𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈.
we hereby conduct this post mortem

ᯓᡣ𐭩

𝐊𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐒' 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐘 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 immediately, barely leaving the campers time to defend themselves.

A storm of monsters, titans and demigods reached the entrance to Olympus, fighting everyone who was blocking their path. Camp Half-Blood's army fought back with all their might, refusing to give them Olympus.

Although the titans' army was huge, Kronos was nowhere to be seen. Maisie forced the thought away from her mind, concentrating on battling away the enemy forces, denying them entrance.

Battle cries could be heard all around, sounds of clinking swords and yelling filling the air. No matter where you looked, you could see fighting, bloodshed and people falling to the ground after having been brutally hit.

Maisie concentrated all her power on her will for this to end, giving it her all to help Olympus. The gods couldn't fall. If they did, Maisie didn't want to live to see that dark age.

During their fighting, Maisie spotted long, dark braids swinging next to her, recognizing Annabeth even from the corner of her eye. She felt some comfort, knowing she was fighting alongside her sister in this.

"Annabeth!" Maisie heard, sparing a glance to the source of the voice. Percy was standing next to Annabeth now, grabbing her arm. "Kronos is going to the throne room. We need to go," he said loudly as to be heard over all the commotion.

"Maisie, come on!" Annabeth shouted at her, reaching her hand out to signal to her to follow. Maisie didn't hesitate. She kicked the guy she'd been fighting hard, making him stumble, so she ran off before he had the time to regain his composure.

The three of them ran around the crowd to enter the Empire State Building, making their way all the way up to the 600th floor. As they did, they could hear evil laughter, not far away. A chill ran down Maisie's spine, something that seemingly always happened when it came to Kronos.

Finally, they were in the throne room, in time to stop Kronos from thrashing the whole place. Maisie shivered when she faced Kronos in Luke's body. Pained, because she didn't know what she was supposed to do now.

She couldn't kill him. She didn't want to, and she wouldn't be able to even if given the chance. She had no idea what her choices were. All these days, it'd been battle after battle after battle. She hadn't stopped to consider even for a second what would happen in the end. Things would end. But what did that entail? There was no more time for her to stop thinking about it. Time had run out.

Kronos turned to face them, Percy, Annabeth and Maisie. He shook his head, laughing still.

With a wave of his hand, an image appeared before them. The giant monster, Typhon, was making his way to Olympus, while the gods were desperately trying to fight him away.

"Do you see this?" Kronos asked, that horrible smile forever etched on his face. "I will rule."

The trio exchanged worried glances, before turning their attention back to the vision. When they did, however, Poseidon, who hadn't been battling Typhon, appeared, striking back with all his might.

The sea rose, enormous waves arising around the gods, hitting Typhon straight in his face. The force of the attack sent him back, earning a worried look from Kronos.

"No," he muttered, and with one final effort from the gods, Typhon was sent back to Tartarus for good.

"No!" Kronos bellowed, angrily tearing the vision to shreds with a fierce slash of Backbiter.

A glimmer of hope came back to Maisie's heart. It was almost nonexistent, but it was there. They could win this. One way or another. Whatever that entailed.

Annabeth glanced over at Maisie, her lips pursed. Then, she turned back to Kronos, and spoke.

"Luke," she said. "You have to trust me."

"Luke Castellan is dead!" Kronos yelled, marching forward to slash at Percy, disarming him and making him stumble far back.

"Stop!" Annabeth shouted. "Luke!"

Kronos advanced on her too, striking but Annabeth dodged with her knife. He hit her again, more angrily, sending her to the other side of the throne room.

Maisie, being the last one standing, ran up to him, using both her daggers to slash at him, aiming all her strength at her hits. Kronos yelled out in pain, but the hits hadn't fazed him much. He tried to push Maisie away, but she managed to sidestep, losing her step and falling back. Before she had time to scramble back up, Kronos was already back above Annabeth's frame.

With blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, Annabeth spoke again, voice shaky but sure.

"Family, Luke. You promised."

Kronos suddenly gasped, like he was running out of air. "Annabeth," he muttered, then looked to his side, eyes wide. "No, Maise," he whispered, and moved to approach Maisie. He didn't get the chance to, staggering back when Kronos' voice yelled out "No!"

"Luke," Maisie attempted, almost yelling, forcefully pulling him back to reality.

"Maise," he repeated, his voice pained.

They stared at each other, and for a moment, Maisie forgot what was happening. Forgot where she was, forgot who Kronos was. Instead, she was back in Camp Half-Blood, staring into Luke's eyes in the middle of the forest. The eyes that hadn't been the same in a while. How fast time flew. And how fast things changed.

"My knife," Annabeth's strained voice brought Maisie back to reality, and she turned to look at her sister. "Percy, please," she said, and Maisie felt her eyes well up with tears.

"No," she whispered, nobody except Luke hearing it. He didn't react. He only spared her a pained expression, one that said he knew what was coming.

With a struggle, Percy grabbed Annabeth's knife from where it had been discarded, gripping it for a second.

"No," Maisie repeated, and a tear fell down her cheek.

Suddenly, Luke groaned, clutching his torso as he collapsed to the ground, his sword escaping his grip. Maisie could've sworn his skin had been tinted gold, but that might've been a product of her imagination.

"No!" Kronos roared again, before Luke dropped his head.

"The knife, Percy," Annabeth muttered, the same time Luke pleaded "Please, Percy."

Maisie wanted to scream No, Percy.

"He's... turning," Luke mumbled. "There's not much time."

"Percy, the prophecy," Maisie heard herself say, surprising herself. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.

Annabeth's cursed knife. A broken promise. Family.

Maisie shuddered, while Percy considered his options.

"You can't do it yourself," Luke managed. "He'll take control. I know where... I can keep him controlled."

Maisie took a shaky breath, watching him hand the knife to Luke, realization finally hitting him. The only way for this to end was for a cursed blade to kill the hero. Luke had been the hero of the prophecy all along.

Everything happened too fast.

Luke unstrapped his armor, then raised the knife with difficulty. He aimed at a spot under his arm, a spot that would be hard to hit, and stabbed.

Luke stabbed himself.

He yelled out and the whole throne room shook, sending Maisie flying back to one of the thrones.

For a second it was silent. Almost peaceful.

Maisie scrambled back up to her feet, stumbling but running toward where Luke was laying on the floor of the throne room, eyes open, breath shallow. Maisie felt more tears slipping, staining her cheeks.

"No," she muttered. "No, no, no," she repeated, as she kneeled down next to him, cupping his face in her palms.

The tears were uncontrollable now, clouding her vision. Although she had known deep down that this was bound to happen in that room, she was only then registering it.

"Luke, no. Please," she whispered. A tear fell from her eyes to his cheek, and she wiped it away.

Luke managed to reach one of Maisie's hands, placing his own on top.

"It's okay, Maise," he said, his voice barely above a whisper now. "I'm sorry."

Maisie shook her head frantically, sobs shaking her entire body. "No, Luke. No, no," she repeated, as if she could undo the prophecy.

Luke's hand went slack on hers, and Maisie dropped her head in defeat, resting her forehead on his, the tears never stopping, dripping on the dead body of Luke Castellan.