Greeting my loyal readers. I present God of the Sea's next chapter for you to enjoy.
Chapter 10
I grabbed Will Solace from the Apollo cabin and told the rest of his siblings to keep searching for Michael Yew. We borrowed a Yamaha FZI from a sleeping biker and drove to the Plaza Hotel at speeds that would've given my mom a heart attack. I'd never driven a motorcycle before, but it wasn't any harder than riding a horse. Along the way, I noticed a lot of empty pedestals that usually held statues. Plan twenty-three seemed to be working. I didn't know or care if that was good or bad. It only took us five minutes to reach the Plaza-an old-fashioned white stone hotel with a gabled blue roof, sitting at the southeast corner of Central Park.
Tactically speaking, the Plaza wasn't the best place for a headquarters. It wasn't the tallest building in town, or the most centrally located. But it had old-school style and had attracted a lot of famous demigods over the years, like the Beatles and Alfred Hitchcock, so they figured we were in good company. I gunned the Yamaha over the curb and swerved to a stop at the fountain outside the hotel. Will and I hopped off. The statue at the top of the fountain called down,
"Oh, fine. I suppose you want me to watch your bike too!" She was a life-size bronze standing in the middle of a granite bowl. She wore only a bronze sheet around her legs, and she was holding a basket of metal fruit.
"I would ask if you are supposed to be Demeter." I asked. "But given facts. I would have to ask if you are Pompona, the Roman Goddess of Plenty?" She nodded her head.
"Practically everyone thinks I'm Demeter.'" she complained. "I am indeed Pompona, but why do you care? Nobody cares about the minor gods. If more cared about the minor gods, you wouldn't be losing this war! Three cheers for Morpheus and Hecate, I say!"
"Watch the bike, oh and by the way we aren't losing because by my count. The titans are down Typhoon and Krios. Not to mention more then half their army is dead." I told her."Food for thought." Will and I walked toward the hotel. I'd never actually been inside the Plaza. The lobby was impressive, with the crystal chandeliers and the passed-out rich people, but I didn't pay much attention. A couple of Hunters gave us directions to the elevators, and we rode up to the penthouse suites. Demigods had completely taken over the top floors. Campers and Hunters were crashed out on sofas, washing up in the bathrooms, ripping silk draperies to bandage their wounds, and helping themselves to snacks and sodas from the minibars. A couple of timber wolves were drinking out of the toilets till I passed by and they bowed their heads. They knew I was the alpha of all wolves. I was some what relieved to see that so many of my comrades had made it through the night alive, but everybody looked beat up.
"Percy!" Jake Mason clapped me on the shoulder. "We're getting reports-"
"Later," I said. "Where's Mrs. pain in the butt.
"Annabeth? The terrace. She's alive, man, but..." I pushed past him. Under different circumstances I would've loved the view from the terrace. It looked straight down onto Central Park. The morning was clear and bright – perfect for a picnic or a hike, or pretty much anything except fighting monsters. Annabeth lay on a lounge chair. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. Even though she was covered in blankets, she shivered. Silena Beauregard was wiping her forehead with a cool cloth. Will and I pushed through a crowd of Athena kids. Will unwrapped Annabeth's bandages to examine the wound. The bleeding had stopped but the gash looked deep. The skin around the cut was a horrible shade of green.
"Annabeth. That was stupid to take that knife for me. I am but a clone. A illusion of the true Percy. That attack would not hurt me." I stated like a sensei scolding his student. Will Solace exhaled with relief. "It's not so bad, Annabeth. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past the shoulder yet. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nectar." I grabbed a canteen. Will cleaned out the wound with the godly drink while Annabeth held onto my hand.
"Ow," she said. "Ow, ow!" She gripped my fingers so tight they turned purple, but she stayed still, like Will asked. Silena muttered words of encouragement. Will put some silver paste over the wound and hummed words in Ancient Greek – a hymn to Apollo. Then he applied fresh bandages and stood up shakily. The healing must've taken a lot of his energy. He looked almost as pale as Annabeth.
"That should do it," he said. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies." He grabbed a piece of hotel stationery, jotted down some notes, and handed it to one of the Athena guys. "There's a Duane Reade on Fifth. Normally I would not steal-"
"I would," Travis volunteered. Will glared at him.
"Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat." Nobody disagreed. There was hardly a single demigod who hadn't already been wounded... except me.
"Come on, guys," Travis Stoll said. "Let's give Annabeth some space. We've got a drugstore to raid... I mean, visit." The demigods shuffled back inside. Jake Mason grabbed my shoulder as he was leaving. "We'll talk later, but it's under control. I'm using Annabeth's shield to keep an eye on things. The enemy withdrew at sunrise; not sure why. We've got a lookout at each bridge and tunnel."
"You mistake me for some one who cares." I said. He paled.
"Oh ah okay." He closed the terrace doors behind him, leaving Silena, Annabeth, and me alone. Silena pressed a cool cloth to Annabeth's forehead.
"This is all my fault."
"No," Annabeth said weakly. "Silena, how is it your fault?"
"I've never been any good at camp," she murmured. "Not like you or Percy. If I was a better fighter..." Her mouth trembled.
"Tsukiyomi." I said getting up and trapped her in got up my Jutsu. I walked over to her and placed a seal on her shoulder. She stared at me in horror. "Yes I know. Know instead of fealling sorry how about you do something to help out."
"Of course! We need the Ares cabin. I can talk to Clarisse. I know I can convince her to help us."
"Very well, Silena. Even if you can get off the island. Silena threw her arms around me. Then she pushed back awkwardly.
"Um, sorry. Thank you, Percy-sama! I won't let you down!" Once she was gone, I stood next to Annabeth and felt her forehead. She was still burning up.
"Sir I have the item you requested." A clone said appearing he was holding the Golden fleece. "I was also sure to leave a replica behind."
"Good." I told him as he handed it to me. Then the Golden Fleece changed into a golden armlet of sort. The Fleece was constituted of 3 main parts: The upper shoulder section, at the side of my head, the biceps section and the lower arm section. The design seen in the two lower parts resemble to horn images, representing the animal which the fleece came from: The ram. I slipped it onto my right arm and felt better then I had in ages. I placed Annabeth's hand ont the lower part of the fleece so she could get some more healing.
"One could call you cute when you're worried." she muttered.
"Do not mistake my act of kindness as worry or friendship." I said. "You insulted my wife. And took action when not told too. If we were in my village you would be demoted to academy student."
"What made you like this? I know you can be a different person."
"When you live in a world full of hate and pain. When you have no one and then gain a family. Then lose that family after being taught to forget emotions. Life will do that to you. In a world like that what am I supposed to be?"
"I don't know?"
"Annabeth...never worry about me. I lived so long I just can't die." I told her. We watched the sun come up over the city. The traffic should've been heavy by now, but there were no cars honking, no crowds bustling along the sidewalks. Far away, I could hear a car alarm echo through the streets. A plume of black smoke curled into the sky somewhere over Harlem. I wondered how many ovens had been left on when the Morpheus spell hit; how many people had fallen asleep in the middle of cooking dinner. Pretty soon there would be more fires. Everyone in New York was in danger – and all those lives depended on me. "Try to get some rest." The terrace door opened. Connor Stoll stepped through.
"Percy." He glanced at Annabeth like he didn't want to say anything bad in front of her, but I could tell he wasn't bringing good news. "Mrs. O'Leary just came back with Grover. I think you should talk to him." Grover was having a snack in the living room. He was dressed for battle in an armored shirt made from tree bark and twist ties, with his wooden cudgel and his reed pipes hanging from his belt. The Demeter cabin had whipped up a whole buffet in the hotel kitchens – everything from pizza to pineapple ice cream. Unfortunately, Grover was eating the furniture. He'd already chewed the stuffing off a fancy chair and was now gnawing the armrest.
"Dude," Nico said coming into view, "we're only borrowing this place."
"Blah-ha-ha!" He had stuffing all over his face. "Sorry. It's just... Louis the Sixteenth furniture. Delicious. Plus I always eat furniture when I get-"
"When you get nervous," Jason said entering the room. Jason didn't have a scratch. "Yeah, we know. So what's up?" He clopped on his hooves.
"I heard about Annabeth. Is she...?"
"She's going to be fine. She's resting." I said adjusting the fleece armor. Grover took a deep breath.
"That's good. I've mobilized most of the nature spirits in the city – well, the ones that will listen to me, anyway." He rubbed his forehead. "I had no idea acorns could hurt so much. Anyway, we're helping out as much as we can." He told me about the skirmishes they'd seen. Mostly they'd been covering uptown, where we didn't have enough demigods. Hellhounds had appeared in all sorts of places, shadow-traveling inside our lines, and the dryads and satyrs had been fighting them off. A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated. As Grover talked, Thalia entered the room with two of her lieutenants. She nodded to me grimly, went outside to check on Annabeth, and came back in. She listened while Grover completed his report-the details getting worse and worse. "We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington," he said, his voice trembling. "Almost half my kinsmen. River spirits drowned the giants in the end, but..." Thalia shouldered her bow.
"Percy, Kronos's forces are still gathering at every bridge and tunnel. And Kronos isn't the only Titan. One of my Hunters spotted a huge man in golden armor mustering an army on the Jersey shore. I'm not sure who he is, but he radiates power like only a Titan or god." I remembered the golden Titan from records.
"Great," I said. "Any good news?" Thalia shrugged.
"We've sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan. My best trappers took care of it. Also, it seems like the enemy is waiting for tonight to attack. I think Luke"-she caught herself- "I mean Kronos needs time to regenerate after each fight. He's still not comfortable with his new form. It's taking a lot of his power to slow time around the city." Grover nodded.
"Most of his forces are more powerful at night, too. But they'll be back after sundown." I tried to think clearly.
"Okay. This is getting pathetic. Shinno Tsukiyomi." I roared. "Shadow clone jutsu." I created several clones eached armed with a different weapon. "Destroy the bridges. Kill anyone that gets in your way."
"Hai." They all cried leaving us. Jake Mason cleared his throat. He'd been standing there so silently I'd almost forgotten he was in the room.
"Percy, something else," he said. "The way Kronos showed up at the Williamsburg Bridge, like he knew you were going there. And he shifted his forces to our weakest points. As soon as we deployed, he changed tactics. He barely touched the Lincoln Tunnel, where the Hunters were strong. He went for our weakest spots, like he knew."
"Like he had inside information," I said. "The spy." I inquired.
"What spy?" Thalia demanded.
"Not to worry I took care of the traitor. now rest up while you can. We've got a long night ahead of us." I said getting tired. after using the Shinno Tsukiyomi and several other jutsu had made a clone like me tired.
"Percy, you too," Thalia said. "We'll keep an eye on things. Go lie down. We need you in good shape for tonight."
"Don't tell me what to do I said. "But that would be nice." I found the nearest bedroom and crashed on the canopied bed. The next thing I knew I heard.
"Percy,"I heard Thalia said. "Come on. It's late afternoon. We've got visitors." I sat up, disoriented. The bed was too comfortable, and I hated sleeping in the middle of the day.
"Visitors?" I said. Thalia nodded grimly.
"A Titan wants to see you, under a flag of truce. He has a message from Kronos." We could see the white flag from half a mile away. It was as big as a soccer field, carried by a thirty-foot-tall giant with bright blue skin and icy gray hair.
"A Hyperborean," Thalia said. "The giants of the north. It's a bad sign that they sided with Kronos. They're usually peaceful."
"You've met them?" I said.
"Mmm. There's a big colony in Alberta. You do not want to get into a snowball fight with those guys." I rolled my eyes. As the giant got closer, I could see three human-size envoys with him: a half-blood in armor, an empousa demon with a black dress and flaming hair, and a tall man in a tuxedo. The empousa held the tux dude's arm, so they looked like a couple on their way to a Broadway show or something except for her flaming hair and fangs. The group walked leisurely toward the Heckscher Playground. The swings and ball courts were empty. The only sound was the fountain on Umpire Rock. I looked at Grover.
"The tux dude is the Titan?" He nodded nervously.
"He looks like a magician. I hate magicians. They usually have rabbits." I stared at him.
"You're scared of bunnies?"
"Blah-hah-hah! They're big bullies. Always stealing celery from defenseless satyrs!" Thalia coughed. "What?" Grover demanded.
"We'll have to work on your bunny phobia later," I said. "Here they come." The man in the tux stepped forward. He was taller than an average human-about seven feet. His black hair was tied in a ponytail. Dark round glasses covered his eyes, but what really caught my attention was the skin on his face. It was covered in scratches, like he'd been attacked by a small animal-a really, really mad hamster, maybe.
"Percy Jackson," he said in a silky voice. "It's a great honor." His lady friend the empousa hissed at me.
"My dear," Tux Dude said to her. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?" She released his arm and drifted over to a park bench. I glanced at the armed demigod behind Tux Dude. I hadn't recognized him in his new helmet, but it was the backstabber Ethan Nakamura. His nose looked like a squashed tomato from our fight on the Williamsburg Bridge. That made me feel better.
"Hello, Ethan," I said. "You're looking good." Ethan glared at me.
"To business." Tux Dude extended his hand. "I am Prometheus."
"I see." I said "How are your birds if I might ask?" Prometheus winced. He touched the scratches on his face.
"Please, don't mention the vultures."
"How did you get free?"
"How did I get free? Hercules did that, eons ago. So you see, I have a soft spot for heroes. Some of you can be quite civilized."
"Unlike the company you keep," I noticed. I was looking at Ethan, but Prometheus apparently thought I meant the empousa."You have four minutes
"Oh, demons aren't so bad," he said. "You just have to keep them well fed. Now, Percy Jackson, let us parley." He waved me toward a picnic table and we sat down. Nico and Jason stood behind me. The blue giant propped his white flag against a tree and began absently playing on the playground. He stepped on the monkey bars and crushed them, but he didn't seem angry. He just frowned and said,
"Uh-oh." Then he stepped in the fountain and broke the concrete bowl in half. "Uh-oh." The water froze where his foot touched it. A bunch of stuffed animals hung from his belt-the huge kind you get for grand prizes at an arcade. Prometheus sat forward and laced his fingers. He looked earnest, kindly, and wise.
"Percy, your position is weak. You know you can't stop another assault."
"From my point of view we are more then powerful enough to win this war." Prometheus looked pained, like he really cared what happened to me.
"Percy, I'm the Titan of forethought. I know what's going to happen."
"Also the Titan of crafty counsel," Nico put in. "Emphasis on crafty. " Prometheus shrugged.
"True enough, spawn of Hades. But I supported the gods in the last war. I told Kronos: 'You don't have the strength. You'll lose.' And I was right. So you see, I know how to pick the winning side. This time, I'm backing Kronos."
"Because Zeus chained you to a rock," I guessed.
"Partly, yes. I won't deny I want revenge. But that's not the only reason I'm supporting Kronos. It's the wisest choice. I'm here because I thought you might listen to reason." He drew a map on the table with his finger. Wherever he touched, golden lines appeared, glowing on the concrete. "This is Manhattan. We have armies here, here, here, and here. We know your numbers. We outnumber you twenty to one."
"Really? Shinno Tsukiyomi." I said making little pawns in the map. "Because I have several little surprises here here and here." I moved a little statue ofa slug, a turtle, and a ox to the ocean parts. "Plus a few other surprises." I then made a small statue of all the gods and placed them just outside the map. "Plus they will be here soon. Prometheus smiled apologetically.
"Perseus. Tonight, Kronos will attack. You will be overwhelmed. You've fought bravely, but there's just no way you can hold all of Manhattan. You'll be forced to retreat to the Empire State Building. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen."
"I have a tendency to defy fate. " I said. Prometheus brushed a speck off his tux lapel.
"Understand, Percy. You are refighting the Trojan War here. Patterns repeat themselves in history. They reappear just as monsters do. A great siege. Two armies. The only difference is, this time you are defending. You are Troy. And you know what happened to the Trojans, don't you?"
"So you're going to cram a wooden horse into the elevator at the Empire State Building?" I asked. "Good luck." Pometheus smiled.
"Troy was completely destroyed, Percy. You don't want that to happen here. Stand down, and New York will be spared. Your forces will be granted amnesty. I will personally assure your safety. Let Kronos take Olympus. Who cares? Typhon will destroy the gods .my way."
"Right, Except Typhon is dead." I said. "And I'm supposed to believe Kronos would spare the city. Frankly they way I see it we are the Spartans and you are the Persians. "
"Oh?" Prometheus asked.
"Yes. Tell me do you know of my power?" He shuck his head no. "My power is that of Illusions. But mine are so great that they can become reality. Let me show you. Shino Tsukiyomi." I stood up and created The Blade of Olympus. "It is by this weapon your brother died. As will every other Titan that stands against me." Everyone winced. The blue giant rumbled.
"Oh-oh." Over at the park bench, the empousa bared her fangs in a hiss.
"Percy, the Titans and their offspring are not all bad," Prometheus said. "You should met Calypso." My face didn't change from a I don't care look. I just stood there holding the blade.
"That matters not to me. I was raised not to let emotions get in the way. I returned the blade to where it came from.
"We are not your enemies. Don't let the worst happen," he pleaded. "We offer you peace."
"Understand this. Until Kronos is dead. I will fight and when this is over all those who stand with him will die. There is no peace as long as the Titan army still stands." I roared. Ethan grabbed the hilt of his sword, but Prometheus stopped him.
"Now, now," the Titan said. "We're on a diplomatic mission." Prometheus studied me as if trying to understand my anger. Then he nodded like he'd just picked a thought from my brain. "Percy? Will you be controlled by your fate? Kronos offers you a much better deal."I didn't change face."
"I'll give you a deal. Tell Kronos to surrender. Then maybe I won't have to destroy him." The empousa snarled. Her hair erupted in fresh flames, but Prometheus just sighed.
"If you change your mind," he said, "I have a gift for you." A Greek vase appeared on the table. It was about three feet high and a foot wide, glazed with black-and-white geometric designs. The ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness. Nico gasped.
"That's not-"
"Yes," Prometheus said. "You recognize it." Looking at the jar, I felt a strange sense of fear, but I had no idea why. "This belonged to my sister-in-law," Prometheus explained. "Pandora."
"As in Pandora's box?" Prometheus shook his head.
"I don't know how this box business got started. It was never a box. It was a pithos, a storage jar. I suppose Pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that. Yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that n ow haunt mankind-fear, death, hunger, sickness."
"Don't forget me," the empousa purred.
"Indeed," Prometheus conceded. "The first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by Pandora. But what I find curious about the story-Pandora always gets the blame. She is punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe that this is the lesson: mankind should not explore. They should not ask questions. They should do what they are told. In truth, Percy, this jar was a trap designed by Zeus and the other gods. It was revenge on me and my entire family-my poor simple brother Epimetheus and his wife Pandora. The gods knew she would open the jar. They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us." Prometheus tapped the lid of Pandora's jar. "Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it."
"Hope," I said. Prometheus looked pleased.
"Very good, Percy. Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, would not abandon humanity. Hope does not leave without being given permission. She can only be released by a child of man." The Titan slid the jar across the table.
"I give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like," he said. "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. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors." I stared at the jar. My sharingan look it over and I saw something was wrong. I channeled my chakra into my hand and slowly slid the lid. Something black tried to come out and I caught it. It turned solid in my palm and I crushed it. I then slid the rest of the lid of and stuck my hand in. A light blue flame glowed from my hand. Prometheus looked confused and scared.
"Your time was up long ago." I said as Jason charged with lightning zoomed by and stabbed the empousa in the chest destroying her. Nico shaped his shadow into multiple snakes to attack and bite the giant.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching Jutsu" Nico changed the shape of his shadows into several sharp needles and controls each separately. They then attacked several spots simultaneously. And that was without Nico even moving. Prometheus looked in horror as my friends killed his most important escorts.
"We had a truce" He said I smirked as a pair of large metal gauntlets, each made to resemble a snarling lion's head, that greatly increases the strength of its wielder when worn. I lifted them up and smacked him in the face. I then jumped up and punched him in the face left arm returned to normal and shot chakra chains out of my arm pinning him into place. My other arm was then armed with the blade of Olympus. It as charged as lightning came to the blade making it glow brighter.
"You bring the vase of Pandora with a trap in it to my city, You insult my family, you threaten my people with slavery and death." Percy spat. "Oh I chose my words and actions carefully Titan. You should've done the same."
"This is blasphemy. This is madness."
"Madness? This is OLYMPUS ." I shouted thrusting the blade into his body.
"Aaaggggghhhh." Prometheus cried as the blade was forced through his chest. His body fell limp as the blade was removed. The chains retracted into my body and the body laid there dead. I turned to Ethan Nakamura who gave me a hateful/scared look.
"Tell your master what you saw. And tell him this is what awaits him." I said. He ran away as fast as he could and Jason turned to me.
"Why kill them?"He asked. I smirked and looked at the dead Titan
"Because it only takes one to deliver a message." I said walking away.
Okay I hope you enjoyed. Please review to help me write new chapters faster.
Jutsu
Shinno Tsukiyomi
Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching Jutsu
Illusions
war figurines
Nemean Cestus
Blade of Olympus