Michael
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"So how are we going to deal with the boats?" Percy asked me as he walked up.
I ignored him as I looked at Bianca. "Go with Nico, B. I'll meet you when Percy and I are done, okay?"
"Please," she begged. "Don't leave me. I-I'm not strong enough, yet. I need you."
"You are strong, Bianca. I promise I'll come find you when we've taken care of the boats. I would take you with us–I want to take you with us, but you can't be near the water. It isn't safe with Poseidon. Just go with Nico and I'll find you later, okay? I love you." I kissed her quickly before pushing her away. "Now go, Bianca. I'll come back alive."
Tears fell from her beautiful, dark eyes, but she turned and ran to where Nico was waiting for her with Luke's group.
"That was the most emotion I've ever heard come from you," Percy said from behind me. "Are...Are you okay?"
I took a deep breath. "I will be when all three of us are alive and well after this war." I turned toward him. "Alright, c'mon. We've got some boats to sink."
"Speaking of," Percy said, following me as I made my way to a motorbike. "How are we going to do that? Last time I got the two rivers to do it for me, but we don't have that option this time."
"Have you practiced your new thing?" I asked. I moved the unconscious guy off the bike and to the side. When I glanced back at Percy, he seemed uncertain.
"I...I've tried," he admitted. "It's so different to what I'm used to. It's hard to control."
"Well, where we're going, you won't need control." I started the bike and grinned. "Get on."
"Do you know how to drive one of these?" he asked as he got on behind me.
"Nope!" I revved the engine before taking off, Percy barely containing a scream as I did a wheelie.
I parked as we arrived at the pier. Percy hopped off the bike, looking pale.
"I'm never letting you drive again," he said. He shuddered. "What the hell are we gonna do, now? Neither of us can go underwater to bargain with the river gods."
I tilted my head. "Go underwater? No! We're going to go take on the ships headon!"
"That's stupid."
"Maybe, but do you have a better idea?" He stayed silent. "Thought so. Have you been practicing your new thing?"
He flushed. "I don't know how to control it, Michael," he protested. "It's not safe."
"Good! Don't control it. I'll get you out there."
"I'm still not-"
"We don't have time, Percy!" I interrupted. "Are you really gonna argue with me right now? When lives are on the lines? When Bianca and Katie are fighting right now? When Zoe's out there fighting?"
That seemed to strike a nerve. His face turned dark and clammy. The wind started to pick up slightly.
"You're right," he said. He shook himself. "We don't have room to be cowards. Not today."
I smiled. "That's my brave warrior friend. Come on, I'll ice surf us out there."
He nodded. I grabbed his hand and began to walk out onto the waves. They froze underneath my feet. Percy hesitated, but pushed himself to follow me. Soon, we were sprinting across the water. After barely a minute, we found the boats. A dozen white speeder boats racing towards us.
"Now!" I yelled, throwing Percy upward by his arm.
He flipped in the air before beginning to hover, using the winds to keep himself airborn. His face was white with disbelief and I laughed.
"I told you!" I shouted. "Now, flip these boats!"
I swung out my hand and a sheet of ice covered the river. The boats crashed into them, flinging surprised demigods onto the ice. They begun to pick themselves up but then thunder sounded, making them piss themselves.
Hovering twenty feet about the speeders was Percy, the winds swirling around him. His dark windswept hair waved in the wind, his clothes nearly ripping off. His face was the darkest I'd ever seen it, full of anger and pity.
He thrust one hand out and a speeder exploded in a flash of lightning. Demigods screamed in alarm and fear. He pointed his hand at another.
BOOM
Two exploded as the lighting split into two mid strike.
Demigods tried to fire arrows at him but they never made it close.
BOOM BOOM
Another three gone in two strikes. Half gone already. Percy's storm was getting worse. Ice and water swirled in the air, almost forming a hurricane. Demigods were picked up by the winds and tossed hundreds of feet away and into the surf.
I did my best to catch the demigods when they were thrown. I knew Percy would never forgive himself if any of them died. I gathered them on a piece of ice out of Percy's reach, taking away any and all of their weapons and throwing them into the water.
What am I supposed to do with them? I thought. If I leave them, they can just go back to Kronos or swim to shore and escape. But I can't sit and watch them all. There's another boat near Ellis to worry about.
I will take them, a voice said in my mind.
I jumped, looking around wildly. There wasn't any sign of a god, nor weird animals staring at me. So who could it be...
Up, my child.
I looked up into the sky and it dawned on me.
Artemis?
No.
Oh.
Selene? I tried again.
Yes, child. I will watch these demigods for you. You need only do one thing for me.
What?
Clear my name with Zeus, along with my brother. Remind him of our past battles together. We are not at fault for our uncle's war. Clear the name of we peaceful Titans, and these demigods will be returned to you.
I think I can do that.
Thank you, child. Now go. Your friend needs you.
I felt the presence leave my mind. I watched as the demigods disappeared in flashes of silver and gold.
I looked over at Percy to see him, on all fours on a sheet of ice. The remains of the speeder boats floated before him, slowing sinking.
I created an ice path and ran over to him. "Percy! You good?"
"Yeah," he panted. His face was covered with sweat, but he grinned. "I'm good. What about the demigods? Where did they all go?"
"Don't really know," I answered, hoisting him to his feet. "Mom talked to me and said she'd watch over them until the end of the war."
"Hm. For some reason, I'm not surprised."
"Good, cause I'd hate to explain it. Now come on! We've got to stop the other boat!"
"Can you do that one?"
I carried Percy on my back as I ice surfed toward the other boat. He had nearly passed out from all the energy he used blowing up those ships. I couldn't blame him, really. It looked exhausting.
When I finally found the boat, it was already destroyed. Bit of flaming wreckage were floating everwhere, and on one rather large piece of boat sat a familiar boy.
"Killian!" I shouted, rushing toward him. His head shot up and even from 50 yards away I could see the smile on his face.
I jumped onto the piece of boat and laid Percy down. I hugged the younger boy tightly.
"You're alive!" I exclaimed. "How? Beckendorf said you sacrificed yourself."
"I did," he agreed. "But I lived. The fire and explosion didn't hurt me, but it did destroy the boat. Kronos fled when it exploded, so all it did was kill the monsters on board. I was left on a floating piece of wreckage for half a day before that ferry came along. I snuck on and hid until we were close enough to land. Then I blew up the boat and killed all the monsters. Only problem is that I didn't realize how far away we were from the shore." He looked down at Percy. "What's wrong with him?"
"Used too much power destroying a fleet of boats."
"Oh. Used his new power?"
"Yeah."
Percy groaned. "Please take me back."
We nodded. I felt a buzz go off in my pocket.
"What's that?" Killian asked as I brought out my phone. "You have a phone?"
"Yeah. It's our way of communicating. The entire city is asleep so if you're out and need help, just grab someone's phone and use it to call me. You know my number."
"Mhm."
"Good." I opened the call. "Ello?"
"Michael?" Lee asked. "Where are ya?"
"Out in the river. Why?"
"Kronos's army is falling back. The Williamsburg bridge is destroyed. Michael...Get to the Plaza Hotel."
"Is that where we're meeting?"
"Yeah. And hurry. It's Katie."
I don't remember much after that. I had grabbed Percy and Killian and ran as fast as I could to the hotel. It only took us five minutes to reach the Plaza—an old-fashioned white stone hotel with a gabled blue roof, sitting at the southeast corner of Central Park.
Tactically speaking, the Plaza wasn't the best place for a headquarters. It wasn't the tallest building in town, or the most centrally located. But it had old-school style and had attracted a lot of famous demigods over the years, like the Beatles and Alfred Hitchcock, so I figured we were in good company.
I slid to a stop at the fountain outside the hotel, putting a gash in the concrete with my feet.
The statue at the top of the fountain called down, "Ruin my sidewalk, why don't you! Talk about rude!"
She was a life-size bronze standing in the middle of a granite bowl. She wore only a bronze sheet around her legs, and she was holding a basket of metal fruit. I'd never paid her too much attention before. Then again, she'd never talked to me before.
"You're no goddess I've seen," Killian noted. "Are you Roman, perchance?"
The statue seemed surprised. "I–Yes. How did you know that?"
"Greeks normally don't bother with putting up statues of the minor gods."
"I don't have time for this," I grumbled. "Killian, get Percy inside. I need to go find Lee."
I didn't wait for his response as I rushed inside.
I'd never actually been inside the Plaza. The lobby was impressive, with the crystal chandeliers and the passed-out rich people, but I didn't pay much attention. A couple of Hunters gave us directions to the elevators, and we rode up to the penthouse suites.
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.
"Michael!" Jake Mason clapped me on the shoulder. "We're getting reports—"
"Later," he said. "Where's my wife?"
"The terrace. She's alive, man, but . . ."
I pushed past him.
Under different circumstances I would've loved the view from the terrace. It looked straight down onto Central Park. The morning was clear and bright—perfect for a picnic or a hike, or pretty much anything except fighting monsters.
Katie lay on a lounge chair. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. Even though she was covered in blankets, she shivered. Bianca was wiping her forehead with a cool cloth.
I pushed through a crowd of Demeter kids. Lee was beside her, pouring nectar on a wound on her neck. It looked like she'd been bitten by a hellhound. Deep teeth marks wrapped around half her neck, but they were elongated, like the hellhound had pulled with its teeth still in her. Black veins sprouted from each mark, slowly spreading.
I knelt down in between Bianca and Lee and laid a hand against her cheek. Her eyes opened slightly.
"Hi," she mumbled. "Stupid dog got me."
"It's not so bad," Lee tried to reassure Bianca and I. "By a miracle, the hellhound's teeth didn't catch anything important and didn't tear too badly. But this black stuff...I don't know what it is."
"Beings of death are more fatal to beings of life," Bianca said quietly. I turned to her and saw her face stained with tears. "Because of..." She looked around awkwardly. "What happened in New Mexico, a hellhound bite is worse now. Like with satyrs and nymphs."
"It's not even the only bite," Katie tried to joke, raising her arm. Her hand had obviously been chewed on, with a few fingers missing. The same black veins were sprouting up her arm. "Guess I'm like you two now..."
"You still have a whole arm," I said, glad that she was feeling well enough to joke. "B and I aren't so lucky."
"Yeah, well, it's only a matter of time, isn't it?"
"Lie still, Katie," Lee instructed. "Bianca, hand me some nectar." She grabbed a canteen. Lee cleaned out her wounds with the godly drink while I held Katie's good hand.
"Ow," she said. "Ow, ow!" She gripped my fingers so tight they turned purple, but she stayed still, like Lee asked. Bianca muttered words of encouragement. Lee put some silver paste over the wound and hummed words in Ancient Greek—a hymn to Apollo. Then he applied fresh bandages and stood up shakily.
"That should do it," he said. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies."
He grabbed a piece of hotel stationery, jotted down some notes, and handed it to one of the Athena guys. "There's a Duane Reade on Fifth. Normally I would never steal—"
"I would," Travis volunteered.
Lee glared at him. "Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat."
Nobody disagreed. There was hardly a single demigod who hadn't already been wounded . . . except Bianca.
"Come on, guys," Travis Stoll said. "Let's give them some space. We've got a drugstore to raid . . . I mean, visit."
The demigods shuffled back inside. Jake Mason grabbed my shoulder as he was leaving. "We'll talk later, but it's under control. I'm using the video shield to keep an eye on things. The enemy withdrew at sunrise; not sure why. We've got a lookout at each bridge and tunnel."
"Thanks, man," I said.
He nodded. "Just take your time."
He closed the terrace doors behind him, leaving Bianca, Katie, and me alone.
