The Animal Within

Chapter 18 - Dawn

Annabeth was sleeping peacefully until the ground trembled.

She thought that she'd seen the extent of Kronos' anger before, during the Battle for Manhattan. Maybe she'd become used to watching Kronos be at Percy's side, how the alpha demigod had won and declawed the Titan. That Percy had miraculously managed to tame the omega.

The daughter of Athena was ashamed to admit that she was very wrong.

Within seconds, a crack had webbed across the ground between the cabins as thunder roared overhead.

Annabeth and every one of her siblings jerked upright, their faces lit from the lightning cracking down onto the Camp's boundary.

"What's happened?" Malcolm gasped.

Annabeth snatched up her dagger. "I don't know," she said.

"HERA, RETURN HIM TO ME NOW!"

"Kronos," Annabeth sighed.

Malcolm couldn't shout over the thunder, so he waited for it to calm slightly. "Of course. Wonder what's got him so angry."

"HERA!"

Annabeth cracked open the door to the cabin, taking a step out onto the porch. The sight of Kronos throwing himself at the door of Hera's cabin like a heavily muscled, titanic battering ram made her want to duck back inside.

The Titan was glowing, but not in a good way. His mortal form was cracking and breaking apart, divine light seeping through. Part of Hera's cabin had caught fire from close proximity to him and the grass around his feet was writhing and smouldering. He didn't seem to notice, preoccupied with trying to smash the door down. Kronos' eyes glowed as he kept the storm overhead raging, battering against the Camp's boundary in an obvious attempt at causing complete obliteration of Hera's cabin.

"What's wrong with him?" Malcolm asked in bewilderment. "He's gone mad."

Annabeth could argue that the Titan was already completely insane, but even she had to admit that this was a new one from the omega.

The damned Titan would destroy the Camp.

Annabeth had to do something, but before she could she saw Luke leaping over the hearth in the centre of the cabins, over a fire-eyed young girl stoking the flames. The alpha demigod didn't even hesitate before he grabbed Kronos' shining bicep. His expression twisted slightly into a grimace and smoke curled from beneath his fingers, but he didn't let go.

The daughter of Athena couldn't hear their exchange over the thunder, but Kronos didn't look pleased with the interruption.

Before he could snap Luke into little dust particles, Hestia had stepped forwards.

The little goddess exchanged a few words with Kronos, even daring to gently touch his arm. Kronos' jaw tightened as he snapped something back at her, but then the anger seemed to rush out of him.

Thunder rumbled one last time before the clouds split apart, revealing the morning sunrise. And the giant crack that webbed across the green between the cabins. Hestia glanced at her sister's cabin and smothered the flames, revealing the undamaged wood beneath. Kronos' mouth twisted into a sneer and he looked ready to try again, but Hestia sharply shook her head and snapped something at him in Ancient Greek, too rapid for Annabeth to translate.

Luke had a grimace on his face as he stopped next to Annabeth, clutching at his blistered palm. "Ouch," he muttered. "Turns out that the Achilles Curse doesn't protect against divine assholes. I'll have to keep that in mind for next time."

From the look on Kronos' face, he wasn't ready to pretend to be patient enough to put up with insolent demigods. Luke squeaked and disappeared behind Annabeth.

Kronos' storm had battered relentlessly against the camp's boundaries, hard enough to crack the shield. As Annabeth watched, the hole in the barrier sealed itself over. She didn't miss Kronos' second look up with narrowed eyes.

Chiron finally dared to trot forwards, frowning rather disapprovingly at the Titan omega. "What – exactly – was that tantrum for?"

"She took Percy," Kronos seethed, returning his gaze to Hera's stoic cabin.

Chiron's tail flicked nervously. "Hera?"

"Yes!"

The centaur frowned. "And when did you arrive?"

"That's unimportant," Kronos dismissed. "But that cunt had Hypnos put me asleep. And she took my alpha."

Annabeth wasn't entirely sure if Kronos was irritated over the principal of having his alpha taken from him, or genuinely. "Percy? But where?" Annabeth gaze lingered on Hera's cabin, but she was at least thinking clearly to know that Percy wouldn't be in there. Then she realised that Kronos had been attacking the cabin just to try to get Hera to return. "She'll return him, right?"

Kronos didn't look particularly hopeful that that would happen.

Hestia sighed, casting a glance around the gathered demigods before returning her fiery gaze to her father. Kronos' eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. "I'm sorry," Hestia quietly said to Kronos, before she erupted into a column of flames.

Kronos batted them aside, looking irritated more than angry. "Hestia, get back here!"

The goddess didn't return.

Annabeth realised that Hestia was the first goddess they'd seen in a month, and definitely the first to talk with them.

Chiron's tail flicked and his horse legs pranced on the spot. "Kronos, come inside. Tell me exactly what happened."

For a second, Kronos looked like he was going to, before he shook his head and stepped back. "No. That's wasting time." He turned his gaze west, towards the Empire State building and Olympus. "I'll find out for myself."

"Wait – Kronos!" Chiron said sharply as golden wings erupted from the Titan's shoulder blades. At least he was taken the demigods into consideration and not flashing, though Annabeth stared in amazement as the wings stretched out behind him. "Olympus is closed!"

That was the first Annabeth had heard of that. "What do you mean closed?" She demanded.

"Yes, little son," Kronos growled, "why don't you explain to them what we've all sensed? In the meanwhile, I believe that Zeus is long overdue a visit from me."

The Titan shot into the sky fast enough to shake the ground and rip straight through the Camp's boundaries, and Annabeth was entirely certain that she heard a sonic boom as he disappeared to the west.

"Chiron?" Annabeth questioned.

The centaur sighed. "This isn't good," Chiron mused as he observed Kronos' crack in the ground.