The Last Olympian: Apollo's Daughter

Plan B Didn't Go As Planned

Skyler's POV

The night went on. News of the Titan army's victories would come and go from the conference room of the hotel... "Midtown is a war zone," Ethan stated as he and Prometheus watched the clay map of NYC on the long table. "A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center." He continued.

"They're holding stronger than we expected..." Lea said softly from her seat across from me. She nearly choked on her words when the Titan lord himself shot her a look. "But..but we're pushing them closer and closer to the Empire State Building..They won't hold for long.." She added quickly.

Kronos smiled coldly as he knit his fingers together. He looked all too pleased with himself. "Tell them to ready the chariot... It's time." He pushed himself up from his seat at the head of the table.

...

The chariot..I have to admit was eerily beautiful. Pure gold pulled by the same skeletal horses the army had used before. All around us Laustrygonian giants bore torches, lighting the streets as we made our way towards the Empire State Building. The city was filled with the smell of monstrous sulfuric dust, blood, and burning fires. The smell of war.

There, a few blocks to the west ahead of us, my friends... fighting tooth and nail to push back the Titan army. They were almost backed up against the building at this point.. Few Hunters and even fewer demigods stood between the entrance to Olympus and The Titan lord.

"You're forcing them back...Letting them spend their strength fighting here..." I muttered from my spot on the chariot. Kronos smiled as we continued our slow approach.

Then in the distance, I heard a hunting horn.

It cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around us, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.

"What is this?" Kronos' face contorted to confusion.

"We don't know sir..." Ethan said from behind us.

The horns got louder. I couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching.

Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. I thought we were doomed, but they didn't attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies.

"What are they doing.." Lea asked. She was situated atop a skeletal horse off our left. In her hands, she watched the battle through a pair of binoculars.

A new blast of horns shattered the night. In the distance, the air shimmered. In a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of light speed.

"Yeah, baby!" a voice wailed. "PARTY!"

"Centaurs," I said under my breath.

A shower of arrows arced over my friends and slammed into Kronos' army, vaporizing hundreds of demons. But these weren't regular arrows. Even from here, I could hear them. They made whizzing sounds as they flew.

The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and NERF baseball bats. The centaurs trampled everything in their path.

"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and-"

"Move!" I yelped and hopped the side of the chariot.

A panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on top of Ethan and the Titan lord. The lord of time disappeared under a giant blue butt.

"Help me you insolent little-" I could hear the Titan lord's muffled voice.