Annabeth Chase and the Last Olympian

Chapter 26 - I take a quick nap mid fight

Kronos hadn't waited for us to arrive before starting on trashing the throne room. The doors to the palace had been completely ripped off despite being the size of a cruise ship and smashed apart to form a barrier to our entrance. Only Grover found it easy to clamber over the twisted metal and broken stone, and he was the most reluctant to actually get inside. 

We found Kronos standing in the middle of the throne room, a delighted look on his face as he took in the empty thrones and the starry ceiling. 

"Finally!" he bellowed, cackling laughter erupting from him as he opened his arms. "The Olympian Council - so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first!"

The hearth was down to no more than a few coals, barely enough to provide any light. Hestia was gone, and so was Rachel for that matter. I hope that they were both far out of the way. I didn't know what was going to happen next, but it'd be easier if they weren't around. The Ophiotaurus was still there though, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible by remaining silent and still. Hopefully Kronos wouldn't spot him,  but I wasn't willing to bet on it. Nothing good seemed to go my way lately. 

Ethan Nakamura stood off to one side, an uncomfortable look on his face as he eyed his master's scythe warily. By the way that Kronos was swinging it casually, I too would be concerned. It was he who spotted us when we stepped forward into the throne room, the torch light illuminating the three of us. 

"My lord," Ethan warned. 

Kronos turned to us and smiled. I felt like someone had punched me in the gut and I gasped. If you ignored the gold eyes and the giant scythe in his hands, he looked just like the Luke I knew, the one who cared for me, the one who gave me my knife. It was hard to reconcile that Luke with the monster that now stood in front of me, but it wasn't going to help us now. 

"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson?" Kronos asked, cocking his head at us. "Is that the choice you will make - to fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know."

"Luke would fight with a sword," Percy countered. "But I suppose you don't have his skill."

I would have chided him for taunting him, but I got enchanted by seeing the gold scythe morph into Backbiter, Luke's old sword that was half-steel and half-celestial bronze, perfect for killing demigods with either metal. A truly cursed blade. 

I gasped as all the pieces fell together. The prophecy had mentioned a cursed blade and we'd been thinking too literally of cursed blades, of Backbiter or Riptide. The memory that Athena had told me to remember blasted into my mind and I finally knew the truth. 

"Percy, the blade," I said urgently, unsheathing my knife to give to him. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap."

Percy looked at me in confusion, like he didn't want to be reminded of that line. But Kronos didn't give me time to explain it as he lunged at Percy, the son of Poseidon instinctively blocking his strike and meeting him in battle. 

Watching them, you could see that they were both expert swordsmen. Luke had been the best in camp, and Percy looked to be his equal in skill, but Luke now held Kronos' strength. Percy had been fighting for days non-stop and looked exhausted, while Kronos had left the fighting to his forces. It didn't help that Ethan had his sword out and was prowling around the two, trying to get Percy. 

He stepped quickly to one side, hoping to catch Percy off-guard, but I intercepted him, flicking my knife at him to push him away. As I met his eyes, I could see what he was trying to do. He knew where Percy's weak spot was and if he got the chance, he was going for it. But there was no way I was going to let him get that chance. I went on the offensive, keeping him away from Percy through quick darting feints, making him keep his eyes on me to avoid being slashed up.