Second Titan War, Part One

The Second Titan War, or the Second Titanomachy, was the conflict between the forces of @Olympus and the @Titan Army, which arose when the Titan Lord @Kronos attempted to take his revenge on the @Olympians for defeating him and sealing him in @Tartarus. He was opposed by the Olympians and the demigods of @Camp Half-Blood, including @Percy Jackson and the demigods of @Camp Jupiter, including @Jason Grace. It began on December 21, 2005 and ended on August 18, 2009.

The war revolved around Kronos' plans, who hoped to rise from Tartarus and rule the world once more by defeating the gods. There were five major battles over the course of the war; the Battle of the Labyrinth, the Attack on the Princess Andromeda, the Siege of Atlantis, and contemporaneous battles of Mount Othrys and Manhattan. It lasted approximately four years after @Luke Castellan stole the @Master Bolt and the @Helm of Darkness.

Part One: The Lightning Thief

@Luke Castellan, a son of @Hermes, was contacted in his sleep by Kronos, lord of the Titans. The exact nature of this encounter is unknown, but he was eventually convinced to join Kronos' cause out of a desire for revenge against the gods. He was assigned to steal the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness, the symbols of @Zeus and @Hades' power respectively, in order to start a war between the gods.

On a winter camp field trip to @Olympus, he made his move. While the other campers and counselors were asleep, Luke entered the throne room and stole the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness with little effort, as the Olympians would never believe that anyone was capable of doing so. They later discovered the theft and went to search for the thief. @Ares, son of Zeus, was the one that found Luke and disarmed him before taking the two items away from him. However, Kronos spoke to Luke, telling him what to say, and convinced Ares not to return the stolen items as it would lead to a huge war between the Big Three.

Ares was intrigued and delighted at the idea of a war between the gods, and spared Luke, but took the Bolt and the Helm with him. Ares later gave Percy the Master Bolt in disguise, thinking that Percy would unknowingly bring the Bolt to Hades and die in the @Underworld. This would result in Zeus and @Poseidon being angry at Hades, and Hades would believe that one of them had stolen his Helm of Darkness. When Percy didn't die in the Underworld, Ares tried to kill the demigod himself, but failed and was forced to flee. Percy sent the Helm of Darkness back to Hades by giving it to the Furies, and then returned to Olympus to give Zeus his Master Bolt. Percy explains that Ares was being used and someone else was making plans behind the scenes. Later, he learns that Luke was the one that stole the sacred items under orders from Kronos, his new master. Luke tries to kill Percy with a Pit Scorpion before leaving the camp. Fortunately, Percy is healed in time, but as a result, the entire camp learns of Luke's betrayal.

Part Two: The Sea of Monsters

After his defection, Luke took control of a monster cruise ship called the Princess Andromeda, which served as his base of operations. In order to render Camp Half-Blood defenseless and eliminate a major ally of the Olympians, he poisoned @Thalia's Tree with the help of a spy in the camp's ranks. He then tried to steal the @Golden Fleece to use in healing Kronos, planning to later "allow" Percy and @Annabeth Chase to take it and heal Thalia's tree so @Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, could be purged from it. Luke did this because Kronos wished to use Thalia to fulfill the prophecy made about a half-blood child of one of the Big Three.

Luke also ensured that @Chiron, trainer of heroes, took the fall for the poisoning of the tree, causing him to be discharged from the camp and be replaced by @Tantalus. This worked effectively because Chiron was a child of Kronos and Luke knew the Olympians would suspect him over anyone else.

At first, @Clarisse La Rue was sent to find the Golden Fleece. Meanwhile, Percy, along with group of allies consisting of Annabeth and Percy's half-brother, the @Cyclops @Tyson, went to save @Grover Underwood from the Cyclops @Polyphemus.

@Hermes persuaded Percy to go on the quest and guided Annabeth and Tyson to go as well. Hermes told Percy to go onto the Princess Andromeda, hoping that he would meet up with Luke and convince him to stop his assault on the gods. Percy and his allies landed aboard the Princess Andromeda, not knowing of its true nature, and were captured.

During this time, Luke told the two of his plans to use the Golden Fleece to complete Kronos' resurrection and attempted to recruit Percy and Annabeth to his cause (not willing to recruit Tyson as he reminded him of the Cyclops that captured him and Thalia years ago). When the two refused, Luke ordered his bodyguards to feed the trio to a @Drakon. Percy and the gang escaped through a lifeboat propelled by a @Thermos of Winds given to him by Hermes.

Luke later intercepted Percy and his friends while they were looking for a boat that they could use to get back to camp. While he was asking Percy for the Fleece in front of a fountain (his army of monsters watching), Percy used the fountain to send an Iris Message, tricking Luke into revealing the fact that Chiron was framed for the poisoning, resulting in Chiron being rehired. Enraged, he ordered Percy and his friends to be killed. Percy convinced Luke to duel him, a moment both had been waiting for a long time. Luke effortlessly defeated Percy, but was prevented from killing the latter when he was knocked into the pool by a boxing glove glued to an arrow. The arrow was shot by Chiron and his family of centaurs who had just then arrived and proceeded to save them. After Percy escaped, Luke's spite and hatred for the son of Poseidon only increases.

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, was purged from her tree after the Golden Fleece worked its magic too well, giving Kronos another chance to manipulate the Great Prophecy.

Part Three: The Titan's Curse

After Thalia's resurrection, Kronos' second in command, @Atlas, devised a plan to capture the @Ophiotaurus, which would grant the power to destroy Olympus to whomever killed it and sacrificed its entrails to fire. He remembered the Great Prophecy and chose Thalia to be its killer. The attack on Olympus was supposed to happen after Thalia sacrificed the Ophiotaurus.

Luke was assigned to aid Atlas with this. However, Thalia and Luke were childhood friends and romantically attracted to each other, bringing Luke hesitation to carry this mission out. Knowing this, Kronos told Luke that if he didn't succeed in this mission, he would be chosen to be Kronos' host and therefore suffer a fate worse than death.

Some time before his mission in the @Labyrinth, Luke journeyed down to the Underworld to perfect his design as Kronos' host. Making his way to the @River Styx without being spotted, Luke bathed in the waters, granting him the Curse of Achilles, which made him immune to injury, except in one particular spot.

The first time Luke bathing in the River Styx was hinted at in a nightmare of Percy's, where he carried the sky in a plan to trick Annabeth into holding it after she was captured, which of course succeeded. He and Atlas later used this to their advantage by forcing a captive Artemis hold the sky in her place, and Luke was happy that Annabeth survived. He also convinced Atlas to keep Annabeth alive until the Winter Solstice. It is a certainty that he bathed in the River Styx before this, as he would not have been able to hold the sky otherwise.

Luke was later seen with Atlas when he summoned @Spartoi to hunt down Percy.

Percy, Thalia and Zoë Nightshade, the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis at the time, arrive at @Mount Othrys, the regrowing fortress of the Titans, where @Artemis and Annabeth are held captive. Refusing to have to kill Thalia, Luke attempted to sway her into joining their side. Thalia refused and the two engage in a duel. Their ferocity and power demonstrated was incredible, but Thalia ultimately won the duel, disarming Luke and cornering him against the edge of a cliff (she claimed that she was always able to beat Luke in a duel). Luke continued to goad Thalia, with Annabeth begging her to spare the traitor. As Thalia and Annabeth argued over his fate, Luke attempted to use the opportunity to disarm Thalia, but she kicked him off the cliff, which causes her much guilt later on.

The fall was described as being 50 feet, and Percy believed Luke had died.

Although his broken body was seen by both an approaching army of monsters and Percy, it was later revealed that Luke was still alive. This is because Luke had dived into the River Styx, which made him almost invincible.

After her battle with Luke, Thalia pledged herself to Artemis (though she had previously scorned the offer), in order to stop the prophecy from coming true through her. It is possible she was also thinking of Luke when she made this decision.