The door to the infirmary slammed open, starting Thalia awake. She rubbed her eyes, disoriented. A quick glance at the hospital bed confirmed that Jason was still asleep, then she stood from her chair as she saw Chiron ducking through the doorway.
"Chiron, it's you." She stretched her arms, stifling a yawn.
"Thalia, there's no time to explain." Chiron's tone was urgent. "We need to get Jason out. Now." He moved to the side of the bed as he spoke, pulling the blood pressure clip from Jason's finger.
"What's happening?" All the sleep vanished from Thalia's mind at once.
"The General is here. We have only minutes before he breaks through the barrier."
Thalia's electric-blue eyes widened. "The General? Atlas?"
"Yes. That upstart Alaric must have freed him from the sky." Chiron lifted the unconscious Jason into his arms and backed out of the room, almost hitting the back of his head on the doorframe. "Come, we must go."
Thalia followed him out of the Big House, her heart sinking as Chiron's words sank in. Two dozen assorted satyrs and young campers were waiting for them at the stables, holding onto the bridles of the few remaining Pegasi.
"We're all leaving?" The words felt alien on her tongue.
"Yes." Chiron's voice was heavy with sorrow. "We've no chance of stopping him. Annabeth and a few others are on their way back. Hopefully they can destroy the General's army, but until they arrive we have to get all of you to safety. We can't take any chances."
Thalia took a step away from the Pegasi at the thought of taking flight. "There— there aren't enough horses for all of us."
"You and Jason will ride on my back." Chiron replied. "The rest of them can take the Pegasi."
Thalia realised what he was saying. "Atlas will destroy the whole camp."
"It pains me to say it, but we have no choice." Chiron shook his head sadly. "We would only annoy him at best. The campers' lives are more important."
"No." Thalia shook her head. "No, I won't allow it." She took a step back. "Get Jason and the others to safety. I'll face the General."
"Thalia, he is too strong." Chiron's voice was strained with tension. "Please, my dear girl, come with me before it's too late."
"No." Thalia fixed him with a stare. "I won't let him destroy my home."
"Thalia." Chiron pleaded. He reached down to pull her into his saddle.
Electricity crackled up and down her body. Chiron jerked his hand back in surprise. She shook her head. "Go."
The pain in Chiron's eyes almost made her regret her actions. She steeled her resolve.
"Tell Jason I'm sorry." She turned on her heel and sprinted toward Half-Blood Hill.
She arrived at the foot of the hill just as the General and his forces broke through. The camp's magical barrier dissolved with a flash of silver light. A metallic WHANG reverberated through the air. A tidal wave of monsters came pouring down the slope of Half-Blood Hill, waving swords and screaming hate.
Leading the charge was a familiar face: a two-and-a-half-metre tall humanoid clad in bronze greaves, breastplate and kilt, a pair of double-bladed axes clenched in oversized meaty fists. Beady red eyes glared out from behind a long, panting snout, shadowed by twin curved horns sticking out from either side of the monster's bull head.
The Minotaur bellowed a challenge as he spotted the lone demigod, increasing his pace until he was a full ten metres ahead of the rest of the charging monsters. His right arm pulled back, muscles bulging under coarse dark fur. Thalia narrowed her eyes.
The bronze axe left the Minotaur's hand with a bellow, spinning across the grass in a deadly flash of bronze. Thalia hurdled it effortlessly like a track and field runner. The Minotaur raised the second axe as Thalia closed in.
It was over in a flash. The Minotaur brought the second axe down with a grunt of effort, burying it into the dirt as the daughter of Zeus dodged to one side. Before the monster could react Thalia darted back in and pressed her palm against the creature's side, sending fifty million volts through its body in a split second.
The bull-man's legs gave out as its eyes rolled up into its head. The creature's momentum pitched it forward into an epic belly flop. The Minotaur's body exploded into powder just as it face-planted into the strawberry fields, ruining an entire crop of the bright red fruit.
The rest of the monsters howled in outrage and surged forward. Thalia reached behind her back in response, pulling the Master Bolt from its sheath in a single stroke. The first of the monsters came into sword range just as she brought the bolt around in a sweeping strike.
An earsplitting crack, a blinding flash, and a hundred monsters were blown off the hill like dried leaves, fried to ashes in midair. The rest of the monsters skidded to a stop on the hill crest, gaping in horror as the ashen remains of their comrades drifted gently to the ground all around them.
White hot fury swelled in Thalia's chest at the sight of them.
"COME ON!" She roared.
The monsters wavered, glancing at each other uncertainly. Then a powerful voice filled the air.
"WELL." The General came striding over the crest of the hill, pale stony eyes sweeping over the collection of buildings in the valley before fixing on Thalia Grace.
Thalia's blood turned to fire at the sound of his voice. Electricity crackled around her, blackening the grass at her feet. "You."
Atlas's granite features curved into a smile. "It seems your beloved goddess has served you up as an appetiser. How delectable."
He was abruptly cut off as Thalia launched herself at him with a yell. The Master Bolt came down toward his head, but the General simply caught the attack on the shaft of his spear, stopping it cold. His smile widened.
"A powerful weapon. But you lack your father's might to wield it, girl. Your lesser strength can only unlock a fraction of its power."
He deflected the Master Bolt to one side and thrust his spear at her. Thalia ducked under the shaft and reversed the bolt toward him, catching him square in the ribs.
Thunder shook the hillside. The General was blasted off the top of the hill with a yell.
Thalia took a flying leap off the slope, her body wreathed in lightning. She caught up to Atlas and stabbed the Master Bolt down, intending to skewer the titan like a turkey. At the last moment Atlas twisted aside and lashed out with his spear. Thalia had blinding reflexes, but was still slow compared to his immortal speed. The spear sliced across her leg, drawing blood. Thalia lashed out instinctively, backhanding him away with the Master Bolt. Lightning released from the bolt, slamming into the titan like a conduit before streaking out from him across the sky. Atlas fell out of the sky like a comet, hitting the slope of Half-Blood Hill with an earth-shaking THOOM.
Seeing the opening, gryphons and harpies swarmed her. Thalia thrust the Master Bolt out. Lightning leapt out from the tip, connecting with the creatures and frying them to ashes a dozen at a time. None of them got close.
Monsters on the ground surged toward her. Thalia dropped out of the air, landing in the middle of the charging mass with a yell. Lightning erupted from the daughter of Zeus, vaporising a hundred monsters in an instant. The monsters' dying wail lingered in the air as she turned toward Atlas, who was just picking himself up from the small crater he'd made. She levelled the bolt at him.
"You want some of this?"
Atlas wiped golden blood off his mouth and cracked a smile. "Oh, I do."
He charged down the hill with the speed of a freight train. Thalia broke into a sprint, the Master Bolt a blinding white in her grip.
The two combatants clashed at the base of Half-Blood Hill. The General had greater height and reach, but Thalia had the more powerful weapon. Lightning ran down the General's spear each time the two weapons met, shocking him and forcing him to retreat. Thalia fought in a blistering array of swipes and stabs, matching the General strike for strike. Wind swirled around her, howling at the General and making him stumble. Thunder boomed. Rain slashed out of the sky, a seething, pelting torrent that lashed into Atlas's face, making him wince and swear. The Master Bolt seemed to react to the titan's presence, sparking and crackling. The currents of electricity were constantly running through the General as the rain soaked him to the skin. Atlas's eyes watered under the ordeal. The relentless assault forced him back up the hill, step by step, until the two fighters reached the crest, locked in combat under the shadow of the great pine tree against an ink-black horizon of lightning and rain.
Monsters started to creep in again, sensing weakness in the lone demigod on the hill. Thalia saw them in her peripheral vision but could do nothing. The monsters approached hesitantly, flinching at the streaks of lightning sparking and fizzing from her, but Thalia knew it was almost over. Within moments they would gather the courage to close in. A single sword or spear to her unprotected back, and the daughter of Zeus would fall. Atlas would possess the Master Bolt and use its power to wipe Olympus off the face of the earth.
The last thought pierced through the fog of her brain with resounding clarity. She could not allow the Bolt to be captured. It would be the end of the Fifth Age.
Three dracaenae charged in, spears poised in their grip. As one, they brought the bladed points down toward the small of her back.
Electricity leapt out from her, connecting with the spear blades and running down the shaft. The three dracaenae collapsed, convulsing with electric shocks, before they dissolved into powder.
Atlas, who'd held back, expecting the demigod to collapse, was taken by surprise. Thalia reversed the bolt and slammed it down, piercing through the Titan's armoured boot and into the earth below.
The entire hill came alive with lightning, destroying every monster standing on it. Atlas howled as the Master Bolt's power coursed through him like a lightning rod. He swung his spear around, intending to bat Thalia away like a baseball. Thalia ducked underneath the spear, drew her hunting knives and stabbed them into Atlas's armpits. The Titan's whole body went rigid with a shudder and she vaulted away, breathing heavily.
Atlas dropped onto one knee, wincing. Ichor poured from his wounds, soaking into the roots of the pine tree. Slowly, he raised his head until he made eye contact with Thalia.
"That was a mistake." He put both hands on the Master Bolt and pulled it free. A fresh wave of ichor erupted from his foot, making him grimace, but he slowly stood.
"No." The blood drained from Thalia's face as she realised what she'd just done.
"Yes." Atlas held up the Master Bolt, staring at it in a kind of wonder. "The power of the Bolt is mine." He palmed the weapon, almost caressing it. His gaze shifted back to her. "And now…" he took a step forward. "You want some of this, lightning girl?" He raised the Bolt, the point aimed between her eyes.
Thalia's mind was blank, her eyes hollow with defeat. The adrenaline rush from the fight faded. All the pain and exhaustion seemed to hit her at once, making her feel drained and weak. Her injured leg buckled and she staggered, almost fell. She blinked once, swallowed dryly. Is this the end?
A glint of metal caught her eye as the General took another step toward her. Her eyes flickered to the two silver hilts still sticking from his armpits.
I tried my best, she thought bitterly. I've given everything.
And it still wasn't enough.
The Master Bolt glowed brighter as Atlas raised it to strike, crackling and hissing with electricity.
Electricity…..
A single thought tickled at the base of Thalia's skull, one last, desperate idea. She swallowed again, her eyes drawn to the Bolt's glowing tip.If this works, I'll become the greatest legend of all time. If it doesn't…I'm already good as dead.
She glanced sideways to the pine tree, the symbol of Camp's magical barrier that had once sustained her life force.
A good omen.
She closed her eyes, feeling the winds lift around her. The pattering rain slowed to a drizzle. The very air seemed to be holding its breath.
She bowed her head. "Please. Make it quick."
Atlas glowered with triumph at her admission of defeat. He smiled.
"Very well." He shoved the Master Bolt into her gut with a shout.
Thunder shook the world. A great wind came howling in from the west, a powerful gale carrying Zeus's anguished cry of grief. A great sigh seemed to rise from Half-Blood Hill.
Thalia, her eyes squeezed shut, curled her fingers into a fist.
Immeasurable agony exploded in her gut. Her body felt like it was being baked, microwaved and fried at the same time. Her mind was filled with streaks of lightning and shuddering stars.
But under the torrent of pain was a different, familiar sensation, a tingling buzz barely discernible like the faint hum of an air-conditioner, pins and needles running up and down her whole body, throbbing in synchrony with her heartbeat. Electricity crackled along her skin like a lightning rod.
Atlas looked down at her, as if realising for the first time that Thalia hadn't been vaporised. His smile faded.
Slowly, Thalia's head rose to stare at him. She opened her eyes and Atlas recoiled. Instead of blue they were blinding white.
The power of the Master Bolt surged through Thalia's body, electrifying every cell of her being. It felt like all her bones were being melted down and welded together. Her teeth were chattering faster than a machine gun.
But she wasn't dead.
Her eyes felt like they were staring straight into a floodlight, but somehow through the searing heat she saw the two metal hilts sticking out of Atlas's sides. Slowly, she reached for them.
Atlas seemed frozen in place, staring in terrified horror at the blinding white spectre before him. Thick gnarled roots had wrapped around his boots, snaking up his legs. Too late, he realised what was about to happen. He made a desperate attempt to twist away, but the roots held him fast.
Thalia's arms burned with strain. She felt like every muscle strand was being pulled apart all at once. Her willpower was stretched thin as a spear point. Her whole body heated up like a supernova, steaming in the wind. She was moments away from spontaneous combustion.
What was it Atlas had said? Lightning girl.
Her fists closed around the knife hilts. All the Master Bolt's power flowing through her rushed through the blades into Atlas, delivering a powerful electric shock that would have given Typhon a stroke had he been on the receiving end.
The air turned searing hot. Thalia's vision went black in a burst of sparks. Atlas's agonised yell was the last thing she heard before everything faded away.
The two figures were silhouetted on top of the hill against the setting sun, casting long shadows that seemed to flicker across the grass. The pine tree rustled in the gentle breeze, its branches spread wide to catch the last precious rays.
Jordan's legs burned as he ran up the hill. The Sword of Athena gleamed in his hand, starting to shimmer in response to the Athena Parthenos on the hill crest.
He reached the foot of the tree and stopped short, breathing hard. There on the grass lay the daughter of Zeus, flopping and jerking like she was having an epileptic seizure. Her wide-open eyes were glassy and unseeing against skin the colour of milk. The Master Bolt stuck out of her stomach and lower back like a spit roast, crackling and hissing.
A pace away from her was the Titan Atlas. Blackened roots wrapped around his legs like fishnet tights. Molten silver mixed with ichor dripped from his sides. His skin and face were cracked and greyed like a statue, his eyes a milky grey.
Jordan hacked off his head without a second's pause.
Lanesra came running up behind him, skidding to a halt at the sight of her former lieutenant. Her eyes widened, then she spun around and vomited onto the grass.
Jordan took a cautious step toward Thalia, probing the air in front of him with his sword. Once he was satisfied there was no danger, he rushed to her side, put an armoured hand around the Master Bolt and tugged. It refused to budge and he grimaced as he put a boot on her stomach and pulled harder. The weapon came free with a crackling hiss, humming with power in his grip.
Jordan tossed it onto the grass.
"Alabaster!" He shouted. "Alabaster!"
Annabeth made it up the hill, staring aghast at the scene before her. Tears filled her eyes and she squeezed them shut, looking away.
Alabaster materialised on the hilltop, pale and weak. He dropped to a kneel beside Thalia and placed a gentle hand on her forehead. The two demigods shared an intense, whispered conversation.
Alabaster closed his eyes, lips moving in silent prayer.
Lanesra crept toward them, clinging to hope.
"Can you…" she asked hoarsely.
Nothing seemed to happen. Alabaster's head sagged. He swayed as if about to collapse, then slumped against Jordan's side with a groan.
Thalia's body started to shimmer like a disco ball. Lanesra's eyes widened. She blinked tears away desperately, then the shimmering intensified and Thalia burst into a million sparks like fireflies. The tiny pinpricks of light lasted only a second before vanishing.
Lanesra stared uncomprehending at the grass where Thalia had used to be.
"W-where…"
Her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground. A low keening noise escaped her lips.
Annabeth pounded her fist into the dirt, howling with grief.
Jordan stood, lifting Alabaster in his arms. The Javelin touched down on the hill slope, lowering its platform onto the rain-sodden grass. Jordan boarded the aircraft and walked into his living room, placing Alabaster gently onto the carpeted floor.
A playing card fell out of Alabaster's hand, the room's industrial light reflecting off its golden-foil back. Jordan turned it over to see it was an ace of diamonds. Strangely, though, instead of a diamond, the centre of the card showed the outline of a familiar face, electric-blue eyes bright against the black-and-white print. Jordan smiled.