THALIA didn't know where Nico had gotten a cell phone (or so much money) from, but the son of Hades had one, and she wasn't going to question it. As she left the Underworld through the same way she'd come, her hands had tightly gripped the piece of technology, knowing she was calling all the monsters within a fifty-mile radius to her.
She hailed a cab, and soon was on her way to the Empire State Building (she was going to pay with Nico's money, of course). And then she'd called Luke—he'd gotten one of the phones within the last year, when he'd started flirting with Rachel (read, Rachel had used her own money to buy one for him, so they could stay in contact when he was at Camp).
Luke answered on the second ring, and he spoke harshly into his phone when he heard her voice. "Where the bloody Hades have you been?"
"It's nice to hear from you too, Castellan," she replied, dryly, rolling her eyes.
"You don't just disappear into a forest with Nico di Angelo, Thalia," He sounded genuinely concerned, and Thalia winced. She'd told him she would be right back, and then hadn't showed for the better part of two days. Well, a day and a half.
Thalia wasn't really sure he was totally over her. His reaction made sure, as he continued, "We're in the middle of a war."
"I'm sorry, I know," She breathed. "I'll tell you about it when you get here."
"Get where?" Luke inquired, confusion evident in his voice.
"That's what I called about," She was whispering, so the cabbie didn't overhear. "I'm ready, Luke. It's time to get this war started. Rally the others, get to the Empire State Building now, please."
Luke huffed out a laugh. When she didn't join him he cursed, and said, "You're serious?"
"We're in the middle of the war, Luke," She used his own words against him. "I hardly think this is the time for jokes."
"You have a plan?"
"I know this might come as a surprise to you, but yes," She replied, glancing out of the window.
"We can't leave Camp undefended," Luke argued. "And there's no way the gods—"
"Luke," she said his name softly. Her heart was thumping, but she knew she was making the right call. They couldn't keep on waiting for Annabeth to make the first move. It was time to act. "Trust me," She said, voice heavy with emotion. "We have to do this." Luke was silent on the other end of the phone. "See you there?"
He sighed, and his frustration was visible as he said, "You will." Thalia smiled grimly at the response. She was about to hang up, but then he said, "Thalia…try to stay alive. At least until I get there." Without waiting for a response, he ended the call.
XMX
HER hands were trembling by the time the cab pulled to a stop. Thalia paid, and got out hesitantly, eyes roving across fifth avenue for the others. Her shoulders sagged and she visibly relaxed when she saw the three white vans pulling up at the curb. The cab she'd taken moved away from her.
The sides of the vans were inscribed in red, with the words Delphi Strawberry Services, which was the cover name for Camp Half-Blood. The first van was driven by Argus (Who sat at the front with two harpies), the second by Luke, and the third by Charlie. The doors slid open, and teenagers spilled out, heads swivelling, voices tight with excitement and anxiety. She did a head count.
Fifty campers in total. Thalia saw Silena, and Pollux and Castor, Travis and Connor, Michael Yew, Jake Mason, Katie Gardener, Lou Ellen Blackstone. Every cabin was present, except for Athena and Aphrodite. And Ares. Thalia bit her lip, brow creasing. The Ares cabin were their best fighters…
Thalia caught sight of Chiron, being wheeled through the van on the handicap lift by Luke, in his wheelchair. Everyone looked nervous, and she understood why. She'd never seen so many demigods outside of Camp in a single place before.
Luke came up to her, a frown on his face. "What exactly did you call us for, Thals?" He asked. "What's your big plan?"
The other campers were gathering around, listening intently. Thalia found Chiron's eyes, and the old centaur inclined his head in acknowledgement. Thalia turned to Luke, speaking loudly so everyone could hear. "We need to get up to Olympus first." She motioned to their activities director with her hands. "After you, Chiron."
Chiron smiled at her, eyes alight with age and wisdom. And pride. There was a lot of pride in there. He shook his head. "I am not to visit Olympus until I am summoned," He shook his head. "Not after your tree got poisoned. I am only here to wish you all good luck."
Thalia blinked, owlishly. "But you're our leader."
Again, he shook his head. "I am your teacher," He corrected. "That is not the same as being your leader. I have to see if I can gather any more allies. My brothers might still be convinced." He stopped. "But, Thalia, I am not the one who called the Camp here. You did. You are the leader."
She glanced around in shock and confusion at his words, about to protest. But everyone was looking at her, waiting on her to speak, and she realised the truth to Chiron's words. He was right. She had called them here. She had to step up.
"Fine, then," She exhaled. "It's time to start this war. We have to get an audience with Zeus, and convince him to defend the city. There's something big coming, and it's not Typhon. Typhon is a distraction, and we have to get the gods to see that. We can't take no for an answer."
The others nodded, although Luke looked sceptical about her plan. Thalia knew he was having doubts. She was having them herself, actually. She knew, that this would be futile. The gods couldn't just stop fighting Typhon.
Defending Manhattan would fall down to them.
And it seemed like the others knew it too. She exhaled. But she had to try, anyway. And then they'd move on from there.
"Come on," The daughter of Zeus took hold of a helmet Luke was offering her. "Let's go."
-X-
THE SILENCE unsettled Luke. As the large group of demigods marched through the city of the gods, his head turned this way and that, trying to spot anyone or anything.
Olympus was deserted.
The gods had fled, and his gut clenched at the thought. The city was totally undefended. Didn't the immortals realise what was going on? Kronos had Athena on his side. He had all her children. The Olympians should know better than to leave Manhattan at her mercy, fighting a futile battle against a giant they couldn't hope to defeat.
There was no music, or no voices and definitely no laughter or whispering, like there had been the last time Luke had been on Olympus. His eyes moved to Thalia, narrowing as he took her in.
She was walking in front of him, and her arms were hanging loosely around her body, fingers drumming on her thigh. She felt…different. Her head was held high, which wasn't unusual, but he had caught the glint and flash of power in her eyes when they'd pulled up in the vans.
He could feel the power rolling off her in waves, and something about her stance was screaming to him that a lot had changed. Whatever she had been getting up to with di Angelo, Luke wasn't sure he liked it.
Thalia turned back, as though she could see him staring. "What?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Where exactly did you say you went with Nico?" He asked her, brow creasing.
She pursed her lip. "I'll tell you later. We have to hurry." They made their way towards the throne room in relative silence. The shops were closed, the parks were empty, and generally, Luke was not feeling the ghost town vibes the majestic city was giving.
"Fuck, what's that?" Beckendorf's voice drew Luke out of his musings, and he glanced up, to where the boy was staring at the sky. Blue lights were streaking towards the city at unimaginable speeds, like comets, and his heart fell into his gut. Had the attack began already? The lights were shooting towards them, but before they hit they ground
they fizzled out, and new ones took their place. Confusion replaced his bolt of fear, and around him, the other demigods stopped to watch.
The lights didn't seem to be doing any damage, but still, he didn't like it.
"Let's move," Thalia sounded uneasy, and he didn't like that either.
They kept walking.
The throne room was unguarded, like the rest of the city. The gold and silver doors were wide open, and their footsteps echoed across the marble as they walked in. Luke licked his bottom lip, hands moving to his sword at his side. The sword was pulsing, and his touch seemed to do nothing to sooth it.
He understood—its previous owner had been an enemy of the gods, and bringing it into the place where they were strongest wouldn't sit well with the weapon, inanimate or not. The blue ceiling glittered with constellations, the gigantic thrones of the gods were empty, in a U-shape. In one corner, there was a giant fish tank, and inside, Percy's pet, the Ophiotaurus, swam round and round in circles.
Luke cracked a smile. He was sure the Titan of the earth wouldn't like this.
His eyes moved to the centre of throne room, where a fire was burning low. Thalia led them towards it, and the small voice of a girl greeted her. "Hello again, Thalia Grace." Thalia smiled, but it seemed more like a grimace.
She bowed. Luke and the others followed her example. "Hello, Lady Hestia." Luke's brow crinkled. He didn't remember them ever meeting Hestia. But he exhaled, pushing away his earlier confusion. Maybe they'd met up when Thalia had vanished on them.
"I see you went through with your plan," Hestia stood, and Luke took in her features. Her hair was soft and brown, framing her little face nicely. Her skin was clear and smooth. She wore a simple brown dress with a shawl around her shoulders, and her eyes were warm, filled with orange flames of a chimney fire.
"You bear the curse of Achilles." Luke stilled, eyes shifting to Thalia at Hestia's words. His mind flashed back to a memory of him, and Thalia and Annabeth, in a forest, the daughter of Athena yapping away about one of the Greek heroes she'd read about, whiles they all munched on Burritos around a campfire he had made.
He knew who Achilles was. He knew how he had died.
And apparently now his best friend was cursed, and Luke wasn't sure if he was supposed to be angry, or sad or furious, that she was pushing away his questions and stalling and refusing to tell him what in her father's name was running through that head of hers.
Around them, the other campers were muttering, confusion and shock on their faces at the goddess' words. "You must be careful, Thalia," she warned. "You may have the power you sought, but you are still blind to what matters most." She was staring at Thalia, watching her, and suddenly, the daughter of Zeus was on her knees, a shaky breath releasing itself from her lungs.
Luke surged forward instantly to grab her, and he felt a shock sail through his nerves at the contact.
Suddenly, he wasn't in the throne room anymore, he was standing in an alley, Thalia beside him, looking confused. He glanced around, meeting her eyes. And then, almost at the same time, they caught sight of the girl with the blonde hair, seated next to a huge dumpster, head in her laps. She looked young, eleven, maybe, or ten.
Luke's heart ached.
Even from where he stood, he knew that it was Annabeth.
Where had they gone wrong? Why had she allowed her mother to corrupt her into mindless servitude to a monster? He pursed his lips, watching. He hated that his former friend was beyond help now.
He hated that he hadn't seen everything she had been struggling with.
He hated the fact that even though he wanted to, he couldn't save her. Not when she was one with the Titan Lord.
"Mother," Annabeth glanced up, and there were tears streaming down her face. She looked so broken, and Luke couldn't bear to watch. She was ragged, and she looked so hungry and afraid. There were scratches, littering her skin, and her clothes were so dirty and torn, barely hanging on to her thin frame.
"Mother, please, if you're there, help me," She murmured softly. "Get met somewhere safe." She sniffled, drawing her knees closer to her face. "I-I can't," she gasped, crying out louder. "The monsters. I can't deal with them on my own. They'll kill me."
"What did I ever do?" She questioned, and the agony was clear in her voice. "Why don't you care? Why don't you ever answer me when I call to you?" When no response came, Annabeth threw her head back, and laughed, and even then, she sounded crazed. It pained Luke that he hadn't seen it before.
Annabeth had been drowning because of Athena's absence in her life. Coupled with her hubris and her urge to please her mother—her desire to be loved—she had been such an easy target for Kronos. It hurt him, that the love he and Thalia had showed Annabeth all those years hadn't been enough.
He knew how being on the run was. He'd been fourteen when he'd finally found Camp Half-Blood, after running from home at eleven. He knew the stress it came with. He knew the hurt, the pain and the loss.
He knew how badly it ached. He'd broken down like this so many times before, trying to contact his father for help with no answer, trying so hard to stay alive. There had been a monster at every single fucking turn. He remembered trying not to let everything going on around him take a toll on his mental health.
But then he'd found Thalia Grace, and everything had been right in the world again.
He knew that what they were watching was before he and Thalia had stumbled upon the daughter of Athena in Connecticut. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around a metal hammer, and involuntarily he smiled, recalling how she'd tried to brain him with the weapon when they'd first met.
"Gods," Thalia muttered. "I can't believe…" Thalia trailed off, and the sadness in her eyes was clear.
Luke's thoughts were interrupted by a hoot, and he glanced up. A snowy white owl had appeared on a windowsill looking down in the alley. He looked back down, where Annabeth had noticed the bird. Her eyes filled with hope, dirt and tear streaked face breaking into a small smile as she sobbed her heart out.
A feminine voice filled the alley, and Luke stilled at its familiarity. "You are my daughter, Annabeth Chase. Do not ever think you are alone. I have been with you every step of the way. But you must do everything I tell you." Annabeth, forgetting to be angry with Athena for not reaching out earlier, nodded, sombrely. "Go to Connecticut. Help shall find you there." The voice sounded ethereal. Godly. Athena continued, "You are destined for great things. I shall meet you, one day. I shall lead you." She paused for effect. "Together, we shall build a new world."
Annabeth shakily stood to her feet, wiping the tears and grime from her face. That determined expression Luke knew so well settled on her face. Her jaw clenched and her grip on her hammer tightened.
Then she was moving, out of the alleyway and into the night.
Into the dark, cold, monstrous night.
-X-
THALIA let out a gasp when the throne room suddenly swam into focus once more. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. Beside her, Luke was rising to his feet, blinking back tears. The blue eyed girl released a shaky breath.
She stood. The others looked worried. Thalia swallowed, turning back to the goddess, and said, "We came here for a purpose. We need to contact my father."
Hestia nodded, although Thalia still didn't like the expression the goddess was giving her. She glanced to her side, and muttered to Luke, "Take the others outside, would you? Scout out the city, see who's still left."
He hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. "Come on, guys," Luke's voice was shaky, and his jaw was clenched. "You heard her." The others shuffled after him uneasily, towards the entrance.
Thalia rolled her neck, trying not to develop cold feet. Sure, she'd met Zeus before, when she had returned his master bolt. But still…
She approached his throne, tentatively, and came to a stop in front of it. She could feel the power, and she could smell ozone. Her father's throne was golden, and huge, and carved intricately with designs and art of the first Titan war. There was a spot on the armrest for the Master Bolt.
Thalia reached out. The air began to crackle with electricity. She placed her hands on the throne, feeling power surge through her at the contact.
"WHO DARES—" Zeus boomed and his voice exploded in her head, making her wince and cry out. Her father stopped short, swearing in ancient Greek. "Daughter. I could have killed you for that." His voice was hard.
She tried not to slip to her knees. "I know."
She could feel him, feel his presence surrounding her, his power, activating nerves in her body she hadn't known existed. She gritted her teeth, trying to concentrate, trying not to let the power overwhelm her. She knew if she didn't take care, she could get fried from inside out.
She could feel his hesitation as he told her, "I am busy right now." Typhon, yes.
"I know," She repeated herself. "Kronos is going to attack New York. You lot must have that."
"I know what you are about to ask, Daughter," Zeus told her. "It pains me to tell you this, but I cannot let any gods away from the front lines."
"But it's a trap," Thalia answered vehemently. "Olympus is undefended. There are blue lights—"
"Hecate's work," His voice, loud and clear in her mind, made her guess he was waving it aside. "They cannot harm you while you are in Olympus. My city has strong wards. And Aeolus and his wind gods are guarding our home. No one shall penetrate Olympus from the air."
Thalia didn't feel reassured. "If Kronos wants Olympus, he would have to march his army of monsters through the elevators. He cannot teleport through the wards."
"But a few of you could come back," She argued.
"Typhon is one of greatest enemies." She knew he wasn't trying to purposely blow her brains out, but his voice had gotten so loud, so fast. She could tell she was getting on his nerves. "He is the father of all monsters. We cannot afford to divide our forces. Poseidon fights his own war in the seas. Hades sits and does nothing, refusing to help. Demeter and her daughter follow his lead. Athena and Aphrodite have turned on us. Hestia guards the flames to keep us from running out of hope. Kronos marched East, and Perseus runs rampant across the country. I don't suppose you know where—"
"I don't," Thalia interrupted, flatly.
Zeus let out what sounded like a sigh. "I cannot help you."
Thalia grimaced. She had known it would come to this. Her father released a breath, on the other side of their mental connection. "I am sorry, daughter. But you must hold Manhattan on your own. If Kronos really does attack the city…" He paused. "Activate Plan Twenty-three. Chiron will inform you about it. Your friend Luke might know something too."
Thalia nodded, and then felt stupid for doing so. He couldn't very well see her. "And Thalia," Zeus' voice was fading. "Whatever happens in the coming days." She could feel his hesitation, and confusion filled her, making her wonder what was so hard for him to say. "I am…" He seemed to choke on his words, before getting out, "…proud of the person you have become."
She felt her heart clench in pain and mild anger at the fact that he thought he deserved to tell her something like that, and blinked to clear her eyes. She knew he cared. He'd tried to keep her alive by turning her into a tree years ago. And then a few days prior he'd gotten that eagle to save her life and destroy the Princess Andromeda. But that didn't suffice for all the times she'd needed a dad and he hadn't been there. "Okay," The demigod murmured.
But he was already gone, and she couldn't feel his presence anymore. Exactly like how it had been for most of her life.
-X-
LUKE raced into the throne room, alarm bells ringing in his head, panic flaring through his entire body. His breastplate felt as though it was choking him inside his black camo and his entire head was spinning. The first strike from Kronos had landed.
He met Thalia, slumped against her father's throne, head in her hands. "Thalia," He barked. "You have to see this."
She sat up quickly, pushing herself off the ground. "What's wrong?"
He pursed his lips, motioning for her to follow.
Luke led her to a small park at the edge of the mountain. The others were clustered at the guardrail, looking down at the city. The rails were lined with binoculars, and every single one was in use.
Even before they got there, Thalia noticed the problem.
"I don't…hear anything." Her eyes were blown wide, the blue in them flickering.
Even from this height, they should have been able to hear the noise of the city. Thousands of cars and machines, millions of people moving around, the chatter of the mortals. Even in the dead of night, New York was never silent.
But it was now.
"Fuck," Thalia muttered. But her earlier surprise had died down. She pushed someone from the binoculars and took a look. Luke knew what she was seeing. Below them, all traffic had stilled. Pedestrians had curled up on the sidewalks and in doorways. It was as though every single person had decided to stop whatever they were doing and pass out.
"They aren't dead, are they?" Luke's brother Connor asked. The astonishment was clear in his voice.
Thalia was biting her cheek, he could see. "This is what he meant," she muttered. She was deep in thought, and when she turned to them, her jaw was set, eyes hard. "No, they're not," The daughter of Zeus told them. "It's Morpheus. He's put Manhattan to sleep." She paused, glancing back down. "The invasion has begun."
-X-
THALIA stared into the Iris Message as Chiron explained to her and the others what exactly Plan 23 was. Luke had a bag slung over his shoulder, which she hadn't noticed before, and he'd produced a laptop—Daedalus', which contained more information than Chiron had provided. She had informed the others of Zeus' words, and like she'd guessed, none of them were happy.
The IM fizzled out as Chiron wished them good luck, and she turned back to Luke as he said, "We have to get back down there."
"Yeah," She agreed. They led the others through the empty city once more, Luke and her in the lead. As they walked, he glanced at her, brows furrowed, and said, quietly, so no one else could hear, "You bathed in the River Styx, didn't you?"
Thalia glanced sideways, nodding, "How'd you guess?"
"Hestia mentioned the curse of Achilles and I guessed the rest," He looked away, exhaling. "Do you know how dangerous that was?"
"I don't think that's ever stopped me," She tried for a smile. Luke shot her an unimpressed look.
Thalia sighed. "It's the only way I can stand up to Annabeth."
He looked confused, for a few seconds, and then, "You mean—"
"Yeah," He nodded. "It's how she survived the Battle at Mount Tam, and how your sword did nothing to her last year when the Labyrinth led you all to Othrys."
"Shit," He muttered.
Thalia had to agree with him. They kept moving, and finally, they were back in the city. The sleeping city.
Argus was waiting for them at the vans, with the two harpies. Thalia stood by as Luke told him exactly what had happened.
"You'd better get back to Camp," Thalia told him. "Guard it, in case Kronos sends someone to attack."
He stared at Thalia critically, and she said, "We're staying." He nodded, satisfied with her answer.
"Wait," Beckendorf called. He jogged forward from the crowd into the first van and reappeared a few seconds later with a round shield. It looked pretty standard, except for the giant screen where the metal was generally supposed to be. "Almost forgot this."
"Whoa," Lou Ellen came up beside her.
"It's one of Daedalus' ideas," Luke told her, patting his bag. "I had Beck make it a few weeks ago."
"It bends sunlight and moonlight to create a reflection. You can see any target under the sun and moon as long as there's natural light touching it," Beckendorf informed them. He motioned to the shield as he placed it on the ground. The image zoomed and spun, through Central Park Zoo, then down East 60th, then all the way to Third Avenue.
"We'll be able to see what's going on across the city," The son of Hephaestus said. Thalia looked up to Argus, who was getting back into the van. "Thanks. We'll see you back at Camp."
The silent 'if we make it out alive' hung in the air. He nodded, shooting them a look which said, 'Good Luck,' and then he and the harpies were pulling away with the vans and speeding down the road.
"Luke," Thalia called to her best friend who was standing beside Beckendorf. "Nico and I found Grover. He was asleep but he's fine now. I need you to IM him. Make sure he's not passed out again. We're going to need his help." He nodded, then jogged away.
"I don't get it, though." It was Castor who spoke. "How aren't we also asleep?"
"It's a huge spell," Lou Ellen had a weird expression on her face. Thalia tried not to think of the spy Kronos had spoken about, and how Silena and Lou were the only ones among their siblings who hadn't turned. "The bigger the spell, the easier it is to resist. To make mortals fall asleep, you need to cast a thin layer of magic. Doing that for demigods is much harder."
Before she could respond, Beckendorf called, "Thalia, you'd better see this."
They crowded around the shield, and Thalia felt her mouth go dry. The bronze shield showed several speed boats racing through dark water to get to Manhattan. Each boat was filled with several demigods in full Greek armour. At the back of the lead boat there was a flag, fluttering in the wind, with a black scythe right smack in the middle of it.
"Fuck, scan the perimeter," Thalia ordered. "Quickly." Beckendorf shifted the scene on the shield. They were South to the Harbour, and a Staten Island ferry was moving through the waves, its deck crowded dracaena and hellhounds. Swimming in front of the ship were telkhines. Then the scene shifted and they were at the Jersey shore, at the entrance to Lincoln Tunnel, where an army of assorted monsters were marching through the traffic.
"What's happening outside Manhattan?" Thalia questioned. Luke jogged back to them, his "Grover's fine" dying on his lips as he saw what was going on.
Beck frowned, watching the shield intently. "The entire Island is asleep. And there's a fifty mile radius around where time is going really really slow. The closer you get to Manhattan, the slower it is."
"Kronos is slowing down time?" Luke asked.
Thalia nodded grimly.
"Hecate might be helping," Silena spoke up. "Look how all the cars are veering from the Manhattan entrances. Like they're getting a subconscious message to turn back. They've surrounded the city with layers of magic. The outside world might not even realise something's wrong."
"So we're not getting any help," Jake Mason concluded.
Thalia glanced around. She could see the others were trying hard not to show their fear. But it wasn't working.
"All right," She announced. "We're holding Manhattan."
Connor arched an eyebrow. "Manhattan is huge."
"We don't have a choice," Luke supported her, folding his arms.
"He's right," Beckendorf said. "Aeolus and his gods will defend Olympus from the sky. Kronos will try a ground assault. We have to cut off the entrances to the Island."
"They have boats," Michael Yew pointed out.
Thalia pursed her lips, wondering how on earth she was going to deal with that. But she said, "I'll handle it."
"How?" He looked sceptical.
She waved it aside, and said, "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Michael, take the Apollo cabin to Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, take half of the Demeter Cabin to Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Keep them out of there, however you can think of. Travis, take half of Hermes cabin, cover Manhattan Bridge. Connor, you take Brooklyn Bridge. Don't get distracted." She shot them meaningful glances. "Jake, take half of the Hephaestus cabin to Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Beck, you take the other half to the Holland Tunnel." Beckendorf nodded, handing Luke the shield.
"59th Street Bridge," Thalia said. "Miranda, take the other half of your cabin there. Pollux, Castor, Lou, Silena, you join them."
"I'll go with Thalia," Luke spoke up. "Everyone, activate Plan 23 on the way, like Chiron instructed. We'll join you guys as soon as we can."
"Keep in touch," Thalia spoke. "If we're needed, pick up a random cell from the sleeping mortals and call Luke's phone. Use it once, drop it, and borrow another one if you need it again. That'll make it hard for monsters to trace you."
"Wait a second," Lou raised a hand. "You forgot the Lincoln Tunnel." Thalia swore in frustration, remembering what the shield had shown them.
"How about you leave those to us," A voice called from across the street. Thalia felt a smile break on her face as relief filled her. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to the goddess of the hunt as a group of thirty girls crossed Fifth Avenue. They wore white shirts, silver camo pants and combat boots. There were swords hanging at their sides, quivers slung over their shoulders, and bows in their hands. Timber wolves marched alongside them, and hunting birds flew above their heads.
Bianca di Angelo came to a stop in front of them, with the others behind them. "Good to see you again," Thalia nodded to the girl. She glanced around, in search of their lieutenant. "Where's Zoe?"
"She's with half of the girls in California," Bianca informed her. "Special task for Lady Artemis."
Thalia nodded in understanding, although she would have felt better with the ancient huntress by her side as they went against Kronos.
"Right," She nodded. "Okay, guys, try to stay alive. Good luck, everyone. Luke and I are headed back to Olympus to take care of the boats."
Thalia looked at the others around her, looking grim but determined. She tried to not to feel as though she was leading them to their deaths.
She had to speak to Percy, at least before everything started.
"You're the greatest heroes of this generation," She told them. "Fight bravely, kill anything that tries to kill you first. Don't hesitate, and we will win this. FOR OLYMPUS!"
Their echoing voices resonated throughout the street.
-X-
Thalia exhaled, praying to all the gods that he answered this time. It had been a whole week since she had heard from him, and she didn't like it. Not at all.
"Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering, show me Perseus, Titan of the Earth," She threw her drachma into the rainbow they'd created, and watched, heart thumping in her chest, hoping he accepted the call.
Her boyfriend's face came into view a few seconds later, and Thalia felt relief fill her.
"Thals," He broke into a smile on seeing her, and she almost forgot she was angry.
Almost.
"I thought you'd been captured," She hissed at him, eyes narrowing.
Percy had the sense to look regretful and sheepish. "I'm sorry. I was busy." He met her eyes. "I missed you."
Thalia felt herself soften.
"You still haven't told me why you needed to find your family," She pointed out, letting her rage go.
He glanced to his side. Thalia could hear voices, raised, shouting. "Where are you?"
"My sister's library," He informed her. "And I found everyone. We're having a sort of meeting. I'm forming my own army of Titans." His eyes glinted. "Not to take over Olympus. We're trying to figure out which King to side with this time. I'm hoping I can convince them to help you against my brother. Even the playing field so you can take out Kronos."
She nodded, and he ploughed on. "If I manage to convince them, we'll deal with Typhon first," He told her. "Gaea knows the gods can't handle my half-brother on their own." He rolled his eyes. "None of them want Kronos to destroy this New world. I still haven't even been to Europe."
Thalia felt warmth erupt in her chest, at the fact that he go through all that, and all his family, for her. "Gods, I love you, you know that right?"
He looked surprised at her sudden show of emotion, and then his eyes softened, and he said, "I love you too." The IM was fading, and Percy said, "Stay safe. I'll be with you soon."
Thalia nodded, and then she was alone again.
-X-
SHE placed her hand on Zeus' throne again, thankful this time, when he didn't scream in her ear immediately.
"Father," She spoke before he could. "Annabeth is on her way. I need your help. Lend me your power for a few minutes, to take care of her boats."
"What?" Zeus sounded distracted. "Thalia, I could burn you out. You can't handle my power without dying."
"You owe me this," She said heatedly. "You don't get to abandon me and mom and Jason, and watch me fend for myself my whole life. You don't get to tell me you're proud of me when I make something for myself and then refuse me when I ask for your help!" He'd saved her life on the Princess Andromeda, but this was more important. He couldn't deny her. Not now. "I can handle your power. Let me show you."
Zeus hummed, and she heard thunder boom above her. He was keeping his anger in check. No one spoke to the King of the gods like she had, twice today. Daughter or not, she was pushing her luck.
And then she felt it.
The power of the sky flooded her body, filled her veins, and awakened her senses. Sharp pain engulfed her and she threw her head back with a gasp as her vision went white. She could vaguely hear Luke calling her name in panic, and she could smell burning and ozone. She started when she realised it was coming from her. Fuck, she had thought the Styx was bad. This was torture.
Thalia tried to concentrate, pushing the pain to the back of her head.
And then she wasn't in the throne room any more. Instead, she was staring down at the city. She could see the others, moving towards where she'd instructed them to go. She could see the boats, speeding towards the Island.
Lift up your hands.
His voice was sombre now, serious. She had his undivided attention.
Thalia lifted her hands (well, not literally). She felt powerful. She felt the entire sky, under her command. She was channelling Zeus' power, through his throne, staring down at the centre of the mythological world.
Thalia exhaled, forcing the power to flow through her hands, ordering clouds to form in the sky. Dark storm clouds gathered around them, thunder boomed. Rain began pouring down in torrents. Thalia concentrated. She could feel her insides burning, the power overtaking her, trying to burn her out.
It was too much. It was breaking her.
With a scream, she summoned lightning, first one bolt, to Long Island Sound, near La Guardia, right into the middle of one boat. Then another into a second boat, causing a massive explosion and throwing demigods aside, then a third, then one, into the water, frying the traitors in the metal speedboats.
She summoned more bolts of lightning, slamming them into the monster filled boats coming from Staten Island. Then a second, into the ship of a boat crossing the East River, then another, right smack into another two on their way across the Hudson river. Thalia continued calling down bolts into the water, surrounding the Island, and then finally, she lowered her hands.
All of Kronos' ships had sunk. The rivers were safe.
And then suddenly she was back in the throne room, and her hands fell from the golden throne as Zeus' power and presence fled from her body and her mind quickly. He didn't want her to die.
Thalia collapsed, gasping and wheezing, into Luke's arms. Her head was pounding, but she could feel arms on her, and warmth spread through her body as another pair of hands held her—healing magic. She heard Luke muttering thanks to Hestia.
Her vision swam, and she let out a cough. She could still feel her body, charged with electricity, and her fingers were twitching. She spasmed in her best friend's arms.
"What was that?" Luke asked, quietly.
"Dealt with the rivers," She grinned, tiredly. Luke shook his head, muttering about how stupid she was. "Get Blackjack," She sat up, tiredly. "We have to get to the city, launch Plan 23 and help the others."
-X-
PERCY slammed his hand on the table to get the attention of the others. Only Kronos, Oceanus and Atlas were absent. Not counting the faded twins Selene and Helios. "Drop your weapons, you fools," He rolled his eyes, swearing.
"Who put you in charge?" Pallas snarked, anger sparking in his eyes, his sword still drawn.
Percy allowed his power to flare, and his eyes glowed green. "Seeing as I'm the one who gathered you all here, I think it's within my power to stop you from killing yourselves."
There was muttering, and whispering, but he heard the sheathing of several weapons. His eyes moved through the giant room, taking in his family, gathered around the large table he had conjured for them.
The Library of Mnemosyne was packed with Titans, and he could feel the pure power emanating from them. It had been centuries since they had all been in the same place at the same time.
"You've been running from us for weeks," Hyperion pointed out. He was leaning against one of Mnemosyne's bookshelves, brows knitted together. "Why invite us here?"
"We're family," He shrugged.
"Kronos has left the group chat," Theia muttered. She was seated, legs crossed, looking bored out of her mind and tapping away at a cell phone. But she was here, and that was all that mattered.
"We've been arguing for the better part of four hours," Percy told them. "And I didn't call any of you here to fight, or to kill each other, or scream your heads off about how dysfunctional our family us."
"Yes, we're here to see you make moony eyes at my granddaughter," Rhea muttered, petting her lions and shooting him an angry glance.
"We're not going to fight for Zeus just because you're head over heels for his spawn," Lelantos stood beside his sister Leto, hand on a sword at his side. "That's not generally the main point Generals use to convince others to switch sides during a war."
"Okay, look," Percy was getting very tired of the snarky and salty comments and barbs at Thalia. "I know I won't be able to do much to change some of your minds. But I want you to listen. And make your decision when I'm done."
Iapetus had his hand in his head. Percy sympathised with him. He'd had his memories wiped in the past year, somehow. Finding him had been hard, but he hadn't really taken much convincing to come to the meeting, and he seemed to be adjusting, somehow, especially after Percy had showed him some of his memories of their family.
"Then you'd better start talking, brother," Phoebe motioned for him to continue.
"Fine," He exhaled. "You all know I've been imprisoned since our last war."
There were collective murmurs of assent from the group. "I just got out a year ago. And I'm not really ready for another war. Neither am I ready to see what the world I haven't explored yet destroyed. I don't think any of you are."
"Typhon is ravaging the country, and for what?" He spread out his hands. "If Kronos destroys the gods, everything they've built goes with them. Western Civilisation dies."
"We can rebuild," Eos murmured.
"Yes, and how long do you think that'll take?" He arched a brow. No one spoke up. He was getting somewhere
"Look," He nodded to them. "I'm not proposing we become simple foot soldiers for the gods, no, Tartarus forbid. I'd probably be the first to run Zeus through. But Kronos is going to murder those demigods. What if it was your mortal children? I know there are some demo-titans around. I found a few of them when I was searching for you all." He paused.
"If Kronos had been just going to Manhattan to destroy Olympus, fine. But we all know what comes after that. You all know your King. There's a reason why he was called the Mad Titan." He met Koios' eye. "Tell me he's not going to go across America after he's done." He shifted his gaze to Krios. "Just like he's gotten Oceanus to destroy Poseidon's kingdom down there, he'll go for everything the Olympians ever stood for. All their strongholds across the world."
"We can't have that happening," Thetys leaned back, brushing her hair from her eyes. Percy couldn't tell if she was being serious or sarcastic. You could never tell with Thetys.
"Theia," He faced his sister. "You have a whole life to get back to. You've got a job, you've integrated well with this world. You have a mortal husband. Are you prepared to make that all go to shit?"
"Asteria," He turned to his niece. "You're safe, you're happy, in Apollo's castle. I hope you're all seeing what I'm driving at."
There were nods.
"Zeus had me bound to a rock for thousands of years because I took fire," Prometheus' voice was harsh. "I can never forget that."
"I'm not asking you to. I'm not defending the gods or their actions. I'm speaking for their children and the mortals, who can't defend themselves." He met Prometheus' eyes. "Zeus' son is the one who freed you," Perseus pointed out. "Without his permission. He stopped his father from chaining you back onto that rock, if the stories are true."
"We're not ready to raise arms against one of our own," Klymene squeezed Iapetus' hand, shooting a glance at her husband. "Not for gods who drove us out of our homes and imprisoned most of us when we supported them in the last war. Not for gods who forgot their promises to those who fought for them." Perseus grimaced. He knew she'd been separated from her family when Iapetus had been captured and thrown into Tartarus.
Perseus rubbed his temples, groaning internally. "Neither am I. I don't want to fight Kronos, and I'm not saying any of you should. But you know, that once he destroys those demigods…once Typhon kills the Olympians, he's going to come for revenge. He's going to come for all of us who refused to join him and watched from the sidelines. He's going to come for those of you who stood by the gods in the last war."
"Once, before, he was a good King," Percy murmured. "But you all saw what happened to him. I know Zeus is horrible. I still want to gut him. But he's the lesser of two evils. I need you to see that. I need you to protect whatever you've built in the past millennia. Help me stop Typhon. Help me protect the mortals. That was our mandate, once before. Help me protect the children risking their lives for gods who could care less about them."
He paused. "That's what they are, and you know it. Have we become so detached that we're going to stand by and watch him kill kids?"
There was silence. All eyes were on him.
"I still think you're only doing this because you don't want to see your lover dead," Menoetius gave him a side eye.
Percy shot him a glare.
The others were silent, contemplating the words he had spoken. "You've changed," Mnemosyne said silently. He saw Leto and Astraeus share a glance. He could see the agreements in their eyes.
Percy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.. "Think of what I've said. I'm done. If you want to leave after everything I've said, you can." He watched, as Koios, Krios, Hyperion, Prometheus, Menoetius, Perses and Lelantos flashed away without a moments hesitation. Leto looked torn at her brother's disappearance. Calypso was blinking at the spot where Perses had been seated beside her.
He turned back to the others, who were giving him tentative looks.
"Good," He stood straighter. "We have a lot to talk about."
A/N: Done, bye. Thanks to those who expressed concerned on me losing my plans for my stories. It's nice to see you all still care. I'll work through it.