Hey, gang! Welcome to the start of the final battle, the longest chapter so-far posted and second-longest so-far written. And, I think, my favorite chapter I've written for this story so far. It's a really fun balance between tension and action. I think (hope) you guys are gonna like it :D

Thanks for the reviews, as always! Enjoy!

XLV
LEO

The tension at camp that night was higher than ever. After the council meeting, everyone spent the next hour rounding up volunteers and preparing for battle. Nearly everyone who wasn't injured—and even a few people who were—signed on to join the assault. They'd sent a message to Percy's half-brother Tyson and the other Cyclopes in Poseidon's undersea forges for help as well, though without the use of Iris-messaging they didn't know for sure if it would reach them in time. The equipment sheds were nearly emptied of weapons and armor as people outfitted themselves appropriately. The members of the Hecate cabin, along with a faction of mostly-Roman warriors led by Octavian, were chosen to stay behind and defend the camp in case of an attack, given that many members were too young, too old, or not in proper health to participate in the battle.

Leo's cabin mates had finished re-routing the electricity to Long Island Sound so the camp would have plenty of light over all important areas, with a few fighters appointed to guard the main power control relay. Obviously the general intention was to keep Erebos and his army far away from Camp Half-Blood, but there was always a chance things wouldn't go completely as planned. After all, Leo had realized long ago that things hardly ever went completely as planned.

When the time came, a third of their army piled into the camp's Delphi Strawberry Service vans while another third headed to the pegasus stables and the remainder—which included Thalia and her hunters and Grover and the other satyrs—prepared for the long trek into Manhattan on foot. Leo watched them with a twisting feeling in his gut, an uncomfortable mix of anticipation and nervousness. Everyone was so quiet and serious that the whole ordeal felt like a massive funeral. Unnerved, he shook off the thought of that discomforting comparison and turned to look up at Festus, who was tilting his mechanical head back and forth as though stretching.

"I know I told you you'd get some down time," he said to him, resting a hand on the automaton's side. "But we're heading into overtime and I'm gonna need you on the field a little longer." Festus opened his hinged jaws and released a series of quick, snapping clicks that Leo understood as Alright, but you'd better make it up to me. "Don't worry, I will," he promised. "How does a lifetime supply of gourmet thirty-weight sound?" Festus gave more mechanical whirring noises in answer, tilting his head back in excitement of more motor oil than he could drink. Leo grinned. "Sure, buddy. As much Tabasco sauce as you want." Festus released a long, low screech in agreement and Leo patted him on the neck. With his other hand he tugged absently on the hem of his T-shirt, missing his tool belt. He'd grabbed an iron and bronze war hammer from the armory and strapped it to his belt, but it was hardly the same. What if he needed to whip up another explosive? Or a spark plug? Or a taser? What if he had to pick a lock or repair something? He felt wholly unprepared and vulnerable without that tool belt, and though he tried to reassure himself that he wasn't going in alone and, more importantly, he always had his fire, he was still considerably more anxious than he probably should've been.

"Guess this is it," a voice behind Leo said solemnly and he turned to see Reyna standing there, staring at the armed kids preparing to depart.

"Yeah," he agreed, following her gaze and shaking himself out of his thoughts. "I guess so."

Turning her eyes on him, Reyna said authoritatively, "Don't die."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Is that how we say goodbye now?" he asked, flashing back to Nyx's castle. Reyna shrugged as if to say Looks that way. Leo chuckled and finished appropriately, "You either." She stepped forward with a small smile and twisted her hand in the collar of his shirt, pulling him into a brief kiss that inexplicably helped lessen his anxiety a little. Then she hefted her shield and turned away, calling orders to her soldiers as she jogged off toward the stables.

"Man, you've got no idea how weird it is to see you and her together," Jason said with a grimace as he, Annabeth, and Nico approached, all adorned with weapons and battle armor. The four of them would be riding in on Festus and leading the main assault.

Leo grinned. "Better get used to it, dude. You guys ready to hit it?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Nico said gravely.

Annabeth added, "Let's go." The four of them climbed into the empty seats on Festus's back and the dragon stood, stepping around on its heavy legs to face the caravan just as the last few car doors slid closed.

Chiron, who had his bow and quiver slung across his back and would be guiding the group traveling on foot, trotted up to them. "Stay with the vans," he told them. "Help provide them cover from above. We want as many to make it to Olympus as possible." He hesitated, shooting a glance over his shoulder. "We may not meet again until after the battle. All of you, be careful. And good luck. I've got a feeling you'll need it."

"Aye-aye, captain," Leo said with a grin and a salute. Chiron gave a grim smile and headed back to his battalion as the drivers of the vans started their engines in a drumming chorus. Leo looked behind him at the others and said, "Go time," before signaling Festus to take off.

With a great, thundering creak Festus spread his metal wings and rocketed skyward, circling above the camp as the vans rumbled into motion. The dragon glided at a leisurely pace away from the camp, staying low enough for Leo and the others to keep an eye on the camp vans as they set off down Farm Road 3.141. None of the four on the automaton's back spoke; there wasn't really much to say. Everything they'd been through over the past six weeks had all led up to this night. As if in vigil, even the darkness around them was still and silent—like the calm before a storm. Fitting, considering what they were about to do.

But like all peace in their lives, the quiet didn't last long.

The first disturbance came roughly ten miles into the trip when the lead van made the mistake of driving straight into a nest of giant spiders, all of which swarmed immediately upon the intrusion. A few of the vans screeched to a halt while others altered their courses to avoid confrontation—their orders were to make straight for Olympus as quickly as possible. The more they dawdled, the more likely it would be that Erebos would be alerted of their approach (assuming he didn't already have eyes everywhere).

"We should help them," Leo called to the people behind him, looking down at the two vans that were now emptying as their occupants engaged the nest of arachnids. He should've been able to spot the nest beforehand; it was the whole reason they were taking Festus in the first place. They would have to fly lower from now on.

"Chiron told us to stay with the vanguard," Annabeth argued in a small voice, and Leo turned to see her staring down at the ground with obvious trepidation. He understood why—seeing your greatest fear magnified to the size of a rhinoceros and multiplied by fifty couldn't have been very inviting.

"You're both right," Jason said from behind Annabeth. "Leo, keep going. I've got this." Leo nodded, trusting the serious expression on Jason's face, and spun around, signaling Festus to follow the remaining vans. As the dragon veered off, Jason raised an arm and spread his hand, gritting his teeth. The air around them seemed to spark with static electricity before a white-hot bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky into the spiders' nest, splitting against the ground and arcing through the monsters, reducing over half of them to dust in one fell swoop. Some of the campers below were thrown off their feet by the force of the strike, but none of them were hit.

"Nice one," Leo yelled back to Jason over the sound of the wind as Festus sped up to rejoin the front of the vanguard. The campers who'd stopped should have no trouble exterminating the remainder of the spiders and would presumably be following shortly.

The next time they came across a monster opposition, Leo and the others were ready. They spotted the group of—were those giant lizard monsters? Okay, sure. They spotted the group of giant lizard monsters from above and Leo immediately had Festus angle downward to head off the camp vans. Once in range, the dragon opened his jaws and loosed a powerful stream of bright blue fire into the dozen or so reptiles, and they scrambled and hissed as they were melted to dust in a matter of seconds. Festus roared in satisfaction and flapped his wings, soaring upward and tilting sideways so that Jason, Annabeth, and Nico all shouted in alarm as they grabbed onto their seats to keep from sliding from the automaton's back.

The head of the team reached Manhattan without much more delay (barring a few more small skirmishes) and in what felt like no time at all Festus had dropped down to the ground in front of the Empire State Building, startling a pair of dracaena guards who foolishly decided to make a stand. They were fried by dual bolts of lightning before Jason had fully dismounted the dragon.

"We're here," Leo said unnecessarily, heart starting to pound as he stared up at the skyscraper and the invisible city that lay waiting above the clouds. No one answered as the reality of the situation finally, fully sunk in. They were standing in front of Erebos's stronghold, about to break through and challenge the god himself. Leo knew he'd been the one to suggest this plan. But now he was wondering just what he'd been thinking. Were they really ready for this?

They wouldn't have much time to think about it, though. The vans would be arriving any minute, as well as the pegasus riders, assuming the latter hadn't run into any trouble. Soon there'd be no turning back.

Not that anyone was really considering it, of course.

"Our being here isn't gonna go unnoticed," Annabeth said seriously, eyes on the monument's front doors.

"So let's get noticed," Leo suggested. "Are we the advance guard or aren't we? How 'bout we go in and swipe us a keycard? I'm sure they'll hand one over if we ask nicely."

Nico drew his sword. "Or if we ask less-than-nicely."

"Either way works for me," Jason added, producing his own weapon and flipping it in his hand. He stepped forward without hesitation and led the way up to the Empire State Building's main entrance, pulling open the doors with the other three on his heels.

Annabeth had been right—their presence hadn't gone unnoticed. It was more than clear that the group of guards inside were expecting them, as they were greeted instantly by a total of ten glaring monster eyes.

"Uh… hi," Leo said, waving at the four Laistrygonian giants and two Cyclopes gathered in the lobby. "You guys must be the welcoming committee. Any chance of skipping the first few legs of the tour and taking us up to see the big guy?" He took a casual step toward the elevator and one of the giants roared angrily and came to bar his path, swinging both fists up in preparation to squash Leo like a bug. He didn't need to bother dodging, though, because half a second later the black blade of a sword impaled the monster from the side and sliced through him, prompting him to disintegrate with another howl.

As Leo sighed and shook his head in mock sympathy, Nico wiped the dust from his sword and said, "Less-than-nicely it is."

That was when the rest of the partygoers struck. They must have realized that attacking one at a time was incredibly stupid, because they charged the small team of demigods all at once. Leo saw Jason block the blade of an axe with his sword and Annabeth spin out of reach of a pair of fists before a rusty crowbar was swung at his head and he had to throw himself to the ground to avoid being brained. He scrambled backward and rolled to the side as the giant aimed the crowbar at him again. It slammed into the marble floor with a resounding clang, cracking the polished surface.

Leo sprang back to his feet and thrust out both arms instinctively, throwing a blast of fire that collided with the giant's shoulder and caused him to stumble to the side, arms flailing. He growled and barreled toward Leo, waving the crowbar back and forth like he was practicing his baseball swing. Leo ducked and hurled another blast at the monster's legs, tripping him up. As he staggered, he twisted sideways, crowbar slicing wildly through the air. Reflexively, Leo threw up both arms, grabbing the metal as it slammed against his shoulder and pushed him sideways, his feet sliding across the floor from the force. He steadied himself and gripped the end of the crowbar, eyes going to the tool as an idea struck him. He looked up at the giant and smirked, calling a thin coat of flames on his hands and arms and focusing his energy to heat them beyond normal levels. The metal grew warm under his fingers—which meant that were anyone else to touch it, it would be searing hot. As expected, the giant yelled in pain and let go of the now-glowing-red weapon, allowing Leo to pull it out of his reach.

"Hey, thanks, bro," he said smartly. "I could use this." With that, he spun around to gain momentum and swung the crowbar at the monster, the burning metal slicing cleanly through his neck and turning his body to dust.

A shout of surprise drew Leo's attention and he turned to see a Cyclops swing Jason over his head by the leg and heave him against the floor, smashing the marble. Flinching in alarm, Leo ran forward a few steps and drew back his arm before hurling the red-hot crowbar he'd stolen across the lobby like a glowing javelin. It jammed the Cyclops in the eye with a sickening squish and the monster reeled backward, howling in pain and clutching his head in both hands.

"My eye!" the monster roared. "Argh! I'll get you, whoever you are!" He lowered his hands and stretched both arms out in front of him, grabbing blindly at empty air. He looked more than a little ridiculous, blundering around with a crowbar sticking out of his overlarge eyeball, and had his friends not been within snatching distance Leo might have laughed. As it was, the blind Cyclops stumbled sideways and, being unable to see who or what he was aiming at, winded up smacking Nico, who had just leapt aside to dodge the giant swinging a club at him, hard in the back of the head and throwing him off his feet.

"Ha!" the Cyclops shouted, evidently convinced he'd just caught the perpetrator. "That will teach you!"

"Try again, ugly!" Leo called to the monster as Nico rolled over, grumbling angrily. "Actually, better not. You might hurt yourself." The Cyclops growled and lunged in Leo's direction, but he was still too far out of reach. He raised both hands and threw a column of fire toward the Cyclops. It slammed him in the chest and bowled him over, and he fell to the floor as a pile of charred dust. Leo jogged forward and held a hand down to Jason, who was pulling himself into a sitting position and blinking dazedly. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, more or less," Jason answered, taking Leo's arm and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. He winced and rolled his shoulders. "Heck of a backache, though."

Glancing around, Leo noticed that another of the giants had already been dispatched as well, leaving only two monsters remaining. Annabeth was now fighting the axe-wielding Cyclops, dodging in and out of the blade while sticking the monster repeatedly with her knife. Nico was back on his feet and glaring at the final Laistrygonian giant as though it had been responsible for the blind Cyclops's surprise attack on him. It was clear, though, that neither of them needed any help, as within seconds Annabeth had leapt a swing of the axe and buried her knife in the Cyclops's neck, and Nico had driven his sword through the chest of the giant.

"Well, that was fun," Leo said, dodging around Jason and vaulting over the welcome desk. He rummaged around in the shelved sections beneath it until he found a small stack of red keycards. He grabbed one and stood straight, holding it up between two fingers and grinning at the others. "Going up?"

Just then, the front doors opened, announcing the arrival of a faction of their army. Leading the way was Clarisse La Rue, decked out in crimson armor and brandishing a seven-foot spear that sparked with electricity. She frowned down at the piles of monster dust that coated the lobby. "What happened here?" she asked in her usual snarky tone.

"A friendly game of tag, what does it look like?" Leo replied, prompting her to glare at him. Man, that girl had no sense of humor.

"Are you guys okay?" Hazel asked as she and Frank pushed through the small crowd, both armed and armored.

"We're fine," Annabeth replied, "but we'd better hurry. Look." Leo followed her gaze to see that the monster dust on the floor was beginning to shift as though blown about by a breeze. He cringed; they were starting to reform already? They really had to free the gods as soon as possible. Without Thanatos on their side, this battle would never end.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Clarisse said. "Let's get up there and get this thing started."

Leo jumped back over the welcome desk and led the way to the elevator. Once they'd crammed as many people as they could inside, he slid the keycard into the slot and a red button labeled 600 appeared at the top of the floor panel. He jammed the button and the doors slid closed. A few minutes of tense silence later, they opened once again to reveal a narrow walkway made of stone that stretched through the empty, night air above the ground hundreds of feet below. Annabeth was the first one out of the elevator; she strode purposefully across the walkway toward the wide, marble staircase that rose from the stone landing at its end, leading up into the mountainside city of Olympus.

Once they'd gathered at the base of the staircase, Annabeth turned to the group and said, "We should split up. We need to divide Erebos's attention throughout the city, keep him from focusing completely on the people approaching the palace. Clarisse, think you can cause an uproar to help distract him?"

Clarisse hefted her spear. "You might as well ask me to breathe."

Annabeth nodded. "Good. I'm sure Erebos has more monsters throughout the city, along with who-knows-what else. Be careful."

"Think who you're talking to, Chase," Clarisse replied shortly with a small smirk. Then to her cabin mates behind her she said, "Alright, time to wreak some havoc! Let's smash this king's army to the ground!" A bunch of people shouted in assent and as one the members of the Ares cabin started running up the stairs, branching off into the city and making no effort to keep quiet.

By then the elevator had returned with another group of campers, this one consisting mostly of Hermes and Apollo kids, including their counselors. "Connor," Annabeth addressed the Hermes cabin leader at once, wasting no time. "How many from your cabin are here?"

"Um…" Connor muttered as he spun around and stood on tiptoe, glancing over the people behind him. "Fifteen, including me."

"Alright, Clarisse has got the lower east side of the city. You guys take the lower west. Our goal is to distract Erebos, but whatever opposition you can take out along the way would be great."

"We're on it, Annabeth," Connor promised, not questioning the fact that Annabeth was giving orders. He signaled to his cabin mates and charged up the stairs without any further discussion.

Annabeth then turned to Will Solace. "You and your archers spread out," she told him. "Help out where it's needed. Keep an eye out in case anyone gets hurt."

As Will nodded and followed her instructions, Leo asked Annabeth, "So did you plan all this ahead of time or do you just make it up as you go?"

She shot him a pointed look as if to say, I'm a daughter of Athena. What do you think? Letting that be her answer, she instead addressed Frank and Hazel. "Can one of you two stay here and relay the plan to the rest of the team? We need to get moving before Erebos comes after us."

"I will," Hazel volunteered. Turning to Frank, she said, "Go with them. They'll need you."

Frank nodded, squeezing Hazel's hand. "Be careful," he said seriously.

She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "You too."

"Alright," Annabeth said grimly. "Let's go." And with that, the five of them started up the marble staircase and plunged into the city of Olympus.

Leo had been to Olympus only once before, the previous summer after the end of the Giant War. It was just as crazy and overwhelming now as it had been then, though that wasn't to say it was the same. Darkness swirled so thickly it was almost like a fog, something you could touch and feel. The city felt dead and empty, quieter than it should have, and the air buzzed with a strange, cold energy that gave a sort of haunting feel. Walking through it felt almost like one of those ghost hunter shows on TV; Leo half-expected ordinary objects to start flying at them out of nowhere, or to hear disembodied thumping or wailing.

Their trek to the palace of the gods didn't go as smoothly as hoped, but the monsters they came across were nothing the five of them couldn't handle. It became clear that the city's new occupants had busied themselves lately with destroying every inch of Olympus that they could get their hands and claws on, as all around buildings and structures were in ruins, plants and trees were torn up, and stone walkways were cracked and broken. It looked like a massive earthquake had struck. Leo had a fleeting vision of what some of the gods would do when they found their city in this state and cringed, expecting something along the lines of a volcanic eruption.

They were just over halfway to the top of the mountain when the dark clouds hovering over the ground started shifting all at once to the southwest, as though someone had lassoed them and was reining them in. Leo exchanged a puzzled look with Jason, until Nico spoke up and said, "That's probably Erebos. He must have gone down into the city and the shadows are being drawn to him."

"So he's not in the throne room?" Frank said with a frown.

"Sounds like the perfect break-in opportunity to me," Leo pointed out, a little reluctant to believe their luck. If Erebos really had gone to see what the commotion in the city was, then presumably that left the throne room—and Hypnos—wide open.

They hurried higher up the mountain until they reached the huge castle at its peak. The palace was normally white with glittering rings of gold and silver. But under Erebos's rule, the marble was dark—not black, but cast in a deeper, heavier shadow than the rest of the city so that the whole building looked two-dimensional. They dashed up the stone steps and across the courtyard, slicing through the unsuspecting monster guards, and were at the giant entrance doors in no time.

Jason stepped forward and pushed against the left door, shoving it open just enough for them all to fit through. He leaned his head slowly through the opening and muttered blankly, "Whoa."

'Whoa' was right. When Leo made it into the throne room, his eyes landed instantly on the forms of the thirteen major Olympian gods, all of whom were curled up in or lounged across their gigantic thrones, fast asleep. It shouldn't have been an unexpected sight; but still, there was something about seeing their immortal parents so trapped and defenseless that just didn't seem right. Leo couldn't help glancing at his father, snoring on his mechanical throne, and thinking of the dream in which he'd heard the god's voice. The Nightflame burning in torches along the columned walls threw blue shadows on the floor and gave Leo a flashing vision of Nyx, but he was no longer afraid. His fire was stronger than hers, and he never would have believed that if it hadn't been for his father. Now he had to free Hephaestus and the other gods and set everything right in return.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried as soon as she'd stepped in behind Frank. She shoved past Leo and Jason and bolted toward the center of the room, where an enormous, obsidian throne with jagged spires had been erected. And sure enough, at the foot of Erebos's empty throne was the missing son of Poseidon.

As Annabeth slid to her knees beside her boyfriend, Leo felt a lump rise in his throat. At first, it looked like Percy was dead—he was sitting on the floor leaning back against the throne, his head hanging low against his chest. But then Leo realized he was breathing, which meant that he was still alive, and didn't look injured—though still worrisome were the smoking swirls of darkness that wrapped tightly around his wrists and bound him to the glass throne.

"Percy," Annabeth repeated insistently. She grabbed Percy's shoulders and shook him, trying to wake him up. "Percy!"

"Where's Hypnos?" Jason wondered aloud, glancing around the room. Leo followed his lead until Nico answered, "There!" When Leo turned to look, his eyes widened. The god of sleep was there, alright—trapped in a clear-walled prison and ensnared in ropes burning with Nightflame.

"This had better work," Leo said anxiously. He took a step toward Hypnos but stopped and spun around when Percy let out a low groan and Annabeth breathed, "Oh, thank the gods."

With what looked like a huge amount of effort, Percy raised his head and squinted at his girlfriend. "Annabeth?" he said hoarsely. "What… What are you doing here?" His eyes seemed to clear as they widened. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Shut it, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said in a tired voice. "We're getting you out of here and waking the gods before Erebos gets back. How do we—?"

"No, you don't get it," Percy interrupted her, shaking his head and drawing away from her attempt to reach toward him. "Him and me—Look, he knows! He knows you're here! I can feel him, he's—" His voice broke into a strangled yell and he jerked forward, doubling over with a pained grimace.

Annabeth flinched in alarm, eyes wide. "Percy—What—?"

"He's coming back!"

Uh-oh, Leo thought with a wash of dread as Annabeth gasped and the others flinched in alarm. They had to free Hypnos, no matter what. Clenching both hands into fists Leo turned and dashed toward the god of sleep's prison, planning to break through that container with whatever was necessary. He drew both hands backward in preparation, but just as the fire began to flicker to life a huge, dark shadow grew out of the ground in front of him, barring his path. He skidded to a stop as a pale, long-fingered hand wearing a pointed black ring reached out of the darkness, and an invisible wall of energy slammed into Leo with what felt like all the force of a speeding car. He was thrown backward with a pained yell and heaved against the marble floor.

"Well, well, well," a low, whispery voice said coldly as a tense silence fell in the throne room. Leo rolled onto his stomach and held back a groan as he pushed himself up on his arms, raising his head to see exactly the sight he'd been expecting and fearing: a tall, light-skinned man in a black tuxedo and a sharp, obsidian crown stepping slowly toward him, watching him with eyeless sockets filled with dark, smoking shadows.

Erebos smiled. "You're the demigod who defeated my dear sister," he said, a dark eyebrow arching.

"Bit wordy for an official title," Leo replied, struggling to his feet and feeling like he'd just body-slammed a brick wall. "I prefer Leo."

"Leo…" another voice repeated, and Leo looked to his right to see Percy standing up and staring at him in shock. "You're… You're alive?" Leo grinned at him and was glad when his friend gave a weak laugh, a brief flash of relief on his face.

"Not so easy to kill, I see," Erebos noted.

"Yeah, I'm like a cockroach that way." Leo hesitated, replaying what he just said in his mind. "Wait, that didn't come out right. Let me try again."

"No, I think you got it right the first time," Nico said. Leo gave him a pointed look.

"Enough," Erebos interrupted, eliciting another thick silence. "It's amusing that you children thought you could sneak in here and perform some strong and noble act of heroism toward your pathetic parents. But this charade can only go on for so long."

Leo was only half-listening to the god's ego trip. Erebos was standing between him and Hypnos, but with just a few steps' movement, by either one of them, he'd have a clear shot. There had to be some way to get around him without starting a fight they couldn't win.

"…I suppose all I can do is show you how pointless it is to oppose my rule." Erebos lifted a hand and darkness swirled between his fingers. His eyeless sockets watched it in interest.

"Wait!" Percy argued with him. "You said you wouldn't kill them—right, that was the whole point of our deal."

Erebos's mouth twitched in a miniscule smirk. "Unfortunately for your friends, the deal isn't finished yet."

"Then finish it!" Percy shot back, glaring at the god. He stepped forward, but the shadowy binds on his wrists held him back. "The day's over, right? Just kill me and let them go!"

"What?" Jason stammered in surprise as Annabeth's eyes snapped sharply onto her boyfriend at those words.

But Erebos shook his head. "The black moon is not yet mature. The time hasn't come. Your friends interfered with my plans, and for that they will not walk free. And what's more, I have you. The 'deal' is null and void." Percy yelled angrily and yanked on his binds, hateful eyes fixed on the King of Darkness. Erebos took a deep, slow breath and his smile widened. It may have been Leo's imagination, but the room's shadows seemed to seep closer and cling to the god's clothes. "Yes," Erebos mused. "Revel in that darkness. Allow it to consume you. When the time comes, it will make stealing your power for my own all the easier." He took a few slow steps toward his throne—giving Leo a perfect view of the trapped god of sleep behind him. Before he could act, though, Erebos turned his head and looked right at Leo, saying, "But first, I'll have to deal with you demigods. You buried my sister. Now I will bury you."

He raised his hands and Leo took a step back, wracking his brain for a way to divert the god's attention. He just needed a few seconds. Completely out of ideas, he turned quickly toward the far side of the throne room and pointed a finger, putting on a surprised expression.

"Look, a distraction!" he shouted, and miraculously everyone looked—including Erebos.

Seizing the chance, Leo bolted past the King of Darkness and hurled a blast of white-hot fire at the glass wall separating him from Hypnos, melting a gaping hole through it. He heard Erebos growl in anger behind him and shot a blind stream of flames over his shoulder in weak defense as he leapt through the hole and into Hypnos's prison. The god of sleep nodded at him, golden eyes wide with urgency above the fiery rope covering his mouth and pinning his arms to his sides. Leo reached out and grabbed a section of the rope, then lit his hands on fire just as a heavy force rammed him in the back, shoving him against Hypnos and bowling them both to the ground. Leo grimaced and rolled over just in time to see Hypnos—now free of the Nightflame—lock eyes with him and vanish in a flash of light.

"No!" Erebos roared, and Leo twisted around on the ground to see the King of Darkness approaching him with a snarl on his face. The god thrust out an arm and a stream of shadow shot from his fingers and wrapped itself around Leo's neck. He felt his eyes widen as his throat constricted and he suddenly couldn't breathe, and as he tugged reflexively at the wispy black substance Erebos's smile grew. Through reddened vision, Leo saw a flash of movement behind the god, before a powerful blast of bright, orange fire hit Erebos from the side and knocked him heavily to the ground. The smoky cord around Leo's neck vanished and he gasped and coughed as air rushed back into his lungs.

And then a deep, gruff voice growled, "Stay away from my son," and Leo looked up in shock at the brutish face of his father, who was glaring at Erebos with his meaty hands balled into fists. And he wasn't the only one. Behind Hephaestus, the other gods were all coming out of their trances and shrinking to human size, stretching their arms and necks and looking around at the darkened throne room.

"Wow," Frank said weakly, seeming to shrink a bit as one by one the Olympians turned toward Erebos with angry expressions.

"Can't say I love what you've done with the place," Aphrodite said sourly, wrinkling her nose at the black fire in the braziers along the columns. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, somehow managing to make bed-head look completely gorgeous.

Erebos sneered and his eyeless gaze turned sharply toward Percy as though he were planning to grab him and run. But in no time Poseidon had stepped between them and glared at Erebos, crossing his tanned arms and saying in a low, threatening voice, "Don't even think about it."

Erebos clucked his tongue and took a step backward. He raised his arms to waist height and darkness began to slink toward him, encasing him in shadow. Before he disappeared, however, a strong gust of wind blustered through the throne room, causing Jason, Frank, and Nico to stumble and Leo to throw an arm over his eyes as his hair and clothes were whipped about. The shadows seemed to hiss and thin, darting back into the corners of the room and leaving Erebos seething in anger.

"We can't have you running now," a dangerously calm voice said as Zeus stepped through the other Olympians, straightening the lapels of his pinstriped jacket. His blue eyes rested on the King of Darkness, and there was cold fury in them. "The war you so wanted is just getting started."

Heh heh. Heh. About time, right?

Anyway, so tomorrow's my birthday (24! :D ...You know, birthdays are less exciting when you start to reach your mid-twenties...) and I'm off work so I probably won't be on the computer like at all, haha. I'm off all next week, too, so I have no idea when I'll be able to update again. But hey, reviews do tend to remind me I've got a story to finish ;) I don't want to rush it too much, though. Lots of pretty constant action for these next six or so chapters.

How 'bout a review? Anybody else enjoy this chapter as much as I did? Hehe. Thanks again, everybody! Later days!

-oMM