Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
She patted me on the shoulder. "Say no more. The Hunters are ready."
I looked at the other counselors. "That leaves the rest of you with a job just as important. You
have to guard the other entrances to Manhattan. You know how tricky Kronos is. He'll hope to
distract us with this big army and sneak another force in somewhere else. It's up to you to make
sure that doesn't happen. Has each cabin chosen a bridge or tunnel?"
The counselors nodded grimly.
"Then let's do it," I said. "Good hunting, everybody!"
85
85
We heard the army before we saw it.
The noise was like a cannon barrage combined with a football stadium crowd—like every
Patriots fan in New England was charging us with bazookas.
At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods—a warrior in
golden armor leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other
monsters poured out behind them.
"Positions!" Annabeth yelled.
Her cabinmates scrambled. The idea was to make the enemy army break around the
reservoir. To get to us, they'd have to follow the trails, which meant they'd be marching in narrow
columns on either side of the water.
At first, the plan seemed to work. The enemy divided and streamed toward us along the
shore. When they were halfway across, our defenses kicked in. The jogging trail erupted in Greek
fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. Others flailed around, engulfed in green flames.
Athena campers threw grappling hooks around the largest giants and pulled them to the ground.
In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line,
destroying twenty or thirty dracaenae, but more marched behind them. A bolt of lightning crackled
out of the sky and fried a Laistrygonian giant to ashes, and I knew Thalia must be doing her
daughter of Zeus thing.
Grover raised his pipes and played a quick tune. A roar went up from the woods on both
sides as every tree, rock, and bush seemed to sprout a spirit. Dryads and satyrs raised their clubs
and charged. The trees wrapped around the monsters, strangling them. Grass grew around the feet
of the enemy archers. Stones flew up and hit dracaenae in the faces.
The enemy slogged forward. Giants smashed through the trees, and naiads faded as their
life sources were destroyed. Hellhounds lunged at the timber wolves, knocking them aside. Enemy
archers returned fire, and a Hunter fell from a high branch.
"Percy!" Annabeth grabbed my arm and pointed at the reservoir. The Titan in the gold armor
wasn't waiting for his forces to advance around the sides. He was charging toward us, walking
straight over the top of the lake.
A Greek firebomb exploded right on top of him, but he raised his palm and sucked the
flames out of the air.
"Hyperion," Annabeth said in awe. "The lord of light. Titan of the east."
"Bad?" I guessed.
"Next to Atlas, he's the greatest Titan warrior. In the old days, four Titans controlled the four
corners of the world. Hyperion was the east—the most powerful. He was the father of Helios, the
first sun god."
"I'll keep him busy," I promised.
"Percy, even you can't—"
"Just keep our forces together."
We'd set up at the reservoir for good reason. I concentrated on the water and felt its power
surging through me.
I advanced toward Hyperion, running over the top of the water. Yeah, buddy. Two can play
that game.
Twenty feet away, Hyperion raised his sword. His eyes were just like I'd seen in my dream—
as gold as Kronos's but brighter, like miniature suns.
"The sea god's brat," he mused. "You're the one who trapped Atlas beneath the sky again?"
"It wasn't hard," I said. "You Titans are about as bright as my gym socks."
Hyperion snarled. "You want bright?"