The Last Olympian Read Free Page B

me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and Riptide grew into a sword.
    Kronos’s weapon appeared in his hands—a six-footlong scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at the thing made my knees turn to Jell-O. 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 death.
    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. Dracaenae 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 backward, but he was heavier than Luke should’ve 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 shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. 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’s scythe: Careful, fool. One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body . Now I understood what he meant. I wasn’t just losing blood. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.
    I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade should’ve run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should’ve 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 eyes.
    “And why would that be?” Kronos’s 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’d 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