The Daughter Of Night

Chapter Sixteen - I Hold My Own Against The Titan Lord - For A Bit...

Chapter Sixteen - I Hold My Own Against The Titan Lord - For A Bit...
Posted: Friday 1st March 2024

I followed the Athena campers to the Fifty-ninth Street Bridge as instructed. We set up on the Manhattan side of the bridge. Throughout the night there were several small waves of Monster attacks, but nothing that I couldn't handle.

In fact, I pretty much handled each of the single handedly, going into auto-pilot, stabbing and slashing, ducking and rolling. The rest of the Athena campers held the line behind me, cutting down the few monsters that were able to get past me, but it felt as though the darkness itself was rejuvenating me, allowing me to continue fighting, settling over me like a shield, not allowing strikes to land.

As the sun rose I began to feel tired and the monsters retreated. We began to make our way to the Plaza hotel to meet up with the rest of the half bloods. It seemed as though other cabins had had a harder time fighting that night than we had, and everyone was exhausted.

Whilst we walked, Malcom fell into step beside me. He was about seventeen, similar age to me, and had been at camp the second longest of everyone in the cabin, second only to Annabeth.

He was looking at me with a funny expression on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"Annabeth said you were a Daughter of Nyx," he said, "But I didn't really understand what she meant until now."

I frowned, confused about what he meant.

"Don't get me wrong, what you did out there was awesome, but also terrifying. I could quite literally feel the primordial power coming off of you." He continued, "all I'm saying, is I'm glad you're fighting on our side."

"Um, thanks. I think." I said. I was confused about what he was implying, but I supposed I had always taken for granted the power that having Nyx as my mother allowed me access to. I wondered if Zeus could feel that power in the same way Malcom said he could, if so, I understood why he hadn't killed me yet, if just my own power was enough to make a son of Athena impressed, then of course the power of my mother would be enough to scare the king of the gods into letting me live.

I wondered what Nyx thought of me fighting for Olympus. I wondered what would have become of me if Apollo hadn't come to those woods that night and if I had never fallen in love with him, would I have remained neutral? Or would I have sided with Kronos?

We walked in silence until we reached the Plaza Hotel and I was able to crash out on a plush sofa beside some of the Hunters of Artemis who were also sleeping. I was tired enough that my sleep was dreamless, or perhaps anyone who would send me dreams was too busy to notice that I was sleeping.

As dusk fell, the campers awoke to find that a large group of Kronos' forces had united and were pushing forwards through the city. It was decided that the Athena cabin, the nature spirits and the Hunters of Artemis accompanied by Percy would hold the army back in Central Park.

The rest of the campers would protect the rest of the city and make sure that the Titan's army couldn't outflank us whilst we were distracted by the larger force approaching through the park.

Just as we were all splitting up to begin taking our positions, Annabeth, who wasn't looking that well after taking a poison knife to the arm the previous night, and Malcom stopped me.

"Malcom told me what you did on the Fifty-Ninth Street Bridge," Annabeth said, "we want you to guard Olympus. Just in case Kronos or anyone else is able to slip through, you're our last line of defence."

"No," I said, "I'm not just going to hangout at the Empire State Building whilst everyone else risks their necks!"

"You're a grandaughter of Athena, surely you can see the wisdom in this plan?" Malcom raised an eyebrow at me.

Annabeth nodded, "you're one of our most powerful fighters, if anyone can hold Olympus by themselves its you, and we can't spare anyone else."

I sighed, Malcolm was right. I did see the wisdom in the plan, but I doubted my own ability.

"I think you overestimate me." I said, "but fine, I'll do it."

"I think you underestimate yourself," Annabeth said with a twinkle in her eye.

*

The campers were backed up not far from the Empire State Building a few hours later and I was in the fray again.

"Ariadne!" Annabeth shouted, as she held back three hellhounds with just her knife. She pointed and I followed where she was pointing to see Kronos approaching us on his chariot. 

"Go!" Annabeth urged me, "you can hold him back, buy us some more time!"

I took a deep breath and plunged into the line of monsters before me. I met Kronos' eyes through his army and he laughed. His chariot leisurely slowed to a haunt and he dismounted with his scythe in hand.

"Hello daughter of Nyx," Kronos' voice boomed out across the army and the monsters parted, leaving a narrow walkway as they surged around Kronos continuing to charge towards the Empire State Building, but allowing Kronos and I to meet. "You think to challenge me?"

I shrugged, I was quaking in my shoes, but from experience I knew that I couldn't let him know how terrified I was. Some part of me thought this was suicide, but another part of me wondered if Annabeth was right. If, in his mortal form, I was a match for the Titan.

"I suppose it's my fault you ever got out of Tartarus," I said, "I suppose it's only right I send you back there."

I surged forwards and our blades met with a loud clang that seemed to resonate throughout the entire city, if not the entire world. We became a whirl of blades, the world seemed to slow around us and in the back of my mind I wondered if Kronos was using his powers to slow time around us, and I also wondered why I wasn't feeling anything if he was. Perhaps my Primordial roots meant that his powers couldn't work on me.

We were moving too fast for me to comprehend, I couldn't have told anyone how I did it, but somehow I was actually holding my own. Darkness whipped around us, wrapping around Kronos' arms, making his blows slower, allowing me to get the upper hand in the fight. I began to make ground, driving him backwards, but still unable to land any hits on him.

Dimly I registered cry's of joy from the campers and cries that sounded like someone yelling 'PARTY PONIES!'

Kronos was distracted and I was able to drive him further back, gaining a few blocks of space. The first rays of the sun broke into the sky, casting light across Kronos' face. 

He smiled and took me by surprise with a sudden strike towards my stomach, which hit. The scythe ran through me and instantly it felt as if the world itself was dissolving around me. There was nothing in existence but pain.