Chapter 27

Everything around me was frozen in time. The pillar falling on Thalia had stopped. The skeletons hadn't cut Nico's throat yet. Annabeth had just let go of the floor. I could still see Grover before the rocks crushed him. John was still as a tree in front of me.

"How-?" I stammered.

I looked at Backbiter. It was now a scythe. Kronos's scythe. I thought back to the town and how Backbiter had become a scythe then too. Time had slowed in the town just like now.

I stood up and examined the scythe. This was so cool! I could save my friends! I could pull Annabeth up, I could dig Grover out of the rocks. Kronos's scythe could break the rocks around Thalia's foot so she could get out of the way. The skeletons holding Nico might as well be a pile of bones. And John, I could stab his Achilles spot. He would die. Our powers would return to us. The world would be saved.

"Well done, Percy Jackson," a voice said.

I turned around and saw all the gods standing behind me. "Well, what are you waiting for, Percy Jackson?" Zeus asked.

"Yes, aren't you going to kill John Martin?" Athena said.

I nodded and raised the scythe to John's back. But I couldn't bring it down. I remembered all my friends that had died trying to kill John; Clarisse, Chris, Pollux, Travis, Jake, Katie, Connor...If only I could save them.

Then I looked at the scythe. Kronos was the lord of time. Was it possible? Could his scythe turn back time?

"Is something wrong?" I heard my father ask.

I brought the scythe to my side. "I'm not going to kill John."

"What?" Zeus growled.

"Look, most of my friends are dead," I said.

"What is your point? You could save the remaining ones right now," Zeus noted. "And still kill John."

"No, that's not what I meant. Yeah, I could save them all. We could rebuild Camp Half-Blood, but it wouldn't be the same," I told Zeus.

"What are you saying, Jackson?" Ares asked.

"I'm saying that with Kronos's scythe, I can turn back time. Stop all this from ever happening. I could stop John's parents being killed so he would never become that. I could save all my other friends from dying," I explained.

Zeus looked like he wanted to protest, but my father stepped forward and put a hand on Zeus's shoulder, "Brother, I think that perhaps it would be best if Percy stopped all this from happening. That would save us the trouble of rebuilding Olympus and the loss of demigod lives all over the world."

Zeus thought about it. Then looked at me, "Very well. Do as you wish, Percy Jackson. Just make sure that sword doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

"I'll try my best," I said.

The gods faded away. I threw the scythe spinning into the air. There was a clap of thunder and I was standing in front of John's childhood house. Kronos's scythe was back in my hand. Footsteps were coming toward me. Three teenagers appeared out of the darkness.

They froze when they saw me. The one in the middle took their mask off. It was me. "Who - How -?" he stammered.

I told Thalia, Nico, and my past self everything that would happen if they killed John Martin's parents.

"How do we know you're not Kronos?" Thalia said, pointing to the scythe.

I shrugged and grabbed myself, then held the scythe to his Achilles spot. My past self made a choking sound and said, "It's not Kronos."

I pushed him away from me. "Alright, so you're not Kronos, but how do we know what you say is true?" Thalia questioned.

Kronos's scythe created a window to the future. It showed everything that would happen if John's parents died. "Proof enough for you?" I yawned.

"Well, I don't feel like having my powers taken, then having skeletons slit my throat so I vote we go back," Nico said.

Thalia and my past self agreed. I opened a portal back to their time. Thalia and Nico stepped through. "Hey, I'd like to thank you for warning us," my past self said.

"It's no problem. If Chiron wants to give Backbiter to you, say no thanks and tell him to destroy it, okay?" I asked.

"Sure - but why -" Before he could finish I pushed him through the portal. Now, it was back to my time.

I woke up in the grass at the center of Camp Half-Blood. Groaning, I rolled on my stomach and looked beside me. Backbiter was laying right next to me. I felt my face. There wasn't a scar. Gently, I picked Backbiter up and tried to stab my hand. The blade bounced off my skin. My Achilles spot still there.

I looked around me. All the cabins were there. Nothing was destroyed. "Percy!" someone yelled.

Annabeth and Chiron came up to me. I stood up. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" Annabeth scolded me.

I couldn't control my actions and just hugged Annabeth. Chiron raised an eye brow. Then I gave Chiron a hug. "Uh...Percy, is something wrong?" Chiron said awkwardly.

I stepped away from him. "No. No, everything is how it should be."

Annabeth pointed to Backbiter. "Percy, where did you get that?"

"It's a, uh, long story," I smiled.

They didn't remember anything. Which I guess was a good thing. In time, I could forget it all too. Clarisse and Chris were walking to the arena. I put Backbiter in my pocket and dashed over to them. I wrapped my arms around both of them, "Thank gods! You guys are alive, too!"

Clarisse pulled my arm off her. "What is your problem, Jackson?" she demanded.

"Nothing!" I said. "I'm just happy you guys are here!"

"Where else would we be?" Chris asked.

"Hey, Percy!" Travis and Connor waved.

When I got to them, I said, "I'm sorry."

"For what, man?" Travis asked.

Grover came out of the woods. "Hey, I have to go, but I'll see you guys later," I told Travis and Connor.

I ran over to Grover. "Hey, G-Man!"

"How's it going, Percy?" Grover smiled.

Annabeth came up behind me. "Percy, what's wrong with you? I mean, you just hugged Clarisse, like it was nothing," she told me.

"I'm just happy to see everyone," I shrugged and spotted Pollux trying to turn grapes into wine. "Come on!" I grabbed Annabeth wrist and pulled her along with me.

I clapped Pollux over the shoulder. "Hi, Percy. What's up?" Pollux asked.

"Just wanting to see what you were doing." I shrugged.

Then I looked at his neck. There weren't any scars from the blade going into his throat. "Uh…can I help you?" Pollux looked at me like I was creeper.

Annabeth grabbed my ear and pulled me behind a cabin. "Alright, spill. What's up?"

"Nothing," I lied.

She starred into my eyes. "What's. Wrong?"

I told her everything. Annabeth starred at me like I was crazy. "Do you know how crazy that sounds?" she asked.

I reached in my pocket and uncapped Backbiter. "See this? Watch." Suddenly Backbiter turned into Kronos's scythe.

Annabeth gasped. "It really did happen, didn't it?"

I nodded and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "I almost lost you."

Annabeth kissed me. I just melted. The thought of almost losing her was torture. How close had she been to death because of me?

"Alright! Break it up!" Jake Mason said.

Annabeth pulled away from me and blushed. "Oh, bite me. You make-out with Katie all the time!" I said.

Jake's face turned bright red and he hurried away from us. Annabeth laughed. "It's true.

"Hey, where are Thalia and Nico?" I asked.

"Nico left yesterday for the Underworld. Thalia is with the Hunters in Spain," Annabeth told me. "Now, come on. We're getting ready to play Capture the Flag."

Kronos's scythe had turned back into Backbiter. "Kronos will probably come after this in the future," I said and put Backbiter in my pocket.

"You're probably right, but we'll worry about that when it happens," Annabeth said.

Our team won in Capture the Flag. Afterwards all the campers had a party around a campfire. Chiron was grilling burgers and hot dogs, which I had never seen him do.

At the end of the night, I was worn out and went back to my cabin. I flopped on my bunk and fell asleep.

In my dream, I was watching something coming up from the water. It was nighttime, so I couldn't see really well. Whatever it was, it was swimming toward Manhattan.

When it came to the shore it rose from the water. Though, no water dripped off of it. It walked under a street light. It was me. But its eyes weren't mine. Its eyes were yellow and its pupils were red.

It came to a bank and busted the door. The two guards there rushed to the entrance. Whatever it was, took both cops out in a swift movement. It walked over to the glass and smashed it. Then it lifted a bag up and put all the jewels in it. Alarms blared. It looked up at a camera and grinned. Then made a peace sign and vanished. Have I ever mentioned how much demigod dreams suck?

Author's note: And that's a wrap! I have to admit, this is one of my favorite story I've ever written. See? Everything worked out in the end!

Possible sequel: Alright, because of Percy's dream about the Shapeshifter thing, I might make a sequel. But if I do, it won't be until I'm done with iFugitive. But if it's not a sequel, it will have the Shapeshifter thing in it.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and stuck with the story until the end. This story is dedicated to my two friends Jenny and Katie for helping me come up with the story and ideas. I hope you all liked the ending to Demigod Hunters. Later!

-Angel ofDarkness1337