Sons of Apollo
A reading of the Percy Jackson books written by Rick Riordan with exhilarating debriefs after each chapter.
Read by Panther Prakash and Dante Musa, the Sons of Apollo
Sons of Apollo
1. PJLO
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Book five, The Last Olympian. Chapter one. I go cruising with explosives.
SPEAKER_02The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car. Up until then, I was having a great afternoon. Technically, I wasn't supposed to be driving because I wouldn't turn 16 for another week. But my mom and my stepdad Paul took my friend Rachel and me to this private stretch of beach on the South Shore. And Paul let us borrow his Prius for a short spin. Now, I know you're thinking, wow, that was really irresponsible of him. Blah blah blah. But Paul knows me pretty well. He's seen me slice up demons and leap out of exploding school buildings. So he probably figured taking a car a few hundred yards wasn't exactly the most dangerous thing I'd ever done. Anyway, Rachel and I were driving along. It was a hot August day. Rachel's red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I'd never seen her in anything but ratty t-shirts and paint splattered jeans before, and she looked like a million gold drachmas. Oh! Pull up right there, she told me. We parked on a ridge overlooking the Atlantic. The sea is always one of my favorite places, but today it was especially nice. Glittery green and smooth as glass, as though my dad was keeping it calm just for us. My dad, by the way, is Poseidon. He can do stuff like that. So, Rachel smiled at me about that invitation. Oh, right. I tried to sound excited. I mean, she'd asked me to her family's vacation house on St. Thomas for three days. I didn't get a lot of offers like that. My family's idea of a fancy vacation was a weekend in a rundown cabin on Long Island with some movie rentals and a couple of frozen pizzas. And here Rachel's folks were willing to let me tag along to the Caribbean. Besides, I seriously needed a vacation. This summer had been the hardest of my life. The idea of taking a break even for a few days was really tempting. Still, something big was supposed to go down any day now. I was on call for a mission. Even worse, next week was my birthday. There was this prophecy that said when I turned 16, bad things would happen. Percy, she said, I know the timing is bad, but it's always bad for you, right? She had a point. I really want to go, I promised. It's just the war. I nodded. I didn't like talking about it, but Rachel knew. Unlike most mortals, she could see through the mist, the magic veil that distorts human vision. She'd seen monsters. She'd met some of the other demigods who were fighting, the Titans and their allies. She'd even been there last summer when the chopped up Lord Kronos rose out of his coffin in a terrible new form. And she'd earned my permanent respect by nailing him in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.
SPEAKER_04She put her hand on my arm. Just think about it, okay? We don't leave for a couple of days. My dad her voice faltered. Is he giving you a hard time? I asked. Rachel shook her head in disgust. He's trying to be nice to me, which is almost worse. He wants me to go to Clarion Ladies Academy in the fall. The school where your mom went? It's a stupid finishing school for society girls all the way in New Hampshire. Can you see me in finishing school? I admit it, the idea sounded pretty dumb. Rachel was into urban art projects and feeding the homeless and going to protest rallies to save the endangered yellowbelly sapsucker and stuff like that. I had never even seen her wear a dress. It was hard to imagine her learning to be a socialite. She sighed. He thinks if he does a bunch of nice stuff for me, I'll feel guilty and give in. Which is why he agreed to let me come with you guys on vacation. Yes, but Percy, you'd be doing me a huge favor. It'd be so much better if you were there with us. Besides there's something I want to talk she stopped abruptly. Something you want to talk about? I asked. You mean so serious we'd have to go to St. Thomas to talk about it? She pursed her lips. Look, just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple of normal people. We're out for a drive, we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together. I could tell something was bothering her, but she put on a brave smile. The sunlight made her hair look like fire. We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself that the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bag. Okay, I said, just a normal afternoon and two normal people. She nodded. And so hypothetically, if these two people liked each other, what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh? Oh I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows, slow, dumb, and bright red. Um I can't pretend I hadn't thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be around than well, than some other girls I knew. I didn't have to work hard or watch what I said or rack my brain trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rachel didn't hide much. She just lets you know how she felt. I'm not sure what I would have done next. But I was so distracted I didn't notice the huge black form swooping down from the sky until four hooves landed on the hood of the Prius with a hoom hoom hoosh a voice said in my head.
SPEAKER_02NASCAR. Blackjack, the Pegasus, was an old friend of mine, so I tried not to get too annoyed by the craters he just put in the hood, but I didn't think my stepdad would be real stoked. Blackjack, I sighed, what are you? Then I saw who was riding on his back, and I knew my day was about to get a lot more complicated. Sup, Percy. Charles Beckendorf, senior counselor for the Festus Cabin, would make most monsters cry for their mommies. He was huge, with ripped muscles from working on the forges every summer. Two years older than me and one of the camp's best armor smiths. He made some seriously ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd rigged a Greek firebomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Kronos' evil meanies as soon as the first harpy went flush. Beckendorf was dressed for combat. He wore a bronze bless breastplate and war helm with black camo pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosives bag was slung over his shoulder. Time? I asked. He nodded grimly. A clump formed in my throat. I known this was coming. We'd been planning for it for weeks, but I'd half hoped it would never happen. Rachel looked up at Beckendorf. Hi. Oh, hey, I'm Beckendorf. You must be Rachel. Percy's told me uh I mean he mentioned you. Rachel raised an eyebrow. Really? Good. She glanced at Blackjack, who was clopping his hooves against the hood of the Prius. So I guess you guys have to go save the world now. Pretty much, Beckendorf agreed. I looked at Rachel helplessly. Would you tell my mom? I'll tell her. I'm sure she's used to it. And I'll explain to Paul about the hood. I nodded my thanks. I figured this might be the last time Paul loaned me his car. Good luck. Rachel kissed me before I could even react. Now get going, half blood. Go kill some monsters for me. My last view of her was sitting in the shotgun seat of the Prius, her arms crossed, watching as Blackjack circled higher and higher, carrying Beckendorf and me into the sky. I wondered what Rachel wanted to talk to me about and whether I'd live long enough to find out. So Beckendorf said, I'm guessing you don't want me to mention that little scene to Annabeth. Oh gods, I muttered, don't even think about it. Beckendorf chuckled. And together we soared out over the Atlantic. It was almost dark by the time we spotted our target. The princess Andromeda glowed on the horizon. A huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white. From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan Lord. Then, as you got closer, you might notice the giant figurehead, a dark-haired maiden in a Greek chitin, wrapped in chains, with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was being forced to carry.
SPEAKER_04Seeing the ship again twisted my gut into knots. I'd almost died twice on the Princess Andromeda. Now I was heading straight for New York. You know what to do? Beckendorf yelled over the wind. I nodded. We'd done dry runs at the dockyards in New Jersey using abandoned ships as our targets. I knew how little time we would have, but I also knew this was our best chance to end Cronus' invasion before it ever started. Blackjack, I said, set us down on the lowest stern deck. Gotcha boss, he said. Man I hate seeing that boat. Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the Princess Andromeda until he'd escaped with a little help from my friends and me. I figured he'd rather have his mane braided like my little pony than be back the here again. Don't wait for us, I told him. Babos Trust me, I said. We'll get out by ourselves. Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in my ears. I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ships. Draconae, snake women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal demons known as telcahenes. But we zip by so fast none of them raised the alarm. We shot down the stern of the boat, and Blackjack spread his wings lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. I climbed off, feeling wheezy. Good luck, Pause, Blackjack said. Don't let him turn you into horse meat. With that, my old friend flew off into the night. I took my pen out of my pocket and uncapped it, and Riptide sprang to full size. Three feet of deadly celestial bronze glowing in the dusk. Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. I thought it was a map or something. Then I realized it was a photograph. He stared at it in the dim light, the smiling face of Selena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. They started going out last summer. After years of the rest of us saying, Duh, you guys like each other. Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer than I'd ever seen him. We'll make it back to camp, I promised. For a second I saw worry in his eyes. Then he put on his old confident smile. You bet, he said. Let's go blow Kronos back into a million pieces. Beckendorf led the way. We followed a narrow corridor to the s service stairwell just like we'd practice, but we froze when we heard noises above us. I I don't care what your nose says, snarled a half human half dog. I don't care what your nose says, snarled a half human, half dog voice at Elkaheen. The last time you smelled half blood, it turned out to be a meatloaf sandwich.
SPEAKER_00Meatloaf sandwiches are good.
SPEAKER_01A second voice snarled. But this is a half blood scent. I swear, they are on board. Bah your brain isn't on board.
SPEAKER_02They continued to argue, and Beckendorf pointed downstairs. We descended as quietly as we could. Two floors down, the voices of the Telkeheen started to fade. Finally we came to a metal hatch. Beckendorf mouthed the words engine room. It was locked, but Beckendorf pulled some chain cutters out of his bag and split the bolt like it was made of butter. Inside a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall. A telcaheen was henched over a console, but he was so involved with his work he didn't notice us. He was about five feet tall with slick black seal fur and stubby little feet. He had the head of a doberman, but his clawed hands were almost human. He growled and muttered as he tapped at his keyboard. Maybe he was messaging his friends on uglyface.com. I stepped forward and he tensed, probably smelling something wrong. He leaped sideways toward the big red alarm button, but I blocked his path. He hissed and lunged at me, but one slice of rip tat and he exploded into dust. One down, Beckendorf said. About five thousand ago. And he tossed me a jar of thick green liquid, Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. Then he drew me another essential tool of demigod heroes, duct tape. Slap that one on the console, he said. I'll get the turbines. We went to work. The room was hot and humid, and in no time we were drenched in sweat. The boat kept chugging along. Being the son of Poseidon and all, I have perfect bearings at sea. Don't ask me how, but I could tell we were at forty point one nine degrees north, seventy one point ninety degrees west, making eighteen knots, which meant the ship would arrive in New York Harbor by dawn. This would be our only chance to stop it. I had just attached a second jar of Greek fire to the control panels when I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps. So many creatures coming down the stairwell. I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign. I locked eyes with Beckendorf. How much longer? Too long. He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least. Judging from the sound of the footsteps, we had about ten seconds. I'll distract them, I said. Meet you at the rendezvous point. Percy! Wish me luck. He looked like he wanted to argue. The whole idea had been to get in and out without being spotted, but we were going to have to improvise.
SPEAKER_04Good luck, he said. I charged out the door. A half dozen Telcaheens were tromping down the stairs. I cut through them with riptide faster than they could yelp. I kept climbing, past another Telcaheen who was so startled he dropped his little demon's lunchbox. I left him alive, partly because his lunchbox was cool, partly so he could raise the alarm and hopefully get to get his friends to follow me rather than head toward the engine room. I burst through a door onto a deck onto deck six and kept running. I'm sure the carpeted hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster occupation, the wallpaper, carpet, and state room doors had been clawed up and slimed, so it looked like the inside of a dragon's throat. And yes, unfortunately, I speak from experience. Back on my first visit to the Princess Andromeda, my old enemy Luke had kept some days' tourists on board for show, shrouded in mist, so they didn't realize they were on a monster-infested ship. Now, I didn't see any sign of tourists. I hated to think about what happened to them. But I kind of doubt kind of doubted they'd been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings. I reached the promenade, a big shopping mall that took up the whole middle of the ship, and I stopped cold. In the middle of the courtyard stood a fountain, and in the fountain squatted a giant crab. Now, I'm not talking giant like 799 799 all-you-can-eat, Alaskan king crab. I'm talking about giant, like bigger than the fountain. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive each. I didn't have time to admire my handiwork. I ran for the nearest stairs while all around me, monsters and demigods, shouted orders and strapped on their weapons. I was empty-handed. Riptide, being magic, would appear in my pocket. Oh. I skipped the page. The fact that I was the son of the sea god was not gonna win me any points with Mr. Krabby. It hissed. Sea foam dripping from its mouth. The smell coming off of it was like a garbage can full of fish sticks that had been sitting in the sun all week. Alarms blared. Soon I was gonna have lots of company and I had to keep moving. Hey Krabby! I am. Around the edge of the courtyard. I'm just gonna scoot you around. Scoot around you, so the crab moved with amazing speed. It scuttled out of the fountain and came straight at me, pincer snapping. I dove into a gift shop, plowing through a rack of t-shirts. A crab pincer smashed the glass walls to pieces and raped across the room. I dashed back outside, breathing heavily. But Mr. Krabby turned and followed. There! A voice, boom, a voice said from the balcony above me, Intruder! If I'd wanted to create a distraction, I'd succeeded. But this was not where I wanted to fight. If I got pinned down in the center of the ship, I was crab chow. The demonic crustacean lunged at me. I slashed with riptide, taking off the tip of its clock. It hissed and funked but didn't seem very hurt.
SPEAKER_02I tried to remember anything from the old stories that might help me with this thing. Annabeth had told me about a monster crab. Something about Hercules crushing it under his foot. That wasn't going to work here. This crab was slightly bigger than my reebox. Then a weird thought occurred to me. Last Christmas, my mom and I had brought Paul Blowfist to our old cabin at Montauk, where we'd been going forever. Paul had taken me crabbing, and when he'd brought me up a net full of the things, he'd shown me how crabs have a chink in their armor right in the middle of their ugly bellies. The only problem was getting to the ugly belly. I glanced at the fountain, then at the marble floor, already slick with scuttling crab tracks. I held out my hand, concentrating on the water, and the fountain exploded. Water sprayed everywhere, three stories high, dousing the balconies and the elevators and the windows and the shops. The crab didn't care. It loved water. It came at me sideways, snapping and hissing, and I ran straight at it, screaming. Just before we collided, I hit the ground baseball style and slid on the wet marble floor straight under the creature. I was it was like sliding under a seven-toned armored vehicle. All the crab had to do was sit and squash me, but before it realized what was going on, I jabbed a riptide into the chink in its armor, let go of the hilt, and pushed myself out the back side. The monster shuddered and hissed. Its eyes dissolved. Its shell turned bright red as its insides evaporated. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap. I didn't have time to admire my handiwork. I'd ran for the nearest stairs while all around me monsters and demigods shouted orders and strapped on their weapons. I was empty-handed, riptide, being magic, would appear in my pocket sooner or later, but for now it was stuck somewhere under the wreckage of the crab, and I had no time to retrieve it. In the elevator foyer on deck eight, a couple of draconae slithered across my path. From the waist up, they were women with green scaly skin, yellow eyes and forked tongue. From the waist down they had double snake trunks instead of legs. They held spears and weighted nets, and I knew from experience they could use them. What is this? One said. A prize for Cronos. I wasn't in the mood to play Break the Snake, but in front of me was a stand with a model of the ship, like a you are here display. I ripped the model of the pedestal and hurled it at the first draconic. The boat smacked her in the face and she went down with the ship. I jumped over her and grabbed her friend's spear and swung her around. She slammed into the elevator and I kept running toward the front of the ship. Get here, she screamed. Hellhounds bade. An arrow from somewhere whizzed past my face and impaled itself in the mahogany paneled wall of the stairwell. I didn't care. As long as I got the monsters away from the engine room and gave Beckendorf more time. As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he'd just woken from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, Crown Owls! But he sounded more scared than angry. He couldn't have been more than twelve, about the same age I was when I'd first arrived at Camp Half Blood.
SPEAKER_04That thought depressed me. This kid was getting brainwashed, trained to hate the gods and lash out because he'd been born half Olympian. Kronos was using him. And yet the kid thought I was his enemy. No way was I gonna hurt him. I didn't need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand. Then I did something I hadn't planned on. It was probably stupid. It definitely jeopardized our mission, but I couldn't help it. If you want to live, I told him, get off the ship now. Tell the other demigods. Then I shoved him down the stairs and sent him tumbling to the next floor. I kept climbing. Bad memories. A hallway ran past the cafeteria, Annabeth, my half brother Tyson, and I had sneaked through here three years ago on my first visit. I burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between the two glass towers with more balconies and restaurants. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted. All I had to do was cross to the other side. Then I could take the staircase down to the helipad, our emergency rendezvous point. With any luck, Beckendorf would meet me there. We'd jump into the sea, my water powers would protect us both, and we'd detonate the charges from a quarter mile away. I was halfway across the deck when the sound of a voice made me freeze. You late, Percy. Luke stood on the balcony above me, a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white t-shirt, and flip-flops like he was just a normal college age guy. But his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold. We've been expecting you for days. At first he sounded normal like Luke, but then his face twitched. A sud a shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something real nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient, more powerful. The voice of the Titan Lord Kronos. The words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. Come. Bow before me. Shia, that'll happen, I muttered. Lace Dragonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. A trap. There's no way they could have gotten into position so fast unless they'd known I was coming. I looked up at Luke and anger boiled inside me. I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe. The way his voice had changed. Or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form. I told myself it didn't matter. Luke had been twisted and evil long before Kronos possessed him.
SPEAKER_02A voice in my head said, I have to fight him eventually. Why not now? According to that big prophecy, I was supposed to make a choice that saved or destroyed the world when I was 16. The that was only seven days away. Why not now? If I really had the power, what difference would a week make? I could end this threat right here by taking down Kronos. Hey, I'd fought monsters and gods before. As if reading my thoughts, Luke smiled. No, he was Kronos. I had to remember that. Come forward, he said. If you dare the crowd of monsters parted. I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and riptide grew into a sword. Kronos' weapon appeared in his hand. A six foot long scythe, half celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at that thing made my knees turn to jellow. But before I could change my mind, I charged. Time slowed down. I mean, literally slowed down. Because Kronos had that power. I felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy, I could barely raise my sword. Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my bed. I tried to fight his magic. I concentrated on the sea around me, the source of my power. I'd gotten better at channeling it over the years, but now nothing seemed to happen. I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered. Draconae hissed with laughter. Hey, ocean, I pleaded. Any day now would be good. Suddenly there was a wrenching pain in my gut. The entire boat lurched sideways throwing monsters off their feet. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing me and Kronos and everyone on the deck. The water revitalized me, breaking the time spell. And I lunged forward. I struck at Kronos, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face. Luke's face. A guy who was once my friend. As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him. Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back. And the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet. I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backwards. But he was heavier than Luke should have been. It was like kicking a refrigerator. Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with riptide, but his strike was so powerful my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirt sleeve and grazed my arms. It shouldn't have been a serious cut, but the entire side of my body exploded with pain. I remembered what a sea demon had once said about Kronos' scythe.
SPEAKER_00Careful fool! One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body.
SPEAKER_02Now I understood what he meant. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.
SPEAKER_04I stumbled backward. I switched my sword to my left hand and lunged desperately. Ah My blade should have run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There's no way he could have survived that. He should have sur there's no way he should have survived that. Kronos laughed. A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at Swordplay. My vision started to blur. I knew I didn't have much time. Luke had a big head, I said. But at least it was his head. A shame to kill you now, Kronos mused. Before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus. You'll never get this boat to Manhattan! My arm was throbbing, black spots danced in my vision. And why would that be? Cronus' eye golden eyes glittered. His face, Luke's face, seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives? He looked down at the pool and called, Nakamura! A teenage guy in full Greek armor pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. I knew him, of course, Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. I had saved his life in the labyrinth last summer, and in return, the little punk had helped Kronos come back to life. Success, my lord, Ethan called. We found him just as we were told. He clapped his hands. And two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off. No! I yelled. Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch. They hadn't taken it yet, and that was the detonator. Was it possible that the explosives were armed? Surely the monsters would have dismantled them right away. We found him amidships, one of the giants said, trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now? Soon Chrono scowled at Ethan. Are you sure he didn't set the explosives? He was going toward the engine room, my lord. How did you know that? Uh Ethan shifted uncomfortably. He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives. Slowly, I began to understand. He'd turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire might still be primed, but that didn't do us any good unless we could get off the ship and detonate it. Kronos hesitated. By the story, I prayed. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand.
SPEAKER_02Open his bag, Kronos ordered. One of the giants ripped the explosive satchel from Beckendorf's shoulder. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged forward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would have all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches. I could hear Kronos breathing. Trying to control his anger. Do you perhaps he said capture this demigod near the galley? Ethan turned pale.
SPEAKER_01Um and did you perhaps send someone to actually check the engine room?
SPEAKER_02Ethan scrambled back in terror. Then turned on his heels and ran. I cursed silently. Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again and asked a silent question, hoping he would understand. How long? He cupped his fingers and thumb, making a circle. Zero. There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill us first or disarm the explosives. Or both. Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks. He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm, the Titan Lord symbol. The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered Communication device spy at camp. Kronos chuckled. You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. Now drop your sword and surrender to me or your friend dies. I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would. Beckendorf mouthed one word. Go. I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him. The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly toward the watch on his right wrist. I wanted to scream No Then down by the swimming pool, one of the Draconae hissed.
SPEAKER_01What is he doing? What is that on his wrist?
SPEAKER_02Beckendorf closed eyes tight and brought his hands up to his watch. I had no choice. I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos. It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it did startle him. I pushed through a crowd of monsters and jumped off the side of the ship toward the water a hundred feet below. I heard rumbling deep in the ship. Monsters yelled at me from above. A spear sailed past my ears. An arrow pierced my thigh. But I barely had time to register the pain. I plunged into the sea and willed the currents to take me far, far away. A hundred yards. Two hundred yards. Even from that distance, the explosion shook the world. Heat seared the back of my head. The Princess Andromeda blew up from both sides. A massive fireball of green flame roiling into the dark sky, consuming everything. Beckendorf, I thought. Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea. Chapter one.
SPEAKER_04Chapter one. I can do it, man. I can do it after you.
SPEAKER_03I can do it.