Rick Riordan
The Sea Monsters - 02
even know if the prophecy is about you."
"But there isn't any other half-blood child of the Big Three!"
"That we know of."
"And Kronos is rising. He's going to destroy Mount Olympus!"
"He will try," Chiron agreed. "And Western Civilization along with it, if we don't stop him. But
we will stop him. You will not be alone in that fight."
I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but I remembered what Annabeth had told me.
It would come down to one hero. One decision that would save or destroy the West. And I felt sure
the Fates had been giving me some kind of warning about that. Something terrible was going to
happen, either to me or to somebody I was close to.
"I'm just a kid, Chiron," I said miserably. "What good is one lousy hero against something like
Kronos?"
Chiron managed a smile. '"What good is one lousy hero'? Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
said something like that to me once, just before he single-handedly changed the course of your Civil
War."
He pulled an arrow from his quiver and turned the razor-sharp tip so it glinted in the firelight.
"Celestial bronze, Percy. An immortal weapon. What would happen if you shot this at a human?"
"Nothing," I said. "It would pass right through."
"That's right," he said. "Humans don't exist on the same level as the immortals. They can't
even be hurt by our weapons. But you, Percy—you are part god, part human. You live in both
worlds. You can be harmed by both, and you can affect both. That's what makes heroes so special.
You carry the hopes of humanity into the realm of the eternal. Monsters never die. They are reborn
from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization, the very stuff that
makes Kronos stronger. They must be defeated again and again, kept at bay. Heroes embody that
struggle. You fight the battles humanity must win, every generation, in order to stay human. Do you
understand?"
"I ... I don't know."
"You must try, Percy. Because whether or not you are the child of the prophecy, Kronos
thinks you might be. And after today, he will finally despair of turning you to his side. That is the only
reason he hasn't killed you yet, you know. As soon as he's sure he can't use you, he will destroy
you."
"You talk like you know h im."
Chiron pursed his lips. "I do know him."
I stared at him. I sometimes forgot just how old Chiron was. "Is that why Mr. D blamed you
when the tree was poisoned? Why you said some people don't trust you?"
"Indeed."
"But, Chiron ... I mean, come on! Why would they think you'd ever betray the camp for
Kronos?"
Chiron's eyes were deep brown, full of thousands of years of sadness. "Percy, remember
your training. Remember your study of mythology. What is my connection to the titan lord?"
I tried to think, but I'd always gotten my mythology mixed up. Even now, when it was so real,
so important to my own life, I had trouble keeping all the names and facts straight. I shook my head.
"You, uh, owe Kronos a favor or something? He spared your life?"
"Percy," Chiron said, his voice impossibly soft. "The titan Kronos is my father."
Chapter Nineteen
The Chariot Race Ends With A Bang
We arrived in Long Island just after Clarisse, thanks to the centaurs' travel powers. I rode on
Chiron's back, but we didn't talk much, especially not about Kronos. I knew it had been difficult for
Chiron to tell me. I didn't want to push him with more questions. I mean, I've met plenty of embar-
rassing parents, but Kronos, the evil titan lord who wanted to destroy Western Civilization? Not the
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