard Percy scream. She clutched her shoulder where blood was steadily falling from the cut. After a few seconds, her stomach dropped with realization. The blade was poisoned.
"Get back!" she mildly heard Percy yell. She was already starting to lose consciousness, but she tried to fight it as best as she could. She couldn't leave Percy like this.
Percy grimaced and glared at Ethan Nakamura, slamming his helm down on his head and causing him to fall back. He slashed a wide arc around Annabeth and himself. The demigods flinched away, taking a few steps back.
Unbeknownst to Percy, Kronos had leisurely strolled up to the duo, casually over-seeing the scene unfold. He now stood in the small circle as his followers made way for him. The Titan Lord stared down at the two with narrowed eyes. Percy glowered back, standing over Annabeth to protect her.
"Interesting," Kronos spoke. He dismounted his horse and grabbed his scythe. His voice had been deep and powerful. It was weird seeing Luke's mouth move, but not hearing his voice. It was spine-shuddering.
"Stay back," Percy spoke with deadly quietness.
The Luke look-a-like merely chuckled, amused. "You dare command me? Foolish, Percy Jackson."
He glanced down at the girl beneath his feet. Something stirred in the back of his mind. A memory from the boy's body he was using. He gritted his teeth and forced the memory away. This was no time for childish, human weaknesses.
"Bravely fought, but it's time to surrender…"
Suddenly, he twitched his fingers and Annabeth, now unconscious, flew from beneath Percy's feet to the Lord of Time's arms.
"…Or she dies."
Percy growled, his grip on Riptide tightening immensely. He had to stop Kronos from hurting her, but if he made an attack…she was as good as dead.
He glanced up at Blackjack and Porkpie, circling above. He could hear their soft whinnies. They were mumbling in his head about Annabeth, but he blocked it out. Right now, he needed a plan, but he was coming up short. He clenched his jaw and wracked his brains, but he was so worried about Annabeth!
Kronos saw the trouble brewing in the kid's eyes. He smirked. This was exactly what he needed: something to break Percy Jackson.
He shook his head, and Percy's head snapped up, glaring fiercely. "It's too bad," Kronos cooed. "She really was…beautiful…"
Percy growled in rage and slashed his sword in an angry attempt to harm the Titan, but Kronos merely twitched his fingers again. Immediately, Percy's attack slowed to almost immobile. He couldn't move his body at all. Kronos had him frozen in time.
Kronos glowered at the fifteen-year-old. "You may now bare the Curse of Achilles. I may not be able to strike you down, but I can use your weakness against you. I'm taking the girl with me."
Percy just stared murderously, trying to break the magical bonds he had been put under. He fought with all his might, his muscles tensing and straining to move. He watched helplessly as Kronos mounted his horse, slinging Annabeth in front of him on the horse. She was lying on her stomach with her arms and legs dangling off each side of the skeleton.
Kronos gave Percy one last smirk. "Either she dies so you can try to save your pitiful world, or you surrender and die to save her. It's your pick."
And with those final words, he strode off on his horse, Annabeth in tow. Percy watched, horrified, as he took Annabeth with him, her blonde curls disappearing.
Suddenly, his body collapsed as he was released from Kronos' spell. He fell to the ground, Riptide clattering beside him. The demigods grinned viciously, preparing to close in. However, Percy just gave them cold looks of hatred. He was so tempted to slash at them and kill them. It's not like they could hurt him…
He swallowed hard and did his best taxi-cab whistle. Immediately, Blackjack swooped down, startling and knocking over about ten demigods. Percy hopped on the Pegasus and the two flew high into the air. Percy noticed that the Apollo demigods had escaped and were firing arrows back at the intruders while running back to base.
Percy soared around the buildings, searching the grounds for Kronos and Annabeth.
But he was nowhere to be found.
He gave an enraged yell, frightening Blackjack and causing him to dip suddenly.
Boss…we'll find her…Blackjack transmitted to Percy's thoughts. Percy's jaw clenched.
"We will," Percy agreed fiercely. "Or I'll die trying."
Annabeth groaned as she started coming to. She had a splitting headache, and her body felt like it weighed one thousand pounds. Her lips were chap and her throat was screaming for water. However, her shoulder was the biggest pain on her persona. It felt on fire, and she gasped from the immense pain.
That's when the memories hit her. She remembered the demigods and Ethan's attempt to kill Percy. She remembered when he stabbed her, and then…nothing. Looking back on it, stepping in front of that blade had been idiotic and stupid. Percy was invulnerable, and the chances of Ethan actually getting the one spot that made Percy human…Still, she had this gut-wrenching feeling that she couldn't ignored, and she went with her instincts.
And now here she sat, with an aching body and inflamed shoulder, sitting in…
Where?
Annabeth realized she had no idea where she was at. Her eyes snapped open, but instantly she regretted it. Her eyes were sensitive to the light, and right now it was killing them. However, she pushed through it, and eventually, her eyes adjusted to the bright light.
She was staring at some florescent lights on the ceiling. She slowly sat up, ignoring the excruciating pain erupting in her shoulder and pretty much her whole body. She was panting hard as she looked around, examining her surroundings.
It looked vaguely familiar…she felt she had been here before…There were snack machines pushed against the walls, and one had even tipped over and the glass had broken. It looked to have been ransacked because most of the food was gone. Wooden picnic tables had been smashed or pushed to the side, and when she looked down, Annabeth realized she was lying on one of the few that hadn't been demolished.
Then, she caught sight of the statues, and that's when she realized exactly where she was. There was no mistaking the statues of shocked mortals, of the innocent Uncle Ferdinand. Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. Most of the statues had been vandalized and part of the roof had caved in, allowing some cold air to breeze through the room.
Why the Hades was she here?
Suddenly, there was a dark, cold, amused chuckle. Annabeth froze, barely breathing.
"I see you are finally awake."
Slowly, Annabeth turned her head. Between two snack dispensers sat the Lord of Time on a golden throne. His scythe was lying in his lap, and he was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. To Annabeth, he looked almost like the old Luke. Her breath caught in her throat, but then she looked up into his eyes, and she remembered exactly who he was.
Instead of the warm, easy golden-brown shade Luke's were, Kronos' eyes were molten gold. They were evil and deceptive, full of dark wishes and desires. He was nothing like Luke. They only thing they shared was his body.
Annabeth steeled herself, glaring as best as she could at him while sweating a storm from her injury. She must have looked pretty pathetic.
Kronos was smirking at her, his eyes fixated on her form. As she lay there, he couldn't help but stare. This boy…Luke…he had held feelings for this girl. It was annoying to the Titan King. He was experiencing the same feelings that Luke had about this girl. Every memory Luke had experienced with this insolent girl was forced to the forefront of his mind. He absolutely detested it. Granted, she was interesting. How was it that she was the key to distracting Jackson? Was she truly that special to him? Kronos was going to figure out why.
Suddenly, a flash of Luke's angry face appeared in his mind, and the boy started cursing. Kronos winced, but then slammed the end of his scythe into the ground, causing a slight rumble around the building. No. That insufferable boy didn't own this body anymore. Kronos did. Still, it was hard to ignore the fact that Luke remained in the subconscious of this body.
He steeled his expression, smirking jauntily again at the trembling girl.
"W-why am I here?" Annabeth braved to ask. She held her chin up, despite the immense ache.
"Good question," Kronos answered cryptically. He stood up and strode over to the picnic table on which she resided. He twirled his deadly weapon around like it was merely a twig. Annabeth swallowed hard, eyeing the sharp blade as he approached her, circling the table and examining her.
"Why is that taking you was the next best thing to killing Percy Jackson?" he murmured loud enough for her to here. He watched in delight as she flinched, but then winced from the injury on her shoulder. Apparently, Ethan's blade had been poisoned, not that it mattered to Kronos. In fact, it worked to his advantage.
"Why is that Jackson would be willing to risk the world for you? Why does he care so much for you?"
At this point, he had stopped before her. His cold hand snatched out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. She whimpered slightly and tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip with a growl, digging his fingers into her cheeks.
Staring at her face, he mumbled, "What makes you so special?"
Annabeth clenched her eyes shut. Her whole body was shaking with fright and pain. Kronos seemed to realize this. He snarled and wrenched his hand away. He stepped back and stared down at her with disgust. He'd only gotten that close to her because of him.
Kronos turned around, striding back to his throne. "Until I figure that out, you're my hostage. And if I don't figure it out before I take over Olympus…" He smirked at her, plopping down in his golden seat. "Well, there's really no more need for you, is there?"
She stared, wide-eyed, at this cruel being before her with a shocked expression. He merely laughed. It was dark, deep, and cruel—emotionless. It bellowed throughout the room and resonated through her body.
Suddenly, two dracaena guards appeared. They slithered to the table she occupied, hissing and snarling at her. Annabeth desperately wished for her dagger or shield now, but with an injured shoulder and absolutely nothing to use as a weapon, she was as good as gone.
She shut her eyes, anticipating the onslaught that was sure to come. This was the end for her. However, the two snake women just grabbed her arms—yanking her shoulder—and tried pulling her to her feet. She screamed out in pain, an agonizing, blood-curdling scream that resounded like Kronos' laugh. Said man just grinned viciously and darkly as he watched the blonde being dragged away, her screams echoing throughout the building.
Finally, he was left to himself. However, instead of feeling peaceful, he felt slightly troubled. He frowned as the last of Annabeth's screams were suppressed. Luke's feelings were breaking through again. Kronos felt a bit of sadness engulf him, along with agony from Annabeth's screams. He gritted his teeth and ran a hand through his shaggy hair (Luke's habit, not his).
Suddenly, Prometheus appeared before the Titan Lord. He was about seven feet tall and the expression on his face was one of boredom. He bowed slightly.
"You summoned me, milord?"
Kronos pushed Luke away. Instantly, he straightened up, regaining control of the body. He smirked. "Indeed. I have a mission for you."
The fire-stealer merely raised his brow, his scars above his eyebrows stretching. "Yes?"
"If I do recall, your sister-in-law opened a certain pithos some eons ago, correct?"
Kronos flicked his hand. Prometheus suddenly got an uneasy feeling that settled at the bottom of his stomach. He refused to let it show on his face, however, as he stared at Pandora's pithos (or box, as the mortals called it).
"Strike a white flag with Jackson," Kronos commanded as the deadly storage jar floated into the hands of Prometheus. "Take two others with you as back up. Tempt him with the jar. Surely now that his little girlfriend is gone, giving up hope will be much easier."
Prometheus looked at the Lord of Time as he smirked in a most sinister way. Prometheus was the Titan of forethought. He had an idea of how this was all going to turn out. Kronos was stronger than the last war. Granted, he was stuck in a human body with human limits (Achilles Curse or not). But by all means Luke Castellan's body wasn't weak.
Kronos had the upper hand in this war. He had strength in numbers: monsters of all kinds, rogue, bitter demigods, and almost all the minor gods that felt belittled. Not to mention, there was Typhon, and the gods themselves were fighting amongst each other. It was a recipe for disaster, and Prometheus knew that Kronos would come out on top.
That's why he'd chosen to follow Kronos. Yes…revenge on Zeus would be sweet. Then he could see how painful and terrifying it was to have vultures scratch at his face every day for all eternity (thank heavens for Hercules). He had a soft spot for the heroes, but he knew they weren't going to survive. And now that Kronos had the upper hand on Jackson, it seemed like he had sealed the deal on fate.
Prometheus smiled and bowed again to Kronos. "As you wish, milord."
Kronos watched as the fire-stealer retreated out of the room, leaving him to his own devices. If everything played out right with Prometheus and Jackson, the boy would be surrendering tonight. A large, evil smirk played on his face. Victory was most definitely sweet.
Annabeth sat panting in the dark. The two dracaena had dragged her into a damp, cold cell on the third floor. She didn't even know there was a third floor to this building. Her shoulder had been jarred and yanked by those damn monsters, so the wound had been reopened. She wondered, vaguely, if someone had healed the poison from her shoulder because she could barely feel it anymore. But no one here would heal her.
The child of Athena sat on the stone floor, dirt covering her arms. She was trying to put pressure on the wound to stop the blood flow, but every time she touched it, a new round of pain squealed on her. She gritted her teeth, grinding them together. She forced her hand on the wound and cried out in pain, panting and sweating.
Suddenly, the door to her cell creaked open. She glanced up, but instantly scowled. Ethan Nakamura strode in, a glare adorning his face. There was a nice black and blue bruise on his face, probably from Percy.
He stopped a few feet away from her, staring at her with a mix of pity and disgust. Annabeth pushed herself up against the wall to a sort of standing position. She was bent over slightly, grasping her arm under the wound.
"Why the hell are you?" Annabeth snarled. Normally, she wouldn't have used a mortal curse, but right now she didn't care for formalities.
Ethan snarled back. "I was ordered to fix your arm up. So you at least don't die before your audience with milord."
"You bastard," she growled. "You were idiotic to follow him. He'll only destroy you once he's done with you."
Ethan shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm not doing it for him."
"Then for who?" she asked, exasperated.
He narrowed his eye. "It's none of your business."
He took another step towards her, but Annabeth wasn't going to let his slimy hands fix the wound that he bestowed upon her. She lashed out with her leg quick as lightning, but Ethan was two steps ahead of her. He latched onto the foot that tried to strike him and twisted it, slamming her to the ground.
Annabeth screamed as he grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back. She squirmed to get away, but he had a firm grip.
"You don't know what you're dealing with, Annabeth," he said angrily. It was the first time he'd called her by her name.
"You mean we're not fighting a masochistic Titan planning to take over the world?" she growled. "Then enlighten me."
She swung out again and kicked his legs out from underneath him. She rolled away, ignoring her shoulder. She jumped to her feet just as Ethan pulled out a blade.
"Enough!" a voice boomed. Suddenly, everything froze. Annabeth and Ethan were paralyzed. They couldn't move anything.
Out of nowhere, Kronos appeared. He was sporting a grimace, staring at Annabeth's bloodied arm and Ethan's bruised face. There was a new gash on his cheek from when he scraped it on the stone floor.
"Ethan," the time-controller spoke. If Ethan could have flinched, he would have. "You are needed elsewhere."
With a wave of his hand, the child of Nemesis disappeared.
Annabeth was left with the Titan now. He snapped his fingers and everything was in motion again. She fell from her stance, her knees buckling from underneath her. Without thought, the Titan King lurched forward and caught her before she fell.
Annabeth felt her cheeks flush. She stared up at the powerful being with a mix of confusion and disgust. Kronos must have realized what he'd done too, because he suddenly flinched back as if she were the Black Plague. His eyes glowered dark and deadly as he stared at her. Annabeth fell to the ground without the support, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Kronos stared down at her with something akin to anger and surprise. Was this why the girl was so special to both Luke and Percy? She had affected the two boys in a way that not most people could. She appeared to be just a regular female, but something had drawn the demigod boys to her.
Kronos rolled his eyes. For all he knew, the two had just been infatuated with her looks.
Annabeth stared up at the evil Luke, who hadn't spoken since dismissing Ethan. She felt her heart stutter at the sight of him. But his eyes…they were molten and dark. They weren't Luke's.
She clenched her jaw. "What do you want with me?" she ground out.
Kronos blinked and watched as she sat up against the wall. She was definitely interesting….she just never gave up. He snapped his fingers, and instantly Annabeth felt relief in her shoulder. She looked and found bandages wrapping nimbly around her arm.
"Wha…?" she mumbled in shock, watching them at work.
"I'm merely doing the job Ethan failed to do," Kronos announced. He turned and started to stroll away slowly. "I can't have my hostage dying. Then there would be no use of you to threaten Jackson—"
Suddenly, he froze, trailing off. A thought had occurred to him. His lips twitched in a smirk, but he wiped it away.
"However," he spoke quietly. He cocked his head to the side to look over his shoulder at her.
"As long as he's under the pretense that you're alive…" Kronos slowly turned and walked towards her. Annabeth trembled, eyes wide as she pushed herself against the wall.
He crouched down on the balls of his feet and grabbed her chin like he had earlier. He was close to her now, his breath washing over her face.
"…well, you don't have to actually be alive…"
Annabeth squeaked. He chuckled amusedly, watching as her eyes flashed with fear and anger. The smile on his face slowly fell though. He held the same brooding expression that Luke always held. His grip on her chin loosened. Annabeth's breathing steadied out a bit.
She watched as the Titan King seemed to have a battle with himself. At one moment, he looked like he really was going to kill her. But then just as quick, there was apprehension and hesitation.
Finally, he sighed and shook his head slightly. "No, I won't kill you. You're too pretty."
He patted her cheek and then stood up, stalking out of the room without another word. Annabeth stared in wonder and confusion. Again, she had to ask herself—what the hell just happened?
Kronos was furious. He had stormed out of the building to the field of pitiful statues and was now blasting statues with his scythe, swinging the deadly weapon around. His followers watched in surprise and fear. No one dared to speak up as they watched their leader curse and destroy a couple of mortals that had looked at Medusa's eyes.
Why had he let her live? Luke was partially the reason why, yes. But something else…he growled and blasted a satyr. He had felt something. He, not Luke, he had felt something. By no means was he harboring feelings for her. He gave an incredulous snort. He, with a mere demigod? The enemy, nonetheless. It was a ridiculous thought.
But it was there. He'd felt something that made him pause. It made him rethink about her position as his hostage.
And then he called her pretty.
Kronos suddenly stopped blasting statues. He stood motionless in the carnage ('if only Jackson were this easy to kill…'), analyzing something.
While he felt idiotic and foolish for calling her pretty to her face, he had discovered something most interesting. Once he had gotten close to Annabeth and touched her (he shuddered slightly), Luke had receded away. He had disappeared, most likely from shock. Either way it had shut the Castellan boy up, and the Titan King had regained better control of the body.
Kronos smirked, like he was sharing a devilish secret with himself. Interesting…
His army watched as he strolled off back towards the building, like it was just a regular day and he was going on his usual stroll, like he hadn't just destroyed half of the land.
Interesting indeed.
Percy stood staring out the window of the hotel that the demigods had taken as base camp. Each floor held a number of demigods, wounded or not, resting. But not Percy. He was staring out at the dark night sky, looking in the direction of New Jersey, where Annabeth lay in the clutches of Kronos.
Percy's hand clenched together. He hadn't been able to relax since she'd been taken earlier that day. He had wanted to charge their base and get her back, but Thalia had stopped him.
"Think of Annabeth. If we went, they would just kill her."
Percy had to give her that one, but then what were they to do? They couldn't just sit around and do nothing!
Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder. He glanced back and saw Thalia giving him a small smile. He sighed and turned back to the window. The Huntress Lieutenant shifted beside him, facing him with her arms crossed.
"She'll be fine, Percy," she spoke softly. "She's Annabeth. She's more than smart enough to keep herself alive in there."
Percy didn't say anything. He knew she was right, but that didn't erase his worry for her. He cared too much for her. What if it didn't work out, and she did die? His stomach lurched at that thought. He pushed down the bile threatening to escape.
"I just feel so…"
Suddenly, something started to materialize on the thick ledge in front of them. Percy stared in disbelief as Pandora's box suddenly appeared.
"Keep Elpis, if you wish. But if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. Let Elpis go. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering."
Percy recalled Prometheus' words. He snarled, opened the window, and pushed the dreaded thing off the ledge. The two watched as, just before it crashed on the ground, it disappeared.
Thalia smirked and turned back to Percy, who held a determined look on his face. He wasn't going to give up on her. He would get her back and save Olympus.
"Get some rest," she smiled, patting his shoulder. "You're going to need it."
Prometheus sighed to himself as he and Ethan, along with the empousa who had accompanied them to the white flag truce, watched Kronos pace in front of his golden throne. Prometheus had done exactly as Kronos asked. He gave the pithos to Percy. He had also mentioned Annabeth. He felt bad for Percy (he had a soft spot for heroes ever since Hercules was kind enough to free him from that wretched rock). He'd given Percy a chance to surrender and save himself. He'd done the exchange for Percy, not for Kronos.
Kronos stopped and glared at Prometheus, and said man just merely raised a brow. "He's taken the jar, but I fear, milord, that he won't open it. He's tougher than you think."
The Luke look-a-like sighed and collapsed in his throne, rubbing his forehead. "I feared this."
Prometheus suddenly gained a thought, and he chewed it over for a minute.
"Drachma for your thoughts, brother?" Kronos asked sarcastically.
The fire-stealer gave a dry smile. "The girl…"
Kronos stopped, staring at him, waiting for him to continue. "What about her?"
"You know she's the key to bringing down Percy Jackson."
"You should just kill her," Ethan spoke bitterly.
Kronos raised a brow, irked at his notion. "And you," he spat back harshly. "Would you have the guts to kill her?"
Ethan's eye widened.
Kronos stood up and lumbered towards the boy. "After everything you've done to Jackson, do you think he would show you anymore mercy if you killed his girlfriend? Would you have the strength to fight him back?"
Ethan looked away, blushing slightly from anger. "No, milord. It's was merely a suggestion."
"Well keep it to yourself," he snapped, returning to his throne. "I would love to kill the girl," he lied, "but then we wouldn't have any bait. Right now, we're simply trying to draw Percy out of hiding. Wait for him to mess up."
Normally, everyone was too afraid of the Titan King to ever really pay attention to him. They only prayed they wouldn't get blasted, only talking when spoken to. However, Prometheus wasn't nearly as afraid as the demigods. He had been studying Kronos when he contradicted Nakamura, and something about him was…off.
His brows had been furrowed and he had frowned, like he was immensely against the idea of killing the girl. He'd seen a shimmer of hesitation. Something had held him back from agreeing. Whether that was because of Luke, he wasn't sure. But he did know one thing.
"Hmm…" Kronos hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I may have to pay a visit to Jackson soon…"
Prometheus saw that something had faltered inside of Kronos. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure he had picked the right side.
This is obviously something different, but I've actually had this idea for a few years now. It's going to be either a two-shot or three-shot, depending on where I go with this. Also, I did include/rewrite some of the scenes from the book. Thanks for reading and review please!
-Akatsuki Child