People came into the camp the rest of the day and into the night. By the next morning, over two hundred people were ready to leave Thebes, including the soldiers' families. Percy had gone to bed early the day before, since he didn't get much sleep the night before. So when dawn approached, he was rested for the upcoming journey. The camp was quickly packed up, and Percy gave orders to have soldiers on either side of the group of citizens traveling, so if they were attacked, they would be protected. Annabeth was quieter than usual. In fact, everyone was quiet. The haze from the oncoming army was visible, and any good soldier could tell how large the army was that was coming for them. It was slow traveling with the Thebens. Some had horses pulling wagons filled with their possessions. Most carried what they could on their backs and in their arms. The group consisted mostly of old men and women or young mothers with their children. Occasionally, Percy would see a middle aged man or a family complete with the father. They didn't get as far as he would had liked, but at least they were far from the city. You could see the lights of the city as it grew dark, like pinpricks in the night. Percy went to bed, doubling the guard for the night. It was late into the night when he was roused from his sleep.
"You might want to see this, sir." Otic said.
Percy got dressed and followed Otic. The lights of the city were much brighter, until he realized the city was on fire. "When did it start?" Percy asked.
"Hard to say, probably about an hour ago." Otic replied.
"Have the morning wake up call an hour earlier. The sooner we get to Olympus, the better. Let me know if there is anything else." Percy stared at the burning city. He should have felt some sorrow at the loss of the city he grew up in, but in reality, the only good thing that had been in the city was his mother, and she was gone. If anything, he felt as though it was a form of justice. Percy did wonder why Kronos set it on fire if the citizens were going to surrender to him anyway. What was the point? Percy pondered these things as he went to bed.
Morning came all too swiftly. The city had a black cloud of smoke over it. The Thebens had noticed it too and were much more swift in their movements. Annabeth looked completely perplexed at the sight. "But it doesn't make sense." She said.
"Nothing has made much sense with Kronos." Percy said as he hurriedly strapped his bag onto Blackjack.
The group moved much faster and everyone had their conversations with each other about the state of Thebes. The smoke hung in the air like a sign of death. About midday, Otic rode up to Percy and Annabeth. "Kronos' army is on our heels." He said it bluntly and without any reservations.
"What?" Annabeth questioned.
"They started moving about mid morning. But they're gaining on us."
"We need to move double time." Annabeth ordered.
"Wait." Percy said. Annabeth gave him a surprised look. "The soldiers need to take on an extra passenger." Percy ordered. "Start with the children, then the women, then the old, and then everyone else. Once they have their passenger, have them race to Olympus."
Otic and Annabeth both gave him a strange look before Otic saluted and said, "Yes, sir."
"I want you to get things prepared for us in Olympus." Percy told Annabeth.
"You just want me to get out of harms way." She smirked before following Percy's order and helped a woman climb on behind her with a newborn baby in her arms and raced off.
They both shook their heads. "We were the first ones back. I haven't seen any signs of them." Artemis said sadly.
Percy got a sick feeling in his stomach. He feared the worst, and he knew the others were thinking the same thing.
"We have other problems, like how to get into Olympus." Thalia pointed out.
Percy looked at the formidable gates shut fast. He also noticed the black cauldrons at the top, threatening the people below. He got back up on Blackjack and walked towards the gates. "Everybody back up!" He said in his most commanding voice. "Back up!" Eventually, everyone backed away from the gates, giving Percy a wide area. He looked up at the top of the wall. "This is Lieutenant Percy Jackson. I would lIke to speak to who is in charge."
There was a pause and then someone shouted back, "If you are going to ask us to open the gates, then save your breath. We are ready to defend this city."
"Kronos is on his way. If you use up all your defences killing unarmed citizens of Olympus, then you will have nothing left to defend yourselves from Kronos." Percy tried to reason.
"You lie!" the voice taunted back. "It is just a ploy to get us to open the gates."
"If you have a spyglass, use it. Look to the southeast and see the burning city of Thebes. See the oncoming army and tell me that I am lying." Percy argued back.
"See the city Corinth burning to the south. Its citizens escaped with their lives." Artemis supplied.
"This ends one of three ways. You kill us and then try to take on Kronos yourself, and die following Zeus' orders. Or you watch Kronos slaughter us, and then try to take on Kronos yourself and die. Or you make the best decision for all Olympians and we join forces to give us our best chance of actually coming out on top of this. Zeus isn't here. He doesn't see what you see. This is your moment." Percy waited for a response. He began to fear the worse, when the gates slowly opened.
There was a collective cheer as people started filing in. "That was quite the speech." Annabeth beamed at him.
Percy smirked back. "Nothing gets someone to move like a life or death situation."