Life is made up of the smallest things. The smallest things are what mean the most to us, what feeds our hearts, and what leads to the most important decisions. It's that last drop of water that causes a flood and the one last word that inspires a nation or brings them to their knees. It's the straw that breaks the camels back and the meter that killed Pheidippides in his famed run. It's the one blink that lets the tear slip out and it's that one last desperate sob that breaks your heart. It's that one extra scream in the millions of pained voices in the Fields of Punishment that make you wonder what people did to deserve that. It's the last thread that broke on the string the Fates were cutting. But for me, it was the one last statuette that Nico didn't have. One little thing that made the Fates smile, because they'd gotten their tragic ending. One little thing that caused so much pain to my little brother, because his big sister wasn't there for him. It was the one extra second that made me realize with a sinking feeling what needed to be done. The one second when everything suddenly made sense.
"One shall be lost in the land without rain."
It all clicked. We were in a desert. I'd brought this upon all of us, because of something so small. Small things were blessings, what kept us going and full of joy- but they were also curses. A curse because mortals are weak and prone to emotion, and because in the end, we always want what means the most to us. They're a curse inside a blessing. So when Percy wanted to climb inside the automaton himself, I knew that the risk was too great. Percy was the key to the world as we know it. But me? I was expendable, a girl from the past who'd already cheated death much too long. The Fates had their eye on me, perhaps had cut my string long ago, but only for me to be protected by the magic of the Lotus Hotel. Their vengeful fingers curled around the two halves of my string, waiting, watching, always watching. It was me to die, and sadness, or Percy to die, and utter destruction. And once I was inside, it was as if I could feel the cruel Fates' breath down my neck, watching me in my final moments. It was the last switch, the small one, at the very end. Labeled in Ancient Greek, "self destruct". Hephaestus was smart, of course he'd put a switch in here. As with every self destruct button, it would cause the machine's inner workings to short circuit, and with a 'poof', the machine would no longer work. Because it would have electrocuted and fried itself. I put one of my long, olive colored fingers on the switch. And it was as if I could hear the Fates smiling. I pulled in a shaky breath and thought "for Nico". I flipped the switch, and for a blessed but cursed moment, nothing happened. Then, it was all blinding light, and pain like I'd never felt before. It was as if my body was being ripped apart by a million electric claws, mercilessly pulling at my flesh and then- darkness. And the Fates cackled with glee.