=====Part VI: A New Threat=====

"Wooooo!" Leo whooped as the dragons took off from the Rock of Kuthian. "It's smooth flying from here!"

"You had to say that, didn't you." Percy shouted from Frank's claw. "Now we're probably going to be attacked by a random griffon or something."

"A griffon?" Jason asked. "What are the chances of being attacked by some griffons here?"

"One hundred percent!" yelled Leo, and the two dragons split apart, revealing a griffon that had dived at them from above.

Saphira twisted her head and blowtorched the monster, which fell out of the sky. She glanced upwards, and saw a whole flock of them headed their way. 'Oh no,' she said.

"Can you outrun them?" Jason asked. Eragon shook his head.

"Not with this many people."

Suddenly, Percy got an idea. "Can you lure them down to the water?"

"Yes, but what good… oh." Eragon realized his plan. "It could work."

Just then, the griffons dive-bombed the two dragons. They, too, dived till they just brushed the surface of the ocean. The griffons reached sea level and obligingly followed the dragons. 'Snack time!' Percy called into the depths.

Suddenly, behind them, there was a large splash, followed by a startled squaking sound, and there was one less griffon following the dragons. Then the water erupted around the griffon flock as Nïdhwals leapt from the ocean, snapping up the monsters in a single gulp. Soon, there was only one lone griffon left, but it rose above them and flew towards the mainland. 'Well that was easier than it could've been,' Saphira commented, rising.

Suddenly, the full implications of the griffon attack occurred to Jason. "Wait… if those griffons made it to Alagaesia, maybe other monsters did too!"

"Leo!" Percy yelled.

"What did I do?"

"You jinxed it!"

[A/N: for the sake of the story, the Varden's not quite at Urû'bean yet]

They managed, however, to get back to the Varden with no other monster incidents. However, when they got to camp, they found some soldiers fending off a couple of attacking hellhounds. They looked on as Arya dispatched one beast with a stab to the side, where it exploded into dust. Eragon noted she was using Niernen. The second had numerous wounds, but it was still going strong. As they watched, it lunged at the huddled soldiers, broke through the line of spears, and viciously attacked a soldier. "I got this!" Jason said, and Frank dropped him.

He flew down and stabbed the hellhound, which promptly exploded into dust. The soldiers, who had in their surprise raised their spears at Jason, promptly lowered them. "Thank god," the soldier said. "That was the fourth one!"

"How did you take care of the others?" Jason asked. "We didn't. Only whatever weapon that elf has was able to kill them!"

The group met at Nasuada's tent. "This is going to be a problem," Percy said. "Normal weapons can't kill the monsters, and who knows how many have come over to this world. Saphira, who is technically a monster herself," Saphira snorted at this, "can probably kill them. But there is no way that we can get enough celestial bronze of Imperial gold to make enough weapons–" Percy started.

"Wait! Imperial gold is essentially just enchanted gold! Surely we can find someone who can enchant iron the same way?" Jason interrupted.

"Can the elves can do that?" Nasuada asked.

"Maybe, with time," said Arya. "But we'd need to know how these enchantments worked. Will you give us permission to examine your sword, Jason?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Also," Leo said, "I think it's time for some new gear! Say hello, Varden, it's Christmas time!"

"... What's Christmas?"

The next few days were busy. Jason loaned the elves his sword, that they may attempt to recreate the enchantment. Percy, Frank, Eragon, and Saphira took shifts defending the camp from monsters. Leo designed a chariot and taught carpenters and blacksmiths in the Varden how to make them. Meanwhile, the Varden grew ever closer to Urû'baen. Eventually they came within view of the walls, and then saw something that made them really hope that the elves managed to enchant the gear.

The walls were covered with monsters and human guards, the the walls had ballista, likely cyclops-built, and…

"Kronos?"

"Saturn?"

The Lord of Time (not the Doctor!) himself was watching the incoming Varden.

"Kronos is fighting for Galbatorix now? Since when did he get here? When did he start working for anyone?" Percy wondered.

"Who is he?" Eragon asked Percy later, once the Varden had gotten a camp set up.

"Kronos? He's a titan, and has control over time itself. Even Saphira would have a difficult time against him," Percy replied.

"Control over time? Then how have we not been killed already?"

"Ok, let me clarify. He has control over how time passes. He cannot stop it completely on a large scale, or speed it up beyond belief, but he can make you move so slowly he has time to gloat without risk of being attacked."

Eragon processed this information.

"You sound as if he fought him before."

"I have, and it was not a pleasant experience." Percy realized something.

"Oh no," he groaned.

"What is it?" asked Eragon.

Percy started to walk where the other demigods were. "The last time I fought him, I only survived thanks to the Curse of Achilles, which made me almost invincible. He had it too, and if he has it now… there will be almost no way to defeat him."

Later that day, Nasuada called a meeting. "How are we going to do this?" she asked. "Eragon explained the problem, and unless we find a way to defeat this… Kronos, we have no way to get anywhere near Galbatorix."

"The only way to beat him is to find his weak spot, which could be anywhere. The last time I fought him, it was actually in his armpit, and it's worth a try, but I doubt it will be that simple. We don't need to hurt him much. Just a small cut will do. If we could somehow set him on fire, that would be the best way, as it would cover a lot of him."

"But Galbatorix is likely to have covered whatever spot that is with tons of wards, so we'd need to use Niernen in order to get through it. And if Kronos has told Galbatorix anything about you, he's probably gonna have wards against your… celestial bronze now, so we won't be able to just straight away stab him."

"Yet, we also Niernen need it to get through all the wards Galbatorix has."

"So the question is, who needs it more?"

The group spent the rest of the day making a plan to take out the two riders and the Titan. Unfortunately, none of them could think of a way to get either of them dead in order to take out the other. "The problem is that if we go after Galbatorix, then Kronos will run rampant and unkillable. If we go after him, only Niernen will be able to penetrate penetrate the wards that protect his weakness, which we don't even where it is."

"We'll have to split up," Jason said. "We can tackle Kronos, you take Galbatorix. Maybe we can't kill him, but at least we can keep him occupied long enough for you to kill Galbatorix and bring Niernen."

But the problem is that it was only because of the curse of Achilles that I was able to survive, and without it, I might not be fast enough to keep up with him." "Invincibility or reflexes… we really need the Styx."

===The Council of the Gods===

"Kronos is in Alagaesia."

That sent a ripple of shock through the gods present. "But how?"

"That 'Galbatorix fellow,' as you call him, has summoned him somehow. Kronos has agreed to fight, so long as he has a chance to take revenge against Percy."

"The dauthdaert! It was designed to fight dragons, in the hands of a demigod, especially Percy, it could be a devastating weapon."

That night, Percy had a dream. A message from his father, actually. "Use Niernen. It was enchanted to make elves the match of dragons, it should be able to help you defeat Kronos."

Percy woke up in his tent. Light was filtering through the material. It was morning. Quickly, he headed to the dining pavilion, intent to ask Eragon about the properties of Niernen.

"Well, it was designed with heavy enchantments, to protect the user from any magical attacks, as well as pierce any."

"So it will protect me from his time stoppage, and we'll be able to fight him on more even terms!"

"So now the question is who gets Niernen. We both need it to defeat our respective foes, yet there's only one dauthdaert."

"Which is the more difficult opponent, is what it comes down to. While Kronos will be difficult, he's not impossible to beat. I think you should take it."

Eragon nodded. "Or, we could also both go after one target, then another."

"Yes, but if Galbatorix is really as difficult as you say he is, then we need the element of surprise, from, say an early attack."

"But there's a chance that the two of them will be together. Remember, Kronos wants revenge on you, and Galbatorix probably thinks that we'll help you to try and defeat him."

"So we quickly do a flyby of the city and if he's there, we engage him. Otherwise, we'll accompany you to wherever Galbatorix is."

Eragon nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

========End of Part VI========

Afterword: Welp, my convenience meter broke somewhere in scientific notation. I'll try to fix it, but the next chapter may render it irreparable. *Reaches through the fourth wall and snags a pair of pliers from Leo's toolbelt*

—Dragoncraftertex