Indigo Eyes

Chapter 125

Percy would like to say that he drove the enemy away from the Empire State Building, but really the girls did all the work.

Clarisse hopped back on her chariot, without armour or her spear and rode straight into the Titan's army, crushing everything in her path. And riding behind her was Annabeth and Cressida. Like their chariot competition years ago, Annabeth drove while Cressida ploughed through enemies, her weapon changing from a spear to a thyrsus as they went.

They were so inspiring that even the panicked centaurs started to rally.

The Hunters scrounged arrows from the fallen and launched volley after volley into the enemy. The Ares cabin slashed and hacked, which was their favourite thing. The monsters retreated towards Thirty-fifth Street. Clarisse drove to the drakon's carcass and looped a grappling line through its eye sockets. She lashed her horses and took off, dragging the drakon behind the chariot like a Chinese New Year dragon. She charged after the enemy, yelling insults and daring them to cross her.

Cressida and Annabeth retreated after a time after they realised they'd overextended and gone too far from their friends, but Clarisse came to no such realisation. Instead, she was glowing. An aura of red fire flickering around her.

"The blessing of Ares," Thalia said. "I've never seen it in person before." 

For the moment, Clarisse was as invincible as Percy was. The enemy threw spears and arrows, but nothing hit her.

"I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON-SLAYER!" she yelled. "I will kill you ALL! Where is Kronos? Bring him out! Is he a coward?"

"Clarisse!" Percy yelled. "Stop it. Withdraw!"

"What's the matter, Titan lord?" she yelled. "BRING IT ON!"

There was no answer from the enemy. Slowly, they began to fall back behind a dracaenae shield wall, while Clarisse drove in circles around Fifth Avenue, daring anyone to cross her path. The fifty-metre-long drakon carcass made a hollow scraping noise against the pavement, like a thousand knives.

Cressida could barely move her arms as she got off the chariot, and it seemed as if she was trying to convince Annabeth to let her have more ambrosia, at the very least the weak stuff. It didn't look like she was winning.

Meanwhile, they began bringing the wounded inside as Clarisse kept riding and calling for Kronos.

Chris said, "I'll watch her. She'll get tired eventually. I'll make sure she comes inside."

"What about the camp?" Percy asked. "Is anybody left there?"

Chris shook his head. "Only Argus and the nature spirits. Peleus the dragon is still guarding the tree."

"They won't last long," Percy said. "But I'm glad you came."

Chris nodded sadly. "I'm sorry it took so long. I tried to reason with Clarisse. I said there's no point in defending camp if you guys die. All our friends are here. I'm sorry it took Silena ..."

"My Hunters will help you stand guard," Thalia said. "Annabeth, Percy, Cress, you should go to Olympus. I have a feeling they'll need you up there – to set up the final defence."

"I need to find my brother anyway," Cressida said before Chris stopped her.

"Good luck," he said and while Percy saw him pass Cressida something in her hand, Annabeth didn't. Cressida grinned. "Thanks. Really."

"It's the least I can do," he winked and Cressida glanced at her two friends.

And together, they marched towards Olympus.