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chapter forty-one
( the last olympian )
❝ she will fight! ❞

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Midtown was a warzone. I lost Annabeth and Cain in the fight, too busy focusing on keeping myself alive against the monsters I faced. It was a blur. For one second, they were there, and then I was fighting some monsters by myself, then Grover showed up for a little bit to help with a toot-toot of his reed pipes, and then here I am with Will, doing our best to fend off a Hyperborean giant.

It disturbed me to see these beasts━who are usually very sweet and peaceful, minding their own business in Alaska━cause so much damage with just a blow of their breath. The summer air had dropped to what felt like below freezing, and if it weren't for my powers, I was sure Will and I would have been frozen icicles at least ten times by now.

"Why did we have to get the big blue guys," grumbled Will as he held his hand out and I passed over him some new arrows since he had run out. Catching them, he immediately separated them, half-in-half. Three going into his quiver, and the other three onto the string where he let them go and they struck the giant in the chin and nose.

The giant yelled in pain, and went to blow us with ice, but I blocked it with a shield of light with a simple swipe. But it took a lot out of me, especially with my arm as it is. I gritted my teeth, holding until the snowstorm stopped.

Out of nowhere, a figure fell from the sky off a black pegasus. Percy landed on the giant's head, and when he looked up, Percy slid off his face, shield-bashing his nose on the way down. The Hyperborean roared in pain, staggering backwards with blue blood trickling down onto his lips.

Percy hit the pavement running, and I couldn't help but think: you cute-looking showoff. The giant breathed a cloud of white mist and the temperature dropped. The spot where Percy had landed was now coated with ice, and he was covered in frost like a sugar doughnut.

Jumping back into action, I brought the attention onto myself so Percy could attack from behind. "Hey! Ugly! Do you always look like a smurf, or is that just for today?"

The giant bellowed and turned towards me, exposing the unprotected back of his legs. Percy charged and stabbed him behind the knee. "WHAAAA!" The Hyperborean buckled, but instead of turning to dust, he froze from the point Percy had stabbed him.

He quickly pulled out his sword, watching the giant completely freeze over before making his way towards Will and I.

"Thanks," I said as he reached us, trying to catch my breath. "The pig?"

"Pork chops."

"That's good," I winced as I flexed my shoulder. It hurt, and I was tired, but I had to keep on going. I couldn't stop to rest. Seeing the worry lines that appeared on Percy's face, I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, Percy. Come on! We've got plenty of enemies left. Will━find the others, don't fight by yourself!"

He nodded, giving me a salute before we separated. The next hour went by like lights on a bridge━a complete blur. Percy and I fought as many monsters as we could, but no matter how many we defeated, only more took their place. We raced from block to block, trying to shore up our defences. Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets, and too many were missing.

As the night wore on and the moon got higher, we were backed up metre by metre until we were only a block from the Empire State Building. I decided to use up more of my energy (because I'm a reckless idiot, I've realised) to turn invisible and kill as many monsters as I could from surprise. Annabeth and Cain were still nowhere the be seen, and I tried to not think the worst, but I couldn't help it. What if they were wounded? What if they were dead?

No, I couldn't think like that. Annabeth and Cain were okay. They were strong fighters. Fighters that were perhaps even better than I was. They could look after themselves. They're out there, fighting, and they're fine.

(Please let them be okay) I don't know who I prayed to, or if any god was listening, but I did nonetheless.

"Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere to the left. The problem was, was there were too few of us to hold anything. The entrance to Olympus was six metres behind us, and a ring of brave demigods, Hunters and nature spirits guarded the doors. There wasn't enough. More monsters just kept on coming━I didn't see the end. And behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine; Kronos rode towards us o a golden chariot with two Laistrygonian giants bearing torches before him. Behind, two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners. It was strange seeing Luke like that ... Oh, Gods, Luke ...

No! Kronos. It's Kronos!

I found Percy, and was breathless in my cry of, "We have to fall back to the doorway! Hold it at all costs!"

Percy nodded. He was about to order retreat when the sound of hunting horns blasted into the air, cutting through the sky like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around us, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.

Percy and I turned to Thalia, confused, but she just frowned.

"Not the Hunters," she said. "We're all here?"

"Then who?"

The horns got louder. It sounded like an echo, so I couldn't tell which way they were coming, but it seemed like it was a whole army. I was scared it would be more enemies, but then following it, was the sound of like the rev of a car engine, and out of nowehere from our left, at least forty monsters cried out at once, barrelling to the side. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. I thought we were going to die then and there, but they didn't attack. They just ran past us and crashed into their southern allies.

Just where they had been, appeared a rusted old ute covered in monster dust, and in the drivers seat, was Hannah. A new blast of horns shattered the night behind her. The air shimmered, and in a blur of movement, an entire cavarly appeared as if dropping out of light speed.

Hannah grinned, slammed her foot on the accelerator, and led an enture cavalry of centaurs into battle. A shower of arrows arched over our heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporising hundreds of them. But they weren't regular arrows, and instead made sounds as they flew. Some had pinwheels attached to them. Others had boxing gloves rather than points.

"Yeah, baby!" one of them wailed. "PARTY!"

The Party Pony━Chiron's brothers━filled the entire block after Hannah, hundreds of them. Hannah shouted with glee as she ran over monster after monster, and I wondered whether she had stolen that car from somewhere, because we certaintly didn't own that.

"Percy!" Chiron shouted across the sea of wild centaurs. He was dressed in armour from the waist up, his bow in his hand, and he was grinning, "Sorry we're late!"

"DUDE!" yelled another centaur. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!"

He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blased a hellhound bright pink. The paint must have been mixed with Celestial Bronze, because the creature let out a yelp and exploded into pink-and-black monster dust. Seconds later, Hannah drove right over it, heading straight towards some dracaenae who screeched in fear and tried to run only for the bull bars on the car━glittering Celestial Bronze━to completely demolish them.

"Take that!" Hannah shouted at them. "You pieces of snake shit!"

"PARTY PONIES!" a centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER!"

Somewhere across the battlefield, a voice replied, "HEART OF TEXAS CHAPTER!"

"HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted.

The whole Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a food of paint balls, arrows, swords, NERF baseball bats and Hannah's huge farm truck, it and the centaurs trampling everything in their path.

"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and━"

The last part was cut off as a panicked Hyperborean stumbled backwards and landed on top of him, disappearing under a giant blue backside. We pushed them for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"

It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and they started to pull back, letting the enemy fear. I nodded, taking a deep breath and flexing my arm━gods, it's stupid how much it hurts. "Chrion's smart," I said. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."

"But the enemy━" Percy tried to argue, but I held a hand up.

"Aren't defeated, yeah, I know," I agreed. "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time. And we gotta find Annabeth and Cain, I haven't seen them anywhere..."

Percy pursed his lips, looking very worried. "They'll be fine ... I'm sure ..." he didn't sound so sure. But we pulled back away, watching the last of the telkhines scuttle towards the East River. I hoped to see Annabeth and Cain amongst the crowd of demigods that had returned to the Empire State Building, but so far, there was no sight of either of them.

We set up a two-block preimite, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union━forty from California, two from Rhode Island, thirty from Illinois. Roughly five hundred total had answered his and Hannah's call. But even with that many, I knew we couldn't defend more than a few blocks.

I kept glancing to the door, hoping that Annabeth and Cain would burst through the doors, alive. My heart raced, thinking the worst more and more as time passed by.

"Dude," said a centaur named Larry. "That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!"

"Yeah," added Owen from South Dakota. "We totally wasted them!"

Chiron patted Owen on the back, "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos should never be underestimated. Now, why don't you vist the diner on West Thirty-third and get some breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."

"Root beer!" they almost trampled each other as they galloped off.

Hannah stepped away from them and towards me. Seeing my arm, she sighed, "What did you do?"

"She saved my life," said Percy, and Hannah frowned at the two of us. She crossed her arms and arched a brow, and I went red, because I had a feeling I knew exactly what she was thinking about.

Either way, she stepped forward and hugged me. When she pulled away, I gave Chiron a hug as well. Mrs O'Leary licked his face.

"Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you, too."

"Chiron, Hannah, thanks," said Percy. "Talk about saving the day."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bled distance as we ride. Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies are not exactly organised."

"Yeah, until they met me," scoffed Hannah.

A thought crossed my mind, and I frowned. "Wait, how'd you get through the magic defences around the city?"

"They slowed us down a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep mortals out. Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."

"So maybe other reinforcements can get through," Percy said hopefully.

Chiron stroked his beard, "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side ..."

I pursed my lips. My arm seemed to ache suddenly, and I flexed it, nervous.

"And Typhon?" Percy asked hesitantly, sparing me a glance.

Chiron's face darkened. He studied me for a moment. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians. No one has seen him since. Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia. He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhon's approach. But the monster cannot be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces━"

"Maybe ... maybe that's what is meant to happen," I whispered, anxious. "Maybe he's meant to reach New York and that's when I face him?"

"But we won't be able to stand here if he does," Percy murmured. "I don't━I'm not saying you can't do it, but I'm worried about everyone else. We can't hold out another day."

"We'll have to," said Thalia. "I'll see about setting some new traps around the perimeter."

She looked exhausted━but didn't we all? Thalia stood up, staggering off. I couldn't stop myself, and so I called her back to ask, "Can you spare some Hunters to search for Annabeth and Cain? I haven't seen them at all."

Thalia grimaced. "I'll ... I'll see what I can do, Claire..."

(She sounded so pained that I felt bad for asking).

"I will help her," Chiron decided. "I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer. Hannah, you join Thalia━you are quite good with traps."

Hannah nodded. She met my gaze, a look of please be careful, and I tried to reply with one back. Chiron offered her to hop up onto his back and he cantered off, leaving Percy and I alone.

He glanced at me, and I took a deep breath, flexing my arm again and trying not to wince. "At least your dad is okay," he offered.

"If you call fighting Typhon okay," I locked eyes with him. "I━I have dreams, Percy ... they're barely keeping up and I'm meant to ... I don't think I can ..." I hated how my throat closed up. "I don't think I can stop him, Percy..."

Percy frowned, "I have faith you will."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not," he told me, and I faltered. "Claire, you are the one person I trust most in this whole world. I always trust you to have my back, and you do. You've saved my life countless of times. If anything, I'm worried for Typhon when he meets you, and I mean that."

My chest fluttered. Pursing my lips, I tried to hide my blush by scratching my nose. But I think he saw. I wanted to believe him, and he almost makes me do. But Typhon is the worst monster of all time ... and if the gods can't defeat him ... what chance do I? A demigod, half-mortal against him?

"But, Percy," I then said, other worries clouding my mind. We were outnumbered. Annabeth and Cain were nowhere to be seen. We've lost so many ... "Even with the centaurs' help, I'm starting to think━"

"I know," he sighed. I had a bad feeling this might be our last chance to talk, and there were a million things I wanted to tell him, but I just couldn't. "Listen, there were some ... some visions Hestia showed me."

"You mean about Luke?"

He blinked, started I guessed so easily. I rolled my eyes and gave him a look that said, you really think I wouldn't find out? Well, I didn't know exactly, but I know his face when he's holding back something about Luke, and he had that face whenever he's talked to me recently.

Percy sighed, "Yeah. You, Annabeth, Thalia and Luke. The first time you met ... in the alleyway..." he looked grim. "And then I saw the first time you met Annabeth. And the time you met Hermes."

My good arm reached up, and my fingers grasped my necklace, twisting it around as I thought back to those nights; especially the night in the alleyway after Luke and Thalia found me:

Morning arrived, and Claire Moore opened her eyes. She grinned when she saw the two balls of light in front of her, which now blended in with the Miami sunlight. Quickly sitting up, she looked around for the man she had met the night before, but frowned when she saw no one at all. Instead, at her side, was a yellow duffel bag. A smile formed on her lips. She didn't know it then, but that man seemed so familiar; the thought of him made her heart clench with warmth and goosebumps rise up on her arms.

The only thing she recognised in the duffel bag was a juice box, a packet of choc chip cookies, and a packet of dinosaur pasta. Everything else was foreign to her, but an off thought told her that she needed them.

That was when she heard a voice.

"Thalia! Look!"

Claire looked up to see two figures at the start of the alleyway. Both were much older than her━one was a boy, about fourteen while the other, was a girl around the age of twelve. The boy had sandy blond hair, upturned eyebrows and nose, along with a crooked smile. But his eyes held not just mischievousness, but kindness as well. The girl next to him had features like a hawk; black, short spiky hair and a piercing blue gaze, like lightning. She was dressed in all black.

Both held weapons. The boy had a knife and sword strapped to his belt, while the girl held a spear. At the sight of the weapons, Claire brought her blanket over her head, hoping they wouldn't see her.

"Hey! Wait!" the boy said, and she heard running footsteps come her way. "Hey, hey, it's okay."

She felt the two of them kneel in front of her.

"I'm not here," Claire mumbled, hoping they would go away. Instead, she heard the boy chuckle.

Slowly, her curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked out over the top of her blanket.

"It's okay," the boy said with a warm smile. "We won't hurt you," he placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "That's Thalia━" he nodded to the girl beside him, who gave Claire a smile. They boy looked back at her. "And I'm Luke. What's your name?"

Claire was hesitant. Her mom always told her not to talk to strangers ... but she also just left her alone. But━but maybe she was coming back! Yes, she was coming back ... right?

"C━Claire," she mumbled, watching the boy with wide and terrified eyes. "Claire Moore."

"And what are you doing down here, alone, Claire?" asked Luke, and he sounded very concerned and nice. Not like those bad strangers at all she was warned about.

"M━My mom went to go get stuff for Timmy, and she hasn't come back yet. A━And this man came and gave me food and cool stuff and powers and then he went away too! But I'm sure they're coming back. So, I've been waiting."

The boy Luke, and the girl, Thalia, shared an uneasy look. Luke took a deep breath and squeezed Claire's shoulder. "Hey, Claire ... I don't think they're coming back."

"Why not?"

Thalia pursed her lips, "We don't know, kiddo. But you can stay with us, if you want."

"Yeah," nodded Luke, giving Claire a warm smile. "We'll look after you. We can be your family, and I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"Luke ..." I found it hard to meet Percy's eyes, scared he'd be ashamed of me that I still couldn't let go, after all this time. After the amount of times he used me and manipulated me ... I just couldn't let go. It took me years to let go of my mom ... I was scared that it was going to take me just as long to let go of the Luke in that alleyway. "He ... he promised me that he wouldn't let anything hurt me, that he'd look after me. That he and Thalia would be my family ..."

"Thalia talked to me earlier," Percy said. "She's afraid━"

"That Annabeth and I can't face Luke?" I offered miserably.

Percy nodded. "But there's something else you should know. Ethan Nakamura seemed to think Luke was still alive inside his body, maybe even fighting Kronos for control."

My heart skipped with sudden hope, and it made me furious with myself. Percy saw my reaction, and I think he knew exactly what I was thinking. "I didn't want to tell you," he admitted.

I sighed, and held the necklace tighter. "Perc ... I was abandoned; alone, scared, and still thinking that my mom would come back. For years, I still held onto that. That━that maybe she would just appear outside of camp, wanting to take me home. That I would see Timmy again. That ... that she still loved me ... that I still had a family. But then, with Luke, and Thalia and Annabeth, I found another family; but it all fell apart almost just as quickly as it did with my mom━and yet I still ... I still think ... I just ... What I'm saying is that I want to be loved, so badly, to be shown that I'm worthy of love, and since I never got the right love, I love feircly instead to fill that hole ... I still love Luke so fiercly because he left such a big hole, and I need something to refill it, and so I guess I go looking for the same thing that dug it through ... maybe that's why I want to be a performer so much; to have fans to..."

"To love you when your mom didn't," Percy said.

I held his gaze. "Sounds like my fatal flaw again, doesn't it. I can't move on, can't accept the people that I thought loved me, didn't love me back ..."

Percy pursed his lips, and I wondered whether he was thinking back to the Sea of Monsters, where I had been entranced by the Siren's song. "I guess I understand how you feel," he then said. "But Thalia's right. Luke has already betrayed you and Annabeth so many times. He was evil even before Kronos. I don't want him to hurt you anymore."

Breath cascaded from my lips, and I tried not to let the lump in my throat get the best of me. "I don't want him to, either," I murmured. "But ... but I keep letting myself fall into that trap again and again ..."

I expected Percy to say something after that━he usually did. But instead, he stayed silent, and stared at me ... and kept staring at me. I frowned, a little weirded out. Stepping back a little, I clicked my fingers in front of his face. He blinked, jumping. "What are you looking at?"

Percy glanced around, confused. "Uh ... nothing, I guess ..."

Something caught his eye. In seconds before I could ask what was wrong, Percy bolted down the street. I frowned, "Percy?" I called after him. "Percy━where are you going?!"

Following him, it didn't take long until I realised. He stopped by a beaten-up blue Prius, tugging at the car door. Looking inside, I gasped━Sally was in there, as was Paul Blofis. Percy pulled and slammed his hands, his body against the window, trying to break in, but he couldn't. The more and more he failed in opening up the door, the more desperate and anguished he became.

"They━they must've seen those blue lights in the sky!" Percy rattled the doors. "I━I need to get them out!"

"Percy," I tried to calm him, but he started to cry, tugging more and more at his mother's car. "Percy━we'll get them out━"

"I can't just leave them here!" he cried, pounding on the windshield. "I have to move them. I have to━"

"We will━Percy, just━hold on," holding his arm, I waved to Chiron who was talking to some centaurs down the block. "We can push the car to a side street, all right? They're going to be fine."

His hands trembled, and I moved mine from his arm to cover them, squeezing tightly as we waited for Chiron to gallop over. As soon as he arrived, his face turn ashed, "What━Oh, dear. I see..."

"They were coming to find me," said Percy. "My mom must've sensed something was wrong."

"Most likely," said Chiron. "But, Percy, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job."

"He's right," I told Percy gently. "We'll get them somewhere safe..." my voice trailed away when I saw something in the backseat of the Prius. My heart skipped a beat. In the seat behind Sally, was a black-and-white Greek jar about a metre tall with a lid wrapped in a leather harness.

"No way ..." breathed Percy.

"Is that...?" I pressed my hand against the window, peering through. "Oh, my Gods━it is! But ... but Cain told me you left that at the Plaza."

"Locked in a vault," he agreed.

Chiron saw the jar and his eyes widened. "That isn't━?"

"Pandora's Jar," Percy told him about his meeting with Prometheus.

"Then the Jar is yours," said the centaur grimly. "It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest."

Percy's shoulders sagged. He glanced at his parents. I saw the change of expression━the defeat that burned into anger. I stepped back, and Percy drew his sword and cut through the driver's side of the car like it was made of paper. "We'll put the car in neutral," he said. "Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus."

Chiron nodded. "A good plan. But, Percy..."

Chop-chop-chop.

I stopped. "What the actual━?"

Looking up, I wasn't sure whether I was surprised, alarmed, kind of impressed, or beyond annoyed. After two days of barely any sound that consisted of car alarms or planes, a helicopter coming out of nowhere was a real jolt to the senses. But to see what was written on the side of the dark helicopter made my blood boil: DARE ENTERPRISES.

"Of course," I muttered, my hands clenching into fists. "Who else would be dumb enough to ride a helicopter into a war-zone? How did she even get in through the barrier?"

"Who?" Chiron was confused. "What mortal would be insane enough━?"

The helicopter pitched forward.

"The Morpheus enchantment!" said Chiron. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep."

Oh for the love of all the gods ... Rachel Elizabeth Dare's helicopter tilted to the side, falling towards a row of office buildings. Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would sure swat it out of the way for coming near the Empire State Building.

Which meant, someone had to save her dumb ass.

(That someone, being me).

Annoyed, I whistled for a pegasus, and Guido swooped in out of nowhere. He landed beside me, and with a grit of my teeth, I jumped onto his back. "Come on, Percy," I said to the son of Poseidon bitterly, "Let's go and save your friend."

° ° °

a/n: this chapter was going to be longer, but i thought, eh, what the hell and published it.

i wonder what happened to cain and annabeth?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!? are they okay???? what happened???? are they okay?!?!?!?!?!?!??!