Everyone sprang over to a different direction when Thorn pounced. Thorn landed at the foot of Napoleon's tomb, eyeing the gem in Percy's hand. Thorn sent three missiles at Percy, who deflected them with his shield. Thankfully, this time, the shield didn't dent or anything, and the darts bounced off it harmlessly.
"I see you've upgraded your shield; it'll do you no good," said Thorn. He ran towards Percy and slashed at him with his claws. Percy blocked the blows with his shield and struck at Thorn's flank. His sword connected with one of Thorn's claws and celestial bronze met thick-as-iron claws. Thorn swatted Percy away, sending the half-blood flying into the air. As he was spinning he threw the gem all the way over to Annabeth.
"Run!" said Percy when he hit the ground. Annabeth, Katie, and Danny ran off while Percy fought Thorn to distract him. When they got outside they startled a lot of French citizens and tourists since their weapons were still in their hands.
"We shouldn't split up, he can pick us off one by one if we do," said Katie.
"I don't like it as much as you do, but we have to. We need to distract Thorn somehow," said Annabeth.
"I got an idea?" said Danny. He ran over to the museum's gift store, took two emerald colored rock candies off the shelves, and paid the scared manager three euros. Once done, he ran back towards the others.
"One of us will hide the gem while the other two will distract Thorn long enough," said Danny. They shuffled the gem and the two candies around. Once the switch was done they heard the sounds of Thorn and Percy's fight coming closer.
"Let's go now!" said Annabeth. The three took off in a different direction just as Percy burst through the entrance. Thorn was shooting off his spikes at him left and right, forcing Percy to stay down under his shield. Thorn, seeing that Percy was too pre-occupied deflecting his incoming strikes, struck the shield with his claws so hard that Percy was knocked from the museum's steps into the gift shop, smashing through the glass. Screaming citizens and tourists ran off away from him, the Mist shrouded what they were truly seeing, but they knew he was something bad. Thorn's multicolored eyes scanned the crowds for signs of any demigods. He caught sight of Annabeth's blond hair, though hard to pick out, running towards the Arc. He bounded after her, jumping over cars and people to get to her.
Annabeth ran as fast as she could towards the Arc, hoping to get away. Thorn was catching up fast to her, pushing screaming mortals out his way. He got up to her at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He swiped at Annabeth, causing her to jump in the air from the swipe and turn around to face him, dagger and shield ready.
"Last time we met I kidnapped you. You won't be so lucky this time," said Thorn.
"Wasn't counting on it," said Annabeth. She charged at Thorn, hoping to slash him in the head. Thorn intercepted the blow with his tail and swung to send Annabeth spiraling over to one of the columns. She hit the column with her back and slumped to the ground dazed. Thorn rushed at her and swiped down with his claws, but not fast enough as Annabeth had blocked her face with her shield. Her shield was not as strong as Percy's and the claws left deep claw marks going down the shield. Thorn grabbed the shield with both paws and threw it to the other side, Annabeth still attached to the straps. Unluckily for her the gem fell out of her hands.
Thorn went down to retrieve it and clutched it in his paw. As he looked he saw the gem was deformed and cracked. It wasn't the gem at all, but just a piece of candy. That meant that either the the girl or the boy half-blood had it. He bounded off after them, sniffing in the air to catch their scent. Annabeth lay down, knocked out, by the column.
Katie ran down a street lined with cafes as fast as she could. People around her step back startled. It's not everyday you see a teenage girl running with a sword and shield. This was one of the those 'Don't try this at home' moments. Katie looked back around her shoulder from time to time to see if she was being followed. Thankfully she wasn't, but that doesn't mean slow down. When she got to the end of the street she ended up on the road parallel to the Seine River. She could see the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame in the distance. If she could make it there, she might have a chance against defending against Thorn.
Tearing down the road, avoiding traffic, she ran towards them. At the start of the intersection Thorn jumoed in fromt of her, halting her on the spot.
"Half-blood, give me the gem and shall not harm you," said Thorn.
"Fat chance. You're going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands," said Katie, readying Jolt and Static.
"That can be arranged," said Thorn. He hurled five large spikes at her. Katie jumped to the side to avoid them and sent a bolt of lightning out of Jolt. Thorn dodged the bolt and pounced on her. He landed on her shield and sent Katie to the ground. She stabbed upwards with Jolt and managed to slash a part of his leg. Thorn howled in pain and jumped off her. Katie got to her feet and prepared to defend again. Thorn circled her, ready to know the exact moment when to strike. Katie decided to take the initiative and charged straight towards him.
She blocked a blow from his tail and claws and manged to slide under his head and slash a bit of his mane off. Thorn was really pissed now and swung his tail at her. She ducked under it and sent another lightning bolt from the sky at him. The lightning hit him square in the chest and he was shot through the air into a bakery. Seeing that he was incapacitated now Katie took off running towards her initial objective.
She was halfway there when Thorn caught up to her, his body coated with flour and a croissant dangling in his mane. He was really angry now and attacked Katie with all the strength he could muster. Katie fought back just as hard, the two locked in a an epic close-quarters battle. Thorn tried one last trick. He swiped at Katie from below, but instead of trying to claw her face off his claws skidded on the ground to make sparks and the sparks were flung into Katie's face. As she tried to rub her eyes, Thorn's tail smashed into her and she flew into a wall and slumped down, also unconscious.
Breathing heavily, Thorn morphed back into his human form and walked over to her, limping slightly from his leg injury. When he got there he pried her hand open to see another deformed piece of candy. He howled with rage, knowing that now he had to chase after the boy. For all he knew the boy could be anywhere. However, as he pondered a familiar scent caught his nose. Picking it up his eyes locked to where the Eiffel Tower was and with the help of his eyes he was able to locate his quarry: Danny was running towards the Eiffel Tower right now! Licking his lips in anticipation, Thorn morphed back into his monster form and bound off towards the bridge that led to the tower.
Danny was passing the Notre Dame as he ran, the gem put securely in his pocket. This was the real gem, which he had volunteered to take. Running now, he would look back to see if Thron may be following him. To his horror he saw the manticore dashing towards him, still far away, but catching up fast. Danny was under the Eiffel Tower now. He could reach the elevator and get to the top. He knew the elevator couldn't hold Thorn unsless he transformed into his human disguise, and when he did he would be vulnerable.
Danny boarded the elevator and clicked the button for the top floor. The door closed just as Thorn had crossed the bridge to this part of the city. Danny relaxed on the floor, panting to get his breathing under control. He tapped the Omega on his wristband and Lithos slid back to it's original form. He put Seismos in his sheath and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"How can I beat him?" he thought.
"Help will come soon,"his second thought said. Danny exhaled deeply, and looked through the viewing window. He could tell from the position that he was nearly at the top. He tapped his wristband and Lithos came out. He took out Seismos and readied to get off. Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened up he jumped off and circled the around the tiny observation deck. He nearly fell over when he felt a pounding weight hit the tower and shake the place, the sound getting closer and closer.
"Shit, he's climbing up."Danny circled more, feeling the weight get closer and closer to the top. Then, it stopped. Danny backed to one side as he listened and felt for any movements. Thorn was here, but where. When he got to the other side a set of claws came from behind and slashed his back. Danny yelled in pain as the claws ripped into his short and cut his back. He landed on the floor from the force of the blow.
Getting up he felt dizzy and his back was stinging with pain and felt wet, which meant he was bleeding. He saw Thorn staring at down at him, the manticore perched on the very top of the tower's pinnacle. He licked the claws that had slashed Danny across his back.
"Ahh, a son of Gaia. How does it feel to be hated by the gods who feel you are a threat. I believe one of them tried to get rid of you, am I wrong?" said Thorn. Danny didn't answer but instead got himself ready in a defensive stance.
"You do not have to fight me. I know what you want deep inside of you; revenge against the one who unjustly took what you held dear. Join me, and we can right the wrongs and have him imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus. All I need is the gem," said Thorn, extending his paw. The only answer Danny gave was a swipe form his sword that left a wide gash in his paw.
"Then I guess your answer is death!" screamed Thorn. He jumped and knocked into Danny. The two fell off the tower, plummeting to the bttom. However, the towers angled projection met theyy would hit the sides. First, Danny caught onto a part of the metal structure, while Thorn kept falling until he caught onto a piece of the metal himself. Danny heaved himself onto the metal and looked down. The rest of the way was the bottom, but a trampoline-like net of rope was about a twenty foot drop. Deciding to risk it Danny fell down. when he hit it the net went down from his weight and he was thrown back up into the air. As he was about to come down again Thorn slammed into him and they both hit a piece of metal and fell out of the inside of the tower to the outside, where they began to plummet to the ground.
When they were ten feet from the ground Danny summoned a pile of earth from the ground. When he hit it, instead of crashing down it cushioned his fall. Thorn on the other hand wasn't sol lucky and he fell into the Seine, landing with a huge splash. Danny brought the earth down until there wasn't any look that on the ground that the column was there, jumping off of it once he was five feet from the ground. He felt his pocket and was relieved that the gem was still there. He tapped his wristband again, sending Lithos spiraling back in, and began walking to the direction of the Notre Dame.
When Katie awoke he saw Percy and Annabeth bent over her, pouring nectar into her mouth.
"Are you okay?" said Annabeth.
"Yes, but we have to find Danny. He could be in trouble," said Katie. They helped her to her feet and down the street. As they looked around they saw fearful people running in every direction, evidence that Thorn had been there. Percy pulled one person to the side, who was happily an American tourist.
"Did you see a teenager with dreadlocks wearing a black shirt go anywhere?" he asked.
"Yes, he went down towards the Eiffel Tower running like someone was chasing him," said the tourist.
"Thanks," said Percy. He, Annabeth, and Katie ran towards the tower, all the while going against the traffic of panicking mortals. When they got to the Eiffel Tower they saw what looked like claw marks going up and down it.
"He's been here, and it looks like Danny and him were fighting," said Annabeth. They boarded the elevator to get to the top to explore the scene. When they got there they saw blood stains and scratch marks like a sword and claws on the sides.
"They fought up here, and then what?" said Annabeth. They looked over the sides to see claw marks on the sides as well, and what looked like a sword dent on one part.
"They fell off, probably landed on the net. I don't what else could have happened?" said Percy. They went to another side and saw a piece of metal jutting outwards as if something had crashed through it.
"Let's pray that was Thorn," said Percy. Katie got to one of the telescopes and placed a 20 cent euro in there. Turning it from side to side she looked to see if there was any sign of Danny or Thorn. As she looked she past by something dark. She turned it there and saw Danny walking on the bridge towards the Notre Dame.
"I found him. He's heading to the Notre Dame," she said, pointing to Danny's current position. They all boarded back onto the elevator and took it down to the ground floor, running to the Notre Dame once they hit the ground.
Danny sat down on the side of the bridge that connected the island the Notre Dame rested on. He was deadly tired and his back was killing blood had stopped flowing when he hit the ground, but he needed regular, loose soil to heal up, something that Paris couldn't offer with it's stone streets. He slumped down and closed his eyes to rest.
"Danny," said a voice in front of him. Danny opened his eyes to see Katie standing in front of him, her eyes filled with worry. She helped him stand up and saw his wounds on his back.
"Oh my gosh, you're hurt," she said. She gave him a square of ambrosia, which he gladly ate.
"It's not that bad," said Danny. He could feel the wounds healing, but at a slow rate.
What happened?" she asked. Danny told her his fight with Thorn, and how Thorn had fell into the river.
"Where's Annabeth and Percy?" said Danny.
"They're coming. They got stopped by a traffic light at the crosswalks," said Katie. "Do you still have the gem?" Danny held it up for her to see, the green emerald glittering in the sunlight. As she looked a great spout of water came from the river. They looked and saw a geyser of water, but turned back around when they felt a loud thump come from behind them. They saw a wet and demonically possessed Thorn in front of him, his teeth bared.
"I'm going to tear you apart limb from limb!" he yelled. He pounced at Katie. Katie wasn't prepared for the onslaught and she would have been flattened right then and there if it wasn't for Danny getting Lithos out in time and slamming into Thorn from the side, saving Katie from an early death. He and Thorn spiraled away and hit the ground, Thorn hitting a car and sending it flipping away. When he got up Danny already had Seismos out and was charging at him. They went head-to-head, slashing and blocking the other.
Danny sent a piece of the street towards Thorn, which slammed into his head and sent him into the wall of the bridge. Thorn got up, snarling, and was about to attack Danny when he felt something grab him. The water from the Seine was gripping him and pulling him into the air. Percy was at the other end of the bridge and closed his hands together to make Thorn disappear into a ball of water, hoping to drown him. Thorn thrashed around in the ball, unable to get put and slowly losing oxygen. He let out a roar so loud that it burst from the water bubble and broke Percy's concentration. Danny saw Thorn was about to touch the ground and summoned a piece of the earth that crashed into Thorn and sent him spiraling towards the Notre Dame.
Unfortunately he crashed into the picturesque stained glass window in the front of the chruch, sending glass raining into the courtyard.
"Please tell me we did not just destroy the 13th century stained glass window?" said Annabeth.
"I believe we did," said Percy. They gathered to the front of the Notre Dame, staring at the destruction with blank expressions.
"I guess another part of the oracle was fulfilled, we did destroy something beautiful," said Katie.
"But at what cost?" said Annabeth.
"We do still have the gem," said Danny, holding it up. Percy smiled and was about to take it when a loud roar emitted from the cathedral. Thorn burst through the front doors and ran straight for them, his body matted with blood and broken glass. Acting as a team they charged at him. This time, Thorn stood no chance. Percy slashed Riptide across his face, Annabeth stabbed her dagger through his foot, Katie stabbed her sword into his flank, and Danny stabbed into his back. Thorn howled in pain and swatted them all to one side. Katie found herself alone in front of him, his teeth bared towards her. He brought his two front paws into the air and flung them down to flatten her. Danny dived and pulled her away, and made two spikes come out of the ground.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Thorn when he impaled his paws into the spikes. Percy and Annabeth seized the opportunity to dive under him and stab him in the heart. Thorn's eyes went wide, and he stuttered to say something, but no sound came out and he slumped to the ground, turning into dust.
Danny and Katie sighed, relieved that the fight was over. Danny turned his eyes back to Katie, but saw that he was on top of her, his hands held on either side of her shoulders.
"You saved me," she said.
"Well, it was really not--," said Danny, but he was cut off by a kiss planted to his lips as Katie kissed him. At first he was startled, but the then gave in a little. When they pulled away they looked at each other, but then regained their senses as he got off of her and they got to their feet. Both were blushing from the experience, Danny more so than she was.
"Soo, umm--"
"Yeah, that was---." They tried to say, but words failed them. They were so embarrassed about what they had just did.
"Guys, let get back," said Percy. They both turned and went with the other two, both of them on either side, trying their best not to say anything to the other.
