The walked along the pier for a while, heading towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Zoe grimaced, "Our progress is too slow! The longer we take, the less time Lady Artemis and Harry have. We also need to deal with the Ophiotaurus and reach the garden by sunset."

Ron asked, "Why? What's so special about reaching by sunset?"

Zoe explained, "The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset. So they only allow passage into their garden as day changes into night."

Hermione tilted her head curiously, "What happens if we miss it?"

Thalia replied, "The we've got to wait another day to enter. I don't know if Harry will be alive for much longer. Besides, don't you guys have school later on? It's what? Mid-August."

Hermione paled, "Oh no! You're right! Nobody would take it well if Harry was missing. We also need a car though, but where are we going to find one?"

Suddenly, Percy had a brainwave, "Hey Annabeth! Grover! Remember back on the quest for the Lightning Bolt? Harry's uncle summoned that crazy purple bus?"

Ron perked up, but then deflated, "The Knight Bus! Yeah… uh… that's a solid plan in theory, but you'd need a specific location or address for Stan. I remember Harry told us about that quest. The Bus only got you there because you actually had an address to work with. Telling the driver to take us to the mountain, means that he could drop us anywhere."

Percy then spoke up again, "What about B-the Ophiotaurus?"

Grover grinned, "I have an idea. The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right? So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound,' Grover said. 'Then Chiron could help us get him to Olympus."

Percy nodded, "Good idea, but one flaw. He has been following me. Would he know where he's going without me?"

Grover shuffled his hooves, "I-I'll go with him. I can show him the way. Besides Harry, I'm the only one who can talk to animals."

The demigod was still hesitant, knowing that Grover couldn't swim well with his hooves. So as Grover latched onto the Ophiotaurus, Percy uttered a small prayer to his father, asking him to grant safe passage for his friend.

Thalia glanced at him, "Percy… a prayer like that requires a sacrifice. Something big."

He thought for a bit and then began shucking off his lion pelt coat. Grover bleated, "Percy, are you sure? That lion skin… that's really helpful. Herakles used it!"

A thought struck the son of Poseidon and he glanced at Zoe. Said girl was eyeing him very carefully. He immediately knew the hero who ruined her life, got her kicked out of her family and never even mentioned how she'd helped him. Herakles, a hero that he had admired his whole life.

Percy spoke up, "If I'm going to survive. It won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak. I'm not Herakles."

With that, he flung the coat into the bay. It turned back into a golden lion skin, flashing in the light. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into sunlight on the water.

Still clinging to the Ophiotaurus, Grover quipped, "Well… No time like the present."

In a few minutes, the Ophiotaurus and his passenger submerged and were soon out of sight. Bianca let out a sigh, "Well… That's one thing taken care of, what do we do about transport? Carjacking?"

Annabeth had an uncomfortable look on her face, "No, I have a better idea. Zoe's not the only one who's going to have an uncomfortable homecoming."

The blonde girl led them down the streets, through several alleys and more, until she stopped in front of a non-assuming house with the letterbox reading, 'Chase'. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Percy had heard Annabeth complain about her father a lot, so his expectations were flushed down the toilet when a man wearing an old-fashioned aviator's cap and goggles, opened the door.

He was looking at a piece of paper and not really paying attention to them. Mr. Chase casually said, "Hello! Are you delivering my aeroplanes. I need three more Sopwith Camels"

Annabeth cleared her throat, "Um… Hi daddy."

That got his attention and his eyes flicked to his sheepishly waving daughter. He straightened up, "Annabeth? Are you alright? Has something happened?"

He ushered everyone in, taking off his cap and goggles, revealing sandy-coloured hair and intense brown eyes. The interior looked like it was fairly lived in, with LEGO robots on the stairs and two cats sleeping on a sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a child-sized jacket lay spread-eagled on the floor. Ron's stomach grumbled as the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hit their noses. They could also hear jazz music from the kitchen.

Then a little boy burst in screaming, "Dad! He's taking apart my robots."

Mr. Chase still looked absent-minded, so Annabeth stepped in. Placing her hands firmly on her hips, she yelled out, "Matthew Chase! How many times have I told you not to take apart Bobby's robots?!"

Another boy's voice, probably Matthew, yelled back, "Okay! Sorry! Annabeth! When did you get back?!"

Finally, a pretty Asian woman with red highlights in her hair walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She asked, "Frederick? I thought I heard… Oh, Hello Annabeth, dear. Who are your friends? Come sit at the dining table, I've got cookies and sandwiches."

Frederick Chase waited until they had eaten and introduced themselves, then invited them to his study. When they stepped inside, Hermione nearly freaked out at the sight of the wall-to-wall books. Meanwhile, Percy's attention was drawn to a huge table with miniature tanks and toy soldiers. They were strategically placed along a blue painted river, with hills and fake trees. Old-fashioned biplanes hung from the ceiling tilted at crazy angles like they were in the middle of a dogfight.

Dr Chase saw him looking and smiled, "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for."

Hermione perked up, "Right! I learned about the battle in primary school!"

Zoe also observed the map, "The German lines were further from the river."

Dr Chase gaped at her, "How do you know that?"

She shrugged, "I was there. Lady Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."

He rambled, "You saw the Sopwith Camels? How many of them? What were the formations?"

Annabeth giggled, "Daddy, focus. We need your help."

His excited tirade died down, "Of course, tell me everything."

She cleared her throat, "Daddy, remember I told you about my friend Harry? He's in trouble. Harry got kidnapped and it is up to us to find him. Our intel says that he is most likely being held captive at Mount Tamalpais."

He collapsed on a leather recliner and breathed out, "Of course, of course. I'll help you in any way I can."

Zoe spoke up, "Sir, we require transportation there and we need it immediately."

"I'll drive you there. My Camel would be quicker, but it only seats two."

Zoe stood up, "With all due respect, sir. I think it would be better if I drove. I am far older than I look, and where we're headed, is no place for mortals."

By then, Mrs Chase had also joined the conversation. She pursed her lips, "Well, I suppose you all better get going."

"Right!" Dr Chase jumped up and started patting his pockets. "My keys…"

His wife sighed, "Frederick, honestly. You'd lose your head if it weren't wrapped inside your aviator hat. The keys are hanging on the peg by the front door, by the SUV's keys"

Annabeth groaned exasperatedly, "Daaaaad! How many times have I told you to sell the SUV to the scrap yard? That thing is super old, and remember the last time I was here, you got a ticket for it?"

Her mother sighed, "I told him as well, but as you can see, he never got around to it. Annabeth? Could you be a dear and take care of it after you find your friend?"

She nodded and her father sprang into action once again and the group followed him. However, Annabeth was stopped at the front door by her step mother. She said, "Listen Annabeth. We haven't gotten along well in the past. I just… I just want us to have a fresh start. Remember, you still have a home here. Now, go and save your friend and come back home safely, promise?"

Annabeth swallowed a lump in her throat, "I promise… Mom."

Finally, the quest members were zooming out onto the streets. Zoe weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sinking on the horizon when the SUV finally got into Marin County and exited the highway.

The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and round the edges of steep ravines. However, Zoe kept her foot on the throttle. Since the windows were down, they could barely hear themselves, and Annabeth yelled from her seat next to Percy, "I'm surprised that Dad hadn't sold this thing yet."

Just then, Ron's eyes watered, "What the bloody hell is that smell!"

Zoe gestured from the driver's seat, "Eucalyptus. Monsters love chewing the leaves, especially dragons."

Ron joked to Hermione, "Hey 'Mione. Think we should tell Hagrid?"

She giggled in response. Soon, the mountain loomed in front of them. Hermione pointed, "So that's the Mountain of Despair? Why is it called that?"

Zoe was quiet for a bit, mulling her words, "After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned. Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides."

Percy gazed up the mountain, which had thick clouds swirling around its peak. Thalia grit her teeth, "We need to concentrate here. The Mist is really strong here."

Percy turned to her, "The magical kind or the natural kind?"

"Both"

The SUV left the eucalyptus forest behind and began driving on wide open spaces of cliffs and grass and rocks and fog. Annabeth tugged Percy's shirt and pointed out of the window. The boy cursed, "Oh damn… Luke's ship is here. Docked near the beach."

They continued driving when suddenly, the hairs on the back of Percy's neck stood on end. Thalia yelled, "Stop the car! NOW!"

On cue, Zoe slammed on the brakes and the SUV spun wildly before stopping. Everyone scrambled out, and not a moment too soon. There was a deafening BOOM, and in a flash of lightning, the car exploded. Luckily, Ron bellowed "Protego!", erecting a shield over the group.

The shrapnel and flames licked around the shield, protected them. Thalia muttered, "One shall perish by a parent's hand. Curse him, he would destroy me? Me?"

Percy gingerly got up, "Everyone okay?"

Zoe took in her surroundings and breathed out, "We're close. Follow me. Do not make a sound, or you shall wake Ladon."

The fog thickened and it was difficult trying to keep track of Zoe. Together, they stepped through the fog and when it cleared, the road changed from tarmac to dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a blood-red slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of the group, winding through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight. If Percy had to guess, it looked exactly like the one in his dream.

The only thing ruining the beautiful image was an enormous sleeping dragon. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colours they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led round either side of a five-storey-tall apple tree, every bough glittering with literal golden apples. The fragrance was so strong that it took all of their willpower to not pick one. Bianca mused, "Kind of glad Grover isn't here, or he would have raided the trees."

Ron trembled when he saw the dragon. The thing was a far cry from the hatchling in their First-Year, and the various pictures that Charlie often sent back. The serpent's body was twice as thick as an Acromantula's body, glinting with coppery scales. It had multiple heads, as if a hundred deadly pythons had been fused together.

Then, there came a sound of beautiful eerie singing. Percy was stopped from bringing out his sword, as four figures shimmered into existence. Four young women who looked very much like Zoe. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders.

Zoe stepped forward, "Sisters"

However, one of the girls coldly said, "We do not see any sister. We see four half-bloods, two magicals and a Hunter. All of whom, shall die."

Then the girls focused on Percy and one said, "Perseus Jackson. They say that you are a threat. They fear thee. They are unhappy that the Daughter of Zeus has not yet killed thee."

Thalia replied with a smirk aimed at Percy, "Tempting sometimes, but no thanks. He's my friend."

The girl snapped, "There are no friends here, daughter of Zeus. Only enemies. Go back."

Annabeth snapped, "Not without Harry".

Zoe picked up where she left off, "And Artemis. We must approach the mountain."

The Hesperid shook her head, "You know he will kill thee. You are no match for him."

Zoe stubbornly said, "Artemis must be freed. Let us pass."

Her former sister sneered, "You have no power here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake."

The Hunter declared, "He will not hurt me".

The Hesperid smiled dangerously, "No? And what about thy so-called friends?"

Suddenly, in one of the gutsiest moves ever, Zoe yelled, "Ladon! Wake!"

On cue, the dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered and the lead sister hissed to Zoe, "Are you mad?"

Zoe scoffed, "You never had any courage, sister. That is thy problem."

The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoë took a step forward, her arms raised.

Thalia hissed, "Zoe, don't. You're not a Hesperid anymore. He'll kill you."

Without taking her eyes off the dragon, Zoe said, "Ladon is trained to protect the tree. Skirt round the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee. It is the only way. Even the seven of us are no match for him."

Ladon opened his mouth and hissed loudly. Ron murmured, "And here, I thought that facing the Basilisk was scary."

Hermione muttered, "What do we do?"

Percy spoke up, "Frontal assault is not going to work. Herakles tried it and it failed. I trust Zoe's judgement."

Everyone sneaked away as Zoe continued approaching the dragon. She cooed, "It's me, my little dragon. Zoe has come back."

Ladon was clearly conflicted, as some of the heads were hissing and others were a bit docile. Zoe ignored her former sisters' cries of 'Fool'. She continued, "I used to feed thee by hand. Do you still like lamb's meat?"

Percy's group was halfway through the garden when Hermione turned around, facing Zoe's direction, with her wand pointed. Just as they were out of the meadow, the dragon's mood shifted. He lunged at Zoe, who was probably a bit too close for his liking. Luckily, she dodged and tumbled to the ground. She sprinted back towards them and Hermione reacted immediately, 'Accio Zoe Nightshade!'

Zoe's body zoomed towards them, and not a moment too soon. She did bite back a wince as a fang grazed her side. Bianca and Annabeth braced themselves and caught the Hunter. They ran up the mountain, and fortunately the dragon decided not to pursue them.

At the top of the mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.

Thalia whispered, "The ruins of Mount Othrys."

Zoe nodded grimly, "Yes. It was not here before. This is bad."

Hermione asked curiously, "Mount Othrys?"

Zoe explained, "The mountain fortress of the Titans. In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was –"

She winced and rubbed her side. Percy stepped forward, "You're hurt. Let me see."

She held up a hand, "Nay! It is nothing. I was saying… in the first war, Othrys was blasted to pieces. It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on this mountain, is not good."

Ron was confused, "Why?"

Taking a shuddering breath, Zoe ominously said, "This is Atlas' mountain. Where he holds up the sky."

Suddenly, she froze, "Or… used to hold up the sky."

Everyone turned to where she was facing, and a worrying sight greeted them. They had reached the summit and ahead of them, grey clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountain top. The only thing keeping that separated were two familiar figures.

One was a 12-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress. The other was Harry Potter himself, as both were chained a rock.

Zoe rushed forward, "My Lady! Harry!"

Artemis spotted them and cried out, "Stop! It is a trap! You must leave now!"

Zoe ignored the goddess and began tugging at the chains. The others also joined in and then, a voice boomed behind them. It crooned, "Ah, how touching."

They turned to see The General standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos.

Luke had a black eye and his smile was weak and pale, "Hello Percy, Beth, Thalia. Good to see you again."

Annabeth snapped, "Hey! Only Harry gets to call me that!"

Thalia spat in his direction and the General chortled, "So much for old friends. And you, Zoë. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you."

Percy levelled his sword, "You want her, you have to go through us first."

He boomed, "You have no right to interfere, little hero. I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. I will kill you and your friends as soon as I deal with this wretched girl. This is a family matter."

Hermione tilted her head in confusion, "Family matter?"

Zoe sighed, "Yes… Atlas is my father."

She levelled her bow at the Titan, "Now, let Lady Artemis and Harry go!"

Atlas chuckled as he casually walked up to the chained goddess and her son. He gestured to the pair, "Oh, by all means. Perhaps you would like to shoulder the sky from them? Be my guest."

Straining from under the weight of the sky, Harry bit out, "Zoe! Don't you dare!"

Atlas smirked and reached his hand out to try and stroke Artemis' face. The Goddess of the Moon bit at him, nearly raking off his fingers. He boomed in laughter, "Hoo-hoo! You see, daughter? Lady Artemis and her spawn love their new job. Perhaps I will have all the Olympians take turns sharing the burden. Once Lord Kronos rules again this will be the centre of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility!"

Still clutching their respective weapons, Ron and Hermione got a good look at the struggling Harry. His raven black hair was now streaked with grey. Annabeth whispered, "If you're wondering about the hair, that's from holding up the sky. The weight should have killed him."

Hermione squeaked, "I don't understand. Why can't they just let go of the sky?"

Atlas' booming laughter rang out once again, "Oh child, how little you understand. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first bought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The Sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or it will crash down upon this place. The impact would flatten the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once one assumes the burden, you cannot let go, unless someone takes it from your shoulders."

The General paced back and forth, observing the heroes. He mused, "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."

Percy raised his sword, "Fight us and find out."

Atlas scoffed, "Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."

Percy sneered, "So you're another coward?"

Atlas glowered at him before turning to Thalia, "As for you, Daughter of Zeus, it seems that Luke was wrong about you."

Luke clenched his fist and bit out, "I wasn't wrong! Thalia, you still can join us! All you have to do is summon the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you."

He then waved his hand, creating a pool of water next to the group. It was large enough for the Ophiotaurus, and Percy could just imagine the serpent cow in the pool. Suddenly, he heard Grover's panicked voice in his mind, courtesy an empathy link that the satyr set up a long time ago. He pleaded "Don't think about him! I'm losing the Ophiotaurus! Block the thoughts!"

Percy desperately attempted to distract himself from thinking about the monster. Luke called out again, "Thalia! Call the Ophiotaurus and you will be more powerful than the gods! Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"

Thalia adopted a fighting stance and snarled, "First, you free Harry! Let him go!"

Luke continued pleading his case, "If you join me. It can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree… It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."

Zoe gripped her bow and warned, "Do not listen to him. We must fight!"

Luke ignored her and waved his hand again. This time, he created a bronze brazier with a fire burning on top of it. On cue, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, Percy could have sworn that he saw images in the mist surrounding him and his friends. Namely, black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around them.

Luke gestured around him, "We will raise Mount Othrys right here. Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."

He then pointed towards the ocean, where the Princess Andromeda was docked. Percy's heart sank as he spotted a massive army of dracaenae, Laistrygonians, monsters, half-bloods, hell hounds, harpies and many more monsters, all pouring out of the ship and marching up the mountain.

Luke grinned maliciously, "This is just a taste of what's to come. Soon, we will be strong enough to storm Camp Half-Blood. Olympus will be next. All that we need is your help."

For a few frightful moments, Thalia hesitated. Then she screwed up her face and levelled her spear, "You are not Luke. I don't know you anymore."

He pleaded, "Yes, you do, Thalia. Please. Don't make me… Don't make him destroy you."

Percy suddenly noticed Harry trying to silently get his attention. They locked eyes and an understanding passed between them. Percy glanced at Thalia, Annabeth, Zoe, Bianca, Ron and Hermione. He yelled, "Now!"

With that, the seven demigods and magicals charged. Thalia and Annabeth double-teamed against Luke. Zoe and Bianca went to help Artemis, while Ron and Hermione went to rescue Harry. As for Percy, he was left with one target, Atlas himself.

The Titan's laughter boomed as the demigod approached, "Go on then, little hero."

A huge javelin materialised in his hands and his silk suit melted into full Greek battle armour. Zoe warned, "Percy! Beware!"

Knowing that Atlas was free to retaliate when attacked, he swung his sword. In response, the Titan knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. The impact sent Percy flying and slamming into a black wall. Zoe fired an arrow at her father. He swatted it aside and screamed gleefully, "Fool! Did you think, simply because you can challenge that petty war god, that you can stand up to me?"

Suddenly, Percy felt a jolt, but he shook it off and continued his charge. However, the javelin bore down on him rapidly. The demigod raised his sword to cut the weapon at the shaft, but his movement was sluggish. Far too late, he remembered Ares' warning and curse. He mentally pleaded, 'Oh gods! Not now! Not now, of all times.'

The javelin struck him in the chest and he was sent flying once again. When he regained his bearing, he found himself at the feet of Artemis. Still straining under the weight of the sky, she called out, "Run, child. You must run."

Percy weighed his options, as his sword had gone skittering away and went over the cliff. Thalia and Annabeth were still attacking Luke, Zoe and Bianca were going after Luke's minions. Meanwhile Ron and Hermione had given up on trying to convince Harry to let go of the sky. Atlas took his sweet time to approach the downed Percy. He towered over the demigod, and grinning maliciously, raised his javelin.

The Titan crowed, "Die, little hero!"

Zoe screamed, "No!", before firing a volley of silver arrows. Her aim was true and many of them buried themselves in a chink of his armour at the armpit. Atlas bellowed in pain and turned towards his estranged daughter.

Percy felt Riptide return to his pocket, but a thought struck him. The prophecy said, "The Titan's curse, must one withstand."

He knew that he had no chance in Tartarus to beat Atlas, but there was one person who could. He turned to the chained Goddess, "My Lady, please let me take the sky's burden."

She shook her head rapidly, her forehead beaded with metallic sweat. Artemis breathed, "No, child. You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you. My son also begged me, saying that he could do it alone. However, I know that a demigod's strength has its limits. Had he taken the burden alone, he would have died. I love my son, so I cannot bear to lose him. So I stayed and shared his burden."

Percy stubbornly insisted, "No my Lady. I assure you, I can take it. I will not let anything happen to Harry. If I can ease the burden on him, I will."

He did not wait for her answer, so he took out Riptide and slashed through her chains and Harry's as well. Percy then stepped next to her, braced himself on one knee and held up his hands. His hands touched cold, heavy clouds, which threatened to crush him.

For a while, the three of them held the sky, until Artemis slipped out, leaving Percy and Harry. The pain was excruciating, like every muscle in both of their bodies were on fire and their bones were melting. They both felt like screaming, but lacked the strength to open their mouths. Both boys felt their knees sinking into the ground, as the sky threatened to crush them.

Suddenly, Percy felt his and Grover's empathy link light up. The satyr bleated, "Fight back! Don't give up!"

Percy concentrated on breathing, and heard Harry do the same. They caught glimpses of the battle as it raged around them. Atlas in full battle armour, jabbing with his javelin, laughing insanely as he fought. Lady Artemis, a blur of silver. She had two wicked hunting knives, each as long as her arm, and she slashed wildly at the Titan, dodging and leaping with unbelievable grace.

She seemed to change form as she manoeuvred. She was a tiger, a gazelle, a bear, a falcon. Percy couldn't tell if it was real or just his stressed brain playing tricks on him. Zoe shot arrows at her father, aiming for the chinks in his armour. He roared in pain each time one found its mark, but they affected him like bee stings. He just got madder and kept fighting. Harry wheezed under his breath, but loud enough for Percy to hear, "Bloody hell! My mum's a bad arse."

Meanwhile, Thalia and Annabeth were battling fiercely against Luke. The son of Hermes was not immune to Thalia's shield, wincing every so often at the sight of Medusa's face.

Thalia yelled, "Yield! You never could beat me, Luke."

He bared his teeth. "We'll see, my old friend."

Annabeth was slashing away and begging him in tears, "Luke! Stop this! It's not too late! If you're still the old Luke, you know that what you're doing is wrong!"

Ron and Hermione were somehow holding their own. There was a brief moment when Hermione stabbed a dracaena, killing it, her first one. The bushy-haired girl staggered away, wide-eyed and practically in shock. She would have been cleaved by harpy, if Ron hadn't jumped in and parried the claw with his javelin. He muttered to her, "First kill? Trust me, I was the same way when I killed an Acromantula last year."

Back with Atlas and Artemis, they were still tightly locked in combat. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leaped over it and kept pursuing her.

Percy couldn't help noticing that she was slowly backing up towards himself and Harry. Evidently, Harry had noticed the same thing and somehow managed to shift closer to Percy. He wheezed, "Get ready, mate."

Atlas finally cornered her and laughed. He boomed, "You fight well for a girl. But you are no match for me."

He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged. Percy could guess what the Titan was trying and Artemis fell for it. His javelin swept round and knocked the goddess' legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill.

Zoe screamed, "No!"

The Hunter leaped between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks. Bianca rushed over to check on her immediately.

Harry had just enough strength to yell her name. Meanwhile, the Titan turned on Artemis with a look of triumph in his face. Artemis seemed to be wounded. She didn't get up.

He gloated, "The first blood in a new war".

With that, he stabbed downward, but Artemis was quicker. She grabbed his javelin shaft and redirected it to hit the earth right next to her and she pulled backwards, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her.

The boys saw him flying towards them and braced themselves. They loosened their grip on the sky, just as the Titan crashed into them. The impact was enough to knock them both out of the way and they flopped around like rag dolls.

The weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas's back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late. He roared in rage, "NOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN!"

Percy lay there, dazed in pain, but Harry was worse off, twitching around. Meanwhile, Thalia backed Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still they fought on, next to the golden coffin. She had tears in her eyes while Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat.

He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat.

He grinned at her, "Well? Finish it! Finish it!"

Annabeth raised her knife, but told Thalia, "Don't kill him!"

Thalia snarled, "He's a traitor! A traitor!"

The blonde girl continued pleading, "We'll bring him back, Thalia. It's not too late. We'll bring him to Olympus. He… He can be useful."

Luke taunted, "Is that what you want, Thalia? To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"

The punk girl hesitated and her grip slackened on her spear. Sensing an opportunity, Luke tried to grab it, but she instinctively kicked out at him. Luke tottered as he tried to keep his balance, but it was too late. With a look of terror on his face, he toppled down.

Annabeth screamed his name and she rushed over to the cliff-side. Ron, Hermione, Bianca and Percy joined her. Below, the monster army stopped and stared at Luke's broken form in amazement. One giant looked up at them and growled, "Kill them!"

The group scrambled away, barely avoiding a hail of javelins, though Percy had to drag Annabeth and Thalia's weeping forms. Percy looked around and spotted Artemis kneeling on the ground. The prone form of Zoe Nightshade lay on her lap, and Harry had somehow dragged himself to the two and had his arms around Zoe. The Hunter was breathing, but her breaths were shallow.

Artemis morosely said, "The wound is poisoned."

Percy hesitantly asked, "Did Atlas?"

She shook her head, "Nay… Not Atlas."

The goddess revealed the wound that Ladon had given her earlier. Zoe murmured, "The stars, I cannot see them…"

Ron scrambled to unzip his backpack and pulled out a Healing Potion. He approached her, but Zoe raised a weak arm to stop him and he hesitantly obeyed. Percy was firmly aware that Kronos' army was still coming, but he and everyone were too grief-stricken.

Suddenly, there was a strange sound, which steadily grew louder. "Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.

In the pilot's seat, Dr Chase yelled, "Get away from my daughter!"

His machine guns burst into life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.

Annabeth gaped at her father, "Daddy?!"

Artemis shook herself out of her grief and stared at the plane. She murmured with newfound respect, "A brave man indeed. Come, we must get Zoe away from here."

She raised her hunting horn to her lips and blew a loud clear blast. Meanwhile, the Sopwith Camel continued to wreak havoc on the monster army. Judging by the fact that monsters were being vaporised, he must have gotten his hands on some Celestial Bronze. Just then, the moonlight brightened and a beautiful silver chariot appeared from the sky. It was drawn by the most beautiful deer that Percy had ever seen. The chariot landed next to the group, and Hermione breathed, "It's like Santa Claus' sleigh!"

Artemis had a small smile, "Indeed… Where do you think the legend came from? Though the presents were mostly Hermes' jurisdiction."

With a wave of her hand, she turned the chariot into a silvery minivan. Artemis scooped up Zoe in a bridal carry and stepped inside while Ron and Hermione half-dragged Harry. The others also boarded and the minivan took off for the sky, with Dr Chase following them like an honour guard.

Far below, Kronos' army roared in fury, but Atlas' swears drowned them out.

Close to midnight, they landed at Crissy Field, and Annabeth rushed over to her father as he disembarked. She gushed, "Dad! You flew… you shot… oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"

He chuckled nervously, "Well… Not bad for a middle-aged mortal. Also, you did leave a few weapons back home in Virginia. When you… left. I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings. Just a little experiment. Anyway, I'll leave you to it. I'll be home, if you want to return, that is."

The girl turned to see the rest of the group gathered around the prone Zoe. Harry was slowly gaining his strength and was sitting on the ground with Zoe's head on his lap. Percy looked at the goddess, "Could you heal her with your magic, or even call Apollo? What about you guys? Don't you have some Healing Potions or something?"

Ron replied softly, "I tried, mate. She said no. Can't really heal someone against their will."

Artemis spoke sadly, "Perseus, Life is a fragile thing. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little that I can do."

She reached out a hand towards Zoe's side, but the Hunter stopped her. She whispered, "My Lady… Have I served thee well?"

"With great honour" Artemis replied softly. "The finest of my attendants."

Zoe's face relaxed, "Rest. At last."

She took Thalia's hand, "I am sorry we argued. We could have been sisters."

Thalia blinked hard, "It's my fault. You were right about Luke, about heroes, men – everything."

Zoe craned her neck towards Harry, Percy and Ron, "Perhaps not all men. Percy, do you still have the sword?"

Percy wordlessly handed her his pen/sword. She gripped it and smiled, "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like… like Herakles. I am honoured that you carry this sword."

She coughed, "Harry?"

Harry tearfully stroked her forehead, "I'm here big sister. Please… Fight this! You can't die like this! Please! All my life, I looked up to you. You were Zoe Nightshade, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, Immortal Bad Arse and more importantly, my big sister."

She reached out a trembling hand and stroked his now salt and pepper hair, "Oh Harry. I am proud to call you my brother. You were the one who helped me and your sisters change the way we see men. Remember this always, I love you, and nothing can change that. However, it is my time."

Finally, she turned to Artemis, "My Lady, a word in private?"

Artemis sat down and cradled Zoe's head. Harry and the others moved away to give them some privacy. Then the floodgates opened for Harry and he sobbed. Hermione hugged him tightly and Ron rubbed his back as his best mate bawled into Hermione's shoulder.

Finally, Artemis took Zoe's circlet from her dying Lieutenant's trembling fingers. Zoe's last words were, "Stars… I can see the stars again, my Lady."

A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."

"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.

Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. The girl's body shimmered and disappeared.

Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished.

Suddenly, Annabeth gasped in amazement. Everyone looked up in the sky, to see that the stars were brighter now. They made a new pattern – a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure – a girl with a bow, running across the sky.

Artemis intoned, "Let the world honour you. Live forever in the stars. My son, would you like to do the honours and name it?"

Harry's sobs stopped briefly and he choked out, "The Huntress. A worthy tribute to one of the bravest people I ever knew."