Indigo Eyes

Chapter 116

Damn, Morpheus.

He was the source of problem after problem. When Percy and Annabeth came down from Olympus at Connor Stoll's instruction, it was to the discovery that Morpheus had put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion had started.

Cressida had been tucked under her brother's arm, both of them awash with nerves at the news of their father.

Annabeth had Beckendorf make a shield, a video shield that allowed you to see anything so long as it was touched by natural light. And they used it to learn that Kronos was slowing time down around the borders of Manhattan with the help of Hecate where the cars were all turning around. The island was surrounded in layers of magic and no one on the outside would have a clue what was happening between that and the Mist.

The shield had shown at least three hundred enemies and there were forty of them with no backup in sight.

"Alright," Percy said. "We're going to hold Manhattan."

Silena tugged at her armour. "Um, Percy, Manhattan is huge."

"We are going to hold it," he insisted. "We have to."

"He's right," Annabeth said. "The gods of the wind should keep Kronos's forces away from Olympus by air, so he'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off the entrances to the island."

"They have boats," Michael Yew pointed out and Percy remembered Athena's message.

"I'll take care of the boats," he said.

Michael frowned. "How?"

"Just leave it to me," he said. "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll try a midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael, take Apollo's cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, Demeter's cabin takes the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to do – but keep them out of there! Connor – take half of Hermes cabin and cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And no stopping for looting or pillaging!"

"Awwww!" the whole Hermes cabin complained, but Cressida was hiding a smile in Pollux's shoulder. It was kind of hot seeing Percy all authoritative like that.

"Silena, take the Aphrodite crew to the Queens–Midtown Tunnel."

"Oh, my gods," one of her sisters said. "Fifth Avenue is so on our way! We could accessorize, and monsters, like, totally hate the smell of Givenchy."

"No delays," Percy said. "Well ... the perfume thing, if you think it'll work."

Six Aphrodite girls kissed him on the cheek in excitement, making Cressida grin even bigger at his red face. "All right, enough! The Holland Tunnel. Jake – take Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got."

He grinned. "Gladly. We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!"

The whole cabin roared in approval.

"The Fifty-ninth Street Bridge," he said. "Clarisse –" he faltered. Clarisse wasn't there along with the entire Ares cabin.

"We'll take that." Annabeth stepped in, saving me from an embarrassing silence. She turned to her siblings. "Malcolm, take the Athena cabin and activate plan twenty-three along the way, just like I showed you. Hold that position."

"You got it."

"I'll go with Percy and Cress," she said. "Then we'll join you – or we'll go wherever we're needed."

"Have fun being a third wheel!" someone called from the back of the group.

"Alright," Percy said. "Keep in touch with cell phones."

"We don't have cell phones," Silena protested before gasping as Percy tossed her some woman's blackberry.

"You do now. You all know Annabeth's number, right? If you need us, pick up a random phone and call us. Use it once, drop it, then borrow another one if you have to. That should make it harder for the monsters to zero in on you."

Everyone grinned like they liked the idea.

Travis cleared his throat. "Uh, if we find a really nice phone –"

"No, you can't keep it," Percy said.

"Aw, man."

"Hey, Fish Face," Cressida called and all eyes fell on her. "You forgot the Lincoln Tunnel."

Percy cursed. They had no other forces to take on the Sherman tank and the hundred monsters marching through that tunnel right now.

Then a girl's voice called from across the street: "How about you leave that to us?"

"By the gods!" Cressida shouted before she was running to hug the girl that had spoken.

A band of thirty adolescent girls crossed Fifth Avenue. They wore white shirts, silvery camouflage pants and combat boots. They all had swords at their sides, quivers on their backs and bows at the ready. A pack of white timber wolves milled around their feet, and many of the girls had hunting falcons on their arms. The girl in the lead had spiky black hair and a black leather jacket. She wore a silver circlet on her head like a princess's tiara, which didn't match her skull earrings or her Death to Barbie T-shirt showing a little Barbie doll with an arrow through its head.

"Thalia!" Annabeth cried as she followed Cressida's lead and the daughter of Zeus grinned after she pulled away from both hugs.

"The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty."

"Where have you been the last year?" Percy asked Thalia. "You've got, like, twice as many Hunters now!"

She laughed. "Long, long story. I bet my adventures were more dangerous than yours, Jackson."

"Complete lie," he said.

"We'll see," she promised. "After this is over, you, Annabeth, Cressida and me: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West Fifty-sixth"

"Le Parker Meridien," he said. "You're on. And, Thalia – thanks."

She shrugged. "Those monsters won't know what hit them."

"Hey," Cressida said. "Can my brother go with you? There's no one I'd trust more to make sure he's ok."

Despite her stance on boys, Thalia's expression softened - Annabeth having told her what happened to Castor. "Of course. He'll be ok," she promised and Cressida gave her another hug.

"Thank you."

"Anytime," Thalia replied before turning to her group. "Hunters, and Pollux, move out!"

Pollux didn't seem happy to be going with them, but reluctantly, he followed after them and said that if they had to retreat from the tunnel, he could use his vines to seal it and buy them time.

"Thank the gods," Annabeth said. "But if we don't blockade the rivers from those boats, guarding the bridges and tunnels will be pointless."

"You're right," Percy said before he looked at the determined campers at his disposal. "You're the greatest heroes of this millennium," he told them. "It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win." Percy raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!"

They roared in response, their voices echoing off the buildings. 

Maybe there was hope for them after all.