Chapter three
Facing fears
"Percy?" Annabeth reached out, but there was nothing in front of her. It was too dark to see anything, even her fingers in front of her face. She stumbled twice as she walked around. She had no idea what she could've tripped on, but she kept stumbling along. She noticed that there were no other sounds. Her voice echoed endlessly, like she was suddenly in the middle of a giant cave.
Finally, Annabeth's hand touched something. It felt like fabric. She gripped it, and someone yelped. She knew it must be someone's shirt.
"Something's touching me…" Percy whimpered.
Annabeth's eyes seemed to adjust to the small amount of light. Percy was in front of her, and he was curled up on the ground in the fetal position. He was rocking back in forth, like something had really scared him.
Annabeth crouched down to look him in the eyes, but she never let go of his shirt, afraid that he might disappear if she did.
"Percy, what happened to you? What's wrong?"
He looked her in the eye for a second, but he didn't seem to register that she was there. Out of nowhere, a hellhound bounded out of the darkness toward them. It was the size of Cerberus, the ghost dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld. Annabeth yelped and started trying to drag Percy away, but they would never make it in time if Percy didn't get up and help.
"Percy!" Annabeth protested. He was dragged along limply, mumbling something inaudible.
Meanwhile, the hellhound was gaining rapidly. "Percy!" Annabeth yelled desperately. Her tone seemed to shock him back to reality. He stood up and drew Riptide. He stopped moving, ready to fight off the hellhound.
"Percy! We'll never be able to beat it. It's even bigger than Mrs. O'Leary!" Annabeth grabbed his arm, but he wouldn't move.
"Go. I'll distract it." He wouldn't look at her. He kept his eyes focused on the hound. Annabeth was crying. She couldn't possibly let him fight it by himself. She drew her sword.
Percy looked at her. His eyes weren't right. They were glowing, and they were pure red. He glared at Annabeth, and she flinched. He yanked her sword out of her hands and shoved her away. She stumbled and fell, but where there should have been ground, there was nothing. She started to fall, watching Percy fight a hopeless battle against a hellhound the size of a small mountain.
Something grabbed her around the waist, and suddenly she was floating above the battle.
"Watch him die," Arachne whispered in her ear.
Annabeth kicked and screamed, but Arachne wouldn't let go. She watched in horror as Percy made the wrong move. He tripped on something invisible, and the hellhound pounced. Percy screamed in agony as the hound picked him up in its mouth like a chew toy and bounded off, disappearing in the dark.
"PERCY!" Annabeth screamed into the cold darkness while Arachne's hissing laughter echoed alongside her.
Leo was starting to get creeped out. He had been walking around and he was pretty sure he would've hit Kaida's wing by now. He knew that if he kept going straight, he would find the end, but no such luck. He couldn't find anything.
"Hello?" Leo called for the billionth time. His voice echoed back at him, but no one responded. He didn't see how there could be an echo with nothing for it to bounce off of, but it seemed to do just fine with empty space.
"ANYONE?"
"Leo?" Calypso's voice answered.
"Calypso?" Leo's heart raced at the sound of her voice. "Where are you?"
"Here."
Leo kept walking, and she seemed to materialize in front of him. She collapsed in his arms, and they sank to the ground.
Suddenly Calypso looked away into the darkness. "He is here."
A dark form, even darker than the rest of the darkness surrounding them, approached.
"Clytius." Leo stood up and confronted the giant. His hand caught fire, but Clytius inhaled, and the fire went out. Leo reached down to grab something from his tool belt, but it was gone.
Clytius approached faster than Leo would've thought possible, and he snatched up Calypso. She screamed as the giant carried her away into the darkness. Leo pursued, but he couldn't stop the giant. The monster turned around to look at Leo and something was wrong. The giant wasn't supposed to have red eyes, but he definitely did. Glowing ruby eyes froze Leo in place.
He laughed—which shouldn't have been possible, because Clytius was supposed to be silent—and the sound echoed into the darkness as Leo tried in vain to save the one he loved.
"Annabeth!" Percy walked around what must've been circles, because he wasn't getting anywhere. He cursed in Greek as he tripped again. He felt like he had been searching for ages, but still no one was answering him.
A figure seemed to appear in front of him. He turned around, and Percy froze. It was Luke.
"But…" Percy was at a loss for words. Then he saw who was next to Luke, and rage bubbled up inside of him.
Luke smiled in a not-very-friendly way.
"Percy!" Annabeth's face lit up when she saw him. "Luke's good again! Can you believe it? I told you he was good." She was holding his hand.
"Annabeth." Percy could hardly speak past the lump in his throat. "He isn't good. Don't believe him."
She didn't seem to hear him.
"Yes, Kronos couldn't control me forever." Luke smiled again at Percy, and it made Percy's skin crawl.
Annabeth threw her arms around Luke. While her back was turned, Luke raised his knife. He positioned it over Annabeth's back, right where her heart was.
"NO!" Percy surged forward, drawing Riptide. Luke pushed Annabeth to the ground. Percy was faster. He thrust Riptide through Luke's shirt, and the sword went right through him. Percy backed up, not comprehending what he saw.
"Percy! What have you done?" Annabeth pulled the sword from Luke's chest, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Luke…" Annabeth looked at Percy with absolute hatred, and he stumbled back in
"He…he deserved to die." Percy looked her in the eye, and something changed in her expression. It went from hate to sadness. She raced into his arms, and he held her.
"I'm sorry." He didn't really get why she had changed expressions so quickly, but he didn't really care at the moment.
She tilted her head up; eyes closed, she kissed him.
Okay, he thought, that was weird. But at least she isn't mad at me.
He gasped as a sharp pain burned in his chest, right where his heart was. Annabeth pulled away and opened her eyes. They were completely crimson and seemed to glow.
"What…?" Percy gasped. He looked down to see the dagger Annabeth had received from Luke so long ago protruding from his chest.
"I'm with Luke this time. You're in the way," Annabeth told him. Behind her, Luke stood up, looking better than ever, his eyes pure gold.
"Kronos," Percy said.
Kronos and Annabeth laughed at Percy's pain, and their combined voices echoed without end.
"Now," Kronos said. "Let's see how well you swim in my ocean, son of the sea god." He flicked his hand, and dark liquid rose up around Percy. Annabeth and Kronos didn't seem to be affected, but Percy couldn't breathe. It felt like water, but he couldn't control it. It swirled around him, taking the air out of his lungs and causing him to lose his concentration.
Panic seized him as the dark water pulled him down, Annabeth and Kronos watching him with satisfaction. Both of their eyes were glowing maliciously. They were completely red.
Nico cursed in Ancient Greek as he tripped on something invisible for the twenty-fourth time. He walked along with his sword drawn.
Trial of Fears.
Nico didn't know what Kaida had meant by that, but he knew that it wasn't good.
He noticed a small light ahead of him. He wandered toward it, and was blinded by the light as he stepped through the opening.
When his vision cleared, Nico saw that he was standing in the middle of a wedding. There were people milling around in fancy outfits, like two celebrities were getting married. A man and a woman stood at the altar. Everyone else took seats.
Nico couldn't tell what his surroundings were. They seemed to switch from a backyard to a beach to a church and back again. The only constant things were rows of chairs, the people, and the altar at the front.
Nico examined the couple at the front. The man was tall, with black hair and glinting green eyes. The woman was about the same height as the man, and she had blond hair that tumbled down her shoulders elegantly and stormy gray eyes.
A priest stepped up and started the wedding. After the usual questions about whether the man would care for her always and such, Nico was wondering how this could be his worst fear. He slipped into a seat toward the back that was empty.
"I do," the man said.
The world seemed to tilt sideways, and suddenly Nico understood. It was Percy's voice.
Nico realized that he was watching Percy and Annabeth's wedding. His eyes stung. He got up and started to walk toward the exit, but suddenly the older Percy and Annabeth were in front of him. Older Percy was looking at Nico, but he addressed Annabeth.
"Who invited him?"
"I don't know. I thought you didn't want this little freak here," Annabeth replied coldly.
Nico turned to go the opposite direction, but suddenly there were others in his way.
He looked into the faces of Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, and Frank. They were all taller and older.
Hazel glared at Nico. "What happened this time, squirt? Did you get trapped at the Lotus Hotel again? You've been gone for ten years."
Jason wouldn't look at Nico, but waved his hand in front of his nose like he smelled sewage. "Who let this hellhound in here? I knew that I never should've tried to befriend you, Nico. You just get in the way."
"Yes," Piper agreed, "He just won't go away, will he?"
A girl shoved through the crowd of older demigods. She was taller than Nico, with his dark hair and olive skin. She had almond eyes and seemed to have a silvery glow about her.
"B-Bianca?" Nico stammered.
Bianca looked at him with distaste. "Pathetic."
Nico stumbled backward. Bianca never used that tone of voice in her life. She was always kind. She would never look down on anyone, especially her own brother.
"What?" he asked.
"I vowed to give up love. I vowed to never fall in love with a boy. Little did I know that my own brother wouldn't be able to do the same thing. Disgusting. What would Mother say?"
Nico's mind was on overload. Everything that he had ever feared was happening.
Be strong, Nico, a voice whispered in the back of his mind. Kaida is making this happen. She wants you to face your worst nightmare. Fight through it. It will be over soon. I promise.
Nico recognized the voice. "Percy?"
Yes. I've managed to get out of my nightmare, but I can't get everyone else out. I can only tell you what to do from outside.
"How do I know that you aren't another trick by Kaida?" Nico asked suspiciously.
You've certainly gotten wiser. Percy materialized in front of him. He was the normal Percy, not the older one that was standing behind Nico.
"What?" He looked confused. "I was…just outside. How'd I get here?" He noticed the older version of him and Annabeth behind Nico. His eyes widened. "Whoa."
Nico leveled his sword tip at Percy's throat. "What are you?"
Percy put his hands up in surrender. "Relax. It's the real me."
A disembodied voice said, If you wish to help Nico di Angelo so much, Percy Jackson, I am happy to oblige. You will share his nightmare, even though you have already faced your own.
"Wait, I thought that was what was so bad about this trial. You have to face it alone, right?" Nico asked Kaida.
Ah, but this way is so much more fun. Now the real Percy will know more about you. Isn't that lovely? She cackled wickedly, then went silent. But I suppose you do have a point. Very well. Percy cannot help you. He can only watch from afar.
Percy started to turn into vapor, and in a few seconds he was almost completely gone. Nico cried out and tried to grab Percy's arm, but the mist dissipated.
Nico was alone in an empty church. He decided to keep moving. He walked toward the front of the church and the floor started to crumble. A chasm appeared in front of him. He looked into it and instantly knew that it was an entrance to Tartarus.
Percy was hanging from a ledge about fifteen feet down. "Nico! Help me!"
He was holding Annabeth by the arm, but she was being pulled at by an invisible force, dragging the both of them down.
Nico knew the scene all too well. He was reliving the moment Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus last summer in Rome.
Percy lost his grip and Annabeth fell into the pit. But this time Percy had let go of Annabeth and not the ledge. He was still there, holding his now free hand out to Nico. Though it shouldn't have been possible from the distance between them, Nico managed to grab Percy's hand and start to pull him out of the pit. Just when Percy was almost to the edge, a cold laugh echoed behind them.
Nico glanced behind him to see Jason with his sword drawn. He had deep red eyes with no whites or pupils. Nico's heart almost stopped. Jason's eyes were identical to those of Cupid.
Nico looked back down at Percy and saw that his eyes were red now. He gripped Nico's shirt and kicked off the side of the pit, bringing Nico with him.
They plunged into Tartarus. Nico felt Percy push him away, and soon it was too dark to see where he had gone. Nico fell, completely alone, back to the depths of the place he hated most.
It's fake, Nico. Remember that. Come back to the real world, Percy's voice whispered.
Nico looked down and was surprised to see a jagged black spike of rock hurtling toward him. He hit the tip, and the world went white.
When the world came back into focus, Nico was lying on his back looking at a blue sky and a face. He sat bolt upright.
"Whoa, calm down," Percy said.
Nico looked around frantically. He was sitting on the grassy hill where Kaida had imprisoned them. Percy was kneeling next to him on the grass, his sea-green eyes full of concern. He tried to put his hand on Nico's shoulder, but Nico recoiled.
"What's going on?" Nico demanded.
"You made it out. You faced your fears," Percy told him.
Nico sneered. "Yeah right. I bet you're another illusion."
"We are no illusion." Nico stood up and turned around to see Kaida behind them. He couldn't stand up for long, though. He was still too weak. He fell back down and would've ended up lying down again if Percy hadn't caught him. Nico couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Kaida's wings were suddenly transparent, curved into an enormous dome, and the inside of the dome was pitch-black. Jason, Leo, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Reyna, and Piper were milling around in tight circles inside. They looked like they were talking, but Nico couldn't hear their voices. Their eyes looked glazed over, and Hazel suddenly fell to ground and let loose a silent scream of pure terror.
"They're…" Nico didn't know how to describe them.
"In a trance, I think," Percy said behind him. "I think Kaida can manipulate the Mist. You were doing that too, you know."
Nico watched Annabeth. She seemed to be in a loop. She would walk around with her hands out, crouch down like she was talking to a fallen person, run in circles in terror, and fall over. Then she would stand up really fast, like someone had picked her up. Then she kicked and fought against something invisible. From there she started over. She repeated the cycle several times as Nico watched.
"Why did you…" Nico stopped midsentence. He knew that Percy hadn't really entered his nightmare. It wasn't possible to interfere, and if Percy did know how to interfere, he would've helped Annabeth, not Nico.
"Why did I help you and not Annabeth?" Percy finished. "Because Kaida let me look into each of the nightmares. Yours seemed to be the most vivid. I thought that you looked like you could use my help more than anyone else."
Nico's face felt warm. "You…you could see my nightmare?"
"Yeah. Yours was much worse than the other's. They have vague scenarios they keep replaying, and until they realize what's happening or learn how to stop it, they can't get out. Every time the cycle restarts, they lose their memory of the previous time. They could literally keep this up forever. But I know that they'll stop the cycle eventually."
"How many times did I go through the nightmare? Do you know?" Nico asked.
"Do you remember how many times you tripped on something invisible?"
Nico frowned. "Twenty-four times. Why?"
Percy smiled. "Because you trip the same amount of times you've already been through the cycle."
Nico thought about that for a moment "How did my cycle go? You know, before you broke it? What happened at the end?"
"Well, it still started the same way. Everyone still turned on you, including…" Percy didn't finish, but Nico knew that he was talking about Bianca. "Then," Percy continued, "they would all draw their weapons. You would run through a dark forest, I think it was the one at Camp Half-Blood, with all of us hunting you down. Everyone's fears end the same way, though. We die. They all betrayed you and hated you."
Percy stopped when he saw Nico's expression. "I thought that was even worse than everyone dying at the end."
Percy couldn't tell the rest of the details on Nico's fears. He felt like an intruder that he knew what they were in the first place.
He had left out major details and lied in the parts he had told Nico as well.
Bianca led the hunt for Nico through the forest. They cornered him and aimed their weapons. But each time, instead of attacking Nico, Percy's illusionary self would stab Bianca. She would die at Nico's feet, then Percy would get stabbed in the back by Jason.
Nico would have to watch as the fake Percy died in his arms, then Annabeth would stab Nico through the heart, and the cycle would start over.
It had been so painful for Percy to watch that he knew he had to help. Kaida had put him into the dream, but then restricted him to watching and whispering to Nico.
Nico examined Percy's face, and Percy knew that Nico could tell he was holding back information, but he didn't seem to want to know.
"So, we just wait for them to figure it out? Is that it?" he asked.
Percy was relieved by the change in the subject. He nodded. "Yeah. I figured it out after about a dozen times, according to Calypso. They should catch on soon enough."
Nico looked around. "Where is Calypso?"
"She went down to the garden to get some food. She said that mortal terror tends to make people hungry and thought that we would appreciate some lunch when we all get out."
Nico nodded, flopping onto his back like he was suddenly tired. "Then I think I'll get a nap while we wait." He curled into a ball, facing away from Percy.
Percy knew that he couldn't sleep for a week after living through his nightmare, and he figured Nico couldn't either. Nico just didn't want to talk anymore, and Percy could understand. Nico looked a bit shaky, possibly from residual fear, possibly exhaustion, or maybe a combination of both.
Percy watched sadly as Annabeth roamed in her nightmare, screaming and falling over again and again. He turned his attention to Hazel.
Hazel's fear was terrible. Percy remembered all too well each of his friends' worst fears now that he had seen them. Hazel had been in a dark cave as it rained down on her and a woman that Percy suspected was Hazel's mother. From there, the dream changed to Hazel in combat, incapacitated in the field while Frank and Nico fought someone. Percy couldn't tell who, because they were always shrouded in some kind of fog. Hazel would have to witness her boyfriend's and brother's deaths repeatedly.
All of their fears were disturbingly similar. Percy figured that was because they had all lived through the same things.
"Someone else escaped?" a voice behind Percy asked, nearly making him jump out of his skin.
He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Calypso walking up behind him. She had a basket of fruit and vegetables under her arm. She had jeans and a white T-shirt on. When Percy had first visited Calypso a few years ago, she only wore a white dress all the time, but he had to admit that she looked good in casual wear.
"Yeah," Percy managed. He realized that he had been staring, and immediately felt bad. Annabeth was only twenty feet away, stumbling around, thinking that Percy was dying.
Calypso examined Nico. "I'm surprised he made it out so quickly. I thought the girl Annabeth would make it out faster." Calypso said the name Annabeth with the same tone of voice she used when she talked about how the gods had locked her away on this island. Percy didn't blame her for disliking Annabeth, even though they had never spoken.
Next to Percy, Nico snorted. Percy wasn't sure if he was snoring in his sleep, or if he was insulted that Calypso thought Annabeth was smarter than him.
"Um, he had a little help, but I think he would've figured it out pretty fast either way." Percy glanced nervously at Nico. He was pretty sure Nico was wide awake, and he didn't want him to have a grudge against Calypso for saying the wrong thing.
Calypso plopped down on the opposite side of Percy, her hand momentarily covering his. She moved her hand away an instant later, but the contact still made Percy blush. She seemed a little red-faced too, but she shook it off and plucked an apple from her basket. She munched sadly on it as she watched Leo wander in circles.
"You love him, don't you?" Percy asked.
Calypso almost dropped her apple. "Who?"
"Leo. I noticed you watching him, and I heard he visited you last summer."
She laughed nervously, but she blinked back tears. "Yes, he was a guest of mine, but I couldn't love a scrawny kid like him."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "I was pretty scrawny myself when I visited you the first time, remember?"
Calypso's face looked even sadder as she remembered Percy's first visit. She looked down. "This girl," she said quietly. "Did you leave the island because of the war, or because of her?"
Percy had asked himself the same thing dozens of times over the years. He didn't know which reason had made him leave Calypso behind.
"I really don't know," he told her honestly. "I've never been able to figure that out."
Calypso seemed unsatisfied with his answer, but she accepted it. She continued eating her apple in silence, staring forlornly at Leo.
Percy must've dosed off at some point. When he woke up, he heard talking nearby. He sat up. Hazel was on the ground, Nico trying to drag her away from Kaida's wings with Calypso's help.
"Hazel?" Percy muttered sleepily. No one acknowledged his question.
Nico fed some ambrosia to Hazel, and she sat up with a blood-curdling scream. She clung to Nico and almost knocked him over.
"Hazel! Hazel, everything's okay now. Don't worry. I'm here." Percy wondered if Nico's experience fighting his fears really had helped him. He didn't flinch when Hazel wrapped her arms around his waist, crying and mumbling about how she couldn't believe he was alive. Normally, he couldn't stand physical contact with anyone, even Hazel.
Nico calmly held her, whispering that it was okay now. Pretty soon, Hazel stopped crying.
"Well, that was embarrassing," Hazel said, wiping her tears away.
Percy smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I had a similar reaction when I first woke up."
"I had to hold him down to prevent him from trying to kill Kaida for putting him through that," Calypso added.
"After all, you did just live through your worst nightmare." Nico looked impressed but also sad. Percy thought that maybe he was thinking about his own personal fears.
Percy heard a strange bubbling noise behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see a blob of darkness emerging from the side of Kaida's wing. It looked all too similar to the way monsters were reborn on the field of Tartarus. The blob popped, and Annabeth tumbled out.
Percy jumped up from where he'd slept and started carrying her away from the wing, afraid that someone else might pop out of top of her. She looked pale and sickly, the way everyone does after being so terrified they pass out.
Percy carefully dragged Annabeth to a soft patch of grass and sat by her side. He knew she would wake up after a few moments, so he decided to wait.
He happened to glance over at Nico, who was talking quietly to Hazel. She must've been telling him what had happened to her in the darkness. Nico looked sad and…was that sympathy? Percy wasn't sure. Nico had never shown sympathy that Percy had ever seen.
Well duh, Percy thought. Of course he would show sympathy in this situation. He just lived it too.
Nico glanced over in Percy's direction, but he seemed resentful. Not toward Percy, but toward Annabeth, Percy realized.
"What? What happened?" Annabeth sat up like she had water splashed on her face. She gripped Percy's arm, and her nails dug into his skin.
"Ow. I still have nerves, you know," he reminded her.
Her grip loosened a bit. "Sorry. You're alive!"
She kissed him, then looked around. She looked a little embarrassed when she spotted Nico watching them.
"What happened?" she asked again.
Percy told her about the hallucinogenic shroud that was inside Kaida's wings and what it did.
"Fifty-eight," Annabeth mumbled.
Percy tilted his head. "Fifty-eight what?"
"I tripped fifty-eight times. I lived through my nightmare that many times. I can't believe I didn't catch on sooner," she scolded herself.
"Hey, there's no reason to beat yourself up about it." He put his hand on hers.
She looked at him miserably. "How many times did it take you?"
"Um, about a dozen."
Annabeth smacked her forehead. "I can't believe it took me so long!"
"Hey, it isn't the end of the world if you don't figure it out first."
"But it could be! I'm Athena's daughter. I'm supposed to be smarter than this!"
From a few feet away, Percy heard Nico cough, and he thought that the son of Hades was suppressing a smug smile. He saw Percy's expression and his smile quickly faded.
"Do you want some lunch?" Percy asked.
One by one, everyone else finished their trials of fear. They all woke up screaming and kicking. It took some doing to make sure they didn't hurt anyone in all their thrashing. Once they were all out, Calypso offered everyone lunch. Annabeth had already eaten and Hazel was still a little sick, so they declined, but everyone else ate. Hazel wouldn't leave Nico's side since having her hallucination.
"Are you having a good time?"
Everyone jumped. They had been so involved in their food and getting over their shock, they hadn't even noticed that Kaida had folded her wings and was now laying her head beside the group.
"No," Hazel told her. She was sitting so close to Nico that their shoulders were touching, but he didn't seem to mind. She was also holding Frank's hand, who was making his best attempt to eat a sandwich one-handed.
Kaida's eyes glinted, but Jason couldn't tell if it was from amusement or sadness.
"Well, you may dislike it now," Kaida said calmly. "But I assure you that this is necessary. It seems you are, ah, closer to your brother now. I would say that everything is going smoothly."
Nico reached for his sword, but Piper intervened. "Alright, we need to calm down."
She must've been putting some charmspeak into her voice, because everyone seemed to relax simultaneously. Jason was grateful for that. The last thing they needed right then was Nico trying to kill an immortal dragon.
"Hmmm," Kaida mused. "Interesting. Your Aphrodite charms are quite helpful, are they not? I only wish that I had some of the same power. I may have wisdom on my side, yet you are more persuasive. A useful tool."
Piper looked uneasy, but Kaida didn't continue. She seemed to shut down, and everyone braced themselves. Kaida's small version crawled out of the larger shell's mouth, and she sat calmly between Leo and Piper. They didn't look happy, but they didn't complain.
Kaida looked at Calypso. "Do you mind if I join all of you?"
Calypso gestured at the food spread out in the center of the circle. "Please, go right ahead."
She had a slight undertone like: But I hope that what you eat is poisoned.
Kaida snapped up an apple and calmly crunched on it while all ten people present watched her apprehensively. She swallowed.
"What? Haven't you ever seen a dragon eat before?" she demanded.
Jason thought that response was the most humanoid thing Kaida had ever said. She seemed so childish, saying it that way.
"Well, we're just waiting for you to say something like time to see how long you live in a pit of spiders for your next trial! Won't that be fun?" Leo said.
Annabeth shuddered at the mention of spiders. Percy put his arm protectively around her shoulders. Jason glanced at Nico, but Nico's attention was on Kaida.
"Well, I may be in charge of your trials, demigods, but I am not uncivil. I will give you all some time to recover from facing your fears. I know that probably shook you quite a bit."
"Quite a bit?" Hazel growled. Jason had never heard her sound so angry. Whatever she had lived through, it was obvious she would never forgive Kaida.
Kaida ignored the comment. "So please, enjoy your meal, and afterwards, with Calypso's permission of course, I plan to stay on the island for a while as a short break."
Calypso looked at the demigods' tired faces. "Yes, you all may stay as long as you need to."
Kaida looked cheerily through the group. "Well, I believe this is now the official break time!"