We didn't want to leave her, but I could hear Kronos laughing as he approached

the hall of the gods.

 

More buildings exploded.

 

"We'll be back," I promised.

 

"I'm not going anywhere," Thalia groaned.

 

A fireball erupted on the side of the mountain, right near the gates of the

palace.

 

"We've got to run," I said.

 

"I don't suppose you mean away,” Grover murmured hopefully.

 

I sprinted toward the palace, Annabeth right behind me.

 

"I was afraid of that," Grover sighed, and clip-clopped after us.

 

The doors of the palace were big enough to steer a cruise ship through, but

they'd been ripped off their hinges and smashed like they weighed nothing. We

had to climb over a huge pile of broken stone and twisted metal to get inside.

 

Kronos stood in the middle of the throne room, his arms wide, staring at the