“Ready?” The voice of Chrysaor spoke.

 

“Yeah,” Percy replied as he put the seatbelt on. He heard Grover and Annabeth answer and do the same thing. He grabbed the collar that had been given to him by his father.

 

It was time for them to leave the hotel. It was time for them to go back against a world that wanted them dead, that wanted him dead.

 

 

Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He could feel the attention, the presence of his father almost hovering over his shoulder.

 

The world was going to hell because his father had chosen to love Percy, to believe in him. He will not fail.

 

All around the car, guards stood. It seemed as if every denizen of the hotel had come to wish them good luck.

 

The manager telekhine who had shown and given them the gifts of his father was just before the doors, talking into what seemed to be an earpiece.

 

He sent a silent nod to the guards who nodded back and began to move. All around them, the denizens of the hotel began to move like one mind in different bodies.

 

“What are they doing?” Percy wondered out loud.

 

Tremors shook the parking. It felt as if they were in the epicentre of an Earthquake. Percy realized with shock and wonder that it wasn't an earthquake.

 

The hotel itself was moving. The manager finally turned toward them. “My Princes. Our only orders were to make sure you all leave safely. We choose to disobey. His majesty had been more than kind, more than deserving of our love, of our worship!”

 

They began to glow, a deep blue colour as deep as the Ocean. From the glow, Greek armour began to form.

 

 

All their fists crushed against the newly created armour creating a loud sound akin to lightning splitting the sky.

 

“Open the doors!” shouted one of the sea denizens.

 

The doors began to open. Rays of light illuminated the parking making it truly look like a scene from another world.

 

“My Princes,” the manager Telekhine spoke softly. “The moment you leave this hotel, servants of the sky lord and mercenaries will be attacking. We'll try to create for you a safe path.”

 

“This is madness,” Annabeth hissed at Percy’s side. “They want to stop by themselves what would most likely be gods or greater monsters.”

 

“They won’t stop them, They’ll fail,” Chrysaor spoke. His voice held some kind of softness, one Percy had only been able to see when they talked on the roof of the hotel.

 

Percy realized with horror that most of the people saluting right now would probably die in the next hours if not the next minutes. All of this was Zeus’ fault. If only the god hadn't been a paranoid tyrant, things wouldn't have gone this way!

 

The car roared suddenly to life. Percy turned toward Chrisoar, the only one who could have turned it on.

 

He wanted to be angry, to yell at Chrisaor but he pushed this feeling deep down. It reminded him too much of Zeus. Chrysaor wasn’t at fault.

 

The doors finally opened leaving the city of Virginia Beach bare for them to see. “Your graces!” the voice of the manager boomed. “We do this of our own wills. It is and has been an honour for us!”

 

Percy saw how the dark sky seemed to even get darker and angrier.  Percy could see dark forms through the clouds, forms with wings, swords and spears.

 

“Forfathers! Your majesty Poseidon! Bear witness!” the telekhine shouted before jumping toward the sky. The other denizens rushed after him.

 

At the same moment, Percy watched how armoured people also fell from the sky. The two armies clashed in the sky and the world became a battlefield.

 

“It is time,” Chrysaor told him softly. “Those people, they chose to give up their lives for us. The only thing we can do, the only thing you can do is to make sure their sacrifices aren't wasted.”

 

“Yeah, you're right,” the younger son of Poseidon simply said. Percy watched as The manager skewered one of the sky people with his spear, using the body of the now-dead opponent as a shield to protect himself from the lightning of another enemy.

 

“Let’s go,” he said to Chrisaor.

 

As if it was the signal his older brother was waiting for, the car moved. In an instant, they left the hotel, the car already cruising through the streets. The world around him seemed a blur. The only reason why he didn't feel scared was that he could feel the car, how it worked, the different mechanisms that made it. It almost felt alive to Percy’s senses. Percy was sure of one thing. Nothing wrong would happen to him as long as he was in this car.

 

“We're going to die!” shouted grover as the car ran over hordes and hordes of Zombies and what seemed to be monsters.

 

Percy could have sworn that he saw harpies and other kinds of monsters he didn't know the name of trying to attack the car.

 

Percy turned to look at Grover in one of the backseats “We’re not going to! I promise,” Percy told Grover. “We'll reach and come out of the Underworld all alive!”

 

Percy felt it before it came. The all-encompassing smell of Ozone, his hair standing on their end.

 

Percy watched as a gigantic bolt of lightning bigger than their car began to fall on them.  Chrysaor's two hands went to grip the wheel. Percy watched his body tense.

 

“Prepare yourselves!” he yelled. A grin that Percy could only call mad was splitting his face “We're going to defy the edicts of the Heaven!”

 

Percy deepened his connection with the car. He left the control to Chrysaor. Instead, he followed his instincts. The same sinking sensation he had felt when he was fighting against Miss Dodds came back. Percy wished only for one thing, to strengthen the sports car.

 

A burst of hydrogen sent their car flying toward the falling lightning bolt. Percy braced himself. The lightning bolt hit them.

 

 

The car groaned painfully but continued to rise in the sky in defiance. “This is crazy!” Grover shouted.

 

“This is just the beginning!” Chrysaor yelled back.

 

“On the hood!” Annabeth warned. Indeed, on the hood of the car, an armoured winged figure had their golden spear already plunged toward Percy’s head.

 

The spear met the glass and the one that broke was the spear. It broke between the head and the pole.

 

Percy watched as it began to shine as if it was a bomb being set off. Chrysaor reacted fast, his hands spinning the steering wheel toward the right.

 

The armoured figure lost its balance as the car rotated. The window on Percy’s side opened.

 

Acknowledging the silent message, Riptide moved flying through the air like a golden halo of destruction to lodge itself In the neck of the armoured figure.

 

 

Another winged figure tried to use the window as an opening. “As if!” Percy heard Annabeth shout.

 

Silver spikes pooled all around him rushing like a wave toward their opponents. The spikes embedded themselves in the body of the enemy.

 

Percy watched how the eyes of the sky person widened. Under them, the spear finally exploded.

 

The sky shone gold. The car was proposed toward the top of the cloud by the force of the explosion.

 

They emerged from the dark clouds to the sight of a war in the heavens. “We have to get down Chrysaor!” Annabeth screamed at Chrydaor. “We are In their territory!”

 

“That's where you're wrong daughter of the war goddess! This car is nothing but a boat in my hands! Those dark clouds are nothing but a tempestuous Ocean! I am Chrysaor the Golden and I have never been beaten by the whims of the Ocean!”

 

The car finished its ascension and began to fall toward the clouds. Clouds rose under them to form a ramp “Little brother. Let me show you how it is done!”

 

The wheels of the cars slid on the clouds as if it was concrete. It shouldn’t have been possible but this was truly happening.

 

Mad Laughter escaped from the lips of Annabeth. “We’re driving on the clouds themselves!“

 

They were In a car driving on the clouds. They were In a car driving on the clouds. “This is an age of a hero and gods! This is an age of wonders! This is just the beginning!”

 

Percy could see Coming closer and closer to the armies of winged people with lightning-shaped weapons in their hands.

 

“Chrysaor were surrounded!” grover shouted. “We are trapped!”

 

“You’re wrong young satyr! They are the ones trapped!” Percy felt the connection he had with the car become completely his. “Percy, I give you the control!”

 

“You’re crazy. We're all going to die! I had never driven a car before!”

 

Chrysaor had already left his seat. “This is nothing but a boat in a different form! You're a son of Poseidon! I trust you with our lives!”

 

“Wait!”  Percy yelled but it was too late. The immortal had faded into a golden mist that travelled that went up and travelled through the crannies of the car.

 

Percy moved into the driving seat. He was scared of screwimg things up. “You won't,” the voice of his father whispered in his ear. “I’ll always be at your side, my son.”

 

Percy took a deep breath to calm his nerves “Percy tell me you know what you're doing,” Grover begged.

 

The hands of Percy moved to grip the steering wheel. Instincts, Percy never knew he had, took control of his body.

 

“Where is Chrysaor?” Annabeth asked. At the same moment, through his connection with the car, Percy felt a form standing on the roof.

 

“On the roof, he's on the roof,” Percy answered softly.

 

“You’re crazy. All of you children of the big three are crazy!” Annabeth said. It felt like a fever dream even for him. If someone had told him months ago he would be driving a car on clouds, he would have asked what kind of acid they were.

 

Percy’s right hand moves to the gearshift. “Brace yourselves!” Percy warned the two other campers.

 

“If we all die seaweed brain, I'm haunting you for all eternity!” the gear shift was moved to the maximum speed.

 

“Burst,” Percy commanded the car before with a loud shockwave, the car rushed to the ears of the armoured people in front of them.

 

The car went through bodies and turned to paste. Ichor and blood splashed against the car as Percy rammed through hundreds.

 

He could see with his vision how some of the winged people had brought with them giants, giants that were as tall as buildings and even more clad in armour than the angels with an average height.

 

One of the giants moved, faster than Percy thought a being of his size should be able to.  The punch sent shockwaves and violent wings toward them.

 

The armoured angels’ s look-alikes who had been lucky enough to survive the car were sliced by the furious winds unleashed on them.

 

Dozens died before the fist of the giant even came closer. Percy should feel scared but he didn't.

 

Golden light surrounded them creating a new dawn “Listen servants of the sky! The sky may be infinite but even infinity will be swallowed by the abyss in the end!”

 

Percy heard the click of a sword being unsheathed. An omnidirectional wave of gold flew from the car.

 

“Brother! Full speed! Time to leave this accursed sky!” Chrysaor shouted.

 

“Understood!” Percy answered. His leg moved crushing against the accelerator with all of his strength.

 

Time went to a standstill for Percy. At this moment when everything stopped, the only things that moved were Percy and the car. The car moved. With one hand on the steering wheel, Percy made a 180-degree turn to dodge the frozen opponents.

 

Percy saw an end to the clouds, a space that would allow them to leave the domain of Zeus. Percy watched from the corners of his eyes as behind them, everything was sliced as if it was a comic and with his sword, Chrysaor had cut the world itself.

 

Percy felt the static rise again which meant one thing. “Zeus, he’s going to send another lightning bolt!”

 

“Chysaor, you have to get back in the car,” Percy shouted to his older brother.

 

“I had already told you, brother! This is nothing but a tempestuous ocean and I, Chrysaor never backed down against one!”

 

Percy watched as the sky around them took life. He could feel in the clouds fiery hatred, boundless hatred, feelings that were directed at them, that were directed at him.

 

Chrysaor moved sliding from the roof to the hood of the car “This's just the beginning line brother! Today isn't the day when we lose!” Chrysaor yelled his voice booming through the sky in defiance of Zeus.

 

“I thought he wasn't like you. I thought he had more sense but no, he's exactly like you!” Annabeth said.

 

“Do you regret it?” Percy asked her as the aether opened before them.

 

“No, Percy,” he heard her say softly “I don’t.”

 

“And you grover?” he asked the Sathr even though he already knew the answer.

 

“I'm your friend. I'll follow you till the end whether it is now or in a century,” The satyr answered.

 

Percy’s grip on the steering wheel hardened. Percy pushed the car at its maximum “Chrysaor, let's do this!”

 

A lightning bolt rushed toward them from the aether. Percy watched the grip of Chrysaor tighten on his sword and his muscles tense in preparation.

 

At the last moment before the collision, a cloud rose under them angling Chrysaor perfectly. Like a bat, The immortal son of Poseidon swung his golden sword at the lightning bolt and the world lost sense.

 

A vacuum was created around the lightning bolt and the car. A destructive shockwave of gold and blue surged all around annihilating the world around them into nothing.  Percy saw cracks begin to form as if reality itself was breaking.

 

At that moment, the world bore witness to the forgotten one, to the son of the Gorgons and Poseidon, To Chrysaor, the golden! “Father! Mother! Aunts! Brothers of mine! Callirhoe, BEAR WITNESS!”

 

The sward erupted like a geyser losing its shape, becoming something more than a simple sword before cleaving through the lightning of the King of the gods.

 

 

At that moment, looking at the form of his brother, Percy Jackson felt pride.