The Last Olympian: Apollo's Daughter

The Beginning

"A gift," Ethan mumbled from my right. In his hands were the reins to a skeletal horse. It was maybe 14 hands high and its hollow eye sockets bore down into me.

"You know when most girls ask for a pony, Nakamura... They usually want it alive," I said, circling him and the horse.

"Take it or don't," He sighed, exasperated. "I advise accepting the gift though."

"And since when have you been one to offer advice? Especially to me."

He shoved the reins into my hands and stormed off with a whirlwind of curses leaving his lips.

I smirked and turned to inspect the skeletal horse, running my finger down its frontal plate. "How am I even supposed to ride this thing?" I mumbled.

"I hope you like the gift. You'll be riding it by my side," Kronos chuckled as he stepped up to my shoulder. He ran his fingers across my shoulder blades, making me shiver and tilt my right ear to my shoulder.

"It's a skeleton. Like I told Nakamura: Most girls want their ponies alive." I said my voice filled with feigned niceties.

"Yes, well I would have gotten you a live one but it would probably end up dead." He said, his eyes studying me. I wanted to shy away from his gaze but I know any sign of weakness would be used against me.

We stood for a moment in silence... "Annabeth, you'll spare her? If I fight for you?" I asked, turning towards him.

He tilted his head with a smirk. "Even after she ignores you, you still protect her?"

"She's my sister- how did you know she's been ignoring me?"

He shrugged the question off.

"Promise. She doesn't get hurt." I repeated my demand.

Kronos' eyes burned a little brighter as he glared down at me. He was losing his patients with me...but if I was such an asset to him and his army, I had wiggle room to make demands.

"No demands about your little boyfriend?"

"Answer me. She doesn't get hurt."

"I will spare her if you stop whimpering about it."

I gave him a forced smile. "Good, now. Don't we have a war to fight?" I asked, lifting my left leg and sliding my foot into the stirrup of my skeletal horse's saddle.

Kronos seemed amused by my eagerness to fight...either amused or suspicious. Probably both.

Percy's POV

I did my best taxicab whistle, and within a few minutes, a dark shape circled out of the sky.

Yo, boss. Blackjack landed at a trot. Man, I thought those wind gods were gonna knock us to Pennsylvania until we said we were with you!

"Thanks for coming," I told him. "We need to get to the Williamsburg Bridge,"

Blackjack lowered his neck. You're darn right, boss. We flew over it on the way here, and it don't look good. Hop on!

On the way to the bridge, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach. The Minotaur was one of the first monsters I'd ever defeated. Four years ago he'd nearly killed my mother on Half-Blood Hill. I still had nightmares about that.

I'd been hoping he would stay dead for a few centuries, but I should've known my luck wouldn't hold.

Annabeth and I saw the battle before we were close enough to make out individual fighters. It was well after midnight now, but the bridge blazed with light. Cars were burning. Arcs of fire streamed in both directions as flaming arrows and spears sailed through the air.