(Uploaded: Oct 27, 2019)

Chapter 18: Three Wolves And One Lion

(Author's Note)

Hey everyone! Sorry again for the delay. Got a new job, well, same company but at a new, MUCH BIGGER building. It's also 4 more hours a day, so I haven't had much time to write as I would've liked. More money is good, but not at the cost of my writing time. Aaand that's a perfect segue to the question I have for you guys;

If I were to create a P-a-t-r-e-o-n(Pat-reon) account(FF doesn't let me say their name), would anyone pledge? I asked my followers on Twitter- Follow me, btw- where I gave some more info on my reasons for wanting to start one. In short, I've put a lot more money and time into my stories recently than I ever had before, and I want to do more like get a paid World Anvil membership account, maybe get Grammarly or another account and of course commission art for OC's. I recently got my first one and man, can they be expensive. I want to get commission art for more OC's as well.

But ultimately, I want writing to be my career. I've put off moving up at work for over a year in favor of having time to write, but recently I decided to move up. It's more money, but also four more hours a day. I want to be a published, full time author, but I need $$$ for that, A LOT of $$$. So I'm saving up money as we speak so I can one day move down to a 4hr position so I have more time to write. And then, I want to make writing my full time job. It'll be hard, extremely difficult and even stupid, but it's possible and it's what I want to do. So, I ask, if I were to make a P-a-t-r-e-o-n account, would anyone pledge? I'm not expecting much at all, most writers do this for free. But if you can pledge even a small amount it'll mean a lot. All the money I get will go directly to fund my writing/videos.

In case you're wondering what I'd do with the money, some of the things it'll go to are:

~ OC art commissions

~ Paid World Anvil account(possibly)

~ Editing software account

~ Savings to one day publish my first novel and quit my job

~ Buy video/audio equipment to start up that YT Channel I've been talking about forever

~ Upgrade my desktop/chromebook/writing equipment as needed

~ A real editor one day when I write my first novel

~ A publisher/any publishing fees when I publish my first novel

Well that was definitely more than I meant to write, sorry. But please let me know if you'd be able to pledge or just want more info. I won't create one until I know that people will pledge.

Oh yeah, I included a reference to character from a TV show I watch sometimes when it's on, see if you can spot him. This ISN'T a crossover, mind you, I just thought it'd be funny and cool. Anyway, enjoy this chapter. The end is upon us, these next three chapters are the final climax of the story. And ohmygod I'm NOT ready!


Chapter 18: Three Wolves And One Lion

"The measure of a person, of a hero...

is how well they succeed at being who they are"

~ Queen Frigga

"What you leave behind is not what is

engraved in stone monuments,

but what is woven into the lives of others"

~ Pericles

[Recap: Lord Heracles, the god of Bravery, Strength and the Divine Protector of Mankind, has fallen at the hands of his son, Leonidas because of the demigod's beliefs that they were Fated to fight one another.

With the Promised Day here, Camp Half-Blood, New Rome and the Hunters of Artemis gather at the Empire StateBuilding to prevent the end of the world in a war to end all wars.]

(June 21, 2011 - The Promised Day - Empire State Building)

~ 6 days later ~

The Promised Day, a day every few millennia in which all the gods of the Greek and Roman worlds lose almost all of their power and for a few short hours, become fully mortal and are able to be killed. It not only brings potential danger to all the gods, but brings with it the all too real possibility of weakening and lesser-known gods Fading because of it.

Because of this, all of the Monsters and Titans of the world assembled as one in order to attack, otherthrow and destroy Mount Olympus and kill all the gods on it. Camp Half-Blood had fought off an army of Monsters and even a few Titans during the battle of Manhattan two years ago, but they had never faced something like this. Not on this scale.

So the roughly eighty able bodied campers, joined by the Hunters of Lady Artemis and the entirety of Camp Jupiter, assembled at the foot of the Empire State Building a few hours after dawn to prepare for what was going to be the hardest fight ever fought in the history of mankind.

"I want those barricades up within the hour," Clarisse ordered as she watched the Hephaestus cabin drive wooden and metal spikes and walls into the concrete sidewalk around the famous building. "I don't care if ya have to tear up half the sidewalk! There won't be a sidewalk if we lose today!"

The roughly four hundred teenagers and young adults were milling around the building preparing for war. They had received a few strange looks from passersby, no doubt because they were adorned in full Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold and Tempered Steel armor carrying swords, war axes, spears, halbirds and a wide assortment of weapons. Percy personally believes that the tourists think that they were setting up a play or re-enactment of some kind. Some of them even took pictures of the younger campers in armor muttering to themselves that they were 'so cute'.

But the mortals weren't Percy's main concern right now. Sure, they still had no idea how to get them all out of the way so they could defend against the incoming Monster and Titan army, but Percy had four hundred people to lead, he didn't have time to concern himself with the mortals.

"Liam, Jack!" Percy called out to the demigods around him. "I want that trebuchet at the corner of the building now! And another one at each corner! Do it now!" He sucked a quick breath before yelling to the next group. "Steve, Sue, Lisa and Geoffry, I want small ballistas mounted every five yards! I don't care if signs or street lamps are in the way! Tear them out!" He didn't even wait for confirmation before yelling again. "Mika, Astrid, Victoria! Collect as much scrap and trash you can and add it to the back barricade! Pile taxis on top of each other if you have to! We need to defend Olympus and we need a strong final barricade for that!"

"...Were ya serious 'bout the taxis thing?" Mika asked as she pointed to a line of cabs along the far curb. "Cuz if ya are… then I will. I've always wanted ta' flip over a car."

Percy spared a quick moment to look at three of the four toughest girls at camp. "I'm serious. We don't have time to worry about property damage, laws or scaring the mortals, we need to prepare."

"On it, Perce." She gave a mock salute and the three girls ran over to the nearest cab, dodging traffic along the way, pulled the driver out of it, tossed him to the curb without explanation and promptly bent down and flipped the cab over on its roof in one quick motion. They then ran to the next cab and proceded to do the same.

"Awe, you let 'em flip over cabs without me?" Clarisse asked in mock hurt before turning serious. "I just finished settin' up the defenses down the block. We have the entire three block radius of Olympus stationed with demigods, ballistas and war-forklifts."

"Only three?" Percy asked in disbelief. "That's not nearly enough. In under an hour an army of thousands of Monsters and dozens of Titans will be attacking the building, we need more than three blocks secured."

"I'm doin' the best I can here, Prissy." She told him as she put on her boar tusk helmet. "If we didn't have ta' worry 'bout the civilians then we could easily spread out more. But this is New York, the people here aren't exactly happy ta' have four hundred kids and teenagers walking around in armor, carrying weapons and blockin' traffic. I mean, we already had a few cops try to stop us from wheeling in the catapults."

Percy let out a breath, he could feel a headache coming on. "What did you tell them? What happened?"

She shrugged her large shoulders. "Told 'em ta' piss off 'o course, they didn't seem ta' like that though. Tried ta' give me a ticket but I sent 'em runnin' fer the hills."

Percy let out an exasperated sigh. "Can you not give them more reason to arrest us, please?"

She gave him a 'what did I do' shrug. "I thought you said not ta' worry 'bout the cops and civilians."

"Yeah, I did, but I didn't mean to-" Percy stopped short when he noticed Ricky talking to several cops before directing them to where he and Clarisse stood. The cops quickly left the son of Apollo and made their way to Percy and Clarisse.

"Oh great." Percy mumbled. "Now you pissed them off. I already have a record, I can't afford to get arrested right now."

Clarisse only shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Eh, we can take 'em."

"You'd get along great with Artemis," Percy muttered. "You both like assaulting cops."

The taller officer spoke as soon as they were within range, he didn't look too impressed, mostly bored and confused. "Percy Jackson?" He asked looking correctly to Percy. He didn't wait for a reply before nodding to a black SUV pulling up. "Stay here. Someone wants to speak with you."

The two demigods watched the blacked out SUV park and as a few men in suits got out. Clarisse leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "If it's the President then I'm gonna rip off his 'effin-" But Percy nudged her with his elbow to cut her off.

"Shh." He ordered in a whisper. "Be nice."

"You ask too much of me, Prissy. I'm a violent girl at heart"

But the man getting out of the SUV wasn't the President, or anyone Percy really knew. He looked a little familiar, like he may have seen him on TV, but Percy wasn't sure. He was tall, looked to be in his late sixties to early seventies, was dressed in a black suit and had a large black moustache that made him look like he'd fit in great as an actor in an old western movie. He also gave off the vibe that he was the kind of grandpa that sneaked his grandkids twenty bucks when their parents weren't looking just because he was nice. But he also had a sternness and aura around him that commanded respect and subtly displayed his power. Making Percy wonder more who, or what, he really was.

He promptly walked up to the young adults, nodded for his officers to stand next to the car and once they did he offered his hand to Percy. "Police Commissioner Reagan." He greeted with a soft smile behind his large moustache. He shook Percy's hand then promptly shook Clarisse's. "But please, there's no need for such formalities here, call me Frank."

Percy looked a little confused. "I'm sorry… but do I know you?"

The Commissioner smiled with his eyes before looking back to his officers that were waiting a few paces behind him. He leaned in a little and spoke with a lower voice. "Not personally, but I know you, Perseus Jackson, though mostly through story. Chiron won't shut up about you when we meet for monthly pinochle games."

Percy and Clarisse's eyes widened. "You know Chiron?" He asked, surprised. "How?"

"Well, it wasn't too long ago- or maybe it was, I am getting older, but I went to Camp as a boy as well."

Clarisse spoke up this time. "You're a demi-" But she was cut off when the Commissioner raised his hand to silence her. He looked back at his officers with a cautious eye.

"Don't say that word here young lady, please." He turned back to them and made sure he was seeming natural for his officers. "Or any of their names. Names have power, as I'm sure you know. But yes, I'm one of you. I'm a son of Lady Justice herself." He explained while being careful about his words. "The Council likes having a mortal like me in a position of authority and power around the Empire State Building. I help keep an eye on the comings and goings of the city and keep a watch for… unusual happenings and keep such happenings out of the eyes of the people."

"You mean like us?" Percy asked, now understanding that he helped the gods hide the Greek world from the mortals. "You keep the mortals oblivious."

Frank's eyes smiled again. "Mortals always see what they want to see."

"Then what do they see when they see us?" Clarisse asked.

"One of my officers reported that a rather large group of street performers was setting up around the ESB. While another claimed that a local elementary school was setting up for a play." He smiled again as he looked at a group of demigods drag a catapult arm down the sidewalk. "I told my officers that I do so enjoy children's plays, so I had to check it out for myself."

"You knew something was up just from that?" Percy asked.

"My boy, when you get to be my age you learn a few things about this city. How it works and when something is out of character, even for this city. So when I heard a few hundred kids, teenagers and young adults were setting up around the building, I knew something was up." He looked back to Percy and Clarisse with a more serious expression, the kind, warm and inviting aura around him gone, replaced by a cool chill that ran down Percy's spine. "So tell me, what's the situation?"

Percy didn't waste a second to switch minds and become hyper-focused on the situation. "A large group of Monsters and Titans are assembling outside of the city with the intent to attack the ESB and kill the Council. They will completely decimate the city to do so if we don't stop them."

The Commissioner's eyes widened a little but other than that he didn't show any emotion. "Timeline?" He asked just as seriously, his square jaw set tight. "How long do we have to prepare?"

"My scouts say that they're about an hour out, give or take. Let's hope that they decide to wait for exactly noon instead of attacking early."

The Commissioner nodded. "How are our defenses? How many soldiers do you have?"

Percy pointed down the sidewalk to a line of ballistas. "We have small ballistas lined up every couple of yards along the building. With high-range catapults fixed to each corner." He then pointed to where Mika, Astrid and Victoria were still flipping over and stacking taxis next to a few confused and concerned looking cops that were looking to their Commissioner wondering why he hadn't put a stop to this yet.

"We're also setting up a blockade around the perimeter of the building. We're also trying to set up another larger one three blocks out, but the civilians and cops keep getting in the way."

The Commissioner nodded seriously before rising to his full imposing height. "I'll keep them out of your way. I'll buy all the time and space I can. I'm here to protect the city like you're here to protect Olympus. No matter the cost, we cannot afford to let the mortals discover the Greek world. You focus on preparing for the upcoming battle, I'll take care of the city." He then looked back to one of his officers and surprised Percy with his barking shout. "Word's come down from upstairs, Lieutenant Falman! Put the word out to all units, evacuate the city! Priority one!"

The bored looking officer sobered immediately. "W-what?" He asked as he ran up to them.

"I said evacuate the city, Lieutenant! The city is going to be under attack!" The Commissioner repeated with a commanding tone, all of the officers around him straightening their backs and looking at him with awe. Even Percy felt the urge to follow his order, perhaps it was one of his half-blood abilities? "Get the Mayor on the phone! I want a thirty block deadzone around the Empire State Building! Begin evacuating the schools and hospitals first, then get the civilians out!"

Falman nodded sharply but still looked confused as he inspected Percy and Clarisse. "Yessir. But who are these two-"

The Commissioner subtly waved his hand and Percy could sense the Mist being manipulated around them. "Top agents from the CIA." He quickly lied. "Are you going to play twenty questions or are you going to follow my orders and evacuate the city? We have received intelligence that a terrorist organization is going to attack the city within the hour and is targeting the Empire State Building! Now go! We don't have time to waste!"

That was all it took for the officer to nod before running off to his patrol car and taking off down the busy street, his lights flashing. The last remaining man in a suit looked to the Commissioner. "Shouldn't we contact the National Guard and the White House, Frank? If this is as big as you make it sound then shouldn't we have all the backup we can get?"

The Commissioner looked from the man to Percy and Clarisse, a stony expression of determination on his mustachioed face. "We have all the backup we could ever need right here. Let's just pray that it's enough."

"But Frank-" The man began but was cut off.

"I'll call in a few favors, see if I can get some of my old friends to lend us a hand." He said the last part while looking to Percy, making the Son of Poseidon wonder who he meant. "Being old has its privileges, at a certain point you know everybody."

After that the Commissioner stepped aside to make about twenty different calls in order to evacuate the city and was somehow able to have the military arrive within twenty minutes to form a perimeter around the section of the city. Percy didn't know who he called to do that, the Commissioner just told him that he had friends in high places. Percy wasn't going to argue with it either, he just made his job a little easier.

After he was off the phone, the Commissioner joined Percy, Clarisse, Frank, Reyna and Thalia along with the rest of the War Council in the command tent. The demigods looked a little confused when the older man entered, but when Percy told them he was one of them they welcomed him easily. Demigods always stand together after all. No matter who your parent was, if you have the divine blood, any demigod would move Olympus or Hades for you.

"What are our numbers looking at right now?" The Commissioner asked the group as they stood over a large map of the city.

Reyna was the one to answer. "With Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter and the Hunters of Lady Diana, roughly four hundred strong, sir." She added the last part quickly, feeling the need to show respect for the man who so clearly outclassed them in experience and authority. A demigod didn't get authority and control over the entire state of New York from Lord Jupiter himself if he didn't have a scroll worth of achievements. Perhaps he was a hero as a teenager like them? He seemed unthreatening and ordinary at first glance, but every demigod in the tent could sense his hidden power, his aura alone almost fuzzed her brain. Reyna was personally under the suspicion that he was the son of something other than the Goddess of Justice and Law, something older.

Blinking once, Reyna continued with stride. "We sent word to my sister Hylla and her Amazons, but their stronghold had been recently decimated by Monsters, so they were only able to spare us a few of their battle-forklifts."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day where Greeks and Romans stood side by side on the battlefield. I am grateful for your assistance, Praetors." The Commissioner told the young adults with a smile behind his large moustache. "What about our oposistion? How many Monsters and Titans should we expect?"

"All of them." Nico answered from the end of the table. "I used my Shadow Travel to scout out the edges of the city. I could only get within half of a mile from them but I've never felt a presence like that before." He looked grimly to the assortment of leaders in the tent. "I can literally sense the coming death… it's not going to be an easy fight. We're going to lose a lot of people."

Frank Zhang let out a breath next to Reyna. "I hate to say it, but we have to be willing to accept the loses. This is a fight for all of humanity, everyone here knows the risks."

"I agree. It's a part of war and it's a part of being one of us, a demigod. Everyone here knows that." Clarisse spoke up next before looking to Percy. "Have ya been able to check the water yet Prissy?"

The son of Poseidon shook his head. "No, sorry. I've been too busy coordinating everyone to even dip my big toe in. If only we had someone at Camp who could breathe underwater." He looked to Reyna and Frank. "Do you have anyone at Camp Jupiter who can search the water-"

"I already have one of my best men on it." The Commissioner interrupted kindly. "He's searching the ports as we speak."

Chiara looked confused. "You have mortals searching-?"

"No," the Commissioner interrupted again. "A half-blood friend of mine. He's a son of Rongomai."

Malcolm raised a questioning brow. "'Rongomai'? Even I don't know who that is." He looked to Reyna and Frank for explanation. "Is that a Roman god?"

Reyna shook her head. "Not one I've ever heard of." She looked to the Commissioner. "Who is this god?"

The Commissioner gave them a look like he was confused by the question. "A Māori god, of course. The Whale God."

"Wait," Miranda spoke up now, clearly confused. "They exist too?"

The Commissioner's brow rose slightly as if he were puzzled by the question. "Of course… Hasn't Chiron told you about the other Pantheons?"

"Besides the Norse and Egyptians? He didn't even tell us about those at first." Jason stated with a 'what's next?' tone. "I thought they were the only ones?"

The older man shook his head. "Of course not." He told them simply. "Those stories of other Pantheons aren't just stories, you know. The world is bigger than you think. You have no idea what and who's still out there waiting for their time to reveal themselves. I wouldn't think this is the end if I were you." Percy wasn't able to ask him what that meant because the Commissioner's phone went off in his pocket and he had it to his ear within a second, motioning to them that he had to take it outside.

"Ah, that's one of them now. I called a few of my old fellow disciples, they should be here shortly to lend us their assistance, unfortunately I didn't have much warning to be able to call in those that live further away. I must apologize, but my fighting days are over. Being seventy four has its downsides, I'm afraid. But my friends will fight in my stead. But take down a Monster or two for me, would you?" He told the demigods before speaking into the phone and heading out of the tent. "Sifu Sanfeng, sorry to impose, but I was wondering if-" But the demigods didn't hear the rest as the older man left the tent.

"Well that was ominous." Leo muttered from next to Piper and Jason.

"Back to the matter at hand," Percy pulled everyone back into the conversation, trying to push what the Commissioner said out of his mind. In Percy's experience new people and gods meant new problems, and he had enough of those right now, thank you very much.

"We have to worry about an attack from the ground as well as the sea and air." He looked to Leo. "Is the Argo II in position above the city?" Leo nodded. "Then I want it on a wide patrol, we don't have any demigods besides Jason who can fly. If they attack from the air, we won't have any defenses except our ballistas and catapults."

"Have we finished setting up the ballistas on the exterior balconies of the building?" Reyna asked as she pointed to a large floor plan of the ESB. "Because if not, then I would recommend placing some here, here and here. That way we stagger our defenses so when we come under fire the Titans and Monsters won't be able to destroy more than one at a time with a single attack."

"I agree." Clarisse spoke up as she moved over the map. "We should also set up some defenses on the surrounding buildings as well. That way we can keep 'em as far away from Olympus as we can. With the civies out of the way we don't have ta' worry 'bout them callin' the cops when we bolt ballistas ta' their roofs. We have Scorpios and Springalds that we can mount on lower floors, they aren't as powerful as the ballistas but are faster an' easier ta' load as well as more accurate."

"For the water we only have one small Sambuca ship," Reyna told the group. "And we only have one small trebuchet and three mounted Scorpios on it. Unfortunately that's the extent of our navy, we haven't had any need to maintain it over the last few centuries. I'm sorry, we didn't have time to construct anymore with the time we had."

"Don't worry about the water, Reyna," Percy told the group, a small grin on his face. "I have it covered. I was able to call in some help, I'm still Son of the Seas, don't you forget. I called in a favor or two."

After not receiving an explanation after a few seconds, Piper looked to Percy. "You gonna tell us what that means or what?"

Percy thought it over in his head, ending with a shrug. "Nah, figure it'll be more dramatic this way."

Piper let out a sigh. "Oh for the love of-" But she was suddenly cut off when Angela burst into the tent.

"Percy!" The girl was wide-eyed and visibly shaking in fear. "Everyone! Come quick!"

The son of Poseidon quickly went after the daughter of Nike, the entire Command Tent following him. "What's wrong?" Percy asked as they came to the corner of 33rd Street and 5th Avenue.

The terrified girl pointed off into the distance down the perfectly straight street where Percy could sense the water not so far away. "It's the Hudson River, it's moving!"

Winston from Athena ran up to them next from the other direction. "It's not just the Hudson! The East River is moving too! It's already flooded the entire Lower East Side!"

The group of demigods looked worriedly to Percy. "What's going on, Percy?" Leo asked. "I think it might be time to call in that help you were talking about ese."

"That is the help I called in! Come on!" Percy yelled as he lead the group of demigods down the now clear and barren East 34th Street to the East River.

Percy and Jason, naturally, got there first, with the rest of the Council finding the two talking to a twenty foot goddess adorned in a sea-green dress with a belt of beautiful seashells on her waist. Her skin as an ethereal and luminous white and her hair glowed like swaying jellyfish tendrils. She was admittedly very beautiful but had a dangerous aura to her. The Council could hear her dolphin-like laugh as they neared.

"It is good to see you too, little brother." The goddess told Percy, a kind and uneasy smile on her face, like she didn't have much practice being happy. "Sorry we are so late, it took mother longer than we thought to gather our forces." The goddess then looked to Jason. "It is a pleasure to see you again, son of Jupiter. I must thank you for keeping your promise to me. I was worried I would have to bear my holy wrath and righteous fury down upon you and those you love if you didn't."

Jason looked like he wasn't sure if she was joking or not. "...You're welcome, Kymopoleia. It honestly wasn't that big of a deal for us. We love worshiping all the gods of Olympus. Building you a shrine and a cabin was the least we could do to repay you for your help. Speaking of that, thank you so much for coming to our aid again."

The goddess shook her head softly. "There is no need to thank me, demigod. But it is appreciated." She looked from Percy to further down the still rising river. "Mother was able to convince grandfather to lend us his aid, with grandmother's persuasion, of course."

"Who's your grandfather?" Piper asked.

"Why, the Old Man of the Sea, of course." The goddess answered as if it were obvious.

"Smelly Santa." Percy answered at the same time, receiving a weird look from most of the Council but Kymopoleia nodded as if she agreed.

"Grandfather Nereus does reek of seaweed and smell like the underside of a beluga." She then looked down into the water at her feet as if she were listening to something. She nodded to it before looking back to her step brother. "I am afraid that some of our companions refuse to travel any further inland, most of them are weak from the Promised Day and the polluted waters are not helping their conditions."

"That's fine," Percy told his halfsister. "I'm just asking they help any way they can. We're worried that some Sea Monsters or Titans may try to attack the city from the water since my dad is powerless right now, so having you guys here defending the waterways is a massive help."

"Think nothing of it, brother. Families of the Seas stand together even through the most violent wave or seaquake." The goddess' face dropped slightly. "With Triton not destined to survive the day, father and mother are inconsolable. But more so with what is at stake today, we must be strong and stand as one. Even some of the eldest living deities of the Sea have risen from the murky depths to lend their aid. No doubt at the call of grandfather."

Percy was just about to ask how many gods they were able to gather when Amethyst, the daughter of Iris, stepped up to him. "Percy, we have an IM coming in. It's from our troops at the ESB." She wore a worried look as she listened to the message in her head before repeating it to the crowd. "It's Leonidas… he's here."

xxxXxxx

~Just a Page Break reminding you to follow me on Twitter~

xxxXxxx

The War Council and Frank and Reyna arrived back at the ESB just in time to see a brobdingnagian beast of a man slowly walking down the middle of the now empty 5th Avenue. He wore a full set of worn and roughly patched up reinforced Spartan Armor, had the Golden Fleece wrapped around his chest like a tunic and wore the Nemean Lion Skin on his large shoulders like a cloak. He was truly massive in both height and weight, though he was noticeably thinner and looked almost sickly to the demigods compared to when they last saw him only two short weeks ago.

But what really surprised them was the large burning torch in his left hand as the same arm held two struggling goats on his shoulder that had their legs hogtied and mouths muzzled. His right arm was supporting and carrying a massive marble statue of a lion that looked strangely familiar to Percy and gave him the feeling that he shouldn't ask questions. He also had an old, worn sack on his back that seemed to have a decent amount of items in it based on the size. His large Spartan Hoplite shield was strapped to his back and reflected the morning rays that bounced off the hundreds of windows on the street.

Percy, Jason, Clarisse, Thalia, Nico, Reyna and Frank met the son of Heracles halfway and motioned for him to stop. He did so at once, carefully putting down the lion statue he carried on his shoulder with a solid 'thud'. If the gasps next to him were any indication, then Percy would say that his friends recognized the iconic statue as well. He was just happy for the first time that Annabeth wasn't here to see this, she'd surely kill Leonidas for this.

"Is- is that Fortitude?" Jason asked with a widening expression as he eyed the famous marble statue of a lion. "Did- did you steal the lion from the New York Public Library? Those are practically national landmarks!" He gave Leonidas an incredulous look as he eyed the live goats on his other shoulder. "What's with the goats and torch? What are you doing?"

"Preparing for war." Leonidas told them simply, as if it were obvious. He patted the lion's marble mane. "It is Spartan tradition to erect a lion statue at the battlefield in honor of King Leonidas of Sparta in order to request his blessing for the upcoming battle." He shrugged his free shoulder. "But I did not have the time nor the expertise to construct one myself, and as I was making my way here I happened to spot this one. I think the Fates placed it on my path so that I might use it to prepare for today."

Piper let out a sigh, slowly shaking her head. "Not everything is a sign from the Fates, Leonidas. Those are famous statues that have been there a hundred years. You can't just take one-"

"But I have need of it." He cut her off with his usual level voice. "Much more than the mortals, anyway. Besides, I'll put it back after the battle. The mortals won't even notice, no harm done."

"No harm done?" Jason started, looking like he was going to blow a gasket. "You just stole a national-" But he was cut off when Percy took a slight step forward and spoke.

"Leonidas… thank you for coming." Percy's words were slow, like he was having a difficult time choosing them. "Some people might not want to admit it, but we could really use your help." The son of the seas then looked off into the distance where he could sense the coming doom and destruction.

"With you, Jason, Thalia, Nico, Frank, Clarisse, Mika and myself together, I don't think a stronger group of demigods has ever been assembled in one place in all of history." He paused to eye the demigods alongside him with respect and admiration, hoping above all that these people, his friends, survived the day ahead. "With all of us fighting together at full power… I think we could even take down a Primordial."

~Page break~

"Oh merciful gods above, I offer you this gift. If it so pleases you, I humbly ask that you bless us in our defense of you and this world." Leonidas reached for the older goat with a slow hand and easily held it down as it useless kicked at him. "I offer you this blood and bone, may this soul be acceptable to you. Thank you for your sacrifice, my friend." With a quick flick of his wrist his dagger slit the goats' neck. The action so quick and straight that blood didn't even spray the cold concrete under him.

After a minute the Son of Sparta then tossed the lifeless body into a large fire he set with a trembling crooked hand. "Lord Zeus, King of Olympus and God of Gods, father of the skies and holy protector, may you bless our righteous battle ahead and empower us with your holy might."

He then tossed the rest of his food and provisions into the fire. He then held the wooden bowl that contained the blood from the goat over the fire and let it slowly drip into the flames. "Lady Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy, Grandmother, please bless me with your wisdom for the upcoming battle. I am but a mortal man, flawed, weak and inferior, not worthy of you knowledge… but please, shower me in your divine grace and bless me… at least for my mother. Let my blade strike down many enemies and my wisdom in battle never falter."

After the last of the blood dripped into the flames he grabbed the younger goat and placed it on the ground in front of him like the other. As he held the blade at its throat he spoke again. "Lady Artemis… Goddess of the Wilds, Maiden of the Hunt, Virgin Protector of defenseless girls… I must apologize for my actions towards you and your Hunters before requesting your aid." He let the blade go slack as he looked to the heavens above, his face racked with pain. "What I did… was unforgivable, and I am not worthy of your aid or blessing, but in order to pay for my sins I must ask that you bless me. Not forgive me. Help my arrow fly true today, assist as I draw back my string, let my quiver never become empty. Let me prove to you that I am a true man, worthy of the love of a woman." His mind bringing an image of Eos into his thoughts, a hint of a smile on his trembling face.

"Worthy of being a husband. Worthy of being a father." He thought of his daughter, Astraea, next. His beautiful girl, who was so weak and helpless that if he and Eos were to die today, she would not last long without them or the Golden Fleece. He wiped a tear from his eye with the back of his scarred hand and continued. "Lady Artemis, I respect and admire you above all others… and this shall be my last fight and last day on earth, so let me atone for my sins against you."

He didn't receive an answer back, not that he expected to, but he felt his shoulders break free from a little weight, if only a little. After letting out a quick breath, Leonidas killed the goat and began cutting it down the middle from the neck to the base of the tail. After that he dug through the steaming innards of the animal, examining the entrails for a sign of divine approval, copying the traditions and rituals of the Spartans before him. He didn't believe in them much, since he wasn't an Augur, but this would be his last fight and he wished to do it as a true Spartan.

After putting the fire out, he pulled an ornate metal comb from his belt and began to solemnly and gingerly comb back his now almost shoulder length fading brown hair, making sure to get rid of every knot in his locks. He wasn't fazed when several clumps of hair got caught in the comb, choosing to simply tossing them to the side without much care. His body was still dying and at its limits, his bones and muscles were breaking and tearing, his skin cracking and dulling. And now the color of his hair was fading and he lost more of it by the day. Eos worriedly told him that he had a bald spot on the side of his head the other day. He completely ignored the strange looks the campers gave him as he kneeled on the sidewalk combing his hair in a ritualistic way like the Spartans before him. A Spartan lived for one thing and one thing only; War. The outside world didn't even register in his mind as he prepared.

Once his hair was perfectly combed and free of imperfections and loose strands, Leonidas slowly rose from his shaky knees and made his way to where he left the stolen lion statue. He lifted it from the ground on the second try after a little difficulty and carried it to the foot of the Empire State Building, setting it in front of the front door, winded. He had to pause as his chest pulsed and his arms burned. Wiping the sweat and blood mix from his forehead, he continued with the ritualistic prayers.

"King Leonidas of Sparta, Warrior King, protector of all Sparta and Greece, the righteous descendant of Heracles I was named after, I humbly beseech you." He placed his head on the lion's mane as he kneeled on the concrete. "I was born a frail baby, was instructed in the ways of our people by my mother in order to become strong, to become a Spartan. And as a Spartan I know that there is no honor above dying in service to Sparta, our home, and her people. Well, this is my home, and these are my people, let me protect them with my spear and shield… with my life if need be." The large man bowed so low in front of the statue that his head touched the cold ground. "As a Spartan would. As you would."

With his head still bowed he began to weep, his slow tears beating against the stony ground. "Oh divine and righteous Fate Sisters, I know that I am not worthy of the name Spartan, but let me repay the disgrace I have brought to our people. Let me prove to my father and mother that I am a true Spartan… A true son. Let me face my father and mother with a clean conscience after all I have done to disgrace and hurt them." His fist clenched so tightly that his nails drew blood from his palms. "Let my final stand absolve me of my numerous sins and failures. Let the lives I will save today make up for the ones I lost, the ones I could not save. Let my last few hours on the mortal world be in service to Chaos, you and humanity. Let your divine will be done… what is to happen, will happen." He paused briefly to sniffle, he continued again, his low voice cracking out of agony.

"...Let me finally live in peace with all that I hold dear with this world and ascend into the sky among the stars forever." He hit his closed fist against the sidewalk, unaware that he broke it in his state. "Let me finally be at peace… Free of this crippling burden. Free of my Labors to save the world." He begged through gritted teeth, the veins in his neck visible. "...For I have never felt nor asked for it in my life. But please, I beg you honorable Fate Sisters… let all of this pain I have experienced and endured in service to you and the world be worth it. Let all I have done not be in vain, let the seeds of change I planted bear fruits of kindness and love after I ascend into the sky."

He sucked a breath between his heaving sobs. "...And let no other man experience my pain. The loss and grief I have experienced, both physical and mental… I beg you. I will do it all again to save them from that fate… but please, let no other have to follow in my footsteps. Let this be the end. Let my sacrifices today save the world and humanity. Let them be better off for it."

He sniffed to help compose himself, sensing a figure behind him. "No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan Law. And by Spartan Law… we will stand… and fight… and die."

It wasn't until a minute later that the person behind him said something. "...You know, Zeus may not be so keen to accept an offering from you." Percy spoke up from behind the large man. The rest of Camp gave him a wide berth, so they were left to speak in peace. Percy couldn't have been more grateful.

"I'm aware." Leonidas answered, using his slow fingers to wipe the water from his face. He slowly rose from the ground with a little difficulty and patted the lions' marble main. "But I must follow tradition. We are preparing for war, if I agree with Zeus or not, it doesn't matter."

Percy made a point to not say anything about Leonidas crying in front of him. He instead inspected the large man in front of him. He was still the same intimidating height, but he had lost some notable weight. If Percy had to guess, he'd say that he had lost at least 50lbs(22.6kg) in the last two weeks alone, a very alarmingly large amount.

When Percy had first laid eyes on Leonidas, he resembled a literal god with his enormous height and weight, added with his intimidating aura and unnatural beauty. His skin used to almost radiat in the light. His bright amber eyes once shone like flickering orange flames. Everything about him was breathtaking, every part of him was just outside the normal realms of beauty and human achievement. But now… now everything that once stood out about him was gone.

His once radiating skin was now dull, lifeless, patchy and tattered. All of his various scars and wounds he had received in his punishing life were visible on his skin like burning graffiti.

His once bright amber eyes were dull and sunken in and several dark bags could be seen under them. His cheeks were thinner than they once were, almost as sunken in as a dead mans'. If his twitching right eye was anything to go by, he was in worse shape than he was letting on.

His once impressive muscles and body were a shadow of his former self. His collarbone and ribs could be seen through his thinning skin. Every movement of his left arm caused the fingers on his left hand to twitch as if they were ghosting invisible musical strings. He tried to hide it, but Percy could also see his heavily muscled chest heaving from the simple act of walking. Percy took all of this in within a few seconds, thinking to himself how Leonidas now resembled an inhabitant of Hades more than a living man.

Letting out a breath, Percy nodded to the slightly older man. "Are you sure you're up to fight today, Leonidas?" He asked, even from here he couldn't sense the powerful aura he once emitted. "You may be able to hide it from the others, but you and I spent a lot of time together, and as the closest demigod to you in terms of power… I can tell that you aren't even close to where you were when we first met."

The giant man was slow to respond, taking his time looking off at the horizon. "...You are correct, brother. I have never been this weak in my life." He clenched his fist and was annoyed at how long it took for his numb fingers to react.

"But do not worry, brother, after today I will never feel pain again. I will steal Immortality for myself and Eos once we climb Olympus. If we manage to steal two Golden Apples before the Titans arrive…" His dull amber eyes flared a brighter orange for a brief second, looking to Percy with a hint of a grin at the corner of his lips. "Then I shall be at full health and full power, I will have no drawbacks to my immense strength. My bones will no longer break, my body will no longer strain at the stress, my heart will no longer threaten to stop." His expression then became serious as his eyes scanned up the building before them. "If you wish to win this day and protect the lives of those dear to you, brother, then get me up to Olympus. Try to convince the gods to grant me Immortality, help me steal it if you have to, but I promise you, if I am not at full strength today then we will lose. You cannot do this alone. Only the two of us together stand a chance against this army of Tartarus. But if I were to become Immortal... then no being on this earth will be able to stand against me."

He looked back to Percy, his face hinting at a hopeful expression. "...I have never been able to fight at my full, untapped power before, brother. And neither, I know, have you." He raised his heavy arm and pointed to the coin sized Celestial Bronze charm on Percy's necklace that held the trident he received from his father. "If you and I do not give it our all today and fight at our true power, then we will lose. Your demigods will die, the city shall be stroyed, Olympus shall fall and all of humanity will soon follow. Fight by my side as I give my last battle my all. The two of us at our full power will be unstoppable." He gripped his meaty hand tight and looked to the heavens above them.

"So I tell you this, brother, unleash your unbridled fury and might upon the coming horde. Show them why you are named 'Perseus', the Destroyer. Why you, out of all the demigods on this earth have been granted Domains. Channel the might of your father and the seas and the earth through your trident and harness it in your very soul. Then, and only then, will we be able to stand against the coming threat." He paused to offer Percy his hand, they gripped each other's wrist tightly in a sign of respect and friendship.

"And then the Son of Poseidon and the Son of Heracles, the Sons of Might and Seas will charge into battle with a righteous fury, never before seen in the entirety of the cosmos. We shall ride into battle on steeds of the skies, bearing down our heavenly might unto our enemies. The seas shall rise into the sky, the earth shall shatter under our feet and the heavens shall split apart." He looked up to the sky with a smile. "The demigods a hundred years from now shall sing songs of our mighty battle, Hades will have to resurrect Homer and Shakespeare to be able to write our story and weave it in the very stars so that every mortal and god that will come after us knows what we did. The two mightiest sons of the gods uniting as one to combat the devilish hordes of Tartarus." He lifted his tattered hand and cupped the outline of the sun above them. "Never before and never again will a greater battle be fought. What shall happen today… will no doubt change the very Tapestry of Fate for the good. Today… we achieve our Fates."

Percy clenched the enchanted coin on his necklace among the clay beads. "...I've been having visions the last few nights." He told the taller man. "Before I only felt a sense of dread and anxiety, like I knew I had to do something but didn't know what it was… but now, I see us fighting the Titans on Olympus, parallelling the vision Rachel saw and painted in her cave. She thought that we would be fighting against each other, but I believe that we were destined to fight with each other. I have the feeling that we were destined to stand together as well, Leonidas. The two mightiest sons of Olympus fighting together, could you imagine if we had met when we were younger under different circumstances?"

Leonidas nodded. "It would be marvelous indeed. If Fate were different, then I could have been found as a boy by a Satyr and brought to Camp Half-Blood a few years before you. Then I would have no doubt that you and I could have been great friends."

"Even brothers." Percy smiled to the larger man. "If only the Fates weren't so cruel. They had to pit us against each other for awhile instead of letting us fight together."

It was quiet between them as they watched the campers prepare for war around them with vacant eyes. Finally, Percy spoke up. "You ever wonder if our roles could have been reversed?"

Leonidas was slow to reply. "...You mean that you were given the destiny by the Fates to save the world by destroying Zeus and I was the loyal servant to Olympus?" He asked with a curious tone, shrugging one shoulder. "It's possible, perhaps. If your loyalty to humanity was more than your loyalty to the gods, it could be. Or if the Fates wished for me, the grandson of Zeus and the son of the most famous hero and god of Olympus to be their warrior instead of you." He slowly shrugged again. "If Fate were weaved in another way, it's possible. But I am of the belief that everything happens as it should. Be it my mother and father finding each other, my birth, the death of my mother and the only people I loved until Eos. Even our conversation here today. Everything is preordained, brother, that is what I believe. I was destined to change the gods by killing Zeus while you were destined to try to stop me at first. We cannot change anything even if we tried."

"You wouldn't change anything?"

Leonids thought about it for a second. "I haven't put much thought into it, but no. Even though I have lived through terrible experiences, seen and have been the cause of numerous deaths, have broken myself for my Fate and even died at the hands of my father before I killed him… I believe that everything happens for a reason. All I have done, everything I have experienced has shaped me into the man I am today. I may be flawed, but I am the man the Fates wish me to be."

"But if I had to change something, I'd ask to be given more time with you and everyone at camp." He told Percy with a hint of a smile. "I have grown to care about everyone there as if they were my family, and like you, I am loyal to my family until the end." He let out a depressed sigh. "I wish this weren't the last time I would be able to see them. I wish I could mend the relationships I broke before I have to leave with Eos tonight."

That made Percy pause for a few seconds, thinking it over in his head. He didn't want to ask it, but he had to know. "...You're not planning on coming back once you ascend into the sky, are you?"

He didn't miss how Leonidas avoided his eyes. "...No." He mumbled softly. "Once we have finished today and we have stolen Immortality, Eos and I will take Astraea into her realm in the sky beyond the edges of the earth to live in never ending peace among the stars for all eternity. And unfortunately, I will be unable to see the fruits of my Labor once we ascend into the sky." He let out a slow, heavy sigh. "Once I have left this mortal realm, the duty to protect this world will fall to another as decided by the Fates, but let us pray that they choose a mortal who can survive what it means to be one of us," he looked to Percy briefly. "An instrument of Fate."

"Chaos help whoever they pick after us." Percy muttered under his breath, Leonidas able to hear him. "Because once this is over I'm leaving the Greek world behind, for good." He nodded in affirmation to himself. "I'm fine risking my own life in order to protect the ones I love and the world, but it's not just me anymore. I have not only Annabeth to worry about, but our child as well. And I would rather fight Chaos with my bare hands then let them go through what I have endured."

The giant man was silent for a minute before speaking up, not looking to Percy. "I assume that the campers still have not forgiven me?"

Percy let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "I'm afraid not." He admitted. "And a lot of them will probably never forgive you. I can name a dozen people off the top of my head that would rather see you die then let you fight beside us." He gave the other man a reassuring look. "But don't worry, I'll keep them in line. We demigods are stubborn, some of them can't let go of what happened so easily. Clovis and Damien were family, y'know?"

"What about you, brother?" Leonidas asked. "Can you forgive me for what I have done?"

"...I think I can." Percy admitted after a few seconds thought. "I'm not a kid anymore, I can't let my emotions control me like they used to. It's time I grew up so that when this is all over, Annabeth and I can leave the Greek world and begin a new life with our child." The Son of Poseidon bit his lower lip. "You're not the only one fighting for everything he has today, Leonidas. I'm fighting for the love of my life as well, same as you."

Leonidas hesitated for a second before looking to where Percy stood beside him. "And I'm fighting for my child, same as you."

Percy did a double take. "I'm sorry, what?" He blinked a few times, his eyes wide, "You're a father too?" The giant man nodded. "Is Eos pregnant too?"

Leonidas shook his head. "No, she had our child almost a year ago." He told the man he considered his brother. "In fact, she was born on your birthday, brother, the eighteenth of August." He smiled with his dull, sunken eyes. "I believe it to be a sign."

"A sign of what?" Percy asked hesitantly.

The son of Sparta let out a breath through his nose, nodding to himself a few times. He then looked to Percy with a slight smile. "A sign that she will one day achieve a great destiny and be a great hero like you, brother." He told Percy honestly as his eyes moved to the heavens. "I pray that she never has to fight, but the life of a half-blood is never easy. You never know what will happen."

"Do you know what you will be having?"

Percy shook his head. "Nah, Lady Hera or Lady Eileithyia may have been able to tell me, but I'd prefer Annabeth be able to be told at the same time."

Leonidas nodded, understanding. "What do you want?"

Percy shrugged. "Haven't really thought about it, y'know? I haven't really thought of it as anything other than an 'it' yet. With everything I've done preparing for the Promised Day I haven't had a second to think about it. It hasn't really sunk in yet, y'know?" He shrugged again, leaning on the blockade. "I guess a son would be cool, I'd get to do all the father-son stuff with him I never got to do, but I don't really care. The kid could be a pegasis for all I care." He ended with a chuckle. "All I care is that they live long enough for me to get to meet them."

Leonidas nodded with a somber expression. "I'm sorry again for what I did to Annabeth, brother. If I had known she was with child I wouldn't have-"

"I know." Percy cut him off softly. "I forgive you."

The two stood like that in comfortable silence as four hundred half-bloods and Legacies ran around them like crazy ants. After another minute of silence Percy spoke, keeping his eyes ahead. "You're risking a lot by coming here today, Leonidas, I know that. So thank you."

The giant man let out a slow breath before looking to the east where the sunrise was no longer visible. "...Today is the day," he told his friend. "I can feel it in the wind. Eos will die today if I do not steal Immortality for us. Her time, along with mine, is at its end. If we do not become Immortal by dusk, we will both die."

Percy's eyes widened upon hearing this, he made a step forward but stopped himself from putting a hand on Leonidas' shoulder. Knowing that it wouldn't help him. "...I'm sorry, Leonidas." Percy whispered after a few seconds, not knowing what to say. "I wish I could help."

The lion clad man put on a fake smile, the light in his once vibrant eyes all but gone. "Thank you, brother. But it as the Fates decree, not even we, the most powerful demigods on earth, can change it." He dropped the fake smile and looked back to the east and where Eos was. "Besides… my mother used her last dying breaths to tell me my Fate, my destiny. I shall achieve a feat above any man or god before me. I shall reunite with my father one day, climb Mount Olympus to claim my dreams and rise into the sky and live among the stars forever." He told Percy as he repeated the words his mother told him all those years ago. "That, is my Fate, and that is what is going to happen."

He turned to the man he called his brother and looked him in the eye. "...I have never felt this… at peace before." He told him as he thought it out loud. "I can feel it, brother, my destiny shall arrive this day. Today, I shall be free of the tethers of this earth."

xxxXxxx

~Well, let's get started, shall we?~

xxxXxxx

They saw buildings fall and crumble into dust in the distance before they ever saw the opposing army.

The approaching noise was like thundering artillery shells continuously bombarding a bunker combined with a roaring pride of lions. The Lincoln tunnel only amplified the cacophonous, ground trembling roar of the Titans and Monsters.

Luckily for the demigods, the Athena and Ares cabins predicted they'd attack from this route so they lined the roofs of the nearby buildings with trebuchets and ballistas and opened fire as soon as the enemy army was within range.

"Let the heavens bare down their righteous fury!" Reyna yelled as she lead the forces guarding the Lincoln Tunnel. "Open fire!"

The trebuchets launched great clay orbs of Greek Fire at the endless hordes of Monsters streaming in while the ballistas hurled their Celestial Bronze bolts at the army. Soon, Pier 78 was all but engulfed by the wisping and ever growing flames that incinerated the hordes of Hellhounds and Dracaenae faster than they could climb over the ash covered corpses of their fallen.

"It is as you predicted, Malcolm," Reyna told the head of the Athena cabin via an Iris Message set up by Amethyst and Fleecy to allow all of the various leaders communicate, no matter how spread out they were. "The Titans sent the least valuable Monsters first. Shame our hidden defenses will be used on them instead of the Titans."

Malcolm shrugged from the other side of the IM. "True, but at least the chaos and destruction will keep them from progressing so recklessly for a little bit. They have no idea what other traps we could have. They'll be cautious." He paused briefly to nod to someone out of sight, giving them instructions. "Let's just hope we can keep them back on this end. They're attacking from Queens Midtown Tunnel as well as the Holland Tunnel, the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. We're almost defenseless along the Hudson River, so let's hope Percy's group of Sea Deities are up to the task."

The war was going well for the first five minutes until Percy's biggest fear came true. The Commissioner was only able to evacuate the island of Manhattan, nothing else. So without the power of the gods to put the mortal world asleep or hide their presence with magic, there was nothing to hide the Greek world.

Percy could hear the collective gasps of the demigods around him as they felt the sky above them shimmer just as the peak of the Solstice hit. The son of the seas forced himself to look up and his breath was immediately ripped from his lungs.

Olympus was visible above the Empire State Building. In other words…

...The Greek world was visible to the Mortal world for the first time in two thousand years.

Percy's inward cursing was cut short when he heard the roar of helicopter blades entering the city from above the East River. He was given a split second to make a decision that could literally change the course of history.

"Jason!" Percy cried as he pointed to the speck in the distance. "Stop the helicopter from getting any closer! Take it down if you have to! The mortals can't see Olympus!"

The son of Jupiter hesitated just long enough for Malcolm to speak up next to them. "That won't do anything! By now every military satellite in the country has picked it up!" He pointed up to the literal floating city above them. "The world knows we're here, and soon… the military will try to get involved."

Percy shook his head of his worries, facing Jason with a serious expression. "I don't care! Jason! That's a news copter, if it gets any closer the entire world will see us! Go!"

Jason didn't waste another second and jumped into the air and flew like a rocket towards the helicopter.

Percy sensed a powerful aura behind him and turned to face the Commissioner. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

The old mustachioed man shook his head slowly. "No, sorry. I simply don't have the authorization to shut down the entire state. And even if I did, it wouldn't stop the mortals from seeing us."

Percy hit his fist on the wooden table, knocking over a few pieces representing battle formations. "Shit!" He ran his fingers through his hair as his brain went at lightspeed trying to come up with a solution. And it seemed that he found one because he suddenly turned to the Commissioner again. "Do we have an ETA on your friends? You said they could fly, right?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, two of them can. They're carrying the fourth member here as we speak. Unfortunately, all I could gather on such short notice was four half-bloods. One of them, the son of Rongomai, will stay in the mouth of the Upper Bay where he is the most effective while the two that can fly will help form a barrier-"

"Can you tell them to join Jason, my sister Kym and I as we create a massive storm cloud around the island?" Percy cut the old man off. "It might not stop satellites, but if we create a big enough storm then we can stop more helicopters or even the Airforce from entering the city."

The group around him was silent for a few seconds as his plan sunk in. Piper looked to him with a worried expression. "Percy, in order to create a storm of the size you're talking about, it'll take up a lot of your strength. Not to mention how long it'll take to form. I don't think Jason can keep you suspended in the air for that long-"

"I'll get you into the sky, brother. The son of Jupiter isn't the only being with control over the skies." Leonidas rolled up to the group of demigods in a golden-red chariot pulled by a team of two Immortal horses, small flames of light trailing behind the wheels. "Eos' chariot can get us into the clouds faster than even the son of Jupiter. From there we can safely gather us many storm clouds as we wish."

Percy didn't even hesitate for a second before jumping onto the back of the enchanted chariot. He gave a few last orders to the Council about telling his sister and the Sea Deities the plan before he, Leonidas and Jason flew off towards the center of the island.

With the trident he received from his father upon being granted the Domain over Storms and Earthquakes, Percy raised the weapon over his head and began summoning as much power as he could over the water and air around him as the battle for humanity and the world battled on below them.

~Just a small page break to get myself mentally ready~

"Gnnnaaaahhh!" Percy let out a roar as he swung the trident over his head, the hurricane level winds and thousands of gallons of water in the air around him spun in a vortex around him. But it wasn't enough, he simply couldn't gather up enough power in such a short amount of time to do it alone.

So his sister, Kymopoleia, and her gathering of minor Sea Deities, along with Jason and the two newcomers that the Commissioner sent to aid them, joined in and began channeling all their collective power over the sky, storms and air.

Percy was about to ask who the newcomers were when he heard a great crack in the sky and found the news helicopter Jason chased off had returned and subsequently hit by a flaming taxi thrown by a Titan. He was too high up in the sky to do anything and he didn't know what these two new people could do, so he put his trust in his friend.

"Jason!" He roared over the sky around them, pointing to the falling helicopter. "The helicopter!"

The son of Jupiter didn't even respond, instead shooting off like a missile towards the helicopter with the intent to somehow catch or stop it from falling. Percy knew in his heart that while fast, Jason couldn't do it alone.

He was suddenly broken from his thoughts when Leonidas, who had been steering the chariot, ran off the edge and jumped into the sky. He threw his mighty arms back and propelled himself at a skyscraper just below the falling helicopter. The son of Heracles impacted the glass of the building like a meteor but didn't waste a second before launching himself upwards off of it and literally catching the news copter above his head before it hit the building.

Percy could barely make out the passengers and pilot jump from the helicopter as soon as Leonidas brought it within three feet of the building's roof. He didn't know what they saw as mortals, but he could also make out a man carrying a large news camera on his shoulder with it aimed right at Leonidas for the briefest of seconds before the son of Heracles jumped off of the building onto the road below, shattering the ground beneath his feet.

A second later an IM appeared right next to Percy's head. "Brother," Leonidas sounded extremely winded and in pain, but proceeded nonetheless. "You and I are more effective on the ground where the heart of the army lies. Let the son of Jupiter and those that can fly tend to the air, the Titans are breaking the edge of the city as we speak, you and I should challenge them head on! If we do not stop the Titans then the others will fall. Only we can stand against them!"

Leonidas was right, Percy knew that. So despite how much he could help with forming a wall of storms around the island, Percy gripped the reigns of the chariot and lead the horses to the street below. From up above him, Percy could see the two newcomers were battling a flying Titan at the edges of the city.

They were very… odd. They were so far away that Percy couldn't make them out fully, but they gave off different auras then either Leonidas, the Monsters, Titans or the gods. Making Percy wonder if they were perhaps children of other Pantheons.

The first was a tall, lean, dark-skinned man riding on top of a flaming thundercloud wielding a small, double headed battle axe that crackled with lightning and sparked flame with every swing. He flew up to the Titan and flying Monsters with guts and a ferocity that would make Ares wince and shouted just as much as Leonidas did as he swung his battle axe. He had a voice like thunder, and a mouth that spewed fire whenever he spoke or shouted in the sky.

The second man was even more odd. He had waves of green, red and golden energy and light ripple off his body like thousands of fluttering feathers as he flew in a serpentine pattern high in the sky as he sent waves of air like scythes at the Titan. Percy knew for sure that he wasn't the son of any Greek, Roman, Norse or Egyptian god they had ever seen.

It wasn't long before Jason and Nico, fellow descendants of the Big Three, joined Percy and Leonidas at the front of the battalion at 8th Avenue and East 34th Street. Each of them was adorned in new armor made by Tyson and his fellow Cyclops for just this occasion.

Nico's armor was a shining black of Stygian Iron bearing a helm that resembled his father's Helm of Darkness. The Stygian Iron sword that could sever soul from body in his hand as he dispatched a group of Monsters.

Jason wore a glistening set of Imperial Gold armor bearing the symbol for his father of the chestpiece. He took to the skies a few meters above the others, casting down lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the never ending horde of darkness.

Percy was adorned in a shimmering assortment of Celestial Bronze armor that protected his skin from magic and his Mortal Spot from all harm.

While Leonidas wore his signature perfectly polished and mended traditional Spartan armor, the Nemean Lion Skin around his shoulders as an indestructible cloak and wore the Golden Fleece around his muscular chest.

They eyed the army in front of them and kept a wary eye on the battered defenses behind them. With a wordless nod between the four of them, the three Wolves and one Lion of Olympus tore down the barren street yelling a warcry as they neared the engulfing horde.

"FOR OLYMPUS!"

"GrrrAAAAAHHH!" Leonidas, with his mighty warhammer above his head, launched himself at a pair of Titans while Nico and Jason kept a Hydra at bay with their superior reach thanks to their abilities.

Percy, on the other hand, ran straight down the middle of the street and slammed the butt of his trident inches deep into the road. "GHAAAA!"

'CrrrrBBBAAAMMM!' The entire street for the next several blocks erupted into the sky as if dozens of bombs detonated under it. He didn't pay much mind to the AMC theater on his left when it to crumbed to the ground, however. This was a battle for all humanity, they didn't have time to worry about the buildings around them. If they failed today then it wouldn't matter. Everything would be gone.

The dozens of Monsters slogged forwards through tangible shadows that Nico summoned from the pits of Hades, slowing them down enough for Jason to easily obliterate them with thunderbolts taken from his father's realm.

A blood curdling cry of a beast echoed down the canyons of the city, causing all the hair of the four demigod's bodies to stand on end. A mass of trembling fur and tusk barreled down the demolished street at them. It took Percy a few seconds to register that it was a giant boar. Emphasis on the giant. It dwarfed all the Titans and Monsters around it easily. Percy had only seen something this big in the sea before, but here it was. Nearly 150 feet tall from hoof to shoulder. Even the Titans in front of it ran to get out of the way as it passed them, making Percy realize that they should too. But if they did then the infirmary and hundreds of demigods around the ESB would be killed, so he and the others stood their ground.

Percy was just about to shout his half-cocked plan to the others when Leonidas barreled forwards like an out of control berserker, his meaty hands being covered with his enchanted gauntlets that increased his already insane strength by ten as they threw his warhapper to the side.

"GrrrAAAAAHHH!" The son of Sparta tore down the street towards the gigantic beast.

Percy tried to reach out to stop him but it was too late. "Leonidas! What are you-"

But he only bellowed louder as he and the beast got closer. The giant boar lowered it's four tusks that were longer than buses and increased speed upon seeing the challenge.

"Father," Leonidas mumbled to himself as he charged the beast. "Kratos, divine incarnation of Strength. Zeus, god of gods. King Leonidas of Sparta, give me the strength to destroy this beast!" He let out a shout as the boar reached him, but instead of being skewered, he swatted the massive tusk aside, pulled his right arm back, clenched his gauntlet covered fist and threw it like a rocket-propelled planet at the side of the boar's dripping snout.

'BOOOOOOM!'

The shockwave alone nearly burst Percy's eardrums. He, Jason and Nico had to jump behind a flaming bus in order to dodge the asteroid field of debris that launched in all directions. As soon as the dust settled the three ran into the silence to try to find the son of Sparta.

"Leonidas!" Percy called as he jumped over a destroyed taxi. "Leo-" His breath stopped short at the sight in front of him. The colossal boar was lying dead on its side, its entire face caved in and destroyed. Its head was snapped to the side, half embedded in what was once a dinner. But it was what stood on shaking legs that stopped Percy.

Leonidas became visible in the veil of dust, his body still in the position of a thrown punch. His legs were braced and spaced apart and his left arm was pulled back to protect his face, but his right arm was slack against his side. The muscle and bone was visible to the air and was a mixture of blood red and bluish black. His entire arm below the shoulder was contorted like it was thrown into an industrial grinder. Leonidas kept his footing for three more seconds before sinking to his knees.

Nico was just about to Shadow Travel Leonidas back to West Quoddy Head, Maine and back to Eos, when the fourth newcomer arrived on foot with Will and a few Apollo healers and began healing Leonidas in conjunction with the Golden fleece.

She had a mane of fiery red hair, much like Rachel's, but was braided up into a crown on top of her head. She was around thirtyfive, like the others he saw, and had a -was that Irish?- accent. Percy wasn't able to spare anymore time watching her quickly heal Leonidas because the Titans and Monsters that had lost their bearings after seeing the giant boar fall were quickly finding their courage and were beginning to charge down the road at them again. So despite how much he wanted to stay there to make sure Leonidas was okay, Percy threw the worries for the man he considered his brother aside for the moment and lead Jason and Nico down the war-torn road towards the approaching army.

~Page break~

"HrrrrAAAGGGHHH!" The lead Titan bellowed like a beast as it barreled into view down the street after just throwing Nico and Jason to the side like ragdolls.

It had been nearly an hour of hard fighting, but the endless hordes of Monsters and dozen Titans wouldn't let up and the sons of the Big Three were growing tired.

The Titan would have barreled straight past them and reached the ESB if Percy hadn't used the almost literal sea worth of water above his head, lent by his sister, to crash down on the Titan. Water, it seemed, was a good weapon to keep the coming horde back so that the hundreds of demigods guarding the ESB could regroup around the Argo II.

"Jason!" Percy called through the thin wall of dust and debris. "How's Nico?"

As if to give an answer, Jason hefted the son of Hades onto his shoulder and jumped into the sky to avoid another flaming taxi thrown by a Titan. Percy had never hated taxicabs more in his life. "He's not doing good!" Jason yelled back once he was at a safer distance. And of the blood dripping down his slack arm were anything to go by, he wasn't either. "If fly him back to the ESB then fly back to help you-"

"Belay that!" Percy cut him off with a shout as he dodged a Titan's fist. "You two aren't invulnerable like me, so you'll just wear yourself down until you fall!" He hated to do it, mostly because he was sending the last of his support away, but he couldn't risk the lives of his friends. "Get back to the ESB and have Clarisse engage the last of our defenses! Then pray to Chaos that he survive today and ask Kym to lend me a hand down here.

"But-" Jason cut himself off, knowing it was best not to argue. He instead asked a question. "What are you gonna do? You can't destroy the city like you did to the original Mount Olympus in Greece last time!"

"I'm gonna level the bridges around the city to buy us some time so I can head up to Olympus to ask the gods for help." Percy told him as he half ran, half fought his way towards them. Once he was within a few yards, Jason spoke up.

"Do you really think the gods can help us now?" Jason asked with a skeptical look. "If they could fight then don't you think that they would already be down here?"

"No idea." Percy gave a weak shrug before launching the torrent of tidal waves down the destroyed streets and pushing the army back. "But in both and Rachel's visions we saw me fighting off the army on Olympus, so I should be there anyway as a last line of defense. Anyway," He paused to suck a quick breath as he slammed his trident on the ground again, creating a shockwave that destroyed the last of the buildings in a few blocks radius around them. "I can't fight at my top level while worrying about you guys and the city. Yeah it's just a city, but I'd rather it still be here after today. If I can get up to Olympus I won't have to worry about collateral damage."

Jason nodded his head after a few seconds, agreeing despite all his instincts screaming at him to do otherwise. "Alright, I'll take Nico and Leonidas out of here-"

"No." A low baritone voice like the rumbling sky sounded behind them. The two demigods turned to see Leonidas struggle to his feet, the older Irish demigod trying in vain to pull him back down. "You know as I do brother that the vision depicted both you and I fighting the Titans on Olympus. The Fates made it clear that it would take both of us to stop the end of the world today." He slowly stepped up to Percy and held out his tattered but quickly healing hand. "Let us show those vile Titans what we are made of, brother. Let's climb Mount Olympus together to be the last line of defense."

~Just a page break reminding you to Follow me on Twitter~

With the aid of Kymopoleia and Nereus, Percy was able to destroy all of the bridges and tunnels leading onto the island to prevent the endless army from growing any larger. After that, Kymopoleia surprised Percy by appearing on land next to them and, with the aid of Nereus, held the Titan and Monster army back long enough for the demigods to reach the barricades at the Empire State Building. He and Leonidas had just entered the elevator leading up to Olympus when Kymopoleia IM'd him to tell him that because she was in such a weak state due to the Promised Day, had to flee to the ocean and that Nereus, her grandfather, would assist them just long enough for their group of Sea Deities to flee as well. So they would soon be on their own.

After thanking his halfsister and making sure she was okay, Percy ended the Iris Message and faced the large man next to him in the cramped elevator. "You didn't have to come, you know. You're already weak, you shouldn't put yourself at more risk."

Leonidas only shrugged his better shoulder, the Nemean Lion Cloak ruffling from the motion. "You would do the same for me, brother." The giant man replied with a grin. "So don't try to talk me out of it, you and I both know we're too stubborn to quit now."

Percy let out a breath before nodding. "Yeah, I know. But I'm worried about taking you up to Olympus." He told the slightly older man. "The gods don't know you're on our side, more or less. I know for sure that Zeus won't let us speak long enough to explain it either. We'd be lucky for even Demeter hearing us out."

Leonidas looked to him. "So what should we do?"

Percy ran a hand through his sweaty hair in thought. "I think it'd be best if you wait by the gates as I head into the Throne Room to talk to the gods. This way they won't know you're here and they can't sense you since they're too weak."

Leonidas let out a defeated sigh. "Even when I plan to unite with them to defend this world, they still fear me and treat me as an enemy.' He gave a heavy nod as he but his shield on his back and let his weapons disappear into the tattoos on his arms. "But you're right, this is the best way."

The two most powerful demigods in history reached the Gates of Olympus soon after that. Percy had expected to be met with an army of Zeus' most powerful warriors, not a line of depressed looking minor gods looking towards the Gates with defeated and vacant eyes like they had already accepted their death. It made Percy's heart drop, it looked like the entirety of Olympus had already given in to despair.

After running at full speed down the cracking golden roads, Percy burst into the Throne Room only to find an arrow at his face.

"It is good to see you after so long, Percy, but may I suggest not kicking our door down next time?"

Percy was met at the door by Artemis, Apollo and Athena, all in their full armor, weapons drawn. Artemis and Apollo gave him a brief greeting while Athena stayed back a few steps, looking at Percy with unblinking, worried eyes. He gave them a quick apology before heading to the center of the Throne Room and facing Zeus, who didn't look quite so happy to see him.

"Why have you come here, demigod?" Zeus asked in a level tone, in no way hiding his immense hatred for Percy.

Percy gestured to the Gates. "Because, if you hadn't noticed, Olmypus is under attack. And Nereus and all the Sea Deities that helped us today just left back to the sea, so the only people protecting the ESB our my demigods." He was trying really, really hard to not just shout at him right now. "So now would be a good time to get off your butts and lend us a hand."

Zeus let out a low growl light trembling thunder, but Hera patted his hand before standing up and taking a step towards Percy. "I am truly sorry, Percy, but we cannot. We are too weak." She stepped up to him and put a delicate hand on his shoulder. "You are a truly honorable and determined man, but we have to accept the chance that the Fate Sisters simply don't wish for us to survive today. Perhaps it is our Fate to die." She then gave him a smile that didn't really reassure him but made him feel a little calmer. "You have done all you can, but it is more than enough. Take your demigods and flee this country to somewhere out of the Titans' reach. Live to fight another day."

Percy took a step back, letting her hand fall. He shook his head adamantly. "Not without all of you." He told them with a determined face. "I don't care if I have to carry all of you on my back, I'll get you all out of here safely! If we can manage to outrun the Titans until tomorrow then your powers will come back-"

He was cut off when his father stepped up next to him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "It means the world to us that even after all of this you're willing to fight for us," He paused to pull back to look at his son, his head shaking slowly. "But Hera is right, the battle is lost, we will die today."

"No, I refuse to accept that!" Percy took a bold step forward and eyed every member of the Council. "Have you all admitted defeat so easily? How? If we don't stand up against the Titans then the entire world will fall. You have to do something!"

"But we cannot do anything." Zeus spoke up now, his eyes less angry than before. "We are too weak to fight, too weak to leave Olympus even. We cannot fight with you."

"There might be a way!" Artemis spoke up suddenly, she ran up to Hera's side, her bow gripped tightly in her hand. "We may not be able to fight the Titans, but we may be able to give Percy the power to do so."

The queen of the gods' eyes lit up as she looked from Artemis to Percy then back to Artemis. "Y-you might be onto something, Artemis. It might very well be the only way." She nodded to herself and faced Percy again. She spoke like a true queen, her voice firm and level like she were commanding an army. "Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, demigod of Storms and Earthquakes, step forward." Percy did so, though hesitantly. "Kneel." She told him and he did after a second.

Once he was kneeled before the queen of the gods, she called the other gods in the Throne Room to gather around him in a tight circle. All of them but Zeus and Ares did, making Percy curious and even more worried. She then placed a dimly glowing hand on his head, the rest of the gods following suit. She then looked down at him with a sad expression like she was sending him to his death.

"In return for your selfless dedication to us and the world, the Council has decided to offer you this to aid in your defense of us and this world. For so as long as breath fills our lungs, you shall possess the power to fight." Then suddenly all of the hands on his head began to glow brighter. "We will briefly conjoin our combined powers into your bodies, an act that could very well destroy your very soul if you are not strong enough to endure the pain."

She then paused and Percy could see a tear forming in her eyes, making him even more worried about what was going on. "For if you two cannot bear the pain, you shall die. And if that were to happen, the world shall fall." The glow began to quickly engulf him and he could for some reason sense Leonidas back at the Gates as he felt power surge into him. "We offer you this, our Champions…" The glow became blinding and he felt as if he was being ripped apart atom by atom. "The Blessing of Olympus."


(Author's Note)

DANG! That was a big one, wasn't it. This chapter alone changed SO MUCH you guys don't even know. Can't spoil anything so I'll leave it at that.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, let me know what you thought of it in a Review. If you're reading this and have never left a Review before, why not leave one? I can't know you're enjoying it if not.

No idea when ch19 will be out. I have to finish getting ready for my next project to come out on November 1st. So it might be a few weeks until ch19, sorry. Watch out for that and Follow me on here and on Twitter so you don't miss out on anything I upload.

Please let me know if you'd be willing to support me on P-a-t-r-e-a-n. I've thought of getting one for awhile but won't unless a few people say they will.

Also, I'm starting a new thing on Twitter(follow me, btw) where I create a FanFic Author Support Thread where FanFic authors and fans retweet, follow, like and find new stories to read. I know most fanfic authors don't have a twitter dedicated to their writing, but I want to help those that do the most I can. So if you guys have a twitter, PLEASE follow me and add to the thread and help support your favorite authors and stories. If your favorite author isn't on twitter then just give their name and your favorite stories by them. I only have 26 followers as of writing this and I know the followers of the authors I listed, so let's help them out, okay?

Fun Fact: If the dates on my docs are to believed(and I almost always date my docs), then I created my first doc for COO in June of 2018, well over a year ago. That's just… wow. I can't even fathom that. I've spent over a year on this story… that's crazy. Well, it's been a good run. I have a series in the works that'll take COO's place as my longest running project(at the time). It's three stories right now. More info to come later, might announce it on Pat-reon first. Hint hint, wink wink.

But the longest project I'll ever do will probably be my "PJ Rewritten for Pertemis' series in the works. It'll be a rewrite of the ENTIRE 10 book main series plus an original book or two. STILL have no idea how I'll do that.

Question of the day: 'What do you like or dislike about Leonidas?' Be as specific as possible and feel free to use examples from the story. Not trying to stroke my ego or something, just want to know if you guys like him for the same reasons I do.

Bonus Question of the day: 'Given with you all know know about Leonidas, what Hogwarts House would you put him in?' I wanted to ask this question months ago, but back then we didn't know much about him, and as we're nearing the end I figured it was time to ask. I honestly think it's between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, he has the courage and bravery down- I mean, of course he does, look who his dad is- but he's loyal, hardworking and determined as well. Let me know.

Next Time: Ch19: Among The Stars Forever