Heir of a Titan - Book 2 PJO

Chapter 30: Fire in the Hole!

Kronos sat on top of his horse and looked at us. He looked the same. The young collage boy with his blond hair. Except now he was dressed in full battle gear.

Annabeth and the Apollo campers faltered. The monsters we'd been pursuing reached the Titan's line and were absorbed into the new force. Kronos gazed in our direction. He was a quarter mile away, but I swear I could see him smile.

"Now," Percy said with a sign. "we pull back."

"Good idea."

The Titan lord's men drew their swords and charged. The hooves of their skeletal horses thundered against the pavement. Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept riding. I yanked my bow off and pulled the string back, the anger behind it sent the arrow slicing so fast through the air it hit one of the demi gods and he flew off his horse and flew ten feet backwards and landed with an arrow in his chest, through the breast plate. Kronos flicked his eyes down at the dead demigod. Regarding him in mild interest. He flicked his golden eyes up to me. And he smiled again.

"Retreat!" I told my friends. "I'll hold them."

"We." Percy corrected. "We will hold them." He signed. His face set. I just nodded.

"Michael! Kayla! Austin! Get back! Where in Hades is Will?!"

In a matter of seconds the enemy was on Percy and I. Michael and his archers tried to retreat, but Annabeth stayed right beside me and Percy, (which was stupid) fighting with her knife and mirrored shield as we slowly backed up the bridge. I slipped my bow back and grabbed both my blades and Percy and I stood on each side of Annabeth and we held the army of reinforcements, trying to give Michael and the rest a chance to retreat.

Kronos's cavalry swirled around us, slashing and apparently yelling insults. The Titan himself advanced leisurely, like he had all the time in the world. Being the lord of time, I guess he did.

I noticed Percy was trying to wound the men, not kill. That slowed him down. They were demigods who'd fallen under Kronos's spell, and not monsters. But I was the opposite. I wasn't sparing anyone. Did that make me a terrible person? Probably. But they had chosen their side. I was furious with the gods. (Well not all of them...just most) Yet I was still standing defending their stupid home. I hadn't joined Kronos. And I learned my mother was killed. Luke still had his mother, he had no excuse. Sure she was nuts, but she was still there.

I slashed at another skeleton horse making the rider fall. As they did her helmet came off. Her big blue eyes caught mine. She looked frightened for a second and then they hardened in pure hate. I plunged my knife down and she opened her mouth and screamed. I yanked it out and I saw her vital signs stop and become obsolete. I spun to the next victim. I didn't bat an eye. Maybe I was just as bad as Luke. Just fighting on the opposite side now. Taking my anger and bitterness and resentment out on an army of demon monsters from Tarterus.

I couldn't see faces under their battle helmets, but some of them had probably been Percy and Annabeth's friends. I slashed the legs off another horses and made the skeletal mount disintegrate. After that, demigods figured out they'd better dismount and fight us on foot.

Annabeth, Percy and I stayed shoulder to shoulder, facing opposite directions. A dark shape passed over me, and I dared to glance up. Blackjack, Porkpie and Glitter were swooping in, kicking our enemies in the helmets and flying away like very large kamikaze pigeons. Glitter left a few demigods on fire from her sparking hooves.

We'd almost made it to the middle of the bridge when something strange happened. I felt a chill down my spine- like that old saying about someone walking on your grave. I didn't see what happened, but I saw Percy's face twist in fear for the first time.