LAST TIME

"Genius does not excuse evil, child. My time has come. I must face my punishment." Daedalus said.

"You won't get a fair trial," Annabeth said. "The spirit of Minos sits in judgment—"

"I will take care of that," Nico cut in. "I am the son of Hades. I do hold sway over a few things."

"Thank you, Nico," Daedalus smiled. "But I have one last favor to ask of you. I cannot leave Mrs. O'Leary alone. And she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you care for her?""

I glanced at the massive black hound, who whimpered pitifully, still licking Daedalus' hair.

A hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary.

Who said the world wasn't a strange place?

"I will," Nico promised.

"Then I am ready to see my son… and Perdix," Daedalus said. "I must tell them how sorry I am."

Annabeth had tears in her eyes.

Daedalus turned toward Nico, who drew his sword.

At first I was afraid Nico would kill the old inventor, but he simply said, "Your time has long since come. Be released and rest."

A smile of relief spread across Daedalus' face. He froze like a statue. His skin turned transparent, revealing the bronze gears and machinery whirring inside his body. Then the statue turned to gray ash and disintegrated.

Mrs. O'Leary howled. I patted her head, trying to comfort her as best I could.

The earth rumbled—an earthquake that could probably be felt in every major city across the country—as the ancient Labyrinth collapsed. Somewhere, I hoped, the remains of the Titans strike force had been buried.

I looked around at the carnage in the clearing, and the weary faces of my friends.

"Come on," I told them. "We have work to do."

Ch.42 Aftermath of the Battle

PERCY POV

Sparks of fire drifted off from the burning pyres into the dark night. No stars twinkled overhead. No breeze blew. Campers stood all around, their faces either tearful or entirely expressionless.

There had been too many goodbyes.

Dozens of campers had been martyred in the invasion. A few were still fighting for their lives in the infirmary.

Michael Yew stood at the helm of the Apollo cabin now, a torch in his hand.

Without a word, he lit the golden shroud of Lee Fletcher and stepped back, holding his bow to his chest.

"It's me now," Artemis whispered to me, stepping forward.

I glanced at where four shining silver shrouds laid, with a single crescent moon on each.

Four huntresses had fallen in the battle. Agnes. Sophia. Katie. Eurydice.

For someone as close as the hunt was, this was bound to be a devastating loss.

#They will stand back up.# Alexander said sombrely. #Humans are resilient and adaptable. Demigods, even more so.#

'They were still my friends. I should've trained them more.'

#It is a war, Percy. And your friends were warriors.# Alexander said. #You dishonor them by putting blame on yourself. Don't.#

I nodded, my fingers curling around my wrist as I watched Artemis set fire to the shrouds.

Unlike the other fires, these burned silver under the power of Artemis. She whispered a few words and a cold breeze drifted past us, rustling through the clearing.

A blessing into the afterlife.

Artemis stepped back before moving to stand with the rest of the hunt while Beckendorf marched past her with his siblings.

The Hephaestus cabin had lost two of their newest siblings in the battle. A couple of theirs said a few words about the deceased, before giving way to Silena.

Silena held her sword out before performing a traditional salute to the fallen campers.

"We lost many today," her voice cracked. "Many of our friends. Friends, who were family. We will always remember you."

She limped back quietly to stand with her cabin, many of whom were crying.

The Aphrodite cabin was the only one with no losses beside the Poseidon Cabin, AKA me, but they still grieved for their friends.

The Hermes cabin stepped up next, marching toward the last unlit shrouds.

The Hermes cabin had lost almost a third of its campers. Considering its size, the number was substantial.

I bowed my head as the funerals proceeded. Liekos nudged his head against my chest before settling down at my feet.

"They will achieve Elysium," a voice spoke from my right. "All the fallen will."

I turned to see Hestia standing beside me, her dark brown dress almost hiding her presence.

"Aunt Hestia," I smiled weakly.

She said nothing, staring sadly at the burning shrouds.

"Does it get easier?" I asked. "All of this?"

"You lost many friends today," Hestia began softly. "Comrades. It is always hard to lose someone. Harder when you've fought side by side. You will learn to live with it. We always do."

"Why though?"

"What other choice do we have, Percy?" Hestia asked as we watched Pollux light his brother's shroud.

The satyrs played a tune on their reed pipes, led by Pan.

Beside me, Hestia removed a long wooden stick from her robes and banged it on the ground.

The fires flared, burning brighter, with a golden hue. The golden-orange sparks rose up to the stars.

The campers stood in silence for a few moments before breaking up and quietly retreating to their cabins. A few moved toward the infirmary, to help treat the wounded, a number which was quite high.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chiron wheel his wheelchair toward me, Briares— the hundred-handed one following behind him, wiping his eyes.

"Chiron," Hestia said. "Briares. It is good to see you alive."

"Lady Hestia," Chiron said. "Thank you for being here."

Hestia gave him a nod, glancing at Briares who had gone to kneel, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

"No need to bow, Briares," Hestia said softly. "You are an ally."

Briares stood up tall, towering us at an impressive twelve-feet.

"I am here to serve Olympus again, my lady," Briares rumbled. "To forge weapons."

"My father's forges will be glad to accommodate you," I said. "They need more and more weapons now that Atlantis is at war. A master forger like yourself will do wonders."

"My old home," Briares smiled softly. "I will leave at dawn."

"If I may," Chiron cut in. "Lord Briares is welcome to stay here till the summer's end— a few more weeks at the camp. We need help with repairs and not to mention, weapons."

A part of it was directed at me.

Briares looked at me, confused.

"That should be acceptable," Hestia said in my stead. "There is no one greater than the Hekatonkheires when it comes to forging. They have forgotten more about it than most even know,"

Briares' face turned proud and his chest puffed up.

"Then it is settled," Chiron said. "We can settle him in one of the rooms in the Big House. Argus will gladly show you the way."

Briares nodded and lumbered off toward the Big House.

"Well, it is settled then," Hestia said. "Before I forget, Chiron, you have been summoned to Olympus alongside Pan and Artemis. Percy, Athena wishes to see you tomorrow."

"We will be there," Chiron said. "Thank you, Lady Hestia."

PERCY POV

The next few days were spent treating the injured at the camp and repairing the forest and camp infrastructure.

The Apollo cabin had been run ragged taking shifts to monitor the treatment of injured campers. On the other hand, the Hephaestus and Athena cabin were busy making repairs to the camp and restocking camp weaponry.

Chiron himself had monitored much of the camp activity from his bed at the Big House, owing to his broken legs. As a result, I had found myself becoming his proxy on the field, handling the camp's running till Chiron recovered.

I still reported to him, and, whenever feasible, sent the small work his way, keeping him occupied.

Right now, all the camp counselors, including myself, were gathered in Chiron's room along with the wild god, Pan.

"So, let's get to the crux of the matter," Chiron leaned forward. "First, the campers. Michael?"

"Only Katie and Sherman are in the infirmary now, both having broken a leg," Michael Yew spoke. "Overall, almost everyone will be completely fine by the end of this month."

"Just let me get rid of this damn cast," Clarisse muttered, eyeing her sling distastefully.

"You can't till Solace clears you," Michael reminded. "Anyhow, we still need to restock on a few medical supplies, but we are good."

"That's a relief," Chiron nodded, glancing at his own broken legs. "Clarisse, how's the situation with the armory?"

"Deplorable," Clarisse growled. "No explosives. Barely any arrows or throwing spears. So, no ranged attacks. We were running short and then the hunt left, taking most of what was left with them. They almost cleaned out the armory because Prissy let them."

"In their defense, they have wiped monsters off Long Island," I said. "And they spent a lot of their own stock in helping us against the invasion. It was only fair."

"Whatever," Clarisse sniffed. "The point is, right now the best we can arm is a skeletal defense force for the camp. You probably have more weapons on you than the camp does.

I kept my mouth shut.

"Clarisse," Chiron said reproachfully. "Beckendorf, can you—"

"Sir, we are working overtime with who can work," Beckendorf waved his arms in frustration. "Jake can't work as his arm's broken. Shane is on bedrest. The rest of us are repairing the camp or running the forges with the cyclopes and Briares. But even with all that, we can only do so much."

"What all do we need?" Chiron asked.

"Everything," Clarisse burst out. "Arrows. Explosives. Throwing Spears. Shields. Armor. The only thing we have are swords and combat spears. And that is because most have something of their own!"

"We are on it," Beckendorf said. "The destroyed pieces, or whatever we retrieved are being melted and reforged as we speak. With Lord Briares and the cyclopes, we should restock the armory to pre-war time levels in a week's time."

Clarisse grunted in response.

"I have something to say," I cleared my throat. "After you restock the armory to pre-war levels, I suggest instead of making one big armory, we divide it by the cabin."

"Why?" Malcolm asked.

"Simple. We have different needs from cabin to cabin," I pointed out. "Apollo cabin, for instance, needs a heavy stock of arrows but could make do with lighter armor. Ares cabin has melee fighters. They don't need arrows but heavy armor and shields. Hermes and Athena cabin would need an all-round weapon stock."

"That is a good suggestion," Malcolm rubbed his chin. "Segregation by needs to make sure no one is left out and has the right type of weapon."

"And we have time," I added. "Three more weeks before the summer ends and the campers go back home. In that, we need to train them while making sure we have supplies. We all know what's coming in less than thirteen months."

All the counselors nodded grimly.

"We will still have a month to prepare for next summer, won't we?" Travis asked. "In fact, the whole of next summer. Your birthday comes just after the summer, if I am not wrong."

"You aren't," I conceded. "But war may break out by then. The Titan Lord has returned, in Luke's body. All we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We do not know how much time we have."

"And Typhoon stirs," Chiron said. "Once he is free the gods would have to respond. If that happens, Olympus would be left undefended. And if he gets to the throne room, Olympus will fall alongside the western civilization. That is why we have to defend it. Or die trying."

There was silence for a moment.

"Way to ruin a mood, Chiron," Travis Stoll muttered. "But message received. Our next fight won't be in the camp but on Olympus."

"Not really," Pan coughed. "The Titans cannot be allowed to reach Olympus."

"You mean—" Lee stopped short, paling.

"Yes," I said grimly. "If it comes to it, we will be fighting to defend the city of Manhattan gentlemen. The whole city."

The rest of the summer flew by in a whirlwind of training and recovery. Most campers were finally back on the field, having been cleared by the Apollo cabin.

A sense of tension hung in the air as campers were seen training in war formations, wearing heavy armor as Clarisse hollered orders at them.

We still sang at the campfire and played camp games like capture the flag.

But it was not the same.

The cabin counselors were the most busy, taking control of the camp like war generals in order to prepare.

The Demeter cabin and the satyrs were spreading the word of the war. Satyrs from all over the world were returning from the search of Pan to the camp.

Grover and a wheelchair bound Katie were left in charge of the whole operation. To get satyrs and the nature spirits to rally for Olympus.

The Ares cabin had taken charge of in-field training, while the Athena cabin was teaching battle formations and helping out the Hephaestus cabin with the armory organization.

Silena had taken charge of the Pegasi riding classes and to aid her, a few more Pegasi had flown into the camp, thanks to me putting Blackjack on it.

The Hermes cabin was everywhere, mainly taking training as it had the most newbies. The older campers were helping around and moving things from place to place.

I, on the other hand, was in charge of all this, thanks to Chiron still being confined to the wheelchair or his room for recovery.

I usually spent my day running around the camp, making sure that the preparations were being done properly.

Why? Because this could be the last chance for us to prepare. Once summer ended, most campers would go home, into the mortal world. And next summer, the prophecy came to pass. Hence there was a possibility that we would get no time to prepare.

On top of that, no one was happy with the news that we would be defending the whole of Manhattan.

"Our forces would be spread thin," Clarisse leaned over a huge map of Manhattan. "Even if we can get the hunt down here, there are way too many entrances into Manhattan. Not to mention, a big ass river. Not even all of our naval vessels could cover the whole river."

"I might be able to handle the rivers," I said. "Being a son of Poseidon should have its perks. I could convince the river spirits to side with Olympus. If not—"

"If not then?" Malcolm asked.

"I can take temporary control of the rivers," I said grimly. "I know how to. But for that, I would have to defeat the spirits of the river and take control of its power. The process is very dangerous and can be fatal for a mortal but can be done. But if we need to do it, it needs to be just before the attack begins. 'Cause the control is temporary."

#You would also have to stand in front of Poseidon's court, explaining your actions.# Alexander reminded.

'I am pretty sure that won't be a problem. As I said, being me has its perks.'

"That's a huge risk," Malcolm said. "And it will tire you out at the very beginning."

"He's right," Clarisse said. "We will think of something. Maybe the Hephaestus cabin or Annabeth will come up with something. But we can do something about the other entrances."

"The bridges and tunnels," Malcolm said.

"We could collapse them with enough dynamite," Clarisse placed a flag on the brooklyn bridge before glancing at me. "Or you could just bang that trident of yours."

"If we do that, it will also need to happen before the attack," I said. "We cannot cut Manhattan off from the rest of the world on a whim."

"I have a better idea," Clarisse stabbed a flag on the Lincoln tunnel. "Let us just keep them ready, dynamite and all. Once the titans approach, boom. Bury the enemy."

"That will take a huge chunk of enemies down and block their approach," Malcolm conceded. "It is a good plan."

"Then I want you two on it," I said. "No one can know about this. Not even your best friends."

Clarisse and Malcolm looked at me sharply.

"Someone would need to know," Malcolm said after a moment. "At least Beckendorf or someone. How would we get the explosives?"

"The only person who will know this aside from you will be Athena and Annabeth," I told him firmly. "We need to be sure with the calculations in stuff like this."

"And the dynamite?" Clarisse raised her eyebrows.

"Athena," I said with finality. "If not her, I am pretty sure Ares would have some lying around."

"Cool," Clarisse said after a moment. "So, top secret mission."

"Yeah," I nodded. "Top secret. This doesn't go outside us three and Annabeth. Am I understood?"

"Totally." Malcolm nodded. "But we cannot stop there."

"Of course, we can't," I said. "The Titan Lord didn't wait for some four-five thousand years to be foiled by broken bridges and collapsed tunnels. We would be in for the fight of our lives when it takes place. The last time a Great Prophecy came to pass, it was World War Two. This is similar, but much more divine."

"Well, ain't we special?" Clarisse said sarcastically.

I smiled.

"Well, Clarisse, there is a reason why demigods are called heroes. And it is when the villains are the baddest, the strongest heroes emerge."

"I like that," Malcolm grinned. "But we seriously need to figure more stuff out, guys. We are eighty demigods or so now. Add in the hunters, we are a good hundred. A hundred and fifty with the Satyrs, maybe two hundred with the nature spirit."

"That's not enough," Clarisse said. "We would be facing armies of monsters and not to mention, Titans. We cannot win by playing fair."

"This is war, Malcolm. Fair is not a word in war."

AND… DONE! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

I know I am late with the update but real-life sucks. I know that this chapter wasn't that long, but I had no choice. Next chapter is rather very important to the story. Very very important, and one I am looking forward to writing.

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Perseus140: Yes, it was a foreshadowing.

Sviiin: Yeah, I know that I shouldn't have just magically given him all knowledge, but tbh, every car comes with a manual. Why not the chariot? Also, I didn't want to spend a chapter on understanding the features of a chariot.

Guest: The Roman arc will be there but not in this fic. It will be a sequel to LoSP.

Immaterium: Yes, it was the blessing of Ares.

The Dark Sapphire: Dude, you are on chapter 23. That's when I just started building chemistry between them.

gdioeDragneel: I do not plan on doing an AvengersX PJO crossover longfic. A one-shot maybe but not a proper story.

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Thank you all for your reviews.

A huge thanks to Mughil for betaing this chapter.

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Discord Server Invite Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]

I will love it if you guys come on my server and interact with me there. If you have some of your own theory or wish to see something in this fic as the journey progresses, you can tell it to me on the discord server!

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As of this moment, I have six main stories. They are:

1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.

2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly

3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.

4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.

5. Agent Potter: The Wizard of W.A.N.D. - My spy!Harry fanfic which I implore you all to read!

6. Guardian of the Soul: Infinity Saga – My newest fic. An HP–MCU crossover. Novel length, in progress.

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