A/N: This is going to be a long one. Around 10k words, I think. But there's only about three chapters left!
"WE'VE GOT VISITORS," Bianca said, once she had successfully shaken Thalia awake. The daughter of Zeus blinked owlishly, trying to clear her eyes and focus. "A Titan wants to see you," Bianca continued, "under a flag of truce. He has a message. From Kronos."
That woke her up fully. Thalia pursed her lips and sat up from the comfortable bed, a grim frown appearing on her face. "Okay," She nodded. "Let's go."
She rose, grabbing her leather jacket from the nightstand and putting on her combat boots at the same time. When she was done, Thalia followed Bianca out of the room.
They could see the white flag from a mile away, and as they approached, her hand moved to the mace canister in her pocket. The flag was carried by a blue giant, and she heard Bianca make a sort of strangled noise. "The Hyperboreans. They sided with Kronos?"
"You've met them?"
"Yeah. They're usually peaceful, and they usually don't leave the North."
Thalia's frown deepened, but she continued moving, catching sight of the three figures behind the giant. She instantly noticed Ethan Nakamura, and had the sudden urge to run him through. Her mouth felt bitter. Beside Ethan was a tall man in a dark blue tuxedo. Thalia didn't recognise him, but she knew he was probably the Titan. Leading the trio was a woman, fully decked in armour, but weaponless. Her helmet was held under her arm as she advanced.
"You didn't say Athena was here," Thalia cocked a brow in Bianca's direction.
"She wasn't before," Her cousin's brows knitted. "What do you think they want?"
"Probably want Thalia to surrender," Grover finally spoke up from her side, where he had appeared a few minutes earlier. "Maybe they'll propose exchanging your freedom for our lives."
"Seems like something Kronos would do," Beckendorf hummed from Grover's side.
Thalia exhaled. "Whatever it is, we're not going to stop fighting. But let's hear them out." The others nodded, and they continued walking, finally coming to a stop at the Heckscher Playground. Kronos' party stopped a few feet away from them.
"Thalia Grace," The Titan stepped forward. "I have heard a lot about you. It's an honour to finally meet in person."
She resisted the urge to sneer. "I wish I could say the same."
The man laughed. "My, you are a feisty one. Perhaps Perseus isn't so stupid, for abandoning his own blood for you."
Thalia clenched her fist around her mace canister. "It's a pity the same can't be said about you, seeing how you're here with Athena and not at the Library with him, I guess you're not the brightest crayon in the box."
Athena snorted. "Still as cheeky as ever. I knew we should have allowed Poseidon and Hades to smite you down when they wanted to."
She glared at Annabeth's mother. The hate she had for this woman, for corrupting her best friend, was extreme.
"Now, now," the Titan held his hands. "We did not come to argue. Only to parley with you."
Thalia ignored him, meeting Ethan's eyes. He looked tired, and his face was bruised and swollen. Good. He caught her gaze and immediately glanced away, and she turned her attention back to the Titan before her.
"To business, then," He stretched out his hand. "I am Prometheus."
The daughter of Zeus tried not to seem too surprised. She forced a smile onto her face and shook his hand. "Now, Thalia Grace," He gave her a winning grin. "Let's talk."
They sat at the nearest picnic table.
Beckendorf, Grover and Bianca stood behind her, and Ethan and the Hyperborean stood guard behind Athena and Prometheus. The Titan laced his fingers and leaned forward. His eyes were full of wisdom, and even with the tux, he seemed ancient.
"Look, Thalia," He began. "You're a smart girl. Surely, you can see that your position is weak. You don't have enough soldiers to repel another attack."
She gritted her teeth. "We'll see."
Prometheus sighed, and he looked pained, and if she hadn't been so smart she'd have thought he cared what happened to them. "See, ever since I met Hercules, I have had a soft spot for heroes. It hurts me, to see you all needlessly slaughtered for gods who do not care for you."
She arched a brow, and he continued, "I am the Titan of forethought, Thalia. I know what will happen."
"You're also the Titan of crafty counsel," Grover said from behind her. "Let's not forget that."
The Titan shrugged. "See, I supported your father in the last Titan war. And what did that get me? I was chained to a rock and tormented to eternity for trying to help your kind. I told Kronos, that he didn't have enough forces to win. And he didn't." He paused. "See, Thalia, I know how to pick the winning side. And this time, I'm backing Kronos." He motioned to Athena. "And so is the smartest being in the universe. You should take a page from her book."
Thalia snorted.
"Supporting Kronos is the wisest decision," Athena's eyes narrowed as she chipped in. "You are smart, sky spawn. Perhaps you will listen to reason." Thalia tried not to feel offended.
The goddess reached out, waving her hands, and a map of the city spread across the table. Golden lines showed everything around them, and her heart dropped. Prometheus continued, "We have armies here, here, and here. We know your numbers. We have you outnumbered twenty to one. Tonight, Kronos will attack. And you will not be able to fight back. You will be pushed to the doors of Olympus, and then slaughtered, like animals. I have seen this happen."
"Your spy's been keeping you up to date, then?" She questioned, clenching her fist so hard her knuckles turned white.
Prometheus smiled apologetically, but didn't argue.
"Stand down, and New York will be spared," Athena spoke up. "Kronos only wants Olympus. Your forces will be granted amnesty. We will assure your safety. Refuse, and we will crush you."
Before Thalia could speak, the Titan piped up. "Typhon will destroy the gods soon. They stand no chance against him. Kronos sends forces to delay my Uncle and the rest of our family. No help is coming."
"Kronos destroys Olympus, and Western Civilisation goes with it," Thalia frowned. "Everything goes with it."
"The might of the gods is tied to their seats of power," Athena said. "Poseidon grows near to fading, because of the war raging in his domain and the damage his palace has taken. We have means of making sure nothing else gets destroyed apart from Olympus."
"And we're supposed to trust that?" She fiddled with her bracelet.
"You have no choice," Prometheus told them. "The gods will be weak when their thrones are destroyed. They will fade easily. Kronos would much rather do this while they are distracted by Typhon in the west. The best you can do is slow us down. Typhon reaches New York by tomorrow, along with the Olympians, and then you'll have no choice at all. Everything will be much messier. You and this city will not survive a battle of celestial beings."
"Either way, the Titans and their allies will rule," Athena leaned back.
"What makes you think Kronos would not destroy you or Aphrodite's throne?" Thalia questioned, genuinely curious.
The goddess shrugged. "He can. But it shall have no effect on me. We have turned on Olympus and it does not hold us back any longer." Thalia remained quiet, thoughts and emotions running through her head. She could save everyone. But then that would be surrendering. They couldn't trust the Crooked One.
Bianca slammed a fist on the table. "I serve Lady Artemis, and the Hunters will fight you till their last breath. Thalia, don't tell me you're considering this."
Prometheus laughed. "Your courage knows no bounds, Bianca di Angelo. But it will be futile. At any rate, we need not be enemies. I created your kind. I do not wish to see you destroyed."
"You say that, and yet we all know you only really stole fire from the gods to annoy them. You tricked mortals into sacrificing the biggest portions to you, just to get on Olympus' nerves," Beckendorf shook his head. "You don't give two fucks about humans."
Prometheus gave them a tight smile, and waved his hand. The golden map vanished, and a lump of clay appeared on the table. He continued speaking, using his hands to fashion a little human. "I shaped you into existence. I breathed life into you. I have been whispering into the ear of man since the dawn of time. I represent every good thing about you. I signify your curiosity, your bravery, your inventiveness. Submit to Kronos, and I will give your race something that will advance you far beyond what you are now. The gods would never allow it." The human he was forming was attempting to climb his fist. "Refuse, and—" He paused, throwing the figure back onto the table. He smashed it back into a lump with his fist.
Thalia jerked.
"We'll never serve the Titans," She regained her composure, shaking her head.
Prometheus rubbed his temple, and she knew he was getting sick of her. "Look. Titans aren't always that bad. You're in a relationship with one."
Her face flushed. "That doesn't count." Percy wasn't even a real Titan anymore. He was mortal. Prometheus gave her an unimpressed glance.
"Do not throw away this chance," Athena warned. "We offer you peace. You would be wise to take it."
"Like you were wise enough to poison Annabeth against the world?"
The goddess' face flushed. Thalia met Ethan's eye. "You must hate this." He pursed his lips.
"I don't know what you mean."
She let out a laugh. "Oh, I think you do. If we take this deal, you lose. You won't be able to kill us all."
His good eye flared. "All I want is respect, Thalia. The gods never gave me that. You wanted me to go to your stupid camp, spend my time crammed into the Hermes cabin because I'm not important? Not even recognised?"
"Your mom's the goddess of revenge," She barked at Ethan. "We should respect that?"
"Nemesis stands for balance! When people have too much good luck, she tears them down."
"Which is why she took your eye?"
"It was payment," he growled. "In exchange, she swore to me that one day I would tip the balance of power. I would bring the minor gods respect. An eye was a small price to pay." Thalia shook her head. She pitied him.
Ethan sneered at her, "At least she keeps her word. Unlike your gods. She always pays her debts, good or evil."
"Luke watched over you when you first came to camp. He helped you," She snarled. "And you drove a poison knife into him. That's fair." Ethan gritted his teeth, hand moving to his sword.
"Keep your hands off your weapon, fool," Athena's voice rose. "We are on a diplomatic mission. We didn't come here so you could whine about your mother."
Ethan clenched his jaw. He stepped back, but Thalia could still feel the anger rolling off him in waves. Her eyes shifted back to Prometheus, who was studying her, head tilted slightly to the side, as though he didn't quite understand her. As though she was a specimen.
She hated it when immortals looked at her like that.
The Titan sighed. "We have said what we came to say. If you change your mind, I have a gift for you."
A Greek vase appeared on the table. It was ceramic, and covered with intricate designs, about three feet high and a foot wide. The ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness. Grover let out a bleat.
Bianca gasped. "Is that—"
"Yes," Prometheus smiled, and it sent a chill down Thalia's spine. She stared at the vase, not sure where her sudden fear was from.
"It belonged to my sister-in-law," Prometheus explained. "Pandora." Her eyes shot up to meet his and her face blanched. "You can't mean—"
"Pandora's Pithos, yes," Prometheus nodded. "If you know the story about this, then you know how unjust the gods can be. The pithos was made as a trap, by your Olympians, to make you believe this lesson: mankind must not explore. It was punishment, for me and my entire family. They made Pandora and tricked my simple minded brother into wedding her. They made her to be curious. They knew she would open it and release evil into the world. And to punish me, they were willing to damn humanity. Are you sure these are the beings you want to be serving?"
Thalia bit her lip. She knew, in all honesty, that he was right. Be it gods, Titans, they were all shit. It had been running through her head, to allow Typhon to destroy the gods, then defeat Kronos, then have Percy and his family kill the giant. And then they'd put someone else on the throne. Maybe Hestia or Themis or something. But she knew it was stupid, because then Western Civilisation and everything they were all fighting for would still end up being destroyed.
"Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened the jar," Prometheus traced a line on it.
"Hope," She breathed.
He smiled. "Good. Elpis, the spirit of hope, would not abandon humanity. Hope does not leave without permission. She can only be released by a son of man." He slid the jar across the table to her.
"I leave you with this, as a reminder of what the gods truly are. Keep Elpis, if you like. But once you have seen enough of your friends die for a foolish cause, once you have seen enough destruction, open the jar, and give up hope. Then I will see that you have surrendered, and I will ensure that Kronos is lenient with you and any survivors."
She stared at the pithos. Was this it? Was this the choice which would save or destroy Olympus? She pursed her lips, fingers drumming against the table. but Thalia reached out, and her hands felt hot. She hesitated, stopping herself from touching it.
"I don't want it," She glared at Prometheus.
He shook his head. "The gift has been given, and it cannot be taken back."
He stood. Beside him, Athena did the same. The Hyperborean, who had been freezing things around the table the whole conversation, grabbed his flag. Nakamura shot her a last hateful look.
Thalia watched, as together, the party turned, and marched back the way they had come.
-X-
AFTER handing Bianca the pithos to lock in the hotel vault, Thalia promptly went back to bed and passed out again. The first dream came almost immediately.
She was standing next to a campfire, and as she glanced around, fear seemed to grab her heart and twist it. She let out a small gasp when she recognised Ethan Nakamura. She was in the enemy's camp, and gods damn, the army was huge.
But that wasn't the only reason. She remembered this place. Thalia spun slowly in a circle, observing the warehouse and the cement statuary. There was a sign on top of the warehouse, which glowed red in the afternoon light, and read: AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM. A sour taste filled her mouth.
Medusa's lair looked horrendous. It hadn't been used in a long time. The stone statues were breaking apart, and there were giant golden letters on the doors, which read, CONDEMNED. There were hundreds of tents and fires and monsters in the vicinity. The mercenaries and demigods were a lot.
Her eyes moved back to Ethan, who was sharpening his sword with a frown on his face. The doors to the warehouse slid open and Prometheus stepped out. He glanced in Thalia's direction, as though he could see her, but just as quickly turned back to the son of Nemesis. "Nakamura," He called. "Lord Kronos would like a word."
Ethan looked up, warily. "Any particular reason?"
"I guess you'll have to find out, won't you?" Prometheus adjusted his tux, and stalked away. Ethan stood, slowly. The fear was evident in his gait as he moved to the warehouse. Thalia quickly followed him inside.
Except for the hole in the roof, the place was just as Thalia remembered. Statues of terrified people stood frozen in mid-scream. In the snack bar area, the picnic tables had been moved aside. Right between the soda dispenser and pretzel warmer stood a golden throne. Annabeth…no, Kronos lounged on it, his scythe across his lap.
Thalia frowned. Why couldn't Kronos have chosen a male host? It was getting hard using pronouns to describe him.
He wore jeans and a T-shirt, and with his brooding expression he looked almost human—like Annabeth always did, when she was thinking hard to solve a question or get an answer. And then Annabeth saw Ethan, and her face broke into a very inhuman smile. Golden eyes glowed. Thalia shivered. This wasn't her best friend anymore, and she had to get used to that.
"Well, Nakamura. What did you think of the diplomatic mission?"
Ethan hesitated. "I'm sure Lord Prometheus is better suited to speak—"
"But I asked you."
Ethan's good eye darted back and forth, noting the guards that stood around Kronos. They were about four, standing with hands on their swords at their side. He exhaled. "I don't think Thalia will surrender. Ever. She's stubborn and she spent most of the time insulting us and your leadership, My Lord."
Thalia snorted. Kiss ass.
Kronos nodded. "Anything else you wanted to tell me?"
"No, My Lord." "You look nervous, Ethan," Annabeth's voice was cold and hard. "No. It's just . . . I heard this was the lair of —"
"Medusa? Yes, quite true. Lovely place, eh?" Annabeth grinned. "The Athena girl has a lot of interesting memories. If it wasn't for her, Castellan and Thalia would have died right here. And so many other times before. Unfortunately, Medusa hasn't re-formed since Thalia run her through, so you needn't worry about joining her collection. Besides, there are much more dangerous forces in this room."
Kronos looked over at a Laistrygonian giant who was munching noisily on some french fries. Kronos waved his hand and the giant froze. A french fry hung suspended in midair halfway between his hand and his mouth.
"Why turn them to stone," Kronos asked, "when you can freeze time itself?"
His golden eyes bored into Ethan's face. "Now, tell me one more thing. What happened last night on the Williamsburg Bridge?"
Ethan shivered. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees. But beads of perspiration were popping up on his forehead. "I . . . I don't know, sir, ma'am—."
"Yes, you do." Kronos rose from his seat. "When you attacked Thalia, something happened. Something was not quite right. Luke, he, jumped in your way."
"He wanted to save her," Ethan glanced up. "He's been in love with her for years."
"But she is invulnerable," Kronos said quietly. "You saw that yourself."
"Maybe he doesn't know it," Ethan shrugged. "Perhaps," Kronos said. "Yes. But Luke is her best friend. If she would tell anyone, it would be him. He fights beside her, always."
"She has Perseus now," Ethan noted. "If anyone would know her weak spot, he would." Thalia frowned. They were right about Percy, but not Luke. She would tell Luke too. She trusted him with her life.
"Tell me, Ethan, where were you aiming when you stabbed at?"
Ethan frowned. He clasped his hand as if he were holding a blade, and mimed a thrust. "I'm not sure, sir. It all happened so fast. I wasn't aiming for any spot in particular." Thalia frowned. It hadn't even come to her mind that Luke had taken that knife to save her. She'd thought it had been a lucky hit.
Kronos's fingers tapped the blade of his scythe. "I see," he said in a chilly tone. "If your memory improves, I will expect—"
Suddenly the Titan lord winced. The giant in the corner unfroze and the french fry fell into his mouth. Kronos stumbled backward and sank into his throne. Annabeth's chest was rising and falling with deep, heavy breaths.
"My lord?" Ethan shifted forward.
"I—" The voice was weak, but just for a moment it was feminine. It was Annabeth. Then Kronos's expression hardened. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers slowly as if forcing them to obey.
"It is nothing," he said, his voice steely, male and cold again. "A minor discomfort."
Ethan moistened his lips. "She's still fighting you, isn't he? Annabeth—"
"Nonsense," Kronos spat. "Repeat that lie, and I will cut out your tongue. Athena's daughter's has been crushed. I am simply adjusting to the limits of this form. It requires rest. It is annoying, but no more than a temporary inconvenience. In a few days I shall assume my true form. She is but a stepping stone."
"As . . . as you say, my lord."
"You!" Kronos pointed his scythe at a dracaena with green armour and a green crown. "Queen Sess, is it?"
"Yesssss, my lord." "Is our little surprise ready to be unleashed?" The dracaena queen bared her fangs. "Oh, yessss, my lord. Quite a lovely sssssurprissse."
"Excellent," Kronos said. "Tell my brother Hyperion to move our main force south into Central Park. Lelantos and Aphrodite are to accompany him. The half-bloods will be in such disarray they will not be able to defend themselves. Go now, Ethan. Work on improving your memory. We will talk again when we have taken Manhattan."
And then the dream faded into ashes and dust.
-X-
SHE sat up with a jolt, startling someone who was hovering over her. Luke stilled, frown marring his face, and Thalia's vision swam. "I was just about to wake you."
"Well I'm awake now," She muttered, blinking owlishly.
Luke snorted, and it was then that Thalia registered who she was talking to. She perked. "What are you doing in armour? You should be resting."
"I'm fine," He waved it aside. But he still looked a bit pale and she wasn't buying it. Luke continued, "Will patched me up nicely."
"You can't seriously be thinking of going back to fight," She sat up in the bed.
Luke met her glare with one of his own. "You're going to need every person you can get. Besides, I'm the best swordsman we have."
"Conceited much?" She scoffed.
He laughed. "I'm fighting, Thals. Beckendorf sent me to get you. There's an army—"
"Headed to Central park, yeah, I know," She stood.
"Dream?" He cocked his head to the side. She nodded, pursing her lips, and began narrating everything she'd seen to him.
"I want to thank you," Thalia said once her story was done. "I didn't realise you'd saved my life. Ethan might've gotten lucky and killed me right then."
His brow creased. "You think Ethan suspects your Achilles' spot?"
She shook her head in confusion. "I don't know. Maybe." She paused. "I want you to know where it is." He blinked, in surprise.
"What? You can't—"
"I can, Luke," She exhaled. "I want to. If there's anyone I'd like to know besides Percy, it's you." She lowered her voice into a hushed whisper. "And Percy isn't here right now."
"But what if I'm captured?" He argued, in a lower voice. "What if they torture me for it?"
"You won't break," She met his eyes. "I trust you, with my life." Thalia repeated what she'd thought back in her dream. Luke still didn't look convinced. But he nodded, and Thalia showed him.
It didn't take more than a few minutes. When she was done, she swung her jacket back over her shoulder, spinning her spear into existence. "Come on. Let's go rally the others." She marched out, with her best friend behind her, feeling like a weight had been taken off her shoulders.
XMX
"THEY'VE CROSSED HARLEM," Bianca di Angelo said, looking worried. "There's no way to stop them. The army…" She hesitated. "It's huge."
"We'll hold them at the park," Thalia said decisively. "Grover?"
"We're ready," The satyr nodded. "If the nature spirits can stop them, then it's there."
"Any word from Chiron?" Thalia asked.
"None," Beckendorf shook his head.
"What about Percy? Is he coming to help?" Luke asked. Thalia frowned, shaking her head. She hadn't had the time to call yet.
"I spoke to Nico," Bianca fiddled with an arrow. "He's still trying to convince Father. He said we shouldn't expect help any time soon."
"Okay," Thalia nodded. "Grover, Luke and the Hermes cabin will stand with you. And Bianca and the hunters, and me."
Bianca nodded. Thalia turned to the other head counsellors. "That leaves the rest of you to defend Manhattan. Most of the entrances were destroyed in the last battle, and that'll be bad for the mortals later, but for now, it's excellent. That leaves few places to be defended. Spread out. You all know what Kronos is like. He'll hope to distract us with a giant army and sneak some others somewhere else. You're to make sure that doesn't happen. Have all of you chosen a bridge or tunnel?"
The counsellors nodded, grimly. Thalia's hold on her spear tightened. "Great. Good luck, everyone."
-X-
"POSITIONS!" Thalia yelled over the monstrous roar of the enemy army. Luke's cabin mates scrambled. The plan was to make the enemy army break around the reservoir. To get to them, Kronos' forces have to follow the trails, which meant they'd be marching in narrow columns on either side of the water. They would be easier to pick off that way.
At first, the plan seemed to work. Thalia watched as the enemy divided and streamed toward them along the shore. When they were halfway across, the traps they had set kicked in. The jogging trail erupted in Greek fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. Some flailed and spun around in panic the flames engulfing them and their movements disrupting the enemy lines. But that didn't stop them. The Hermes campers threw grappling hooks around the largest giants—laistrygonians and hyperboreans—and pulled them to the ground, smashing them on more vials of Greek fire.
In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line, destroying twenty or thirty of the monsters, but more marched behind them. Fuck, they were a lot.
Thalia concentrated, calling forth the sky to her. There was a wrenching pain in her gut and then two bolts of lightning slammed down into the ground in quick succession, blasting the monster lines. She instantly felt tired, but gritted her teeth, adjusting the shield.
Grover raised his pipes and played a quick tune from beside her. A roar went up from the woods on both sides as every tree, rock, and bush seemed to sprout a spirit. Dryads and satyrs raised their clubs and charged. Thalia blinked in surprise when she saw Leneus leading the charge. The trees wrapped around the monsters, strangling them. Grass grew around the feet of the enemy archers. Stones flew up and hit dracaenae in the faces.
The enemy moved forward. Giants smashed through the trees, and naiads faded as their life sources were destroyed. The Hunter's timber wolves and hunting eagles viciously attacked hellhounds. Enemy archers returned fire, and a Hunter fell from a high branch.
"Fuck, look," Luke pointed from beside her, and Thalia's gaze shifted to the reservoir. She swore, eyes narrowing. There were three figures marching towards them, not waiting for their forces to move around the sides. Thalia saw Aphrodite, in golden armour, and damn, she was hot. Her hair was billowing around her, although there was no wind, and her face was set in an ethereal frown making her look as though she was going to strike them down instantly. Thalia knew she could. She vaguely wondered why she didn't.
Above Aphrodite was Lelantos, his eyes blazing with fury, wings unfurled around him, a bow and arrow in his hands. He wore dark bronze armour, fully, except for the helmet. He looked heavenly, like a fallen angel, about to wreck havoc on them.
And then there was Hyperion. The Titan of the East. He was in gold armour, walking on the surface of the water towards them. He held a large broadsword, and he was glowing. He had golden hair, and the beginnings of a beard and eyes brighter than Kronos'. Flames licked his skin, and Thalia could feel the temperature rising.
A greek fire bomb exploded above him, launched by someone from the Hermes cabin. Hyperion raised his free arm, engulfing the flames. He grinned, maniacally, and kept advancing.
"Grover, Travis," Thalia yelled. "You're in charge." She spun her spear in her hands, activating her shield. "Luke, Bianca, with me." They didn't hesitate. Together, the three of them broke away from the front of the battalion, moving forward swiftly to engage the others in battle.
When they were twenty feet away, Hyperion raised his sword. "Thalia Grace," He sneered. "We meet, finally. You are the one who trapped my nephew back under the sky?" She didn't answer, but she felt offended by the disappointment in his voice.
Hyperion scoffed. "You are but a little girl. I will take pleasure in killing you, and breaking whatever spell you have placed on my brother."
"Percy isn't under any spell," Thalia slipped into a stance. "Although I don't think you're bright enough to realise that."
Lelantos fired three arrows towards them, but Bianca was faster. She launched herself forward, hunting knives drawn, and blocked all the projectiles. Almost as quickly, she was jumping out of the shallow water and launching herself on the Titan of air. She slammed into Lelantos, and together they fell, somewhere towards the left.
"You want bright?" Hyperion snarled. "I'll show you bright, sky spawn." His body ignited in a column of light an heat. Luke swore from behind her, and Thalia shut her eyes. Her eyelids burned. Instinctively, she raised her shield, just in time, because Hyperion's sword slammed onto the round piece of metal, and the ensuing shockwave was enough to push her back and throw her off her feet. It sent a ten foot ring of water around them.
Thalia swore. How was she supposed to fight him when she couldn't see? She raised her shield once more, and opened her eyes. Luke was going toe to toe with Aphrodite, although she didn't know when they'd started fighting.
Thalia gritted her teeth when Hyperion slammed his sword into her shield once more. And then she shot up, ramming it into his face and making him let out a strangled sound of surprise. He stumbled into the water from the force of her blow, dousing his light. Thalia let out a roar and thrust at his chest. But Hyperion was fast. He rose, releasing a blast similar to what Kronos had done the previous night, and she went tumbling down the lake again.
Thalia rose out of the waves, sputtering, and swore, sidestepping as he brought his sword down in a strike. She ducked once more as the Titan spun, slashing at her. Thalia cursed all the gods, backtracking as he sliced again. But this time, he got her, tearing a wound through her shield arm.
Pain flared in her body and she let out a small scream of outrage, vanishing Aegis and clutching her spear with both hands. She was losing.
She couldn't lose.
She needed help. Thalia dodged under his next strike, swinging forward with her spear and slicing a cut through the exposed skin on his thigh. Hyperion cursed at her, backhanding her with his free hand and sending her into the water again.
Fuck, she hated water.
Around her, the battle raged on. Travis was leading the demigods on the right flank, against the army of monsters, raining arrows and fire and spears and wading through dust and bodies. On the left flank, Grover and and his nature spirits were surging around the monster army, choking them with trees, impaling them with branches, clubbing them into dust. Hunters fired arrow after arrow into the fray, bringing down several giants and hellhounds.
Hyperion advanced, eyes blazing murderously.
"You will burn, daughter of Zeus," He snarled.
Lelantos and Bianca were clashing repeatedly, golden knives slamming into silver ones. Luke and Aphrodite were trading blows, and they seemed to be talking as they did so. Thalia cursed, breathing heavily. And then she felt the water raise her, till she was on her feet. A figure made out of the lake—a naiad, she realised—stood beside her. It sounded like she was gurgling when she said, "I will help you."
Thalia nodded, determination filling her veins. With a roar, she charged.
-X-
LUKE pursed his lips as they circled around each other after he parried Aphrodite's initial assault. The goddess was looking on to him with murderous intent, "I had such great plans for you, Luke," Aphrodite said, voice low and pitying. "And it shall be a shame to have to put you in the ground."
He arched an eyebrow at her, but Aphrodite continued, "You could have been with Annabeth. You would have both been happy. But you had to ruin it all."
Luke shook his head. "I don't know what you think you could have done. But neither you, nor Kronos, nor the Olympians are every going to control me." With that, he raced forward, swinging his sword in an arc in front of him. Aphrodite raised a bronze sword, parrying his strike, and pushed him back several feet.
For a goddess of beauty she was crazy strong. But that was exactly what she was. A goddess. Luke stumbled back again as she attacked him in a flurry of stabs and slashes. He wasn't fast enough to block them all, and he swore to himself, lamenting the loss of the shield Tyson had made him. His entire body was burning with pain, but he gritted his teeth, ignoring it and striking back.
The son of Hermes dodged underneath another strike, slamming the hilt of his sword into Aphrodite's gut. The goddess doubled over, and he raised his knee, right into her face. Aphrodite screeched and doubled back. Golden blood fell from her nose. "You bastard," she hissed. He launched himself forward, hoping to catch her quick enough.
She waved her hands, and doves appeared out of thin air, flocking around him, and pecking at his face. Luke swore loudly, smacking them back with his sword and shutting his eyes. He waved in front of him with his sword to get them away. The hairs on the back of his head stood on end. He could hear screams, and yells, roars of monsters, and he could vaguely hear Hyperion bellowing in outrage. Instinctively, Luke raised his sword, and just in time too, parrying Aphrodite's blow.
His sword pulsed, and the force behind the strike rattled his bones. He clenched his jaw, using his free hand to punch away the last of the doves, before ramming it into Aphrodite's face. She reared back, and Luke attacked once more, trying to ignore the bleeding in his thigh.
They clashed in a flurry of sparks, trading blow upon heavy blow, parrying strikes and each trying to land a cut on the other. His heart was thumping with adrenaline, his veins were thrumming, as they danced around each other. Luke blocked her sword once more, but wasn't prepared for the knife that came out of nowhere, digging itself into his shoulder blade.
Hissing in pain, he stumbled back. His vision swam, and he raised his head to see the goddess approaching. She flicked her wrist and he felt a force jerking him the left, where he slammed into the earth. The same force carried him once more, high, and hurled him onto the ground. Luke gasped in pain, sure he had broken a few bones. He spat out blood, blinking repeatedly in pure agony. Rain started pouring. Thunder boomed.
The goddess of love came to a stop over him. She looked bigger than before, as though she was increasing in size. And she was. Aphrodite was growing into giant form, he realised. The form the gods took when they sat on their thrones. She had so many ways to kill him now. She could burst into her true form and he'd die. She could will him out of existence. She could curse him. But she'd chosen one of the most popular ways to go. She'd stomp on him and smear his body across the earth.
"Goodbye, Luke Castellan," Aphrodite bent, grinning at him. His hold on his sword tightened. He'd never be able to stop her if she was a giant. With one last burst of energy, most likely from his pulsing magic sword, Luke shot upwards, driving Soul Reaper into Aphrodite's chest and through her armour to the other side. The wound started smoking, and Luke fell onto his back, releasing a breath, eyes shutting closed and body betraying him.
-X-
BIANCA was thrown back with a blast of energy so hard she slammed through a line of hellhounds. They didn't attack her; hellhounds almost never did. Before Kronos, before anyone, they served her father. But Bianca had no qualms about killing them anyways. They would kill others if she left them alone. She quickly dispatched off the beasts, and looked up, to see Lelantos, airborne, flying slowly towards her.
He held two golden blades in his hands, and she gritted her teeth, slipping into a stance. She wanted this to be over. There was a chance that she might not survive this, but she had to. If not for her sisters in the Hunt, then for Nico. She couldn't leave him alone in this new world.
Bianca crossed her hunting knives in an X, just in time to catch the blow Lelantos brought down on her. She pushed back against him with all her might, and the Titan nimbly flew over her head, spinning midair and slashing at her back. He sliced through her jacket, though, but didn't touch her skin.
Bianca gritted her teeth, turning on her heel and slicing outwards with both of her knives. He blocked the first strike, but her second landed on his face, cutting his cheek and drawing ichor. Lelantos laughed, and the game began.
They wove around each other, him in the air, her on the ground, knives clashing against each other, sparks flying, whirling and spinning and dodging blows with the grace only skilled hunters like themselves could possess. Bianca dodged a strike, sidestepping another blow, and attempted to dig her knife into his back. His wing came up to block the strike, and the blade shattered, sending her reeling. She swore drawing another one, and dove towards him.
They met once again, and she slashed at his neck. He dropped down like he was weightless, and slammed into her with his shoulder, sending her back onto the ground. Bianca rose almost instantly, diving aside as he stomped the very ground she'd been standing on. Lelantos spun, kicking out and slamming his boot into her face. She fell, but recovered once more, leaping forward to slash at his chest. His wings instantly came forth, heeding off the attack and shattering her second knife.
Bianca didn't know how long they fought. It was raining now. They traded blows, knives scraping at each other, jumping and kicking and slashing and hacking. She dodged a strike from his blade, swinging her arm to get him in the side. Lelantos smacked her hand aside and her knife went flying. Bianca let out a frustrated sound. She was running out of knives and she hated how easily he was besting her. She needed help.
The daughter of Hades jumped for him again, but a gust of wind from his wings pushed her back. She tried one more time, and the Titan of Air grabbed her by the throat. Her eyes bugged out and pain infiltrated her head as he squeezed. He examined her with a small, confused gaze. The same damn look immortals always gave humans. "You will die today, daughter of death." And he hurled her away from him. She almost never swore but this time, she couldn't help it as she tumbled into the ground. Bianca exhaled, concentrating. She could see Luke, fighting off Aphrodite. She could see Thalia, battling Hyperion viciously. The fight was raging around her, and the nature spirits and demigods were fighting back ferociously against the monsters.
Bianca concentrated. She couldn't recall when she had last used her powers, but now, she needed them more than ever. She sent a silent prayer to her father, summoning forth the dead and the ghosts. Please, Bianca thought. Help me.
A gasp left her throat as above her, right beside Lelantos, two ghosts, dressed in hunter gear—past hunters. One of them had been at the front lines with her the previous day—appeared. They had semi corporeal form, and Bianca watched in awe as they grabbed an astonished Lelantos by his wings. They dragged him down and he slammed into the earth. Around her, ghosts of hunters and demigods were appearing. Some were joining the fight against the monsters, but about ten had surrounded Lelantos.
With renewed vigour, Bianca drew her knives and surged forward, letting out a yell.
-X-
THALIA laughed. The grass around Hyperion kept erupting in flames, but the lake nymph kept dousing it just as quickly. The wind around them was rippling, thanks to Thalia, and it was raining down on them in torrents.
She had called up another storm. The rain poured on the Titan of Light, making him angrier and sloppier.
"Stop it!" the Titan roared. "Stop that wind!" She didn't care. Thalia whacked him with the butt of her spear, weaving away from the reach of his sword and spinning in the water, cutting through his calf with the head. Hyperion stumbled like he was being pushed away. Water sprayed his face, stinging his eyes. The wind picked up, and Hyperion staggered backward. "Thalia!" Grover called in amazement. "How are you doing that?" She grinned at him. With the help of the nymph, they'd created a fucking hurricane. Clouds of water vapour swirled around her, the rain fuelling the lake, winds so powerful they buffeted Hyperion, throwing the celestial being around and around like a doll, and flattened the grass in a twenty-yard radius. Enemy warriors threw javelins at her, but the storm knocked them aside.
Lightning flickered around her, slamming into the enemy warriors, and the Titan. She was pumped with adrenaline. The clouds darkened and the rain swirled faster. The water closed in on Hyperion and the wind blew him off his feet.
"Thalia!" Grover called again. "Bring him over here!"
She slashed and jabbed, letting her reflexes take over, and Hyperion could barely defend himself. His eyes kept trying to ignite, but the hurricane quenched his flames.
She couldn't keep up a storm like that forever, though. She was burning up and she could feel her powers weakening. With one last effort, Thalia propelled Hyperion across the field, straight to where Grover was waiting.
"I will not be toyed with!" Hyperion bellowed. "I will have your head!"
He managed to get to his feet again, but Grover put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play. Leneus joined him. Around the grove, every satyr took up the song—an eerie melody, like a creek flowing over stones. The ground erupted at Hyperion's feet. Gnarled roots wrapped around his legs.
"What's this?" Hyperion protested. He tried to shake off the roots, but he was still weak. The roots thickened until he looked like he was wearing wooden boots.
"Stop this!" he shouted. "Your woodland magic is no match for a Titan!" Thalia clutched her spear, watching on. The storm was slowly dying more Hyperion struggled, the faster the roots grew. They curled about his body, thickening and hardening into bark. His golden armour melted into the wood, becoming part of a large trunk.
The music continued. Hyperion's forces backed up in astonishment as their leader was absorbed. He stretched out his arms and they became branches, from which smaller branches shot out and grew leaves. The tree grew taller and thicker, until only the Titan's face was visible in the middle of the trunk.
"You cannot imprison me!" he bellowed. "I am Hyperion! I am—" The bark closed over his face. Grover took his pipes from his mouth. "You are a very nice maple tree."
Several of the other satyrs passed out from exhaustion, but they'd done their job well. The Titan lord was completely encased in an enormous maple. The trunk was at least twenty feet in diameter, with branches as tall as any in the park. The tree might've stood there for centuries.
The Titan's army started to retreat. A cheer went up from the Hermes cabin. Thalia watched as Aphrodite let out a scream, writhing as she pulled Luke's sword out of her chest. It clattered onto the ground. She exploded into a flock of doves and sailed away. Lelantos was airborne, but only with a single wing now, the other lying beside Bianca di Angelo, who was surrounded by about a dozen ghosts.
Thalia spotted Travis, pouring ambrosia and nectar down Luke's throat, and she jogged over.
"REEEEET!"
The squeal echoed through upper Manhattan. Demigods and monsters alike froze in terror. Thalia stilled before she got to her best friend.
Grover shot her a panicked look from across the terrain.. "Why does that sound like . . . It can't be."
Two years ago they had gotten a "gift" from Pan—a huge boar that carried them across the Southwest (after it tried to kill them). The boar had a similar squeal, but what she were hearing now seemed higher pitched, shriller, almost feminine.
"REEEEEET!" A huge pink creature soared over the reservoir—fuck, it was a pig. A giant mother twisting pig. "A sow!" Bianca cried, much more smartly. "Take cover!"
The demigods scattered as the winged pig swooped down. Her wings were pink like a flamingo's, which matched her skin beautifully, but it was hard to think of her as cute when her hooves slammed into the ground, barely missing Connor Stoll by inches. The pig stomped around and tore down half an acre of trees, belching a cloud of noxious gas. Then it took off again, circling around for another strike.
Thalia continued running till she was beside Luke.
"The Clazmonian Sow," Luke said, following with a string of curses in greek and trying to sit up. "Nohero has ever beaten it."
"Perfect," Thalia muttered, clenching her spear.
The Titan's army was recovering from its shock as though they were now realising the pig wasn't after them. They were regrouping, even though their leaders had ran.
They only had seconds before the enemy army was ready to fight, and her forces were still in a panic. Grover's nature spirits yelped and faded back into their trees and rocks. Her naiad helper had vanished.
"That pig has to go," Thalia barked, grabbing a grappling hook from one of Luke's siblings. "I'll take care of it. You guys hold the rest of the enemy. Push them back!"
"But, Thalia," Grover said, "what if we can't?"
She saw how tired he was. The magic had really drained him. Luke didn't look much better from fighting. He was littered with cuts, and there was a bloody hole in his shoulder. She didn't know how the Hunters were doing, but the right flank of the enemy army was now between them and the others.
She didn't want to leave her friends in such bad shape, but that sow was the biggest threat. It would destroy everything: buildings, trees, sleeping mortals. It had to be stopped.
"Retreat if you need to," Thalia ordered. "Just slow them down. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Before she could change my mind, the daughter of Zeus swung the grappling hook like a lasso. When the sow came down for its next pass, she threw with all her leftover strength. The hook wrapped around the base of the pig's wing. It squealed in rage and veered off, yanking the rope and her into the sky. She let out a loud curse, swearing and trying not to look down.
The sow soared past the Plaza Hotel, straight into the canyon of Fifth Avenue. And then she realised she didn't have a plan. Thalia gritted her teeth, holding in a scream as she tried to push herself up the rope. She needed to get onto the sow's back. They zigzagged along several blocks and continued south on Park Avenue.
Grand Central lay dead ahead. Above the main entrance stood the giant statue of Hermes, which Thalia guess hadn't been activated because it was so high up. She hadn't seen any of the automatons in the battle yet, and she was hoping that Zeus' Plan 23 was working out. The sow was flying right toward him at unimaginable speeds. She was going to slam into it.
Swearing, Thalia swung outward with all my might. Instead of smashing into the Hermes statue, she landed on it, feet first, and pushed herself up with a yell and the last of her strength. The force of it propelled her forward, and the daughter of Zeus sailed over the head of the beast. Her spear was outstretched, and she plunged it into the sow's side. With a grunt, Thalia ripped it out, letting go of the rope as the sow gave out the most agonised REEET she had ever heard.
Then a shadow swooped under her, and she was flying, soaring after the injured beast on a pegasus. Blackjack. Thalia laughed in delight and relief. Luke must have sent him. She wasn't quite sure what she would have done after she'd lost the rope. She didn't think she'd be able to decided the fate of the whole when she was a grease spot on the ground.
"Thanks!" She yelled. The horse neighed, and shot after the pig.
The porker had taken a right at East 42nd and was flying back toward Fifth Avenue. When it flew above the rooftops, she could see fires here and there around the city. It looked like the other campers were having a rough time. Kronos was attacking on several fronts. His armies were endless. But at the moment, this beast was the biggest problem.
The pig swooped over an office building, slamming through glass and stone. The rope had latched on to a statue of Zeus, somehow, and was pulling it along, tearing through the buildings. Then something occurred to Thalia and she laughed. A statue of her father. How coincidental. "Get closer," she told Blackjack. He whinnied in protest. "Just within shouting distance," She said. "I need to talk to the statue!" He obliged. When Thalia was close enough to see the statue's face clearly, she yelled, "Hello, Zeus! Dad! Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Kill Flying Pigs! Begin Activation!"
Immediately the statue moved its legs. It seemed confused to find that it was no longer on top of its pedestal, and was glancing around. Thalia swore she saw blue light spark in its eyes. Her dad's statue smashed through the side of a brick building and it shook its head and began to climb the rope.
Thalia glanced down at the street. They were coming up on the main public library, with the big marble lions flanking the steps. Thalia grinned.
"Faster!" She told Blackjack. "Get in front of the pig!" Blackjack seemed to be asking if she was mad.
"Trust me," she said, trying not to feel stupid for talking to a horse. "I can do this . . . probably."
Blackjack burst through the air. He got in front of the pig, which now had a metal Zeus on its back.
The pegasus whined. He kicked the pig in the snout with his back hooves and went into a steep dive. The pig screamed in rage and followed. Thalia called out insults as they straight for the front steps of the library. Blackjack slowed down just enough for her to hop off, then he kept flying toward the main doors.
As she ran, she yelled out, "Lions! Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Kill Flying Pigs! Begin Activation!"
The lions stood up and looked at her in confusion. "REEEEEET!"
The massive pink pork landed with a thud, cracking the sidewalk. The lions stared at it, and let out massive roars. And then they pounced. At the same time, the Zeus statue leaped onto the pig's head and started attempting to impale it with the sharp edge of the lightning bolt in its hand. Those lion's stone claws shredded through fat and meat.
Thalia advanced to help, but stopped, smiling when the pig disintegrated into ashes and sulphur. Had Kronos thought that would stop them? When the monster had completely turned to dust, the lions and the Zeus statue looked around in confusion.
Thalia didn't bother trying to tell them what to do. She could hear the battle, raging across the city. It was getting closer. The others needed her help. She jumped on Blackjack, and they flew north toward the sound of explosions.
XMX
Midtown was in complete disarray. Thalia flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts and satyrs whacked him with clubs. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center.
She knew she should stop and help. But Thalia couldn't be everywhere at once. And she knew the real action had moved farther south. Their were collapsing. The enemy was closing in on the Empire State Building.
She scanned the terrain, watching intently. The Hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus. To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy. To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover's nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos's demigods. The south was clear for now, but the flanks of the enemy army were swinging around. A few more minutes and they would be surrounded.
And then she saw a familiar green banner in the southeast corner of the fight, with a caduceus in the middle of it, at the 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Luke, Connor and Travis Stoll were holding back two Hyperborean giants.
"There!" she told Blackjack. He plunged toward the battle.
Thalia leaped off his back and landed on the first giant's head, raising her bloodied spear and impaling it through the ice creature's head. It didn't have time to say anything, staggering back as it started disintegrating. Blue blood trickled out of the wound, and Thalia leaped off once more. She hit the pavement running. The second Hyperborean breathed a cloud of white mist, and the temperature dropped. The spot where she landed was now coated with ice, and she was covered in frost. Connor's feet were frozen, and his brother had a sword out in front of him.
"Hey, ugly!" Luke yelled. He was pale and his lips were blue. But he was fighting anyways. The giant turned, exposing the unprotected back of his legs. Thalia charged and stabbed him behind the knee, driving her now blue spear through the giant's tendons.
The Hyperborean buckled, and then turned to solid ice. From the point where she had run him through, cracks appeared in his body. They got larger and wider until the giant crumbled in a mountain of blue shards.
"Thanks." Luke hobbled towards her, gasping. "The pig?"
"Gone," She answered.
"Good." He flexed his shoulder. His shoulder wound was still bleeding, and the poison gash had opened again, staining his shirt. Luke saw her expression and rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. We still have a lot to do, come on."
Grimly, Thalia nodded, and they bolted down the street together.
XMX
SHE didn't know how long they fought. Everything was a blur. The entire city was littered with ash, smoke, fog and flames. Bodies and blood filled the streets. Sulphur and dust made breathing difficult. Thalia fought beside Luke like a demon, wading through enemy ranks, slicing down dracaenae, stabbing and impaling telkhines, jabbing at empousai through their chests and knocking out enemy demigods.
But like she had said before, Kronos' army was endless.
Luke and the daughter of Zeus raced from block to block, trying to help out where they could. Too many of their fellow campers lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing, and she couldn't bear to think of that. Not now.
As the night wore on and the moon got higher, they were backed up foot by foot until finally, they were only a block from the Empire State Building in any direction.
Rachel's painting had come to pass.
At one point Grover was next to her, slamming the snake women over the head with his cudgel. Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Bianca at her side, driving the monsters back with several silver arrows, summoning ghosts and skeleton soldiers to aid where it was needed. Mrs. O'Leary through the throng of fighters, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth, and flung him into the air like a Frisbee. Luke left a path of destruction in his wake, ploughing through the emery demigods and leaving several of them injured. She spotted Beckendorf, with an axe, shearing through enemy battalions with two of his sisters.
But it still wasn't enough.
"Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere off to Thalia's left. At her feet, poison ivy was growing, and vines were wringing the necks of the giants and hellhounds, impaling them, strangling them and bringing them to the ground.
But the problem was there were too few of them left to hold anything. The entrance to Olympus was twenty feet behind her. A ring of brave demigods, Hunters, and nature spirits guarded the doors. She jabbed and slashed, destroying everything in her path, but even with the Achilles curse, she was getting tired, and no matter how powerful she was now, she still couldn't be everywhere at once.
Behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine. Relief filled her. It was sun rise. And then her heart dropped, realising the light for what it truly was. Then Kronos was riding toward them on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners. The Titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength. He wore a smile, golden hair straightened and perfect, so unlike Annabeth it hurt. He was taking his time advancing, letting them wear themselves down.
Luke was panting when he came next to her. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!"
She nodded, about to call the retreat, when suddenly a blast of sound came from their left. It cut through the noise of the battle like a bloody school siren, and a chorus of horns answered from all around them, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.
Thalia sent a hopeful glance to Bianca's way. The other girl looked expectant, and her heart lifted. Perhaps Zoë had come to the rescue, with the other half of the Hunters of Artemis.
The horns got louder. Thalia couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching. It wasn't the hunters. They weren't that much.
What if it was more enemy monsters?
But no, that wasn't possible. They looked just as confused as she did. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos's honour guard looked uneasy.
Then, to her left, a cry rose up from the monster ranks. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. Thalia prepared to fight back, but to her surprise, they didn't attack. They ran straight past them and crashed into their southern allies, distorting their lines and bringing chaos.
A new blast of horns shattered the night. The air shimmered. In a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of thin air. Percy?
"Yeah, baby!" a voice wailed. "PARTY!" Okay, that most definitely wasn't her boyfriend.
A shower of arrows arced over their heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporising hundreds of demons. But these weren't regular arrows. They made whizzy sounds as they had pinwheels attached to them. Others had boxing gloves rather than points.
"Centaurs!" Luke sounded elated and horrified at the same time.
The Party Pony army exploded into their midst in a riot of colours: tie-dyed shirts, rainbow Afro wigs, oversize sunglasses, and war-painted faces. Some had slogans scrawled across their flanks, which she didn't bother to read, because it was hard enough to do that with dyslexia and even hared when the horsemen were running at thousand miles per hour.
Hundreds of them filled the entire block. Thalia grinned, spotting their rescuer.
"Thalia!" Chiron shouted across the army of wild centaurs. He was dressed in armour from the waist up, his bow in his hand, and he was smiling broadly in satisfaction, firing arrows with the rest of his brothers. "Sorry we're late!"
"DUDE!" Another centaur yelled. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!"
He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blasted an enemy hellhound bright pink. The paint must've been mixed with Celestial bronze dust or something, because as soon as it splattered the hellhound, the monster yelped and dissolved into a pink-and-black puddle.
"PARTY PONIES.'" A centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA!" Somewhere across the battlefield, a loud deep yelled back, "HEART OF TEXAS CHAPTER!" "HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted.
Relief and excitement filled her veins, and Thalia watched the entire thing, eyes alight. The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and NERF baseball bats. The centaurs trampled everything in their path.
"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and—ACKK!"
Thalia watched in mild amazement as a hyperborean giant stumbled back, sitting on the chariot with Annabeth still under it. Hopefully she would get suffocated. She spurned into action. "COME ON!" Thalia yelled, surging forward. The others shouted, following her lead and they joined the centaurs, pushing the enemy for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"
It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and they started to pull back, letting the enemy flee.
"Chiron's smart," Luke said, wiping his brow with his sleeve. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."
Thalia agreed. "They're not defeated," she said. "But dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time."
Together, they watched as the last of the monsters scuttled toward the East River. Then reluctantly, they turned and headed back toward the Empire State Building.