The Last Olympian

could’ve—”
    “Killed him?” I said. “You know that wouldn’t have been right.”
    She squeezed her eyes shut. “Luke said Kronos would use him like a stepping stone . Those were his exact words. Kronos would use Luke, and become even more powerful.”
    “He did that,” I said. “He possessed Luke’s body.”
    “But what if Luke’s body is only a transition? What if Kronos has a plan to become even more powerful? I could’ve stopped him. The war is my fault.”
    Her story made me feel like I was back in the Styx, slowing dissolving. I remembered last summer, when the two-headed god, Janus, had warned Annabeth she would have to make a major choice—and that had happened after she saw Luke. Pan had also said something to her: You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined.
    I wanted to ask her about the vision Hestia had shown me, about her early days with Luke and Thalia. I knew it had something to do with my prophecy, but I didn’t understand what.
    Before I could get up my nerve, the terrace door opened. Connor Stoll stepped through.
    “Percy.” He glanced at Annabeth like he didn’t want to say anything bad in front of her, but I could tell he wasn’t bringing good news. “Mrs. O’Leary just came back with Grover. I think you should talk to him.”
    Grover was having a snack in the living room. He was dressed for battle in an armored shirt made from tree bark and twist ties, with his wooden cudgel and his reed pipes hanging from his belt.
    The Demeter cabin had whipped up a whole buffet in the hotel kitchens—everything from pizza to pineapple ice cream. Unfortunately, Grover was eating the furniture. He’d already chewed the stuffing off a fancy chair and was now gnawing the armrest.
    “Dude,” I said, “we’re only borrowing this place.”
    “Blah-ha-ha!” He had stuffing all over his face. “Sorry, Percy. It’s just . . . Louis the Sixteenth furniture. Delicious . Plus I always eat furniture when I get—”
    “When you get nervous,” I said. “Yeah, I know. So what’s up?”
    He clopped on his hooves. “I heard about Annabeth. Is she . . . ?”
    “She’s going to be fine. She’s resting.”
    Grover took a deep breath. “That’s good. I’ve mobilized most of the nature spirits in the city—well, the ones that will listen to me, anyway.” He rubbed his forehead. “I had no idea acorns could hurt so much. Anyway, we’re helping out as much as we can.”
    He told me about the skirmishes they’d seen. Mostly they’d been covering uptown, where we didn’t have enough demigods. Hellhounds had appeared in all sorts of places, shadow-traveling inside our lines, and the dryads and satyrs had been fighting them off. A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated.
    As Grover talked, Thalia entered the room with two of her lieutenants. She nodded to me grimly, went outside to check on Annabeth, and came back in. She listened while Grover completed his report—the details getting worse and worse.
    “We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington,” he said, his voice trembling. “Almost half my kinsmen. River spirits drowned the giants in the end, but . . .”
    Thalia shouldered her bow. “Percy, Kronos’s forces are still gathering at every bridge and tunnel. And Kronos isn’t the only Titan. One of my Hunters spotted a huge man in golden armor mustering an army on the Jersey shore. I’m not sure who he is, but he radiates power like only a Titan or god.”
    I remembered the golden Titan from my dream—the one on Mount Othrys who erupted into flames.
    “Great,” I said. “Any good news?”
    Thalia shrugged. “We’ve sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan. My best trappers took care of it. Also, it seems like the enemy is waiting for tonight to attack. I think Luke”—she caught herself—“I mean Kronos needs time to regenerate after each fight. He’s still not comfortable with his new form. It’s taking a lot of his power to slow time around the city.”
    Grover nodded. “Most of his forces are more powerful at night, too. But they’ll be back after sundown.”
    I tried to think clearly. “Okay. Any word from the gods?”
    Thalia shook her head. “I know Lady Artemis would be here if she could. Athena, too. But Zeus has ordered them to stay at his side. The last I heard, Typhon was destroying the Ohio River valley. He should reach the