I actually screamed. And then I laughed hysterically. Everyone looked at me like I had lost it, which, I probably did. But I knew.

The enemy forces stirred uneasily. Then the strangest thing happened. They began to part, clearing a path through the street like something behind them was forcing them to.

Soon there was a free aisle down the center of Fifth Avenue. Standing at the end of the block was my giant dog, and a small figure in black armor.

"Nico!" I called.

"Nico?" Percy asked.

"ROWWF!" Mrs. O'Leary bounded toward me, ignoring the growling monsters on either side. Nico strode forward. The enemy army fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did.

"Ha. That over dramatic little shit." Raph chuckled. I looked up at him and smirked.

"Would you expect anything else?" I asked.

"Nope." His cloudy eyes cleared for a moment. "I missed your voice." He said quietly.

"I missed yours too." I smiled up at him for a brief moment before looking back at our saviour.

Through the face guard of his skull-shaped helmet, he smiled. "Got your message. Is it too late to join the party?"

"You didn't stop for coffee along the way?" I asked with a frown.

"You can talk again."

"Thank the Lord of Time. It won't last forever."

"Son of Hades." Kronos spit on the ground. "Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?"

"Your death," Nico said, turning towards him, "would be great for me."

"I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. You have no business here, and no chance to live."

Nico drew his sword- three feet of wicked sharp Stygian iron, black as a nightmare. "I don't agree."

The ground rumbled. Cracks appeared in the road, the sidewalks, the sides of the buildings. Skeletal hands grasped the air as the dead clawed their way into the world of the living. There were thousands of them, and as they emerged, the Titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up.

"HOLD YOUR GROUND!" Kronos demanded. "The dead are no match for us."

"Your so fucken dramatic." I mumbled with a roll of my eyes. He glanced at me and smirked. "I'd expect nothing else."

Raph stepped up beside Nico. Nico could summon the dead, and if they were the loosing side in battle they pledged their allegiance to Ares. So, the commander and general, facing Kronos with their army of dead.

The sky turned dark and cold. Shadows thickened. A harsh war horn sounded, and as the dead soldiers formed up ranks with their guns and swords and spears, an enormous chariot roared down Fifth Avenue. It came to a stop next to Nico. The horses were living shadows, fashioned from darkness. The chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death. Holding the reins was Hades himself, Lord of the Dead, with Demeter and Persephone riding behind him.

Hades wore black armor and a cloak the color of fresh blood. On top of his pale head was the helm of darkness: a crown that radiated pure terror. It changed shape as I watched- from a dragon's head to a circle of black flames to a wreath of human bones. But that wasn't the scary part. The helm reached into my mind and ignited my worst nightmares, my most secret fears. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, and I could tell the enemy army felt the same way. Only Kronos's power and authority kept his ranks from fleeing.

Hades smiled coldly. "Hello, Father. You're looking... young."

"Hades," Kronos growled. "I hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance."

"I'm afraid not." Hades sighed. "My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." He glanced at me and Percy with distaste. "As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing we agree on- it is that you were a TERRIBLE father."

"Okay...I see the dramatic antics run in the family." I mumbled again. "Have you ever thought of drama school?" I heard a laugh which was covered up with a cough.

"True," muttered Demeter. "No appreciation of agriculture."

"Mother!" Persephone complained.

Hades drew his sword, a double-edged Stygian blade etched with silver. "Now fight me! For today the House of Hades will be called the saviors of Olympus."

"I don't have time for this," Kronos snarled.

"Ha. That was Punny. Good one." I said.

No one heard, or they didn't pay attention, because He had struck the ground with his scythe. A crack spread in both directions, circling the Empire State Building. A wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, separating Kronos's vanguard, Percy, me Annabeth and Thalia from the bulk of the two armies. I was cut off from Nico and Raph.

"What's he doing?" I muttered.

"Sealing us in," Thalia said. "He's collapsing the magic barriers around Manhattan- cutting off just the building, and us."

Sure enough, outside the barrier, car engines revved to life. Pedestrians woke up and stared uncomprehendingly at the monsters and zombies all around them. No telling what they saw through the Mist, but I'm sure it was plenty scary. Car doors opened. And at the end of the block, Dad and Sally got out of their Prius.

"No," I said. "Don't . . ."

Sally could see through the Mist. I could tell from her expression that she understood how serious things were. I hoped she would have the sense to run. But she locked eyes with Percy and then me, said something to Paul, and they ran straight toward us.

I couldn't call out. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her to Kronos's attention.

Fortunately, Hades caused a distraction. He charged at the wall of force, but his chariot crashed against it and overturned. He got to his feet, cursing, and blasted the wall with black energy. The barrier held.

"ATTACK!" he roared.

The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan's monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos. Mortals screamed and ran for cover. Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field. Persephone changed the dracaenae's spears into sunflowers. Nico and Raph slashed and hacked his way through the enemy, trying to protect the pedestrians as best they could. My parents ran toward us, dodging monsters and zombies, but there was nothing I could do to help them.

I felt a cold hand close around my arm and I was jerked backwards. The Lord of Time held his scythe against my throat, it wouldn't normally have bothered me, but the long pointy part rested right over my heart. And I hadn't put my armor back on after I woke up in Olympius. I don't think he knew where my weak spot was, but I didn't want to find out.

"Nakamura," Kronos said. "Attend me. Giants- deal with them."

He indicated with his head at Percy. Then he ducked into the lobby, pulling me with him.

"Come my dear. We have Olympus to destroy."  Luke's voice was almost a pur. It was creepy and made me want to throw up. He shoved me into the elevator and stepped into it, blocking the door.

As we rode up the elevator the song "staying alive" played and I rolled my eyes at the horrible joke that was.

"Now. Time to submit-"

"What is it with you and time puns?"

Kronos's stopped mid speach and frowned.

"What?"

"Your the Lord of Time and you keep using the word time. It's a terrible pun."

"Silence!"

"You think it's Like with the time jokes? Or is it Kronos thinking he's landed on the jackpot?"

Kronos snarled and snapped his fingers and my ears popped and I was deaf to the world again. I lunged at him. Percy always said Luke was an incredible fighter. He was quick. He side stepped and grabbed my throat. He made me turn towards him and before I could move or fight back his long index finger touched my temple.

I was stuck. I couldn't move my muscles. I saw things flash through my mind. I saw terrible things. Things Zeus did to lure innocent women into his bed. I saw the feud between Hades and his brothers and the wars that ensued. I saw Athena and Posiden fighting, and Athena cursing Medusa. I saw the pettiness of Aphrodite, and her cursing all the mortal women Ares ever slept with. I saw the vengeance and brutal slaughter brought on by Ares anger. I saw Apollo killing many innocent people because they boasted they were better.

I was stuck in time, stuck in a loop if all the horribleness that the gods have done.

"Now, half blood. Turn around-"

I was still reeling from what he showed me. I had tears streaming down my face. I stumbled around, her still held onto me tightly.

"Now...little demigod. Together we will rid this world of evil."

I opened my mouth to try and protest, but as soon as I did, my mind filled with the wailing and screaming and pleading of all the victims of the gods. Every single one of their victims from the dawn of the human era up until this morning. I heard them all- thousands...millions of people screaming inside my head.

"Stop!" I begged. "Please! Please stop!"

"They don't love you. They never do. They use you and toss you aside. They fear you. They do not love you. Humans and demigods are just play things to the gods."

"But...I have...I have Titan blood in my veins! I'm not just a demigod!"

"Yes. Why do you think they have been trying to kill you for so long? Why do you think your mom was killed? Hera knew. Hera knew how dangerous you are. Hades also knew how bad you were...you are a constant reminder of his mortal love Maria. The true heir of a Titan. That has never been done before. The power you possess!"

My stomach felt sick, my head throbbed with the horrible things Kronos was showing me. I disliked the gods- well most of them- and now...now my anger bubbled to the surface. I wanted him out of my head, I wanted to be left alone. I didn't want to be used by Kronos or Luke or Hera. I didn't want to be a play thing for Aphrodite.

I screamed. I thrashed, trying to fight the time freezing. In my struggle, as the white hot burning anger bubbled up in me, it exploded out of me.

"Yes. Good. Feel the anger. Use it. They don't deserve this."

I struggled again. I cried in frustration and anger and dispair. Another surge of the white hot burning emotion exploded out of me. I couldn't handle the pain and suffering, the screaming and pleading for help from the innocent. The begging for help and no response, the cold shoulder from the gods.

The bridge to Olympus was dissolving. The buildings around us started to crack and crumble. I could vaguly hear Kronos laughing.

"Yes. Feel the rage. Feel the devistation done to the world by the gods. They think they can rule better, they don't care about you or anyone in it. They just want to have their fun and have the power."

His voice hisses in my head. It was like chorosive poison running through my veins. It wore me down, while filing my anger.

"I can feel your distain for the gods. They left you and your father alone for 15 years. They watched you struggle. They let you get picked on, fend for your self. They let you feel worthless and a freak. Only when they needed you did they show up. Never because they cared, they just needed a half blood to do their dirty work."

I struggled again under the hissing, I thrashed uselessly under his time spell. His long cold finger touched my temple again and I saw all the half bloods that have ever died on useless dumb quests. All the unclaimed children fending for themselves on the streets. All the little orphans dying at the hands of rouge monsters. All the children who cried out for help and the gods did nothing.

"They have relations with mortals and do not care about their offspring."

"Please! Please stop!" I screamed. I sobbed and the burning tears fell from my eyes and slid down my face. As he forced me forwards down the road towards the throne room ontop of the hill, my tears fell onto the path, igniting a fire I couldn't put out. I had no hope. If I had the jar of Pandora I would have opened it.

As I was marched up the road I saw a few brave nature spirits and some unknown minor gods trying to form ranks. All I could think was, what's the point?

Kronos swung his scythe. In a matter of seconds they all lay strewn all over the crumbling road. I continued to struggle, but my attempts were becoming febal and half hearted. Every statue or shrine to one of the gods, Kronos would stop and blast it apart.

Sometimes, he would make me face one, press his finger to my temple and make me watch another series of horrible events done by the gods, whether they were directly responsible for, like the Trojon war- to forgetting about a child and that child dying at the hands of a monster. He would make me watch this until my sorrow and anger exploded from me in wild devisatting flashes of fire and heat.

"Hahaha. Brick by brick! That was my promise. Tear it down BRICK BY BRICK!" Kronos screamed as he blew a white marble temple with a gold dome. The dome shot up like the lid of a teapot and shattered into a billion pieces, raining rubble over the city.

"Now my young little demigod. One last image in time to settle into. One last glimpse into the past."

His entire hand grabbed my head.