After Percy almost got himself killed by invoking Poseidon's wrath, the doors to the throne room burst open, and Thalia marched in. Her bow was snapped in half, and her quiver was empty.
"You've got to get down there," she told them. "The enemy is advancing. And Kronos is leading them."
By the time they reached the street, it was already too late. Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse was frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen. Either they'd panicked and ran or they'd been disintegrated.
The Titan army ringed the building, keeping a radius of roughly twenty meters surrounding the building. Kronos' vanguard was in the lead: Ethan Nakamura, the dracaena queen in her green armor, and two Hyperboreans.
Kronos himself stood right in front with his scythe in hand. And the only thing that stood in his way, was the legendary trainer of heroes, Chiron. He had an arrow nocked, aimed straight at Kronos's face.
He glanced at the newcomers, and his golden eyes flashed, freezing them in time. Then the Titan lord turned his attention back to Chiron. "Step aside, little son."
"I'm afraid not." Chiron's tone was steely calm, reflecting his inner anger.
The dracaena queen became impatient and charged. Chiron's arrow flew straight between her eyes and she vaporized on the spot, her empty armor clattering to the asphalt
Chiron reached for another arrow, but his quiver was empty. He dropped the bow and drew his sword. It was never his preferred weapon.
Kronos chuckled. He advanced a step, and Chiron's horse-half skittered nervously. His tail flicked back and forth.
"You're a teacher," Kronos sneered. "Not a hero."
"Luke was a hero," Chiron said. "He was a good one, until you corrupted him."
"FOOL!" Kronos's voice shook the city. "You filled his head with empty promises. You said the gods cared about me!"
"Me," Chiron noticed. "You said me."
Kronos looked confused, and in that moment, Chiron struck. It was a good maneuver—a feint, followed by a strike to the face. But Kronos was quick; he had all of Luke's fighting skills. He knocked aside Chiron's blade and yelled, "BACK!"
A blinding white light exploded between the Titan and the centaur. Chiron flew into the side of the building with such force the wall crumbled and collapsed on top of him.
"No!" Annabeth wailed, and the freezing spell broke.
Valen flicked his hand, and the boulders that fell on Chiron shot toward Kronos. He did not even bother defending himself as they bounced off of him. Kronos was in front of him in an instant, he grabbed his neck, pulling him off the ground.
"Do you think your status as a vessel would protect you from me?" He chuckled as he began squeezing his neck.
Valen did not panic this time, his hands exploded in hellfire as he grabbed Kronos' face. In an instant, the skies darkened, and a bolt of lightning struck them. From under Kronos' feet, dozens of dark blades rose up to stab him, but none were able to pierce him.
The titan pushed Valen away, swiping the residual hellfire off his face. He glowered at him. "Nothing you do will hurt me."
"That might be so," Valen began, summoning Stormguard to his hand, "but I'm gonna fight regardless."
Just then, a wave of uneasiness passed through them, and the Titan army began fidgeting. The day turned dimmer, and the stench of rotten corpses filled their noses.
Cracks appeared in the road, the sidewalks, and the sides of the buildings. Skeletal hands grasped the air as the dead clawed their way into the world of the living. There were thousands of them, and as they emerged, the Titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up.
"You're late," Valen said, grinning. "Father."
The sky turned dark and cold. Shadows thickened. A harsh war horn sounded, and as the dead soldiers formed up ranks with their guns and swords, and spears, an enormous chariot roared down Fifth Avenue. The horses were living shadows, fashioned from darkness. The chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death. Holding the reins was Nico, hosting the god Hades.
His already black hair looked more gaseous than solid as if made from solidified shadows. A wreath of bones fit over his head. His dark eyes reflected all three stages of the underworld. A reddish black armor adorned him, covering him neck to toe, and Valen could see the occasional damned soul rising to the surface, only to be swept back in after.
"I won't lie, it feels weird calling you father when you're in Nico's body." he continued.
"Feel free to call me your brother then," Hades said, "Nico says hi by the way."
He tossed the Helm of Darkness at him, "Use it well."
Valen stared at the divine object with his mouth agape. Coming to his senses, he nodded at his father, "I won't disappoint you."
"Hades," Kronos growled, "so you've gone far enough to use your blood as your host."
Hades smiled coldly, "Hello Father. How do you wish to die?"
"I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. It will soon be your home, son."
Hades drew his sword, a double-edged Stygian blade etched with silver. "That only means I can torture you longer."
"I don't have time for this," Kronos snarled. He struck the ground with his scythe. A crack spread in both directions, circling the Empire State Building. A wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, separating Kronos' vanguard, the demigods, and Hades from the bulk of the two armies.
"What's he doing?" Percy muttered.
"Sealing us in," Thalia said. "He's collapsing the magic barriers around Manhattan—cutting off just the building, and us."
Sure enough, outside the barrier, car engines revved to life. Pedestrians woke up and stared uncomprehendingly at the monsters and zombies all around them. There was no telling what they saw through the Mist. And at the end of the block, Paul Blofis and Sally Jackson got out of their Prius.
"No," Percy said. "Don't . . ."
His mother locked eyes with him, and said something to Paul, before they both began running straight at them.
Hades charged at the wall of force, but his chariot crashed against it and overturned. He got to his feet, cursing, and blasted the wall with black energy. The barrier held.
"ATTACK!" he roared. The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan's monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos. Mortals screamed and ran for cover. Golden dust and white bones flew everywhere. Percy's parents ran towards them, dodging monsters and skeleton soldiers.
"Nakamura," Kronos said. "Attend me. Giants—deal with them." He pointed at Valen and his friends collectively. Then he ducked into the lobby
Black chains rose from the first giant's shadow, binding it to the ground, and Percy lunged, stabbing it right over its heart, reducing it to a pile of ice shards. The second giant breathed frost at Annabeth, who rolled out of the way and threw her knife with deadly accuracy. It pierced through its eye, and the giant screamed in pain.
Taking the opportunity, Thalia sprinted up the giant's back like a gazelle, sliced her hunting knives across its monstrous blue neck, and created the world's largest headless ice sculpture.
As Percy walked to the barrier to meet his parents, Valen headed to Chiron, noticing his broken leg. His ring glowed, and the pouch of ambrosia materialized in his hands.
Chiron shook his head, "Save it, you have a tough fight ahead of you."
"Chiron, I have more ambrosia than I could use in my lifetime, giving you some to alleviate your pain wouldn't make me go bankrupt."
The centaur sighed, and accepted the cube. He sighed in relief, and the pain dulled significantly.
Valen handed him the pouch, "Take it, the campers here need it more than I do. And before you say anything, I have a never-ending flask of nectar in the ring for me."
Accepting defeat, Chiron took the pouch, "Do not waste any more time on this old centaur, go after Kronos."
Valen nodded and got up, "Goodbye Chiron."
.
.
.
The bridge to Olympus was dissolving. As they stepped out of the elevator onto the white marble walkway, cracks immediately appeared beneath their feet.
Their shadows darkened and meshed together, creating a platform for them to stand on. "Brace yourselves," Valen warned, and the platform shot forward, crossing the bridge in moments.
It vanished upon reaching the edge of the mountain, and they watched as the bridge crumbled and fell, leaving behind a floating pair of metal doors six hundred storeys above Manhattan.
"We're marooned," Annabeth said. "On our own."
"Blah-ha-ha!" Grover said. "The connection between Olympus and America is dissolving. If it fails— "
"The gods won't move on to another country this time," Thalia said. "This will be the end of Olympus. The final end."
They ran through the streets. Mansions were burning. Statues had been hacked down. Trees in the parks were blasted to splinters. It looked like someone had attacked the city in petty rage.
"Kronos' scythe," Percy said, "He did this."
They followed the winding path toward the palace of the gods. A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords, and spears broken in half.
Somewhere ahead of them, Kronos' voice roared. "Brick by brick! That was my promise. Tear it down BRICK BY BRICK!"
A white marble temple with a gold dome suddenly exploded. The dome shot up like the lid of a teapot and shattered into a billion pieces, raining rubble over the city.
"That was a shrine to Artemis," Thalia grumbled. "He'll pay for that."
They were running under the marble archway with the huge statues of Zeus and Hera when the entire mountain groaned, rocking sideways like a boat in a storm.
"Look out!" Grover yelped and the archway crumbled. Valen acted fast, holding up an arm and stopping the rubble in place.
"Get away!" He yelled, straining under the force. And as the others were out of range, he let it fall, warping away before it could hit him.
"That was close," He said, dusting his clothes.
A fireball erupted on the side of the mountain, right near the gates of the palace.
"We've got to run," Percy said.
"I don't suppose you mean away," Grover murmured hopefully.
The demigods sprinted towards the palace, and Grover sighed, following behind them, "I was afraid of that."
The doors of the palace were big enough to steer a cruise ship through, but they'd been ripped off their hinges and smashed like they weighed nothing. They had to climb over a huge pile of broken stone and twisted metal to get inside.
Kronos stood in the middle of the throne room, his arms wide, staring at the starry ceiling as if taking it all in. His laughter echoed through the halls.
"Finally!" he bellowed. "The Olympian Council—so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first?"
Ethan Nakamura stood to one side, trying to stay out of the way of his master's scythe. The hearth was almost dead, just a few coals glowing deep in the ashes. Hestia was nowhere to be seen. The Ophiotaurus swam in his water sphere in the far corner of the room, wisely not making a sound, but it wouldn't be long before Kronos noticed him.
"My lord," Ethan warned, having seen them.
Kronos turned and smiled through Luke's face. Annabeth made a painful sound in the back of her throat like someone had just sucker-punched her.
"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson?" Kronos asked. "Is that the choice you will make—to fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know."
"Luke would fight with a sword," He said. "But I suppose you don't have his skill."
Kronos sneered. His scythe began to change, until he held Backbiter, with its half-steel, half-Celestial bronze blade.
Next to him, Annabeth gasped like she'd suddenly had an idea. "Percy, the blade!" She unsheathed her knife. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap."
"Time to make the last stand," Valen said, putting on the Helm of Darkness, and disappearing from vision.
Kronos raised his sword, effortlessly blocking Valen's strike, "I have fought warriors beyond your comprehension, child. Mere invisibility will not help you."
"Yeah, well," Valen's voice echoed through the halls and his mind, "Mere invisibility isn't all the helm offers."
Stormguard exploded in hellfire, the flames engulfing half the throne room with ease. Kronos' armor groaned under the heat, and with a flick of his fingers, they collapsed in on the titan, the metal melting over his skin. Yet the curse of Achilles saved him, strangely time had stopped almost entirely around his dominant arm. No hellfire or molten metal reached it.
'His weak spot is somewhere on his right arm,' Valen said, speaking directly into his allies' minds.
"ENOUGH!" Kronos exploded in a shower of golden light, pushing the flames off of him. He swiped the molten metal off his body, glaring at Valen.
Then Percy joined the fray, slashing and hacking at the titan, occasionally rolling away when he attacked. A bolt of thunder broke through the throne room's roof and struck Kronos head-on, and Annabeth engaged Ethan Nakamura in battle. Grover played his reed pipes, boosting their morale, filling them with courage and hope.
"How poetic," Kronos said condescendingly, "The children of my sons, offered as a tribute for my ascension."
"Bold of you to assume any of us will die here," Valen retorted, and his shadow stretched under him, blanketing the room. Shadeslayer floated around him as a mass of iron dust that burst into flames, every grain of iron housing a small flame.
"You cannot hope to beat me, the ruler of time itself." He gloated, pointing Backbiter at them. The skies grew dark and overcast, the roar of thunder could be heard overhead.
The mountain of Olympus trembled; their waterways broke under pressure and a miniaturized tidal wave broke into the room, coming to a stop behind them.
"Hahaha," Kronos laughed, "Is this petty display supposed to intimidate me? Your fathers conjured up far larger, far more monstrous feats of power than you can ever reach."
"You're not at full power either," Percy said, a film of water covering his body.
"We're more than enough to defeat you." Thalia declared, raising her spear as lightning poured into it.
"Besides," Valen said, disappearing from their vision, "we only need to hold you long enough for the gods to arrive."
Kronos didn't get a chance to respond before the iron dust enveloped his arms, exposing his torso. Thalia moved like a cheetah, crossing the distance between them in an instant, and began stabbing him with her spear, focusing on his right shoulder.
As the blade got close to his armpit, Kronos managed to kick her away, ripping his arms free from Shadeslayer. His eyes glowed golden, freezing everyone in place, including his subordinate.
"First, the youngest son's spawn," He said, walking over to the frozen Thalia, and pulling his arm back, preparing to run her through with Backbiter. But when he tried to stab her, his sword wouldn't move, no matter how hard he tried.
Inside the shadow realm, Valen was having trouble keeping Kronos from stabbing his friend. He could not interact with the world physically while he was in that realm. And the moment he tried to leave, he would be frozen in time.
He would not be able to hold him for long, so he did the next best thing. Shadeslayer's remains were unaffected by Kronos' time stop, probably because he had only targeted the demigods. So the flaming dust wrapped around the sword, the heat already starting to melt the dual toned blade.
Kronos tried his best to stop them, but he could not remove them from his blade, and stopping time would not help him. In his frustration, he canceled his spell.
"Nakamura!" he growled. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure."
Ethan's eyes dropped to Percys back, he had figured out where his heel was, he only needed to hit him there, or tell Kronos.
"Look around you, Ethan," Percy said, desperation seeping into his voice. "The end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed—the good with the bad? Everything?"
"There is no throne to Nemesis," Ethan muttered. "No throne to my mother."
"Thats right!" Kronos threw his sword away, letting it clatter to the hearth, "Strike them down! They deserve to suffer."
"You said your mom is the goddess of balance," Percy reminded him. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."
Ethan looked around him, the dark room instilling a feeling of dread into him. Grover's reed music reminding him of the short amount of time he had spent in the camp. He longed to see the clear sky once again, to be ignorant and happy once again. His remaining eye blinked.
And then he charged, not at Percy, but at Kronos. The shadows wrapped around Kronos, holding him in place as Ethan brought his sword down on his neck. But it did not cut him and shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.
Tearing his bindings apart, Kronos rose to his feet towering over his servant. "Treason," he snarled.
Grover's music kept playing, and grass grew around Ethan's body. Ethan stared at Percy, his face tight with pain.
"Deserve better," he gasped. "If they just . . . had thrones—"
Kronos stomped his foot, and the floor ruptured around Ethan Nakamura. The son of Nemesis fell through a fissure that went straight through the heart of the mountain—straight into open air.
"So much for him," Kronos said offhandedly, raising his fists as his only remaining weapon, "Now for the rest of you."
Percy tried to slash at him, but the Titan grabbed his blade and ripped it free. He stabbed it into the floor, "No more weapons,"
"Uh, yeah how about no?" Percy retorted, a trident of water flew to his hand and he stabbed Kronos' torso. But the water blade could not pierce him. A bolt of lightning struck him, and Thalia kept stabbing his back relentlessly with her daggers.
None of them did any damage.
Kronos laughed, grabbing Percy's trident and slamming him into Thalia. Valen appeared next to him, attempting a horizontal slash at his side. Suddenly, his sword changed trajectory, a red glow over his blade as it headed straight for Kronos' armpit.
'May your sword strike true when you most need it.' Valen recited in his mind. 'I guess I should thank you Ares.'
Kronos' eyes widened, that sword was heading straight for his heel, His eyes glowed gold for a split second, and it stopped mid-air. He could not be careless like that again.
"That's your weak spot huh?" Valen said. "You know what to aim for now guys,"
"Do you really think I will just let you do it?" Kronos said, a golden bubble forming around his shoulder.
"Even if we fail, the gods will know where to strike you." Valen said, he had already let Hades know of Kronos' weakness.
"The gods will never come here," he boasted.
"It is too late, behold!"
He pointed to the hearth, and the coals glowed. A sheet of white smoke poured from the fire, forming images like an Iris-message. Hades had separated from Nico, his time running out. He could only summon waves of zombies to hold the army at bay, but the monster army seemed to be limitless. Meanwhile, Manhattan was being destroyed. Mortals, now fully awake, were running in terror. Cars swerved and crashed.
The scene shifted to a view far more terrifying. A column of storm was approaching the Hudson River, moving rapidly over the Jersey shore. Chariots circled it, locked in combat with the creature in the cloud. The gods attacked. Lightning flashed. Arrows of gold and silver streaked into the cloud like rocket tracers and exploded. Slowly, the cloud ripped apart, and Typhon was revealed for all to see.
Typhon's head shifted constantly. Every moment he was a different monster, each more horrible than the last. Looking at his face would've driven a lesser man insane. His body wasn't much better. He was humanoid, but his skin was reminiscent of rancid meat. He was mottled green, with blisters the size of buildings, and blackened patches from eons of being stuck under a volcano. His hands were human but with talons like an eagle's. His legs were scaly and reptilian.
"The Olympians are giving their final effort." Kronos laughed. "How pathetic."
Zeus threw a thunderbolt from his chariot. The blast lit up the world. And the resulting aftershock could be felt even on Olympus, but when the dust cleared, Typhon was still standing. He staggered a bit, with a smoking crater on top of his misshapen head, but he roared in anger and kept advancing.
As if on cue, the Hudson River erupted, churning with forty-foot waves. Out of the water burst a new chariot—this one pulled by massive hippocampi, who swam in the air as easily as in water. Poseidon, glowing with a blue aura of power, rode a defiant circle around the giant's legs. He was no longer an old man. He looked like a god once more—tan and strong with a black beard. As he swung his trident, the river responded, making a funnel cloud around the monster.
"No!" Kronos bellowed after a moment of stunned silence. "NO!"
"NOW, MY BRETHREN!" Poseidon yelled, "STRIKE FOR OLYMPUS!"
A legion of Cyclops burst out of the river, riding the waves on huge sharks and dragons and sea horses.
"Tyson!" Percy yelled in recognition.
All the Cyclopes held huge lengths of black iron chains—big enough to anchor a battleship—with grappling hooks at the ends. They swung them like lassos and began to ensnare Typhon, throwing lines around the creature's legs and arms, using the tide to keep circling, slowly tangling him. Typhon shook and roared and yanked at the chains, pulling some of the Cyclopes off their mounts; but there were too many chains. The sheer weight of the Cyclops battalion began to weigh Typhon down. Poseidon threw his trident and impaled the monster in the throat. Golden blood, immortal ichor, spewed from the wound, making a waterfall taller than a skyscraper. The trident flew back to Poseidon's hand.
The other gods struck with renewed force. Ares rode in and stabbed Typhon in the nose. Artemis shot the monster in the eye with a dozen silver arrows. Apollo shot a blazing volley of arrows and set the monster's loincloth on fire. And Zeus kept pounding the giant with lightning, until finally, slowly, the water rose, wrapping Typhon like a cocoon, and he began to sink under the weight of the chains. Typhon bellowed in agony, thrashing with such force that waves sloshed the Jersey shore, soaking five-story buildings and splashing over the George Washington Bridge—but down he went as Poseidon opened a special tunnel for him at the bottom of the river—an endless waterslide that would take him straight to Tartarus. The giant's head went under in a seething whirlpool, and he was gone.
"BAH!" Kronos screamed. He swiped his hand over the image, dissipating the iris-message.
"They're on their way," Percy said. "You've lost."
"I haven't even started." Kronos advanced with blinding speed. Grover-in a moment of stupid bravery, tried to stop him, but Kronos tossed him aside like a rag doll.
"STOP!" Annabeth came from nowhere.
Kronos whirled to face her and tried to swat her away, but she grabbed his fist in place. She stepped in closer for leverage, and for a moment she stood face-to-face with the Titan lord, holding him at a standstill.
"Luke," she said, gritting her teeth, "I understand now. You have to trust me."
Kronos roared in outrage. "Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"
Kronos pushed against her, trying to push her away, but she held him in check, her arms trembling as she held on to his hand.
"Your mother," Annabeth grunted. "She saw your fate."
"Service to Kronos!" the Titan roared. "This is my fate."
"No!" Annabeth insisted, tears forming in her eyes. "That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do."
"I will crush you, child!" Kronos bellowed.
"You won't," Annabeth said. "You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."
"LIES!" Kronos pushed again, and this time Annabeth lost her balance. With his free hand, Kronos struck her face, and she slid backward.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, "Family, Luke. You promised."
In an instant, both Valen and Thalia acted. Tendrils of shadow wrapped around one of Kronos' arms, holding it in place. Thalia did the same, but with a mini tornado around Kronos' arm, and the amount of lightning she kept sending through his arm made it go numb. Percy acted at the same time, and a block of water encased Kronos' lower torso.
He stared at the knife in Annabeth's hand, the blood on her face. "Promise."
Then he gasped like he couldn't get air. "Annabeth . . ." But it wasn't the Titan's voice. It was Luke's. He stumbled forward like he couldn't control his own body. "You're bleeding. . . ."
"My knife." Annabeth held it up.
Anger rippled across his face. Kronos's voice bellowed, "LUKE!"
He gasped again. Luke's voice: "He's changing. Help. He's . . . he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please—"
"NO!" Kronos bellowed. Luke's body began glowing as if turning to gold.
"The knife, Percy," Annabeth muttered. "Hero . . . cursed blade . . ."
"The knife is the cursed blade?" Percy said.
Annabeth nodded, "Yes, this knife has to be the one to kill him."
"Well, do it then!" Thalia yelled, "We can't hold him for long!"
Luke groaned as his countenance flickered to Kronos for a moment, "You know…where my weak spot is. Do it Annabeth."
She hesitated, her hands were shaking with the knife. Could she really kill him?
"What are you waiting for?!" Valen yelled, holding Kronos' arm up.
Luke gasped again, it was almost difficult to look at him, "I'm losing control. You have to do it Annabeth. Do it now!"
In a moment of impulsive thought, Annabeth plunged the dagger into his armpit, and the blade sunk in.
Luke howled. His eyes glowed like lava. The throne room shook, throwing the demigods off their feet. His bindings dissipated as they got away from him.
An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter until an explosion like a nuke going off hit them, throwing them away and blistering their skin.
It was silent for a long time.
Luke was sprawled at the hearth. On the floor around him was a blackened circle of ash. Kronos's scythe had liquefied into molten metal and was trickling into the coals of the hearth, which now glowed like a blacksmith's furnace.
Luke's left side was bloody. His eyes were open—blue eyes, not the solid gold of Kronos. His breath was a deep rattle.
"Good . . . blade," he croaked.
The demigods knelt next to him, and Valen stayed a few feet away, the Helm of Darkness tucked under his arm. It was a personal moment for them, he could tell that much.
Luke gazed at Annabeth. "You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew . . ."
"Shhh." Her voice trembled. "You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium."
He shook his head weakly. "Think . . . rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest."
Annabeth sniffled. "You always pushed yourself too hard."
Valen sighed silently, he knew exactly where he was going, and there was no changing it.
He held up his charred hand. Annabeth touched his fingertips. "Did you . . ." Luke coughed and his lips glistened red. "Did you love me?"
Annabeth wiped her tears away. "There was a time I thought . . . well, I thought . . ." She looked at Percy as if drinking in the fact that he was still there.
"You were like a brother to me, Luke," she said softly. "But I didn't love you."
He nodded, as if he'd expected it. He winced in pain.
"We can get ambrosia," Grover said. "We can—"
"Grover," Luke gulped. "You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But no. There's no healing. . . ." Another cough.
"He's on borrowed time," Valen spoke, "His body is already dead, he's only able to speak to yu through sheer force of will alone."
Luke glanced up at him, "Valen, right?" He made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a cough, "I feel like we could have been friends."
Valen shrugged, "Maybe."
Luke turned to Thalia, "I know I wronged you-"
"Save it," Thalia croaked, she had tears in her eyes and her expression seemed forced. As if she would start crying the moment she lost focus.
He coughed again, and Valen could see his soul starting to leave. He grabbed Percy's sleeve, "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it . . . Don't let it happen again."
His eyes were angry, but pleading too.
"I won't," he said. "I promise."
Luke nodded, and his hand went slack.=, his soul having fully left his body and headed for the underworld.
The gods arrived a few minutes later in their full war regalia, thundering into the throne room and expecting a battle.
What they found were four demigods and a satyr standing over the body of a broken half-blood, in the dim warm light of the hearth.
"Percy," Poseidon called, awe in his voice. "What . . . what is this?"
He turned and faced the Olympians.
"We need a shroud," he announced, his voice cracking. "A shroud for the son of Hermes."