Annabeth Chase and the Titan's Curse

Chapter 19 - My dad saves the day

"No!" screamed Zoë.

Before Atlas could bring his javelin down to impale Artemis, his daughter had leapt between them, firing an arrow into her father's forehead. Atlas evidently didn't like being a unicorn as he smacked Zoë with the back of his hand so hard she was send flying, crash-landing among the black rocks.

With his last opposition out of the way, Thalia still fighting Luke, me still scrambling to untie myself and Percy trapped under the sky, Atlas turned back to where Artemis still lay sprawled, seemingly unable to get back up. It all looked quite hopeless.

"The first blood in a new war," Atlas declared. And he raised his javelin and stabbed downwards.

But Artemis was foxing. She caught the javelin shaft and jammed the tip into the earth beside her. She sat up and heaved backwards on it, using it to propel the Titan over her. She must have been a lot stronger than she looked as he fairly flew through the air, soaring straight towards Percy.

The son of Poseidon seemed to know exactly what going to happen as at the last moment before collision, he went limp. Atlas hit him so hard that he was knocked out from beneath the sky, rolling away as all of the weight was dropped right onto Atlas's back.

"NOOOOOO!" he bellowed, bent down to his knees and struggling to get out from beneath it but it was too late. "NOT AGAIN!"

He was trapped again. And good riddance.

Artemis rose to her feet and took off to where Zoë had fallen. I couldn't see where the lieutenant lay and as the goddess dropped to her knees beside her, she disappeared out of sight too.

Percy groaned from where he lay and looked like he was trying to get up but made no progress. He couldn't even lift himself up on to his elbows. If he was anywhere as bad as I had been, he wouldn't be going far anytime soon. Although I held it longer so he should recover quicker than me.

I wanted to go to him to help him up, but I was still scrambling with my bonds. They were nearly off but I wasn't paying enough attention to them to them to get them off properly. It didn't help that Thalia and Luke distracted me.

She had him backed all the way up to the cliff but he still wasn't giving up although if he took even one wrong step, he'd fall off the side. They were battling right beside the golden coffin, the lighting flashing around them reflecting off the cool metal.

I couldn't see what damage Thalia had obtained as she had her back to me, but Luke's face was glistening with sweat and he had a long jagged slash across his chest that was oozing blood. He looked desperate now, strain on his body and a wild light glinted in his eye. He knew the fight was nearly over and he was right.

He lunged at Thalia and she dodged then sprung back to slam him with her shield. She hit him so hard that Backbiter was knocked out of his hand by the impact and clattered harmlessly onto the rocks.

Thalia slowly raised her spear to rest the point on his throat.

Luke even more slowly raised his arms out in surrender.

There was silence.

"Well?" Luke asked after a moment when the rest of us didn't move.

I could see the tension in Thalia's body and how she trembled with fury. I couldn't let her kill him.

I tore off the last of my bonds and ripped the tape off my mouth. "Don't kill him!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet.

"He's a traitor," Thalia hissed, not taking her eyes off Luke, who watched her evenly. "A traitor!"