The final battle is here :) Enjoy!

Chapter 36 Plan A(ce)

'Sam, we're ready.'

The mage turned as Rain descended from her horse. It's copper-reddish colour spread warmth as light touched it. The daughter of Aphrodite comforted the animal.

'Go,' said Circe as she drank the nectar Chiron had offered her. 'We've got this. With Pandora dead, this battle is ours. I will call you when the child is there.'

Screams of pain came from the hospital's open windows, which made Circe smile.

Sam called his squad members to him. He picked up the metal cards. 'Cate, you take this card. The Chariot, or Nike. Let it rain.' He turned to Damien. 'The Justice card, for a balanced decision.' The son of Nemesis grinned. 'And for you I have the Emperor and Lovers,' he finished as Rain took the cards and strapped them to her armour. 'Ares and Aphrodite. Let them hear you, Rain.'

Sam picked a last card from the diminished deck and fastened it to his gauntlet. 'Go through, I'll be there in a minute.'

His crew members mounted their steeds and vanished through the portal. First Cate, then Rain and finally Damien on his black horse. He had his shield in hand.

The mage turned to Circe who had risen to her feet. 'You needed me?'

'Take off the cloak and armour.'

Sam stripped off his armour.

Circe laid her palm flat on his chest. She chanted as a symbol lit up on his chest. Circe struck the symbol which made Sam gasp. The rune was shattered and dissolved in the night.

Sam breathed in some fresh air and felt at peace with the tingling sensation coming from his chest. With a snap of his fingers, he was dressed again. Sam made a flame appear in his hand. It floated away to guide him through the night.

'Go,' said Circe with a smile. 'Use all you've got to slay her.'

Sam nodded before vanishing in a ripple.

Reappearing at the beach, he made a couple of guards jump. Ignoring their demands, Sam stretched out his arms to the flame floating above the ocean. With a grin he pulled it free from the salty water and seaweed. Once the twelve foot tall mecha was on the beach, Sam climbed in. In the light of the torches, the seaweed and salt had given it a pale, greenish colour.

He grabbed the controls. The runes and symbols lit up in a red flash. Sam let the magic flow as his prosthetic leg clicked into place. He placed the Vulcan card, the Hermit, on the floor where it attached itself to the robot. Sam closed his eyes and let the magic do its thing.

'What happened?' asked Reyna as George and Eve appeared next to the group.

'The portal reactivated and we ran. Something's coming,' said Eve.

All eyes were on the portal as silence rolled across the battlefield. From the portal echoed the sound of hooves. Suddenly a pegasus appeared from the doors. Galloping to the edge of the hill, the winged white horse spread its wings and dove off the hill only to fly up. The silver crowned rider fired off an arrow. It exploded upon contact with a crowd of monsters. More arrows rained from the sky.

'That's Cate!' exclaimed Eve pointing at the rider.

'"I looked and behold",' said Harley. '"A white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow and a crown was given to him". To her. It's Conquest.'

'What?' asked Percy.

'The Book of Revelation,' said Joanne. 'A string of allegorical visions written down by John of Patmos in the Bible describing the end of time according to tradition. I guess John had actual visions.'

A second horse appeared. The horse stormed from the hill, surrounded by a fiery aura. A blade was unsheathed by the rider and it flamed. A loud and clear voice owned by a beautiful girl rallied the tired troops. The demigods picked up shields and swords and followed the horse into battle. The flaming sword drew burning streaks in the night.

'War,' smiled Joanne.

The third horse raced down the hill. Laughing wildly from atop his black steed the rider lifted up his shield. A black shield bearing golden scales. Another group of demigods joined the rider into combat. Damien used his shield to strike at opponents.

'Damien,' said George.

'Famine,' corrected Joanne.

The three horsemen and their troops pushed the enemy back. Reyna, Frank and Hazel ordered Romans to fill in the ranks, while the Greeks helped by taking the wounded to safer places. The horsemen regrouped within the line of the Little Tiber. They joined their other squad members who helped them with nectar and ambrosia.

From the wounded came a legionnaire wearing a wolf helmet. She removed it with her non-bandaged hand.

'Where is my brother?' asked Sarah Parker.

The riders all showed her the blackened cards that remained after the magic had been used up. 'He's coming to finish off what he started,' said Rain as she handed the cards to Sarah.

'"Behold, a pale horse,' declaimed Joanne as she pointed to the hill. People turned around.

A mechanical pale coloured horse faintly reflected the moonlight. On it sat a cloaked and hooded figure. In his hands he held an axe. The horse neighed and stood on its hind legs. It's fiery red eyes staring at the crowd.

'Seated by a man named Death, and Hades followed him,' finished Joanne.

The horse galloped down the hill. Each strike of the hooves sounded like thunder rolling through the sky. The rider leaned to one side and used his axe to open up the earth on the hill. The crack grew and from it poured Hades. Dead Romans marched from the opening. After a few dozen warriors came a tall figure. A pale looking figure carrying a black sword and an opal ring on his finger.

'Who summoned me here!' he demanded.

The rider doubled back and halted before Pluto, the god of the dead. They engaged in a conversation. It ended with Pluto ordering the dead to hold off the monsters while the rider galloped to the woman standing on a small hill. Nyx.

Sam stopped the horse in front of the hill on which stood Nyx, the First of the Protogenoi.

'Nyx,' he greeted with a courteous nod.

'Sam,' returned the goddess. 'You've put on quite a spectacle. I heard Pandora has been defeated.'

'Circe paid her back,' replied Sam with a shrug. 'Now, it's my turn.'

'Very well. One more battle and then I will rule over Olympus.' Nyx waved her hand and in an instant she wore armour that melted with her shadowy dress. The goddess strode down the hill onto the battlefield.

Sam backed away for a couple of feet before caressing the horse. He whispered a word. The horse neighed before shifting back into its original form. The horse clicked open and metal parts unfolded and slid into each other, envelopping Sam. Eventually the Iron Titan and Sam stood as it did before. Sam made larger copies of his hatchets appear in the hands of the mecha.

'No shield?' questioned Nyx with a smile as she took a stance before growing to same size as the robot.

'Attack is the best defence.' The mecha crossed and uncrossed its blades. A metal ringing sound ran through the night. 'Only a few more hours left.'

'I only need minutes.'

And with that, the goddess of the night attacked.

The crowd watched as the robot and the tall goddess engaged in a dance of strike, parry, strike. Nyx waved her sword at the chest of the robot, but Sam blocked the attack with one axe and slammed the second on down on her shield. The goddess simply brushed it off and continued her attack.

'Do we do something?' asked Hunter fiddling with her bow.

'No,' said George. 'He'll give us the signals first.' The son of the blacksmith held a pouch in his hands. It was Sam's ace up the sleeve.

'What signals?' asked Reyna with a puzzled look.

Annabeth snorted. 'He was always going to go after her, whatever happened. The little jerk had a plan since the beginning.'

'Ever since they brought his memories back,' corrected Hunter.

Sarah Parker only smiled.

The two combatants were locked together as their weapons grinded against each other. The mecha had better footing, so Sam managed to push back against the might of Nyx' strength. Nyx used her shield to end the stalemate by slamming it upwards against the robot's arms, forcing Sam to disengage. With a well-aimed strike Nyx made the Titan stagger.

Before he could regain the balance and momentum, Sam felt the mecha fall on the ground. The sound of screeching metal made him fear the worst. And yes, it was. The controls for the legs went dead. He managed to block another attack by letting the arms hug the cockpit. Sam immediately pushed the emergency button. An instant later he found himself lying in the charred grass. He unlocked the belts and got up on his feet.

He grabbed his staff for a magical offensive, but the goddess ignored him and hacked at the robot until it was in pieces. She flung the carcass out of the way before shrinking back to a regular size.

'Enough games,' she hissed. 'You will no longer stand in my way. I offered you peace, but now I will kill you. You are all alone against me, Nyx…'

'Who said I came alone?' interrupted Sam. He threw two metal cards onto the ground, yet nothing happened. 'I brought some friends.'

Sam summoned fire with his glove while slamming his staff against one of the cards, Demeter as the Empress. The staff stood perfectly upright and glowed in a silvery light. Sam used to the fire to light up the small patch of Greek fire soaked cloth on top. A green flame appeared and burned brightly. Sam backed away.

'What are…'

For a second time, Nyx got interrupted. A silver arrow pierced the wooden staff. Another card was attached to it. The Moon, bearing the image of Artemis. As it touched the cypress wood, it lit up in bright silver light and the actual moonlight seemed to become brighter as well. The goddess of the night turned away.

When she looked again, the staff was gone. In its place stood a full grown cypress tree. The moonlight made the silver leaves shine.

Sam threw one of his daggers at Nyx as she was puzzled by the tree. The bronze blade grazed her arm. Gold blood trickled from the wound. The goddess stared at it and howled.

'What is this?' she asked.

'I think it's physical pain,' said Sam. 'I guess you've never felt it before.'

The goddess snarled and swung her blade at Sam who dodged it before parrying another strike. The mage threw fire at her, but the goddess simply wiped it away. Sam stood behind the tree and evaded another strike, as the black blade got embedded in the wood. The goddess let out a frustrated scream.

'Enough!' Nyx waved her hand and shadows grabbed Sam.

The tentacles pinned him to the ground. He stared at the night sky before angry eyes stared back at him as Nyx loomed over him.

'I will finally have my victory. You're all alone, no more friends to help. I am Nyx…'

'The stupid Primordial,' interjected Sam. 'I was never alone.' He slipped a card from his pocket. 'I just needed more time.' He flicked the card away. It floated to the other one lying in the grass. The Star struck the Hanged man. 'Hope will bring forth change.'

Nyx sneered. 'Hope? You think hope can defeat me? I am the mightiest god alive.'

Sam struggled against the shadow before letting out a laugh. 'Of course hope can defeat you. Especially if she's carrying a blade which she used to kill Pandora.'

'Pandora was defeated by Circe.'

'But I did it first,' spoke a voice from behind her.

Nyx turned around and saw a armoured woman standing beside the tree. She had silver eyes and carried a shield baring a cornucopia. Behind the tree sunlight came from the horizon. The Primordial of Night trembled. 'Impossible.'

'Nothing is impossible if you have me,' said Hope with a smile. 'Although having a plan always helps.'

The Primordial of Hope advanced. She disarmed Nyx after a few exchanges. She nodded at Sam who got back to his feet and joined Hope. Together the two forced Nyx back towards the upcoming rays of sunlight. In a last ditch effort, Nyx manipulated the last shadows to grab Sam and Hope.

'I will return,' she announced as a portal opened next to her. 'Another time, another night.'

'No, you won't,' said Sam releasing a red flare.

A moment later, a shower of plastic casino chips filled with stolen luck rained down upon them. The Wheel of Fortune card lit up and gave Sam a final piece of power. Tapping into his Roman heritage, Sam closed the portal with Janus' help.

Nyx retaliated by arming herself with new blades to attack both of them at once, but never took a single step. A metal card, folded into a sharp arrow head embedded itself into her chest while the golden shaft flickered in the sunlight.

Hope swiftly disarmed the Night as she leaned against the tree. Hope used her shield to push the arrow further in, effectively pinning Nyx to the cypress tree.

'Impossible,' muttered Nyx. 'I am Nyx, the Firstborn.'

Sam approached her. 'And I am Sam, son of murdered parents. And I will have my vengeance.' He unsheathed a dagger adorned with magical symbols.

'Sam, don't.'

Sam turned around. Sarah stood a few feet away, bow still in hand. 'You can't,' she pleaded. 'You're not like her. You're not a murderer. If you kill her, you are not better than her.'

'Yeah, Cook,' said Hunter. 'Be the better man, let her rot in Tartarus.'

Sam stared at the goddess who was bathing in the sunlight. She was weakened, but he could feel the power she held. Power he could hold.

'You want it, don't you?' said Nyx with a ragged voice. 'The power within me. Take it and use it to finish my work.' Nyx gave him a bloody smile.

Sam summoned everything he had left. That power was indeed great, greater than he could imagine. 'I will never finish your work, but I will finish mine.'

Before Hope could stop him, Sam stuck the dagger in her gut.

Ignoring the screams, Sam grasped the hilt tightly in his fist. Strengthened by the power of chance he let the darkness in. Nyx only stared at the mage as her power flowed out of her. Sam resisted the urge to release the red hot blade until he couldn't hold it any longer. He pulled it free and stared at the golden blood dripping from it.

The aching started in his head, slowly spreading through his body. The phantom pain in his leg became worse by the second. Sam fought it with the amassed magical power he held contained. A hand on his shoulder made him turn around.

Hope stared at him with her silver eyes. 'Let it go.' Her voice sounded as if she was under water. Other voices sounded far away.

'Not yet,' he replied. 'Have to do something first.'

A slap across the face barely registered. Sam gave a smile as he felt tickled. 'Don't you dare,' said Sarah poking him in the chest. Teary eyes gave him a glare. 'Don't bring them back. You can't.' Her voice sounded sharper and close by. 'Please, Sam. I grieved for too long.'

'I know,' he said patting her on the head. 'I haven't yet, but I will.' He barely understood what he was saying. His mind worked faster than he could speak. 'I won't bring them back, I promise.'

Sam stretched out his arm. In his hand materialised his staff as if it never turned into the tree. Suddenly his mind stopped racing and he felt the rising sun on his face. 'Do not fear the night, for there is a brand new day ahead.' He faced his friends and gave them a smile. 'Are you guys ready?'

'Always,' said Cate.

'Aye, captain,' replied Damien.

'Give them hell,' sighed Eve.

Sam raised his staff in the air and let go. The magic and power of Nyx sought the target he was looking for. He found her in Tartarus, on her way to reformation. Using a combination of spells, Sam undid her ancient spell. Magic flowed in her and made her cry out in pain until it was done.

The son of Hecate cried out in pain as the power of Nyx started consuming his own. Pain exploded behind his eyes. Using the staff he remained upright. Struggling he made his way back to Nyx, waving away all helping hands. Sam muttered a word which pulled the arrow free and dropped Nyx on the floor.

'Just kill me,' rasped the goddess. Blood seeped from her mouth.

'I. Do Not. Kill,' said Sam between pained breaths. 'I guard.' He placed a hand on Nyx chest and muttered and incantation. Slowly the wound on her chest closed up and her breathing became stable.

With fresh breath in her lungs, the goddess of night laughed for a moment before she coughed and screamed. Her eyes stared at the mage. The look on his face was ecstatic. A feeling of coldness overcame her. She whimpered as she recognized the feeling of fear of the unknown.

He pushed out the last bit of energy he had left for the finale. Seeing how it worked in terms of magic, it was easier to undo. Sam pushed and pulled the magic until it was done. A small ball of golden energy laid in his hand. With a final look at Nyx' outstretched hand, he crushed it, leaving behind black dust to scatter in the wind.

'I win,' he whispered.

A scream came from far away as the world turned around. Before he fell unconscious, Sam saw Hope staring at him with sunlight making the tears shine.