Michael and Percy winced.
Fortunately, Blackjack was on duty…gonna knock us to Pennsylvania until we said we were with you!
A few chuckles.
"Thanks for coming," I told him. "Hey, why do pegasi gallop as they fly, anyway?"
"What the-?" Thalia asked
"Dude what?" Jason asked Percy
Percy grinned sheepishly.
"Just a thought." He said
Blackjack whinnied. Why do humans swing their arms as they walk? I dunno, boss. It just feels right. Where to?
"That was a good one." Travis laughed
Connor nodded.
Percy grinned.
"We need to get to the Williamsburg Bridge," I said…but I should've known my luck wouldn't hold.
The demigods and sea gang sighed.
We saw the battle before we were close enough…both directions as flaming arrows and spears sailed through the air.
The gods with kids sat up in worry. Even Ares wasn't sounding excited about action.
We came in for a low pass, and I saw the Apollo campers retreating.
Apollo's eyes clouded with worry.
They would hide behind cars and snipe at the approaching army…About a hundred more monsters marched behind them.
"That is not good. You guys are outnumbered." Reyna said in worry
"Yeah but we had Percy." Michael grinned
"Come on man." Percy sighed
Michael frowned.
"Not your fault." He said
"My fault." Percy said
"No." Michael said sternly
Percy sighed.
Hellhounds leaped ahead of the line from time to time…Apollo camper and dragged him away.
Apollo and his kids closed their eyes.
"That was Owen." Michael said
"Oh okay." Percy nodded.
I didn't see what happened to him next. I didn't want to know.
The demigods, Chiron and Apollo winced.
"There!" Annabeth called from the back of her pegasus…Maybe he'd been shaken out of bed to chase me.
"That was weirdly horrifying image, Percy." Connor said seriously
The demigods snickered and nodded.
This time, he was prepared for battle…but he was too impatient to use it.
The serious atmosphere was back. The sea gang was very worried about Percy facing the Minotaur despite knowing he made it out alive.
As soon as he saw me circling overhead (or sniffed me, more likely, since his eyesight was bad), he bellowed and picked up a white limousine.
"Noo, don't waste limousines." Travis said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked.
Everybody snickered.
"Blackjack, dive!" I yelled. What? The pegasus asked…flipping fender over fender like a two-ton boomerang.
"Damn." Leo muttered
Beckendorf nodded.
"That's one good aim." Lee said
"That's unfortunate." Frank said
Lee nodded.
Annabeth and Porkpie swerved madly to the left…missing by maybe two inches.
Percy gave a slight shudder. Poseidon sucked in a sharp breath.
It cleared the suspension lines of the bridge…I ain't gonna argue, boss!
A few chuckles.
Blackjack swooped down behind an overturned school bus…He had a bandaged cut on his arm.
Apollo had a cut on his arm but it wasn't bleeding much due to it being bandaged.
His ferrety face was smeared with soot…"Then we're dead," he said.
"Way to be positive brother." Lee said
Michael shrugged.
"Being realistic and I didn't know about Percy's bath in the Styx." He said
"You still have your flying chariot?" Annabeth asked…We'd insulted her honor for the last time or some stupid thing."
Clarisse looked down in guilt.
"Well you tried." Lee said
"Yeah." Michael said
"Least you tried," I said. Michael shrugged…Some ran. Others disintegrated on the spot.
"That was awesome." Apollo grinned
"Thanks dad." Michael said
"A gift from your dad?" I asked…Unfortunately, it doesn't always kill."
"I know there won't be a use for sonic arrows now but what about you can practice with me?" Apollo asked his kids
They brightened up in one second.
"That would be awesome." Michael said
Apollo smiled.
Sure enough, most monsters were regrouping…We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn."
"Percy." Poseidon warned
"No choice dad." Percy said
Michael laughed. "How do you plan to do that?"… She nodded reluctantly. "All right. Get moving."
Annabeth sighed.
Before I could lose my courage, I said, "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of a tradition, right?"
The demigods burst out laughing.
"Good one Kelp Head!" Thalia cheered
Percy grinned.
Annabeth blushed and gave a kiss to Percy.
The demigods cheered at the top of their lungs. Hermes and Apollo joined in.
I figured she would punch me…between a yell, a moo, and a really loud belch.
The demigods gagged a little.
"Hey, Beef Boy," I shouted back…Lexus and it crumpled like aluminum foil.
The Stolls grimaced.
"Poor Lexus." Travis muttered
A few dracaenae threw flaming javelins at me…It will kill me and all my friends.
"You can't hesitate like that." Triton said
"I know." Percy sighed
It pounced again. This time I brought Riptide up in a deadly arc…because that nose was wet and red and pretty gross
"Yuck, Percy." Rachel gagged
Percy grinned sheepishly.
"That was disgusting." Zoe said
"Sorry." Percy grinned
He unstrapped his axe and swung it around…Maybe that was because the axe would be the last thing his victims ever saw.
"Why would you say that?" Triton groaned
"Hey, it was something that made sense to me." Percy shrugged
The shaft was about the same height as the Minotaur…necklaces taken from defeated demigods.
The Greek demigods growled and gritted their teeth.
"One good thing Theseus did was kill the Minotaur." Percy said
Dionysus had to agree there.
"Yeah, wish the monsters would just learn that nobody likes them." Connor sighed
The demigods nodded.
I was so mad I imagined my eyes glowing just like the Minotaur's.
"Yeah, you show him Percy!" The demigods cheered
Percy grinned.
I raised my sword…then lowered his head to charge.
"I'm sorry, didn't you say he was ten feet tall?" Hermes asked
"He did." Apollo said
"How did you kick him in the snout?" Hermes asked incredulously
"He was probably bent over a little." Percy said
"Damn, Percy." Hermes said approvingly
Percy grinned.
He never got the chance. My sword flashed…I rolled away, picking up half of his broken axe.
The demigods cheered.
The other monsters backed up in stunned silence…turning back into dust, his essence returning to Tartarus.
The demigods burst into cheers which filled the entire throne room.
"THAT'S OUR BROTHER!" Tyson and Triton cheered
Percy blushed and smiled shyly.
Poseidon and Amphitrite smiled.
Hermes and Apollo whistled. Ares nodded approvingly.
"I like the touch of throwing him even though he was disintegrating." Ares said
Percy grinned. It was funny how he and Ares were getting along.
I turned toward his army…I did the natural thing. I charged them.
"How is that natural?!" Jason asked in worry, all happiness vanished.
"It's Percy." Frank said
Percy stuck his tongue out.
You're going to ask how the "invincible" thing worked…a crazy laugh that scared me as much as it did my enemies
"What the f-?" Jason started
"That's insane." Rachel said
"Agreed." Castor and Pollux said
"I don't get if that's a positive or not." Percy said
"Positive I think." Nico said
I was aware of the Apollo campers behind me…about twenty left alive out of two hundred.
"Whoa." The demigods and some gods said
"That was scarily awesome." Hermes said
"Thanks I guess." Percy said
I followed with the Apollo campers at my heels…I wanted to destroy every last monster.
"Why do I feel that this is what Hestia meant? Know when to yield." Will said
"Part of it." Hestia smiled
Percy sighed.
Then I saw the crowd at the base of the bridge…I recognized Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold.
"Shit." Apollo swore
"Yeah." Annabeth agreed
Annabeth and the Apollo campers faltered…I could see him smile.
The demigods and gods shuddered.
"That is very creepy." Frank deadpanned
The demigods nodded.
"It was." Michael said
"Now," I said, "we pull back."… Mirrored shield as we slowly backed up the bridge.
Annabeth and Percy smiled at each other.
Kronos's cavalry swirled around us…They were demigods who'd fallen under Kronos's spell.
The demigods and gods sighed. The gods sighed because they knew that despite Percy's reasoning, it was dangerous to not kill the demigods as well.
The demigods because they understood where Percy was coming from. They knew they had to kill some demigods and they knew tha they did. They didn't even want to think of whether if they killed any friends or half-siblings.
I couldn't see faces under their battle helmets…helmets and flying away like very large kamikaze pigeons
A few people managed chuckles.
We'd almost made it to the middle of the bridge…Annabeth had intercepted the knife with her own body
Percy hugged Annabeth. Annabeth hugged him back.
The demigods grimaced. Athena yelled out in pain.
"Should I bandage it, dad?" Will asked
"In regular circumstances but then it will go away once the scene gets over." Apollo said hesitantly
"Okay then." Will said
But why? She didn't know about my weak spot…Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis.
"Him again?" Everybody groaned
"Should've killed him punk." Ares said to Percy
Percy sighed.
Somehow he'd survived the explosion on the Princess Andromeda…driving the rest of the demigods away from Annabeth. "No one touches her!"
Annabeth and Percy smiled. Athena's cut had disappeared for now.
"Interesting," Kronos said…the way a wolf can smell fear.
The demigods shuddered.
"Bravely fought, Percy Jackson," he said…I had to get her out of here.
Athena's shirt was soaked in blood as well.
"That is not good." Apollo grimaced
Ares read on quickly.
"Blackjack!" I yelled. As fast as light, the pegasus swooped down…His scythe skittered across the pavement
The elder six gods stared at Percy.
"You just-you just went hand to hand with the titan lord." Reyna said
"I told you before right?" Percy frowned
"You did but reading it is insane, Percy, it is freaking insane!" Reyna said
"Oh."
"You just made his scythe fall." Poseidon said, pride visible on his face
Percy gave a small smile.
"So…" He studied me, looking mildly annoyed
"Hmm, I'm glad to be annoying you." Percy smirked
"Why would you want to annoy him?" Poseidon asked
"If somebody has to annoy him then I'll be glad to do so." Percy amended
Poseidon sighed.
"You had the courage to visit the Styx…But no matter. I am still more powerful. I am a TITAN."
"It's not always physical power." Thalia said
The demigods nodded.
"Mental, emotional and physical, when combined, make a huge effect." Will said
Percy smiled but he was feeling apprehensive of his injuries during these kind of fights.
He struck the bridge with the butt of his scythe…I skidded halfway back to Manhattan.
Poseidon flinched in pain.
"Shoot." Percy muttered
I got unsteadily to my feet. The remaining Apollo campers…His last arrow was notched in his bow.
"No." Apollo murmured
"Sorry dad." Michael said
"Michael, go!" I screamed. "Percy, the bridge!" he called…"Break it!" Michael yelled. "Use your powers!"
Will, Lee and Apollo hugged Michael as if he was going to disappear now.
It was a desperate thought—no way it would work…edge and looked at the hundred-and-thirty-foot drop into the river.
Percy shook.
"I'm so sorry Michael." He said
"Damn Percy, it wasn't your fault. I told you to break that freaking bridge." Michael said
Percy nodded. Michael smiled.
I didn't feel safe, though. The suspension cables were still attached…Its owner was nowhere to be seen.
The Apollo gang tightened their grip on Michael. Will was sobbing into Michael's shoulder. Nico wanted to comfort him but he knew that this was a private moment.
Michael was trying to hold himself together. He didn't feel too affected about hearing about his death but it did make him feel weird and he felt some of the pain again. One thing that comforted him was that he died for his friends and his family and he knew that all the dead demigods sacrificed themselves with the same thoughts.
"No!" I searched the wreckage on my side of the bridge…Blackjack to help me search, when my mom's phone rang.
Michael gave a small smile to Percy which he returned.
The LCD display said I had a call from Finklestein & Associates…bring a healer from Apollo's cabin. It's…it's Annabeth."
Annabeth sighed. Percy gave her a side hug.
"Done." Ares said
"I'll read." Hades said
"No, one second." Percy said
"Huh?"
"One second, give me the book."
Hades gave Percy the book who paled as he read the text in the chapter.
"You shouldn't read this chapter." Percy said
"Uh okay."
"I'll read." Jason said
Percy gave him the book.