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Chapter 32

Luke licked his lips nervously. How weird would it look for a twenty-year-old to enter a high school to talk to a fifteen-year-old?

He needed to follow Percy's message.

Bianca didn't seem to know he was coming. She was reading some sort of book in the library. There weren't many people inside. As Luke got closer, he realized that the book was in classical Greek. How did that book get into the library of some random boarding school in Brooklyn. He shook the thoughts from his head as he approached her.

He could feel the librarian's stare burning through him as he got closer and closer.

Luke stopped in front of her and said, "Bianca."

She looked up in surprise and reached down for something that wasn't there. He assumed it was her sword. She cursed in ancient Greek before glaring at him. "What do you want?" she snapped.

He put his hands up in surrender. "I just want to talk. I swear to the River Styx!"

Thunder rumbled in the sky and nothing bad happened to him.

She lowered her guard a little bit. "What are you here for, Luke?"

Luke sighed. "I told you, I want to talk. It's something Percy wanted me to do."

She donned a suspicious look. "Percy? What would Percy want from me? And to send you here…" Then she realized he couldn't come himself. "Right. He can't come here. But that doesn't matter. What are you doing here?"

"To be honest… I found a letter."

She knit her eyebrows. "A letter?"

He nodded. "I swear to the River Styx that if this is a trick, I don't know about it." Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed the folded letter from his pocket. He handed it to the daughter of Hades and said, "This is a letter I found, and I assume it is from Percy. I know exactly know his handwriting, but I can't find any hidden messages in it. Percy's not that tricky. Bluntness is his specialty."

She took it and read it. He watched her expression slowly change from amusement to grim. She finished reading the letter with a grim look on her face. "So he's still doing this, is he?"

"What?"

"His plan to destroy the gods and the Titans."

Luke looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Why am I not surprised?"

She shrugged. "But the thing… I don't know what he wants me to tell you. I've only seen him twice since Mount Othrys. He visited here once, and then he'd invaded camp another time. But he didn't tell me anything other than what the letter says… in general."

"But you have to have an idea, right?"

"Well, did he expect me to muse over this for months?" she exclaimed. "It's not like I think about him and what he's told me every single moment of the year. I mean, the best thing I can think of is that he wants me to tell you that he wants me to kill him."

Luke frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Percy's blunt. This should be easy."

"Maybe he wants you to input your thoughts. He did say the fate of the world is with you and me. There has to be something that he wants you to do. If he wants me to kill him, what does he want you to do?"

He groaned. "This is stupid. Why couldn't you just tell me what you wanted?"

"I guess it's because Kronos has some access to his memories," Bianca suggested. "He doesn't want Kronos to know what it is."

"But then he'd send someone to follow me."

Bianca gestured around them. There was no one there. "Who?"

"I don't know. Maybe a monster with good hearing?"

"Well it's about as confusing to me as it is to you! It's not like you can do anything to help him destroy the Titans and the gods. I mean, I know I said that was his plan, but the letter makes it seem like he's changed it a bit. He said it himself: that if the gods lose, the Titans win; if the Titans lose, the gods win. He said to choose the wise decision… the decision for Annabeth. That basically means save the gods."

"But… he…"

"He wants to destroy the gods, but he's afraid. With everything gone wrong, and all the Olympians hating him, he has the right to hate them. But Kronos has betrayed him. He has an obvious dislike for the Titans. That's why others have the right to question his loyalty. But to think he actually gave up his body to the Titan lord…"

He gave her a suspicious look. "I thought you said you don't think about him?"

"I do occasionally!" she exclaimed with a flush. "Just not all the time! And don't think about anything perverted."

"Well, the final battle is coming up soon… this summer."

"And what are you going to do about it? Wouldn't you like the gods to fall?"

Luke hesitated. "I… I want to save Percy. No matter what has happened, we used to be friends, and a part of me remembered that I used to like that guy… as a friend, obviously. I'm afraid of his current self. He killed someone in cold blood, which was something Percy was never able to do before. But I think we can restore him."

"Have you finally realized that destroying the gods won't result in the fantasy you've imagined for all these years?" Bianca jeered. "To get rid of a king won't result in victory. Another will usurp the throne. And that new king is Kronos. Will he be that king to lead us into a better future?"

Luke thought about it. She was right, in a way. Kronos wouldn't be a suitable replacement for the gods. And Percy'd realized that during that quest to save the lightning bolt. But the gods felt contempt for him so greatly that they were willing to make him their enemy. Still, Percy had insisted on convincing Poseidon and Hades to withdraw their help to the Olympians. And Percy opposed the Maze Plan. He didn't want to attack camp. A part of him still didn't want any harm to come to Camp Half-Blood. What did Percy want from them? Why did he say the fate of the world was with him and the daughter of Hades? Was it that Percy wanted him to side with the Olympians?

"What did you just mumble?" Bianca asked.

"Huh?" He looked up in confusion.

"You just mumbled something!"

"I did?" He frowned. "I was just thinking that maybe Percy wanted me to side with the Olympians, though the sound of that is ridiculous."

Bianca stared at him for a moment. She blinked twice, as if the sound was travelling slowly through the air and into her ear and the signal sent to her brain was moving as quickly as a snail. Then after a few seconds, she exploded: "That's what he meant you dumb-ass!"

"Bianca!" the librarian's voice from a distance. "Do not curse and keep your voice down!"

Luke stared at her uncomprehendingly. "Me? Join the Olympians?"

Bianca nodded, her face red from embarrassment. "Yes, of course. Listen, I've got an idea…"

Charles Beckendorf, senior counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, would make most monsters cry for their mommies. He was huge, with ripped muscles from working on the forges every summer, three years older than her, and one of the camp's best armor smiths. He made some ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd rigged a Greek firebomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Kronos's evil meanies as soon as the first harpy went flush.

Beckendorf was dressed for combat. He wore a bronze breastplate and war helm with black camo pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosives bag was slung over his shoulder.

"Time?" Bianca asked.

He nodded grimly.

A clump formed in her throat. She'd known this was coming. They'd been planning for it for weeks, but she'd half-hoped it would never happen.

Blackjack circled higher and higher, carrying Beckendorf and her into the sky as they soared out over the Atlantic.

It was almost dark by the time they spotted their target. The Princess Andromeda glowed on the horizon—a huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white. From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord. Then as you got closer, you might notice the giant figurehead—a dark haired maiden in a Greek chiton, wrapped with chains with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was being forced to carry.

Now it was heading straight for New York.

"You know what to do?" Beckendorf yelled over the wind.

She nodded. They'd done dry runs at the dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets. She knew how little time they would have. But she also knew this was their best chance to end Kronos's invasion before it ever started.

"Blackjack," Bianca said, "set us down on the lowest stern deck."

Gotcha, death girl, he said. Man, I hate seeing that boat.

Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the Princess Andromeda until he'd escaped with a little help from Percy Jackson (apparently; the Stolls weren't actually a credible source).

"Make sure you wait for us," she told him.

Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in her ears. She saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship—dracaenae snake-women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal-demons known as telekhines—but they zipped by so fast, none of them raised the alarm. They shot down the stern of the boat, and Blackjack spread his wings, lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. Bianca climbed off, feeling queasy.

Good luck, death girl, Blackjack said. Don't let 'em turn you into death meat!

She pulled out her Stygian iron sword, the black sword rippling and camouflaging with the night.

Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. She thought it was a map or something. Then she realized it was a photograph. He stared at it in the dim light—the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. They'd started going out last summer, after years of the rest of them saying, "Duh, you guys like each other!" Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer than she'd ever seen him.

"We'll make it back to camp," Bianca promised.

For a second she saw worry in his eyes. Then he put on his old confident smile.

"You bet," he said. "Let's go blow Kronos back into a million pieces."

Beckendorf led the way. They followed a narrow corridor to the service stairwell, just like they'd practiced, but they froze when they heard noises above them.

"I don't care what your nose says!" snarled a half-human, half-dog voice—a telekhine. "The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meat loaf sandwich!"

"Meat loaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled. "But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!"

"Bah, your brain isn't on board!"

They continued to argue, and Beckendorf pointed downstairs. They descended as quietly as they could. Two floors down, the voices of the telekhines started to fade.

Finally they came to a metal hatch. Beckendorf mouthed the words "engine room."

It was locked, but Beckendorf pulled some chain cutters out of his bag and split the bolt like it was made of butter.

Inside, a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall. A telekhine was hunched over a console, but he was so involved with his work, he didn't notice them. He was about five feet tall, with slick black seal fur and stubby little feet. He had the head of a Doberman, but his clawed hands were almost human. He growled and muttered as he tapped on his keyboard.

Bianca stepped forward, and he tensed, probably smelling something was wrong. He leaped sideways toward a big red alarm button, but she blocked his path. He hissed and lunged at her, but one slice of her sword, and he exploded into dust.

"One down," Beckendorf said. "About five thousand to go." He tossed her a jar of thick green liquid—Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. Then he threw her another useful tool of demigod heroes—duct tape.

"Slap that one on the console," he said. "I'll get the turbines."

They went to work. The room was hot and humid, and in no time they were drenched in sweat.

The boat kept chugging along. The guess was that the ship would arrive in New York Harbor by dawn. This would be their only chance to stop it.

She had just attached the last jar of Greek fire to the control panels when she heard the pounding of feet on metal steps—so many creatures coming down the stairwell she could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign.

She locked eyes with Beckendorf. "How much longer?"

"Ten seconds." He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. "I just have to finish priming the charges. Ten more seconds at least."

Judging from the sound of the footsteps, they had about ten seconds.

"Hurry!" she urged.

He finished and they burst out of the room.

A half dozen telekhines were tromping down the stairs. Bianca cut through them with her sword faster than they could yelp. She kept climbing—past another telekhine, who was so startled he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box. She sliced through him like paper.

They burst through a door onto deck six and kept running. She was sure the carpeted hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster occupation the wallpaper, carpet, and stateroom doors had been clawed up and slimed so it looked like the inside of a dragon's throat.

They flew up the stairs, killing any enemy that appeared before them.

In the elevator foyer on deck eight, a couple of dracaenae slithered across their path. From the waist up, they were women with green scaly skin, yellow eyes, and forked tongues. From the waist down, they had double snake trunks instead of legs. They held spears and weighted nets, and she knew from experience they could use them.

"What isss thisss?" one said. "A prize for Kronosss!"

The daughter of Hades smacked her in the face and she went down. Bianca jumped over her, grabbed her friend's spear, and swung her around. She slammed into the elevator, and Bianca kept running up the stairs.

"Get him!" she screamed.

Hellhounds bayed. An arrow from somewhere whizzed past her face and impaled itself in the mahogany-paneled wall of the stairwell.

As she was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he'd just woken up from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, "Kronos!" but he sounded more scared than angry. He couldn't have been more than twelve—about the same age she was she'd left the Lotus Casino.

That thought depressed her. This kid was getting brainwashed—trained to hate the gods and lash out because he'd been born half-Olympian. Kronos was using him, and yet the kid thought she was his enemy.

She stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand. Gritting her teeth, she stabbed right through the boy's chest, eliminating him from being a threat. The action hurt her emotionally, but she had to do what she had to do.

He collapsed to the floor dead.

She and Beckendorf kept climbing. Beckendorf seemed to understand why she killed the boy.

They burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between two glass towers with more balconies and restaurant decks. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted.

All they had to do was cross to the other side. Then they could take the staircase down to the helipad—their emergency rendezvous point. They'd call for Blackjack.

They ran down the steps and out onto the helipad. Bianca felt hope surge through her as Blackjack swooped down from the sky. She sprinted off the helipad and landed right on the pegasus' back. But before she even jumped, a horrible emotion grasped her in its hand. She heard a very familiar voice.

"You're late, Bianca."

Percy stood right behind Beckendorf, a cruel smile on his handsome face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and sneakers, like he was just a normal teenage guy, but his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold.

"I should have been expecting you." At first he sounded normal, like Percy. But then his face twitched. A shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something really nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient, and powerful—the voice of the Titan lord Kronos. The words scraped down her spine like a knife blade. "Of course, Percy has sharp instincts. It seems as though our spy wasn't… co-operating."

She looked up at Percy, and anger boiled inside her. She didn't know if Percy's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe, the way his voice had changed… or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form. Percy had written "Still alive inside" in the letter. But his soul had to be dissolving slowly.

Suddenly, Beckendorf looked frozen, as if he couldn't move at all.

Kronos's weapon appeared in his hands—a six-foot-long scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at the thing made her knees turn to Jell-O.

Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and approaching Beckendorf with malicious intent.

"A shame to kill you now," Kronos mused, "before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus."

"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan," Bianca shouted. She looked at Beckendorf desperately. He was slowly moving his lips, as if trying to say something. His arm was also moving slowly, his hand getting ever closer to his opposite wrist.

"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face—Percy's face—seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?"

He moved closer and swung at Beckendorf with his scythe.

"No!" she yelled.

Beckendorf fell down, a huge cut across his back. He met her eyes. With all his remaining might, he shouted, "GO!"

In that split second, Bianca felt like she was watching a whole minute pass by. Her legs tucked into Blackjack's belly, he began to fly off. Hidden archers suddenly came into view and fired arrows at her. Beckendorf hit his wristwatch, and Kronos was smiling a horrible, terrifying smile as the engine room exploded.

Then time sped up to normal time, and the arrows narrowly whizzed by her face as Blackjack sped off into the sky.

"Beckendorf!" she screamed.

Then they took off into the sunset… but it wasn't the happy ending Hollywood movies liked to show.

Step one of the plan… Failure.

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