This is it, guys. Longest chapter. Roughly 8,500 words. Believe it or not, this entire chapter was only about a paragraph of my outline. I don't regret the length, though. It's action-y and dramatic, just the way I like 'em, haha.

Thanks so much for the reviews! We hit 400! YAY! I'm really excited about that, you don't even know.

Enjoy!

L
PERCY

Leo stared at Percy like he'd just suggested they throw themselves in front of a moving train. "We've got to what now?"

"Listen, I know it sounds crazy," Percy insisted, having expected that reaction. "But you gotta trust me, man, think about it—light doesn't cover up darkness. It moves it aside. Look." He pointed to the shadow between two cabins. "See how it's darker than normal? We're giving Erebos patches of… layered shadows, stronger darkness. He's using it against us. That's why we have to shut down the lights—if we make everything even, he won't have anywhere to hide."

Percy could practically see the gears twisting into place in Leo's head as he considered this. "I… guess it makes sense," he admitted. "In a backwards, whacked-out, lost-your-mind, major bananas kind of way."

"I know. So will you help?"

"You heard what I said. This plan is nuts." Leo grinned almost mischievously. "…Which makes it right up my alley. Follow me."

Percy felt a wash of relief as Leo jerked his head downhill-ward before setting off at a run, and he grinned unconsciously himself as he hurried after him, Kendall still on his heels saying, "You guys are kidding, right? Hey! Hold on!"

As they ran, Percy tried to keep his vision focused on the distant beach and not on the battles and fires raging all across the camp. Briefly he wondered how everyone would react once the lights suddenly went out—their first response would probably be panic. He had to hope that at least a few of them would catch on quickly. He was confident that this would provide a good chance for them to corner Erebos. They just had to understand and take it.

Focus tunneled, Percy hardly registered the chorus of shrill screams that became audible as they rounded the eastern edge of the forest, and when Leo ground to a halt he subsequently ran smack into him and almost knocked him over. Leo barely seemed to notice, though, as he'd already shouted "Detour time!" and veered off to the left. Finally paying attention, Percy looked past him and saw that a patch of trees nearby were bathed in Nightflame and a host of frantic dryads were desperately throwing water on the flames in an effort to save them (which was having no effect whatsoever). The sounds of chaos around the camp meant they needed to hurry to the beach, but at the same time Percy knew that Leo's primary job was extinguishing Erebos's Nightflame, and if they didn't do something to save those dryads they'd be completely consumed by the fire. So he and Kendall followed Leo to the forest without another word.

"We can't stop it!" one of the dryads shrieked when they noticed the boys approaching them. "Help us!"

"Get back!" Leo told them. The dryads hurried to comply, terror on their faces as he charged past them. Percy slowed down, the heat of the black and blue fire biting at the air and making it hard to breathe, and hung back, wondering what Leo was planning to do and hoping it wouldn't take long. Leo leapt over a line of Nightflame across the ground and seemingly without any hesitation slammed a hand against each of two burning trees on either side of him, directly into the dark fire. An instant later, bright orange and red flames burst from his arms and swept over the Nightflame, stretching across the charred grass and consuming each tree Erebos's fire was attempting to swallow whole. The dryads screamed and scrambled backward, falling over one another. But then a second later every tongue of orange fire dimmed and faded, leaving the section of the forest burned and worse for wear but decidedly standing and alive.

Immediately Leo dropped his arms and slumped to his knees as the nymphs straightened and looked around in surprise. As one they grinned and squealed gleefully, dancing around in relief. A little alarmed, Percy ducked around them and snatched Leo by the back of the shirt, yanking him to his feet and pulling him around to face him.

"This is wearing you out, isn't it?" he said sharply. "Tone it down, alright? We don't want you getting yourself killed—for real, this time." Leo gave a weak grin, looking exhausted. He held up his arms and shrugged, and as he did so Percy caught a glimpse of the darkened burn marks on his wrists and hands. Surprised, he pointed at them and said, "I thought you were—"

"Immune to fire?" Leo finished for him. "Not this stuff. Don't worry about it, though, I'm fine. I already died once this week and I really don't plan on doing it again. …But never mind that," he added off-handedly as Percy frowned in vague wonder. "Back to Operation Nighttime, yeah?"

"Right," Percy agreed, focus back in-tune. "Let's go."

But again that focus didn't last long. The celebrating dryads' voices suddenly rose in another cacophony of high-pitched screams and Percy spun around to see a fiery explosion of Nightflame spring up from seemingly nowhere. One of the weakened trees was overturned as the eruption threw up the ground and sent it crashing down among its fellows, pulling up the roots of two others around it. Three of the dryads vanished into wisps of green smoke as the rest shrieked and ran, stumbling over each other to get away from the fresh wave of fire. As the explosion died down, Percy could hear a very familiar whispery laughter approaching, and an encompassing anger washed over him as the dark energy in his body shifted and swelled.

"Well, look what we have here," Erebos said as he stepped through the trees, hands gripping his walking cane.

"Aw, great," Leo muttered.

"Is that…?" Kendall asked in a low voice. Percy nodded numbly, eyes trained on the King of Darkness. This was absolutely the last thing they had time for at the moment. He wracked his brain, trying to come up with a way to keep from getting killed before they were able to carry out their plan, but it looked like Erebos wasn't about to sit back and let him think. The god thrust out both arms and a powerful wave of black energy slammed into all three boys, throwing them backward. Kendall's back collided with a tree and Percy and Leo slid hard against the dirt, soaking their clothes and skin with mud.

With a low groan that came out as more of an angry growl, Percy rolled over and leaned up from the ground, glaring at Erebos as the god's cold, empty eye sockets seemed to stare back at him through the darkness. Percy just registered the fact that his sword was in neither his hand nor his pocket when suddenly six silver arrows sped past him in a swift sequence and embedded themselves in Erebos's torso. The god gave a raspy yell and staggered as sparks of white light zigzagged across his body.

"There you are," a calm, female voice sounded, and when Percy looked around for its source his gaze landed on a young girl with long, braided, auburn hair stepping silently through the trees. Her hands gripped a slim, wooden bow, and her pale, silvery eyes stared at Erebos with an aged hardness that easily betrayed her false appearance of youth.

"You think to run from us?" the goddess Artemis said coldly. "I'm afraid you are not like to find it so easy."

"Though easier maybe than getting away with this havoc you're wreaking on my camp," another familiar voice added—a voice that usually made Percy cringe in displeasure.

"Mr. D?" he said incredulously, staring in shock as their very own camp director stepped up beside Artemis, arms folded across his protruding belly. "What… You're helping us?"

Mr. D blinked and looked around, frowning down at Percy and the others as though just realizing they were there. "Yes, Johnson," he drawled in his usual sarcastic tone. "Contrary to popular belief I do care what becomes of this ridiculous place. Did you see what he's done to the fields and forest? Consider the line officially crossed."

"Oh, so it's not crossing the line when he attacks the campers, but as soon as he goes after the vegetation—"

"He comes!" Artemis interrupted as she snatched an arrow from her quiver and leapt forward, dodging a thin streak of solid darkness that had been thrown her way. She landed in a crouch, nocking and loosing two arrows in rapid succession. The first one missed its target, but the second stuck fast in Erebos's shoulder. The same instant, Mr. D raised his hands and a mess of twisting vines burst from the muddy ground, reaching for Erebos like long fingers. As they wound around him, he reached out a hand and a thin blade of dark obsidian—not unlike the sword Nyx used against Percy and Jason in Death Valley—materialized in his grip. He sliced through some of the vines, but another of Artemis's arrows struck his hand, forcing him to drop the sword. Mr. D's vines snaked around Erebos and wound tighter and tighter, until the King of Darkness roared angrily and dissolved into thick, black smoke.

Percy rose slowly to his feet, staring stunned as the vines dropped limply to the forest floor. Had that actually just happened? Was Erebos… gone?

But then Artemis sighed and Mr. D cursed in ancient Greek. "Another copy," he grumbled, shaking his head.

"Copy?" Leo repeated.

"Erebos has divided his essence," Artemis explained. She turned toward them, but her silver eyes continued to scan their surroundings. "He has doppelgangers spread across the camp. None of them possess the extent of his true power, but they've proven troublesome enough regardless. We've found it difficult to discern the difference until we get close."

"So we're fighting an army of this guy," Leo summed up wryly. "Great. I love a challenge."

"That's the problem with you kids," Mr. D said sourly, rolling his eyes. "Everything's a game, isn't it? An adventure. What does it matter who or what gets destroyed along the way so long as you can have your fun?" A bit startled at the accusation, Leo opened his mouth to respond before Mr. D cut him off. "Save your breath, Lenny, I know for a fact you haven't got a serious, responsible bone in your body."

Leo blinked and shut his mouth, looking offended but apparently having the sense not to start an argument with a god—which Percy found impressive as it was something he'd never been particularly apt at. He suspected the battle was having an adverse effect on Mr. D's already-usually-foul mood, and provoking him in his present state was probably a good way to ensure that you woke up the next morning as a porpoise.

Kendall, apparently, hadn't gotten the same memo, though. He eyed Mr. D's tiger-print shirt and asked shortly, "Who are you supposed to be?" Percy cringed and tried to shoot him an I-wouldn't-if-I-were-you look, but he wasn't paying attention.

Mr. D regarded Kendall dryly for a short moment before turning and giving Percy a pointed look. "I see you've kept the new recruits educated in our absence," he said with heavy sarcasm. Percy glared at him.

"Camp director," he told Kendall. "Mr. D. Also known as Dio—" Mr. D cleared his throat loudly and Percy rolled his eyes. "Lord Dionysus. You know, the wine dude."

Mr. D looked highly affronted at once again being referred to as 'the wine dude,' but before he could act Kendall said skeptically, "You're a god?" Mr. D sighed dramatically and glanced upward. Kendall's eyes slid over Artemis and he said, "And… You're one of those hunters, right?"

Artemis's eyes twinkled and a small, amused smile appeared on her face. "One of them, yes. I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Pleasure to meet you, son of Ares." Kendall raised his eyebrows in mild surprise and Artemis turned toward Percy and Leo. "That aside, what were you three doing down here? The remainder of your army has taken to protecting the camp structures left standing. I know you, Percy Jackson. I would not think you the type to place yourself far from those in danger."

Percy exchanged a glance with Leo, who shrugged, before carefully explaining to the two gods his plan to cloak the camp in darkness and use it to draw Erebos into the open.

"A risky endeavor," Artemis said thoughtfully, "but not one without merit. Very well. We will spread the word to the others to prepare them."

"And do move it along, please—Perry, Lenny, and… whoever you are," Mr. D added. "The sooner we're rid of this egomaniacal usurper the better."

As the two of them disappeared into the forest, Kendall retrieved Clarisse's spear and said shortly, "These gods of yours are, uh… not what I expected."

"Tell me about it," Percy agreed. "Let's get moving."

They met no other opposition on their way down to the beach, save for the team of guards appointed to protect the boathouse in which the power relay was contained. Percy and Leo sent them away up the hill with assurances that they had a plan and they should focus on finding others who needed help. Reluctantly the five campers left them alone, and Leo led the way into the empty, one-room boathouse.

"Here it is," he said, holding his arms out toward a brand-new fuse box that had been installed against the south wall. He undid the latch and the casing swung open to reveal an array of black switches labeled with different areas of the camp. A huge, red toggle lever hung beside them, bearing no label.

"You're really gonna go through with this?" Kendall asked grimly.

"We have to," Percy replied. "You heard what Ares said. Erebos is using the darkened shadows. They're making him more powerful. This might be our only chance to change that and corner him." He took a deep breath. "Listen, guys, once we do this there's a good chance he'll come after us. I'm sorry for dragging you into this. Just make sure you're ready, okay?"

"Man, you didn't drag anyone anywhere," Leo insisted, waving a hand. "Erebos dragged us all into this the day he declared war on our camp. Trust us, we're just as ready to take him down as you are. And just as ready to do whatever it takes."

Percy grinned. "Good to hear. In that case—" He broke off as a loud explosion sounded nearby and the ground beneath them quavered. At the sound of screams, Percy turned and rushed back to the boathouse door, pushing it open and looking outside. He'd been expecting Erebos to find them, but what he hadn't been counting on was another encounter before they had a chance to carry out their plan. But sure enough, there he was—whether another copy or the real thing, Percy had no idea. Either way, the King of Darkness had just collapsed the southern half of the mess hall in a blast of fire and was heading toward the beach, shoving aside the few campers still standing after the attack.

"What's going on?" Kendall asked sharply in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer.

"He's coming," Percy answered. Whipping around, he shouted, "Leo, shut them down! Now!" Quick to comply, Leo darted forward and grabbed the red toggle switch with both hands, yanking it out and downward. It creaked heavily as he slammed it flat against the compartment, and right away the small light bulb above them flicked out and they were thrown into darkness.

A chorus of distant screams sounded immediately from outside as the same happened throughout the camp. Eyes quickly adjusting to the blackness, Percy pulled out his sword and asked, "Is this the only way to control the lights?"

"Yeah," Leo replied at once. "All the power was re-routed down here when we changed the electricity source and installed the hydraulic converters. If anybody wants the lights back on, this is where they've got to do it."

"Good." Percy quickly uncapped Riptide and thrust it forward, driving the blade into the fuse box. He and Leo threw their arms over their heads as sparks flew from the panel and the relay burst in a cloud of electric smoke.

"Okay," Leo said in a voice of forced calm, "I understand why you did that and seeing as we're in a delicate situation right now I'm going to let it go. But you do realize this means we're gonna have to completely rewire the entire place when this is over, right?"

"Sorry. I just don't want Erebos getting any ideas. You said whatever it takes, didn't you?"

Leo opened his mouth to argue but hesitated. Then he sighed in admission. "Yeah, yeah, alright. Let's just get on with it."

They hurried out of the boathouse in time to see Erebos shove three campers down beneath a wall of darkness and set his eyeless sights on the three of them. Looking around briefly, Percy noticed that their plan had worked to a degree—the lights he could see before had all gone dark, causing anything farther than a few yards away to disappear in the even shadows.

"So this darkness is a gift from you, is it, Percy?" Erebos said in his cold, whispery voice. "I thank you. That light of yours was getting annoying. I knew you would come to see things my way." Despite his words, there was an anger on his face that he couldn't hope to hide; it told them that the loss of light wasn't that great of a gift to him at all.

Satisfied that he'd been right, Percy shot back, "Good luck finding a place to hide now."

With a growl, Erebos shot toward them with both arms outstretched. The three boys dove in different directions to dodge the twin orbs of dark energy thrown in their direction. One fizzled to nothingness as the other collided with the west side of the boathouse, collapsing a wall and half the roof. Percy gripped his sword and scrambled back to his feet, turning around and fully expecting Erebos to head after him.

He wasn't disappointed. The King of Darkness had drawn an obsidian blade identical to that of his copy and was already swinging it in a deadly arc toward Percy with a cold sneer on his face. Percy threw up his blade and barely blocked the strike, ducking beneath it for good measure. He threw his weight against the sword and shoved Erebos away from him, but the god was quick. A shadowy rope shot from his free hand and wrapped around Percy's ankle, pulling his left leg out from under him and knocking him to his back in the mud. As the rope vanished, Erebos swiftly brought down his blade and Percy threw himself to the side, rolling just out of the way and narrowly missing being impaled. Then Erebos lifted his head and spun quickly to the side, causing the bladed spear in Kendall's hands behind him to miss his back toward which it had been aimed and instead draw a shallow slice across his side. Black smoke floated from the wound, and Percy wondered for a brief second if that was some strange protection the King of Darkness had in place or if it meant that this was only another of his copies.

As Percy scrambled to his feet, Erebos thrust out an arm and threw another orb of dark energy toward Kendall. It struck him in the chest and threw him to the ground. Satisfied, Erebos turned and once again set his eyes on Percy, until a bright blaze of orange fire slammed him in the right shoulder. The sword vanished from his hand and the snarl on his face deepened. He spun and counterattacked with his own black and blue fire, which Leo evaded by ducking low and rolling sideways. Percy took the opportunity to rush in and aim an attack at the King of Darkness, but Erebos was not easily surprised. He twisted around and instead of impaling him Riptide barely sliced his arm. Percy leapt backward in anticipation of another attack, but Erebos wasn't holding a weapon. He swung his arm in a half-circle and a thin stream of Nightflame shot from thin air like a heat jet. It slammed Percy in the shoulder and he staggered backward from the force. It was after that that he registered the burning heat that signified that his sleeve was on fire.

Eyes widening in momentary panic, he cried out and tried instinctively to beat out the flames. Naturally, that did nothing, as a small part of his brain insisted that he knew this was no normal fire. He had a brief, fleeting vision of his body being burned to a blackened crisp before a nearby voice yelled, "Hold still, this is gonna hurt!" and he felt a firm grip on his left arm that was followed immediately by a flash of red light. The Nightflame burned bright yellow for a split second and vanished, leaving a warm, stinging ache stretching across Percy's skin.

"Thanks," he said a bit breathlessly as Leo let go of his arm and offered a quick smile in response.

"No big. Can't say I've never considered setting you on fire before."

"What's that supposed to—?"

"ARGH!"

Percy and Leo whipped around to see that Kendall had managed to drive the blade of his spear through Erebos's thigh, sending more black smoke into the air. He yanked it out and ducked the god's counterstrike as the obsidian sword reappeared in his hand, before leaping backward and putting some distance between them. Erebos swung his blade through empty air and an arc of Nightflame sprang from it and shot toward Kendall. Leo darted forward as flames sprang up all down his arms, coating them in half a second. He swung them in an upward arc over his head, sending twin lines of fire forward at lightning speed. One intercepted the Nightflame aimed at Kendall and the two blasts exploded in midair, and the other slammed Erebos in the chest and forced him backward.

"This isn't going so hot," Percy pointed out as he and Leo hurried up beside Kendall. "We need some help."

"You mean godly help?" Leo guessed between heavy breaths, looking considerably worn out. "Wouldn't be unwelcome. But how are we supposed to find some without getting—" He broke off as a thin stream of solid shadow suddenly wrapped around his stomach from behind. In a split second his eyes lowered and widened and he'd barely said "Uh-oh" before the energy yanked him backward and heaved him into the air. It threw him against the east wall of the boathouse and the remainder of the structure collapsed from the impact, burying him beneath it.

"Leo!" Percy shouted as Erebos called out, "That's enough of that fire!" He barely gave them any more time to act after that. With a whispery growl he darted toward them, black flames shooting over his obsidian sword and encasing the thin blade. Percy and Kendall dove to either side and tried for a simultaneous counterattack. Kendall swung his spear two-handed around his body and crouched down, aiming for Erebos's legs as Percy struck straight forward. Erebos called a solid wall of darkness to block Kendall's attack and bent backward to evade Percy's before spinning around and swinging his sword at Percy's back.

As Percy threw himself backward to avoid the flaming blade, Erebos said in a cold, quiet voice, "The black moon is not yet fully mature. You may desire death, as your foolish challenge suggests, but the time is not yet nigh. By all means, though, keep fighting. I see no reason not to detain you and have you watch as I slaughter the worms you call friends."

"No!" Percy shot back defiantly, driving a wild strike toward Erebos that was easily deflected. "I'm done giving in to you! And you're done hurting the people I care about! This ends now!"

He lunged for Erebos again and feinted to the right, briefly distracting the god and following up with a quick spin and jab left. He landed another shallow, smoky cut on Erebos's side before the god returned with a swing of his sword. Percy blocked the strike, feeling the heat of the Nightflame so close to him, and aimed a kick at the god's legs. Erebos dodged with godly speed and flipped his sword in his hand before ramming the hilt against the back of Percy's right shoulder and compromising his balance. He stumbled forward and dropped to his hands and knees, pain shooting down his arm.

Dodging and knocking Kendall aside, Erebos laughed. "I told you, boy! The time has not come! I wish not to harm you yet, but if you force my hand—"

His voice was suddenly overcome as a great wave of water from Long Island Sound rushed rapidly from the shoreline and hurled itself at them all, momentarily blinding Percy as the force shoved him yards across the mud. As the water fell limp and soaked into the ground, he rolled onto his back and pushed himself up on his elbows, gasping to retrieve the air that had been knocked from his lungs. A quick glance around showed him that Erebos and Kendall as well had been thrown off their feet and were attempting to regain their footing. He only had a second to take the sight in, though, because his attention was almost immediately pulled to the host of newcomers drawing forward across the beach—the host led by his very angry-looking father.

"As he said," Poseidon spoke in a low voice. "This, Erebos, ends now."

"Brother!" another voice called from the group of armed and armored Cyclopes behind the sea god, and a minor commotion rose as Tyson pushed through them to the front. He lumbered up to Percy and slid to a crouch. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Percy said in a small voice, a bit stunned at the sudden arrival. "Fine—Tyson, what are you doing here?"

"Chiron asked for help," Tyson explained as he gripped Percy's arm and pulled him to his feet. "So we came to help!" He glanced to his left and shouted suddenly, "Look out!" before shoving Percy back to the ground and shifting sideways, blocking the burning blade of Erebos's sword against his shield. The Nightflame surged and spread over the top edge of the shield and with a yelp Tyson quickly unfastened it and threw it down.

"Tyson!" Percy yelled as he scrambled back to his feet, regaining his grip on his sword. The same instant, however, the wind seemed to pick up and a gust of falling rain blew sideways, knocking into Erebos and causing him to stagger backward. He spun around and thrust out his arms, calling a wave of darkness that forced back a number of the advancing Cyclopes. He missed Poseidon completely, though, as the sea god dodged around him and swung his trident in a deadly arc that would have taken Erebos's head off had he not bent backward at the last second. Erebos waved his arms, calling an arc of burning Nightflame, but again Poseidon swung his weapon and a thin, jet-like stream of water rushed up from the Sound and intercepted the fire, causing both to explode in a rush of hot, black steam. As Erebos ducked, Poseidon flung his trident like a javelin and its point impaled the King of Darkness in the chest, driving through him like a bullet. He roared in anger and, just like the copy in the woods, dissolved into black smoke.

"Again," Poseidon said with a scowl, glaring down at the ground and shaking his head.

Percy swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves. "So… that really was another doppelganger."

"Yes," Poseidon agreed distractedly. "No telling how many more he's got. But until we find a way to track down the real one…" He shook his head again and looked up at Percy, meeting his eyes for the first time that night. "I hear it was your idea to turn out the lights. A bit unorthodox, but the effect is definitely beneficial. Well done." He gave a small smile and Percy blinked in mild surprise, not sure what to say in response. Beside him, Tyson grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

Expression growing serious, Poseidon stepped toward Percy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, Percy. I know you're aware of this, but Erebos is after you. Yes, he wants us defeated and yes, he isn't against seeing this place destroyed. But his goal tonight is you. You need to go somewhere safe, hide from him until we're able to locate his real body and defeat him."

Percy felt his jaw tighten defiantly. "But Dad, I—"

"I know you want to help," his father interrupted. "But not this time, Percy. If he gets you, it's over. And we cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen."

Frustrated but realizing that any argument would be futile, Percy sighed. "Fine," he said stiffly. "Just… You're gonna save this place, right? I mean, the gods, they… They do care, don't they?"

Again Poseidon smiled, however small and brief it was. "Of course we do." He squeezed Percy's shoulder and dropped his hand, before turning and signaling to the Cyclops battalion behind him. "Good luck, son," he added with a nod. Then he waved and retreated up the hill, just like that. Tyson waited long enough to give Percy a bone-crushing hug and make him promise to be careful before following.

"That was your father, right?" Kendall asked as he approached Percy from the side. "The water god?"

Percy nodded, still glaring at the darkness into which Poseidon had disappeared. How could the god just show up out of nowhere, order him to hide until the battle was over, and expect him to obey like a good kid? Okay, so maybe he was right about how bad it would be if Erebos carried out his plan. But if the King of Darkness was after him, then that made this whole thing partly his fault. And more than that, it made it his responsibility. But what could he do about it?

"You know, he's right about one thing," Kendall spoke up after a few seconds of silence, and Percy turned to him with a questioning frown. "Fighting these copies isn't getting us anywhere. We've got to lure the real guy out into the open."

"Yeah, but how? The whole purpose of dividing himself has got to be to keep everybody busy until the black moon rises. He has no reason to come out ahead of time, right? I mean, the only thing we know he wants is…" Percy's voice trailed off as his brain started putting two and two together.

Kendall obviously came to the same conclusion at the same time, because he turned sharp eyes on Percy and finished, "You. He'd come out for you. You're the one he wants."

"I can draw him out," Percy agreed, mind racing. "If I'm alone—If I go somewhere… secluded, somewhere he thinks he can get a good shot at me. When the time comes, he'll come after me. He's got to."

Kendall's eyebrows drew together. "You do realize how dangerous that'll be, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Percy admitted. "It's a terrible plan. But at the moment, it's the only one we've got. It's just…" His eyes traveled up the hill toward where he knew his friends and family were fighting for their lives, sideways to the ruins of the boathouse from which Leo had never resurfaced. In his mind he saw Erebos's copies wreaking havoc and his urge to help anyone he could swelled inside him.

Following Percy's gaze with his good eye, Kendall's expression seemed to harden. "I'll find the fire guy," he promised. "We'll do what we can. Stop worrying about everybody else like it's your problem. We can take care of ourselves, okay?"

Percy met his eyes and nodded, feeling a smile tug at his mouth. "Okay," he said steadily. "You got it. Just—one thing. Don't tell anybody about this, okay? Especially my dad."

Kendall snorted. "Yeah, like I'm in a hurry to track that guy down and tell him you're disobeying an order."

Percy chuckled. "See? You're getting the hang of this whole demigod thing."

He gave a reassuring grin and turned to leave, stopping when Kendall called out, "Jackson!" Percy spun around as Kendall said seriously, "Be careful."

"You too," he responded, inexplicably thinking of Clarisse and fighting back a momentary wash of loss. Then, shaking his head clear, he turned away and headed off at a run up the hill.

He had no idea where he was going to go. The only pseudo-plan he had was to run until he found a relatively deserted part of the camp and wait there for Erebos to find him. The most difficult facet of that, however, was resisting the desire to run to every disaster area he passed. Hephaestus had evidently been busy with the Nightflame, as much of the structures Percy saw from a distance looked burned and worse for wear but the fire had since died down. The pavilion over the mess hall was half-collapsed, and he could see Thalia and a number of her hunters fighting off a horde of those shadow-men in and around the wreckage. Coach Hedge was with them, dashing back and forth and mercilessly bludgeoning anything he could reach with his silver baseball bat—including, a few times, a camper or hunter. In the distance to the east, he could see the top of the climbing wall in flames and fighters on pegasi circling it, whether trying to put it out or battling something he couldn't tell. He passed the cabins, most of which were still standing, and caught a glimpse of Grover frantically playing his pipes and causing the wet grass to grow at an alarming rate and twist around another of Erebos's copies—at least Percy hoped it was a copy. The god tore through the grass and thrust an orb of black energy at Grover, and Percy could tell at once that he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time. He skidded to a halt and felt his heart sink for a brief second before Nico appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Grover around the waist, dragging him out of harm's way. After that, Percy forced himself to look away and keep going. The best thing he could do for his friends now would be to find Erebos and stop him. Delaying any longer wouldn't help anyone.

As he reached the canoe lake, he was forced to another stop when something suddenly tackled him from the side. As he and the thing were pulled to the ground and rolled over one another, he realized it wasn't alone. Six of Erebos's shadow-wraiths had evidently been having some sort of get-together at the lakeside and he'd just unknowingly stumbled into it.

Percy climbed hurriedly to his feet and ducked the swing of a shadowy blade aimed somewhere near his left ear. He gripped his own sword and swung it through the wraith's legs, causing it to let out a whispery wail and burst into smoke. Then something hard hit the back of his head and he stumbled to his knees, cursing as his eyes watered insistently from the sudden pain. He shot a wild jab over his shoulder but missed whatever mark had been there. A flash of movement to his left caught his attention and he dodged instinctively to the right, hearing the swish of a blade passing over his head. Then, inexplicably, the wraith holding said blade exploded in a rush of wind and a very solid hand grabbed Percy by the arm.

"Percy, are you okay?" an unmistakable voice demanded.

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy responded with a grin, blinking the stars from his vision and allowing his girlfriend to help him stand. "I'm good. You?"

"Fine, all things considered," Annabeth said as she turned sideways and swiftly stabbed another wraith in the gut, prompting it to vanish with a howl. She ducked low and threw her knife past Percy as he drove his sword over her head and through the neck of the figure behind her. The final wraith approached from his right and he swung Riptide through its torso in one fluid motion, clearing the opposition.

Having retrieved her knife, Annabeth stood straight and sighed heavily, pushing a lock of wet hair from her face. She had a few cuts and bruises and, like him, was practically covered in mud and rainwater, but otherwise looked unhurt. "I'm getting really tired of those things," she said ruefully.

"Yeah, same here," Percy agreed. He met Annabeth's eyes and felt his wry smile fade as vivid memories of earlier that day flashed through his mind. He saw himself dreaming of his friends' deaths, lying to Annabeth, leaving her when she'd fallen asleep and sneaking out of the camp, surrendering himself to Erebos. In the confusion of the gods' waking at the Olympian palace a few hours ago, they hadn't had much opportunity to discuss the ordeal. But when her gray eyes darkened as she looked at him, he knew she was seeing and thinking the same things.

"You gave up," she said abruptly in a brittle voice, apparently forgetting all about the battles going on around them. "How could you do that?"

"…I'm not gonna say I'm sorry," Percy replied carefully. "I don't regret it. I can't. I did what I did to save you and everybody else, you know that. But… to be honest, I'm kind of glad you came and found me." He gave her a weak smile. "You were right. We… We have a better chance at winning this war together."

She glared silently at him for a long few seconds, before letting out her breath in an exasperated huff and stepping forward, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He hugged her back and tried to force the memories of watching her die mid-dream out of his head.

"So what are you planning now?" she asked when they separated. "I know that look. That's your 'planning something crazy' look."

"Somebody has to draw out Erebos's real form," he explained, knowing now wasn't the time to lie to her again. "He's after me already. I figured if I go somewhere alone by the time the black moon fully rises, it might lure him into the open."

Annabeth frowned thoughtfully. "And then what, you fight him? By yourself?"

"More like I keep him busy until some help shows up. Hopefully without dying."

"That's a terrible plan."

"No arguments here. I said the same thing, actually."

She sighed shortly, working her jaw back and forth. "But it does make sense, I guess. And I'm sure there won't be any talking you out of it. You know where you're going?"

"Not exactly."

"Then I'd recommend the amphitheater. I was there earlier with some other members of my cabin and we pretty much cleared the place out. It seems to have avoided the fire damage, too."

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, then we'd better get moving. Moonrise isn't too long from now."

Percy raised an eyebrow, not surprised by her matter-of-fact tone. "'We'?" he repeated.

She gave him a pointed look. "You said you're going alone, right? So naturally that means I'll be going with you."

Shaking his head, Percy couldn't help a grin. He wasn't about to argue with her. He would need some help, after all. "Naturally," he replied with a shrug, and Annabeth smiled and led the way past the canoe lake, starting to close the distance between them and the amphitheater.

As she'd promised, the amphitheater was deserted when they arrived a few minutes later. A few of the benches in the stands had been broken in and splintered wood littered the lower floor, but there was a distinct lack of flame damage and no campers or enemies were present. As Percy and Annabeth stepped slowly down the stairs, he looked around absently and tried to ignore the uncomfortable squirming in his gut. So far he'd fought two of Erebos's copies, and hadn't been able to beat either one of them without the help of a god or two. Hopefully once the King of Darkness's real form showed up, he and Annabeth would be able to survive long enough to either draw him toward the rest of the camp or create enough of a commotion that some of the other gods came to investigate.

"Hey," Annabeth said quietly, sliding her hand into his as they reached the center of the lower floor. "I told you, didn't I? We're gonna get through this."

Her tone suggested that she knew exactly what he was thinking, like she often did. He smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but a low, familiar voice cut in, "You sound so sure." Percy and Annabeth turned to see the shadows behind them shift and solidify into the form of the god of darkness, who stepped forward and regarded them with a cold smile, smoke swirling in his empty eye sockets. "Allow me to help that."

Percy felt a sudden and twisting pain as something in his chest tightened—Erebos's darkness leaping with anticipation. "It's you," he realized without a doubt. He was glad his plan had worked, but a little alarmed that it had worked so quickly. "You're the real one."

"Indeed," Erebos agreed, holding out his hands in what could be perceived as a gesture of welcome. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you were through 'giving in' to me? And yet, here you are, delivering yourself to me again—and just in time for the black moon. How kind."

"I wasn't lying," Percy said coolly. "I'm going to stop you."

"Oh, are you? And how do you plan on doing that, powerless as you are?" He reached a hand out slowly and darkness began to swirl around his fingers, and as if in answer the darkness inside Percy shifted and writhed. He gritted his teeth and flinched visibly, and Erebos's smirk widened. "See?" he said smugly. "Your very essence defies you. Your darkness is my darkness. It longs for me. All that remains is for the darkness to destroy you—then your power will be mine!"

Apparently, the god was through with banter after that. His obsidian sword materialized in one hand as he swept the other in an arc, hurling a wave of solid, black shadow at Percy and Annabeth. They dodged to either side and Percy quickly lost sight of Annabeth in the confusion as Erebos began throwing attack after attack at them. He evaded an orb of black energy and tried to strike back, but Erebos was faster. He swung his sword with insane speed and Percy barely deflected the would-be fatal blow, jerking backward as the blade sliced across the side of his face. He ducked under an arc of Nightflame that instead singed the tips of his hair and aimed a low jab at the god's legs, seeing Annabeth sneak toward his back. But Erebos wasn't fooled. He kicked Percy's arm, knocking his strike off-course, and spun sideways, thrusting out his arm and causing a wave of energy to slam into Annabeth and hurl her skyward. She cried out as she was thrown toward the highest stand, crashing through it and out of sight.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled loudly. He leapt backward and drew back his arm, then flung Riptide at Erebos. The blade stuck fast in the god's chest and he roared in pain, and Percy immediately turned and vaulted up the stands toward where Annabeth had disappeared. He climbed through the wreckage to ground level and found her pulling herself out of a pile of broken wood with a pained grimace.

"Hey," he said, reaching out to help her. "You okay?"

She winced. "More or less. But we need a plan. We can't keep this up forever."

"I know. I can sense the darkness strengthening him. It's this weird bond we've got—I feel like it's only a matter of time before he manages to use it against me."

"The bond…" Annabeth repeated, looking troubled. Percy realized he hadn't fully explained the situation back on Mount Olympus and was thinking of doing just that when she said suddenly, "Percy, I… There's something I should've told you before. The night you fought the drakons… Piper had a dream. About you and Erebos."

"What?" Percy said in surprise, feeling a spark of nervousness. Why hadn't he heard about this until now?

"We figured out about the bond," she explained, avoiding his eyes. "We guessed that Erebos wanted to kill you to finish what they started during the eclipse."

He tried to swallow the irritation that had started to swell inside him. "And you didn't think it was important to tell me?"

"I was worried you'd do something reckless," Annabeth argued in a slightly defensive tone. "I made the decision to keep it a secret because I knew exactly how you'd react. I hoped we'd be able to decipher Rachel's warning before it came to you giving yourself up. But I…" She sighed and dropped her gaze, now looking ashamed. "I couldn't do it. I was too distracted to focus on what really mattered."

Taking a deep breath, Percy said finally, "Look, it's okay. It's not too late, right? We still have time to figure out what it is we're supposed to do. And, well… I could really use that brain of yours right now."

Annabeth looked up and gave a small smile. "Okay… Well, Rachel said 'the blood-stained bond your light must break', right? So… we have to break it with some kind of light. The question is, what does that mean? I don't think it's literal light, because we had lights on before and all they seemed to do was make his darkness stronger. Which means it's got to be something figurative…"

She fell silent in thought and for what felt like the millionth time in recent days Percy wracked his brain for the right memory or clue to this puzzle. 'The blood-stained bond your light must break.' The blood-stained bond bit was clear enough. But the light… What did it mean, 'his light'? He'd never really been the most happy or motivational of his friends, so it couldn't mean sheer positive willpower. But what else could it be?

He glanced up at Annabeth, at the worried, thoughtful expression on her face, and suddenly it made sense.

"It's you."

She looked up and blinked. "What?"

"My light. It's you." She raised an eyebrow skeptically and he shook his head. "Look, I know it sounds stupid, but trust me. Every time I've been down or messed up—confused, lost, scared, anything—you've been the one to bring me back, knock some sense into me, do whatever it takes to make me feel better. Not just since the war began—it's always been like that. And this time is exactly the same." His memory again flashed back to the prophecy and something else seemed to fall into place. "'Son of the Storm-bringer, doomed to fail'," he recited. "That's what it means—I thought I could stop this, but I'm not the one that's supposed to defeat Erebos. You are."

Her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes widened just barely. "But… Percy, I—"

"Annabeth, you're the only one that can break this bond. I know it. It has to be you."

She breathed out shortly, studying his eyes for a long minute. "Okay, well… How? It's not like there's a rope tying you two together and I can just slice through it. We've tried fighting him, running from him… Nothing's worked so far. What else can we do?"

Percy didn't have an answer. He was confident that he was right about Annabeth being the person meant to finish this. But as for how exactly… The Oracle's voice rang in his mind, completing her cryptic warning: 'The blood-stained bond your light must break, a death through death the sun to wake.' He really wished she could be a bit clearer for once. Was it too much to ask for some straight answers? This was actually a matter of life and death, and they didn't even have—

His train of thought ground to halt when an idea formed and quickly blanketed everything else. It was a horrible idea—a stupid, crazy, potentially-disastrous idea possibly worse than any he'd ever had before, which was really saying something given his bad-idea track record. 'The blood-stained bond', 'death through death', 'light must break', 'tonight when you die in shadow', 'all that remains is for the darkness to destroy you', 'your power will be mine'. The more he thought about it, the more every piece, every clue, every word Erebos had ever told him fell together and backed the theory. As numb acceptance started to replace the apprehension, the darkness inside him twisted and turned painfully as if in protest. And that, more than anything else, convinced him that this had to be the answer.

"Maybe we just have to try harder," Annabeth was saying, though Percy had temporarily tuned her out. "You say you're stronger with me, so maybe if you distract him—"

"Annabeth."

"—then I'm sure I'll be able to find an opening and… I don't know, stab him? Will that work on a god?"

"Annabeth," he said more insistently, and this time she paused and turned to face him. Staring at the ground, Percy said in a slightly stiff voice, "I know what to do."

She frowned in surprise. "Really? What?"

When Percy raised his head, Annabeth looked momentarily taken aback by the grim, serious expression on his face. He knew she wouldn't like what he was about to say. But just as surely he knew that it was right, and that it was the only way for them to defeat Erebos once and for all.

There was no turning back anymore. Not after they'd come so far.

Throat tightening almost to the extent of suffocation, Percy told Annabeth gravely, "You have to kill me."

Heh. Anybody see that coming? Yes? No? I swear, prophecy is hard. I've tried to allude to my plans throughout this entire thing without giving anything obviously away. It's been making me crazy, haha.

So it'll probably be another week until my next update. I've got a mind to let the anticipation stew a bit because I'm evil like that. How 'bout a review? What do you think I'm gonna do? Think I'm gonna go through with it? Guess we'll find out next week!

Only 4 chapters left! :( Later days, guys!

-oMM