A/N-Happy reading!

Thalia

I feverishly wrung out another towel, placing it on his cold, clammy forehead. Beads of sweat trickled down from his hairline and somehow even in this state, he looked as beautiful as ever.

"I'm a sight for sore eyes, aren't I?" He coughed out, settling into his bed. Alot of things had happened in this cabin-our first time and now, his death.

I let out a strangled laugh, trying to keep myself together. I wanted cry, to just let the dam burst but not yet. I had to hold it in.

"You should go now," He told me, placing a freezing cold hand onto mine. "They'll come for me soon. I don't want to be around for what happens next."

"No, I'm not leaving you. I can't believe you'd even ask me to do something like that." I shook my head, squeezing his hand. It was weak and flimsy against mine. He didn't have much time. "Besides, it's not over yet. You didn't fight your way back just die on me. There's always another way. There has to be."

The demigod closed his eyes, a small smile graced his face. There was a pregnant pause and after a moment, I hovered over him to make sure he was alive.

"I'm still breathing, Sweetheart." Gold, smoldering eyes met mine and it took everything I had to lean back and remember how to breath. "You can't get rid of me so easily." He teased.

"No more dead jokes, please. I can't..." My voice dried up and my mouth felt like a desert. Although I couldn't say it, my mind finished the sentence: I can't lose you.

"But I'm not dying, am I?" He cocked a brow, his chest struggling to heave in a breath. "Even in death, I manage to upstage everybody."

I gave him a watery smile, trying to avoid crying. "Your ego knows no limit."

"None." The boy pushed himself up with a groan causing me to lean forward to support him.

"What are you doing? Lay back down." I said, frantic. Why was he trying to make this more difficult?

"Dance with me." He said, swinging his legs off the side of the bed and using the bed post to support himself. He drew up to his full height and extended a weak hand to me. "Please."

Not trusting myself to speak, I ducked into his outstretched arms and wrapped my arms around his neck gently. He wrapped his arms around me, humming as we swayed side to side. Hearing his heart having to labor just to stay alive shattered me. One of the strongest people I knew was now having to fight his body to stay alive. Now he was dying. When I envisioned my future, this wasn't what I imagined. I thought it was going to be us against the world. Surviving the war and going to college, starting a family, and dying of old age together. Not this.

"When I'm gone, I wa-" He started but I shook my head, interrupting him.

"No, you don't get to say that. It's not over. Not yet."

"But Sweetheart, it is. I've been circling the drain ever since my first quest. Everything that I've done, it's got me to this point. I was destined for this." He held my face, forcing me to look at him. "You, however, are destined for a happier life. When this is all over, I want you to be happy. I want you to move on and find someone that makes you happy. I want you to have everything that you want in life."

"But I want those things with you!" I cried out, clutching his shirt. "You make me happy. You. You deserved all those things too. This isn't fair." I let myself break down, sobbing into his chest. I'd never felt so hopeless before. "We're the heroes, aren't we? Why don't we get a happy ending?"

"We're not just any heroes, we're Greek heroes. You know what that means?" He lifted my head, eyes soft and warm.

"No." I whispered, choking on my own tears.

"Greek heroes are best known for tragedies. We're the tragic heroes. We suffer so that others don't have to."

"That's so...stupid." I managed to say. "Who told you that crap? Annabeth?"

The boy shook his head, guiding my head to his chest. "Thank you, Thalia."

"For what?" I asked, burying my head in his neck. I breathed in his woodsy musk, committing it to memory. The sun had set and our time together was coming to close. They were coming for them.

"For loving me." He replied simply.

I gasped, the wind knocked out of me at his statement. I squeezed my eyes shut as he planted a light kiss on my lips. "Well, you certainly didn't make it easy."

He chuckled and began to hum again.

I let the soft lull fill the silence before I spoke again, my voice barely a whisper. "When I first met you, I didn't want to fall in or need someone. I really didn't want anything. But then, you came along and I started wanting everything. Thank you for finding the parts of me I didn't know existed and in you, I found a love I no longer believed was real."

Percy smiled and pulled me closer. "So you love me?"

"If that wasn't obvious, yes, you dork, I love you." I laughed but the sound caught in my throat as the door rattled open.

"They're here." I said, panicked. "Hide. I'll stall. I won't let them take you."

"No, no more running." He said, exhaling deeply. "Close your eyes."

I did as he commanded, burying myself further into him. If this was the end, I'd hold onto him for as long as possible.

The door flew open and they stepped inside. I couldn't see exactly where they were but he did.

"Take care, Thalia Grace." He kissed my forehead and I felt moisture when he pulled his lips back. He was crying. He was scared...scared of dying.

"Goodbye, Percy Jackson."

He must've given them a nod because then, without any warning, he was gone. My arms were wrapped around the air and I swung around but they weren't there either.

I was alone and he was gone.

"Hey, are you paying attention?" Annabeth's voice broke me out of daydream and returned my attention to the world. "I can't stay here too long, you know?"

"Yeah, I know the rules about the mess hall tables." I said, my ears deafened by the sound of campers conversing and the clattering of silverware. I picked up my fork, picking at my eggs, and motioned for the hunter to continue. "You were saying something about time."

"I said that when I came over to your table-ten minutes ago."

"Sorry, I've been having weird dreams. Or nightmares, actually." I admitted, chewing on my bottom lip. What did they mean? Who were they? My dad and some other Olympians? Where did they take Percy? So many questions...

"I'd talk to Chiron about it since it's been happening often. You want to talk about them?"

"No, maybe later. They're nothing I can't handle. Fill me in on this time thing."

"We have precisely less than a year. It's March and Grover's been reporting some skirmishes here and there. The prophecy doesn't come into effect until he's eighteen so we have until December to try to prevent world war three."

I didn't comment on the way Annabeth avoided saying Percy's name because I knew she was hurt by his betrayal. She never showed it but it was obvious in the way she wouldn't say his name. "Okay so are we planning to take down some of their fleets? Convert their allies to our side? What's the game plan?"

"That's for you to find out, Thalia. I'm leaving in two days."

"Can't you ask Artemis for more time? Maybe you can convince her that the hunt should stay-just for backup in case something happened." I was pulling at strings here. I wasn't ready to let her go.

"She's been generous enough to let me stay even now that it's been three days since you've been up. I have to go and besides, you can figure this one out by yourself. You got this."

"Right. I'll figure something out." I said, already planning on a perfect way to stall the titans. I was going to need some serious firepower-like explosives.

"Besides, all we really need to do is get him back." Annabeth's eyes were a bright gray, full of hope. "If there's anyone who can do that, it's you."

I swallowed, not really knowing what to say. Luckily I didn't have to, because Mr. D starting giving us the evil eye from the front of the mess hall.

"You better go. We have eyes on us." I told the girl.

She glanced at Mr. D before nodding. "Okay, see you later."

I muttered a farewell as Annabeth went back to the Athena table, sitting amongst her siblings. My eyes wandered to my right, to Poseidon's table. Tyson had left for his father's palace after I ended my dramatic tale of my time at Mount Tam yesterday. But there was something more than the cyclops' absence to table's emptiness. If I closed my eyes, I could vividly imagine Percy sitting there, making silly faces at me to pass the time.

Thinking about him did weird and funny things to my stomach. Learning that he had killed Sally and Paul only created more unease but there was still something about that whole entire situation that I couldn't shake. Chiron had given me an article about their deaths and an anonymous caller tipped off the police to where the bodies where buried, not to mention a neighbor reported seeing Percy arrive alone at his mom's house. If Kronos sent him to kill them, Percy didn't have to go through with it. He did it on purpose, out of his own free will.

He was sending out a message-that he was far beyond the point of return. He didn't want me to save him and he thought that killing his mother and Paul would deter me. Well, he was going to have to try a little harder than that.

I ate my breakfast in silence and went about my day in that same fashion. That's how the majority of days had been spent-being avoided. I knew that the other campers were nervous around me, especially now that Percy went off on the deep end but I was fine. Well, I was managing. I didn't have time to pencil in a mental breakdown and if I fell apart now, there'd be no one to save Percy. He had done so much for me-taking the fall for Lee's death, saving me from the titans-and the least I could do was bring him back from the edge.

Unknowingly, I clasped the seashell pendant on my camp necklace, trying to focus on Chiron's lecture. After class was over, I began to stream out of the room with the other campers but a hand pulled me back.

"Hey, Thalia." Silena Beauregard pulled me into the hallway, away from the general stream of campers. "How are you holding up?"

I shouldered my bag, shifting my weight to one side. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"Charlie wants to talk with you. He said to meet him at Zeus' fist after dinner." Silena's face fell and I had a feeling something else was bothering her.

"Okay, I can do that..." I trailed off, not wanting to say more. Silena didn't know that Beckendorf was double spy-he posed as a guard for the titans and reported back to Chiron who originally sent him there to sniff out another spy but so far, there was no luck. "Is something wrong?"

"I think he's cheating on me." The girl blurted out, her hand flying to her mouth as she said it. Before I could even start denying that statement, she continued, rambling. "I mean, he's gone for months at a time. He doesn't tell me where he's been and at first, I tried to just go along with it but he's just been so distant. I don't know what I did wrong, we got into an argument once-"

"He's not cheating on you. I swear on Styx, he would never do such a thing." The familiar sound of lightning struck in the distance and the girl quieted, letting me continue. "Beckendorf adores you. He looks at you like you invented air. Besides, you're a daughter of Aphrodite, I think you would know about that kind of stuff."

"You're right and I'm overreacting, as usual." The girl grinned sheepishly, her eyes a beautiful sky blue. "I just know that he's the one for me and I've never felt so strongly about someone before. Even as the daughter of a freaking love goddess, I just can't put the extent of my love in words. It's feels like-"

"Like you're falling every time you're around him; like you can't seem to catch your breath." I finished, a flash of pang striking at my heart. I knew exactly how she felt.

"Exactly." Silena breathed, nodding. "So, do you know why he wants to meet with you later?"

I started to speak but then thought better. If Beckendorf didn't tell her, I doubted I should. "I can't tell you, I'm sorry. I would if I could, I really would."

If Silena was disappointed, she didn't seem to show it. She offered me a smile, pulling me in a for a brief hug before releasing me. "Then I'm sure it's something dangerous but incredibly heroic."

Clamping my mouth shut, I bit my lip. I wanted to tell her but there was no way she would let Beckendorf go on the mission with me. As selfish as it was, I needed the son of Hephaestus' help. It was my only chance of getting Percy back before the impending war broke out.

"Just promise me one thing," Silena was saying and I nodded.

"Anything."

"Do your best to protect him. If you have to drag him back to me, then do so. Please, Thalia." She clasped my hands, hope swirling in those blue eyes. "I can't live without him."

A small voice in the back of my mind reminded me of the promise I made to Nico nearly a year ago. I promised to protect his sister and I had failed. But this time it was different-Beckendorf was more experienced compared to Bianca who had just found out that she was a half blood prior to the quest to find Artemis. The titans thought he was on their side, they wouldn't kill him without a valid reason. This time things would be different and I was more than confident that I could get the both of us out in one piece.

"Of course. I won't let anything happen to him."

Silena let out a silent breath and nodded, relieved. "Good, I'm sorry I kind of dumped that on you. It's just that...the titans are so horrible and they would kill Charlie without hesitating."

"Trust me, I know how bad those guys are." A shiver ran down my spine and I tugged on my cardigan to keep warm. "Don't worry about Beckendorf. It'll be a quick get in and get out mission."

"Thank you so much, Thalia. I don't know what I'd do without you." Silena squealed and squeezed my hand. "I hope everything works out between you and Percy. Love can conquer anything."

My lips parted but no words came out. Aphrodite would've said the exact same thing and no doubt the goddess was dismayed at her otp's separation. I murmured a good bye to my friend before promptly spinning on my heels and heading to the mess hall.

Apart from small talk with Annabeth, I ate my dinner in silence. I noticed Beckendorf wasn't at the Hephaestus table but shrugged it off, figuring that he'd show up at the rendezvous spot. After dinner, I followed the stream of campers out but instead of heading to my cabin, I headed toward the hill where a large mound of boulders sat. Beckendorf was leaning on one of those rocks, his hair even curlier and stature even more burly than when I had last seen him.

"Hey," He greeted, smiling lopsidedly as he waved a rolled up piece of paper at me. "Ready for a midnight swim?"

"That depends. What do you have in mind?" I rose a brow. What did he have up his sleeve now?

He unwrapped the paper and patted the ground beside him.

I sat, recognizing the blue print. "We're targeting the Princess Andromeda?"

"Yes, ma'am." The demigod had a hint of madness in his eyes. "We're going to make it go ka boom."

After explaining and running through the worst case scenarios, I finally had the mission down to a T.

"Alright, I go in through the air ducts while you use your guard key to get in through the normal entrance. We meet up at the engine room and you assemble the bomb, then set the timer. We take a lifeboat that you stashed away on the side of the ship and skeet skeet."

"You got it. It's a simple get in and get out."

His words reminded me of the conversation I had with Silena earlier and I sat back, leaning on a boulder. "I'm thinking you should tell Silena about the double spy thing. She's starting to draw her own conclusion and they're...not good."

"Care to elaborate?"

I bit my bottom lip. "She thought you were cheating on her. I assured her that you weren't and that it was nothing of the sort."

Beckendorf's reaction was as expected. He started laughing, his laughter booming and causing vibrations in the ground. He attempted to make some attempt at speaking but laughter was all he could produce.

I cracked a small smile, rolling my eyes. "Only Silena would come up with that."

"Damn straight." He agreed, coming down from his laughter high. "She really thought that?"

"Yeah, she was really worried." I confirmed, snorting. Attractive, I know.

"Wow. That is...something. Please, I was surprised I managed to pull her out of all people. There's no way I could get another person at the same time."

I laughed with him, feeling the weight of the world leave my shoulders temporarily.

Then the demigod brought us back to reality. "I'll tell her after this mission. I even told her a bit about this mission. I've gotten the okay from Chiron and she deserves to know."

"Good because you know that girl will come up with something with something even more ridiculous." I chuckled then tilted my head. "So when is the mission to annihilate the world's most evil cruise ship?"

Beckendorf glanced at his watch before responding. "About an hour from now."

"What?" I almost choked on my saliva, shaking my head rapidly. "Percy's on that ship-I thought we were doing the mission after we got him back."

"Thalia, we only have a few months until his eighteenth birthday, the same he decides whether to save or crush Olympus. Right now, it's looking like he wants to crush us to a pulp. We don't have time. We're doing this mission to stall the titans and get him back. Killing two birds with one stone and all."

"He's not going to come with us."

"I never said anything about getting him willingly. We just have to get him, kicking and screaming if necessary." The son of Hephaestus rose, rolling up the blueprint then placing it in his back pocket. "He should be in room 321-first floor, the furthest door to the right. Get him before meeting me in the engine room." He pulled out a small box from his back pocket and handed it to me.

I opened it, puzzled as I looked up at my friend. "Pills?"

"Rohypnol. You probably going to have to shove it down his throat."

"You expect me to use a date rape drug on my boyfriend?" I blinked, making sure I heard him right.

Beckendorf looked away, a dark shadow casting over his face. He looked almost transparent in the pale moonlight. "You're going to need to drug him." He adjusted his backpack that held all the equipment we needed for the mission. "Percy doesn't even seem human anymore. He's not even half titan and definitely not half god. He's something else entirely...he's pure, unbridled evil. I'm not even sure if there's any humanity left in him. He's beyond the point of repair, he's barely salvageable."

My breath stalled in my chest and I was grateful that the cover of darkness hid the tears streaming down my face. "I can save him."

"I hope you're right, Thalia." Beckendorf extended a hand and helped me up, looking at me dead in the eye. "Because if you can't, humanity is doomed."

Crawling through air ducts wasn't my ideal way to spend a saturday night. But so far, everything was going well. Beckendorf and I were able to communicate via earpiece and as long as I stayed within a five mile radius of the ship, we could hear and respond to each other just fine. The son of Hephaestus had made his way to the engine room and was setting the bomb. The cruise ship would've been rather nice had it not been for the monsters roaming around it.

I followed a map Beckendorf had given me and stopped at the end of the air duct. There was a opening and I shimmed through it then landed on the carpeted floor, rearing up to my full height. There was no monster or anyone in the hallway but I pulled up my hoodie anyways, keeping to the right side of the hallway.

319, no a few more doors down. 320...321. I stopped in front of the door, hesitating to open it. I gripped the knob and mentally prepared myself for the emotional onslaught. The Percy that was behind the door wasn't the one that sacrificed himself for me nearly a month ago. He was different, unpredictable but still Percy. I wasn't going to give him a chance to speak or to fight, I was going to shove these pills down his throat and drag him to engine room.

"You got this, Thals." I told myself, turning the knob.

The door flew open and an unexpected figure stood in the doorway. I let go of the pills I had stashed in my pocket and immediately whipped out my mace canister, turning it into a spear and activating my shield, Aegis.

"Kelli." I snarled, remembering the empousa who Luke had summoned to kill my friends and kidnap me right after he had betrayed us in Daedalus' workshop. Right now, she posed as a normal human-caramel colored skin and brown hair that fell down in curls to her waist. She wore a little black dress that barely covered her ass but I knew her true form. In her true form, she had completely white skin, flaming hair, fangs, one bronze leg and one donkey leg, and red eyes.

The monster smiled innocently, leaning against the doorpost. "Looking for someone?"

"What have you done with Percy?"

"Nothing." She made a movement to block the door and I was sure that was a sign that he was in there. "You know, I don't know what he saw in you. Bad hairstyle, crooked teeth, annoying as hell. I can barely stand to be around you now, I have no idea how he managed to be around you for almost two years. Must've built up a tolerance."

I gritted my teeth and gripped my spear tighter. "Where is he?"

"Resting." Kelli answered, her heels clicking as she took a step forward, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sure he's had a long day planning the world's demise." I retorted.

Kelli's smirk was infuriating as ever. "And an even longer night."

All the amusement drained out of me and I froze, completely forgetting why I was here. All I could focus on were her words and her sly smirk. "You're lying."

"Am I?" She laughed, circling me like a hawk. "Percy has so much stamina and I'm not just talking on the battlefield. You know he drools when he sleeps, right?"

"Shut up." I snapped, beginning to see red. "Shut. the. hell. up."

"Seems I've hit a nerve." The empousa stopped in front of me, her smile even wider. "In all my centuries, I can definitely say that Percy is the best I've ever had."

"You bitch!" I tackled the monster, slamming her into the wall. She shifted to her true form then lunged for my neck, baring her fangs. I sidestepped, sweeping my right leg behind her knees. Kelli landed hard on her back and I pressed a foot to her throat, slightly pressing on her vocal cords.

"Thalia!"

Immediately, I snapped my head toward the voice-recognizing it as Beckendorf's. When I realized it wasn't in my earpiece, I cursed. He got caught.

I kicked Kelli aside, busting open room 321. Apart from a few clothes strewn on the floor, the room was empty. I checked the closet and the bathroom. No sign of Percy.

"Where is he?" I demanded Kelli who was struggling to get back up.

Her face had turned an ugly shade of purple and one of her fangs was missing. "You were so distracted with me, we managed to catch your little friend setting a bomb in the engine room." She spat out blood, wiping the corner of her mouth. "Percy's not on the ship. You've sent your friend to an early grave for nothing."

Fear drenched me and without even realizing it, I began to sprint toward the engine room. On my way there, I spotted a commotion on the deck and saw Kronos. The titan lord was still in my ex-friend, Luke's body but his gold eyes gave him away.

I started forward and Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the deck's swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. A trap: there's no way they could've gotten into position so fast unless they'd known I was coming.

I looked up at Luke, and anger boiled inside me. I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. I told myself it didn't matter. Luke had been twisted and evil long before Kronos possessed him.

I was going to have to fight my way out of this one.

"Come forward," he said as if he read my thoughts. "If you dare."

The crowd of monsters parted. I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I clutched my shield and spear, raising it.

Kronos's weapon appeared in his hands-a six-foot-long scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at the thing made my knees turn to Jell-O. But before I could change my mind, I charged.

Time slowed down. I felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy, I could barely raise my spear. Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my death.

I tried to fight his magic.

I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered. Dracaenae hissed with laughter.

I struck at Kronos, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face-Luke's face-a guy who was once my best friend. My first friend and first love. As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him.

Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet.

I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backward, but he was heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator.

Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with Aegis, but his strike was so powerful, my shield could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. It shouldn't have been a serious cut, but the entire side of my body exploded with pain. I remembered what a sea demon had once said about Kronos's scythe: Careful, fool. One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body. Now I understood what he meant. I wasn't just losing blood. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.

I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade should've run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should've survived that.

Kronos laughed. "A rather poor performance, Thalia Grace. My son could definitely do better."

My vision started to blur. I knew I didn't have much time. "You have no right to talk about him," I said. "You blackmailed him and held me as hostage."

"It's a shame I can't kill you now," Kronos mused, "but when I break that bond those pesky, little fates put on you two. I'll send Percy himself to kill you."

"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan." My arm was throbbing. Black spots danced in my vision.

"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face-Luke's face-seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?"

He looked down at the pool and called, "Prometheus!"

A man in a pristine, pin stripped suit practically floated through the crowd. He was the first face I saw during my time on mount Tam and one of the last.

"Success, my lord," The titan called. "We found him just as we were told."

He clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.

"No!" I yelled.

Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch. They hadn't taken it yet, and that was the detonator. Was it possible the explosives were armed? Surely the monsters would've dismantled them right away.

"We found him amid ships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?"

"Soon." Kronos scowled at Prometheus. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?"

"He was going toward the engine room, my lord."

"How do you know that?"

"My lord," The man shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives."

Slowly, I began to understand. Beckendorf had fooled them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire might still be primed! But that didn't do us any good unless we could get off the ship and detonate it.

Kronos hesitated.

Buy the story, I prayed. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand.

"Open his bag," Kronos ordered.

One of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf's shoulders. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged backward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would've all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches.

I could hear Kronos breathing, trying to control his anger.

"Did you, perhaps," he said, "capture this demigod near the galley?"

Prometheus turned pale. "Um-"

"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?"

The titan stumbled backwards then turned on his heels and ran.

I cursed silently. Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again and asked a silent question, hoping he would understand: How long?

He cupped his fingers and thumb, making a circle. Zero. There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill us first, or disarm the explosives, or both.

Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Thalia Grace. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for a few hours."

He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm-the Titan lord's symbol.

The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, "Communication device ...spy at camp."

Kronos chuckled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. Drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies."

I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would.

Beckendorf mouthed one word: Go.

I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him.

The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly-toward the watch on his right wrist.

I wanted to scream, NO!

Then down by the swimming pool, one of the dracaenae hissed, "What isss he doing? What isss that on hisss wrissst?"

Beckendorf closed eyes tight and brought his hand up to his watch.

I had no choice. I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos. It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it did startle him. Picking up my spear, I pushed through a crowd of monsters and went down the side of the ship, untangling a lifeboat from its suspenders.

I heard rumbling deep in the ship. Monsters yelled at me from above. A spear sailed past my ear. An arrow pierced my thigh, but I barely had time to register the pain. I started to paddle, getting about fifty yard from the ship.

Even from that distance, the explosion shook the world. Heat seared the back of my head. The Princess Andromeda blew up from both sides, a massive fireball of green flame roiling into the dark sky, consuming everything. My lifeboat flipped and I went underwater.

Beckendorf, I thought.

Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea.

I woke up, feeling like I was being carried by the waves. My eyes fluttered open and I was staring at all different types of sea creatures swimming along with the current. There was a dull pounding in my head but other than that, I felt fine. Sore but alive.

It took me a moment to realize that strong arms were wrapped around me and were carrying me across the ocean floor. Alarmed I sat up and followed the mystery arms that led me to one big, brown eye.

"Tyson?" I said, my voice sounding funny underwater. It was then that I noticed a giant bubble shaped around us which explained how I was able to still breathe.

The cyclops and Percy's half brother gave me a small smile. "Hi, Thalia. I found you at the bottom of the sea floor, surrounded by the shipwreck. I brought you to my daddy's palace and he fixed you up. Now, I am taking you back to camp."

"Oh. I was on that ship with someone else. Is he..."

"He did not make it." Tyson stopped, reaching in his pocket and handing me a broken watch. Beckendorf's watch. "I am sorry."

"Oh gods, Silena. I promised her I would bring him back to her." I heaved in a sob, whipping my head around wildly. "We have to go find him. We have to turn around right now-"

"It is too dangerous, Thalia. We can't."

I buried my face in my hands, allowing grief to penetrate my every fiber as Tyson carried me across the ocean floor. I wanted to cry but I felt like I had cried enough in this past month to last a lifetime. I didn't know how I was going to face Silena. How I was going to face the entire camp. Everyone loved Beckendorf, he loved life. He deserved to be here more than I did.

"Percy did something bad." Tyson voiced after a moment of silence.

"You know about Sally and Paul?" I asked, sniffling.

"Yes but he's done something different this time. Something worse."

"What's worse than killing his mother?"

Tyson pursed his lips and suddenly my ears popped and we broke through the surface. I recognized long island beach and in the distance, half blood hill. The cyclops set me down on the sand and I shakily got up. "What did Percy do?" I repeated.

"You and your friend weren't the only people to make things blow up. Percy caused an explosion at mount Saint Helens in Washington, he released the father of all monsters and the storm giant: Typhon. The gods barely beat him in the first war; Daddy is being attacked by Oceanus, his titan foe. Most of the other gods are battling their own titan counterpart. Daddy thinks that they might not come together to defeat Typhon."

"If Typhon gets to New York, he'll destroy the entire east coast. The gods will have to stop him when he nears Olympus." I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. These days, it seems like I always trying water down Percy's actions but with every move he made, he was making it harder to defend him.

"I know my brother has gone bad but he's not a bad person. He will come back to us."

"I know." I gave Tyson a hug and watched him disappear underneath the waves. He was needed in Poseidon's forges so he could only accompany me to camp before returning. The weight of the world heaved down on my shoulders as I made my way uphill, prepared to be the bringer of bad news.

The lookout on duty was Connor Stoll from the Hermes cabin. When he spotted me, he got so excited he fell out of his tree. Then he blew the conch horn to signal the camp and ran to greet me.

"Thalia!" he yelled. "What happened? Where's Beckendorf?"

Then he saw my expression, and his smile melted. "Oh, no. Poor Silena. Holy Zeus, when she finds out . . ."

Together we climbed the sand dunes. A few hundred yards away, people were already streaming toward us, smiling and excited. I gazed across the valley and tried to keep my emotions in check. Silena would be the hardest to face.

Chiron galloped into the pavilion first. "Thalia!" he said. "Thank the gods. But where . . ."

Annabeth ran in right behind him, her parka blowing in the wind."What happened?" She grabbed my arm. "Where's Percy? Is Luke-"

"The ship blew up," I said. "He wasn't destroyed. Percy wasn't there."

Silena Beauregard pushed through the crowd. Her hair wasn't combed and she wasn't even wearing makeup, which wasn't like her.

"Where's Charlie?" she demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.

I glanced at Chiron helplessly.

The old centaur cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House-"

"No," she muttered. "No. No. You promised me! You promised me you would bring him back!"

She started to cry and guilt flooded me. "Silena, I-"

Finally Clarisse from the Ares cabin came forward. She put her arm around Silena. They had one of the strangest friendships ever-a daughter of the war god and a daughter of the love goddess-but somehow, it worked.

Clarisse was dressed in her bloodred combat armor, her brown hair tucked into a bandana. She was as big and beefy as a rugby player, with a permanent scowl on her face, but she spoke gently to Silena.

"Come on, girl," she said. "Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

Everyone turned and wandered off in twos and threes, heading back to the cabins. Nobody was excited to see me now. Nobody wanted to hear about the blown-up ship.

Only Annabeth and Chiron stayed behind.

Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"Thanks," I said. "Me too."

Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could, Thalia. Will you tell us what happened?"

I didn't want to go through it again, but I told them the story, including what Tyson had told me.

Chiron gazed down at the valley. "We know that Typhon has escaped but had no knowledge that Percy had a hand in it. He'll make his way toward the east coast, destroying everything in near vicinity. This is a declaration of war and it's time we unleash our weapon."

"Our weapon?" I echoed.

"The prophecy. We have to read the prophecy, Thalia." Annabeth explained, a visible shudder retiring through her.

"But Percy is the child of the prophecy." I insisted, shaking my head. I wasn't ready to read a rhyme about my boyfriend's possible death and doomsday decision.

"Nonetheless, it's time. It must be read..." Chiron looked behind me, his eyes widened.

"What is it?" I began, turning around. In the distance, ten or so middle aged people walked up half blood hill. Some were wearing suits, police gear, or nursing scrubs. They looked like they had just gotten off work and headed here which was impossible because Camp Half Blood was tucked away, not visible from a distance unless you knew what to look for.

They looked mortal.

Connor's voice traveled through the wind. "Thalia! You might wanna come see this!"

I ran down the hill, Chiron and Annabeth at my heels. The ten people made a horizontal line at my tree. In their right hands was a sharp knife.

"Drop your weapons!" The centaur commanded but it was like they didn't hear him. It was as if they were in a daze, their pupils dilated.

"They're just mortals, sir." Connor informed us. "They don't seem to listen to a word we say."

Then the creepiest thing happened. The ten mortals opened their mouths and spoke in unison. "Where is Thalia Grace?"

My eyes widened and I started forward then Annabeth placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Thalia, don't." She warned. "This is way too sketchy."

"I know. I got this." I assured her, moving forward to face the mortals. "That would be me."

One man stepped forward, his right hand quivering as he brought the blade to his neck. Simultaneously, the other nine behind him did the same. "We have a message for you, Thalia."

"From who?" I questioned, eyeing their knives. What was this? Some sort of mass suicide?

"Percy Jackson." The man replied, his breath shallow. "He says 'game on, Thalia. Game on.'"

As if the last word were a cue, the ten mortals slashed their throats open, falling to the ground with a deafening thud. Connor and a few other campers rushed forward to save them but I was frozen. Annabeth was tugging me away but I couldn't budge. It was like having an out of body experience. Everything was numb and I could see people yelling, calling for the medics but all I could focus on was how the blood began inching towards me.

Percy had sent me a message and had sacrificed ten innocent mortals so I could understand the serious nature of the message.

Five words. Twice the amount killed.

Game on, Thalia. Game on.

A/N-Well, I updated on sunday, just an hour before midnight (where I am at least) Um, yeah I kind of, sort of began writing the bulk of this chapter today so had some catching up to do. Honestly, a late update is better than no update. See you guys next week!