𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

Memories feel like weapons

Mary knocked the blade out of her hand with a strong hit.

The sound of metal hitting the ground echoed throughout the empty courtyard. "Do you hear that?" The woman asked. "That is the sound of defeat."

Evangeline stared at her mother while clutching her bleeding hand. "I did it exactly like you told me to, what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't pay enough attention," The older woman hissed. "If you had focused on my blade instead of me, maybe you would have won."

The brunette frowned. "I don't want to fight anymore."

"You don't have a choice, in this world, you are not going to survive without fighting."

"Why are you always saying that?" Evangeline demanded. "Nothing bad ever happens, so why are you always telling me to survive? I don't want to fight anymore, I want to go and play with other kids, I want to be a normal person."

The older woman watched as the blood seeped out of the cut on her daughter's hand. Mary sighed, shaking her head. "If you don't stop being so naive you are bound to be killed."

By the time they arrived, it was already 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. Which either meant they panicked and ran or disintegrated. The skeletons had managed to stay intact and were guarding Olympus.

The Titan army rang the building, standing maybe twenty feet from the doors Grandpa Kronos' bitches were in the lead: Ethan Nakamura, the dracaena queen in her green armor, and two Hyperboreans.

The brunette didn't see Prometheus anywhere but she did see the old man standing right in front with his scythe in his hand.

The only thing standing in his way was...

"Chiron," Annabeth said, her voice trembling.

If the centaur had heard them, he didn't answer. He had an arrow notched, aimed straight at Kronos' face.

As soon as Kronos saw the daughter of Hades, his gold eyes flared. The Titan turned his attention back to Chiron. "Step aside, little son."

It was a bit weird to hear Kronos calling Chiron his son but Kronos sounded like Mary as if referring to their children as son or daughter was the worst thing they could think of.

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

She tried to move, but her feet felt like concrete. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia were straining too, like they were stuck as much as she was.

"Chiron!" Annabeth called. "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 armor clattering to the asphalt.

Chiron reached for another arrow, but his quiver was empty. He dropped the bow and drew his sword. Evangeline knew the centaur hated fighting with a sword.

Kronos chuckled. He advanced a step and Chiron's half-horse skittered nervously. His tail flicked back and forth.

"You're a teacher," The Titan sneered. "Not a hero."

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

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