AN: I will admit I got some things up when writing the last chapter and had to adapt how Percy dealt with Luke and Annabeth when I realized it. I had originally meant to have the fight be on a bridge rather than a tunnel and Percy would drop them into the river and take advantage of Annabeth's new monster form being too dense to swim. One drowned monster dragging the ghost back down to Tartarus.

Son of the Moon

Chapter 63

-Percy-

"You're quite confident." Percy's tone was flat as he stared unimpressed at the monologuing ghost. Luke hadn't been the smartest before he died, the demigod had sided with Kronos after all, but this confidence felt unnaturally unwarranted. Maybe burning the man to death had caused some terror induced side effects or a mind break?

"Of course." Luke scoffed "I'm a specter so you can't hurt me personally, son of Poseidon." Percy felt his eyebrow twitching "And you don't have your little Hades whore to do it for you." Lightning crackled along Percy's silver prosthetics "And then there's Annie here!" the ghost pat the twisted giant "She's the perfect soldier! Strong enough to crush a Laestrygonians with ease, durable enough to shrug off any blow from a demigod, and loyally obedient to a fault!"

Shaking his head with a disappointed sigh at what Kronos considered a 'rival' for him, Percy twitched his right arm as a compartment in the wrist opened up. A rapid flick of his wrist and Luke was suddenly crying out in startled pain, spectral 'blood' trailing down their face from the gash that had opened there.

"Impossible." Luke was wide eyed at what was likely the first pain, possibly the first anything, that they'd felt since their death and being bound as a wraith. Annabeth was less panicked than Luke but far angrier, roaring in utter hatred the second she heard Luke's cry of pain. The once demigod grabbed the closest car, one thankfully emptied of mortals before the monsters had arrived, and hurled it at him.

Rolling to the side, Percy ignored the wrenching sound of shattered glass and twisted metal from the car's impact, asphalt shattering on impact. Twitching his arm again, the compartment opened to dispense more of his stygian iron throwing knives, sharpened and ready. One of the many upgrades Hephaestus had given his prosthetics had been an enchanted 'quiver' of sorts that was able to hold all of his throwing knives and arrows. It made quick throws like he'd done, or reloading his bow, more efficient than he'd ever been able to do before.

"Annabeth, shield me already!" Luke's ghost screamed out, realizing the knives were made of Stygian Iron and actually able to hurt or even dispel him. Annabeth let out a confused grunt but stopped moving, her arms raised up to shield Luke as best she could. Surging forward, Percy threw a hard punch at Annabeth's mid-section, wanting to test how durable her now monstrous form was. The sound was akin to metal striking stone, sparks flying from the impact as a bruise formed on the dull grey skin.

"Uuuuugh." Annabeth groaned in confusion, looking down at her stomach where he'd punched, her arms still raised up to shield Luke whose confidence had returned with the application of the shield.

"Hah! See? Even the great 'Perseus Jackson' can't break through Annie's skin! She's my ultimate weapon now!" Luke laughed with manic glee while Annabeth did her best lumbering attempt to copy the sound.

"So, you haven't learned." Percy's fist, still connected to Annabeth, lit up with lightning as Annabeth let out groans of pain, her arms remaining up high to shield Luke despite the pain she was in.

"Kick him away already damn it!" Luke snapped, Annabeth finally moving to strike out with her legs, having apparently not thought of doing so without Luke giving her instruction.

Leaping back from the telegraphed kick and stomp, Percy felt his lips quirk as he heard a shout out from behind him "Archers, use Arrow C!" one of the Hermes kids in his forces mimicking Luke's voice and projecting it.

Hearing the Arrows flying despite Luke's shouts of "That wasn't me you idiots!", Percy charged, ducking his head as the flashbangs went off and Annabeth let out another pained sound. Seeing her staggering, Percy quickly shot to the side, changing the direction he was coming from was he leapt up into the air. Luke only had a split second to turn, ghostly eyes widening, before Percy's stygian iron knife stabbed into the spectral traitor.

The ghost of Luke vanished, chains and all, back into the pits of Tartarus and, instantly, Annabeth seemed to notice. The lumbering monster that had once been a demigod began to twist and turn, as if trying to find where Luke had gone .

"He's back in Tartarus." Percy told her, pointing in the direction of the Titan forces. Annabeth's mind was diminished by her transformation, but she could clearly still understand what was spoken if she was able to follow orders, she just lost any personality besides her loyalty toward Luke. So, upon hearing his words and seeing where he was pointing, Annabeth took off in that direction. She barreled through the panicking enemy army, ignoring their orders toward her to stop, as she continued on her single-minded mission to get back to Tartarus and find Luke.

"CHARGE!" Clarisse saw the same opportunity he did, rallying those still able to fight and the undead sent by Nico and Bianca to surge into the broken enemy line like a flood.

"You got this?" Percy looked at Clarisse who gave him a wild bloodthirsty grin.

"Easily, you go help the others!" Clarisse let out a roar, as she threw her spear, the weapon flying through three monsters before impaling a demigod from Kronos' forces "We've got this!" Clarisse drew her sword as she swarmed back into the fray, wrenching her spear from the cooling corpse while Percy shot back out of the Tunnel to find where else he was needed.

-Reyna-

Peaking around a corner, Reyna gave a gesture for the Child of Vulcan and the Children of Mercury with her on the infiltration mission. Even from here within the palace she could hear the sound of the Legion and the Amazons laying Siege. Hylla was down there in Reyna's Praetor armor to sell the ruse; the Titan forces were not currently aware of how far Hylla had recovered.

Larry took point, moving quickly ahead as the son of Mercury's silent steps allowed him to be an effective scout. The Centurion of the Second Cohort's gold knife lashed out as they rounded a corner, monster dust bursting into being as Larry hastily kicked it apart, dispersing and spreading the evidence that they'd passed through here.

Blaise stepped up beside her, hands flying through sign language to keep silent 'Do you know how much further it is to the Throne Room?'

'From what Percy described from when he saw Kronos rise, it shouldn't be too much further. Assuming they didn't change the layout.' Reyna signed back as Blaise nodded, adjusting the package containing the explosives developed to blow the Titan stronghold apart.

The Titan forces were split apart with the majority off with Kronos' invasion of New York or staying with Gaea and the Giants from what intel they'd been able to gather. The only commanders left to guard Mount Othrys would be Krios, the Titan of Stars and Constellations, as well as the traitor Jason Grace. Glancing out a window as they passed by, Reyna could see the flash of lightning amidst the Titan's forces, meaning Jason was the one leading the forces down there and Krios would be the one in the Throne Room, guarding the Titan Thrones.

Metting the gazes of her fellow infiltration team members, Reyna signed out 'Jason is out there, so Krios will be the one still in the citadel. Be ready to potentially fight a Titan.' Reyna saw the expression of her fellow Legionnaires. They were afraid but refusing to back down, each and every one of them knew the risks and had volunteered for this mission.

'If Krios is there, then I'll draw his attention if we have to.' Reyna made her decision 'While you all ready the explosives by the Thrones.' If she couldn't beat the Titan then her team would blow the whole building straight to Tartarus. It would kill them, but it would weaken the Titans to have their thrones destroyed. Her team's faces showed they knew full well what she was saying and gave her resolute nods, snapping out a salute.

Gripping her spear, Reyna pushed onward. It was time to do her duty.