The Nature of a Demigod

Unusual Reinforcements

[Percy's POV]

No matter how many monsters I defeated, more took their place. Annabeth and I raced from block to block, trying to shore up our defenses. Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing.

As the night wore on and the moon got higher, we were backed up foot by foot until we were only a block from the Empire State Building in any direction. At one point Grover was next to me, bonking snake women over the head with his cudgel.

Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Thalia at my side, driving the monsters back with the power of her magic shield. Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth, and flung him into the air like a Frisbee.

Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind the enemy lines. Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on his face, I knew Annabeth had been there.

But it still wasn't enough.

"Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere off to my left. The problem was there were too few of us to hold anything. The entrance to Olympus was twenty feet behind me.

A ring of brave demigods, Hunters, and nature spirits guarded the doors. I slashed and hacked, destroying everything in my path, but even I was getting tired, and I couldn't be everywhere at once.

Behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine. I thought it was the sunrise. Then I realized Kronos was riding toward us on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners.

The Titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength. He was taking his time advancing, letting me wear myself down.

Annabeth appeared next to me. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!" She was right. Suddenly, two silver arrows plunked off of Kronos' head. He looked at his body where the arrows bounced off with a casual disinterest.

The titan lord turned quickly to laugh with the people behind him. That was a bad idea. As soon as he returned to sneer at us, something amazing happened.

I heard the flapping of wings, a neigh, and the swift collision of shoe on face, almost drowning out the sound of battle in the night air.

Hanging from the hoof of a metallic blue pegasus, Y/N kicked Kronos directly in the chin as they flew past. For only a moment, the titan's golden eyes flickered. But when he went to return the attack to Y/N, another assault of arrows launched his way, courtesy of Zoe.

I was about to try and order them to retreat with us, when I heard the hunting horn. It cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around us, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.

I glanced at Thalia, but she just frowned. "Not the Hunters," she assured me. "We're all here."

"Then who?" The horns got louder. I couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching.

I was afraid it might be more enemies, but Kronos's forces looked as confused as we were. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos's honor guard looked uneasy.

Then, to our left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. I thought we were doomed, but they didn't attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies.