Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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111
He raised his scythe. I got ready to defend, but before Kronos could strike, a dog's howl
pierced the air somewhere behind the Titan's army. "Arroooooooo!"
It was too much to hope, but I called, "Mrs. O'Leary?"
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.
"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.
Through the face guard of his skull-shaped helmet, he smiled. "Got your message. Is it too
late to join the party?"
"Son of Hades." Kronos spit on the ground. "Do you love death so much you wish to
experience it?"
"Your death," Nico said, "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 m 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."
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 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."
"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.
He 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, my
friends, and me from the bulk of the two armies.
"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