A/N: Just wanted to say that with the last chapter, this story passed 100 reviews and 50,000 words. We're also closing in on the 50k view count, with 45k. That's a tremendous achievement, and it's only because of all of you who continue to support this story. Thank you – here's to another 50,000 words!
Also, chapters one through three have been revised to better fit the flow of the story, and four will be along with the next chapter update. Check them out if you have the time.
Given all of the turmoil of the past week, Percy supposed that this brief respite was the silver lining at the end of it. As Zoë had promised him, she had gotten both Thalia and him shore leave for the day. Along with another group of guards, they had free reign to do what they chose to do in town until dark. After Zoë had given him her assurance that she would watch over the affairs of the ship and alert them should anything happen, Percy felt considerably more at ease about the thought of spending the day with Thalia and relaxing. That and the fact that so many of the guards onboard the Princess Andromeda leaving for the day indicating that the ship itself was going nowhere for now meant that this affair was fairly safe.
While they were both tired from the laborious schedule kept aboard the Princess Andromeda, Percy was grateful for the break that he and Thalia could take for once. Over the past week, they had seen each other awake perhaps a handful of times, and generally one or both of them were too tired to do much other than want to sleep when they were conscious anyway.
This was how Percy found himself sitting beside Thalia on a bench at the edge of the Marina, sipping on wonderfully cold iced coffees as they enjoyed the summer sun and breeze. For one, they had needed the caffeine badly, but just as importantly, the icy cold drink was a refreshing taste compared to the hot and foul ship that they had spent so much time on now, and it seemed like just a little bit of freedom and peace compared to the anxiety of their current mission. Disregarding the fact that they could see the Princess Andromeda from where they were sitting, it was almost like a return to normalcy – what life should've been like for the two young demigods, rather than how it really was. It was also a godsend – perhaps literally – that he could wear shorts again, after being stuffed into hot, sweaty armor for a week. Thalia's flowing summer dress and sandals seemed to indicate that she felt the same.
"This is nice," Percy murmured, as he leaned back on the white wooden bench. There were a series of stone steps that led to the waterline, and as Percy leaned back, the waves gently flowed onto and off of them. Around them, families and couples walked by, voice and laughter equally audible.
"Yeah. Really peaceful. I'm glad we had this chance to rest, especially here," Thalia agreed, sipping on her own iced coffee as she closed her eyes to rest them. An amicable silence fell over them, Thalia with her eyes closed and her head leaned back but not quite asleep, and Percy just staring out to the Gulf, in tune with the water as he always was. Still, even as Percy felt the calmness of the waves close by him, a tiny prickling, a small nugget of uncertainty and confusion crept up from what he had buried the day before.
"Thalia," Percy suddenly blurted out. She opened her blue eyes with a start, blinking a few times as she turned to face Percy, her back still fully relaxed on the bench. "When did you start, uh, talking with your dad again?"
From what he knew about Thalia over the past year and some, he had never seen her on good terms with Zeus. For them to be Iris messaging meant that something fundamental had shifted in their dynamic.
Thalia shifted upwards, clasping onto her cold drink with both hands as she looked slightly downwards at the concrete steps.
"Well, you know that he and I never really… got along. I guess it changed around the beginning of summer, right around when we were about to leave for this. He called me kind of out of the blue, and, well, I listened to what he had to say to me, after not saying anything for the first decade of my life." Thalia gave a deep sigh, before looking up at Percy. "And for once, it felt… genuine. Like he actually loved me. Like he really wanted to be an actual dad. And I thought, 'why not give him a chance'? I mean, I know that he wasn't there when he should've been, but I've never given him a second chance. So I guess we're just working our way back up."
Percy nodded as Thalia explained, but she continued even as he did so.
"It feels really good to be loved by him. I can't explain it. It just does," she whispered.
"Uh, alright," Percy replied, brow furrowing at her last comment. Nonetheless, he just took another sip of his drink. He gulped slightly. "Say, Thalia, when we get done with this…" he trailed off as she looked at him, straight into his eyes. "When we get back to Camp, and this is all over…" Percy tensed up, trying to find that last bit of strength. It was honestly one thing to say that they loved each other – they had done that. They had kissed. But that was all they had done. De facto, they acted like a couple. Really, they were, but their relationship had hardly progressed since they had been at the peak of Tamalpais. He wanted to change that.
They needed to change that.
"Do you want to go on a da-" A loud buzz cut him off, and shocked, he turned to the Gulf, where instead of seeing the expanse of water he expected, he instead saw a misty rainbow. Quickly it faded to a watery image of Zoë – dressed as Aeris. Her expression was one of panic, wide-eyed and frantic.
"You must return now!" she whisper-yelled, her voice slightly hoarse. "It is happening now!"
"Wait, what's happening?" Thalia questioned, scooting forward on the wooden bench.
"Operation Tentpole," Zoë bit out, her jaw tense. "It's happening now."
A stunned silence filled the air for a few seconds before Percy spoke up.
"But… how? The Princess Andromeda," Percy paused, looking past the mist to the docks of the Marina, "is still here. How can they have any troops to send to the Camp?"
"No! Camp Half-Blood is not the only target. I do not know how, but they have a portal of some sort. It connects the lower decks of the ship to both the Camp and Olympus itself! Tentpole will strike at the heart of the gods themselves! You must return to the ship immediately. The portal will be closing soon, but you two must cross and stop their Olympus plan. I will go to the Camp to offer my assistance, but I will first wait for you two to board the ship and meet me." Percy and Thalia both nodded, and with a quick wave, Zoë cut the Iris message.
The two demigods quickly stood up, Percy grabbing his bag which lay beside one of the bench's legs, and tossed their melted iced coffees into a trash can by the bench as they ran off towards the center of the marina.
"Wait!" Thalia yelled, stopping Percy in his tracks. "We need to warn the Camp if they haven't already been. Zoë hasn't gone yet so they don't have anyone to warn them." Percy nodded, and pulled out a spray bottle from his backpack. He quickly began to spray the air, creating a light mist with a faint rainbow. Thalia fished out a drachma, with tossed it into the mist.
"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Chiron in Camp Half-Blood."
Percy expected to see the old centaur sitting in the Big House or perhaps on the training field with some demigods, but what he did not expect to see was the telltale flicker of orange fire. He and Thalia both leaned forward in shock as they stared at the view before them.
Parts of the Camp were in flames – the Big House, the growing fields, some of the cabins were burning away. In the distance, flashes of lights could be seen, and loud thuds and booms could be heard. In the dust and smog from the fires and the fighting, there were massive shadows of figures moving in the distance. Every move they made was accompanied by a cacophony of screams. It was an almost apocalyptic sight.
"Percy? Thalia?" Chiron's voice cried out. The view panned downwards and to the side, where the two demigods saw the veteran centaur kneeling on the ground, panting slightly. He had a nasty gash on the side of his face, and parts of his fur were matted with blood. Behind him, a group of demigods kneeled as well, most of them looking worse for wear.
"Chiron, what's going on?" Percy asked, his eyes wide.
"An attack," Chiron replied, his voice heavy and breathy. "A sudden attack. They burst out of the Labyrinth entrance, and we couldn't repel them. There are Titans here – Hyperion and Krios. Some of the gods have come to our aid, but," Chiron paused briefly to catch his breath as best he could, "they are stalemated. It has only made the battle more destructive." A scream off-screen startled the centaur, who rose to his full height and brandished his blade.
"You must come to help us!" Chiron yelled, the Iris message beginning to fade.
"We can't," Thalia quickly replied, trying futilely to grasp onto the quickly fading Iris message. "There's another attack! Zoë will come to help you!" The message faded completely as Thalia uttered those last words, and Percy had no idea whether Chiron had heard or not. But it didn't matter.
"We have to go," Percy hurriedly whispered, grabbing Thalia's arm. She looked up at him with worry but nodded.
The two sprinted to the Marina, quickly finding the dock the Princess Andromeda was at. They ran up the plank, ignoring the conspicuous lack of dracanae that usually manned the booth at the entryway of the ship. Quickly changing into more combat-suitable clothing, they ran up the stairs that led to the deck of the ship.
"Percy, Thalia," Zoë hurriedly greeted them on the deck of the Princess Andromeda. The deck was void of anyone else, which only heightened the fear of the two demigods that had just arrived.
"Where is everyone?" Percy asked, looking around.
"They've already gone to their assigned posts, some to the Camp but most to Olympus. Here, let us not tarry here any longer." Zoë led them down a flight of stairs, reaching the lowest level of the ship. When they had reached the bottom of the ship, the hall was nothing more than smooth wall on either side ended by a set of doors at the end.
"The one of the left is to the Camp," Zoë explained as they speed-walked down the hall, "and the one on the right is to Olympus." They reached the end of the hallway. "You must not wait any longer." Without warning, she grabbed both demigods in a bear hug.
"You both have done very much for me, and I must thank you as friends." Zoë finally broke it and stepped back. "I do not know whether we will ever see each other again, but if we don't, then let this be our farewell." She opened the door to left room, which let an eerie blue light out, but her eyes never left Percy and Thalia. "I bid you both victory even in the face of overwhelming opposition."
And with that, Zoë went in. The door shut, taking its light with it.
Thalia trembled slightly as Percy took a deep sigh to calm himself.
"Right," Thalia said, finally collecting herself. "Let's go." With a wordless nod, Percy opened the door to the right room, and let himself and Thalia be bathed in the incomprehensibly bright and eerie blue light.
Thalia quickly grabbed Percy's hand, and he held on tight as well. No matter where they went, they would go together.
Mount Olympus
Percy opened his eyes. He saw the majestic temple that housed the eleven thrones of the Olympian gods in the distance, as he had seen twice before. However, this was unlike either of those times.
Fires raged across many of the auxiliary parts of Olympus, and rubble was strewn about on the path to the peak of the mountain. They were already late.
Percy moved forward to hurry to the temple, but realized his hand was still being clasped onto by Thalia. Turning around, he saw her eyes still shut tightly. Finally, her eyes opened, but they were weary with fear. She was shaking slightly as she looked up at the temple.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked, anxious at Thalia's adverse reaction to Olympus.
"I… I don't know," Thalia admitted, her voice unsteady. "I feel… something. Calling to me." She winced. "It hurts."
"Here, you can just stay here until you feel bet-" Percy was cut off by Thalia waving a hand in front of his face.
"No, I'll go with you." She looked up at him defiantly. "I'll be alright."
Percy wanted to argue more, to say that she didn't look alright in any meaning of the word, but under the circumstances, he had no choice.
"Okay," he replied slowly, "but if you don't feel well, we stop." Thalia quickly nodded, and the two headed off down the damaged path toward the temple of the gods.
As they continued down the path, the full scale of the immense destruction that had been dealt to Olympus became readily more apparent to the two demigods. Kronos' army had done well to sack the city. Houses were on fire. Buildings were torn apart. Gardens were ripped to shreds. Everywhere Percy looked, there was some sign of damage that indicated an invading army.
And then he saw the first body.
It was a centaur, dressed in a half-tuxedo. His eyes were thankfully closed, but dried blood matted his neck fur and covered the stone blocks that made the path. Percy's hands shook as he saw the despicable display of innocent death in front of him, and then he looked past it.
Corpses littered the sides of the path ahead of them. There were a multitude of different creatures, befitting the acclaimed status of Olympus as the center of the Greek pantheon. It didn't matter – none of them were spared from the onslaught. There were even humans – demigods, more than likely – among the dead.
Percy turned away from the sight while Thalia grimaced at the sight of such wanton death.
"We can't stay here. We gotta keep going," Percy whispered. Thalia didn't respond, but rather pre-empted Percy by starting to run up the path. Sighing, he followed closely behind, trying his best to not look at the sides of the path.
Finally, they reached the base of the steps that led up to the temple itself. Panting slightly, Percy looked up the steps, but only made it up three of them before he realized that Thalia was not behind him.
He looked back. She was staring at a fork in the road, one that led to an ornamental palace downhill. Her arm rose slightly, with a finger almost pointing to the palace. Her lips moved, but Percy couldn't hear the words she made out.
"Thalia, we have to go," Percy said. Still, she made no move.
"Thalia," Percy reiterated again.
"I feel something," Thalia murmured, barely audible to Percy. "It's so much stronger than it was back down there. I feel it calling to me."
"Now's not the time Thalia. There are a bunch of bad guys up in that temple and I'm going to need your help to beat them," Percy pleaded. "Come on."
Her arm dropped, and she turned to face Percy. He recoiled as he saw her usually striking lightning-blue eyes clouded over, as if someone had put pieces of scratched plastic in front of them. He could barely make them out.
"I'm sorry, Percy," she whispered, before she sprinted down the fork in the path.
"Thalia!" Percy yelled after her, but it was too late – she was gone, and he was left alone at the steps of the temple. His outstretched hand, opened as if to grab onto her, closed as his arm fell, and his mouth fell open slightly as he realized that Thalia had just abandoned him.
His arms shook slightly as he felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he quickly squeezed his eyes shut and wiped them away. Now was not the time for tears or sorrow, but rather for heroism. He had to be a hero to save Olympus, and he would be one. Alone or not. Even if his heart screamed in pain, he had to stand strong. That was the thought Percy concentrated on as he took each torturous step upwards.
When he reached the top, he saw a what was left of the part of Kronos' army that had been sent to Olympus. There were still a few dozen monsters and demigods left, most of them standing in small groups as they huddled outside the temple. The temple's gates had been blown apart, with only fragments of them still hanging on the hinges.
There was no time to waste. He was already late.
Percy roared, letting out all of his pain, anguish, and anger in one hate-filled scream of pain and promise. The scattered remains of Kronos' army turned to face him, drawing their swords even as their faces betrayed apprehension.
He drew Riptide, letting it form in his hands as he threw away the cap and strode forward with loathing in every step. They had done so much to attack the world he was a part of, to attack his home and threaten those he loved. He would promise them pain indeed.
Thalia came to a stop at the grand doors at the front of the beautiful palace. She looked around for another entrance, but before she could move, the palace doors creaked open, and she hesitantly pushed them open wider to enter.
The palace was relatively dark, even with the air-exposed windows and balconies. A chilly draft blew through the thin silk curtains into the massive hall, and Thalia felt herself shiver both from the cold and the anticipation of what was to come.
There was a scream of pain from the end of the hallway, as well as an eerie blue light. With little caution, Thalia strode forward, her combat boots quietly falling on the marble floor the only sound that echoed through the hall apart from the grunts of pain. As she rounded the corner, she instinctively pulled back at the sight in front of her.
There was a grand carpet that covered the center of the small alcove of the hall. In the middle of the carpet was a man, but one with two faces. Both were in equal amounts of pain, and the man himself was tied down with a multitude of golden strings. He was glowing blue – the same eerie shade that had inhabited the two rooms on the Princess Andromeda. Past the carpet was an ornamental loveseat, its wood carefully designed and molded. But its beauty paled in comparison to the goddess that sat in it, her feet dangling off the armrest of one side as she reclined on the other.
"Ah, Thalia, my dear. How nice of you to join us," Aphrodite purred, her eyelashes flickering at the stunned daughter of Zeus. In the goddess' hand, she held a electrified prod, and every time the man on the ground began to breathe normally again, she pushed it into him until he screamed again.
"What are you doing?" Thalia asked, her arms limp by her sides.
"Ah, well, that's very simple to answer," Aphrodite began, beaming at the demigod as she continued to torture her victim. "Janus here is, well… how should I put it? Ah, yes – an unwilling participant in the greater plan. I'm simply motivating him." Her face scrounged up. "Of course, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. He's a Roman god, after all, and it does terrible things for us Greeks to be in prolonged contact with the Roman versions."
As if to illustrate her point, Aphrodite blinked and her hairstyle changed, as did her manner of dress, which changed from a modern western strapless dress to a toga, before changing back. "It's doing simply awful things to my makeup, and ugh, Venus has no style – still stuck in the past," Aphrodite continued. "Anyway, Janus here has the power to open portals, so he's been doing just that for the past few hours – one here in Olympus, and one in Camp Half-Blood. Simple and easy."
Thalia was at a loss for words. "But… why? You're an Olympian. Why would you betray your brothers and sisters for the Titans?"
Aphrodite laughed, a melodic sound that could cause the hearts of men around the world to leap in joy. "Oh, that's very funny," Aphrodite chuckled, pretending to wipe away non-existent tears from her eyes. "Very funny indeed. You think I'm doing this for Kronos? Please, he's nothing but a stepping stone in the grand scheme of things, even if he doesn't recognize that himself. No, I serve one much greater, and far more ancient, than he. And when thetime comes, even Kronos won't be able to stop it." Aphrodite laughed again. "Get it? 'Time' and Kronos? Because he can control time? Ah well…" she waved it off. "You get the point."
"I really don't," Thalia snarled, expanding her shield and pulling out her spear. Aphrodite tsked and flicked a finger. Thalia's face went slack and she dropped to her knees, her spear and shield falling from her hands and transforming back into their mortal containers.
"Wh- what is this?" Thalia cried out, her eyes clouded over and her voice unsteady. "What did you do to me? Why do I feel like this?!"
Aphrodite rose to her feet, stepping over the whimpering Janus to the kneeling Thalia. Her heels clacked on the marble ground and echoed throughout the hall. With one slender hand, she grasped Thalia's chin and cheeks to force the demigod to look at her.
"Oh, you have it all wrong – it's more 'what did you do to yourself'. You don't understand yourself as much as you think you do. So eager to feel loved and wanted… you didn't even stop to think why someone like Zeus would bother to Iris message someone like you." Thalia began to tear up, but Aphrodite paid no heed to the droplets that ran down the demigod's cheeks, smearing her eyeliner as it did so and running over Aphrodite's manicured fingers. Instead, the goddess roughly let go of Thalia and rose to her full height. Her face began to morph, and soon enough, Thalia was staring at an identical image of Zeus.
"I can transform myself into an amalgamation of the most beautiful humans to have ever lived," Aphrodite proclaimed, her voice deep like Zeus's. "Do you not think it is but child's play for me to imitate a god?" She transformed back to her original self. "But still, that would've not been enough. No, for my powers to have ensnared you so would've required an equal amount on your end. You opened yourself up to me because you truly wanted to love a father, and you truly wanted a father to love you." Thalia sobbed as she heard the words straight from the devil's mouth.
"But it's no matter telling you now. It's simply too late for you – I have you enthralled in my grasp for the rest of eternity. And now, you will turn to serve me, your rightful queen, in perpetuity. You will love me enough to die for me. You will love me forever." Aphrodite's eyes glowed a ghastly pink, and Thalia doubled over, her cheeks wet and her breath uneven. The demigod spluttered as she squirmed on the ground, even as Aphrodite's aura increased exponentially in intensity. Finally, it shut off, and the only sounds in the hall were those of Janus's moans and Thalia's breaths.
Thalia rose again to her knees, her palms lying on top of her legs. She looked up at Aphrodite, her blue eyes clouded over and her mouth in a facsimile of a smile.
"I serve and obey, your highness," Thalia chanted in a singsong voice.
Aphrodite's ruby red lips curled upwards in a cruel smirk.
Percy grunted as he grabbed the last remaining demigod and bashed his helmet in, breaking his nose and eliciting a squeal of pain from the man. With a heave, he kneed him in the gut and tossed him off the steps to the temple, where he landed with a sickening crunch and didn't move.
Turning back to the temple, Percy let out a deep sigh before walking forward, moving past the broken gates into the hall of the temple. There was yet another set of broken gates at the very end of the hall where the reverse-U of the Olympian council was, but in-between Percy and that room stood a single man.
Percy had seen this man before, at the meeting that he had spied on. It was Victor, the man that Percy had once mused as strange for being a demigod that had lived long enough to become middle-aged. Victor had his large blade drawn, and his fur coat was lying on the ground by the side. He looked at Percy with an indeterminable expression on his face.
"I must give you credit for staying undercover aboard the ship for so long. Even when Andrew told me of his suspicions, I thought nothing of you." The man shrugged. "Then again, by merit of being an acquaintance – no, by merit of just talking with Aeris, whoever she really is, you were already under suspicion."
Percy sharply inhaled, and Victor chuckled. "Did you really think that anyone could hide aboard the Princess Andromeda? You knew only what we wanted you to know. Even this meeting, now, was pre-ordained by our machinations of the past. That's simply how it is."
Percy growled. "Get out of the way. I'll spare you if you do."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Kids these days. So impatient and impulsive. Alright then," the man said, getting into a combat stance, "let's do this. I'll let you have the first move."
Percy screamed as he ran towards the older demigod, Riptide already swinging diagonally – yes, Percy could see the blade running from Victor's left should to his right hip, the spurt of fresh blood that would erupt from the slice…
He grunted as he felt the air being slammed out of his chest and the cold hard marble on his face, or rather the other way around. Scrambling to his feet, Percy eyed Victor with caution.
With another grunt, he moved forward, initiating by bringing his blade for a sideways slice. Victor effortlessly parried it, lifting his own massive blade with twice the ease Percy did his smaller Riptide before using the weight of his larger sword to push Percy backwards and knock him off balance.
Then Victor struck. He lunged forward, his right arm an imperceptible blur as he sliced, thrust, and chopped with his sword. For his part, Percy did his best to block as many as he could, which, from the eruptions of blood and tears of cloth that littered nearly every part of Percy's body, was nowhere near fast enough. Victor swung his blade in a large circle, one that threatened to cut off Percy's head had he not ducked fast enough, but the moment Percy looked up after the blade had passed, he felt a heavy boot slam into his torso and kick him backwards, knocking all of the air out of his chest again as he slid across the marble floor. Riptide fell away from his hand and clattered to the ground. The son of Poseidon laid on the ground, feebly trying to move his tired and injured muscles in a futile effort.
Victor strode over and looked at the pathetic sight Percy presented on the ground, his clothes torn and his blood everywhere. Lifting his sword, he sighed.
"You had a good run, kid. But you're too emotional in a fight." The older demigod took a deep breath as he prepared to plunge his massive sword into Percy's chest, but before he could do so, a single word echoed through the temple.
"Stop." The voice was high and cold, yet almost familiar to Percy's ears.
"Bring him to me," the voice continued.
Victor kneeled by Percy's head, grinning. "Looks like it's your lucky day, huh? Another five minutes of life." He roughly grabbed one of Percy's shoulders, dragging him across the floor and leaving a trail of blood on the marble as Victor brought Percy into the council room. There was a solitary figure staring at Zeus's throne, and Victor dumped Percy at the figure's feet.
The figure sighed and turned around. Percy's eyes widened.
"L-Luke!" Percy ground out, his growl considerably less intimidating considering his wounded state.
'Luke' looked at Percy coldly. "Luke Castellan is no more, Perseus Jackson. I am Kronos, King of the Titans. Bring her out."
Two guards brought a struggling figure out, dumping her in front of Poseidon's throne before returning to the shadows. Percy's eyes widened again as he saw that it was none other than Annabeth. Bounded and gagged as she was, Annabeth's eyes still zoned in on Percy, and he could feel her concern through her gaze.
The tell-tale click-clack of heels and a softer footfall following soon came from another entryway to the council room, and Percy struggled to see Aphrodite stride into the temple like she was Queen of the gods. Behind her, Thalia followed, an eerily content smile on her face as she looked slightly downwards at the marble floor.
"Thalia!" Percy cried out, partially in need and partially out of pain. She gave no indication that she had heard him.
"Oh, it's too late for that, my dear hero," Aphrodite crooned. "She's quite fully mine now." Percy could feel his heart splitting into more pieces as his eyes grew hot and moist.
Kronos paid no attention to the newcomers, rather turning back to the face Zeus's throne. He raised his arms in a grand fashion, as if to bear the weight of the Olympian thrones.
"These foolish gods left this place thinking it was safe. They never expected treachery from within. Now, Oceanus has Poseidon pre-occupied, and Hyperion and Krios have gathered the other gods' attentions at the half-blood camp. They have left their thrones, their seats of power, undefended! You shall all be witnesses to my rise as I crush these Olympians and cast them into the darkest pits of Tartarus. I will start here, with the throne of the king of the gods."
Kronos pulled out an ornate curved dagger, raising his arm as he wound it up to strike.
"No!" Percy screamed, mustering the last of his energy to rise up. He pulled the replenished Riptide out of his pocket, and uncapping it, rushed forward as quickly as he could, his sword pointing at Kronos. The Titan spun around to see the demigod rush at him, and with a quick gesture, ordered Victor to stay put even as the older demigod rushed forward. With a precise throw, the Titan threw his ornately curved dagger at the demigod.
As the dagger approached, Percy could feel time slow down, the currents of destiny shifting and squirming in the path of the blade. He could see it parallel to his sword as it passed, see it aimed squarely at his chest. There was nothing he could do. It was imminently going to pierce him, and there was nothing he could do.
"No!" Percy thought. "No! It can't end like this!" He looked around, his gaze finally falling on Poseidon's throne.
"Dad, help me!" Percy cried – though whether it was in his head or out loud, he did not know.
The dagger inched closer, nicking the fabric of what was left of Percy's shirt. Suddenly, a golden beam emitted from the back of Poseidon's throne, connecting with the tip of Kronos' dagger just as it drew the slightest hint of blood from Percy's chest. The dagger stopped its forward motion, but then began to spin around its center axis rapidly, as if drilling into Percy's chest. The golden beam grew in intensity. Percy's eyes widened.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
An overpowering white light filled the room, forcing even Kronos and Aphrodite, Titan and god as they were, to look away from its brilliance. A shockwave emitted from the center of the light, knocking all of the mortals in the room over while forcing the immortals onto a knee. The aura of power cascaded on those in the temple, washing over them wave after wave in a seemingly never-ending cycle.
Finally, the white light subsided.
Victor looked at the scene with incredulity in his eyes.
Annabeth screamed, her cries muffled by her gag.
A singular tear trickled down Thalia's right cheek, even if she didn't realize it herself. Somewhere deep in her unconscious betrayed her happy countenance.
Where there had once been a son of Poseidon, there was now nothing more than a blackened crater, the marble floor twisted and fused by the power that had been unleashed.
Percy Jackson was no more.