After nightfall, Dr. Chase lands the Sopwith Camel at Crissy Field, and Annabeth rushes to embrace him. He explains that he made celestial bronze bullet casings from old half-blood weapons Annabeth had left behind, revealing both his ingenuity and his care for her.

Thalia and Artemis call Percy and Annabeth to Zoë, whose wounds and poison are beyond ordinary healing. Artemis offers to try, but Zoë understands that the prophecy has been fulfilled: Atlas, her father, has dealt the fatal blow. Zoë asks whether she served Artemis well, makes peace with Thalia, and tells Percy he is unlike Hercules and worthy to carry Riptide.

Zoë dies while looking at the stars. Artemis gathers Zoë’s spirit, releases it into the sky, and creates a new constellation shaped like a girl with a bow. The goddess honors Zoë as a Huntress who will live forever among the stars.

Artemis departs for Olympus, saying she must attend the urgent council and will send help instead of carrying the group herself. Before leaving, Artemis praises Annabeth’s courage, shares a meaningful look with Thalia, and tells Percy he did well “for a man,” a grudging mark of respect.

Blackjack arrives with two other pegasi, Guido and Porkpie, to carry Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia east. Dr. Chase says goodbye to Annabeth and offers her a home in San Francisco despite the danger, but Annabeth leaves without answering, visibly emotional.

During the flight to New York, Annabeth reflects uncertainly on her family and thanks Percy for rescuing her. She insists Luke survived his fall and is under Kronos’s spell, but Percy angrily rejects the idea because of Luke’s betrayals and the deaths of Bianca and Zoë. At dawn, the group reaches Manhattan and sees Olympus glowing above the Empire State Building as Thalia announces that the winter solstice Council of the Gods has begun.