Disclaimer: I don't own anything from PJO or HoO. Rick Riordan owns those things.

Ch. 25 War Part 1

Thalia's POV:

Adrenaline coursed through my body as I engaged Hyperion. My senses were heightened. I was hyperfocused on Hyperion, able to anticipate his movements and counter. The world blurred around me as we fought. Lightning was surrounding my body like armor, frying any monster within 5 feet of me. I blocked each stab, parried each slash; and whatever I didn't bounced off of me. Some of my slashes found his arms, slowly draining ichor from his body. With the help of some of the hunters and a couple of children of Apollo, I pushed Hyperion back towards Central Park where the plan was to ensnare him.

As soon as we were close to the edge of the park, I blasted him with a bolt of lightning, using my spear as a conduit. He was launched backwards through some trees before stopping. Grover and the nymphs began playing their music while Hyperion was dazed. Ropes and tendrils of vines and woods began encompassing him. They were done as soon as he regained some sense of self to realize what was happening. The last thing he did was scream in anger.

An Iris Message appeared in front of me. It was Angela. She had a couple scrapes and a gash on her left arm.

"We need your help at the George Washington Bridge. Kronos is here."

"I'm on my way."

The message cut out.

"Nico!"

He appeared in a swirling mass of black.

"Yeah, I heard. Let's go."

He grabbed my hand, and we were on the bridge. I would never get used to that feeling of coldness and despair. I shook it off. I needed to focus.

"Thanks, Neeks."

"No problem."

Then he was gone.

"Thalia, over here!"

I turned around to see an army of monsters and demigods at the opposite of the bridge with Kronos at the front of it. I recognized some of the demigods. Most were unclaimed campers stuck inside of the Hermes cabin.

"What's the assessment?"

"About roughly fifteen of us active enough for battle with another three wounded." Michael Yew reported. He was the head of the Apollo Cabin.

"What about Kronos's army?"

"It's a collection of demigods, telekhines, empousai, the Minotaur, and Kronos." Angela responded. "But they're just waiting at the other side of the bridge. They haven't moved since gathering at the other side."

"What do you think they're waiting for?"

"Probably for the sun to set. Monsters tend to have more power at night."

"Then we'll need to attack quickly. How many do we have here?"

"6 of us are here, while the rest are spread out at other areas."

"That's good." At least we had archers to help back us up. I had asked the hunters to split themselves up and go to the areas with the fewest troops. New York was a big area, and I couldn't cover every thing on my own. "Angela, who's all here?"

"Aside from us and the Apollo cabin, we've got a couple of Ares cabin members, four members from the Enyo cabin, and several others from Demeter, Khione, Nike, and Thanatos cabins. There's roughly 50 of us here."

"Good. Let everyone know. When Kronos's army advances, me and the Ares and Enyo campers will be the main force and advance. Everyone else will be support and watch our backs. Those that can attack from a distance should do so."

Angela and Michael spread word to the troops, while I approached or end of the bridge. Lu - Kronos was sitting on a throne carried by two cyclopses. Demigods were at the front of his battalion, followed by telekhines, empousai, hellhounds, and the Minotaur. They definitely seemed to outnumbered us. The Ares and Enyo campers arrived beside me, waiting for some kind war cry/speech. I honestly didn't know what to say.

"Are y'all ready to show these monsters and traitors why we're the best?"

It wasn't much, but they seemed to like it. They smiled and began beating their shields with their weapons. The enemy charged as the sun set, and we met them head on at the middle of the bridge. I sent out a bolt of lightning and blasted back several of those on the frontline. Many of the monsters hit with the bolt had turned into dust, while the demigods were either shocked unconscious or severely burned. I felt adrenaline begin to surge through my body as I jumped into the fray. I became more alert and aware of my surroundings as I jabbed, bashed, and hit. Aegis frightened the opponents and protected my mortal point. I coated my spear in an electric current, shooting out bolts and zapping nearby enemies as I stabbed through them. I was unstoppable. No one could equal me, and I took down any monster or demigod that thought that they could.

When I faced off against the Minotaur, he put up a better fight than any of the others. But the Achilles' curse in combination with the power from the Ophiotaurus made him seem slower than usual as I stabbed him through his right knee. I jumped over his arm as he attempted to hit me going down. I moved behind it as he went down and bashed his head with the edge of my shield. It spun around and tried to grab me, but I started running up its arm. I jumped up and jammed my spear through its skull, turning him into dust.

I cut my way through monsters and enemy demigods until I finally reached Kronos. He was just waiting at the back of his army like a coward. I quickly electrocuted the cyclopses, Kronos and his makeshift throne slamming down onto the ground. Luke's eyes glowed a bright golden color, and he suddenly had an imposing aura. It was as though he was trying to get me to submit. I wasn't sure if it was my pride as a child of Zeus or the power from the Ophiotaurus that kept me standing. Time froze around us. Everything had stopped moving, but Kronos and I were the only ones moving normally.

"You should be more careful, Thalia. You might get hurt."

Those words coming from Kronos's voice but Luke's face were unsettling. It reminded me of the times that we were on the run and had each other's back. It was similar to when he would comfort a frightened young Annabeth who was now dead because of him. But the gold eyes stayed as a haunting reminder that the Luke I knew was gone. My grip on my spear tightened; and I held Aegis up, protecting my body and forearm.

"I'm not backing down, Kronos. I'll be sending you right back to Tartarus."

Kronos's eyes narrowed. He brandished his scythe. I felt a chill go down my spine. There was something off about it.

"Interesting."

I gripped my spear tighter, prepared for any sudden movements.

"We'll be back tomorrow, Thalia Grace, and the rule of the gods will be over."

Kronos smirked, and time resumed to its normal pace.

"I'll give you all a chance to say your goodbyes."

Kronos and his remaining army disappeared in a flash of green. Angela was one of the first to run up to me.

"Thalia, what are we going to do next?"

"We'll fall back closer to the Empire State Building. I've got a bad feeling about tomorrow."

Perseus's POV:

Regroup and prepare for tomorrow were my father's orders.

"Father, you must seek reason. As much as I dislike Olympus, Kronos is far worse; and with Typhon loose, the others need your help."

"Atlantis needs protection as well, Perseus. This place will not survive against Oceanus on their own."

"You cannot fight a war on two sides, father."

"You'd have me abandon my people?"

"No, leave some troops to guard with Triton, your son and the crown prince." I responded. "He seems capable of leading. We also dealt a heavy blow to Oceanus's troops today, so it will most likely be a while until he mounts a serious attack again."

Poseidon's eyes turned dark as he thought it over. I pulled up an Iris message. Typhon was nearing New York, and the gods were having difficulties preventing Typhon from getting closer.

"If Typhon or Kronos conquer Olympus, you'll be much weaker; and Oceanus will take over Atlantis. Father, you need to decide now: your pride or your home."

Nico's POV:

My dad had been laughing for some time now. Bianca and Persephone had made a wonderful rendition of Zeus getting the shit beat out of him. Bianca had been enjoying her time, getting to be a kid again.

"Father." I called to get his attention back to my request.

"Nico, my boy, why should I help those entitled gods up there?"

"Because you'd get to lord it over Zeus after the war,. And if you heroically decimated Kronos's troops, he'd have to honor you in front of everyone."

Hades gave me a pleased smile as he imagined it.

"Okay, I'll help. Just let me know when."

~The Next Day~

Thalia's POV:

Kronos's entire army was assembled. He was accompanied by other Titans like Crius, Iapetus, and Pallas, and I could see Typhon in the distance. Many of us were still exhausted or fatigued from yesterday, while Kronos's troops looked refreshed and fully ready to kill. We were so screwed.

AN: Sorry it took so long to post an update for this one!

Constructive criticism is much appreciated.