Chapter Twenty-Five:
We had been sitting here for two hours, and I was starting to loose it. I think everyone else was too.
I mean Chris was pacing back and forth. Clarisse was screaming at Ron who kept asking dumb question. And I was stabbing the pillar with my dagger.
Yep, we were losing it, I mean an ADHD Half-Blood can only sit still so long.
I pulled my arm back and slammed my dagger hard into the pillar. I was pretending it was Aphrodite's face.
"Princess are you okay?" Clarisse asked.
I shook my head, "No I am not!"
"Okay..." Clarisse said.
I stabbed the pillar again.
"Am I suppose to be ok? A God is holding my boyfriend captive!"
"Uh, I'm not sure." Clarisse said.
"Annabeth don't let the pillar fall on you." Chris said.
I looked, I had almost broke the pillar in one place. "Oh." I muttered standing up.
"Anyone got any idea on how to get-" Ron stared, but a loud crack made us all jump for the pillars. I had warned the campers that this sound meant a God was coming on to Mt. Olympus.
I poked my head from around and the corner and took a deep breath, Aphrodite and Zeus, both in human form, were walking towards their thrones. Aphrodite had the handle of the golden mirror in her hand.
Aphrodite was laughing, "Oh Son of Poseidon you amuse so."
Aphrodite was talking to Percy! PERCY!
"Percy!" I whispered to Clarisse. Clarisse nodded.
"We have to stop them before they turn into God form." Chris whispered.
"On three!" Clarisse forcefully whispered.
The Ares kids held up their weapons. Ron pulled his wand from his side. I held out my dagger. Clarisse nodded.
"One... Two..." Clarisse took a deep breath, "THREE!" She screamed. I jumped forward.
"What the?" Aphrodite cried, turning around, only to be hit by the first wave of Ares kids.
Aphrodite let out a scream as swords and knifes hit her skin. We all knew we couldn't kill her, we did, we just wanted to sidetrack her long enough to break Zeus free and get the mirror.
"Children of Ares?" She cried as some one hit her across the cheek with a knife, she started bleeding.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" She screamed, she tossed the mirror towards Zeus, "HOLD THAT!" She screamed, as she turned to wards the nearest Ares kid. She reached out her hand as she did, she turned to Goddess form. She lifted the poor kid right off the ground and threw him back down.
"NEXT WAVE!" Clarisse screamed, and then she looked at Ron and me. "Go for it now's your chance."
So as Ares kids stormed forward, Ron and I slid through the crowd. Towards Zeus who was standing dumbfounded, off the side.
"Lord Zeus?" I asked, as soon as we had reached him.
Zeus just stared, "Who's Zeus?" He muttered, He was lost as long as he was under Aphrodite's charm.
I reached for the mirror, Zeus shook his head, "The mirror is for Lady Aphrodite." He muttered he pulled the mirror out of my reach.
I turned to Ron, "I'm not going to try to get the mirror, he might hurt me and not mean to. Do you have some sort of spell that could shock him out of it? Not hurt him, but shock him out of it?"
Ron shrugged, "I could do the disarming spell on him, that would get the mirror out of his hand, but it would hurt and the mirror would go flying."
I shook my head, "We can't risk the mirror breaking, that might trap Percy and the others forever."
"Then I've got nothing." Ron said.
"Hey what about the spell Hermione used to get my bracelet?"
"Accio? I'll try." Ron said.
"ACCIO MAGIC MIRROR." He cried, the mirror didn't move.
Zeus chuckled, "Lady Aphrodite was smart she put charms on the mirror."
Ron rolled his eyes, "My magic is no good against God charms."
I sighed, "Then we will have to wait till this thing wears off."
"I hope we have that time." Ron said pointing, I looked.
Goddess Aphrodite was picking up kids and chucking them back at the ground. Clarisse kept sending more, but they were slowly winding down. I mean Aphrodite was immortal.
I turned back to Zeus, "Did Aphrodite put a charm on you?" I asked.
Zeus laughed, "Why of course."
Wow this was a bad charm if he would tell me that, "How long does it last?" I asked.
"Ten hours."
"How many hours ago did she cast it on you?"
"Nine hours thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes." Ron said.
"Till it wears off." I said.
"We should tell Clarisse." Ron said.
"I'll go you watch Zeus!" I cried taking off.
"CLARISSE!" I screamed, Clarisse turned to me.
"You get the mirror?" She asked. She was sweating.
"No not yet, Zeus' charm wears off in thirty minutes, can your troops hold Aphrodite off that long?"
Clarisse looked over at the kids, "I'm not sure they are fighting hard. Really hard, but Aphrodite is fighting hard too."
I nodded, "Please Clarisse try. I need Percy." I said.
"Okay Princess, thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes!" I cried as I ran back to Ron.
"Clarisse said she'll try." I told Ron.
Ron nodded, and pointed his wand at Aphrodite, he mumbled something and a spark of light jumped from his wand and hit Aphrodite in the face. She dropped the poor girl she was holding and grabbed her face in pain.
I high fived Ron, "Good job."
"Only twenty-eight minutes." Ron said.
"Twenty-eight." I muttered back but as I looked on back on the campers. I wasn't sure they were going to make it that long. Because Aphrodite was doing a good job of picking them off four at a time. Two in her hands and two under her feet. Crushing them to the floor. I could hear the breaking of bones from here.
"They are going to be sore in the morning." Ron said rubbing his arm.
"You can bet on that." I said as I watched a brand new batch of kids run forward, half attacked Aphrodite the other half dragged wounded friends out of the line of fire. Do you know that feeling, where you want to look away but it's just not possible. That's how I felt as I watched Aphrodite pick kids and toss them down like rag dolls. Their bones snapped, and I saw children of Ares, crying. Real tears. They were tough, but no one was tough enough to last against Aphrodite for long.
So I shut my eyes and just hoped, there was enough of them to keep Aphrodite bust for twenty-five more minutes. But as Aphrodite flung one of Clarisse's brothers to the ground, doubts formed.