Alternate Ending to The Last Olympian
The throne room was in ruins. Hephaestus' chair was smouldering. Pieces of marble littered the floor, trickles of pebble falling to the ground. Every movement under his feet made Percy cough dust.
He'd had to run for the throne room. Kronos was beating them – hard. Grover was bleeding against Hera's throne. Annabeth had been crying, her arm just not in the fight. Her dagger hung loosely from her hand.
Hestia's hearth was on the point of going out when Percy had had an idea. It struck him like Zeus' master bolt, almost as though Athena had given him a wedge of her great wisdom. And so, he'd taken from the throne room, barrelling down towards the city of Olympus.
Small fires littered the great landscape, ruined buildings crumbling. Small packs of monsters – Dracanae, Cyclopes, Telkhines – roamed the area in droves, trying to hunt out the fleeing residents.
Percy could see it. The building he was after. Redbrick stone, surprisingly intact, with only a small flame glowing from the front window.
"Oh thank god," he muttered, speeding up.
Suddenly, he was on the ground. His vision spun. Yellow spots danced around him. In the bleary haze, he could feel something heavy pinning him against the ground and thickly accented voices. Cyclops. Crap. He struggles, but the one pinning him against the ground was strong.
"Hah! One more demigod treat! They're like pistachios. Never run out!"
Percy had to frown. Cyclopes ate pistachios?
"Wait, you fool! Can you not see who that is?"
The hand pinning him was thrust aside, letting him take a deep intake of breath. Rolling on his back, he saw three Cyclops, all leering down at him.
"Oh my god, Gerth. It's the Son of Hephaestus! The saviour of Olympus!"
The middle Cyclops got a smack round the head. "You moron! It's Poseidon's kid! Our master wants him alive!"
"So?" said the one from the left. "Screw Kronos? I'm hungry, and he'd make a tasty demigod!"
Suddenly, an argument sprang out. Gerth was apparently a great Kronos supporter and started beating the Cyclops on the left, while the other joined in cause he's an idiot. But Percy slowly edged to the side, before springing up and taking off down the last stretch of street.
Bursting into the building, his frantic eyes surveyed the room. There! On the table! A small rectangle of brown and red, thinner than a mobile, but maybe as long. He snatched it up, before turning and sprinting back up to the throne room.
Only the thoughts of Kronos having finished the fight already kept him going. His lungs screamed, but pictures of Annabeth cut open by a scythe screamed louder. His muscles were on strike, but images of Grover slumped on the ground shut them up.
He'd reached Thalia. Her foot was now out from under the statue, but she was scrunched up against it, whimpering. Percy could see the odd angle it bent at. Wincing as he sprinted past, his thundering footsteps were noted as he cascaded into the throne room.
Kronos was standing with his back to Hestia's Hearth, raising his scythe above his head.
"Luke is dead! His mortal form is gone! I am…Jackson?! What have you got in your hand?"
Percy ignored everyone, vaulting over a fallen pillar. He charged straight at Kronos. The Titan-Lord noticed the brown parcel in his hand and burst out laughing.
"What?" he roared, doubling over. "Where did you even get that? How could it possible…oufhg!"
His mocking laughter was cut short as Percy peeled away the brown and red, before shoving the stick down Kronos' throat. By reflex, the titan swallowed. Then his eyes bulged.
Standing back, Percy rolled his eyes.
"Honestly, Luke. Eat the Snickers."
The last of the bar was eaten, and Percy watched as the scythe fell to the floor. Golden eyes faded to blue.
"Better?" Percy asked.
Luke nodded. "Better."
Yep. Kronos was defeated by a Snickers bar. No one can defeat the Snickers!