They set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. The Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union: forty from California, two from Rhode Island, thirty from Illinois . . . Roughly five hundred total had answered his call, but even with that many, they couldn't defend more than a few blocks.

"Dude," said a centaur named Larry. His T-shirt identified him as BIG CHIEF UBER GUY, NEW MEXICO CHAPTER. "That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!"

"Yeah," said Owen from South Dakota. He wore a black leather jacket and an old WWII army helmet. "We totally wasted them!"

Chiron patted Owen on the back. "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos should never be underestimated. Now why don't you visit the diner on West 33rd and get some breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."

"Root beer!" They almost trampled each other as they galloped off. Chiron smiled.

Annabeth gave him a big hug, and Mrs. O'Leary licked his face.

"Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you too."

"Chiron, thanks," Percy said, "talk about saving the day."

Valen nodded, "We would have probably fallen had you not come,"

He shrugged. "I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bend distance as we ride. Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies are not exactly organized."

"How'd you get through the magic defenses around the city?" Annabeth asked.

"They slowed us down a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep mortals out. Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."

"So maybe other reinforcements can get through," Percy said hopefully.

Chiron stroked his beard. "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side . . ."

"And Typhon?" Percy asked.

Chiron's face darkened. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians. No one has seen him since. Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia. He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhon's approach. But the monster can not be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow."

"Speaking of Typhon," Valen said, interrupting Chiron. He turned to face Percy, "You need to talk to your father,"

Percy shook his head, "It's no use, he's fighting his own war."

"No, you don't get it. If Typhon reaches us, it wouldn't matter if Poseidons palace is destroyed, his power is tied to his throne, if that falls, then so will he." Valen sighed, "I talked with my father, he says he'll be able to arrive tonight if things go well, but he also said that the only way to beat Typhon was if Poseidon aids the other Olympians."

"What if he went to help instead?"

"He won't," he said, "His first priority right now is keeping me and Nico safe. He'd rather be here, fighting by our side than help fight against Typhon."

Percy remained silent for a while, before sighing, "I'll try to change his mind, but I can't guarantee anything."

Valen nodded in understanding, "Now, onto the matter of Theron-"

"Valen, I swear I'll do everything in my power to bring him back," Percy interrupted.

"It's alright, I don't blame you for it. You could hardly do anything in that situation."

Chiron frowned, "What happened to Theron?"

"He was abducted by Hyperion," Valen responded.

"The Titan lord does not generally take prisoners, unless he can gain something out of it." Chiron said.

Valens mind went back to what Prometheus had told him about Theron. He had seen Theron use moonlight as a weapon many times, and if he wasn't connected to Artemis, that would only leave one other choice. He didn't want to believe it at first because he thought those two had faded after the twins took their domains. But after he was informed of Hyperion's behavior and Therons abduction, he couldn't be so sure anymore.

He sighed, "In our state, we can hardly launch a rescue operation, we should rest a bit. Tonight, we make the final stand."

The others nodded grimly and didn't object when he left them in favor of crashing into one of the makeshift beds they had prepared.

As usual, he was back in the underworld, only this time there was a distinct lack of screaming. He could see Nico standing in the garden, his appearance having changed to mirror the god he was hosting.

His already black hair looked more gaseous than solid as if made from solid shadows. A wreath of bones fit over his head. His eyes reflected the entirety of the underworld, one moment he saw the paradise of elysium, the next moment it was the endless meadow of asphodel, and finally the fields of punishment.

A reddish black armor adorned him, covering him neck to toe, Valen could see the occasional damned soul rising to the surface, only to be swept back in after. He held a dark helm under his elbow.

The helm of darkness. Valen realized.

"I suppose the assimilation process is over?"

Nico turned towards him, confusion etched on his face, "Valen?"

Then, his countenance changed. His expression reminiscent of Hades', "I wouldn't call this a perfect assimilation, it is only temporary. You need more time to perfectly synchronize with your host, so as to not destroy their body."

Valen stared at him in deadpan for a moment, "Please tell me you aren't going to spontaneously combust anytime soon.

"As long as I limit my power, there should not be any issue. But do not be surprised if we split mid-battle. This form is not very stable."

Valen nodded, "You're coming tonight then?"

"Yes," he agreed, "I assume tonight will be your last stand?"

"Yeah, Percy's birthday is tomorrow, that's when the prophecy is fulfilled. We have set a perimeter two blocks around the Empire State Building," He sighed, "but we can't take much more."

"You will not be alone tonight," Hades reassured him.

"No, but even with you, we cannot possibly win against all Titans."

"..." Hades didn't have a response to that. He sighed, "Speaking of Titans," Hades said, walking up to him, "Melinoe tells me you beat Lelantos?"

He scoffed, "Barely, I would have probably lost if she hadn't helped." He sighed, "I broke your spear though."

Hades nodded, "Yes, I noticed, it was inevitable. But your reserves have grown permanently due to it, I suspect you will not be needing that wreath much longer."

Valen smiled ruefully, slowly taking it off, "You're right, I do not need to take any such measures tonight. I don't need to restrict myself with it tonight, if I die I'll die knowing I did everything I could."

"It won't come to that." For a moment Nico's psyche bled through. "We will live through this."

Valen dropped the wreath as his surroundings began changing, "I'll see you tonight then."

"Of course," This time, it was Hades answering.

Valen found himself in a cell- a NYPD detainment cell to be precise, a few feet beside him stood Theron, gaping at him in shock.

He shook his head, closing his mouth, "You know what, I'm not even going to question the absurdity of it."

"Theron," Valen said, "Where are you?"

"Somewhere on East 67th," He said, "But you can't come here."

He frowned, "Why?"

"Hyperion is on watch duty all of the time, he'll know if you come."

"I don't care, I'm abandoning you."

"No, listen, tonight he's going to leave to join the army, I'm thinking of using that window to escape, but, well see for yourself." He said, pointing at the lock, and Valen could see what he meant. The entire lock had been melted and fused with the bars, it would be difficult to pry open, and in a confined area, Theron didn't have much moonlight to use.

Valen's dream began flickering, "I'll come for you soon, we'll get you out of there I swear-"

.

.

.

Valen awoke with a start, having his dreams end so abruptly wasn't the best of feelings. Looking around, much time hadn't passed. He had probably only slept for an hour or two, sighing he got up.

It didn't take him long to find Percy amongst the crowd, and when he did, he made sure to get him to a secluded spot.

"I need your help," He said, cutting to the chase.

"What do you mean?"

"I know where Theron is," He said, "But Hyperion is standing guard over him. If it were any other titan I would have gone alone, but Hyperion counters most of my abilities."

"So you want me to come as backup." He confirmed.

"Yeah, I realize this is a lot to ask, considering we're going to be fighting a titan-"

"Dude, you had me at Theron," Percy said, interrupting him. "So, do you have a plan?"

"Uh, distract Hyperion, get Theron free and shadow travel away?" He asked, unsure of the plan.

"You just made that up didn't you." he said

"I did not!" Valen protested.

"Yep, you made that up on the spot," Percy grinned, "Let's ask Annabeth for her help."

He sighed, "Yeah, that's probably for the best."

After finding Annabeth and getting her up to speed, her response was, "This is a stupid idea,"

"Yeah, well, when have we ever followed logic?" Valen asked rhetorically.

Percy nodded, "We just need to hold Hyperion back long enough to get Theron out of there."

Annabeth sighed, "Fine, but we'll need more people."

Valen narrowed his eyes, a few people came to mind, "Leave that to me."

She nodded, "Alright, I'll think of a plan in the meanwhile."

Aricia was sitting outside one of the tents, a dejected look on her face. She had watched her best friend get kidnapped before her eyes but was unable to do anything to stop it. Hades, she didn't even know if he was alive.

"Hey," Someone kneeled down in front of her. "You alright?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically lacking the bluntness.

She nodded, "Yeah, just thinking."

"You're blaming yourself for not doing anything to stop Hyperion from taking Theron aren't you?"

"How did you-" She was taken aback for a bit, but it was probably not very hard to deduce on his part, "Yeah, yeah I was."

Valen remained silent for a bit. "We're planning a rescue operation," He said, "We could use your help."

"I'm in," She said without hesitating.

He smiled, "Great, find Percy and Annabeth, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" She asked, getting up from the ground.

"To the hunters, we need as many people as we can get," Valen answered, scanning around for them.

Aricia nodded in understanding and walked away to find Percy and Annabeth. It didn't take Valen too long to zero in on Zoe and Thalia, and as he walked up to them he could feel the hostile glares of the other hunters.

"Hey, Thalia, Zoe," He greeted, "I'll cut to the chase, I need help rescuing a friend."

They shared a glance, before Thalia spoke, "Did someone get taken?"

Valen nodded, "Hyperion abducted him, and has been keeping him in a police station somewhere on East 67th."

Thalia looked at Zoe, and a silent understanding passed between them. Zoe spoke, "Thee may go, I am needed here."

"What's your plan?" Thalia asked as they walked away.

Valen shrugged, "Annabeth is coming up with one right now."

"She's in it too?"

He nodded, "Her, Percy, and another friend of mine."

"And now me," She finished.

"Yeah, that should be enough people." Valen said, "Hopefully."

.

.

.

"Well, that was easy,"

The voice of a demigod reached Hyperion's ears, and he immediately grew alert.

"We're not out of danger yet, be careful," Another said, and Hyperion walked to the door. Outside he could see five demigods huddled together. He recognized them, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace, and the demi-titan. Pivotal forces in the war.

"How foolish," He scoffed.

But then, they moved just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the fifth member. Theron Cirillo stood between them, free from his bindings. A wave of anger washed over Hyperion, and he lunged at the group of demigods.

As if expecting this, Percy swung his sword, a wave of water following the blade, effortlessly parrying Hyperion's fist and sending him flying. The titan crashed into the street, cracking the asphalt.

"Perseus Jackson," He growled, pushing himself up.

"That's me," Percy replied, grinning at his opponent, he just had to stall him for a while.

In his rage, Hyperion picked up a car as if it were made of cardboard, and threw it at the group of demigods.

A wall of water arose between them, and the car stopped halfway through it, stuck mid-air. Percy lowered the car down gently, "There are mortals in there!"

"Like I care," Hyperion retorted, throwing another car at him.

Just like before, a wall of water stopped the car from hitting them. Before Hyperion could throw yet another car, the skies darkened, and a bolt of lightning descended upon him.

Now charred and bruised, the titan glared at the demigods, but as his gaze passed that of Theron, he paused. The reincarnation of Selene hadn't moved throughout the fight, he didn't respond to anything, and upon closer inspection, he could see a ray of light connecting him to Annabeth's shield.

A decoy. He realized, he had been fooled. He glared at the precinct, but before he could go back, a crescent arc of purple energy stopped him.

He was given no time to respond as Percy shot towards him, sword in hand. Every slash transitioned fluidly into the next, giving him no respite.

"Enough!" He yelled exploding with energy and pushing the demigod away. He glared at his opponent, and an abrupt calmness fell upon him.

"You wish to fight me?" He said, his body exploding in light and white flames blazed to life over his armor. "Then a fight you shall have,"

Percy gulped, he had a bad feeling about this fight now.

While The others were busy fighting Hyperion, Valen shadow traveled into the precinct, right inside Therons cell.

"What the-?!" Theron jumped to his feet, "Valen?"

"We don't have much time," He said, summoning a hellhound to his side, "Get on,"

"What are you doing here? Hyperion is right here!"

"Don't worry about that," Valen said, "Now get on the hellhound and leave."

"What about you?"

"I'll be there soon," He said, "We don't have time Theron. You need to leave while you can."

Theron sighed, and got on the monster, "I'll see you later then?"

"Yes, later." He assured and Theron disappeared into the shadows. He could feel the ground shaking due to the fight outside. He sighed and fell into his shadow.

Outside, Hyperion was overpowering Percy, his shirt was torn to shreds by Hyperion's fists, and his sword was unable to pierce his armor.

Thalia attacked from behind, her spear glancing off Hyperion's armor and the titan swatted her away. Aricia concentrated her power into her daggers, and the purple glow that covered them seemed stronger than ever. And when her daggers hit his armor, they cut right through and pierced his skin.

"Agh!" Hyperion yelled out, grabbing her and throwing her into Percy. But he was not helpless, like a viper his hand shot up, parrying Valen's black blade. An instant later, his other fist made contact with his abdomen, sending him crashing back into the precinct.

When Valen limped out, he could see Percy struggling against Hyperion in a duel, the little amount of water he had brought wasn't enough to beat a Titan. He looked up to the sky, it was cloudy but there were no signs of raining. An idea began to form in his mind, and he warped next to Thalia.

"Grab on," He said, extending his arm, "I have an idea."

She complied almost instantly, and the two fell into the shadow realm. They came out atop a nearby skyscraper, and Thalia almost screamed looking down the edge.

"We need to make it rain," Valen said, "gather the clouds together."

"Uh, Valen, I can't control the wind," Thalia said, "Only lightning."

"I doubt that, Zeus is the lord of the skies, not just thunder." He said, "Just try it, I'll help you."

"What do you mean-"

"Just do as I do," He interrupted, "I'll explain everything later."

Valen raised his arms, and the wind picked up. The clouds began to move closer at a painfully slow rate. He glanced at Thalia, silently asking her to do the same. She sighed, she could at least give it a shot.

Following his actions, she too raised her arms up, and it was evident how much she was helping. Getting the clouds together didn't seem like a herculean task anymore.

"How am I doing that?" She asked in awe.

"Told you, you have power over the wind you were just too sc-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." she interrupted, glaring at him through the corner of her eyes.

Valen closed his mouth and focused on the sky. Before long, the clouds had converged over them, taking on a grey tint. Valen could see the lightning flash occasionally.

"Let's head back," He said, grabbing Thalia's shoulder and shadow traveling away.

Hyperion laughed, "Your friends forsake you too easily sea spawn."

Percy didn't let that affect him, they had a good reason to leave, he knew that. He continued fighting, occasionally using the water to distract his opponent.

He was the first to notice the sky turning black, he could guess who was responsible for that. But Hyperion did not care, his next attack connecting with Percy's wrist, forcing him to let go of his sword.

The titan snatched riptide before it fell to the ground and examined the blade, "A fine blade, it's wasted on you Jackson."

He swing at Percy, the blade bouncing off his skin, "Eventually, I will find your achilles' heel, and I'll kill you with your own sword."

Percy smiled as the first drop of water hit the ground, "This is my domain now Hyperion,"

Hyperion frowned and looked up, and thunder roared. A violent rain began to pour, and a sudden sense of danger overcame him. He jumped back just in time to barely avoid being skewered by half a dozen water spears, yet they still managed to dent his armor.

He stared at the constructs, that was not in their information about the half-blood. Their spy hadn't relayed anything about that.

Lightning flashed and in an instant, a massive bolt of thunder struck him/ In his moment of shock, Valen shadow traveled next to him, torching him with hellfire.

He screamed, feeling his armor melt and burn into his skin, and began tearing it off wildly thrashing around. To add insult to injury, a giant fist of water slammed him into the ground, staining it with golden ichor.

Thunder roared, and a dozen bolts of lightning struck him in quick succession. Purple energy began gathering above him in the shape of a sword, only it was the size of a school bus. It descended like a meteor, cleaving through the water hand with ease, and pierced through Hyperion, cutting a slit from his chest to his abdomen. And the Titan exploded in golden dust.

A moment of silence passed before Valen spoke, "Well, that was abrupt."

.

.

.

The return trip didn't take long, courtesy of Valen's hellhounds. Things were as calm as before, and the demigods took a well-deserved rest.

They could not rest for long, however, they had a war to plan. So, they held a war council in the Empire state building.

"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.

"That's our biggest advantage," Percy said. "Any way to disable the elevator?"

"It's magic," Travis said. "Usually you need a key card, but the doorman vanished. That means the defenses are crumbling. Anyone can walk into the elevator now and head straight up."

"Then we have to keep them away from the doors," Percy said. "We'll bottle them up in the lobby."

"We could booby trap it, but I doubt it would do much against Kronos." Valen suggested.

"We need reinforcements," Travis said. "They'll just keep coming. Eventually they'll overwhelm us."

"There are no reinforcements," Connor complained.

"No," Valen said, "My father will come to aid us tonight, and if Percy can talk to his dad, maybe we can get the Olympians to come back in time."

"Are you sure?" Beckendorf said, "I mean Typhon is a pretty big threat."

"If Posiedon helps them, they have a good chance at winning," Valen said, "And once they do, they can head back here in the blink of an eye."

"And what if they lose?" Clarisse said, "What if Typhon defeats them?"

"If that happens, we might as well kill ourselves." He said, "If the gods fall, we cannot survive, Kronos will torture us in ways unimaginable and western civilization as we know it will end."

Travis cleared his throat, "We need to hold the line against the enemy army, even with all of us we can't hold it for long."

"We need to hold it for one more day," Annabeth said, "Until Percy turns sixteen."

Percy sighed, "Then it's my choice whether Olympus will be preserved or razed."

"And we'll be right beside you when you make that choice," Valen said patting his shoulder.

"Thanks," Percy said, nodding in gratitude.

"My Hunters will help you stand guard," Zoe said. "Thee should head to Olympus, to contact thy father."

Valen nodded, "Get some rest, we'll need all our energy tonight."

And the council adjourned.

On the way to the elevator, they spotted Grover kneeling over a potted laurel plant. He looked to be holding back tears.

"Grover?" Percy said, walking up to him.

The satyr sniffled, and looked up at him, before looking back down at the plant. "That was Leneus."

"Leneus?" Percy repeated, "He turned into a laurel?"

Grover smiled a bit, "Lucky old goat."

Gathering himself, he got up, "I . . . I should plant him. In Olympus, in the gardens."

Valen wanted to make a remark about how Leneus had treated Grover, but he swallowed his words. It was clear that Grover didn't hold a grudge.

"We're going that way," Percy said. "Come on."

Easy-listening music played as the elevator rose. And the ride passed in silence. The doors dinged and they stepped onto the aerial walkway.

Depressing is not a word that usually describes Mount Olympus, but it looked that way now. No fires lit the braziers. The windows were dark. The streets were deserted and the doors were barred. The only movement was in the parks, which had been set up as field hospitals. Will Solace and the other Apollo campers scrambled around, caring for the wounded. Naiads and dryads tried to help, using nature magic songs to heal burns and poison.

Valen winced, Olympus was filled with the stench of death. For the city of the gods, it felt wrong. There was nothing he could do, however, but he knew each one of them was headed to Elysium. He remained silent as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover tried to cheer the others up.

But when they reached Dionysus's son, Percy's demeanor seemed to change. The camper had a broken arm, but otherwise, he was unharmed.

"I can still fight with the other hand," he said, gritting his teeth.

"No," Percy said. "You've done enough. I want you to stay here and help with the wounded."

"But—"

"Promise me to stay safe," He said. "Okay? Personal favor."

Valen raised an eyebrow at Percy's behavior, as far as he knew they weren't very close. But he did not pry, if Percy did not find it fit to tell them, who was he to judge?

They kept walking toward the palace. The place Kronos planned to destroy with his own hands, the source of the gods power.

The bronze doors creaked open and their footsteps echoed on the marble floor. The constellations twinkled coldly on the ceiling of the great hall. The hearth was down to a dull red glow. Hestia, in the form of a little girl in brown robes, hunched at its edge, shivering. The Ophiotaurus swam sadly in his sphere of water. He let out a half-hearted moo when he saw them.

In the firelight, the thrones cast evil-looking shadows, like grasping hands. Standing at the foot of Zeus's throne, looking up at the stars, was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She was holding a Greek ceramic vase.

Rachel?" Percy said. "Um, what are you doing with that?"

"Is that what I think it is?" Valen asked.

"It's Pandora's jar, isn't it?" She said, her eyes brighter than usual. Valen could see a green tinge in her otherwise grey soul.

"Please put down the jar," Percy said.

"I can see Hope inside it." Rachel ran her fingers over the ceramic designs. "So fragile."

"Rachel." His voice seemed to have brought her back to reality, and she held out the jar to him.

"Come on, lets scout around the place," Annabeth said, grabbing Grover and Valens arms, "Maybe we can find some extra Greek fire or Hephaestus traps."

"But-"

"Just do as she says Grover," Valen said, sighing.

Right." he said. "I love traps!"

Outside the throne room, Annabeth let out a great sigh and sat down at the stairs.

"You have nothing to worry about Annabeth," Valen said, sitting beside her. "He will not get together with her"

"How are you sure?" She retorted, "I mean what makes you think I'm worried about that?"

Valen deadpanned at her, "A blind hellhound could notice that you're infatuated over him."

"No I'm not." She protested.

Valen sighed, "Grover, you noticed it too right?"

Grover gulped under Annabeths glare, "Blahaha, I, uh, need to water Leneus."

"..." Valen stared at him as he ran away. "As I was saying, Percy clearly has a thing for you."

"Really?"

Valen nodded, "As much as it makes me cringe to say this, yes."

"..." She stayed silent for a moment, "Why doesn't he say anything then."

"Hell if I know, all this love thing is beyond me!"

She sighed, and got up, "We should get back."

Valen shook his head, beckoning Grover to come back, "When this is all over, if we live, just make your move."

They went inside again, and when they saw Percy, he had a strange look on his face.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked. "Should we, um, leave again?"

He looked at Rachel. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you? I mean . . . you talked to Chiron, right?"

She managed a faint smile. "You're worried about me doing something stupid?"

"But I mean . . . will you be okay?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "That kind of depends on whether you save the world, hero."

He picked up Pandora's jar. The spirit of Hope fluttered inside, trying to warm the cold container.

"Hestia," he said, "I give this to you as an offering."

The goddess tilted her head. "I am the least of the gods. Why would you trust me with this?"

"You're the last Olympian," he said. "And the most important."

"And why is that, Percy Jackson?"

"Because Hope survives best at the hearth," he said. "Guard it for me, and I won't be tempted to give up again."

The goddess smiled. She took the jar in her hands and it began to glow. The hearth fire burned a little brighter.

"Well done, Percy Jackson," she said. "May the gods bless you."

"We're about to find out." He looked at them. "Come on, guys."

And they marched to Poseidon's throne.