Heart Pierced - Kayla Knowles (1)

XXXVII. I Am Officially A Walking Cheat Code (With The Help Of Kelli)

Alternative Chapter Title: Kronos Delays The Inevitable One Final Time

(A/N: Before we start off, if you hadn't already guessed, the ending scene of the last chapter was set three days later on the 19th of August. This is after the Battle of Manhattan is over. So.. you might be wondering, what exactly happens on the Greek side in between now and then? Well.. starting with this chapter.. you are about to find out. You might already have a good glimpse into what happens if you read the books, though of course.. given how crazy I've taken the story in the recent chapters.. it's safe to say that nothing is certain in regards as how this plays out.. sure the Olympians will win, but the question is.. how, given that so much is changing.

Remember when I wrote in this all the way back in Part One that Colton's parents were killed by a Lydian Drakon? Well, we're about to come full circle back to the trauma that started it all for him. Let's just say, for those that control Typhon that you still have a long time to find out about, his parents' deaths and him meeting Kelli were all part of the story that leads to what happens starting in the next chapter. Or in short, this was all fated to happen from the start.

Let's just say.. that changing things - or Kronos pulling the smart move considering the fate of this particular Drakon - may prove smart in the short-term, but doesn't really help him out in the long-run. He'll learn that the hard way soon enough though. As to what smart move Kronos pulls here with the Drakon, here's a hint: what do you get when you combine a son of Hecate, a Drakon, and a cloning spell?

Check out later on in the chapter to see if you guessed right.

Shout-outs to all the usual suspects as well, including   @-JASONSGRACE .

Also, I know you have all seen climaxes of increasing power in the last two arcs - "Sea Of Monsters" and "Battle Of The Labyrinth" - but trust me, the climax of this book next chapter will absolutely dwarf all of that. Just a hint at what will come next chapter for you all right here. Anyways, enjoy this!)

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August 17th
Day Three Of The Battle Of Manhattan

Compared to yesterday, morning came as normal for the forces in Manhattan, though once more because of the storm, it was hard to tell whether it was daylight or still nighttime. Nevertheless, the action of the day started almost immediately as soon as the demigods had woken up as a chorus of shrieks, hisses and screams from the north informed them that action had already flared up along the Harlem River.

Unlike the fighting for the bridges of the past two days, the fights taking place along the many bridges in Northern Manhattan was purely monster vs monster, with demigods this time coming from Kronos' army. Still, Alexander from Hermes could only watch in horror as his friends were either crushed by boulders, ripped apart by beasts, or had their heads taken off by swords or what else. Although damage to the bridges and casualties to mortals was limited again, the fact that Kronos' army was making no progress at all, despite multiple, determined charges on the bridges, was a testament to just how much Khan's forces, despite heavy casualties, were putting up a savage and fierce fight for Northern Manhattan.

It definitely caused the demigods, satyrs, party ponies (centaurs), and hunters in the building to pick up the pace, that was for sure.

- — - — - — - — - Switch To Colton's POV - — - — - — - — -

If anyone among our number were expecting a quiet morning similar to yesterday, the sounds of battle to the north the minute someone opened the doors of the lobby clearly gave us a rude awakening. If anything however, it got me more energized than ever to be honest. Nothing like combat to energize a son of Ares in the morning, nothing like that at all.. honestly.