THALIA blinked in surprise, gazing around her in confusion. She had just been standing in the middle of the road beside Luke and Chiron, with the centaur telling them how Dionysus had been taken down by Typhon in the Appalachians, and how Hephaestus had created a whole new lake on impact with the ground when he was thrown out of action.
The centaur had gone to supervise his brethren and she'd been left alone with Luke when suddenly she wasn't in front of the Empire State Building anymore.
She was standing in a long bar with black walls, neon signs, and a bunch of partying adults. A banner across the bar read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBY EARL. Low music played on the speakers. Big guys in jeans and work shirts crowded the bar. Waitresses carried trays of drinks and shouted at each other.
She was at the very back of the room, next to the bathrooms and a couple of antique arcade games.
"Oh good, you're here," said the man at the Pac-Man machine. "I'll have a Diet Coke."
Thalia blinked, again, brow creasing. The man was wearing his usual leopard print and shorts, but he had a cast around his arm and a bandage around his head. "Mr. D?"
He sighed, not taking his eyes from the game. "Really, Tina, how long will it take for you to recognise me on sight?"
"We'll discuss that when you learn how to say my name right," She muttered. "Where are we?"
"Bobby Earl's birthday party," Dionysus said, rolling his eyes. "Somewhere in lovely rural America. As you can very well see."
"I thought Typhon swatted you out of the sky. They said you crash-landed."
"Your concern is touching, but useless and quite pitiful. I did crash-land. Very painfully. In fact, part of me is still buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine. It will be several more hours before I have enough strength to mend. But in the meantime, part of my consciousness is here."
"Playing pac-man, while we all die miserably," She agreed.
"Party time," Dionysus told her. "Surely you've heard of it. Wherever there is a party, my presence is invoked. Because of this, I can exist in many different places at once. It happens with most immortals in their domains. The only problem was finding a party. I don't know if you're aware how serious things are outside your safe little bubble of New York—"
"Safe little bubble?" She let out a snarl out disbelief. "—but believe me, the mortals out here in the heartland are panicking. Typhon has terrified them. Very few are throwing parties. Apparently Bobby Earl and his friends are a little slow. They haven't yet figured out that the world is ending."
"So . . . I'm not really here, am I?" She questioned, trying to keep her anger in check.
"No. In a moment I'll send you back to your normal insignificant life, and it will be as if nothing had happened," He waved it aside. The god still hadn't looked at her.
"And why did you bring me here?" The wine deity snorted. "Oh, I didn't want you particularly. Any of you silly heroes would do. I would have much preferred Lucas. Gods know he has a better head screwed on his shoulders than you."
She didn't bother to correct him.
"The point is," he said, "I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger." "Gee," She snarked, folding her arms. "I've been fighting armies for two days because I was safe. Never would have guessed it, thanks." He glared at her and momentarily forgot his game. Pac-Man got eaten by the red ghost. Dionysus swore, both at her and the game. "You're ruining my game, Trisha!"
"Thalia. And I wonder who's fault that is, for calling me here."
"Whatever!" He rolled his eyes. "Now listen, the situation is graver than you imagine. If Olympus falls, not only will the gods fade, but everything that is connected to our legacy will also begin to unravel. The very fabric of your puny little civilisation—"
The game played a song and Mr. D progressed to level 254. "Ha!" he shouted. "Take that, you pixelated fiends!" "Go on," she prompted. "But I knew that already."
"Your entire society will dissolve. Perhaps not right away, but the chaos of the Titans will mean the end of Western civilisation. Art, law, wine tastings, music, video games, silk shirts, black velvet paintings—all the things that make life worth living will disappear! It will be as though man regressed back through the ages. If it doesn't kill you, you'll be living like cavemen once more, scurrying through forests trying to escape being stepped on by giant immortals."
"So why aren't the gods rushing back to help us?" She demanded. "We should combine forces at Olympus. Forget Typhon. Let him come. Percy will help when he gets to New York and we could take down Kronos."
He snapped his fingers impatiently. "You forgot my Diet Coke."
"I'm not getting you diet coke," She growled. He glared at her, getting the attention of the waitress and placing an order. When the can came, Mr. D took a good long drink. His eyes never left the video game. "The truth is, T—."
"Just, don't say my name," She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "It's not that hard."
"—the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to save Olympus yourselves—"
"Like Pan," She concluded, exhaling, "depending on the satyrs to save the Wild."
"Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but the gods need heroes. They always have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around. We only reason we still exist is because you all believe so. It's also the only reason we keep on having demigod children. If all demigods were to be wiped out, we would fade a lot faster."
"I feel so wanted. Thanks," She told him, dryly.
"Use the training I have given you at camp."
"What training?"
"You know. All those hero techniques and . . . No!" Mr. D slapped the game console, eyes blazing. He looked at her, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "As 1 recall, I once predicted you would turn out to be as selfish as all the other human heroes. Well, here is your chance to prove me wrong."
"Yeah, making you proud is real high on my list."
"You must save Olympus! Leave Typhon to the Olympians and save our own seats of power. It must be done!"
"Great. Nice little chat. Now, if you don't mind, my friends will be wondering—"
"There is more," Mr. D warned. "Kronos has not yet attained full power. The body of the mortal was only a temporary measure."
"We kind of guessed that."
"And did you also guess that within a day, at most, Kronos will burn away that mortal body and take on the true form of a Titan king?"
"And that would mean . . ." Dionysus inserted another quarter. "You know about the true forms of the gods."
"Yeah. You can't look at them without burning up."
"Kronos would be ten times more powerful. His very presence would incinerate you. And once he achieves this, he will empower the other Titans. They are weak now, compared to what they will soon become, unless you can stop them. The world will fall, the gods will die, and I will never achieve a perfect score on this stupid machine. And the Titans will be gigantic again, yeah."
She would never admit it but she was terrified. Dionysus ploughed on. "One last thing. My son Pollux. Is he alive?" Thalia frowned, trying to remember. "Yeah, last I saw him."
"I would very much appreciate it if you could keep him that way. I lost his brother Castor last year—"
"I recall." She stared at him, wondering how many gods were thinking of their children right then. She doubted they were a lot. "I'll do my best."
"Your best," Dionysus muttered. "Well, isn't that reassuring. Go now. You have some nasty surprises to deal with, and I must defeat Blinky!"
"Nasty surprises?" He waved his hand, and the bar disappeared. And the colour and feeling came, rushing back to her.
-X-
SHE reappeared back a few blocks away from the Empire State Building, as though she had never left. Luke was staring at her, worry building up in his expression. "What's wrong?"
"Huh?" She asked, quite smartly.
"You sort of zoned out for a minute there," The son of Hermes arched a brow. "Anything I need to worry about?"
Thalia shook her head. "No, no, sorry. It was just Mr.—" She faltered, frowning when her ears picked up the faint sound, a mechanical drumbeat. "What is that?"
Luke and Thalia glanced up at the same time, wearing similar confused gazes. Luke cursed. "A helicopter?"
Thalia frowned. With the silence of the entire city for two days, except for the sound of fighting, the mortal helicopter was the oddest thing she had ever heard. A few blocks east, the monster army shouted and jeered as the helicopter came into view. Kronos' forces had camped just a few feet away from their lines and barriers, and although they weren't attacking, watching them was still very unnerving.
The helicopter was a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright green "DE" logo on the side. The words under the logo were too small to read, but upon seeing the initials, Thalia knew exactly who was in the machine. Luke's face was red with panic, eyes blown wide.
"Fuck, she really went through with it," He murmured.
"What?" Thalia whirled on him. "What's she doing here? Did you call her? And how did she get through the barrier?"
"Who?" Chiron looked confused, galloping towards them. "What mortal would be insane enough—" Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward. "The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep." Luke gasped in horror as the helicopter pitched forward. He turned to Thalia, biting his lip. "I had a dream when I was unconscious, that she was coming here. To tell you something. It sort of slipped my mind."
She snorted. The helicopter tilted towards a row of skyscrapers. It would crash through. "Fuck," Luke sprang forward. He whistled, and as he ran for the helicopter, Blackjack swooped down, and Luke grabbed onto him, slipping onto his back and riding the sky for the helicopter, and for his maybe-girlfriend.
-X-
LUKE pursed his lips, ducking low as they passed by the rotors. If Blackjack wasn't such a fancy flyer, they would have been sliced in half by now. But his pegasus was experienced, and he edged closer to the helicopter.
He could hear Rachel screaming inside, pounding on the window. The pilot was slumped over the controls, and Luke could feel the wind, rushing in his face, blowing his hair and making his eyes water.
"Blackjack, I need you to get closer!" The horse neighed in indignation, and he yelled, "Please!"
With an eye roll and a whine, they moved forward. Luke tensed, trying to figure out how he could help the mortal girl out. Rachel had spotted him, and opened the door. "Luke!" She was panicking, hair whipping around her. His heart was thumping, with fear, both for her and himself, and he gritted his teeth, extending himself and leaping off the back of his companion.
He heard gasps from below as he landed, hanging by his fingers off the side of helicopter. The other half-bloods, hunters and centaurs were gathering around, looking up at him. He could hear Thalia muttering angrily to Chiron at his stupidity. Luke glanced down, and he swore, head swimming. He turned back again, watching Rachel scurrying towards him. Her hands wrapped around his, and she pulled him inside, heaving and gasping in exertion.
"What the hell, Rachel?" He shouted, over the sound of the rotors. "You shouldn't have come! You could have been killed!"
"It's good to see you too," She quipped. "But if your plan was to jump in here and yell at me, then we're both goners!"
"Shit!" He leaped forward as the helicopter shifted to the side, making him stumble into the pilot. Luke muttered in Greek, pushing the man off his seat. He glanced around, at the controls, trying to figure out what was what.
They were a few seconds from slamming into glass and metal buildings.
"You don't know how to fly this thing, do you?" Rachel shouted, coming up next to him.
"Nope!" He yelled. He moved to the closest lever, with his left hand, pulling it up, hoping it would lift them. They reared upwards, away from the building and he let out a laugh. Grabbing the lever on the right, he pushed it forward, and he could feel the helicopter moving forward. Luke gritted his teeth. Perspiration was dripping down his forehead, despite the wind, and he moved the first lever downwards, slowly. His feet pressed against a pedal below him, and he moved the right lever forward, attempting to right their position. They were going down, slowly, and he continued working randomly on the controls, pushing, pushing, until finally, he felt their speed decreasing, and then they touched the ground, right in the middle of Fifth Avenue.
"Gods, Thank you," The mortal girl breathed. "I thought I was going to die."
He exhaled, feeling the tension going out of his body. Luke stood. He was shaking, but he followed as Rachel threw open the door, dragging the pilot out. The blond haired boy stumbled out, right in front of Chiron and Thalia. He was feeling queasy, and he let out a cough.
"That was crazy," The daughter of Zeus yelled. "You're both barking mad!" Rachel chuckled weakly, and he looked at her properly. She was still dressed like she was on vacation, in beach shorts and a tee and sandals. Her hair was tangled, and she was shivering, despite the laugh, face green.
"What are you doing here, Dare?" Thalia berated their friend. "You should know better than fly into the middle of a war. What if your pilot had collapsed while you were in enemy territory?"
She looked sheepish, but before she could answer, Luke spoke. "She's here, though. Let's listen to the message she has to deliver." Rachel shot him a grateful look, then she seemed confused.
"How'd you know about that?"
"Dream," He shrugged.
Rachel didn't look surprised. She tugged at her beach shorts. They were covered in drawings, which wasn't unusual for her, but then, what was very unusual, was that he recognised them: Greek letters, pictures from camp beads, sketches of monsters and faces of gods. Luke didn't want to question how Rachel could have known about some of that. She'd never been to Olympus or Camp Half-Blood. His dreams had all led to her…somehow, in his gut, he knew exactly what was wrong with her, and why she saw the things she did. But, acknowledging that made him scared.
And Luke Castellan hated being scared.
"I've been seeing things," she began. "I mean, not just through the Mist. This is different. I've been drawing pictures, writing lines—"
"In Ancient Greek," Luke said. "You wrote Thalia's name in the sand. Do you know what they say?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping . . . well, if you had gone with us on vacation, I was hoping you could have helped me figure out what's happening to me," She looked into his eyes, and he could tell she was still hurt by his decision not to come. He sighed.
Rachel looked at him pleadingly. Her face was sunburned from the beach. Her nose was peeling. She'd forced her family to cut short their vacation, agreed to go to a horrible school, and flown a helicopter into a monster battle just to see Thalia and him. She was brave, and he had to admit, that was kinda hot.
But what was happening to her with these visions really freaked him out. His mother had been seeing visions. His mother could see through the mist. And look what had happened to her. He couldn't stand for that to happen to Rachel too.
May Castellan went too far. She tried to see too much. And he had suffered dearly for it.
"Rachel," He murmured. "I wish I knew. I want to help you. But maybe we should ask Chiron—"
She flinched like she'd gotten an electric shock, suddenly glancing around. "Luke, Thalia, something is about to happen. A trick that ends in death. You have to stop it."
"What do you mean? Whose death?" Thalia demanded
"I don't know." She looked around nervously. "Don't you feel it? This entire place. It's shrouded in death and loss."
"Is that the message you wanted to tell me?" The daughter of Zeus arched a brow. "Because we've been fighting for a long time and…" Her voice broke. "We've lost a lot of good people."
"No." She hesitated. "I'm sorry. I'm not making sense, but that thought just came to me. The message I wrote on the beach was different. It had your name in it."
"Like I saw," Luke recalled. "In Ancient Greek." Rachel nodded. "I don't know its meaning. But I know it's important. You have to hear it. It said, Thalia, you are not the hero." Thalia's brow creased. Luke saw something flash in her eyes. Her shock and confusion was replaced with mild irritation. "You came thousands of miles to tell me I'm not the hero?"
"It's important," she insisted. "It will affect what you do." "Not the hero of the prophecy?" The daughter of Zeus seemed irked. "Not the hero who defeats Kronos? What do you mean?" "I'm . . . I'm sorry, Thalia. That's all I know. I had to tell you because it's important and—" "Well!" Chiron cantered over, cutting her off. "This must be Miss Dare."
"Chiron, Rachel Dare," Luke said, cutting in, before Thalia could explode on the redhead girl. "Rachel, this is our teacher Chiron."
"Hello," Rachel said glumly. She didn't look at all surprised that Chiron was a centaur.
"You are not asleep, Miss Dare," he noticed. "And yet you are mortal?"
"I'm mortal," she agreed, like it was a depressing thought. "The pilot fell asleep as soon as we passed the river. I don't know why I didn't. I just knew I had to be here, to warn Thalia." As if as an afterthought, she added, "And to see Luke."
"Warn Thalia about what?" Chiron cocked his head to the side. "She's been seeing things," Luke explained said. "Writing lines and making drawings." Chiron raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Tell me." She told him the same things she'd told them. Chiron stroked his beard. "Miss Dare . . . perhaps we should talk."
"Chiron," He blurted. He remembered Camp Half-Blood in the 1990s, and his sweet, sweet mother's scream coming from that attic. "You . . . you'll help Rachel, right? I mean, you'll warn her that she's got to be careful with this stuff. Not go too far." He pursed his lips. "Not like my mom did."
His tail flicked like it does when he's anxious and his eyes widened, but he nodded. "Do not fret, Luke. I will do my best to understand what is happening and advise Miss Dare, but this may take some time. Meanwhile, you should rest. Both of you. The enemy seems to be staying put for now. We've set up bunks in the Empire State Building. Get some sleep."
"Everybody keeps telling me to sleep," Thalia grumbled. "I don't need sleep."
Luke snorted at her, giving her the once over. "Have you looked at yourself recently, Thals?"
She glanced down at her clothes, which were scorched, burned, sliced, and tattered from the night of constant battles. Her leather jacket, miraculously, seemed unscathed, unlike the rest of her attire. She bit her cheek. "Do you really think either of us can sleep after what just happened?"
"You may be invulnerable in combat," Chiron chided, "but that only makes your body tire faster. I remember Achilles. Whenever he wasn't fighting, he was sleeping. He must've taken twenty naps a day. You need your rest. You may be our only hope."
Thalia looked like she wanted to argue, and Luke put his hand on her shoulders. "Hey," He called. "Don't think too much on it. If it helps, to us all, you're the hero." He glanced up at Rachel, who was looking back, a pained expression on her face. She sent Luke a tight smile, and walked away, with their teacher.
She didn't look back again.
-X-
THALIA's mind was running rampant with questions. What could Rachel possibly mean by he wasn't the hero. Was her mind broken? Or was she hinting that Thalia would die before sixteen— Which was literally like, a day away— and Nico would inherit the prophecy?
She sighed, running a hand through her hair, collapsing on the bed.
In her dream, she was back in Hades's garden. The lord of the dead paced up and down, holding his ears while Nico followed him, waving his arms and speaking rapidly in Italian and English
"You have to!" Nico insisted.
Demeter and Persephone sat behind them at the breakfast table. Both of the goddesses looked bored. Demeter poured shredded wheat into four huge bowls. Persephone was magically changing the flower arrangement on the table, turning the blossoms from red to yellow to polka-dotted. They looked like they would rather drop dead than listen to the argument, and Thalia guessed it wasn't the first time that had happened.
"I don't have to do anything!" Hades's eyes blazed with dark intent. "I'm a god!"
"Father," Nico said, "If Olympus falls, your own palace's safety doesn't matter. You'll fade too."
"I am not an Olympian!" he growled. "My family has made that quite clear."
"You are,'' Nico said. "Whether you like it or not."
"You saw what they did to your mother," Hades said. "Zeus killed her. And you would have me help them? They deserve what they get!"
Persephone sighed. She walked her fingers across the table, absently turning the silverware into roses. "Could we please not talk about that woman?"
"You know what would help this boy?" Demeter mused. "Farming." Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother—" "Six months behind a plough. Excellent character building." Thalia snorted.
Nico stepped in front of his father, forcing Hades to face him. "My mother understood about family. That's why she didn't want to leave us. You can't just abandon your family because they did something horrible. You've done horrible things to them too. You tried to kill Thalia and her friends years ago to get back at Zeus. You had Alecto and the furies murder Sally Jackson and her six year old son as revenge on Poseidon!" His voice had risen, quite dramatically.
"Maria died!" Hades reminded him. Thalia was a bit confused, but she guessed that Nico had finally found out what he wanted to, about his family.
"You can't just cut yourself off from the other gods!"
"I've done very well at it for thousands of years," His dad snapped. "It's quite easy. And I assure you, it's quite mutual on both ends."
"And has that made you feel any better?" Nico demanded, eyes blazing, exactly like his sister's. "Has that curse on the Oracle helped you at all? Holding grudges is a fatal flaw. Bianca warned me about that, and she was right." He pursed his lips.
"For demigods! I am immortal, all-powerful! I would not help the other gods if they begged me, if Thalia Grace herself pleaded—"
"You're just as much of an outcast as Bianca and I are!" Nico yelled. "Stop being angry about it and do something helpful for once. That's the only way they'll respect you!"
Hades's palm filled with black fire.
"Go ahead," Nico said. "Blast me. That's just what the other gods would expect from you. Prove them right."
"Yes, please," Demeter complained. "Shut him up." Thalia wanted to move to stop him, although she knew that she couldn't do anything because she wasn't really there.
Persephone sighed. "Oh, I don't know. I would rather fight in the war than eat another bowl of cereal. This is boring."
Hades roared in anger. His fireball hit a silver tree right next to Nico, melting it into a pool of liquid metal.
"You asked Bianca to save me last year when Minos tried to lead me astray and turn me against you," Nico's voice had quietened, but he looked his dad right in the eye. "She's fighting for her life now, and she's come close to dying so many times. She's risking everything. And I need you to help me save her too."
And then the dream changed.
Thalia was standing outside the United Nations, about a mile northeast of the Empire State Building. The Titan army had set up camp all around the UN complex. The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies—helmets and armour pieces from defeated campers. Severed heads were in the mix, making Thalia want to hurl, because she recognised a few of them.
All along First Avenue, giants sharpened their axes. Telkhines repaired armour at makeshift forges. Demigods sat around fires, sharpening weapons, drinking beers and nursing wounds.
Kronos himself paced at the top of the plaza, swinging his scythe so his dracaenae bodyguards stayed way back. Ethan Nakamura, Athena and Prometheus stood nearby, out of slicing range. Beside them was a black haired boy, a twisted grimace on his face as he played with a few cards in his hands. Lelantos was leaning on the edge on the building, his broken wing being worked on by Malcolm from the Athena cabin. Aphrodite was nowhere to be seen. Ethan was fidgeting with his shield straps, but Prometheus and the other deities looked as calm and collected as ever.
"I hate this place," Kronos growled. "United Nations. As if mankind could ever unite. Remind me to tear down this building after we destroy Olympus." Thalia scoffed because that would be unnecessary. Everything would get destroyed on its own.
"Yes, My lord." Prometheus smiled as if his master's anger amused him. "Shall we tear down the stables in Central Park too? I know how much horses can annoy you."
"Don't mock me, Prometheus! Those cursed centaurs will be sorry they interfered. I will feed them to the hellhounds, starting with that son of mine—that weakling Chiron."
Prometheus shrugged. "That weakling destroyed an entire legion of telkhines with his arrows." Kronos swung his scythe and cut a flagpole in half. The national colours of India fell into the army, squashing a dracaena. "We will destroy them!" Kronos roared, eyes flashing golden.
"Perhaps, it is time to unleash the drakon," Athena mused.
Kronos pursed his lips. "Yes, you are right. Nakamura, Torrington, you will do this."
"Yes, lord. At sunset?" The black haired boy finally spoke up.
"No," Kronos said, eyes hard. "Immediately. The defenders of Olympus are badly wounded. They will not expect a quick attack. We have been playing to their advantage for far too long. Besides, we know this drakon they cannot beat."
Ethan looked confused. "My lord?"
"Never you mind, Nakamura. Just do my bidding. I want Olympus in ruins by the time Typhon reaches New York. We will break the gods utterly!"
"But, my lord," Ethan said in a small voice. "Your regeneration."
Kronos pointed at Ethan, and the demigod froze.
"Does it seem," Kronos hissed, "that I need to regenerate?"
Ethan didn't respond. But his eyes flicked bath and forth in fear. Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed.
"Soon," the Titan growled, "this form will be unnecessary. I will not rest with victory so close. Now, go!"
Ethan scrambled away.
"This is dangerous, My Lord," Prometheus warned. "Do not be hasty."
"Hasty? After festering for three thousand years in the depths of Tartarus, you call me hasty? I will slice Thalia Grace into a thousand pieces."
"Thrice you've fought her," Prometheus pointed out. "And yet you've always said it is beneath the dignity of a Titan to fight a mere mortal. I wonder if your mortal host is influencing you, weakening your judgment. Perhaps you have been unable to kill her because Annabeth Chase remembers…and she holds you back."
Kronos turned his golden eyes on the other Titan. "You call me weak?"
"No, my lord. I only meant—"
"Are your loyalties divided?" Kronos asked, eyes narrowing, tilting his head to the side. "Perhaps you miss your old friends, the gods. Would you like to join them?"
Prometheus paled, stepping back. "I misspoke, my lord. Your orders will be carried out." He turned to the armies and roared, "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"
The troops began to stir. Kronos, glaring, turned to Athena. "I want you to see to Aphrodite immediately. She must be healed by the time I take Olympus. And then you must come to me, immediately."
Athena nodded, bowing. It was weird to see the goddess of pride and wisdom bending to her own daughter.
From somewhere behind the UN compound, an angry roar shook the city—the sound of a drakon waking.
Thalia sat up with a start, gasping. Her eyes flicked around, catching sight of Grover, who stood next to her, looking nervous, can half-way from his lips. "What was that?"
"They're coming," She stood. "We're in a lot of fucking trouble." Together, they raced out of the room to gather the troops.
-X-
THE Hephaestus cabin was out of Greek fire. The Apollo cabin and the Hunters were scrounging for arrows. Most of their forces had already ingested so much ambrosia and nectar they didn't dare take any more. The injured were uncountable.
They had sixteen campers, fifteen Hunters, and half a dozen satyrs left in fighting shape. Not enough to hold back an army. The rest had taken refuge on Olympus. The Party Ponies tried to form ranks, but they staggered and giggled and they all smelled like root beer. They were bloody drunk. The Texans were head-butting the Coloradoans. The Missouri branch was arguing with Illinois. Thalia was nervous that they'd end up fighting each other instead of the enemy.
Chiron trotted up with Rachel on his back. Thalia frowned. Their activities director barely allowed anyone to ride him. "Your friend here has some useful insights, Thalia," he said. Rachel's eyes found Luke's who was fidgeting beside her, on his knees, sharpening his glowing sword.
Rachel blushed lowly. "Just some things I saw in my head."
"A drakon," Chiron said. "A Lydian drakon, to be exact. The oldest and most dangerous kind."
She tilted her head. "How did you know that?" Luke stilled beside her.
"I'm not sure," Rachel admitted. "But this drakon has a particular fate. It will be killed by a child of Ares."
Bianca looked skeptical. "We have none of those. That can't be right."
"I just saw it. I can't explain."
"Well, let's hope you're wrong," Thalia said. "Because we're a little short on children of Ares. . . " And then she remembered the dream and swore
"What?" Beckendorf asked.
"The spy," Thalia told them. "Kronos said, We know they cannot beat this drakon. The spy has been keeping him updated. Kronos knows the Ares cabin isn't with us. He intentionally picked a monster we can't kill."
Luke scowled. "If I ever catch this spy, he's going to be very sorry. Maybe we could send another messenger to camp—"
"I've already done it," Chiron waved it aside. "Jake Mason is on his way. But if Silena wasn't able to convince Clarisse, I doubt he'll will be able to. But, he is close with Chris so—"
A roar shook the ground. It sounded very close.
"Rachel," Luke stood, "get inside the building."
"I want to stay."
Thalia arched a brow. "Believe me, you don't."
A shadow blotted out the sun. Across the street, the drakon slithered down the side of a skyscraper. It roared, and a thousand windows shattered.
"On second thought," Their mortal friend said in a small voice, "I'll be inside."
-X-
THE enemy army advanced down Fifth Avenue. They had worked on pushing the cars and sleeping mortals out of the way, but it had proven to be a stupid idea, because Kronos' army was proceeding unopposed. The Party Ponies swished their tails nervously. Chiron galloped up and down their ranks, shouting encouragement to stand tough and think about victory and root beer, but Thalia knew that they wouldn't be able to beat down the monsters this time.
She gritted her teeth, swinging her spear and releasing Aegis. She thanked the gods that Amalthea had led her to it. Maybe she'd be able to use it to push the monster back and blast it out of existence. "I'LL TAKE THE DRAKON! Everyone else, hold the line against the army!"
Luke stood next to her, pushing a helmet down his head. His jaw was clenched. She could tell he was worked up about Rachel being present. Maybe he was worried she'd get hurt.
Beckendorf yelled, "Mrs. O'Leary, heel!"
"ROOOF!"
The drakon was three stories above them, slithering sideways along the building as it sized them up. Wherever it looked, centaurs froze in fear. Thalia snarled in annoyance. She had to get rid of it, quickly.
Without waiting, she dashed forward. She heard thundering of hooves and feet, and the army was following behind her, releasing a loud yell which reverberated across the entire battlefield. Kronos' army gave an answering cry and charged.
From the north, the enemy army crashed into the Party Ponies, and their lines broke. The drakon lashed out, swallowing three Californian centaurs in one gulp before she could even get close. Its tail swiped around, throwing away demigods and centaurs into buildings and glass.
Mrs. O'Leary launched herself through the air—a deadly black shadow with teeth and claws. Normally, a pouncing hellhound is a terrifying sight, but next to the drakon, Mrs. O'Leary looked like a doll. Her claws raked harmlessly off the drakon's scales. She bit the monster's throat but couldn't make a dent. Her weight, however, was enough to knock the drakon off the side of the building. It flailed awkwardly and crashed to the sidewalk, hellhound and serpent twisting and thrashing. The drakon tried to bite Mrs. O'Leary, but she was too close to the serpent's mouth. Poison spewed everywhere, melting centaurs into dust along with quite a few monsters, but Mrs. O'Leary weaved around the serpent's head, scratching and biting.
Thalia raced forward, finally getting close. With a yell, she dived forward, raising her spear and plunging it into the monster's right eye. A loud sound which sounded like a yell tore out of its throat. The drakon hissed and reared back to strike, but she leaped aside.
It bit a chunk out of the pavement. It turned toward the daughter of Zeus with its good eye, and she focused on its teeth, dripping poison onto the ground. The battle raged around them, and she could hear screams, wails, and cries and roars of monsters and demigods.
Mrs. O'Leary did her best to cause a distraction. She leaped onto the serpent's head and scratched and growled, but to no avail.
The rest of the battle wasn't going well. The centaurs had panicked under the onslaught of giants and demons. An occasional orange camp T-shirt appeared in the sea of fighting, but quickly disappeared. Arrows screamed. Fire exploded in waves across both armies, but the action was moving across the street to the entrance of the Empire State Building. They were being pushed back. She saw Luke, cleaving a path towards her.
And then there was Bianca, firing arrows from the top of a pole. And Beckendorf, grunting as he pushed back several dracaena.
Suddenly Luke was by the side of the drakon, panting, and he dove aside as it reared forward to grab him in its jaws, slashing outward with his sword and slicing through its armour. The drakon roared, slamming into a lamp post, which fell down towards Grover.
The daughter of Zeus called out a warning, and the satyr scurried aside, causing the metal to land right on a giant. "Thanks," he yelled.
"Thalia, DUCK!"
Luke tackled her as the monster's teeth snapped above her head. Mrs. O'Leary body-slammed the drakon's face to get its attention, and they rolled out of the way. She swore, panting, and jumping to her feet. Thalia let out a yell, racing forward. Thunder boomed around her and she pushed her self off the ground.
Lightning arced down the sky towards her and she raised her spear, allowing the winds to lift her higher and absorbing the lightning with her spear. She plunged the spear onto it, but she didn't get an opening. Her weapon hit the drakon against its armour, and her electricity fizzled out. Thalia swore umping onto its back as it thrashed, and then she was throwing herself back to the ground.
She tucked and rolled as she fell, although the impact still jarred her, and she was breathing heavily, covered in dust and soot and monster essence.
Meanwhile their allies had retreated to the doors of the Empire State Building. The entire enemy army was surrounding them.
They were out of options. No more help was coming. Thalia exhaled, shooting a panicked glance to Luke a few feet away. They would have to retreat before they were cut off from Mount Olympus completely. And they couldn't be stuck in enemy territory.
Then she heard a rumbling in the south. It wasn't a sound you hear much in New York, but Thalia's eyes widened when she realised what it was: Chariot wheels.
A girl's voice bellowed, "ARES!"
And a dozen war chariots charged into battle. Each flew a red banner with the symbol of the wild boar's head. Each was pulled by a team of skeletal horses with manes of fire. A total of thirty warriors, armour gleaming and eyes full of hate, lowered their lances as one—making a wall of death and tearing through Kronos' army's left flank.
"The children of Ares!" Thalia murmured in amazement. "How did Rachel know?"
Luke frowned. Relief and astonishment flooded Thalia's veins and she watched on, a grin threatening to break her face apart in two. Leading the charge was a girl in familiar red armour, her face covered by a boar's-head helm. She held a spear that crackled with electricity, riding forward on her chariot ferociously.
Clarisse herself had come to the rescue. While half her chariots charged the monster army, Clarisse led the other six straight for the drakon, towards them. Thalia's forces at the doors of Olympus roared in approval, charging forward once more with renewed vigour.
The serpent reared back and managed to throw off Mrs. O'Leary. She hit the side of the building with a yelp, and instantly she caught sight of Beckendorf beside the hellhound, slashing through enemy lines once more with a dozen automatons surrounding him. Thalia ran for the drakon, but the serpent had already zeroed in on the new threat. Even with only one eye, its glare was enough to paralyse two chariot drivers. They veered into a line of cars. The other four chariots kept charging. The monster bared its fangs to strike and as one, the warriors hurled celestial bronze javelins into its mouth. Luke took the chance to jab it in the chest, injuring it once more, his sword somehow penetrating through the drakon's armour.
Thalia guessed that he was only able to do so because his weapon was the symbol of power of a Titan.
The drakon screamed. "Ares, to me!" Clarisse thundered. Her voice sounded shriller than usual, but Thalia wasn't paying attention enough to notice. She called down another bolt of lightning on the beast, causing it to slam down into the ground, but it seemed to only annoy the monster.
Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. Lances broke against the monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathed fire and whinnied. Two more chariots overturned, but the warriors simply leaped to their feet, drew their swords, and went to work. They hacked and jabbed at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodged poison spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, battling with only the raw fury Ares fighters came with.
No one could say the Ares kids weren't brave. Clarisse was right there in front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eye. But as Thalia watched, things started to go wrong. The drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who retreated in a panic, his armour melting.
"We have to help," Luke said, like that wasn't obvious. Beckendorf had come up beside them, huffing. He was covered in sweat, blood and dust. Mrs. O'Leary was attempting to follow behind him, but he shooed her away. Her paw was injured. There was worry and anxiety evident on his face, and he looked as though he wanted to say something.
"Stay back, girl," He told the hellhound. . "You've done enough already."
The beast whipped its tail towards them as it gulped up another camper. Luke swore, diving over it and Thalia leaped onto the appendage and began racing to the head, the son of Hermes hot on her trail. Clarisse's cabin mates threw javelins, most of which broke, but some lodged in the monster's teeth. It snapped its jaws together until its mouth was a mess of green blood, yellow foamy poison, and splintered weapons. Beckendorf was racing towards them, his eyes wide, panic evident in the way he was moving, as though he had just realised something.
"You can do it!" Thalia screamed at Clarisse as she ran, plunging her spear into another unprotected part of the drakon. The beast reared, and she held on, in an attempt not to get thrown off. "A child of Ares is destined to kill it!"
Clarisse glanced up. Through her war helmet, Thalia could only see her eyes, blown wide in surprise at Thalia's words—but she could tell something was wrong. Her blue eyes shone with fear. Clarisse never looked like that. And she didn't haveblue eyes. She didn't even have both eyes. "ARES!" she shouted, in that strangely shrill voice. She levelled her spear and charged the drakon.
"No," Beckendorf shouted. "SILENA!" Thalia's heart stopped. It happened, almost in slow motion. Just as Beckendorf reached the girl in the armour—Silena—the monster looked down at them, almost in contempt, and spat poison directly on both demigods.
Silena Beauregard screamed and fell. Beside her, Charles Beckendorf let out a cry of pain and crumpled.
"NO!" Luke jumped off the monster's back and ran to help, while the other Ares campers tried to defend what they thought was their fallen counsellor. Tears pooled in Thalia's eyes and with a yell of outrage she drove her spear between two of the drakon's scales, making it crackle with electricity.
The drakon growled and she got thrown off. But Thalia landed on her feet, spinning around to face it again, and through her tears she shouted, "You fucking monster! Look at me!"
The drakon descended and all she saw were teeth. Thalia retreated and dodged poison. She darted aside again as it attacked, slipping beneath its jaw and trying to impale it from below. But she couldn't hurt the thing, even with all her rage channelled through her weapon. The underside was also covered in armoured scales. Thalia rolled out of the way, huffing and blinking back tears.
At the edge of my vision, she saw a flying chariot land on Fifth Avenue.
Then three people were running toward them, tearing through monsters to get there. A girl's voice, shaken with grief, cried, "NO! Curse you, WHY?"
Thalia risked a glance, and her heart shattered, making her falter and miss a step. It was Silena—dressed in Clarisse's armour— lying on the ground where she'd fallen. Beside her was her boyfriend, both of their faces and bodies charred with acid. Their armour smoked with poison. Luke and the Ares campers were trying to unfasten Silena's helmet, to undo Beckendorf's breastplate. And kneeling next to them, her face blotchy with tears, was a girl in camp clothes, with an eyepatch and dark brown unruly hair. Beside Clarisse were Chris and Jake Mason. Jake's face was streaming with tears. Lou Ellen had appeared out of nowhere, watching, silently.
Thalia bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
And then a roar from the drakon broke her out of her stupor. She dodged and the beast buried its head in a brick wall.
"Why?" The real Clarisse demanded, holding the other girl in her arms while the campers struggled to remove the poison-corroded armour from both demigods.
Chris Rodriguez placed a hand on her shoulder. He, Jake and Clarisse must've ridden the chariot to the battle from camp when they'd realised the Ares kids had left, mistakenly following the daughter of Aphrodite, thinking she was Clarisse. But it still made no sense.
The drakon tugged its head from the brick wall and screamed in rage.
"Look out!" Chris warned, glancing up and meeting Thalia's eyes.
Instead of turning toward Thalia, the drakon whirled toward the sound of Chris's voice. It bared its fangs at the group of demigods.
The real Clarisse looked up at the drakon, her face filled with absolute hate. Her good eye burned with anger and fury, lighting up as she stared the monster down. Thalia had seen a look that intense only once before. Her father, Ares, had worn the same expression when she had fought him in single combat years before.
"YOU WANT DEATH?" Clarisse screamed at the drakon. "WELL, COME ON!"
She grabbed her spear from the fallen girl. With no armour or shield, she charged the drakon.
Thalia tried to close the distance to help, but Clarisse was faster. She leaped aside as the monster struck, obliterating the ground in front of her. Then she jumped onto the creature's head. As it reared up, she drove her electric spear into its good eye with so much force it shattered the shaft, releasing all of the magic weapon's power.
Electricity arced across the creature's head, causing its whole body to shudder. Thalia was glad it was working, but vaguely miffed her lightning hadn't. Clarisse jumped, rolling safely to the sidewalk as smoke boiled from the drakon's mouth. The drakon's flesh dissolved, and it collapsed into a hollow scaly tunnel of armour.
The rest of them stared at Clarisse in awe. She ran back to the wounded demigods, and Thalia wasn't far behind. Luke had finally managed to remove the girl's helmet. They all gathered around: the Ares campers, Chris, Clarisse, Jake, Luke, and the daughter of Zeus. Thalia was vaguely aware of the battle still raging along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed except them, and the clearly dying half bloods. Her heart clenched
Charles wheezed, letting out a cough. Silena gasped in pain, raising her hand. No amount of nectar or ambrosia would save them.
And it hurt.
Something is about to happen. Rachel's words rang in her ears. A trick that ends in death. Now Thalia knew what she meant. She blinked back tears. Clarisse's face was streaming with tears, as she repeatedly asked why.
Silena tried to swallow, but her lips were dry and cracked. "Wouldn't…listen. Cabin would…only follow you." Her beautiful face was scared beyond recognition.
"So you stole my armour," Clarisse said in disbelief. "You waited until Chris and I went out on patrol; and you stole my armour and pretended to be me." She glared at her siblings. "And NONE of you noticed?"
The Ares campers looked down. "Don't blame them," Silena said softly. "They wanted to…to believe I was you. They…wanted to…fight."
"You stupid Aphrodite girl," Clarisse sobbed, burying her head into Silena's chest. "You charged a drakon? Why?"
"I'm sorry," Silena said, a tear streaking the side of her face. She tried to turn her head, to see Beckendorf. The son of Hephaestus raised his hand, shakily, and connected their hands. He interlocked their fingers, although Thalia could see the pain it caused him. Her eyes blurred with tears. Jake Mason sobbed for his older brother.
Clarisse cried harder. Beckendorf breathed, "I-I love you."
Silena smiled, brokenly. "I'm sorry. I l-love you too."
Thalia met Luke's eyes. He was pale, and his bottom lip was quivering. Behind them, the battle continued thunderously. Clarisse looked up, glaring at her cabin mates. "Go, help the centaurs. Protect the doors. GO!"
They scrambled off to join the fight.
Silena took a heavy, painful breath. "Charlie . . ." Silena's eyes were a million miles away. They lost focus, slowly, facing the love of her life. Charles squeezed.
As one, their hands fell, onto the ground.
They didn't move again.
Clarisse wept, through her one eye. Chris squeezed her shoulder.
Finally, Luke closed Silena's eyes. Thalia did the same for Beckendorf.
"We have to fight," Her voice was shaky. "They gave their lives to help us. We have to honour their sacrifice."
Clarisse sniffled and wiped her nose. She picked up a sword from one of her fallen siblings. "Kronos is going to pay."
-X-
EVEN without any armour, Clarisse was a demon on the battle field, fuelled by rage and fury. She rode her chariot straight into the Titan's army and crushed everything in her path.
She rained death on the enemy, riding into battle like her father himself, that even the panicked centaurs started to rally. The Hunters scrounged arrows from the fallen and launched volley after volley into the enemy, cutting down several giants. The Ares cabin slashed and hacked, driving Kronos' forces back. The monsters retreated toward 35th Street.
Clarisse drove to the drakon's carcass and looped a grappling line through its eye sockets. She lashed her horses and took off, dragging the drakon behind the chariot, smearing dust, green blood and acid everywhere. She charged after the enemy, yelling insults and daring them to cross her. Thalia, from her spot, jabbing and impaling, realised she was glowing. An aura of red fire flickered around her.
"The blessing of Ares," Luke said, huffing, from beside her. His blade was stained with blood and dust. "I've never seen it in person before."
For the moment, Clarisse was invincible. The enemy threw spears and arrows, but nothing hit her. She radiated wrath as she ploughed on, cutting down everything, including enemy demigods, carelessly. She held a spear and a sword, impaling enemies and lopping off heads like a pro.
"I AM CLARISSE LA RUE!" she yelled. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL! Where is Kronos? Bring him out! Is he a coward?" Her voice was echoing off the buildings.
"Clarisse!" Thalia panted, calling the other girl. "Stop it. Withdraw!"
"What's the matter, Titan lord?" she yelled, totally ignoring Thalia. "BRING IT ON!"
There was no answer from the enemy. Slowly, they began to fall back behind a dracaenae shield wall, while Clarisse drove in circles around Fifth Avenue, daring anyone to cross her path. The two- hundred-foot-long drakon carcass made a scraping noise against the pavement, like a thousand knives. Clarisse ascended into the sky in her chariot and hurled a spear, then another, then a third, through several giants, hitting her targets every time. Thalia didn't even know where she was getting the weapons from.
She shook her head, turning her attention elsewhere.
The others were tending their wounded, carrying them inside the lobby. Long after the enemy had retreated from sight, Clarisse kept riding up and down the avenue with her trophy, demanding that Kronos meet her battle.
Thalia was standing beside Chris and Luke now, watching from the front of the Empire State Building. He sighed. "I'll watch her. She'll get tired eventually. I'll make sure she comes inside."
"What about the camp?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "Is anybody left there?"
Chris shook his head. "Only Argus and the nature spirits. Peleus the dragon is still guarding the tree."
"They won't last long," Luke acknowledged. He patted Chris on the shoulder. "But I'm glad you came."
Chris nodded sadly. "I'm sorry it took so long. I tried to reason with Clarisse. I said there's no point in defending camp if you guys die. All our friends are here. I'm sorry it took Silena…" He trailed off.
"My Hunters will help you stand guard," Bianca said, tiredly, coming up next to them. "Luke, Thalia you should go to Olympus. I have a feeling they'll need you up there—to set up the final defence."
-X-
THE doorman had disappeared from the lobby. His book was facedown on the desk and his chair was empty. The rest of the lobby was packed with wounded campers, Hunters, and satyrs.
"Listen, we figure the Titan's army will have trouble getting up the elevator. They'll have to go up a few at a time. And the giants won't be able to fit at all," Travis said. He had met them when they'd entered, with his brother.
"That's our biggest advantage," Thalia replied. "Any way to disable the elevator?"
"It's magic," Connor shook his head. "Usually you need a key card, but the doorman vanished. That means the defences are crumbling. Anyone can walk into the elevator now and head straight up."
"Then we have to keep them away from the doors," She acknowledged. "We'll bottle them up in the lobby."
"We need reinforcements," Travis said. "They'll just keep coming. Eventually they'll overwhelm us."
"There are no reinforcements," Connor complained.
She looked outside at Mrs. O'Leary, who was breathing against the glass doors and smearing them with hellhound drool, whining, for Charles Beckendorf.
"Maybe that's not true," She said, an idea coming to her head. "Luke, come on." They darted out.
Thalia exhaled. One last attempt. One last hope. Maybe Hades would finally see sense. Chiron had bandaged Mrs. O'Leary's paw, but she was still limping. Her fur was matted with mud, leaves, pizza slices, and dried monster blood.
"Hey, girl." She reached out. "I know you're tired, but I've got one more big favour to ask you." Thalia leaned forward, whispering in her ear.
XMX
AFTER Mrs. O'Leary shadow-traveled away, they went back inside. On the way to the elevator, they spotted Grover kneeling over a fat wounded satyr.
"Leneus!" Thalia moved towards them, her best friend following.
The old satyr looked terrible. His lips were blue. There was a broken spear in his belly, and his furry goat legs were twisted at a painful angle. He tried to focus on the direction of their voices, but Thalia didn't think he really saw them.
"Grover?" he murmured.
"I'm here, Leneus." Grover was blinking back tears, despite all the horrible things Leneus had said about him.
"Did . . . did we win?"
"Um . . . yes," Grover lied. "Thanks to you, Leneus. We drove the enemy away."
"Told you," the old satyr mumbled. "True leader. True . . ."
He closed his eyes for the last time.
Grover's face twisted and tears fell. He put his hand on Leneus's forehead and spoke an ancient blessing. The old satyr's body melted, until all that was left was a tiny sapling in a pile of fresh soil.
"A laurel," Grover said in awe. "Lucky old goat." He gathered up the sapling in his hands. "I . . . I should plant him. In Olympus, in the gardens."
"We're going that way," Luke told him, tiredly. "Come on."
XMX
BEFORE the elevator doors closed, Lou Ellen stepped inside beside them. The lifts shut, and they began moving upwards. Luke's eyes were trained on the numbers, as they moved to forty, then progressed slowly to a hundred.
At one-fifty, Lou spoke. "I'm sorry you had to see what happened to Silena and Charles." Thalia made a noise from beside him. A few seconds passed, and then Lou let out a laugh. "Scratch that, I'm not."
Luke's eyes widened and he shot into action just in time, side stepping as Lou spun, driving a knife at him. For the first time, he was glad that the elevator had been made large enough to carry about fifteen people at a time. A cover of Stairway to Heaven was playing, in Apollo's odd but good voice.
"What the fuck?!" Thalia swore, ducking too when the daughter of Hecate swiped at her neck. Lou bared her teeth, grinning maniacally, "Lord Kronos will be pleased when I bring him your heads."
Her knife elongated into a sword and she attacked. Grover bleated, rushing for her and dropping his plant in the process. The other girl knocked his reed pipe aside, slamming her sword hilt into the satyr's head. He dropped onto the floor of the elevator like a sack of potatoes, out cold.
Luke quickly parried her strike, realisation hitting him. "You were the spy?!"
The girl laughed. "I think that was quite obvious, don't you?" She took another swipe at him, but Thalia was there, blocking with her shield. Lou faltered, stumbling back, but not for long.
"You picked a very bad time for this," The daughter of Zeus growled. "You're outnumbered."
She laughed. "I have magic, Thalia. You don't." Lou flicked her free hand and mist shrouded them in the elevator. Suddenly Thalia was floating as high as she could go, straining against invisible bonds. Lou flicked her hands again and Thalia's wrist snapped with a loud crack. Luke winced as he let out a scream of agony, which broke him out of his stupor.
Swearing, he charged the enemy demigoddess, but her sword had vanished, and with her free hand, she flicked back. Mist curled around him, slamming him into the walls of the elevator, which was still rising, now at level 230.
Thalia's knee was bending at an odd angle, and she was blinking back tears of pain, trying to free herself. Luke gritted his teeth. He rose again and leaped forward, slamming into Lou Ellen. The girl cried out as they hit the ground, and Thalia came tumbling down. Her nose was dripping blood. Luke attempted to drive his sword through Lou, but it gave a clang as it hit the elevator floor. She had vanished. He spun, watching as a card appeared at the other side of the room, leaking mist. Lou Ellen Blackstone formed from it, fingers alight in an eerie green hue.
"You're not real," Luke realised. "You're a mist form." Lou smiled and Luke grimaced at not seeing it earlier. He knew of only one of Hecate's children—who had all been in his cabin—who could control and create mist forms. Alabaster Torrington.
The fake demigod waved her hand, and Luke felt himself still. Lou moved forward, hands still glowing and the son of Hermes struggled, to no avail as she reached out for him. She smiled, placing her fingers on his cheek, and he felt a surge of energy and dark magic flow through his veins.
"Long live the king," Lou whispered.
Luke felt his organs shutting down, body slowly failing him. Black spots danced before his eyes. He couldn't feel his arms, and it seemed like he was slowly fading out of existence. Was Lou killing him? The last thing he saw was Thalia, running the mist form through with her spear with a loud yell.
And then he was in a sort of glade, staring up at…Zoë Nightshade? Standing beside her was a stern faced dark haired girl in golden armour, and another boy with blond hair and the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, clutching a golden pole with an eagle mounted on top.
Luke had a second to feel confused and wonder if he was dead, and then the darkness came rushing in.
Another 10k words…one chapter left, then an epilogue. There might be a sequel, there might not. Anyways, enjoy this mildly tweaked version of Rick's story.