When I closed my eyes that night, I found myself back at the lip of Tartarus. Luke stood on the other side of the pit from me, his golden eyes shining brightly even from where I was standing. My blood boiled at the sight. Although he had sacrificed himself to stop Kronos, there was too much bad blood between us for his image to not annoy me.
"Look who's back", Luke mocked.
I ground my teeth, but didn't reply. I didn't want to give Luke or Kronos more ammunition against me than they already.
"You know there's nothing you can do", Luke continued. "We control everything."
I looked away from Luke. I knew he was right. I couldn't fight Kronos by myself. There had to be something that I could use to stop Kronos controlling me while I fought him. I realised that I had to get Luke to continue talking, just in case he gave something away.
"Oh, come on!" I said, exasperated. "No one is completely invulnerable. Monsters always die when attacked with celestial bronze. I've killed Titans. And even someone with the Curse of Achilles has a weak spot. You of all people should know that! And your master is definitely not invulnerable. I've already defeated him once, and I will again."
Luke hesitated. I saw his golden eyes flicker for a moment. Then, the whole world seemed to shift sideways. When I recovered, I found that I was standing in the same place as before. Puzzled, I looked around, and found that Luke was standing next to me.
"You're right", he said, without looking at me. "Everyone has a weakness."
Luke's voice was different. Gone was the arrogance that he had when he was possessed by Kronos. Instead, Luke sounded like he did when I first met him at Camp Half-Blood. Bitter at the gods, yes, but in the end, his own person. I reached out, and gripped Luke's chin, turning his head so that I looked into his face. As I expected, his eyes were their normal blue. Luke pulled away from me.
"We don't have much time!" he said. "You need to stop Kronos. I've done all I can."
"What do I need to do?" I asked.
"You need something to fight him", Luke said, speaking quickly. "Not celestial bronze; that won't harm him. In fact, the best way to stop Kronos is to use his own strength and powers against him. The best thing you can do is find a way to immobilise him until you can deal with him. That's all I can tell you."
"Why are you helping me?" I asked Luke.
"This is all for Annabeth", Luke replied. "Go!"
He pushed my chest, and I dissolved into the air.
Immediately, I found myself back in Cabin Three. I could hear Tyson snoring in his bunk. Looking out the window, I saw that the eastern horizon was just starting to tighten. I had to hurry. I ran outside, not caring that I was only wearing the boxers that I had put on before I went to sleep, and made my way to the half-built Hecate's Cabin. I saw the cage I been caught in already digging at the foundations. I reached out to picked it up, then stopped barely inches away. If I touched it, I realised, I would be imprisoned. I needed something else. Looking around, I saw some sticks and leaves, but nothing that I could use to safely carry the cage. What could I use? I didn't have time to run back to my cabin to get something, because Hecate's Cabin would explode in only seconds. I looked down in panic, then inspiration struck me. I quickly stripped off my boxers, and wrapped them around the cage. Careful that no part of me touched the cage, I lifted it out of the way. Hecate's Cabin seemed to sway for a moment, but to my relief, didn't collapse, and explode me into pieces.
Slowly, I backed away from the cabin, and when I thought I was far enough away, ran from the area. I stopped to catch my breath in the narrow alley between Zeus' and Hera's Cabins. This was as safe a place as I'd be able to find in camp. Since no campers stayed in the largest two cabins, no one ever walked down here. I placed the wrapped cage on the ground, then went to find the other things I needed.
At the door to Aphrodite's Cabin, I paused, and listened. No one seemed to be awake. I slipped in the door, and tiptoed across the room. I stopped at one of the bunks, and retrieved the Mirror of Aphrodite from beneath it.
As I was walking back to the door, I stumbled on someones makeup box that they had thrown on the floor. My eyes widened in horror as the closest sleeper to me sat up and opened his eyes. It was Matt; his blond hair was a giveaway. He quickly looked at me, taking in my nakedness. Instinctively, I raised the mirror. Matt's eyes glazed over.
"Go back to sleep", I whispered.
Matt lay back down, and began to snore again. I sighed a big sigh of relief. That had been close.
My next stop was Hephaestus' Cabin. I quickly found Jake Mason's bed, and quietly dragged out the box under it. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to open. About to wake Jake, and use Aphrodite's Mirror on him, I saw something reflect in the corner of my eye. There, behind the door, lay what I was looking for – Jake's lightweight celestial bronze/adamantine boxers. Not only was I glad to have it as protection, I was also happy that I could use it as clothing.
I returned to my hiding place between Cabins One and Two, and placed the mirror with the cage. Now, I needed one last thing. Something to use to fight Kronos. While I could accept Luke's advice that Kronos couldn't be hurt, I wouldn't feel comfortable unless I had some sort of weapon. If everything Luke said was true, Riptide wouldn't be any use against him. I needed something else. For a few minutes, I sat and thought, turning over any weapons I had seen in my mind. Except for Nico's Stygian Iron sword, and Luke's sword, that was made of celestial bronze and steel, all other weapons I could think of were made purely of celestial bronze.
Suddenly, an image floated into my mind. The skeletons that I had fought carried swords that were made from some white material, probably bone. I had to hope that they would lend me one. I set off at a run as the sun began to rise. I arrived at the ruins of Zeus' Fist out of breath, and gave myself a minute to recover. Then I stood straight and spoke clearly to no one.
"I thank the dead for the honour they give to the dead of the Titan War", I said. "The help of their master, Hades, will always be remembered."
A skeleton rose up from the ground. I shrank back, but the skeleton only offered me his knife. When I grabbed the handle, he sank back down into the ground.
Now, I was set. I collected the cage and mirror, and climbed up Half-Blood Hill. At the top, next to Thalia's pine, I called out to Kronos, both out loud and in my mind.
"Kronos", I said and thought simultaneously. "I have come to face you."
Luke materialised in front of me, his golden eyes showing that he was possessed by the Titan.
"This isn't Kronos", I said contemptuously. "Show your real self, not a lackey."
Luke's eyes flashed.
"You would not be able to withstand my real shape", he said.
"Well, then choose a form that I can look at", I said defiantly.
Luke shrugged.
"I will crush you once and for all, Percy Jackson", he warned. "It doesn't matter to me if you see an aspect of my true form."
The air around Luke rippled. When it stopped, Luke was gone. In his place towered a Titan. In his Titan form, Kronos was huge, as tall as his siblings. His dark face was framed by curly black hair, and his golden eyes glinted in the morning light. I gulped. Kronos was really intimidating.
"This is who I am", Kronos boomed, his voice sounding like knives scraping over stone. "You will not survive the next minute."
Kronos raised his foot and kicked me. His food connected with my groin. Since I was wearing Jake's boxers, I didn't feel anything more than slight pressure, but Kronos hopped around on one foot, in agony.m. I took advantage of Kronos' distraction, by the cage at him. It hit his knee. For a moment, nothing happened, and I feared the worst. But then, a crosshatch pattern spread from where the cage had hit Kronos. Within ten seconds, the Titan was covered by it.
"What is this?" Kronos roared.
He tried to move, but couldn't. I could see his muscles bulging as he flexed them, but the cage stayed firm. Kronos roared again, but he couldn't escape. The air rippled around Kronos, and he changed from shape to shape, so quickly that I couldn't tell what forms he changed into. Finally, Kronos ended up as himself, though now only 6 feet tall. He struggled, but he couldn't move.
"What did you do to me?" Kronos asked. "I can't change back!"
"Ah", I said. "That's probably because you've made the cage smaller. Once it gets smaller, it probably can't get bigger again."
Kronos glared at me. If looks could kill, I would have been a pile of ashes on the ground. It seemed that my plan had worked. It had successfully stopped Kronos from physically killing me.
"I will make your life misery", Kronos hissed at me.
His eyes glowed brighter, drawing me in so that I couldn't tear my eyes away from his. I could feel Kronos willing me to do as he bid. I tried to fight him, but I wasn't strong enough. It was all useless. All the hard work I did, the emotional roller coaster that this had been, was wasted. I couldn't prevent Kronos from controlling me.
I took a step towards Kronos, then another one. I fell to my knees in front of him. I could feel Kronos' attention swamping my mind, making me do his bidding. I fought against him. But there was nothing I could do at the moment. The bone knife dropped from my nerveless hands to the ground beside me. As if they had minds of their own, my hands reached up to grab the belt that Kronos wore. With a bit of fumbling, I managed to undo Kronos' belt. Now loosened, Kronos' pants dropped to the floor, and his cock sprang up in front of me. I gulped. I knew exactly what Kronos was going to get me to do, but I was scared. Kronos' cock was massive – at least 12 inches long, and over 2 inches in diameter. This monster cock was definitely something a Titan would have, not that I'd given it much thought.
While I stared in horror at Kronos' cock, my hands were still busy. My hands gripped his cock, and began to jerk the Titan off. Slowly, my face moved closer to Kronos' cock. I tried to jerk back, but the Titan still had me in his thrall. I was eye to eye with the cock, my hands still jerking it. I could feel Kronos' eyes bore into the top of my head. Smugness seemed to radiate from him. I hated Kronos for that. He just wouldn't leave me alone.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do at the moment. Kronos forced my mouth open, and his cock slid inside. More that anyone other time in this time loop, I felt stuffed. Kronos' cock seemed not only to fill me physically – which it did easily – but also on another level. I could feel Kronos' will press down in me, trying to crush me forever.
At that point, I realised the hopelessness of my situation. Luke was right. There was not way I could beat Kronos with force; he was too strong, and could control me easily. About to despair, I spotted a solution, glinting enticingly at a distance. There was a chance, no matter how small, that I could defeat Kronos using my wits. I wished Annabeth was here – she was always the brains of the outfit. But then I realised that she would be watching me blow an enemy Titan. No way would I want her seeing that!
"See how easily I can control you", Kronos said, his voice rumbling through the ground. "You puny mortals stand no chance."
About to point out that Kronos was wrong, and that I would defeat him, I realised it was useless. For one, it was hard for me to make myself clear, when my lips were firmly locked around his cock. Also, I thought it would be a bad idea to annoy Kronos. I probably wouldn't like what he would do to me. As if Kronos was reading my thoughts, he chuckled.
"If I want", Kronos continued, "I could let you go."
He paused to let that sink in to me. I hoped that he couldn't actually see into mind, and read my desperate thoughts about finally being free from Kronos to live my life.
"Or", Kronos added, as if an afterthought, "I could kill you. Even bound like this, I have powers that you can't even imagine."
All of a sudden, I felt pressure on the back of my head. My hands, suddenly free from Kronos' power, dropped to my side. The pressure on the back of my head grew, forcing it forwards. Unable to pull myself away, I was forced to take Kronos' cock further into my mouth. As it hit the back of my throat, I gagged, but still couldn't pull away. My hands shot up to push Kronos away, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. It would have done me just as much good to try to reason with the King of the Titans. Nonetheless, my fingers scrambled to pull Kronos' cock out of my mouth, but to no avail. I struggled to breath; the huge cock had blocked my air pipe. As darkness started to encroach on my vision, I lamented that out of all the ways I could have died, it had to be like this, with my enemy's cock in my mouth.
I was about to pass out, when Kronos withdrew his presence from me. Immediately, my head shot back, and I knelt there, retching. I recovered my dignity enough to glare at the Titan.
"See?" Kronos asked, smugly. "There is nothing you can do."
Again, my mouth opened by itself, and my hands rose to guide Kronos' cock back into my mouth. For a moment, I was scared that Kronos would try to finish off what he had started, and finally kill me, but then I realised what Kronos wanted even more. He wanted to humiliate me. Instantly, a plan formed in my head. It was stupid; it was desperate. But it was the only thing I had.
Instead of fighting Kronos, I willingly gave in to what he was forcing me to do. While my mouth continued to suck the Titan Lord,I realised that my hands were now free, as long as I didn't do anything that went against Kronos' orders. I reached up, and twisted one of Kronos' nipples with one hand, while the other massaged his balls. When Kronos groaned above me, I knew my plan was working.
For some time, I continued to stimulate Kronos in any way I knew how. Then, suddenly, Kronos shuddered, and came. I choked on the cum that gushes into my mouth. Some of it squeezed out of the corners of my mouth to dribble down to my chin.
While Kronos stood there, recovering, I scuttled away from the Titan, back to my gear that I had left on the grass. Snatching up the bone dagger, I rushed forward, and stabbed Kronos in his side. Golden ichor seeped from the wound, melting the hilt of the dagger. I jumped back as Kronos roared. Picking up Aphrodite's Mirror, I lifted it so that Kronos could see it. Kronos roared
"You know what this is", I said, triumphantly. "And you should be scared."
"You will never defeat me!" Kronos yelled. "You're not powerful enough!"
"I'm not", I retorted. "But you are."
I lifted the mirror higher, and spoke in a clear voice.
"Kronos, Titan Lord of Time", I began, my voice buoyed by the Titan's victims. "I command you to destroy yourself."
Kronos struggled against his bonds.
"No!" he yelled, trying to escape me.
I felt pressure mount up in the air, as if a storm was about to hit. Suddenly, Kronos was gone. For a moment, the air was still, the blue sky and sun shone down on me. Then, a shockwave, caused by the Titan's disappearance, ran through me. I fell to the ground, trembling. I crawled over to the pine tree, and sat at its base, my back against its trunk. I felt exhausted, more tired than I had ever felt in my life.
I was about to pass out, when a familiar figure appeared out of nowhere. She was tall and beautiful, with her black hair in one braid that curled on top of her head. Her white gown was deceptively simple; it wouldn't have surprised me if it had its own special powers.
"You've done well, demigod", Hera said, smiling at me. "But your tasks are not over yet."
She waved her hands in my direction. The world began to slowly turn black.
"There is one more scene to act out", I heard the goddess say as I fell into darkness, "and you'll have a role to play."