Percy summons Blackjack, who arrives with Porkpie, and Percy and Annabeth fly to the Williamsburg Bridge. Percy worries because the Minotaur was one of the first monsters Percy ever fought and is tied to painful memories of Percy’s mother. From above, Percy and Annabeth see Apollo campers retreating while dracaenae, hellhounds, and other monsters advance through burning cars and volleys of arrows.

The Minotaur spots Percy and hurls a limousine at the pegasi, forcing them to dodge. Percy and Annabeth land behind the Apollo line and meet Michael Yew, whose campers are nearly out of arrows and have no reinforcements. Michael explains that Clarisse still refused to fight despite being offered the flying chariot, and Percy orders the Apollo campers to regroup while Percy distracts the monsters.

Percy walks alone toward the enemy and challenges the Minotaur. After killing an attacking hellhound, Percy faces the Minotaur one-on-one, slices apart the monster’s axe, cuts off both horns, and uses part of the broken axe to impale the charging monster. Percy throws the disintegrating Minotaur off the bridge, then charges the monster army with the Apollo campers firing behind him, routing nearly all of them toward Brooklyn.

Annabeth warns Percy that the defenders are overextended, and Percy realizes the retreating monsters are joining Kronos’s reinforcements: armored demigods on skeletal horses. Kronos leads the charge, forcing Percy, Annabeth, and the Apollo campers to retreat. Percy avoids killing the enemy demigods when possible because they may be former friends, while Blackjack and Porkpie harass the attackers from above.

During the retreat, Ethan Nakamura tries to stab Percy in the small of the back, Percy’s secret weak point from the Styx. Annabeth unknowingly intercepts the blow and is badly wounded. Percy drives the attackers away, sends Annabeth to safety with Blackjack, and duels Kronos, who recognizes Percy’s Styx-enhanced strength but blasts Percy and the bridge with Titan power.

Michael Yew notices that the bridge has been weakened by the fighting and urges Percy to break it. Percy drives Riptide into the asphalt, releasing salt water and opening a massive chasm that cuts Kronos off from Manhattan. Kronos withdraws until evening, but Michael disappears in the collapse, leaving only his bow behind. Before Percy can search further, Silena Beauregard calls from the Plaza Hotel, crying and asking Percy to come quickly with an Apollo healer because of Annabeth.