Ivy Pittaluga had always made a solemn vow to keep her distance from Percy Jackson, determined to keep her world separate from the camp hero.
However, she realizes that fate has a mischievous plan in store for her. Suddenly thrown together as unlik...
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By the time we got back down to the street, it was too late. Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen.
The Titan army ringed the building, standing twenty feet from the doors. Kronos's vanguard was in the lead: Ethan Nakamura, the dracanae queen, and two Hyperboreans. Kronos stood right in front with his scythe in hand. Chiron was the only one standing in his way.
"Chiron." Annabeth said, her voice trembling.
Chiron had an arrow notched, aimed straight at Kronos's face. Kronos must have seen Percy, because his golden eyes flared. Then it felt like I was frozen and stiff. The Titan lord turned his attention back to Chiron.
"Step aside, little son." Kronos said.
It was weird seeing Luke be the host of Kronos. It was even weirder hearing him call Chiron son.
"I'm afraid not." Chiron's tone was steely calm, the way he gets when he's really angry.
I tried to move forward, but my feet felt like concrete. My arms felt stiff and heavy. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover were straining too, like they were just as stuck.
"Chiron!" Annabeth said. "Look out!"
The dracanae charged. Chiron's arrow flew straight between her eyes and she vaporized on the spot, her empty armor clattering took the asphalt. Chiron reached for another arrow, it his quiver was empty.
He dropped his bow and drew his sword. Kronos chuckled. He advanced a step, and Chiron's horse-half skittered nervously. His tail flicked back and forth.
"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. I titled my head at the last word he spoke. Luke was still alive in there.
"Me." Chiron noticed. "You said me."
Kronos looked confused and Chiron struck. He feinted followed by a strike to the face. Kronos knocked aside Chiron's blade.
"BACK!" Kronos yelled.
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. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach.
"No!" Annabeth wailed.
The freezing spell broke. We all ran toward our teacher, but there was no sign of him. Thalia, Percy, and I pulled helplessly at the bricks while a ripple of ugly laughter ran through the Titan's army.
