Percy and Max looked at each other. How could they not see it before? Zoe had Atlas' regal expression, the same cold look in their eyes when they were mad, but when it was on Atlas, he looked thousand times more evil.
"Let Artemis go," Zoe demanded.
Atlas walked over to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."
Zoe opened her mouth, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you."
Atlas smirked. Max glanced at his skeleton friend, who glanced back.
"On my mark," Max whispered. He turned to look back at Atlas, who tried to touch Artemis' face. The goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.
"Hoo, hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all of the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."
"Hey, doesn't Annabeth's hair look gray?" Percy asked.
"It's from holding the sky," Thalia murmured. "The weight should've killed her. Max, will your friend attack?"
"When the time is right," Max muttered. "Pallas should be here. Where is he?"
"I still don't understand," Percy said out loud. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"
Perses laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaea first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have the burden, there is no escape." Perses smiled. "Unless someone takes it from you."
He and Atlas approached the demigods, studying Thalia and Percy in particular. The skeleton was hiding in the shadows. Max didn't know when he did that. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."
"Fight us," Max said. "And let's see."
"It is in your blood to fight, son of Enyo," Atlas said. "It would be a good battle, but it is beneath our dignity to fight a mere mortal. I will have Luke crush you instead."
He was right about wanting to fight. Max suddenly wanted to fight, and he wanted to fight now.
"Another coward," Percy said.
Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia.
"As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."
"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked weak, and Max didn't know how he didn't collapse. "Thalia, you can still join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"
He waved his hand, and next to the demigods a pool of water appeared. It was big enough for Bessie.
"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods."
"Luke..." Thalia's voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"
"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"
Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."
"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree..."
His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."
"Do not, Thalia," Zoe warned. "We must fight them."
Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp.
"Thalia, no," Percy said.
The golden sarcophagus began to glow. Max saw images in the mist around them: ruins becoming a whole, marble rising, and a palace rising around them, made of shadow and fear.
Luke's voice was so strained it was barely his. "We will raise Mount Othrys here. Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."
He pointed towards the ocean. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the Princess Andromeda was docked, was a big army. Max didn't recognize most of the monsters, but they looked terrifying. In a few minutes, they would be at the mountain.
"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."
Thalia hesitated, then looked at Luke, her eyes full of pain. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."
"Yes, you do, Thalia," Luke pleaded. "Please. Don't make me...don't make him destroy you."
Percy met Annabeth's eyes. She nodded.
"We're doing this?" he whispered.
Max leveled his spear and met the eyes of the skeleton warrior. Max nodded.
"We're doing this," he said.
Together, they charged.
Thalia went straight for Luke. Her shield was so terrifying that the dracaenae fled in a panic, making it easy for the skeleton warrior to take them out, one by one. Even though Luke looked sickly, he was still a problem. When his sword met Thalia's spear, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.
Max charged at Perses, who chuckled and drew his sword.
"Come on, if you dare!" he yelled. It was stupid, but Max swung his spear, and Perses batted him aside with the hilt of his sword. Max stumbled and the skeleton warrior took his place, attacking the Titan.
Max remembered what Pallas had said in his first dream. Perses wasn't that good with weapons. He relied on his power, so the skeleton warrior was going to be a thorn in his side. Max got up and charged again.
The skeleton warrior and Max made a good duo. Perses couldn't fight two people at the same time. Max started to stab, slash, thrust, and parry. They were inflicting many small cuts on the Titan's body.
Perses finally snapped and yelled. Max and the skeleton flew away from each other and Max went through a wall of black marble. He saw Percy getting pummeled by Atlas in the corner of his eye.
Max used his spear to get up and he barely blocked an attack from Perses. He tried to get through his guard, but Perses was having none of that. Max was forced on the defensive, barely blocking strikes.
Perses feinted to the left, and Max fell for it, leaving an opening. Perses then switched to the right and kicked Max into the pool where Bessie was supposed to go.
Max was seeing double and tried to get to his feet. He tasted blood in his mouth. He saw Luke and Thalia fighting like demons, lightning crackling. Percy and Zoe were double-teaming Atlas now and making progress. The skeleton warrior was reassembling near Annabeth, who was trying to free her hands.
Max shook his head and realized that he could see every little detail.
Perses entered the water and swung in a downward arc. Max was ready now, and he parried. He lunged and slashed. To his surprise, he caught Perses in the knee. He bellowed and swung wildly. Max was already out of the way and he deflected Perses' blade.
The skeleton had joined the fight one again and stabbed Perses in the leg, right to the bone. Perses fell to one knee and Max tried to finish him off. He tried to overwhelm the Titan, but Perses pushed him back with a strike to the ribs with the hilt of his sword. Max fell back and Perses wasted no time, swinging his sword in a wide arc, catching Max in the stomach and sent him sprawling to the floor. The skeleton tried another attack, but Perses just stabbed him in the stomach, and the skeleton turned to ashes.
Max's shirt was cut and there was a long but thin cut on his stomach. If he had a bigger stomach...
"Your efforts are futile," Perses said, slowly limping over to Max. "But you put up a good fight. What are your last words before you die?"
Before Max could even think about saying something, a spear had impaled itself in the bad leg of the Titan, who cursed and stumbled back.
Max looked in the direction from which the spear had come from, and saw Pallas with a woman.
The woman had naturally curly black hair and wore blood-red armor. In one hand, she held a shield. The other hand was empty, so she must have been the one who had thrown the spear at Perses. There was a sword strapped at her waist, but the woman simply held out her hand, and the spear flew into it. Her crimson eyes were filled with hatred.
Hey, she looks like an older, lighter, feminine, version of me, Max realized.
"You are killing no son of mine today, Perses," Enyo said.
Despite his many wounds, Perses smiled and got to his feet.
"A real challenge. Let's fight, goddess of war!"
Perses charged at Enyo, who was ready. She blocked the incoming thrust with her shield and attacked with a combination of precise slashes.
Max got back from the area and looked over at Pallas. "What took you so long?"
"I convinced your mom to come to the fight. You're welcome, by the way. Take this." Pallas gave him a small square of something. Max took it and ate it. It tasted like the waffles his dad would make. The cut on his stomach vanished. His lip didn't feel so busted.
"Mm," Max said, "what is this?"
"Ambrosia, the food of immortals," Pallas said. "Now, we'll deal with Perses. Help your friends with Atlas."
Max picked up his spear and nodded. He charged over to Atlas, who was slowly walking over to Percy, who was down.
"Hey!" he said, grabbing the attention of the Titan. Atlas barely had time to look before Max impaled his spear into his foot. Zoe let loose a volley of arrows into the armpit chink in Atlas's armor.
"Max!" Percy yelled.
"What?" Max yelled back.
"The titan's curse must one withstand. We can't beat Atlas."
Max was catching on to his statement. "But Artemis can. Who's gonna hold the sky?"
Percy stared at him.
"You're insane," Max said. "Annabeth took it and barely survived. Don't take it."
Percy ignored him and ran over to Artemis.
Max wanted to smack Percy across the head, but Atlas was close to killing Zoe. Max ran over to the fight and let his instincts take control. Percy was right: they couldn't defeat Atlas, so Max tried to tire him out, which in hindsight, was stupid. Atlas was the Titan of endurance and strength.
Before Atlas could finish Max off, Artemis intercepted a javelin strike with two hunting knives as long as her arms. As she battled Atlas, she seemed to change form, becoming a tiger, a bear, and a falcon. Zoe shot arrows at her father, aiming for the chinks. That just made Atlas mad, and he kept on fighting.
Thalia pressed Luke with the aura of her shield. Luke retreated, wincing and growling in frustration.
"Yield!" Thalia yelled. "You could never beat me, Luke."
Luke bared his teeth. "We'll see, my old friend."
Meanwhile, Percy was still holding the sky. Sweat poured down his face, and he fought to stay on his knees.
Pallas and Enyo were still dueling Perses. Perses lunged at his brother, giving Enyo an opening. She took advantage of that, giving Perses a short but deep gash to the stomach with her spear. Perses fell back, and Pallas dealt the finishing blow, decapitating his brother like he did the manticore not so long ago. Perses disintegrated, leaving behind his sword and armor.
Atlas advanced on Artemis, making a fissure in the rock where she had just stood moments before. Artemis was leading him back to Percy.
"You fight well for a girl," Atlas laughed. "But you are no match for me."
Atlas feinted, making Artemis dodge. Enyo saw the trick and started running towards Artemis, but she would be too late. Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis off her feet. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin for the kill.
"No!" Zoe screamed. She lept between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead. Atlas bellowed and backhanded Zoe into the rocks. Max couldn't see her and Atlas turned on Artemis, who seemed to be wounded.
"The first blood in a new war," he gloated, and then he stabbed downwards.
Artemis caught his javelin shaft as it hit the earth right next to her. She pulled backward, using the shaft as leverage, and kicked Atlas and sending him flying into Percy. He loosened his grip and let go as Atlas slammed into him. Percy rolled over and the weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas' back.
"Noo!" he yelled, shaking the mountain. "Not again!"
Percy tried to stand, but he fell back, dazed from the pain. Max dropped his spear and ran over to him, helping him get up to a sitting position. Then they watched Thalia and Luke, who were still fighting at the edge of the cliff. Luke had a slash on his chest and his face glistened with sweat.
He lunged at Thalia, who slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point at his throat.
"Well?" Luke asked. There was fear in his voice. Thalia trembled with fury.
Annabeth came running over, finally free. "Don't kill him!"
"Where's Artemis?" Percy suddenly asked, breathing heavily.
"I don't know," Max said.
"We'll bring Luke back to Olympus," Annabeth said, grabbing Max's attention. "He'll be useful."
"Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"
Thalia hesitated, and Luke made one more grab for her spear.
"No!" Annabeth shouted. Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance and fell.
"Luke!" Annabeth screamed.
Max and Percy rushed over to the edge. Below them, the monster army was looking at Luke's body in amazement.
"There's no way he could survive that," Max said. "That's what, forty, fifty feet?"
One of the giants looked up and growled, "Kill them!"
Percy pulled Thalia back as a wave of javelins sailed over their heads. They ran for the rocks, ignoring Atlas as they passed.
"Artemis!" Percy yelled.
The goddess was with Enyo and Pallas, who was examining Zoe's body. Her eyes were open.
"The wound is poisoned," Enyo said.
"Atlas poisoned her?" Percy asked.
"No," said Pallas. "Not Atlas. Ladon."
Pallas showed them the wound, and Max could barely look at it.
"The stars," Zoe murmured. "I cannot see them."
"Nectar and ambrosia," Percy said. "Come on! We have to get her some."
"We might be too late," Max said. "The army could be here anytime now."
No one moved as grief hung in the air. They might've accepted their doom right there, but then everyone heard a buzzing noise.
Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped out of the sky.
"Get away from my daughter!" Dr. Chase called, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the monsters into scattering.
"Dad?" Annabeth yelled in disbelief.
"Run!" he called back, swooping by.
This shook Artemis out of her grief. She stared up at the biplane, which was banking around for Round 2.
"A brave man," Artemis said with approval. "Come, we must get Zoe away from here."
Enyo stood up, dusting off the dirt from her pants. "I'll deal with the monsters."
Artemis nodded and raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin.
The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A couple of the giant's javelins went through the wings of the planes, but the machine guns still blazed. The bullets had to have been made of celestial bronze because monsters were disintegrating.
"That's...my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.
The monsters were recovering from their surprise, and Dr. Chase would be in trouble soon.
Enyo suddenly snapped her fingers, and the hill exploded. Gold dust was flying everywhere, and the monsters were thrown into another bout of surprise.
Then the moonlight brightened and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by the most beautiful deer Max had ever seen.
"Get in," Artemis said.
Annabeth helped Thalia get on board while Percy helped Artemis with Zoe. Max got in and Enyo stopped him with her hand.
"We'll talk later," she said softly. Max nodded. She whistled, and a griffin came flying out of the sky and landed next to the chariot. She hopped on, and at the same time, Artemis pulled the reins.
Seeing them safely away, Enyo and Dr. Chase followed the chariot like an honor guard. Behind them, the remainder of the monster army roared in anger as they reached the peak of Mount Tam. The loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses as he struggled under the weight of the sky.
-:-:-:-
They landed at Crissy Field after nightfall. As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew...you shot...oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
Dr. Chase blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."
"But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"
"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you...left."
Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. Dr. Chase didn't say ran away.
"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."
"Dad..." Annabeth faltered.
"Guys," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She, Enyo, and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe's side, binding the huntress' wounds.
Max, Percy, and Annabeth ran over to help, but there wasn't much they could do. Zoe was shivering, and the faint glow that was usually around her was fading.
"Can't you heal her with magic?" Percy asked. "I mean...you're a goddess."
"Life is a fragile thing, Percy," Artemis said. "If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."
She tried to set her hand on Zoe's wrist, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess' eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.
"Have I...served thee well?" Zoe whispered.
"With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."
"One of the best, if not, the best, Hunter I have met," Enyo added.
Zoe's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."
"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."
It just wasn't the poison that was killing her, though. It was Atlas's final blow. Zoe knew the whole time that she would die. She still took the quest and chose to save her mistress.
Zoe saw Thalia and took her hand.
"I am sorry we argued," Zoe said. "We could have been sisters."
"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, me—everything."
"Perhaps not all men," Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy and Max. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"
Percy brought out Riptide and put the pen in Zoe's hand. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like...like Hercules. I am honored that you carried this sword. Promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Max asked.
"Become heroes better than Hercules," Zoe said. A shudder ran through her body.
"We will," Max said. "I promise."
Zoe nodded, and then she whispered, "Stars. I can see the stars again, my lady."
A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."
"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.
Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth held back a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. Enyo wrapped an arm around Max. Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hands of the goddess. Zoe's body shimmered and disappeared.
Artemis stood, said a quick blessing, breathed into her cupped hand, and released the silver dust in the sky. It flew up, sparkled, and vanished.
Annabeth gasped. Max looked up into the sky and saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a new pattern Max had never noticed before—a girl with a bow running across the sky.
"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."
Thunder and lightning boiled over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis flickered with silver light. Max made sure to avoid staring at her because if she appeared in her divine form, all of the demigods and Dr. Chase would disintegrate by looking at her.
"We must go to Olympus immediately," Enyo said.
Artemis set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right."
Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, who held the goddess's eyes. Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy.
Then she turned to Max and Percy.
"You two did well," she said, "for men. Enyo, let's go."
She mounted her chariot, which began to glow. Enyo patted Max's shoulder.
"Troy here is your griffin," she said. "He will bring you to Olympus."
Sup, little man, said the griffin. Max stared at him.
"He can speak?" he asked.
"Griffins are my sacred animal, meaning you can speak to them using your mind. Try it."
Um, sup, Max said back in his mind.
"See? You're mastering it already. See you back at Olympus. Pallas, let's go."
Pallas, who reappeared, nodded and hopped in the chariot. The glow of the chariot intensified, and everyone averted their eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the three immortals were gone.
"Well," Dr. Chase said, "they were impressive; though I must say I still prefer Athena."
Annabeth turned toward him. "Dad, I...I'm sorry that—"
"Shh." He hugged her. "Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn't easy for you."
Then they heard the whoosh of wings. Three pegasi descended through the fog: two white ones and one pure black one.
"Blackjack!" Percy called. He paused, then he said, "It was rough."
Max scratched his head. "Since when did Percy have a pegasus for a ride?"
"We freed Blackjack when he was on the Princess Andromeda," Annabeth explained. "Percy can understand him because they're related."
Blackjack studied Dr. Chase, Thalia, Annabeth, and Max before turning to Percy.
"Nah," Percy said. "These are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast."
Dr. Chase was staring at the pegasi in amazement.
"Fascinating," he said. "Such maneuverability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse's body, I wonder?"
Blackjack cocked his head like he was asking a question.
Dr. Chase continued. "Why, if the British had these pegasi in the cavalry charges on the Crimea, the charge of the light brigade—"
"Dad!" Annabeth interrupted.
Dr. Chase blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, my dear, I know you must go."
He gave her one last hug. "Annabeth, I know...I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe."
Annabeth's eyes were red as Dr. Chase trudged away from the dark field.
"We forgot to tell him about the car," Max realized.
Thalia shrugged. "He'll get over it."
"What happened to his car?" Annabeth asked.
"You don't wanna know," Percy said. He mounted Blackjack and Thalia and Annabeth mounted the other two pegasi. Max mounted Troy, and they all soared over the bay. Soon San Francisco was a glittering crescent behind them, with the occasional flicker of lightning in the north.
-:-:-:-
Thalia fell asleep on one of the pegasus' back. She must have been exhausted to sleep while in the air. Her pegasus adjusted himself every once in a while so Thalia stayed safely on his back.
Annabeth, Max, and Percy flew side by side.
"Your dad seems cool," Percy told Annabeth.
"I guess so," she said. "We've been arguing for so many years."
"Yeah, you already said that."
"You think I was lying about that?"
"I didn't say you were lying. It's just...he seems okay. Your stepmom, too. Maybe they've gotten cooler since you last saw them."
"And she makes great cookies, too," Max added.
Annabeth smiled, but then she hesitated. "They're still in San Francisco. I can't live so far from camp."
"So what are you going to do now?" Percy asked.
They flew over a town, an island of lights in the middle of the dark.
"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. "But thanks for rescuing me."
"Hey, no big deal. We're friends."
"You didn't believe I was dead?"
"Never," Percy said, and he and Max shared a glance. They remembered their conversation with Aphrodite.
"Luke isn't dead," Annabeth said.
"He fell 50 feet, Annabeth," Max said. "There's no way."
"He isn't dead," Annabeth insisted. "I know it. The same way you knew about me."
Percy and Max stayed silent as the towns were zipping by faster. Dawn was close. The eastern sky was turning gray. Up ahead, a huge white and yellow glow spread before the demigods—the lights of New York City.
That was the fastest I've ever flown, Troy said. You're welcome, Maximus.
Call me Max, Max said. Maximus sounds too professional.
Whatever you say, little man.
"You're the man, Blackjack," Max heard Percy say. "I mean, horse."
"You guys still don't believe me about Luke," Annabeth said. "We'll see him again. He's in trouble, Percy. He's under Kronos's spell."
"I know this sounds bad, but he deserves to die," Max said. "Phoebe died. Zoe died. But Luke gets a free pass because he's all chummy with Kronos. That's not fair."
"Life isn't fair, Max," Annabeth said softly.
Max just shook his head.
"There it is," Thalia said. She woke up sometime during their conversation. She was pointing towards Manhattan, which was zooming into view. "It's started."
"What's started?" Percy asked.
Thalia was pointing high above the Empire State Building. Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.
"The winter solstice," Thalia said. "The Council of the Gods."
In the myths, Enyo's sacred animal was a swan. Swans are usually graceful and they are also the sacred animal of Aphrodite. I chose a griffin because they are the sacred animal of Horus, the Egyptian god of war and because griffins symbolize military courage. Thank you, Death Fury, for your review, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.