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Jada knew where Percy was going to be. She headed towards the Empire State building and glared at the guy at the counter.
"600th floor. Now."
The guard raised an eyebrow and looked at her uncaringly. "There is no 600th floor, kid."
Jada was getting tire of this. "I am a daughter of Zeus. I trekked hundreds of miles to help find his stupid master bolt, then got stuck with the dim-witted lord of the Underworld. I am not in a good mood. 600th floor."
The guard sighed. "Make it quick."
And Jada was on her way to Mount Olympus.
She found Percy gazing in awe at his surroundings as he made his way up the path, barely moving an inch every second. She rushed up to him.
"Percy!" she yelled and flung her arms around him.
Percy did the same.
"Your mother's safe," Jada whispered. "She's safe."
Percy's eyes prickled with tears. "Thank you, Jada. Thank you so much."
The throne room was grander than anything Jada had seen in her life. She would've been able to enjoy the view of it if not for the two giant beings as tall as Hades. Jada looked at the one in the center, who looked right back at her. His suit and tie, his hard gaze, his eyes the color of lightning… This was her father. The man who left her to fend off on the streets alone. The man who watched her sister die and did nothing but turn her into a tree. The man who had never acknowledged her existence, and was now staring at her curiously.
Jada couldn't help it anymore. She turned around and fled the throne room, but Percy caught up to her and pulled her back.
"It's okay, Jada. It's alright, just hold it for a while okay?" Percy asked uncertainly.
"No it's not okay, Percy. It's not- He- I- Thalia-"
"We need to go back in. Or you can wait for me outside, and I can do this alone," he said reassuringly.
Jada laughed a bit through her tears. "You're too kind, Percy. But no, I can't just sit here while you do the work. I can face him, it's fine. He is, after all, my father. Even if he did sit there and watch Thalia die."
Percy looked at her worryingly. "Right," he said. "Let's go in."
Jada nodded. Taking a deep breath, they stepped into the throne room again. Nothing had changed. The two gods still sat there, with that tension between them, although they both looked a little annoyed at their disregard when they ran out.
Jada stood at the back and did nothing while Percy went forwards and knelt at his father's feet. Zeus shot an irritated sideways glance at him as Percy addressed his father.
"Don't you think you should address the master of this house first, boy?"
"The boy goes for this father first, Zeus. It is only natural. Yet, you have not said anything about your daughter who stands there and says nothing, as if we are nothing, as if you, her father, are nothing," Poseidon shot back.
Zeus turned her gaze to Jada who squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the tears that were stinging the back of her eyes for the nth time that week. She took and few steps forwards as well, trying not to think of the fact that this man, who had the responsibility for her safety, had left her fighting for her life with her friends on the streets of New York City, watching them, or not watching them, get hurt and die.
Her eyes still squeezed shut, tightly, she knelt at her father's feet and looked down at her hands, allowing a tear to leak out of her eyelids. She couldn't address this man as her father the way Percy had done to his. So with a shaky voice, she whispered, "My lord," with all the respect she could muster.
Zeus examined her in her ripped, dirty top and shorts, her arms covered with scars from the monsters she had fought, and said nothing. So Percy brought out the bolt from his backpack and started to recount the story.
Jada said nothing as Percy finished. She didn't want to mention what Hades had said. She didn't want to speak of how she stayed behind in an attempt to avenge her sister, yet sat there in his very throne room and did nothing.
She didn't listen to what Zeus said to Percy afterwards. She stayed there, kneeling at her father's throne, trying to push back the tears, the pain, the rage, the hate aimed towards that man who kept gazing down at her, scrutinizing her, judging her…
As Zeus stood from his throne, Jada stood as well. With one last glance and a clap of thunder, Zeus was gone.
That was it. Jada had trudged all the way to LA and back, went to the Underworld for his stupid master bolt, fought her way through hundreds of monsters on the way back, got herself nearly-killed a hundred times, and Zeus did not say a single word to her. This whole time. He said nothing. He didn't even address her or say her name. And this as her father!
Poseidon wanted to talk to Percy. Zeus didn't want to talk to Jada. He didn't feel the need to acknowledge her existence, not once.
"I'll wait for you down stairs in the lobby, she said to Percy at the doors of the throne room. She didn't even wait for Percy to acknowledge her before turning and hearing a voice say, "No, you won't."
Jada came face to face with Zeus.
"You're wondering why I didn't ask to speak to you," he said.
"I couldn't care less," Jada tried to say back, but even as she enunciated each word with effort, tears were pooling n her eyes and leaking down her cheeks.
Zeus sighed. Jada squeezed her eyelids again.
"Why did you- Why didn't you save Thalia," she whispered hoarsely.
"I couldn't. I am breaking an ancient law, even now, by talking to you," Zeus said quietly.
It was taking every ounce of her will power to not cry out loud.
"Then why are you doing it?"
"Because," Zeus sighed. "Contrary to what people think, we gods do care about our children."
"Yet you let Thalia die."
"I preserved her life."
A few silent tears escaped her, but she did nothing to get rid of them. Zeus reached across and tried to put his hand on her shoulder but she shoved him away.
"No," she half-sobbed, half-whispered. "No, don't you dare come near me! I want… I want nothing to do with you. Never talk to me again."
Tears were streaming down her face, but Jada wouldn't let herself cry out loud, she wouldn't give Zeus the satisfaction. He stood there, not doing anything, looking at Jada with an inscrutable expression.
After a while, Jada's tears ceased. She looked away and said, "I should go now."
Zeus didn't stop her. She left Olympus, and sat in the lobby of the Empire State building, waiting for Percy to come down.
The first person she went to look for when she got back to camp was Luke. Heading into the Hermes Cabin, she found him alone, sitting on his bed, not doing anything. When he saw Jada he jumped up and they ran towards each other, catching each other in a squeezing embrace.
"Oh my gods I missed you so much," Jada whispered.
"I've missed you too, Jada, thank goodness you're safe, when Annabeth and Grover came back without you and Percy, I almost thought that you- that you had actually-"
"No, I'm back, I'm back," Jada started to actually cry the tears she had wanted to release for days.
Luke let go of her. "What's wrong, Jada?" he asked, concerned.
Jada began to recount everything that had happened. From the pit to the meeting with Hades to the awkward conversation with Zeus…
Luke sighed. "Look at how much pain the gods are causing you… I'm so sorry…"
Jada sat on Luke's bed leaning against his shoulder as more tears pooled down her cheeks. Luke rubbed her arms and shoulders, whispering over and over again, "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," until she fell asleep in his arms.
The days and the weeks and the months went by. Jada trained and trained. She and Percy fought and sparred for hours each day until Percy beat Luke, despite having only trained a few months. Both of them scaled the lava wall, snuck out at night after curfew to slay a few monsters. Camp was coming to an end this year, and Jada would go back to Hogwarts on September. She sighed as she realized she missed Hermione. Hermione hadn't been at camp the past month, she told Jada she was staying with her usual family in England. They would see each other soon, but when that time came, she would have to leave Luke, Annabeth, Grover, and Jada found herself missing Percy as well.
They had only known been friends for a few months, but they had shared so much together, not only those late night rendezvous trips, but travelling across the country with him had brought them so close.
"So, are you staying?" Jada inquired to him.
"At camp? I'm thinking about it. I really don't know," Percy sighed.
"Don't. It's stressing you out. Flip a coin, less pressure," she joked.
They both laughed. "You're leaving. Annabeth's staying. Grover's staying. Luke's staying. I…"
"You want my advice? Not to sound insensitive, but the reason Annabeth, Luke and Grover are staying is only because they don't exactly have a place to go. But you've got your mother back. Cherish the chances you get to spend time with her. It's probably gonna get shorter."
"Yeah. You're right. And… I've been meaning to ask you a few other questions," Percy said uncertainly.
"Yeah? What?"
"Ever since we came back from the quest, Luke seems a bit distant. Apart from the bead ceremony when he made the bead in honor of our quest, and training, but other than that, I feel like he doesn't want to talk to me."
"It's fine, Percy. Luke's got a lot on his mind. His first quest… didn't go so well. I think it's bringing back a few memories for him which should probably just stay buried."
Percy nodded. "And, I've wanted to ask you this for ages. What- What was the- You and Annabeth seem to have an idea about… about what was in the pit back in the Underworld… and your reaction to it… was strange. Like you knew something. Like you were hiding something you didn't want to tell us."
Jada gave Percy a cautious look. "Annabeth and I discussed this. Once. We don't think- well, I mean, we hope it doesn't mean anything."
"That basically translates into 'it means something but let's not talk about it'."
Jada shook her head and sighed. "All my life," she began, "I've been stuck in a moment thinking the situation I was in couldn't get worse. Living on the streets, the first monster I slaughtered was followed by a bigger, stronger one. The one after that got worse. Finally, when Thalia died, I thought the climax had been reached. Nothing could ever be worse than that. I don't want to have to face the idea that there is something more powerful, something which is practically undefeatable, something that makes everything else we've fought and done- Aries, Hades, those monsters- seem like teddy bears."
"And what is that something?"
"I think you know."
They both shared an ominous look. The threatening silent atmosphere only ended with their walk, and both of them headed to their cabins.
Jada laughed and squealed as Luke sat on a rock and splashed water onto Jada. They were in the forests, at the creek, and had just finished their picnic.
"You suck," Jada teased as another splash of creek water came her way.
Jada splashed water back at Luke, and his shirt got half-soaked.
"Your hair is completely wet," Luke remarked.
"Thanks to you," Jada aimed more water at Luke's face.
"I want to ask you something," Luke said smoothly. "I want to make you an offer. And I want to tell you a secret."
Jada leaned forward. "Go on, then, spill," she laughed.
Luke wasn't laughing. He was looking right into Jada's eyes with a longing, desperate and anxious look. Jada's smile faltered. "Luke? Are you alright?"
He hesitated. Then closed his eyes. "Promise you'll still love me when I tell you?"
"Of course, Luke. You're my brother no matter what. I'll always love you," she half-smiled.
"I…" Luke began. "Look, Jada, I'm doing this for both of us, so what I'm about to ask you…" He closed his eyes. "Please, please, please, say yes."
Jada hesitated. "I… It depends on the request, Luke," she said softly.
Luke looked at her with sad eyes. After a moment, he said, "Wait here, I'll be back," before wandering slightly aimlessly and uncertainly away from the creek and into the rest of the woods.
Jada sat, contemplating the meaning behind Luke's words. What was he going to ask her? It seemed like a really big deal to him, and Jada's heart wouldn't let her disappoint him. A few minutes went by, and Jada was starting to feel uneasy. A really bad feeling was stirring in the pits of her gut, it was a similar feeling to the one when they were standing at the edge of Tartarus.
Jada couldn't take this feeling anymore. She stood up, and leaving their stuff behind, ran to find Luke.
She found him a few hundred meters away, but he wasn't alone. Standing in front of him was a stone-faced Percy with a look of shock and anger on his face. Neither of them saw her. Curious to the words behind exchanged, she hid behind a thick tree trunk and listened.
"The gods are selfish, Percy. Don't be fooled by what they tell you."
"But- Luke, this is our parents you're talking about!"
"So what? They're our parents, they're immortal and all-powerful, so we have to take their word for gospel truth? You don't understand this, Percy. You're blind to how they're brainwashing you! You think they give a damn about what happens to you? You think they care about anything other than their precious thrones on Olympus, where they can sit and relax and bicker with each other pointlessly, while we suffer down here, fighting for our lives?"
Percy was speechless.
Luke continued. "Trust me Percy. Once you live a few more months in this life of serving- slaving after those useless beings, you'll want to join me too."
"Join you in slaving after someone else instead? No thanks, but I'm better off here."
"You'll regret this in the future, Percy. You'll wish you said yes to my proposal earlier. Sooner or later, Percy, you will be knocking at my door."
"No," Percy stated confidently. "No I won't. And what about Jada? You're gonna just leave her? I thought you loved her!"
"I'm doing this for Jada! You didn't see her after she came back crying from her quest-"
"A quest that I was on as well!"
"-she was sobbing in my arms after seeing her father! Jada will support me on this, and she will follow me too!"
"And if she doesn't? What if she decides that you really aren't worth crossing the world and destroying the universe for? What if she decides she would rather "slave after" her father than a titan lord who spent thousands of years in the pits of Tartarus, rotting away?"
"I already told you, I have 100% confidence in the fact that Jada will do what I do." A pause from Luke. Then Jada swore under her breath as she heard Luke's feet rustle the leaves and turn towards her direction. "Won't you, Jada?"
She was caught. She took a deep breath, still trying to come out of her state of shock, and looked at Luke. At his side was a new sword she had never seen before, half bronze half steel. She looked into Luke's pleading, desperate eyes that were also filled with anger. She then looked to Percy with a disbelieving stare in his irises. There was a scorpion on his leg, and Jada's breath hitched.
She looked back at Luke. She couldn't form words, as tears were burning in her throat again like acid. All she managed to do through the shock was shake her head, not knowing why she was doing it. She wasn't sure if she was doing it out of disbelief, or pain, or whether she was just straight out trying to find a way to reject Luke.
"No," Jada whispered. "Luke, please don't, please. Oh my gods," she breathed as she looked down, shaking. "You want to- you want to betray us?"
Luke closed his eyes and shook his head out of pain. "Jada, you don't understand what I'm saying. I'm doing this for you. For us. For Thalia too. I'm- I'm begging you, Jada. Say yes. Please. Please, please, please," he whispered.
"No," Jada breathed immediately. "No, no, no, I can't- I can't do this, no, no, no, no, no, Luke please."
Luke tried to say something, but his voice had turned hoarse as well. "I guess you never did really love me, then. Not if you want to choose your father over me."
"It's not that!" Jada whispered. "You know it's not that, Luke! You know that- that Kronos- you can't, Luke. You can't, you can't, you can't."
"I can. I will, Jada, and I'm begging you to do this with me. Please."
"No, no I won't Luke. You traitor! You want to betray everyting everyone has ever done for you, and you want me to do the same? You disgusting-"
Jada reached forward and yanked the camp necklace off Luke's neck. The beads all scattered with a Snap! sound and disappeared within the folds of the leaves laying across the floor of the woods.
Luke took a step back, nodding with an I-give-up look on his face. "Right," he whispered. "Right. But don't say I didn't warn you. Don't say I-" With a slash of this new sword, he had disappeared.
The scorpion on Percy's leg leaped up, but Percy was quick. He managed to slice the thing in half with his sword, but his hand got stung in the process. Jada watched in slow motion as Percy gasped and clutched it to his stomach, and began to wilt towards the floor.
Jada slowly stepped forward and reached a shaking arm out towards Percy, not exactly sure of what she was doing. She was stuck in a blurry atmosphere, when someone else rushed over. Chiron in his horse form, to the rescue.
Later, when Jada overcame the shock, she went back into the woods, trying to summarize in her head what exactly had happened. She ran to the creek and looked at the things they had left behind. Just an hour ago, she and Luke had sat here, eating sandwiches, laughing, splashing creek water on each other. Jada had made a promise to Luke in that moment. That no matter what, she would always love him.
Jada couldn't help but still keep that promise. The promise that wounded her. Luke had done what he had done for her. For Jada. He loved her more than she could ever love him, and for that, Jada hated herself. Even now. Even after Luke had said he wanted to hurt everyone here. Everyone supporting the Olympians.
She reached out and put her hand on one of the picnic blankets. She lifted it up, unsure of what she was going to do with it. She had not shed a single tear after Luke's turning, although the whole time her throat burned with them and her eyes stung with them. In a fit of anger, she hurled the basket at the opposite and of the creek, and let the tears and the sobs come gushing out.
Unlike the last time she had cried like this, Luke wasn't here to comfort her and let her sob in his arms. Unlike last time, she was here, kneeling on a picnic blanket all alone, a picnic blanket that she and Luke had shared just an hour ago.
As she wiped her eyes fiercely, she noticed that something had fluttered out of the basket when she threw it. A photograph. Of the tow of them. Not Thalia and Annabeth, but somehow, just the two of them. Jada painfully recalled the time when they had snuck into an ice-skating rink past closing time and had sat at the photo booth camera, taking funny pictures while Thalia and Annabeth tried to skate.
The photograph was of them laughing and looking at each other. Jada saw it as a brother and sister. Luke thought of it- Jada realized with even more guilt- as a picture of two people in love.
She stood, clutching the photograph to her chest. It was no larger than a post stamp, but Jada clutched it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Skirting along the leaves of the woods, Jada's eye caught something else. A bead. Hidden within the folds of a few leaves. It was peeking out at her, and Jada cautiously picked it up. More tears rose to her eyes, and she let them silently fall as she saw that it was a bead from Luke's camp necklace. It was the bead from the year they had first come to camp. The bead from the year Thalia sacrificed herself so they could live. The bead from the year she had died. It was the pine tree bead. From Luke's camp necklace, which he no longer had. Because, Jada sobbed out loud once, because she had ripped it off his neck. Like he was nothing. Like he was the most loathsome person she had ever met.
But, Jada realized, no matter what Luke did, Jada couldn't stop loving him the way she had always loved him. And the most ironic part? Luke did this because he thought the gods were hurting Jada. However, none of them had ever hurt Jada the way Luke was hurting her right now. Nothing- nothing- could compare to the sorrow caused by Luke which was consuming Jada as she knelt and sobbed on the forest floor on the last day of summer.
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