𝕚𝕧𝕪; annabeth chase

xii.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

maybe it was luck. maybe a god had guided her arm as it came up. maddie would never know.

it happened in a flash, one moment she was watching kronos lunge towards her brother, the next she was standing in front of him, one hand holding a sword and parrying the titan's swing, the other hand holding the knife that had somehow found it's way to kronos' achilles spot.

his golden eyes grew wide, any anger he was feeling forgotten. he let out a short, ragged breath, and looked down at where maddie's knife had opened a small gash right underneath his left armpit, where it had become exposed when he had lifted his hand to attack with his sword.

maddie watched his head move slowly following his gaze. her eyes widened as she saw the golden ichor slowly begin to pour out of the small gash, her brain connecting the dots in a matter of seconds.

kronos looked back up at her, and for a moment there was nothing but silence. his golden eyes shifted, stained with something more complex than anger; a burning hatred, an emotion so raw and powerful, maddie would never forget it for the rest of her life.

the sheer violence that dripped from kronos' gaze, his lips that slowly curved into a snarl. his face had gone ashen, for not even a titan could withstand the withdrawals that came with your achilles' spot being injured.

"only one must live," kronos snarled. "i had planned it to be you, but now . . . i think your spilt blood shall be the deciding factor on who has won this war."

maddie knew that with opening that cut, she was slowly but surely leeching kronos' power from his body. with his only weak spot now injured, she knew she stood a chance at fighting him.

she lunged again, jaw clenched as she brought the sword up with her other hand and slashed at the titan's middle. kronos, having centuries of practice, managed to block her strike, but couldn't mask the complete shock on his face.

she heard swords clashing nearby and figured that percy and sebastian had struck up some sort of battle, but chose not to look, as she knew it could cost her.

instead, she focused every fiber in her body solely on kronos. she took every lesson from camp, every past experience with another creature, every play battle with percy and used the tricks she had learnt.

with no achilles curse to support her, maddie felt overwhelmed with the power of the titan's blows, barely managing to block one before another came flying at her. she felt herself being forced backwards by kronos, until she could feel the warmth of the hearth on her back.

"your father's domain cannot protect you now, sea witch," the titan sneered, pushing even harder.

maddie swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "can't it?"

kronos' lips stretched into a malicious sneer, but maddie wasn't focused on him. she sent every inch of her power into the ground below, praying that it would answer her call, like it had done in the forges. she planted her feet into the ground and imagined her power seeping through her shoes and into the ground.

just as kronos raised his sword for another blow, one that would no doubt send her into the hearth, maddie felt a shake.

at first, she thought she was imagining it, but then kronos paused, his eyebrows knitting together.

maddie pushed harder, and the earth answered again, more powerfully. this time, the whole throne room shook, small pieces of rock dropping from the ceiling.

percy and sebastian were still fighting, but maddie could see the confused looks on their faces, their eyes occasionally doing a small sweep of the room.