Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
91
91
"DUDE!" Another centaur yelled. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!"
He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blasted an enemy hellhound bright pink.
The paint must've been mixed with Celestial bronze dust or something, because as soon as it
splattered the hellhound, the monster yelped and dissolved into a pink-and-black puddle.
"PARTY PONIES.'" a centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA!"
Somewhere across the battlefield, a twangy voice yelled back, "HEART OF TEXAS
CHAPTER!"
"HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted.
It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed
back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and NERF baseball bats. The centaurs trampled
everything in their path.
"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and ACKK!"
That last part was because a panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on
top of him. The lord of time disappeared under a giant blue butt.
We pushed them for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"
It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and
they started to pull back, letting the enemy flee.
"Chiron's smart," Annabeth said, wiping the sweat off her face. "If we pursue, we'll get too
spread out. We need to regroup."
"But the enemy—"
"They're not defeated," she agreed. "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some
time."
I didn't like pulling back, but I knew she was right. I watched as the last of the telkhines
scuttled toward the East River. Then reluctantly I turned and headed back toward the Empire State
Building.
We set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron
informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union: forty from
California, two from Rhode Island, thirty from Illinois . . . Roughly five hundred total had answered
his call, but even with that many, we couldn't defend more than a few blocks.
"Dude," said a centaur named Larry. His T-shirt identified him as BIG CHIEF UBER GUY,
NEW MEXICO CHAPTER. "That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!"
"Yeah," said Owen from South Dakota. He wore a black leather jacket and an old WWII army
helmet. "We totally wasted them!"
Chiron patted Owen on the back. "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos
should never be underestimated. Now why don't you visit the diner on West 33rd and get some
breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."
"Root beer!" They almost trampled each other as they galloped off.
Chiron smiled. Annabeth gave him a big hug, and Mrs. O'Leary licked his face.
"Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you too."
"Chiron, thanks," I said. "Talk about saving the day."
He shrugged. "I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bend
distance as we ride. Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies
are not exactly organized."
"How'd you get through the magic defenses around the city?" Annabeth asked.
"They slowed us down a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep
mortals out. Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."
"So maybe other reinforcements can get through," I said hopefully.
Chiron stroked his beard. "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he
will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side . . ."
I understood what he meant. Kronos wasn't beaten. Not by a long shot. I half hoped Kronos
had been squashed under that Hyperborean giant's butt, but I knew better. He'd be back, tonight at
the latest.
"And Typhon?" I asked.
Chiron's face darkened. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon