Chaos Rising |BOOK 2| Harry Potter x PJO |Alexandra Marine|

BONUS: THE DAY SHE FELL IN THE SEA

Time slowed down. I mean literally slowed down, because Kronos had that power. Percy moved through the air like he was moving through syrup. Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for Percy to creep toward his death.

I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered. Dracaenae hissed with laughter.

Suddenly, the entire boat lurched sideways, throwing monsters off their feet. I stood my ground, arrow still nocked to the bow. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing everyone on the deck.

Percy normalized and struck at Kronos, but he was still too slow. Kronos sliced downward with his scythe. Percy leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right.

He kicked Kronos in the chest.

Kronos swung his scythe again. Percy stumbled backward, switched his sword to his left hand, and lunged desperately. The blade should've run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like he was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should've survived that.

Kronos laughed. "A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."

"Luke had a big head," Percy said. "But at least it was his head."

"A shame to kill you now," Kronos mused, "before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus. And as for you, Ariana," he turned to me, tutting, "I expected a better escape plan. So much for 'Athena always has a plan'. Take her away."

"No," I said, as the dracanae began to surround me. I let three arrows fly into them at the same time.. but there were too many for me to kill. One of them hissed and scratched my arm. I gave a shiver of pain and turned my bow into a sword and began to lunge at every thing that came in my way.

"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan." Percy said.

"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face—Luke's face—seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?"

He looked down at the pool and called, "Nakamura!"

The dracanae parted away from me as a teenage guy in full Greek armor pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch.

"Success, my lord," Nakamura called. "We found him just as we were told."

He clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.

"No!" Percy yelled.

Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something.

"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?"

"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?"

"He was going toward the engine room, my lord."

"How do you know that?"

"Er..." Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives."

Slowly, I began to understand. Beckendorf had fooled them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet.