Shockwave (Percy Jackson/Michael Vey Crossover)

Chapter Twenty Four

Percy's POV

I sprinted towards the noise once more. More and more monsters were passing through the barriers than ever. They're coordinated now. We used to have the advantage of dumb monsters who attacked solo or in trios at best. And now our best strategist has left us and went to them, even if she did it unknowingly. I frowned as I saw the dark sky, a flock of strange birds that glinted in the sun. I stumbled as a striking headache flashed through my head for a split second. That's it. The Stymphalian birds from when I was thirteen.

I activated my wrist watch, the celestial bronze spiraling into a gleaming shield, and banged Riptide against it. "Noise!" I yelled, "As much noise as possible! Apollo Cabin! Shoot them down!" Their dagger-like feathers flew towards the Earth, and I knew I couldn't stop them all. As bird after bird fell with a loud clang, I held my shield above my head, trying to deflect as many of the spears as I possibly could. I rolled away from a bird's final attempt to take my life. The birds were gone, but the threat was still there. It was too early for the war, to early for any serious fighting. Tartarus was still raising his troops from, well, Tartarus, and securing his claim on the rest of the world before turning to us. We would be his final obstacle before he toppled the gods and wreaked havoc, achieving world domination. Us, a little camp in New York filled with souls unlucky enough to be the spawn of the gods. Us, a group of teenagers with medieval weapons and powers were to stop a global foundation, the primordial of the pit, and hordes of monsters and mortals. But we do what has to be done, and hope that the Fates are on our side in this final struggle for freedom.

But how were we supposed to win? Our greatest assets are in the infirmary healing. Everyday a camper drops, not into the underworld, but with an injury. Everyday we get stronger and weaker at the same time and Tartarus only gets stronger. He gets stronger with every passing second, with every dollar, every monster, every piece of technology. He knows our weaknesses and how to stop us. He knows that the odds are in his favor but then, so too were the odds in Gaea's and Kronos's. He is wiser than the both of them.

I popped a piece of ambrosia into my mouth. We were fighting for a cause we believed in. Where there was a will, there was a way. A very obscure, challenging, and perilous way, but a way.

And I would find it, even if Annabeth wasn't here to help me this time.

I had to.

Annabeth's POV

In case anyone is wondering where I am, I am currently in the head of Annabeth Chase, a prisoner of my own mind and body. I am well aware of my surroundings and what I have done, even if I'm not sure why or how. I know of everything that's happened in the last couple of months, including the attacks on Camp Half Blood in the last few days. And I'm sorry.

It's not like I planned to betray my family and my home, or to nearly kill the one person I loved the most in the world, but as I've said before, there is something controlling me, and I was going to find out what. All I really need to do is discreetly get whatever thing is in my head out, and Tartarus will continue to trust me. I mean, the hardest part of this whole thing won't even be to get, I'll just call it an eidolon for now, the eidolon out of my head. The hardest part will be to keep playing the part of Brayden's girlfriend after I do free myself.

Brayden Tuckerman, one of the most vile creatures to ever walk the face of this Earth. His breath reeks, he's always ranting about killing Percy, and let's not forget he's a heartless demigod son of Zeus with a huge ego and on the side of Tartarus. The eidolon must have a thing for monsters.

I wandered around the corridor, away from Brayden, from Tartarus, from the eidolon. But not away from my guilt. So much pain because of me. I keep on telling myself it's the eidolon, but it's because of my body that it can do it. If I didn't interfere, perhaps the Eidolon will relinquish its hold on my. It can probably hear my plotting against it right now, but if it's an idea that will work, I will use it, no matter how crude.