Chapter XI

Katya

I woke up feeling like I was still on fire. My skin stung. My throat felt as dry as sand.

I saw blue sky and trees above me. I heard a fountain gurgling, and smelled juniper and cedar, and other sweet scented herbs. I heard waves, too, gently lapping on a rocky shore. I wondered if I was dead, but I knew better. I'd been to the Land of the Dead, both of them, and there was no blue sky.

I felt a hand in mine, Percy's. It made me smile. But then there was a tugging in my gut. I wasn't supposed to be here. I couldn't be here. Any moment I would implode. I reached into the Duat to travel, somewhere, anywhere. My body faded into the Duat and I let go of Percy's hand.

Two weeks later: Percy

Hours after I left Calypso's island, my raft washed up at Camp Half-Blood. How I got there, I have no idea. At some point the lake water just changed to salt water. The familiar shoreline of Long Island appeared up ahead, and a couple of friendly great white sharks surfaced and steered me toward the beach.

When I landed, the camp seemed deserted. It was late afternoon, but the archery range was empty. The climbing will poured lava and rumbled by itself. Pavilion: nothing. Cabins: all vacant. Then I noticed smoke rising from the amphitheater. Too early for a campfire, and I didn't figure they were roasting marshmallows. I ran toward it

Before I even got there I heard Chiron making an announcement. When I realized what he was saying, I stopped in my tracks.

"—assume they are dead, "Chiron said. "After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked their closest living friend to do the final honors."

I came up on the back of the amphitheater. Nobody noticed me. They were all looking forward, watching as Annabeth took two silk burial cloths, one embroidered with a trident, and another with a snowflake, and set them on fire. They were burning Katya and I's shrouds.

Annabeth turned to face the audience. She looked terrible. Her eyes were puffy from crying, probably more for Katya, she and I had a frenemy thing going, we 'hated' each other but in the end we would probably die for each other. She managed to say, "He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He and Katya..." Then she saw me. Her face went blood red. "He's right there!"

Heads turned. People gasped.

"Percy!" Beckendorf grinned. A bunch of other kids crowded around me and clapped me on the back. I heard a few curses from the Ares cabin, but Clarisse just rolled her eyes, like she couldn't believe I'd had the nerve to survive. Chiron cantered over and everyone made way for him.

"Well," he sighed with obvious relief. "I don't believe I've ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me—"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Annabeth interrupted, shoving aside the other campers. I thought she was going to punch me, but instead she hugged me so fiercely she almost cracked my ribs. The other campers fell silent. Annabeth seemed to realize she was making a scene and pushed away. "I-we thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!"
"I'm sorry," I said. "I got lost."

"LOST?" She yelled. "Two weeks, Percy? Where in the world—"

"Where's Katya?" I asked.

Annabeth's face lost all its anger. "Oh, Percy…"

Then it hit me like a wrecking ball. She wasn't with me, they were burning her shroud. My Snowflake was gone.

"Prophecy," I managed. "One shall fall, lost within her own powers. No one could find her—"My breath caught in my throat. I didn't know what to do. I was numb with pain. My knees felt like buckling but they somehow stayed solid. All that time on Calypso's island…I had thought of Katya, I worried for her, but only a little. Like worrying for a test you haven't studied for. This was so much more important than a test, this was Katya. An overwhelming guilt swept and I couldn't see the end of the gray, washed out world I was stuck in.

Annabeth nodded. Fresh tears in her eyes.

"Let us go to the Big House. Perhaps some hot chocolate would do you good," Chiron said. I followed numbly behind him.

Two weeks earlier: Katya

When I got over the dizziness over exhaustion, I looked up at a red sky. I managed to tilt my head to either side, but even that was a struggle. To my right, was a sea, like the one in my dream. It was alluring and chaotic. I both wanted to go and be consumed by it, and get as far away as possible. To my left, was an ever-changing landscape. The mountains in the distance moved every minute, and demons trudged through the fields. Some of the demons fought battles, and some of the flying demons came down and carried of the small unsuspecting ones. While some of the demons built structures, others knocked them down.

I realized with a start where I was, the Land of Demons. Fear waved through me. Adrenaline surged through my veins and I managed to pick myself up with my elbows and crawl into a bush. My clothes were almost ruined, they had holes and places were burnt black. I was lucky that the holes didn't reveal anything.

I looked down at my burns, they were okay. Considering lava was thrown at me. No burns went past my stomach. I pulled a stout glass jar out of my knapsack, along with a roll of bandages. I had nicked them from the Triple G Ranch first aid kit before we left. I pulled down my jeans and assessed my damaged legs. They got the least of the damage. Second degree burns, I would say. The skin was red and blistered, and a large portion on my right thigh had burst leaving it stinging more than the other on my left calf. I applied the ointment to the burn and wrapped the bandage around it tightly. I worked quickly, holding back my screams and whimpers. Then the bush moved.

I crawled to another one. I repeated the treatment with my calf. Then lifted my charred shirt. This was what I was afraid of, it didn't hurt, but it was burned. The skin across my stomach was waxy white tinted yellow with blotches of black shin that looked like bread so burnt it was just ash. Third-degree burn. I lifted my stomach in the air with my shoulders. All demigods are required to take an emergency first aid class taught by Will Solace, in case you were wondering how I knew all this, and Brooklyn House has seen its fair share of injuries. I have to treat them when Jaz is out. (We're twenty-three kids living with the supervision of a cat goddess, what do you expect?)I put the ointment on the burn quickly then lay back down. I looked in my knapsack for ambrosia and nectar. I only had a bit left. I took a nibble of ambrosia, not nearly enough, though. Then took a swig of nectar. I felt a little bit energized, enough to speak a divine word.

"N-dah," I exhaled. My wand blazed with a pale blue light. Usually it was a bit more vibrant, but I was so exhausted it turned pale. "Heh-sieh," I managed another one. The hieroglyph was added to the protective circle around me. N-dah is the hieroglyph for protect, and Heh-sieh makes enemies turn back. In the Land of Demons I couldn't be safe anywhere, but the spells I cast would protect me while I slept and healed. Hopefully I could get enough energy to transport myself, I probably couldn't get out of the Duat, but I could probably get to a safer level if I regained enough energy. I remembered Percy kissing me and realized that would be my first and last kiss. My lips tingled at the thought of his lips on mine. Was it odd that I wanted to kiss him again? I hadn't thought of it before, I had other things to worry about, maybe I liked Percy. With that thought my eyelids closed.

I woke up. The bush hadn't moved, thankfully. I had spent a long time asleep, based on the soreness of my joints. I wasn't ready to travel yet. Then I saw the demons. Half a dozen of them had gathered around my protection circle.

"A magician," one ax-headed demon hissed.

My eyes widened, at least the protection spells had lasted.

"Let's get her," a flying beast that reminded me of a harpy spoke in her raspy voice.

They started forward. I unsheathed my sword. But when the demons hit the circle, instead of turning back around like I'd hoped, they kept pounding on it. Instead of using my energy to inforce a spell that wouldn't last I stood up with difficulty and drew my sword.

They broke through the protection spells I put up and attacked me. I let them come, not wanting to waste my energy. Most just rammed straight into my blade, and some I had to swing at, but it was easier than I expected.

Soon there were none left. I let my sword turn back into my necklace and let out a breath.

I changed my bandages and sat behind a bush watching and waiting for any demons to come after me.

I don't know how many days went by, the sun wasn't in the sky and it stayed the same demon red forever.

After a while, my eyelids started to get heavy, then my head started buzzing, I hadn't moved from my spot behind the bush yet. Hours later I started to have blackouts that lasted only a second or two. I forced myself to stay awake because I knew the moment I fell asleep demons would not wait to attack.

Then about a day later I started to see hallucinations, like Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson all searching for me, calling my name like a lost dog. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer or I'd fall asleep and be so exhausted I wouldn't even wake up to being chopped to pieces by an ax-headed demon. Then again, I thought, it wouldn't be the worst way to go. I wouldn't feel anything.

No. I told myself firmly. I would be able to get out of this. How? This voice of reason asked. And all I could think was, that's a good question.

Hours and hours went by and I had more and more seconds of blackouts, the hallucinations came more and more frequently I knew soon I would have to make a move.

I made a plan. I would gather the remaining strength I had, even if it wasn't much and travel through the Duat to Osiris' place.

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