Percy looked entirely traumatized at the new chapter title Thalia read and very likely would have traded back all of his freshly regained memories to not hear whatever this was.

They weren't even entirely sure if it was the fear of his mom running around sanes underwear for some unknown reason, or the worse implication of her joining in the fight.

"What are the odds my dad just shows up and one accident leads to another where his shorts get ripped off?" Percy groaned with his face in his hands. Better that trauma than anything to do with his other, mortal parents!

Annabeth took his hand, and he knew he could get through this. He'd won over Kronos. He had to. His family depended on him...no matter how it got to that point...and he'd keep telling himself that until he could barter a better deal about what horrible images were put into this book.

By the time we got to the street, it was too late.

"Too late to what?" Alex clarified.

"Stop it from getting worse," Percy said darkly. He did not do well being cornered.

...Clarisse and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice.

Jason made a guttural noise of surprised pain. Had that blessing of her fathers worn off already? Was she okay?!

"Don't worry, we got her unthawed," Will said in exhaustion how much chipping had been done. He'd warned Nyssa they should start from the bottom up, but no, nobody ever listened to him and Clarisse had run her mouth the entire time of course.

The centaurs had either panicked and ran or they'd been disintegrated.

Both depressing options. This was absolutely nothing new for Percy's life.

... Ethan Nakamura, the dracaena queen, and two Hyperboreans.

Magnus's skin twitched in disgust at the idea of standing side by side with monsters to kill someone. He frowned to himself though as he realized Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary and a lot of Percy's allies weren't 'normal' but brushed that aside. Monster, then, in the sense that Ethan was standing with creatures that had no regard for life. That would sooner kill him as much as who they were charging at.

...The only thing standing in his way was, "Chiron," Annabeth said, her voice trembling.

"Time for the after party?" Magnus tried to say as he watched her bite her lip so hard the skin around it went white.

"Then the VIP after-after party," Alex immediately joined in.

"Guys, we were the life of the party at that point," Percy reminded, exhaustion in every syllable. He didn't know how else to explain there were no more tricks, no more strategies. Their teacher was down to his last straw.

...Kronos put contempt in his voice, like son was the worst word he could think of.

"Maybe because his own children participated in cutting him up and throwing him in super hell?" Nico offered. "Just a thought. Kronos isn't an emotionless statue in the museum, he knows that family turning on each other cuts the deepest." It was plain as day in Annabeth's eyes the entire time she'd been in here with Luke's name on the edge of every page.

Percy grinned at him in agreement. He was feeling less and less guilty about telling him to stay back in the Underworld if he could get through to his dad with stuff like that, like he just had for Poseidon.

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

"When have you ever heard him really angry?" Will asked in quiet surprise. He couldn't say he'd ever heard that tone, and he'd heard Chiron shout at the Stoll brothers half his life.

"Never," Percy agreed, which is why it had shocked him so much. Chiron, standing alone to protect all of them while they'd been frozen in place. The knowledge that he could have died and their Camp would never feel the same. Percy would finally fail to do something that even Heracles had triumphed in.

It really had been a moment frozen in time Kronos had been glorifying in.

...I knew he hated fighting with a sword. It was never his favorite weapon.

Alex had some half-assed remark up her sleeve about the trainer needing more training then, but she couldn't make herself say it. She'd never even liked Chiron that much before all this, but the fact that right now he was showing he was as good as his word and standing against all those monsters completely alone without hesitation finally did make her realize he was willing to stand up to anyone to defend those kids in his camp.

..."You're a teacher," Kronos sneered. "Not a hero."

Percy had vague memories of passing posters in his school that had teachers on top of mountains holding flags with corny slogans like 'teachers are the real heroes' and junk. He usually stopped to offer a fresh marker to kids who were doodling mustaches on them.

Chiron hadn't always been a great teacher, often treating him like many others. He'd felt isolated and like a child more often than not in his presence.

But he did care about him as a friend. Chiron was a hero just because he was patient and kind and gave kids a home as he gave the same speech over and over about how the gods were and how they'd at least be safe there.

Plus, Paul was a good guy too. He'd at least crack Kronos over the head with a textbook for making the teacher thing sound like an insult.

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

Thalia made a deep noise of disgust she must have learned specifically from the hunters. Annabeth watched in dismay she really didn't believe a word of that now because she hadn't spent the years in Camp watching Luke take every new kid under his wing in the Hermes cabin whether they stayed there or not, watching him become a master swordsman and never brag about it. Thalia only remembered the worst of him, it was no wonder her hate ran so deep.

Annabeth wished she had some magical plan up her sleeve to fix this. Holding onto hate wasn't ever going to make the hurt go away. She stiffened her shoulders and pushed the idea of magic aside, she didn't need it. She would come up with something.

... "You filled his head with empty promises. You said the gods cared about me!"

'Me,' Annabeth had instantly noticed, her breath caught in her throat. He'd said, 'me.' Gods she'd wanted to rip Kronos out of there molecule by molecule with one hand while throttling Luke with the other for everything he'd done. To Silena, to Thalia, to her, to everybody who'd believed in him culminating in this moment where there had been no half-bloods left standing with the monsters. Either dead or eaten by now.

If the gods didn't care about them enough to intervene and prevent all this happening to their children, then they should at least care about each other enough to have never let it go this far.

"Me," Chiron noticed. "You said me."

"He certainly did," Thalia muttered, but the others had looks of delayed shock on their face as they played those words back in their head while she and Annabeth exchanged a miserable look. Luke was still fighting in there. Not that Thalia had a single shred of caring left, clear in every word she spoke.

Percy heard it anyways. She hid well the look on her face behind the book, dampened with time that had been on full display that day. Not the same devastation on Annabeth, but something that wasn't just flat hate either.

...Chiron flew into a building with such force the wall collapsed on top of him.

"I really hate it when those Titans do that," Percy seethed, white-hot anger coming off of him in waves, almost literally for a moment as the water around him began to steam before Annabeth slipped her arm through his without fear. It all faded back as he took a breath, but the rage building up did need a release eventually or he'd wind up beaching whales and giant squids soon from messing with the temperature down here.

He kept wishing that had been him. He could have stood up from that rubble and walked this off. What had Chiron been thinking?! They still didn't even know Kronos's weak spot!

"I know," Annabeth whispered beside him, holding his hand tight. The worst of it was Chiron would just get up and do the exact same thing again for them.

...The jolt might've been enough to dislocate Annabeth's bad shoulder.

Nico had once thought he'd been on the receiving end of the worst of her anger. He knew that look that had been on her face and wasn't surprised in the slightest Luke, Kronos, or whoever hadn't a chance to deflect that incoming attack.

And it just made him sad how well he understood that pain. Of looking into the face of someone and not even recognizing them as you lashed out. The detail of whether a ghost or a possessed body wasn't the point.

Percy's hands twitched, to pull her back to his side, to hold her close. She saw that and leaned into his side without hesitation. She was taking this harder the second time than he was. It had been confusing and soul-shattering enough the first time. Now sitting here, clinically sorting through every mistake she'd made with an audience...gods even her mom couldn't have whipped up such a specific torment to punish her for the past few months of happiness she'd had. Hades couldn't have ripped this torture out of her head because she never would have guessed how bad it hurt until she was living it. Every mistake she'd ever made just up in plain bold letters now inescapable if she ever wanted Percy back.

... "I HATE you!" I wasn't sure who she was talking to—me or Luke or Kronos.

"A little of all three at that moment," Annabeth muttered only for him. She'd hated everyone, everything in the world in that moment as she'd thought Chiron dead. Percy holding her had been the only thing stopping her from crumpling to nothing at that moment and she'd hated it, would have welcomed oblivion at that point.

... I can see why Luke wanted to spare you. Unfortunately, that won't be possible."

Percy still found it harder to believe every day what a gullible idiot Luke had been for falling for this crooked way he was being used. The lies felt so obvious, Kronos's careless demeanor towards everyone to get to the top felt so obvious to him.

How desperate Luke must have been to find some way to change his lot in life...

... a dog's howl pierced the air somewhere behind the Titan's army.

Magnus still shivered instinctively with hatred for knowing that sound all too well. For picturing glowing eyes and hulking bodies with distinct shapes stalking forward.

But Nico grinned. The kind of smile that lit up his face and made him lean forward in his seat with excitement they rarely saw in here for something that might be good happening to him.

Magnus tried to be a good sport and push his problems away and not shrink into his seat in revulsion as that sounded like a herald of death to him...before he blinked and realized that might be exactly what it was for someone else. Well at least that was a nice change of pace.

...Standing at the end of the block was my giant dog, and a small figure in black armor.

Nico grumbled at the word small. He'd just parted an army with sheer power like Percy had once done on the ship of Kronos's deck and still he was called small! If he didn't get a growth spurt in the next year he was hunting someone down for sport, the only question being his dad or Zeus.

...she bounded toward me, ignoring the monsters. Nico strode forward.

Nobody had really been in doubt it was him, in fact they were smiling as bright as Nico for Percy calling him in for backup.

It just didn't lessen the tension in the room by a single breath as the lone soldier appeared without the God for backup. One more kid in black armor to wade through another sea of monsters.

The enemy army fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did.

Will was really starting to get tired of Percy constantly saying that too as much as Nico probably was. Yeah, but it wasn't the only thing he radiated. He'd just showed up there to help, he was powerful but that had always stemmed from a place of love like all the others at Camp.

... "Got your message. Is it too late to join the party?"

"Never for you my friend," Alex chuckled.

"Sweet, permanent free pass to be late," Nico grinned.

"Son of Hades." Kronos spit on the ground.

"That was just disrespectful. And rude." Jason frowned. "What did you do to him to deserve that?"

"Existed, apparently," Nico shrugged without concern.

"Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?"

"Haven't heard great things about it honestly," Magnus scoffed.

"Would not recommend," Percy chuckled from a little too much personal experience dancing around it.

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

"Tell me you did an awesome pose Nico?" Alex smirked. "Drew your sword and held it in front of your face or pointed it at him or something."

"My voice didn't crack when I said it," he offered.

"Eh," she huffed.

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

"He only got two of those four statements correct," Jason sniffed. "Every Greek hero has business being there right now."

"Well no one was going to suggest he start being our next math teacher thankfully," Annabeth chuckled.

...as they emerged, the Titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up.

They hadn't been the only ones. Percy hadn't been thrilled to see an army of the dead again considering A) how easily he'd beat them and B) he'd been seeing too many of his friends joining that kind of entourage lately.

But the way Thalia had released a low whistle, impressed with that kind of skill and control, and especially how Annabeth's breath had gone back to ragged rather than gasping, he'd felt an immense surge of gratitude for Nico all the same for his great timing.

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

"Words I hope he can't live to regret," Will scowled. Just because Percy had been able to dismantle them all didn't mean anyone with the curse could. Luke wasn't a hero the same way Percy was. They could bathe in the same Styx, but Kronos could never make Luke's body have Percy's heart, the reason Percy had jumped in. The very force that activated Percy's ability to fight like a demon.

... Holding the reins was Hades, Lord of the Dead, with Demeter and Persephone.

"One of these days you're going to have to explain to me how you did that," Percy managed to tell him among the others whooping with excitement.

"Pretty similar to what you did actually," Nico grinned as he tipped his head in thanks. Just all casual-like between them now. "Just did my best to remind my dad of what was important besides himself without getting blasted."

"Lucky for you two it worked," Thalia smiled fondly, even if there was a deep bitterness in her wrapped around her heart promising she probably couldn't have managed the same. If she'd dared try to get Zeus to do something he didn't want to she'd be vaporized for sure, and Artemis likely wouldn't be able to stop him. Perhaps just take revenge on some other child of his.

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

Alex snorted in delight. "Chiron and Kronos cheating death by the centuries and refusing to share their secrets."

"Please stick to his tail curlers instead of the body possession," Magnus sighed.

"I'll consider both backburners if I have to ponder my mortality," she promised.

... "I hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance."

"Can we just stop for a moment and appreciate this though," Will smiled lovingly from the book to Nico. "Percy's been trying to get an Olympian there since all this started, and Nico show's up with three!"

"One, and two-ish," Annabeth politely corrected. Will ignored her.

"I'm over here laughing he called them ladies. Didn't know Kronos had a polite bone in his body. Probably had to steal it from Luke," Magnus chuckled.

"Yes, yes, the kid's persuasive and deserves a purple plastic crown you can build him in arts and crafts when we get back," Thalia sighed. "We're almost done with this one, can we please focus just a bit more?" Percy's memories were nearly fully restored and they could finally stop talking about Luke and move on to Jason's life, a win win to her as far as she could see.

"I was focusing on important details," Will protested, but Thalia kept reading since his point was clearly made and Nico gave his hand an affectionate squeeze to encourage him letting it go. He really didn't want Will to start hanging banners or something crazy over everything he did. This was more than enough attention for him.

...if there is one thing we agree on, it is that you were a TERRIBLE father."

"Priorities," Percy said in delight before snorting with laughter.

"We take the wins we can get around here," Annabeth chuckled along.

...Hades drew his sword, a double-edged Stygian blade etched with silver.

"Oh great, he did finish that," Thalia voiced her mild disgust she'd held in at the time.

"You know, to be fair to him," Alex offered, "at least he decided to show it off now when he was least likely for the other gods to have a fit over it."

"I guess," Thalia agreed it had still been a terrible idea on Persephone's part.

"Did anyone ever thank you for design rights on that?" Will asked Nico in amusement.

Nico gave a sardonic laugh as answer and Will wasn't even surprised.

Annabeth at least knew of this story, Percy had given her a brief summary anyways about the potential problems in his next IM, but the fact that they all seemed to know about it made her eyes dart again with envy to the other books she'd missed out on. The jealousy that they all knew parts of Percy's life better than her when she'd held that position for so long before Rachel had seemed to push her out.

She knew in her head it was ridiculous and unfounded to feel this way, but she still tightened her hand in Percy's and sighed in relief when he returned the feeling.

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

"He'll make time," Jason said viciously. Nico and Pluto had been ignored to long. He felt a burst of pride and was restraining himself from hugging Nico for managing to do this.

... at the end of the block, Paul Blofis and my mom got out of their Prius.

Percy's heart crawled into his throat. He wished Nico would return the favor right about now and jab a sword into his throat, that would feel less painful than this. How Paul would have looked around and seen their home destroyed, much like Percy had once done to his school. He'd know immediately this was all Percy's fault, because he hadn't been able to stop this.

And his mom...gods his mom had finally crossed the line right into his world. Last time she'd been face to face with a monster, it had been Hades to drag her down into his domain in a shower of gold. The Minotaur showing up yesterday, then Hades showing up now, it was all coming back a little too easily. Like he should have felt the rain pounding down around him and Grover bleating for food.

...she locked eyes with me, said something to Paul, and they ran straight toward us.

Percy was shaking his head slowly from side to side, wishing he could deny those words existed, that if he closed his eyes long enough he could imagine them getting back in their car and driving away to safety with no more dents in it thanks to him.

...Fortunately, Hades caused a distraction.

"I think I finally forgave your dad at that moment," Percy tried to mutter loud enough Nico could hear, but he knew how faint his voice sounded. The blood rushing through his ears made everything seem quieter.

Nico heard him and smiled. Maybe next time Percy wouldn't try to lop off his head if they needed to visit the Underworld again.

...Hades blasted the wall with black energy. The barrier held.

That was still pretty terrifying on many levels, Magnus decided, only minorly pleased he wasn't shaking in a ball of fright at that much power being thrown around. It helped to remember that they, at least their kids, could use that power for good. That Hades was actually trying to help.

But still his skin crawled and he rubbed his hands together at the idea of how much energy Kronos had put into that holding Annabeth inside. Had Luke ever stood a chance once the Lord of Time decided he'd found his host body?

"ATTACK!" he roared...Persephone changed the dracaenae's spears into sunflowers.

Thalia couldn't help a laugh of revenge for those two turning that power on the right enemy. It wouldn't stop them doing it to her again in the future if she ticked them off, but it was nice to know they didn't reserve that for her.

Nico slashed his way through the enemy, trying to protect the pedestrians as best he could.

It was such a small detail for Percy to notice during the melee, but Will smiled that he had. Not that Nico was just fighting the monsters, but that he was ducking in the way of the people running, to get at certain monsters and keep their attention.

... Giants, deal with them." He pointed at us. Then he ducked into the lobby.

"He what?" Jason demanded, looking as offended as if someone had ripped his shirt away. "He, delegated out, that's not, he-"

"If Percy wasn't going to kill him before, he definitely will now. Boy hates to feel dismissed," Thalia chuckled in agreement.

... Kronos completely ignored me like I wasn't worth the trouble. That made me mad.

"Yep, there it is," Annabeth smiled along as Percy clutched his pen and looked as likely to throw it at Luke's head as he would lop it off as Riptide.

...sliced her hunting knives across his blue neck, and created the world's largest headless ice sculpture.

"A very niche talent I'm sure you'll find a market for," Alex chuckled.

"I'll ask Sally if she knows any places still looking for morbid pieces," she grinned.

...Nico was fighting his way toward my mom and Paul, but they weren't waiting for help.

Percy had never given someone such a grateful look in his life. Nico just dipped his head in understanding. He could count on one hand the amount of mortals he knew. He'd defend Paul and Sally as he would any of those people fleeing on the street, but just as he knew he'd instinctively throw his power around Will again if he sensed danger, he'd go out of his way to keep an eye on two people that had shown him such rare kindness.

Paul grabbed a sword from a fallen hero... stabbed her in the gut, and she disintegrated.

"Going commando indeed," Alex murmured in appreciation in the deafening silence of the room. How did things always keep managing to get worse around here that made her feel better, high on that kind of chaotic power?

... I was a Shakespearian actor in college! Picked up a little swordplay!"

Magnus had a very intense look on his face as he waved his hands around for a moment. If that wasn't the sign for 'mental pain,' it should be.

"What did he think he stabbed, if not a monster?" Jason asked in droll amusement.

"Acting apparently teaches you a hell of a lot more interesting skills than I ever thought," Nico chuckled.

"Hence the plays cat camp are such a big hit, the kids really get into those sword moves they practice," Will beamed.

Percy groaned and flipped Will off while Magnus just jabbed at Jason that had been his personal ire here and Annabeth smiled fondly for them. She had a pretty good guess what mortals saw in place of monsters, and it was usually bad enough they didn't want their normal kids around it.

... the shotgun blast blew the giant twenty feet back, right into Nico's sword.

"Team work!" Will whooped with joy, nearly crushing Nico's neck he jumped so much in place.

"We really should look into putting a gun range around camp or something, that thing worked like a charm, though it was a bit too loud to be practical in our line of work," Nico smiled as he wrapped his fingers securely around Will's arm to relieve the pressure but keep him there.

"Chiron's going to invest in my catapult idea one day, slingshot them at minimum after this," Alex nodded with confidence.

...My mom blew the hair out of her face. "About two seconds ago. Percy, we'll be fine. Go!"

Somehow that made it more terrifying and hilarious as Annabeth slumped over in her seat laughing like she hadn't been able to. Percy put his arm back around her and shook his head in exasperation. Next chapter of his life his mom might teach him how to be the Lone Ranger and he'd feel the same about that as he did now. At least Annabeth would get some bonding out of it. If she wasn't worried about this, then he knew he'd come back down from that building and his parents were going to be okay.

...My heart twisted. I'd forgotten about Chiron. How could I do that?

"Considering the last five seconds of your life," Annabeth promised as she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, "I don't think he'll think less of you for it."

He nodded and smiled for a moment as she leaned her forehead against him before taking a breath as he watched the last page in Thalia's hand run out of words. Gods, after all this time, he still didn't feel ready to deal with what was coming next. A final confrontation, one way or the other.

... not sure how much she understood, but she ran off as we raced for the elevators.

"I finished," Thalia said with regret as she looked over to Nico to hand it over to him.

He frowned, hesitating to get up and take it. He'd have to drop Will's arm, though he'd put it right back when he sat down like usual.

He'd have to read about Kronos dying, a perverse pleasure he'd enjoy from anyone but him. He was already so very tired of the cosmic joke where he would apparently continue to keep getting the chapters where everyone died.

PJOPJOPJO

Not a long chapter, but easily one of my favorites of the series. Nico, Thalia, Chiron and Sally all getting such badass moments, the chaos, I really do just eat this up and come back craving more.