Indigo Eyes

Chapter 126

But by the time they returned to the street, it was too late.

Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse must've lost a fight with a Hyperborean giant, because she and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen. Either they'd panicked and ran, or they'd been disintegrated. The Titan army ringed the building, standing maybe ten metres from the doors. Kronos's vanguard was in the lead – Ethan Nakamura, the dracaena queen in her green armour and two Hyperboreans.

In fact, the only thing that stood between him and them was....

"Chiron," Annabeth said, her voice trembling.

The Titan Lord spared them a glare before their bodies froze turning his attention back to Chiron. "Step aside, little son."

"I'm afraid not." Chiron's tone was steely calm, the way he gets when he's really angry.

They couldn't move, none of them could move. And Cressida was beginning to panic.

"Cress. Cress, listen to me," Percy urged. "For Castor. You have to stay calm a little bit longer. For Castor."

"For Castor," she repeated over and over again as she tried to quell her fear.

"Chiron!" Annabeth said. "Look out!" The dracaena queen became impatient and charged. Chiron's arrow flew straight between her eyes, and she vaporized on the spot, her empty armour clattering to the tarmac. Chiron reached for another arrow, but his quiver was empty. He dropped the bow and drew his sword. He hated fighting with a sword.

"You're a teacher," Kronos sneered. "Not a hero."

"Luke was a hero," Chiron said. "He was a good one, until you corrupted him."

"FOOL!" Kronos's voice shook the city. "You filled his head with empty promises. You said the gods cared about me!"

"Me," Chiron noticed. "You said me."

Kronos looked confused, and in that moment, Chiron struck. It was a good manoeuvre – a feint followed by a strike to the face, but Kronos was quick and he had all of Luke's fighting skills.

He knocked aside Chiron's blade and yelled, "BACK!" A blinding white light exploded between the Titan and the centaur. Chiron flew into the side of the building with such force the wall crumbled and collapsed on top of him.

"No!" Annabeth wailed. The freezing spell broke and they went running for the centaur but he was buried too deep.

"YOU!" Annabeth turned on Luke. "To think that I – that I thought –" She drew her knife.

"Books," Cressida said warning.

"Annabeth, don't," Percy said but she was already launching herself at Kronos as his smug smile faded. 

Perhaps some part of Luke remembered that he used to like this girl, used to take care of her when she was little. She plunged her knife between the straps of his armour, right at his collarbone. The blade should've sunk into his chest. Instead, it bounced off. Annabeth doubled over, clutching her arm to her stomach. The jolt might've been enough to dislocate her shoulder before Percy yanked her back and Kronos swung his scythe, slicing the air where she'd been standing.

Annabeth fought Percy's grip. "I HATE you!" she screamed but it was impossible to tell who she was talking to before she and Percy started arguing.

Kronos laughed. "So much spirit. I can see why Luke wanted to spare you. Unfortunately, that won't be possible."

He raised his scythe.

They got ready to defend, but before Kronos could strike, a dog's howl pierced the air somewhere behind the Titans' army. "Arroooooooo!"