Oh no! Annabeth's in danger! If only everyone reading this didn't know what already happens! LOL.

I ran down the street with to the Plaza, my feet glowing. I know, pace myself. But pacing yourself when someone's hurt isn't exactly the best plan. When I arrived, I didn't even wait for Thalia before rushing in. I noticed a bike parked up against statue, completely bronze, in a granite bowl. She wore a bronze sheet around her legs, and a basket of metal fruit. It is was huffing. I skidded to a halt and stared. The statue noticed me and scowled.

"I suppose you want me to watch something?"

"What? No."

The statue immediately brightened.

"Well, then. Hi! I'm Pompona, the Roman Goddess of…"

But had muttered a quick,

"Nice to meet you,"

Which could have been read as 'I don't care', and I guess it was, because as I ran into the Plaza Hotel, the sound of metal thunking onto stone sounded out, and Latin curses were…audible.

I'd only been in here once before. The lobby was as notable as it was last time, the crystal chandeliers swinging gently. The rich people all passed out on the floor was a slightly newer addition. Behind me, I heard Thalia run in, followed by most of the hunters.

"Where's Annabeth?!"

She looked around frantically. The rest of the hunters came in slower, looking like a large lion trying to find a place to lick its wounds.

"I don't know!"

An Aphrodite kid ran over from the elevator. He stopped in front of us and gestured to the elevator, saying,

"The penthouses. Top floor. Everyone's up there."

I didn't even stop to thank him. I heard Thalia's footfalls behind me as I jammed the elevator button. And yes…I committed the elevator crime. I jammed the button about 15 times hoping it hurried the hell up. When the doors finally opened, I squeezed in the moment there was room in the door. With Thalia beside me, I pressed the up button on the panel before the elevator doors had even fully opened. They shuddered, then reversed in direction. We started rising. My face felt pale, and looking over, Thalia's was as well. She reached out and grabbed my hand, almost instinctively. I squeezed gently, and it seemed to make her realise what she had done, and quickly released from my grip, blushing furiously. The doors opened, and we sprinted into the floor. Demigods were everywhere. Campers were laying across sofas, and I heard the elevator steadily creep down. The hunters were coming up. The taps in bathrooms were all on, and the sinks were probably covered in blood. I glanced down at my arm. I'd completely forgotten my slash, until it suddenly twinged. I was shocked to see it was so large a slash. At four inches long, from halfway up my forearm, going diagonally around till it met my elbow. Judging from the blood steadily dripping to the floor, it was deep. I ignored it as Katie jogged over.

"Fayden! Oh, thank gods. Are you…?"

But she saw my arm and immediately tried to grab me.

"Come one, I'll get you some…"

But I interrupted, shouldering her off.

"Its nothing. Where's Annabeth?"

"Out on the terrace, but that cut is…"

I had run off, just behind Thalia. Out on the terrace, the view was beautiful, looking over Central Park. However, the sights were lost to my eyes, taken by the shaking blonde on the balcony. Annabeth was wrapped in blankets, and Silena Beauregard was mopping her face. Percy was kneeling beside her, clutching her hand. Any other time, I would've teased him relentlessly, but this was serious. There was an Apollo camper, I think his name was Will something, treating the wound. It was a horrible sight. There was no bleeding, but you could see how deep it went. The skin around it was a shade of green. She saw me and Thalia and smiled.

"Hey guys. You good?"

I had to smile, but Thalia had tears in her eyes, saying,

"How did this happen?"

Annabeth's face grew red, and she glanced at Percy. I understood. She coughed and said,

"I…uh…took a knife for Percy. It was poisoned."

Before I could say anything else, Will Solace, I remembered his name, stood, and sighed in relief.

"Its not so bad, Annabeth. A few more minutes would've been tough, but the venom hasn't got past the shoulder. Just lie still, and someone get me some nectar!"

Percy grabbed a flask from off the table next to us as I circled round, turning my back to the view and kneeling beside the injured daughter of Athena. Will poured some of the nectar onto the wound, and I saw Percy's fingers turn purple in her grip, but she stayed still.

"Ow. Ow, ow!"

Will put some silver paste on it, then muttered words in ancient Greek. A hymn to Apollo, I realised,

"Μεγάλε Φοίβο Απόλλο, άρχοντα της θεραπείας, ακούστε αυτή την προσευχή. Η δύναμη των χεριών σου μπορεί να θεραπεύσει αυτό το θύμα, και ικετεύω ότι είναι ακριβώς έτσι, γιατί είσαι τόσο ευγενικός όσο και ισχυρός."

I understood what he was saying: 'Great Phoebus Apollo, lord of healing, listen to this prayer. The power of your hands can heal this victim, and I beg that it's just so, because you're as kind as you are powerful.'

Roughly.

"Μπαμπά... να βοηθήσω την Άνναμπεθ... Παρακαλώ."

This was easy. Will had added a private message 'Dad…save Annabeth…please'.

Then he applied some fresh bandages and shakily stood up. He was as pale as Annabeth.

"Dude, sit down. That took a lot of energy."

Will looked like he wanted to argue, but then he slumped to a sitting position accidently, his legs giving way, and couldn't argue.

"That should be all right. But we're going to need mortal supplies."

He grabbed a piece of paper and jotted something down.

"There's a pharmacy on fifth. Normally, I would never steal…"

"I would."

Travis had spoken up, and Will glared at him.

"Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency."

He looked back into the top floor. Almost every space was covered with a wounded hunter or camper.

"I have a feeling we'll be treating a lot more people."

Travis reached over and grabbed the list of paper.

"Come on guys. Let's give Annabeth some space. We've got a pharmacy to raid…I mean, visit."

I rose to join them, but Silena saw my cut.

"Oh no you don't!"

I turned; my eyebrows raised. She was glaring. She got up, and pointed at an empty spot on the floor back inside.

"Now."

I sighed, and Thalia smirked, to which I punched her arm, the followed the daughter of Aphrodite. I laid down on the floor, sitting upright. Silena hurried off, and came back with various medical equipment. I tensed as she dabbed the wound with a soaked rag. I think it was nectar. My arm stung and I hissed slightly, biting my lip. Silena turned and grabbed a bandage from the small pile of medical equipment, along with some kind of gel. She rubbed the gel over the cut, and a cold shuddering sensation seemed to come over me, then the gel heated to body temperature, as if it had just given its coldness. Leaving it there, Silena tightly bound a bandage around my arm, then patted it reassuring me.

"It'll be nearly healed in about five hours."

I nodded. "Great. Can I go now?"

Silena looked down, and realised she had pinning my arm with her leg accidently. She laughed and moved away. I shook off, and stood off, walking over to where Grover, Thalia and Percy were talking. I joined in halfway through Thalia's sentence,

"…isn't the only Titan. One of the hunters spotted a huge man in golden armour mustering an armour on the Jersey shore. I'm not sure who it is but he…"

She trailed off when she saw my face.

"You know, don't you?"

I winced, then said,

"Yeah. It's Hyperion."

These words sunk into Grover and Thalia, when a voice called out,

"What about Hyperion?"

I turned to Zoe walking over, looking worried.

"Why would you be talking about Hyperion?"

I sighed, then replied,

"Because he's on Jersey Shore, and…"

I stopped. Thalia glared.

"And what?! Fay, if you're hiding something from me…"

I gulped. Well, say goodbye to team morale.

"Krios and Koios. They may arrive."

Zoe gasped. "Four Titans?!"

I nodded. Grover had started eating furniture. Percy, who already knew, stayed emotionless. Thalia was pale, and Zoe seemed sick.

"We can't…we can't hold back that many!"

I turned to her.

"Yes. We can. Do you have any other news?"

I wanted to change the subject. She seemed startled, then nodded.

"We've sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan. My best trappers took care of it. The enemy is waiting, preparing to attack tonight."

I nodded.

"Kronos. He must be getting tired keeping Manhattan asleep."

Grover looked up, sofa filling in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, then said,

"Most of his forces will be stronger at night, so he's waiting."

Percy groaned, but looked around.

"Ok, fine. Any news from the gods?"

Zoe shook her head.

"I know Lady Artemis would be here if she was allowed. Athena too, but Zeus has ordered them to stay by his side. The last I heard; Typhon was destroying the Ohio River Valley. He should reach the Appalachian Mountains by midday."

I did some quick maths.

"So, at best, we have two days?"

A cough sounded out. We turned, and saw Jake Mason.

"Percy, there's something else. The way Kronos showed up at the Williamsburg Bridge, like he knew you were there. And he shifted his forces to our weakest points. As soon as we deployed, he changed tactics. He barely touched Lincoln Tunnel…"

I muttered,

"Debatable,"

"…Where the Hunters were strong."

Jake shook his head at my comment.

"There were a lot more in other places. It's like he knew."

My blood ran cold as I got what he was saying.

"The spy."

Thalia and Zoe rounded on me.

"What spy?" They both said at the same time.

But I wasn't paying any attention. At the word 'spy' Silena, who was picking up a bottle of nectar, and let out a tiny sob, and nearly dropped the bottle. Then she had gone pale, and slunk away. I paled even more, which, with my recent major blood loss, was impressive. Everyone else had looks of disgust at the mention of a spy. Only Silena seemed freaked out. I'd played enough assassin or spy games to know why.

"Fayden! What spy?!"

I was busy watching Silena, and snapped back to them. Percy butted in, explaining about the silver charm Kronos had shown him, a communication device. I was watching the daughter of Aphrodite intently. She had disappeared to the back of the crowd, and I couldn't see her. I focused back on the conversation as Percy said,

"We keep fighting. We can't obsess over 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 greater 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 started mumbling in agreement and went their various ways. I saw Silena mingle back with her siblings as if nothing happened. I knew revealing her would do no good. I knew Silena. She would never, ever be a spy willingly. Especially considering there was a spy while Beckendorf was still alive. So that meant blackmail. If I could engineer where she went and when, I could limit the amount she knew. Of course, reporting that I keep distracting her whenever something important is being discussed would quickly be assumed that I knew. Thalia nudged me. I looked over as she said,

"Get some rest."

She seemed to notice my gaze towards Silena, and a flicker of annoyance crossed her face as I turned and grinned.

"No way. I couldn't even if I tried."

My gaze went straight back the daughter of Aphrodite, who had been appointed on one of the first watches.

"What's her name? Silena?"

I was surprised to hear her voice sounding bitter. Before I had turned around, she had walked off. Stunned I decided I would try to sleep, however I doubted I could. I was wrong. I was barely awake for five minutes before I fell asleep.

Of course, I dreamed. Nothing like a nightly dose of prophesized stress to cheer you up.

I saw Kronos sitting round a wat table. A large map of Manhattan was covering the table, and it seemed magical. Little symbols, definitely representing armies glittered on the map. It seemed to use tiny coloured dots. Over by Plaza Hotel on the map, I saw a lot of white dots. To my disgust, one dot among the group was purple, the same colour as the Kronos' forces. But two other colours were on either side of the map. A collection of golden dots was glittering on Jersey Shore, and not to far, was a bunch of black tokens. Koios and Hyperion, I guessed. Blue would mean Krios. Kronos scanned it, looking happy. Then his gazed fixed on Koios' forces, and he glared. It was then I noticed a few demigods standing behind him. He addressed them,

"Did he tell you?"

One stepped up, looking nervous.

"Um, no. Lord Koios has said nothing."

Kronos yelled.

"What is he hiding!"

A shocked sense of realisation burnt through me. There was only one thing I had seen Koios seem worried about, and that was his dream. Why hadn't he told Kronos? It meant nothing if only a god could kill Koios in this battle. All the gods were gone off fighting elsewhere, so Koios would be a secret weapon. However, Kronos knew none of this. He snapped at another demigod.

"Is Hyperion ready?"

This one answered instantly.

"Yes, my lord, but…"

"But what!"

"He is angry that we have to wait for Prometheus. I think he might attack soon without someone stopping him."

Kronos actually seemed pleased that someone had given him useful information.

"Thankyou. Oi!"

He had called out to Giant outside. The beast came lumbering in, and bowed its head. Kronos' knife-scrapping voice ordered,

"Go and find another few monsters, and tell my idiot brother to not attack until I say! Got it?!"

The Giant grunted, then left. Kronos seemed agitated. He turned back to the first demigod.

"What else did Koios say?!"

I could tell that not knowing about Koios' dream was affecting him more than he let on. He probably assumed a weakness, instead of a strength. Why Koios didn't tell I have no idea. The demigod spluttered, then finally said,

"He said he is ready my lord. When Hyperion strikes, he knows his task."

"Good. God knows that an entire contingent and a Titan will finally take care of my infuriatingly durable son."

I felt invisible sweat trickle down my dream body. Koios was here to kill me, and only me. Kronos seemed to be trying to finally remove me from the equation, as if only I could stop him. He'd been doing in since the start of my demigod life, ordering Echidna and the Chimaera to kill me. Why?

"But sir, what happens if he has help?"

"He won't. Hyperion has an even stronger army than before. Everyone will be diverted, and my son knows nothing of the…"

He stopped, then looked up at the spot in the ceiling in which I hovered. His eyes showed uncertainty, but then he flickered away.

"My son knows nothing of my spy's identity…"

However, once again, he glanced at where I was standing. He could feel someone was there. Or maybe he couldn't, as, once again, he looked away.

"…and if he somehow knew of this conversation, and of the bait and trap that he is the victim of, it means nothing. Not going to Koios would mean another army to smash up his precious city."

He looked up at me, for I was positive he saw me, and grinned.

"Isn't that interesting?"

I couldn't speak, then he waved a hand, and the dream dissolved. This time, I was standing in what seemed to be a massive black tent. There was a large table, but no map. Just a Titan. I was in Koios' tent. The Titan of foresight was sitting in a chair, hands in his head, muttering.

"He will have mastered is father's powers? What does that mean? He only has six? They're busy!"

He slammed his fist into the table, and it sunk into the wood, splinters erupting around his hand. He didn't notice, and I realised his ramblings were completed separate. He was muttering about multiple subjects.

"His kid. The kid of the…AH!"

He sounded incredibly worried.

"Demeter couldn't do anything! Hera! HA! Hestia?"

He burst out laughing, then quickly stopped.

"Although, she's not fighting."

He continued. He sounded like he'd had this conversation with himself many times. He knew that one of the gods would kill him. He was trying to find out which one. Suddenly, a Dracanae came into his tent. Koios snapped his eyes up to her as the snake-woman spoke.

"My lord, Koiossss. Prometheussss hassss arrived. It isss nearly time."

Koios nodded, and the Dracanae left, then I realised he was faking a brave face. The moment the monster left, it dropped. He looked depressed, and I'd feel sorry if he wasn't the main part of a plan to kill me. I frowned, as Koios suddenly spoke in Thalia's voice.

"Fay. Wake up!"

My eye's snapped open. I looked around. The weight of those dreams finally hit me. Kronos had planned to throw an entire small army at me, with a Titan leading. Somehow, I'd be forced to choose to split from the others and attack them alone. And I'd lose. How could I win? The good thing is, Kronos wasn't aware of the fact that I knew who the spy was. Silena! Where was she?

"Fay!"

My eyes snapped back to Thalia. She seemed to look worried.

"Did you dream?"

I nodded absent-mindedly, looking for Silena.

"What about?"

I grunted a non-suggestive grunt. Thalia seemed hurt I wasn't even looking at her.

"Fay? What's up?"

"Where's Silena?"

I know. I know for a fact Thalia was annoyed I was eyeballing the daughter of Aphrodite. I don't know why a hunter should care, but she got annoyed.

"I don't know. Somewhere over with Percy, planning."

Her voice was harsh, and then she stormed off. I immediately stood, and looked around. Sure enough, Silena and Percy were talking. I rushed over, as I heard her say,

"So, what did you dream? I saw you tossing around in your sleep?"

Oh know. Demigod dreams were big information dumps, not to be given to a spy. I butted in, saying,

"Silena, I need to talk to Percy."

She frowned.

"Yeah, hang on. We were talking."

I shook my head, grabbed his arm, then pulled him away, saying,

"Nope. Percy, we need to talk."

Silena looked shocked, and Percy seemed surprised. He pulled his arm away from me, saying,

"Dude! What is it?"

"What did you dream?"

He frowned.

"Seriously? You couldn't have just listened?"

I waved my hands impatiently.

"Did it have something to do with the war?"

"Uh…yeah?"

"Tell. No one."

He seemed surprised.

"What?"

"The spy!"

Percy seemed annoyed.

"We've been through this. We can't obsess over finding out who it is."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean shout out information for them to lap up!"

He nodded. "Yeah, ok."

I breathed in and out.

"I had a dream as well. It was definitely to do with the war."

He nodded, and I continued.

"Prometheus is coming."

Percy blanched.

"Another Titan?!"

I shook my head.

"Prometheus was rather peaceful, wasn't he? At least in the myths. Regardless, he doesn't have any forces with him."

"How do you know?"

I stopped. "I saw Kronos' command table. Hyperion and…Koios are ready to attack. They're waiting for Prometheus."

If I told him about what Koios was actually preparing for, he would have freaked and kept me here. Percy nodded, suddenly in military general mode.

"What, so he's here to talk?"

"I guess."

At this moment, Zoe ran over.

"Guys, we have a visitor."

I raised an eyebrow at Percy, who turned to Zoe and said,

"Prometheus?"

Zoe seemed surprised.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

I smirked at Percy and he grumbled,

"Just a hunch."

At this point, I saw Silena walk over, and hurriedly said,

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Percy held out his hands.

"Wait a minute, it can't just be the two of us."

I groaned, and, almost out of nowhere, grabbed Grover and Thalia, saying,

"Guys. Titan. Talking. Let's go."

Thalia still seemed pissed, and Grover looked worried. Silena stepped forward.

"I can go with you?"

I shook my head violently.

"No! I mean…"

Everyone had looked at me.

"…no need, Silena. We've got it covered."

She frowned.

"But…"

Thalia butted in, seemingly pleased I didn't want to hang around with Silena.

"It's ok. Fay's right."

She seemed defeated, and turned, walking off. Then me, Percy, Grover and Thalia headed into the elevator to meet the famous Prometheus. As we crosse the lobby, Thalia pulled my arm, making me slow down and walk behind the other two. I looked at her questioningly.

"Spill it. Now. And don't you dare skip out everything."

I was shocked at the anger in her voice. She seemed to be looking for an answer for my strange behaviour recently. She didn't know about my dream.

"I…Silena."

Her face hardened.

"What about her?"

"She's…she's the spy."

I whispered the last word, and Thalia's face instantly slackened into shock.

"How do you know?!"

"I just do. And a dream."

Thalia was pale.

"Why didn't you…"

"Tell everyone? What would it do? I'm trying to keep her away from everyone when we make important decisions."

"So that's why you were obsessed with watching her."

Thalia sounded incredibly relieved, and more some reason it made me say,

"What did you think was the reason? I don't like her."

Thalia seemed to be trying to hide her happiness, but failed. I would seriously need to get to the bottom of why the hunter, regardless of whether she was my best friend, was so interested in my love life or lack thereof. I looked up, and could definitely tell the Titan was here to talk peace. Either that, or the football field sized white flag was sending the wrong impression. It was being held up by a ten-metre-tall giant, with pure blue, icy looking skin, and grey hair.

"A Hyperborean."

I looked over at Thalia. She carried on,

"Giants of the north. Zoe accidently ran into some in Alberta, and we had a monster sized snowball fight. Do not have a snowball fight with these guys."

I smirked. "I'll take your word for it."

As the giant advanced, I saw three human sized beings with him. One was a familiar looking demigod, I knew by his surname, Nakamura. The other was an empousa demon, with flaming red hair, and I mean actual flames, not that she's ginger. The final guy, was obviously Prometheus. I found it amusing that he was seemingly dressed to attend a Prom, with the Empousa as a date, when his name started with Prom. The whole group walked calmly towards the Heckscher Playground. It was empty, the only sound being the fountain on Umpire Rock.

"Here they come."

Prometheus stepped forward. He was obviously taller than an average human, well overtaking the two-metre limit. His black hair was in a ponytail and dark round glasses shielded is eyes. What was interesting, however, was the scratches. I guess from the vultures when he was tied to a rock, but he looked like he'd been attacked by a small animal, like a very angry ferret. He stepped forward at the same time Percy did.

"Percy Jackson."

His voice was incredibly smooth.

"It's a great honour."

The empousa didn't seem to think so. She hissed at Percy, her flaming hair roaring. Prometheus removed his arm from hers, saying,

"My dear, why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?"

She trudged off to the park bench. Percy turned to Nakamura.

"Hey Ethan. You're looking good."

I almost smiled at this. His nose was squashed, probably a result of the recent battles. Ethan glared at the son of Poseidon.

"To business. I am Prometheus."

Percy decided to shake the Titan's hand, replying,

"I know."

The Titan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? You did your research."

Percy gestured to me, and Prometheus looked over. He saw me, and seemed to instantly know who I was.

"Ah. Yes. Kronos' son. You are more famous among the monsters of this army than Mr. Jackson here. They don't seem to fear him as much. To be fair, while they won't admit it, my other allies don't particularly want to meet you either. And I can see why."

I wasn't really sure what to make of this. I decided to nod, then reply,

"Hyperion and Koios hiding on Jersey Shore, waiting for you, correct? Or are you talking about more allies?"

Prometheus seemed to try to hide his surprise, but his eyes flashed uncertainly. Finally, he spoke, addressing Percy,

"Percy Jackson. I have come to parley."

The blue giant had stuck his flag into the ground and preceded to crush the monkey bars of the playground with his foot. Then he accidently broke the fountain he sat in. The concrete broke and the water froze where he touched it. Muttering,

"Oops,"

He sat on the ice. It was quite adorable. Prometheus sat on one side of a bench, where me and Thalia sat either side of Percy on the other side. Grover remained standing, looking nervous. The Titan leaned forward and laced his fingers. He looked kind, and trustworthy. This guy.

"Percy, your position is weak. You won't survive another attack."

Percy calmy retorted,

"We'll see."

Prometheus winced, as if he actually cared. This guy.

"Percy, I'm the Titan of forethought. I know what's going to happen."

I leaned forward, frowning.

"I thought Koios was the Titan of forethought."

Prometheus looked over at me, smiling.

"A common mistake. Koios has Far-sight. He can see far ahead into things, well into the future. I can predict a lot more."

Grover butted in,

"Also, the Titan of crafty council. Emphasis on crafty."

Prometheus shrugged looking amused.

"True enough, Satyr. 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."

I could see the uncertainty in Percy's eyes. THIS GUY. Percy answered, saying,

"Because Zeus chained you to a rock."

"Partly, yes. I won't deny I want revenge. But that's not the only reason. It's the wisest choice. I'm here because I thought you would listen to reason."

Ok, I've got to hand it to him. Grover and Percy seemed to be considering this. Thalia had that streak of 'Refuse on principle' that she got from the hunters and I, well, I saw right through the slimy hippie and his rubbish ponytail. The way he sounded positive that his powers had seen the end of this war, how he put himself in the position of wise council, making him seem like the guy who wants best for both sides. The way he admitted to wanting revenge, to make it seem like he told the truth when asked. Prometheus had drawn a map on the table. Golden lines had appeared every time he touched the concrete surface.

"This is Manhattan. We have armies here, here, here and here. We know your numbers. We outnumber you twenty to one."

I finally snapped.

"This guy."

Prometheus looked up at me, smiling confusedly.

"I know your numbers, Mr. Ponytail. You haven't got any forces here and here."

I tapped the places he had highlighted. The two by Jersey shore remained lit up."

"And you outnumber us ten to one with monsters. I proved at the Lincoln Tunnel that one demigod can take that many."

Prometheus still had that amused smile on his face.

"Yes, you did. Quite impressive. But you are not a demigod, are you?"

I stopped.

Then glared and carried on.

"You should have been the Titan of Drama and Acting. I can see Percy's indecision. The way you make it seem like your being reasonable, then completely lying about everything. Crafty council indeed."

Prometheus seemed to have faltered. My insight into what was going on troubled him a lot.

"How do you know that?"

I mimicked his amused, friendly smile.

"Doesn't matter. You just proved me right."

Percy seemed to have hardened his expression against the Titan. Prometheus' smile appeared again on his face, and he turned away from me, back to Percy.

"Regardless, I have still seen the future. Tonight, Kronos will attack. You will be overwhelmed, and retreat to the Empire State Building. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen."

Percy answered.

"I won't let it happen."

Prometheus brushed a none existent speck of dust of 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."

I interrupted before Percy spoke.

"No, it isn't."

Prometheus didn't seem to want to talk to me, but nevertheless looked at me.

"It isn't what?"

"It isn't the same. Yeah, there's a great siege, two armies. But Troy comes out on top in this version. Also, wasn't there a big internal feud between the Greeks? Is Koios hiding something from you?"

Pure panic escaped Prometheus. He seemed shocked. His calm demeanour vanished. Percy looked over at me.

"How do you know this?"

I ignored him, watching the Titan. It took him a few seconds to compose himself, then he spoke in a slightly shaky, but still calm voice.

"I do not know how you got this information, as we know there are no spy's in our forces…"

I decided to test something. Raising an eyebrow, I said,

"Really? Monsters are loyal to a fault, but demigods? Come now, you know where they defected from. And we aren't stupid enough to put a big silver symbol on our spy."

Percy and Thalia seemed to know what I was doing. Grover was eating grass. Prometheus face flickered into uncertainty. Ha. We don't have a spy, but he doesn't know that, and now thinks we do.

"No…you do not."

He showed the fear in his eyes like lamplights. But, as usual, his voice was sure, and soon, his eyes betrayed nothing either. He turned back to Percy, again, and continued.

"Kronos wants Olympus. That is it. Let him have it, and Manhattan will be spared. The gods will be killed by Typhon anyway, so what does it matter?"

Percy winced, and Prometheus seemed to know what about.

"Yes. When Kronos destroys Olympus, the gods will fade. They will become so weak that they will be easily defeated. Kronos would much rather do this while Typhon has the Olympians distracted in the West. Much easier; fewer lives lost, but make no mistake. The best you can do is slow us down. The day after tomorrow, Typhon will arrive in New York. The gods and Mount Olympus will be destroyed, but it will be much messier. Much, much worse for you and your city. Either way, the Titans will rule."

Thalia finally said something. She slammed her fist down on the table, and said,

"I serve under Lady Artemis. The Hunters are going to fight till their last breath. Percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?!"

Prometheus smiled.

"Your courage does you great credit, Thalia Grace."

I knew he hit a big no-no the moment he had said 'Grace'. You don't say Thalia's surname. She stiffened.

"Don't use that name. It's my mothers."

"As you wish."

Prometheus sounded casual, but I knew he knew that he'd got under her skin. He continued,

"At any rate. You need not be my enemy. I have always been a helper of mankind."

Thalia scowled.

"That's a load of Minotaur dung. When mankind first sacrificed to the gods, you tricked them into giving you the best portion. You gave us fire to annoy the gods, not out of care for us."

Prometheus shook his head. "You don't understand. I helped shaped your nature."

A wiggling lump of clay appeared in his hands. He shaped it into a little doll with arms and legs at lightning speed. It didn't have eyes, but still groped around the table, stumbling over Prometheus' fingers.

"I have been whispering in man's ear since the beginning of your existence. I represent your curiosity, your sense of exploration, your inventiveness. Help me save you Percy. Do this, and I will give mankind a new gift…a new revelation that will move you as far forward as fire did. You can't make that kind of advance under the gods. They would never allow it. But this could be a new golden age for you. Or…"

He slammed his palm into the clay figure. It squished between his fingers. The blue giant muttered something, and over on the bench, the empousa hissed a smile. Prometheus turned to me.

"Kronos' son. Fayden. You know the Titans and all their offspring are not all bad."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You've met Calypso."

My face fell. Fair enough, she was the opposite of bad. Prometheus was surprised I didn't react as strongly as he hoped, probably thinking I'd blush or something. But I never like Calypso like that. I could almost feel Thalia's indignant expression on the other end of the bench. Finally, I said,

"That's completely different."

"How? Much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was Atlas' daughter. We are not your enemies. Do not let the worst happen. We offer you peace."

Percy had turned to Ethan Nakamura.

"You must hate this."

"I don't know what you mean."

"If we took this deal, you wouldn't get revenge. You wouldn't get to kill us all. Isn't that what you want?"

His eye flared.

"All I want, Jackson, is revenge. The gods never gave me that. You wanted me to go to your stupid camp, spend my time crammed into the Herms cabin because I'm not important. Not even recognised?!"

Percy frowned.

"Your mom's the goddess of revenge. We should respect that?"

"Nemesis stands for balance! When people have too much luck, she tears them down!"

"Is that why she took your eye?"

I didn't know this, and was shocked. Crappy mom. Ethan just growled.

"It was payment. In exchange, she swore to me that one day, I would tip the balance of power. I would bring the minor god's respect. An eye was a small price to pay."

Percy then said what I was thinking.

"Great mom."

"At least she keeps her word, unlike the Olympians. She always pays her debts, good or evil."

Percy raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. So, I saved your life, and you repaid me by raising Kronos. That's fair."

Ethan grabbed for the hilt of his sword. Prometheus had been watching the exchange with mild interest, but at this movement, his hand shot out, enclosing Ethan's hand.

"Now, now."

His voice was calm, but with an air of 'I'll fuck you up if you try it'. Mixing slight undertones into an overall calm voice seemed to be his thing. Perhaps it didn't fit the flow. Yeah, Titan of Foresight, Crafty Council, Giver of Fire and User of Sharp Undertones didn't really work. He was talking,

"We're on a diplomatic mission."

Prometheus studied Percy as if he was trying to understand why Percy had suddenly got angry. Then he nodded.

"It bothers you about what happened to Luke. Hestia didn't show you the full story. Perhaps if you understood…"

He reached out, and Thalia cried in warning. I snatched my Butterfly knife from inside my hoodie pocket. But before either of us could do anything, Prometheus had pressed a finger to Percy's forehead. He slumped his head on the bench. I stood up, yelling,

"What the hell did you do?!"

Thalia was also glaring. Prometheus raised his hands in a peaceful way, and said,

"Just wait…and…there."

Like when with Hestia, it was if Percy wasn't out for longer than a few seconds. He suddenly snapped up. His skin looked clammy. Thalia turned to him,

"Percy? What…what was that?"

Prometheus nodded sympathetically.

"Appalling, isn't it? The gods know what is to come, and yet they do nothing, even for their own children. How long did it take for them to tell you your prophecy, Percy Jackson? Don't you think your father knows what will happen to you?"

Percy seemed to stunned to answer. Grover came closer.

"Perrrrrcy. He's playing with your mind, trying to make you angry."

It looked like Prometheus was succeeding. And the Titan knew it. He forged on,

"Do you really blame your friend Luke? And what about you? Will you be controlled by your fate? Kronos offers you a much better deal."

This made me angry. Prometheus seemed to notice, and didn't look excited. I unclenched my hands, and spoke in a cold but mocking voice,

"Kronos has a better deal? I'll tell you something, Prometheus. You know my father, and you know my name. What else do you know?"

Prometheus seemed to understand this wasn't rhetorical. He frowned at me, then said,

"I know you are called Fayden Aleks Thatch, 18 years old."

I flinched at my middle name, which I never told anybody, not even Thalia, who seemed surprised. I never understood why mom had spelled it like that, until I searched it up. As a kid, having a middle name meaning: Defender of mankind, was awesome, but later on it was just weird.

"Your mother's name was Alfren Thatch, as both your grandfather and great-grandfather were German. She died three years ago, eaten by Echidna."

The blunt way he said this hit me like a hammer. I glared at him, but he continued.

"I know that you have managed to maintain power from your father like the other gods didn't, taking directly from him his power of time, and that neither of you have power over the other in this way. I know you fear not being helpful, or rather, being unhelpful or useless, in fact, this is your fatal flaw…you will refuse to allow something to happen, not out of the consequences, but rather so you can prove to yourself that you did all you can."

This shocked me, as I didn't even know my fatal flaw. But Prometheus wasn't done.

"I don't know how you got such extensive information about my allies and I, but I do know that you read people well, however are completely oblivious to…"

He glanced heavily at Thalia, and I frowned. He didn't finish the sentence. Finally, he finished by saying,

"…And I know you are rather material, living with the 'There's only one life' attitude, as I would put it."

I was stunned he knew so much, but hid it well.

"Right…well. Fair enough. You say you know I live materially, so you'll expect this. Kronos has a better deal?! He tried to kill me, his own son, because I theoretically posed a threat to him. He's still doing it. Don't think I don't know why Hyperion's…"

I stopped thinking for the right word.

"…Ally directly next door…is here."

Prometheus seemed as shocked as he'd been yet.

"You know! And yet you have done nothing?!"

I nodded. "Yes, because fate is a load of bull. I've met the Fates. They don't like me, and neither do I like them. I defied them once, did you know that?"

At this, Thalia blushed, and Percy and Grover looked surprised and confused. Prometheus looked like someone had confirmed a nasty rumour that he wasn't sure about.

"So, it's true? Mount Othrys?"

I nodded, and for the first time, he looked scared. I forged on.

"I defied the three hags once, and I can do it again. Fate is nonsense. I notice it only ever crops up when it the fate you want that will come to pass. The Oracle doesn't help anyone. She destroys them. You tell someone a prophecy, and they try their very best to stop it, then end up running straight into it."

Prometheus still looked apprehensive, but nodded, saying,

"The Oedipus Problem."

"Exactly. So, I'm doing nothing about mine. What ever Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos have in store, then come at me."

I gestured with my hands.

"Will that escape it? Will that be my fate? By doing nothing, will it happen? I don't know, and I don't care. It'll happen. I can't stop it. But neither can you change it. You claim to be the Titan of Foresight and yet you have lied and smoothly evaded having to speak of anything important this whole time. Fate is meaningless. It's an invention of mortal and immortal alike to justify the things they do, or manipulate the will of others."

I feel like my popularity points with the Moirai were dropping by the second.

"Kronos doesn't have a better deal. All immortals are selfish and pathetic. But they're slightly better than the Titans. Even slightly is enough. So, get lost Ponytail."

I breathed in deeply, then exhaled, waiting for his reaction. Prometheus seemed stunned, then, and I know this because I was pretty good at interpreting his manipulations, smiled with a genuine impressed look on his face.

"You are wise far behind your years, Fayden Thatch. Gods and Titans alike would do well to listen to you."

Then he turned to Percy.

"If you change your mind, I have a gift for you."

A Greek vase appeared on the table. It was about a metre high, and thirty centimetres wide, glazed with black and white geometric designs. The ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness. Grover whimpered. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite…

Thalia gasped,

"That's not…"

"Yes," Prometheus said. "You recognise it."

I looked at the jar, and felt a strange feeling of hopelessness. Prometheus continued explaining,

"This belonged to my sister-in-law. Pandora."

Ah. Pandora's Pithos. Percy frowned.

"As in Pandora's box?"

Goddamn it, Percy. Prometheus shook his head.

"I don't know where this box business 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. Yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind…fear, death, hunger, sickness."

"Don't forget me."

The empousa's voice was a strange purring sound.

"Indeed," Prometheus conceded.

"The first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by Pandora. But what I find curious about the story…Pandora gets the blame. She is punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe this is a 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 that jar. They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us."

I wouldn't admit it, but I knew this and also was what I found most curious about the story. Prometheus tapped the lid of the jar.

"Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it."

"Hope."

Prometheus looked pleased. Maybe, after the box comment, he thought Percy was a little dense. I couldn't blame him.

"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 this as a reminder of what the gods are like. 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 you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors."

Everyone on my side of the table stared at the jar. Percy was shifting restlessly. I couldn't help but think of the line of the prophecy:

A single choice shall end his days

What if giving up Hope was Percy's choice? The son of Poseidon shifted again, then said,

"I don't want the thing."

Prometheus smiled.

"Too late. The gift is given. It cannot be taken back."

He stood, and the empousa came forward, slipping her arm through his.

"Morrain!"

Prometheus had called over to the Hyperborean. "We are leaving. Get your flag.

"Uh, oh."

Prometheus turned back to us.

"We will see you soon, Percy Jackson. One way or another."

He turned to the others.

"Thalia Grace."

I noticed he deliberately chose to say her surname. She glared and he merely nodded. Then he turned and said,

"Satyr."

Grover stuffed some more grass in his mouth. Finally, he turned to me. He held out his hand, and I was surprised. I took it, shaking.

"Fayden Thatch. You genuinely interest me. I hope you don't die in this fight, however…you seem to know what you face. I say farewell."

My face was grim.

"We'll see Ponytail."

He grinned, and absentmindedly touched his hair. Shrugging, he turned, and the entourage walked away, strolling down a path through Central Park like they'd just finished a summer picnic. We all looked at each other, and Thalia finally said,

"What did that mean? What do you face?"

I turned.

"I'll tell you later."

Thalia frowned, but then, like the other side, we all walked back through Central Park, only we wished it had just been a picnic.

Boom. Done. God damn that was a long chapter. I kind of like Fayden breaking Prometheus' calm attitude. And I actually smile as I imagine you guys trying to find my double meaning for Koios being deployed to kill Fayden, and his dream of the gods killing being the only ones that could kill him in this particular fight. Enjoy, and Peace.