Percy POV

There were hugs and greetings all around . . . or at least Thalia and Zoe were friendly. The other Hunters didn't like being around campers, especially boys, but they didn't shoot any of us, which for them was a pretty warm welcome.

"Where have you been the last year?" Michael asked Thalia. "You've got like twice as many Hunters now!"

She laughed. "Long, long story. I bet my adventures were more dangerous than yours, Triest."

"Complete lie," I said.

"We'll see," she promised. "After this is over, you, Michael, Zoe, Annabeth, Bianca, Alex, and me: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West 57th."

"Le Parker Meridien," I said. "You're on. And Thalia, thanks."

She shrugged. "Those monsters won't know what hit them. Hunters, move out!"

She slapped her silver bracelet, and the shield Aegis spiraled into full form. The golden head of Medusa molded in the center was so horrible, the campers all backed away. The Hunters took off down the avenue, followed by their wolves and falcons, and I had a feeling the Lincoln Tunnel would be safe for now.

"Thank the gods," Annabeth said. "But if we don't blockade the rivers from those boats, guarding the bridges and tunnels will be pointless."

"You're right," Alex said.

I looked at the campers, all of them grim and determined. I tried not to feel like this was the last time I'd ever see them all together.

"You're the greatest heroes of this millennium," Alex told them. "It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win." He raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!"

They shouted in response, and our forty-seven voices echoed off the buildings of Midtown. For a moment it sounded brave, but it died quickly in the silence of ten million sleeping New Yorkers.

"Zoe and I will meet you over there," I told Alex and Annabeth. "Try and get there as fast as you can." I grabbed Zoe's hand and flashed us outside Battery Park, at the lower tip of Manhattan where the Hudson and East Rivers came together and emptied into the bay. After ten minutes, Alex and Annabeth showed up, riding a red Vespa.

"Wait here," Alex told Annabeth.

"Alex, you shouldn't go alone."

"Well, unless you can breathe underwater . . ."

She sighed. "You are so annoying sometimes."

"Like when I'm right? Trust me, I'll be fine. I've got the curse of Achilles now. I'll all invincible and stuff."

Annabeth didn't look convinced. "Just be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you. I mean, because we need you for the battle."

I grinned. "Back in a flash."

"Tell the sea gods to leave the demigods," I told him. "Zoe and I are dealing with them." He nodded.

He clambered down the shoreline and waded into the water.

I held out my hand for Zoe. She took it and together we walked out onto the wake of the surf. I hovered a few inches above the water as I surfed through the air while Zoe did the same on the water. Soon, we came across the speed boats.

Zoe and I circled them and they cut their engines. Archers tried to shoot at us but I deflected their arrows with hard winds.

Zoe stopped in front of them. She lifted her arms up before letting them fall back down. The water copied her movement and a large wave knocked the demigods from their boats and into the water. I made bubbles of hard air around them before flashing them away to my father's palace, where he would watch them until the end of the battle.

Zoe and I zoomed back towards Annabeth.

We got there the same time Alex reemerged.

Back on the shore, Annabeth was talking on her cell phone, but she hung up as soon as she saw me. She looked pretty shaken.

"It worked," Alex told her. "The rivers are safe."

"The demigods are captured." I added.

"Good," she said. "Because we've got other problems. Michael Yew just called. Another army is marching over the Williamsburg Bridge. The Apollo cabin needs help. And Alex, the monster leading the enemy . . . it's the Minotaur."

I sucked in a breath, but managed to keep my cool. "Alex, you and Annabeth go. Zoe and I will head to the Empire State on foot and help whoever we see."

"Percy, are you sure?" Alex asked. I then realized how scared he looked.

"I'm sure," I told him. "You can do this. I believe in you." I nodded to Zoe and we sprinted back towards the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, we were meeting in the Plaza Hotel. I'd only actually been inside the Plaza once before. The lobby was impressive, with the crystal chandeliers and the passed-out rich people, but I didn't pay much attention. 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.

I was relieved to see that so many of my friends had made it through the night alive, but everybody looked beat up.

"Alex!" I heard Jake Mason say. I looked away from tending to Zoe's shoulder wound to see him clap Alex on the shoulder. "We're getting reports—"

"Later," he said. "Where's Annabeth?"

"The terrace. She's alive, man, but . . ." Alex pushed past him.

A little bit later, a few of us were meeting and discussing plans. But first...

"How's Annabeth?" I asked Alex.

"She's resting."

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 Alex and I 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 and Alex 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. "Alex, 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."

"Great," Alex 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."

"He's scared of what you and Michael can do in the day time, Percy," Zoe said.

"Wait," I said, realizing something. "Where's Michael? I haven't seen him at all."

"He's resting," Thalia informed me. "He spent a lot of his power helping the Athena cabin destroy Lincoln Tunnel."

I tried to think clearly. "Okay. Any word from the gods?"

Thalia shook her head. "I know Lady Artemis would be here if she could. Athena and Apollo, too. But Zeus has ordered them to stay at his side. The last I heard, Typhon was destroying the Ohio River valley. He should reach the Appalachian Mountains by midday."

"So at best," Alex said, "we've got another two days before he arrives."

Jake Mason cleared his throat. He'd been standing there so silently I'd almost forgotten he was in the room. "Alex, 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 Queensboro, where the Hunters were strong. He went for our weakest spots, like he knew."

"Like he had inside information," Alex said. "The spy."

"What spy?" Thalia demanded. He told her about the silver charm Kronos had shown me, the communication device.

"That's bad," she said. "Very bad."

"It could be anyone," Jake said. "We were all standing there when Percy and Alex gave the orders."

"But what can we do?" Grover asked. "Frisk every demigod until we find a scythe charm?"

We all looked at Alex, waiting for a decision.

"We keep fighting," Alex said. "We can't obsess about this spy. If we're suspicious of each other, we'll just tear ourselves apart. You guys were awesome last night. I couldn't ask for a braver army. Let's set up a rotation for the watches. Rest up while you can. We've got a long night ahead of us."

The demigods mumbled agreement. They went their separate ways to sleep or eat or repair their weapons.

"Alex, you too," Thalia said. "We'll keep an eye on things. Go lie down. We need you in good shape for tonight."

He didn't argue too hard. He found the nearest bedroom and crashed on the canopied bed. I went and found Michael and passed out next to him.

Later, Thalia and the head counselors were waiting for us at the Reservoir. The lights of the city were blinking on at twilight. I guess a lot of them were on automatic timers. Street lamps glowed around the shore of the lake, making the water and trees look even spookier.

"They're coming," Thalia confirmed, pointing north with a silver arrow. "One of my scouts just reported they've crossed the Harlem River. There was no way to hold them back. The army . . ." She shrugged. "It's huge."

"We'll hold them at the park," Alex said. "Grover, you ready?"

He nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be. If my nature spirits can stop them anywhere, this is the place."

"Yes, we will!" said another voice. A very old, fat satyr pushed through the crowd, stumbling over his own spear. He was dressed in wood-bark armor that only covered half of his belly.

"Leneus?" I said.

"Don't act so surprised," he huffed. "I am a leader of the Council, and you did tell me to find Grover. Well, I found him, and I'm not going to let a mere outcast lead the satyrs without my help!"

Behind Leneus's back, Grover made gagging motions, but the old satyr grinned like he was the savior of the day. "Never fear! We'll show those Titans!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or be angry, but I managed to keep a straight face.

"Um . . . yeah." Alex said awkwardly. "Well, Grover, you won't be alone. Annabeth and the Athena cabin will make their stand here. And Michael, Percy, me, and . . . Thalia?" She patted me on the shoulder. "Say no more. The Hunters are ready."

"Katie," Michael said. "We need to Demeter cabin here, too. This is your home turf. You should be more powerful here."

Katie nodded. "Got it."

Alex looked at the other counselors. "That leaves the rest of you with a job just as important. You have to guard the other entrances to Manhattan. You know how tricky Kronos is. He'll hope to distract us with this big army and sneak another force in somewhere else. It's up to you to make sure that doesn't happen. Has each cabin chosen a bridge or tunnel?" The counselors nodded grimly. "Then let's do it," Alex said. "Good hunting, everybody!"

We heard the army before we saw it. The noise was like a cannon barrage combined with a football stadium crowd—like every Patriots fan in New England was charging us with bazookas. At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods—a warrior in golden armor leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other monsters poured out behind them.

"Positions!" Annabeth yelled. Her cabinmates scrambled. The idea was to make the enemy army break around the reservoir. To get to us, they'd have to follow the trails, which meant they'd be marching in narrow columns on either side of the water. At first, the plan seemed to work. The enemy divided and streamed toward us along the shore.

When they were halfway across, our defenses kicked in. The jogging trail erupted in Greek fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. Others flailed around, engulfed in green flames.

Athena campers threw grappling hooks around the largest giants and pulled them to the ground. In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line, destroying twenty or thirty dracaenae, but more marched behind them. A bolt of lightning crackled out of the sky and fried a Laistrygonian giant to ashes, and I knew Thalia must be doing her daughter of Zeus thing. Grover raised his pipes and played a quick tune. A roar went up from the woods on both sides as every tree, rock, and bush seemed to sprout a spirit. Dryads and satyrs raised their clubs and charged. The trees wrapped around the monsters, strangling them. Grass grew around the feet of the enemy archers. Stones flew up and hit dracaenae in the faces.

The enemy slogged forward. Giants smashed through the trees, and naiads faded as their life sources were destroyed. Hellhounds lunged at the timber wolves, knocking them aside.

Enemy archers returned fire, and a Hunter fell from a high branch.

"Alex!" Annabeth grabbed his arm and pointed at the reservoir.

The Titan in the gold armor wasn't waiting for his forces to advance around the sides. He was charging toward us, walking straight over the top of the lake.

A Greek fire bomb exploded right on top of him, but he raised his palm and sucked the flames out of the air.

"Hyperion," Annabeth said in awe. "The lord of light. Titan of the east."

"Bad?" Alex guessed.

"Next to Atlas, he's the greatest Titan warrior." I said. "In the old days, four Titans controlled the four corners of the world. Hyperion was the east—the most powerful. He was the father of Helios, the first sun god."

"I'll keep him busy," Alex promised.

"Alex, even you can't—"

"Just keep our forces together."

We'd set up at the reservoir for good reason.

Before he could charge onto the water, a new comer sprinted out, seemingly running on the water. The demigod stopped in front of Hyperion, and I recognized his neat brown hair.

"Killian!" I shouted. He didn't seem to hear me. "Alex, we need to get out there. C'mon!" I sprinted onto the surface of the water. Michael and Alex raced behind me.

I skidded to a halt behind Killian, hovering like I did back on the East River. Michael stopped on Killian's other side and Alex was right behind him.

"You leave my friends alone," Killian growled at his father. "I will not let you harm them."

"And who are you to stand in my way?" Hyperion snarled.

Killian's eyes blazed in response.

I saw Hyperion's eyes widen through the flames but he controlled himself. "So my own offspring chooses the gods?"

"No," Killian said. "I choose my friends." With that, he launched himself at his father.

Hyperion ignited his body in a column of flame and light, leaving Alex, Michael, and I blinded.

"Put it out, Alex!" I shouted. I heard him grunt and the light was extinguished after a couple seconds. I looked back to see Killian duck under Hyperion's swing. I charged forward and our swords met. The air charged with ozone.

The battle still raged around us. On the right flank, Annabeth was leading an assault with her siblings. On the left flank, the Demeter cabin, Grover, and his nature spirits were regrouping, entangling the enemies with bushes and weeds.

"Enough games," Hyperion said. "We fight on land."

My eyes widened when I realized what he was about to do. I dove under the surface of the water. I looked up and saw Alex fly backwards from Hyperion's trick. Michael was in the water. Killian was nowhere to be seen.

Hyperion launched himself at Alex. I jumped out of the water and ran towards the two. Michael went to help the Demeter cabin against a legion of dracanae.

Hyperion attacked. Katie was with me and Alex, a bronze scimitar in her hand.

Hyperion was powerful and fast, but he couldn't seem to land a blow. The ground around his feet kept erupting in flames, but Alex kept dousing it just as quickly.

"Stop it!" the Titan roared. "Stop that wind!"

I wasn't sure what he meant. I was too busy fighting.

Hyperion stumbled like he was being pushed away. Water sprayed his face, stinging his eyes. The wind picked up, and Hyperion staggered backward.

"Alex!" Grover called in amazement.

"How are you three doing that?"

Then I looked down, and I realized we were standing in the middle of our own personal hurricane. Clouds of water vapor swirled around us, winds so powerful they buffeted Hyperion and flattened the grass in a twenty-yard radius. Enemy warriors threw javelins at us, but the storm knocked them aside.

"Sweet," Alex muttered. "But a little more!"

Lightning flickered around us. The clouds darkened and the rain swirled faster. We closed in on Hyperion and blew him off his feet.

"Alex!" Grover called again. "Bring him over here!"

Alex slashed and jabbed, letting his reflexes take over, Hyperion could barely defend himself. His eyes kept trying to ignite, but the hurricane quenched his flames.

Katie's eyes were glowing vivid green, which was not normal since she has brown eyes. She stuck with her scimitar, cutting a slash through Hyperion's arm. The rain started pelting harder until the point it was hail.

I myself made the wind swirl harder and faster. My patron was Ouranos, god of the sky. The sky and wind obeyed me.

I stuck out my hand and the wind obeyed me. It pushed Hyperion backwards as Alex slashed and hacked away at him.

We couldn't keep up a storm like this forever, though. I could feel my powers weakening. With one last effort, I propelled Hyperion across the field, straight to where Grover was waiting.

"I will not be toyed with!" Hyperion bellowed.

He managed to get to his feet again, but Grover put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play. Leneus joined him. Around the grove, every satyr took up the song—an eerie melody, like a creek flowing over stones. The Demeter cabin joined the satyrs, raising their hands and helping the satyrs with their nature magic. The ground erupted at Hyperion's feet. Gnarled roots wrapped around his legs.

"What's this?" he protested. He tried to shake off the roots, but he was still weak. The roots thickened until he looked like he was wearing wooden boots.

"Stop this!" he shouted. "Your woodland magic is no match for a Titan!"

But the more he struggled, the faster the roots grew. They curled about his body, thickening and hardening into bark. His golden armor melted into the wood, becoming part of a large trunk.

The music continued. Hyperion's forces backed up in astonishment as their leader was absorbed. He stretched out his arms and they became branches, from which smaller branches shot out and grew leaves. The tree grew taller and thicker, until only the Titan's face was visible in the middle of the trunk.

"Wait," I said. The satyrs stopped playing and the Demeter kids slumped in exhaustion. I walked up to Hyperion's tree. "Hyperion. Your son fought against you, and you tried to kill him. Is this the father you want to be? You will be sent to Tartarus, but the next time you see Killian, you'd better hope that you've got your at together." I raised my hand and the satyrs pressed their reed pipes against their lips. I flicked my hand and they played the last measure of their song.

Hyperion didn't say anything as bark closed over his face.

Grover took his pipes from his mouth. "You are a very nice maple tree."

Several of the other satyrs and Demeter kids passed out from exhaustion, but they'd done their job well. The Titan lord was completely encased in an enormous maple. The trunk was at least twenty feet in diameter, with branches as tall as any in the park.

The tree might've stood there for centuries.

The Titan's army started to retreat. A cheer went up from the Athena cabin, but our victory was short-lived.

Because just then Kronos unleashed his surprise.