𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

The return of the addicts

Thalia and the head counselors were waiting for them at the Reservoir. The lights of the city were blinking on at twilight. Streetlamps glowed around the shore of the lake it gave the water and the trees a more spooky effect.

"They're coming," The daughter of Zeus confirmed, pointing north with a silver arrow. "One of my scouts just reported they've crossed the Harlem River. There was no way to hold them back. The army..." she shrugged. "It's huge."

"That's what she said," Landon said covering it up with a cough when Annabeth turned to him.

"We'll hold them back at the park," Percy said. "Grover. you ready?"

The satyr nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be. If my nature spirits can stop them anywhere, this is the place."

"Yes, we will!" said another voice. A very old, fat satyr pushed through the crowd, stumbling over his own spear. He was dressed in wood-bark armor that only covered half of his belly.

"Leneus?" Percy asked.

"I knew I smelled a rat," Evangeline mumbled under her breath.

"Don't act so surprised," Leneus huffed. "I am a leader of the Council, and Evangeline threatened me to find Grover. Well, I found him, and I'm not going to let a mere outcast lead the satyrs without my help!"

Behind the old satyr's back, Grover made gagging motions, but Leneus grinned like he was the savior of the day. "Never fear! We'll show those Titans!"

Evangeline could barely manage to hold in her laughter but Landon on the other hand was failing miserably. The son of Hermes had to hide his face behind Annabeth's back as he laughed.

"Um...yeah." Percy cleared his throat. "Well, Grover, you won't be alone. Annabeth and the Athena cabin will make their stand here. And me, Eve, and...Thalia?"

She patted the raven-haired boy on the shoulder. "Say no more. The Hunters are ready."

"That leaves the rest of you with a job just as important. You have to guard the other entrances to Manhattan. You know how tricky Kronos is. He'll hope to distract us with this big army and sneak another force in somewhere else. It's up to you to make sure that doesn't happen. Has each cabin chosen a bridge or tunnel?"

The counselors nodded grimly.

"Then let's do it," Percy said. "Good hunting, everybody!"

They heard the army before they saw the army.

The noise was like a cannon barrage combined with a football stadium crowd—like every sports fan in New England was charging them with bazookas.

At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods—a warrior in golden armor leading a battalion of Latrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other monsters poured out behind them.

"Positions!" Annabeth yelled.

Her cabin mates scrambled. The idea they had was to make the enemy army break around the reservoir. To get to them, they'd have to the trails, which meant they'd be marching in narrow columns on either side of the water.

At first, the plan seemed to work. The enemy divided and streamed toward them along the shore. When they were halfway across, their defenses kicked in. The jogging trail erupted in Greek fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. Others flailed around, engulfed in hellfire from the Underworld and green flames. Athena campers threw grappling hooks around the largest giants and pulled them to the ground.

In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line destroying twenty or thirty dracanea, but more marched behind them. A bolt of lightning crackled out of the sky and fried a Lairstyrgonian giant to ashes, and Evangeline guessed Thalia must be doing her daughter of Zeus thing.