Indigo Eyes

Chapter 63

Thalia went straight for Luke. The power of her shield was so great that his dragon-women bodyguards fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving him alone. But despite his sickly appearance, Luke was still quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counter-attacked. When his sword Backbiter met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.

Cressida seemed to have two heads as she battled the dragon women, trying to get to Artemis while vines grew from the earth and wrapped around Annabeth, pulling her from danger and breaking the cuffs around her wrists, the vines seeming to have a mind of their own.

As for Percy, he did the stupidest thing of his life, which was saying a lot and Cressida would probably kill him for it later. That's if Atlas didn't kill him first because that's who he chose to attack.

But as Percy's sword arm grew heavy, he remembered Ares' curse from two years ago - when he needed it most, his sword would fail him. And that was how he ended up getting knocked down in front of Artemis, Cressida already there as she broke the chains at the goddess's feet.

"Run, boy," she told him. "You must run."

Atlas was advancing and Percy was unarmed. His sword had gone over the cliff and maybe it would reappear in a few seconds, but Percy would surely be dead by then. Luke and Thalia were fighting like demons, lightning crackling around them. Annabeth had picked up a spear from a fallen dracaena as she fought, desperately trying to get to her friends.

"Die, little hero," Atlas said as he raised his javelin to impale him before Zoë fired a volley of silver arrows into the armpit chink in Atlas's armour. And as the Titan turned on his daughter, Percy was hauled to his feet.

"Take this," Cressida said as she shoved her spear into his hands. "Don't die. And tell my brothers I love them."

"What?! What are you doing?"

And then she did something that completely took his breath away, quite literally. She did something that he didn't dare dream about because he always imagined that she'd punch him and her punches hurt, even in a dream.

She kissed him.

And not on his cheek like she had before, this was a full, proper kiss on the lips that left him breathless and blushing like there was no tomorrow. He had no idea if he even kissed her back or if he was any good at it, it was his first kiss after all, but her magic hugs and even more magical cheek kisses were nothing compared to an actual kiss from her.

If he wasn't about to die and if he was given the chance, he could go on and on forever about that kiss and how he was fairly certain that he could never be kissed that well by anyone else.

And when she pulled away, she just smirked at him as she felt his cheeks warm under her hands. "I'm one-upping you."

And even if he hadn't been stunned by her kiss, there was no way he could move fast enough to stop her from what she was about to do.

She knocked Artemis out of the way and she fell to her knees as she took the weight of the sky.

The Titan's curse must one withstand.

"Cress! NO!"

But he was too late as she struggled under the weight.

"Give it to me. Wine Vine, give it to me," he begged as he knelt next to her, her eyes closed as she struggled to breathe like there were a thousand weights on her chest, which essentially there was.

"No," she strained, her voice weaker than Luke's. "You...You have to go!"

"Cress, you'll die! You'll burn if you do this!"