I suggest that you maybe read the previous chapter, so you'll remember what the story was about again. I'm sorry...

"Okay, it's settled then." Chiron pauses and looks every person in the room in the eyes before saying:

"Let's prepare for war."

It's silent, nobody dares to make a sound.

It's night, the half-full moon providing little light to us. I'm standing on a smaller hill inside the camp, near the medic tents, so I can oversee the whole field. All the demigods stand ready for the battle that is to come. Next to me is Chiron, an arrow ready on his bow. I've uncapped Riptide and nervously look at the forest, where the Army can emerge from any second now.

Because of my night vision, I can easily make out everyone below me. To the right stands Nico, in the shadows of a tree. I can't see Jason, but I know he's behind me with the pegasi-riders. Piper and Annabeth are at the very front with most of the Ares cabin and other skilled warriors. I get a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I look at Annabeth. I don't know why, but I have a feeling as if I haven't said enough to her, like I miss something.

I shake my head and look at the forest opposite of us and the strawberry fields in between. The last two days, the Demeter cabin had tried to pluck as many strawberries as possible so they could save them from the battle.

I see Chiron looking at the sky with a small frown. We haven't heard anything of the Romans yet, not even an Iris-Message.

I feel a growing darkness and snap my gaze to the forest. The shadows there seem to growing longer and darker...

They're coming.

The first to emerge from the darkness is the Commander. His gaze flies over all of us, but it seems to linger on me a little longer. I swallow nervously and roll my shoulders a few times as my grip on Riptide becomes somewhat stronger.

Next are the other Soldiers, their black armour makes them almost invisible, except for the gleaming swords they hold in their hands.

And then the Army. Hundreds and hundreds of monsters emerge from the darkness. Hellhounds, gryphons, empousae, basilisks, laistrygonian giants, demigods even.

They all stop and we stare at each other for a moment, the monsters screaming, howling at us, wanting to rip our throats out. I cast a fleeting glance at the sky, still nothing. Everyone's waiting for the other side the make the first move. Finally, the Commander rises his sword and roars: "ATTACK!"

The monsters run past him and charge at us. Immediately the traps go off. Greek fire explodes around the monsters and many are lost to the fire, but not enough. I look at the spectacle of monsters falling into pits and never coming out again. I look at the Commander and he seems to panic for a moment, but he settles again as the many monsters still standing rush over their fallen comrades and charge us. I watch it with a frown on my face. There're still too many.

The front takes several steps back, but then wakes up and you can hear the battle-shouts of the Ares cabin as they also run forward to meet the enemies with a loud symphony of swords clashing against swords, claws scraping shields and screams of injuries. Chiron is furiously shooting arrows at the biggest monsters. The ground cracks open and skeletons crawl out of the depths to fight for us. The first injured are already coming towards the medic tents of the Apollo cabin. I'm mesmerized by it all. For a moment, I don't know what to do, which side I'm supposed to be on. A small whisper in my head keeps saying: you're on the wrong side, fight against this pathetic camp now you still can, but I shake it off and push it away. I look at the Commander, who still stands on the hill, smirking as the gryphons launch skywards. I feel wind rush behind me, what means that the pegasi are also up. Big thunderclouds cover the night-sky and every few minutes a lightning bolt shoots from the sky to roast monsters. I look back at the hills and see the Commander has vanished. Then, I see silver flash through the trees and volley after volley of arrows fly to the unprotected backs of the Army. For a moment, the monsters don't know what to do and it seems like we're on the winning side, but they easily slide back into war-mode and around hundred go to the forest to find the source of the arrows, the hunters. I remember how I and the other Soldiers have trained the Army and it makes me sick to know that, because of the training we gave them, they can kill easier. I try to shake the images of a dead Annabeth, Piper or Nico out of my head, knowing it would be my fault.

I can't stand still any more, I have to help my- my friends. I feel my abdomen to check the wound and find it healed enough to battle. I cast one last glance at Chiron and shadow-travel to the front. My sword already raised, I appear right in front of some hellhounds. The demigods around me jump back for a moment in shock, but then hastily deflect the attacks of the hellhounds. One of the hellhounds jumps at me and I duck at the right time. I raise my sword and it pierces the hound's belly. I get showered by golden dust. I feel the power of the night surge through me as I quickly stand up again to kill the next hellhound. In the corner of my eye I see three laistrygonian giants approaching some demigods who are still fighting other monsters. I let myself fall back into the shadows and am right in time to defend the demigods. As I run out of the shadows, I jump up high to push my sword through the giant's chest. One down, two to go.

The other two falter, looking perplexed at the golden dust of their fallen comrade. Then they look at me and charge with angry roars, their clubs raised. One swings it in a downward arc at my head, but I dodge to the side while jabbing my sword in his knee. I wrench it free as the giant howls in pain. While I was busy with Giant Number One, Giant Number Two tried to sneak up on me. Just as he tries to grab me with his hand, and probably crush me afterwards, I shadow-travel behind him and stab him in the back.

Like I have done to the rest of the Army.

Shut up!

I look up and see the demigods I was protecting finishing off the other giant. I travel back next to Chiron to see how things are going.

Not very good.

Injured demigods are surged into the medic tents while only half of them emerge after a fast treatment. Chiron is still shooting his unlimited amount of arrows, trying to defend all the campers, but there're too many monsters. I feverishly search the field for a familiar face and, luckily, after some minutes, I find Annabeth, but panic flares up in me as I see her fighting a Soldier. I want to help her, but what about the Soldier? My heart twists as I try to make a decision. Then I see the darkness growing around them and I know what he's going to do. I don't think anymore and shadow-travel behind Annabeth, right on time. Annabeth is already turning around, suspecting the Soldier has shadow-travelled behind her. The Soldier jumps out of the shadows, sword low to the ground for a low attack, when he sees me. I deflect his sword and try not to break down as I see the betrayal in #2's eyes. He was the one I had to protect when he put the armoury on fire. Because of the shock, he accidently lets his guard down, but I don't attack him, as I myself try not to be affected by the situation at all.

"Percy?"

"Number 9?"

They say it at exactly the same time, one behind me and one in front of me.

"I... I-"

My throat constricts as the betrayal in #2's eyes disappears and is replaced by fury.

"You're with them now? The Enemy?"

He aims his sword at my side and I'm just able to deflect it. A lump forms in my throat and I can't say anything.

"How- How could you?!" I can hear the hurt in his voice. He, who trusted me to guard him as he sabotaged the armoury. What am I doing?

"Percy!" Annabeth pushes me to the ground and parries #2's sword, which was about to puncture me in the shoulder.

They start circling each other, every once in a while one tries to hit the other, but it's always deflected or dodged. I lie paralyzed on the ground, mouth agape. The surety, it's all gone now. Doubt fills every fibre of my being all over again.

Then, a loud horn sounds above all noise. The duellists in front of me stop and look up at the sky, as do the others. I hurriedly snap my mouth shut before I also follow their gazes.

The storm has stopped, probably Jason's doing, and out of the still grey clouds appears a flying ship.

A flying... ship?

My mouth falls open again as my wide eyes follow the gigantic ship that flies in the air. On it stand hordes of kids in battle armour.

People start cheering and I see Annabeth's face lighten up with a small smile, too. I realise that must be Leo with the Romans.

And the weird thing is, my stomach also flutters with happiness. I close my eyes and try to hold it close to me. I'm happy, happy that the Romans have come to back us up. I wanted them to come, so we, Camp Half-Blood, could win... I... I finally know with sureness whose side I want to be on.

I open my eyes and silently stand up, hands gripping Riptide. I look at Annabeth and #2, who are still looking up at the sky.

While I sneak up to #2, I rise my sword in the air. He doesn't notice me until I hit him on the head with the flat of my sword, hard. His knees crumple as he falls face first to the ground. For a second, my eyes widen and panic surges trough me, but it's gone in a flash.

Annabeth looks a little shocked at the lying form of the soldier on the ground. Then, her eyes meet mine.

"Percy, are you alright?" she says as she puts her hand on my shoulder. I nod curtly, determination flashing in my eyes. "I'll be right back." I say as I grab #2 and shadow travel to the medic tents. Some demigods jump and look shocked at me and the soldier in my arms.

I drop him on a free bed and hurriedly tell them to keep him unconscious before I let the shadows effulge me again. I appear next to Annabeth, but have to hastily uncap and bring up my sword to kill an attacking hellhound. While I was away, the others have picked up where they left off again and the fight has come back full force. There's only one difference now.

We're on the winning side.

A small smile creeps on my face as I watch the Romans break through the enemies defences, but the smile is replaces by a confused frown as I see other people among the Romans.

I hear Annabeth gasp behind me.

"The Amazons, that's why it took Leo so long!"

I can't recall them, but, judging from Annabeth' reaction, it's good that they've also come.

The campers start fighting with renewed energy. Yells and roars are heard all over the field and are accompanied by howls of pain from the monsters. Annabeth and I also start fighting again, back to back, and I feel new power surge through me, but not only from the night. We hack and stab all the monsters that come in our way and with every fallen monster, the enemy seems to be getting less and less motivated to fight as their number decreases and the ground is coated in yellow dust.

And finally, finally, there's no monster left any more.

It's silent, peaceful almost.

I let out the breath I was holding in a shaky laugh and look at Annabeth beside me. She looks utterly drained, but her smile could light up the whole universe.

"NO!" screeches a voice suddenly around the field. My adrenaline spikes again as I look around me and notice a pitch black shadow growing from the woods. My eyes widen as my legs give out under me and I fall backwards. I try to scuttle away, but I stop as I see a hunched form kneeling on the ground before the silhouette of Lady Nyx.

"YOU HAD ONE JOB!" her shadow bellows. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WIN?"

"I- We... We hadn't counted on so many of them!" shouts the terrified man on the ground.

Wait.

That voice... It's familiar, but I never heard the owner of this voice so... scared.

"Wha-" I clamp my hand over Annabeth's mouth before she says more.

"YOU FAILED. BECAUSE OF YOU, ALL MY HARD WORK WAS FOR NOTHING!"

"It... It wasn't my fault!" yelps the Commander, scared out of his wits.

"OH YES IT WAS!"

The Commander clamps his hands together and raises them in the air. "No, no, please, listen! #9, Percy Jackson, he-"

"I SHOULD NEVER HAVE RECRUTED HIM, BUT THEN AGAIN, WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO REMOVE HIS MEMORY AND NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S? NO, IT'S YOUR FAULT AND YOU WILL PAY!"

My throat closes up as the shadow of Lady- no, of Nyx- deforms and clamps around the screaming Commander. The shadow seems to shrink, until it's gone, together with the Commander's cries of pain.

The night around us seems to become somewhat lighter, but It doesn't feel like a victory at all to me. My eyes start tearing up as I grab my hair with my hands and rest my head on my knees. It feels as if my head is swimming and everything I remember seems surreal.

She removed my memories? She removed it, placed me into Tartarus, to make me believe she was the good guy?

All feelings seem to flow out of me and all I can feel is emptiness as I try to make sense of it all.

I feel Annabeth's arms wrap around me and I lean against her, craving for her support. Her hand strokes my back as a strangled sob comes out of my throat.

Everything was a lie, everything. From the moment I woke up in Tartarus to now. From the memories I can't remember to everyone who remembered me. Everything I ever went through, I ever felt, I ever saw, it was all a lie. How is that possible?

Annabeth starts rocking me and, after what feels like hours, I feel myself relaxing in her arms. My sobs reduce to small hiccups and I feel myself drifting towards Hypnos' realm.

While I slowly lose consciousness, I focus on how Annabeth's holding me and how it's the only thing right now that feels unconditionally right.

-A/N-

Hopefully the chapter reached your expectations somewhat. I don't think of it as my best chapter.

BUT I did it! And really, it was pretty difficult to write it all down. That's also the main reason why it took me so long.

...

sorry again

I can at least say it genuinely took me some time to write this chapter.

on with the small talk

*GASP* it was Nyx! :0 Who also totally expected that? XD

I'm not sure if I did the feelings right, but yeah... I'm not a professional writer! (sadly)

This is NOT the end of it! (yay!) I'll write an epilogue, then the story's done (awww)

And really, thank you all for reading this story of mine! It's so nice knowing you write for people who are actually reading, it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside ^-^

(again, ver late) review responses (I'm sorry, again) 21 is awesome: Thank you so much for your review! It really motivated me to just write the battle scene and stop worrying about it. And Leo and the Romans came! :D and don't worry, this is not the last you'll hear from them. Percy still needs to meet Hazel and Frank! ;) annabethgrace6: Thank you too! (again :D) I'm SO glad you love it and I hope you'll like this too! Sorry about the not updating soon and stuff... I'll try even harder for the epilogue :) So, see you guys next chapter! :D Don't forget to fav/follow/comment, they're awesome, just plain awesome. I'm serious. Sincerly yours, Bookwormy78 :)