I'm back!!!! Sorry for the long delay!!! There were finals, trip to Fiji, and much more!!! But know that it is summer I will be able to write almost every other day!!!!! Woot!!! Yes, well, I don't want to keep you waiting so without further ado I present to you the next chapter in this story. This is where the real story begins!!

(Song: Fever Dream- Taylor Bates) This is my favorite action song so I highly recommend it. It's from 300.

Chapter 9: The Arch

Percy POV

"Get to the Big House!" Shouted Annabeth to the campers just as the air filled with an ear splitting boom as a cannon ball exploded over our heads.

I hit the ground and covered my head as shrapnel rained down on me. I felt something dig deepinto my calf and yelped in pain as the wound burned like i had been stabbed with a hot knife. I heard campers scream all around me, and when I looked up, saw dozens of kids clutching their arms or their chests were the cannonball shrapnel hit them.

I bent down and looked at my calf. A peice of bronze metal about the size of my open hand had dug itself deep into my right calf. I i gritted my teeth and ripped it out. More pain shot through my spine. I inspected the metal shrapnel, it was celestial bronze.

Dammit!

They must have fitted the boat with celestial bronze cannon balls.

I looked back over at the Princess Andromeda as it fired another volley of cannonballs at us from the shore. Even from this distance I could see monsters swarming the beach.

"Get cover!" I shouted as the second volley struck home. The ground in front of me exploded and I was tossed like a ragdoll threw the air. I hit the ground with bone crushing force. The world dimmed around me and my vision was lined with red.

I could feel the vibrations of the cannons hitting the ground and trees but I heard no sound. The world around me seemed to move in slow motion and was completely silent. It was as if I was watching a silent film in slow motion.

I felt myself start to fall into the void and my vision started to flicker, but I felt someone on the outside shake me. I opened my eyes slightly to see Annabeth's face above mine. Her mouth was moving but I heard no words. I felt a drunken smile cross my face. I saw my hand lift up, even though I wasn't commanding it, and it placed its self on her cheek. A single tear fell from her closed eye and she placed her hand over mine. I could die like this…

Suddenly a hand grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away from my vision, screaming. Anger flared from inside of me and I tried to move, but my body didn't seem to respond. My vision blurred and I felt the darkness fall over me.

Annabeth…

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Fire…

I saw fire…

All around me…

As far as I could see there was orangy red fire burning on the ground and the sky was pitch black…

I felt nothing…

I felt neither heat nor cold…

I looked down and saw that I wore nothing, but didn't mind…

My feet slowly and by their own accord started to take me forward into the land of flames…

When I took my first step it felt like I was walking on cold marble…

The flames licked at my waste but to no effect...

I was a ghost in this world...

I closed my eyes and continued...

I walked for what seemed an eternity…

The scenery never changed and I never slowed down…

I walked…

And walked…

And walked…


My mind could no longer register how long I had walked…

I was walking in a land of fire forever shrouded by a starless night…

In the distance there was a light not like those around it…

It was a white light…

I walked towards it but instead of me going to it, it seemed to come to me…

Slowly at first then it sped towards me at such a speed that my eyes could barely register it…

It came straight at me…

It came right at me without slowing until it was only a few feet from me where it stopped suddenly.

It was an arch…

Not of stone but instead of gold…

Two beams, about the thickness of my forearm, made of solid gold, stood five feet apart from eachother and went parallel to each other for twelve feet into the air were they bent towards each other gracefully at a gentle slope and finally they touched each other at the very top where a very out of place object hung…

A clock…

A small clock made of solid gold without numbers but its hands were spinning at random.

I stared up at the clock for a few moments then suddenly both hand stopped and pointed at where twelve should have been…

The arch sent out a wave of energy that extinguished all the fires. The world went black except for the arch which seemed to produce its own light…

The light from the arch grew in intensity to the point where I had to shield my eyes with my hand…

The world was silent…

When the light ceased I looked back at the arch and in it I saw a window…

And on the other side of it was an old man…

He was my size with a long gray beard and balding hair…

He had long nose and thin chapped lips…

There were wrinkles under and next to his eyes…

But that was not what kept my attention…

His eyes did…

His deep green eyes…

They seemed so familiar…

I lifted my hand and so did he…

Puzzled I did the same with the other, and he mimicked my movement exactly as I did,

"Who are you?" My voice seemed to echo endlessly into the void…

A smile spread across his face exposing his crooked teeth…

He cocked his head to the side and said one word…

"You..."

A crack suddenly ran across the middle of the window…

More started to shoot across it until finally the window shattered into oblivion…

And there was laughter…

Evil cruel laughter emanating from every direction…

And suddenly I was falling…

Falling….

Falling…

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I woke, face down, lying on a cold, black, marble floor.

The air seemed cold and unearthly. I strange feeling that I had been here before.

I pushed myself up onto my feet and a chill ran down my spine.

There were columns of black marble towering above me in every direction except in front of me where stood I giant door that was so tall it disappeared into the darkness above me.

There was a resounding thunder as it closed shut, locking me out…

Or in.

Fear gripped my throat and I slowly turned around.

"Kronos…"

You guys must hate me. Oh well! Next chapter will be up very soon so keep checking! Please please please review! That is the only reason I write! Well not really but I like them a lot!!!!