Act III - Deep Blue Sea

Part X - But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part. For a hero's strength is measured by his heart.

The party went on for hours. Gods kept coming to congratulate Andy and she was left in awe, with nothing to say back to them. What shocked her most was to see Dionysus with beautiful Ariadne by his side—the guy was genuinely happy!

Then Poseidon came over. "You won't let me down, I hope," he said, but he smiled too.

As did Andy. "I promise," she said.

"You've done well." The praise made her uneasy, but it also felt good. "But your friend, Luke, once promised things like that. He was Hermes's pride and joy. Bear that in mind, Andy. Even the bravest can fall."

Andy nodded. "He's dead now."

"No," Poseidon corrected. "He is not. I have seen it. He sails from San Francisco with the remains of Kronos. He will retreat and regroup before assaulting you again. I will do my best to destroy his boat with storms, but he is making alliances with my enemies, the older spirits of the ocean. They will fight to protect him."

Andy stared at her father. "How can he be alive? That fall—"

Poseidon seemed troubled. "I don't know. But beware of him. He is more dangerous than ever. And the golden coffin is still with him, still growing in strength."

"What about Atlas?" Andy asked. "What's to prevent him from escaping again? Couldn't he force someone to take the sky for him?"

Poseidon snorted in derision. "If it were so easy, he would've escaped long ago. No, child. The curse of the sky can only be forced upon a Titan, one of the children of Gaia and Ouranos. Anyone else must choose to take the burden of their own free will. Only a hero, someone with strength, a true heart, and great courage, would do such a thing. No other would dare."

"Luke did it," Andy said. "He let Atlas go."

"Yes," Poseidon pondered. "Luke is... an interesting case. There is something about that boy we don't understand." Poseidon changed the subject then and, with a few more words of praise, he was gone.

Andy was about to search the crowd for her friends, when another voice called her back. "Your father takes a great risk, you know." Andy turned and was face-to-face with Athena. She tried to say her name without resent, but failed. "Do not judge me too harshly, half-blood," the goddess said. "Wise counsel is not always popular, but I spoke the truth. You are dangerous."

"That's all I am? A risk?"

"You may perhaps be useful. Yet... your fatal flaw may destroy us as well as yourself."

"What—"

Athena looked almost sorry for her. "Kronos knows your flaw, even if you don't. He knows how to study his enemies, Andy. How has he manipulated you? He took your mother. He took your satyr. He took my son..." She paused, disapproving. "Your loved ones have been used to lure you into Kronos's traps. You love too much, too deep, child. You don't know when it is time to cut your losses. For love, you would sacrifice the world. In a hero of the prophecy, that is very, very dangerous."

"I won't apologize for caring."

Athena crossed her arms. Her gray eyes were stormy. "I never expected you to. Aphrodite, too, never apologized for the horrible things that happened in the name of love. She'll tell you that a hero's strength is measured by his heart." Athena shook her head.

"You disagree?" For whatever reason, Andy found that funny.

"Strength comes from the mind," Athena assured her. "From wisdom. Aphrodite likes to romanticize what should be practical. I just ask you to remember, Andy, that the most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation. Evil is easy to fight. Lack of wisdom... that is very hard indeed." Athena sighed. "I hope the Council's decisions prove wise. But I will be watching, Andromeda. I do not approve of your feelings for my son. I do not think it wise for either of you. And should you begin to waver in your loyalties..." She fixed Andy with her cold gray stare that was nothing, after all, like Anthony's.

"Andy!" he called, startling her. Anthony appeared, as if summoned, before them. "What are you two doing?"

"Just talking, child," said Athena. "I will leave you. For now." She turned and strode through the crowd.

"Was she giving you a hard time?" Anthony asked.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Andy concluded.

He shrugged. "Who cares what she thinks, right?" he whispered.

Andy glanced at him. There were still so many things she wanted to say, and after everything that had happened it seemed more important than ever. But nothing was that simple anymore. There was a prophecy. There was a super villain. There was Athena's disapproval. And there were a dozen gods around. This was not yet the place.

"Your father seemed nice," she said, instead of opening her heart to him.

Anthony rolled his eyes. It was as if he knew what she wanted—needed to say, even if she couldn't bring herself to say it. He took her hand and said, "I think you owe me a dance, Seaweed Brain."

And nothing else needed to be said.

Andy found Nico near the beach. He was alone. Chiron said he was often alone.

Andy sat beside him in the sand and Nico di Angelo greeted her with an anxious smile. The fact that he was glad to see her made everything a thousand times worse.

"Where's my sister?"

He took the news in silence, which made Andy feel a little sick. She kept talking, trying to explain, trying to make him see, but came a point when the boy wasn't even listening anymore.

"She wanted you to have this," and she handed him the card.

Nico held it in his palm and stared at the card. "You promised you would protect her," he whispered at last.

"Nico," Andy said. "I—I tried. But Bianca wanted to save the rest of us. I told her not to, but she—"

"You promised!" He didn't yell or raise his voice, but his words echoed in Andy's ears. Nico glared at her, his eyes rimmed with red. He closed his fist around the card, smashing it. "I shouldn't have trusted you. You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"

"Wait—What nightmares?"

Nico let the card fall to the ground. "I hate you," he said softly but in a very cruel way.

"She might be alive!" Andy said, desperately. "I can't know for sure—"

"She's dead!" He closed his eyes. His whole body trembled with rage. "I should've known it earlier. She's in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it."

"You—you can feel it?"

Before Nico could answer, a dozen skeletons came out of the ground around him. Andy drew her sword. "What are these things?" Nico shouted. "Are you trying to kill me, too?"

"No, Nico! Run!"

"I don't trust you!" He pressed his hands to his ears. "Go away!" he shouted louder. The ground rumbled beneath Andy. The skeletons froze. A crack opened at the feet of the warriors and they were swallowed.

Andy was paralyzed. "How did you—?"

"Go away!" Nico said again. "I hate you! You should've died instead of her!" Before Andy could speak, Nico ran away back to camp.

Andy picked up the smashed card and stared at it with dread.

Hades—the card he didn't have.

"We should tell Chiron," Anthony said. He had helped Andy searched the camp, but there was no sign of Nico di Angelo.

Andy shook her head. "No. We can't let anyone know. I don't think anyone realizes what he is—"

"Andy, do you have any idea how serious this is?" Anthony said. "Even Hades broke the oath."

"But he didn't," Andy argued. "Bianca and Nico were born even before World War II. They stayed for years at the Lotus Casino. No, Anthony. No one can know. I don't think Nico understands..."

"But you can't hide this from the gods forever," he said.

"I don't need forever. I just need a little time. I'll be eighteen soon. And then none of this will matter."

Anthony paled. "But... this could mean that the prophecy isn't about you after all. It might be about him."

"No. I chose the prophecy. It is about me."

"Why are you saying that? Do you want to be responsible for the whole world?"

"That is the last thing I want," Andy sighed. "But I won't let it be about him. I already let him down once. I won't let him suffer anymore. Maybe we can find him. We can hide him someplace safe."

"If Luke gets hold of him—"

"He won't," Andy reassured him. "I'll make sure he has other things to worry about. Namely, me."

Anthony studied her for what felt like an eternity. He stepped closer and Andy's heart raced with the possibilities. Then, Grover came stumbling through the sand shouting their names. His face was haggard and pale, like he'd seen a ghost.

"He spoke!" Grover cried.

Andy and Anthony exchanged a look.

"I was playing music in the parlor," Grover stammered, "and drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee! I knew it was the coffee! He spoke in my mind!"

"Who?" Anthony demanded.

"Pan!" Grover wailed. "The Lord of the Wild himself. I heard him! I have to—I have to find a suitcase!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Andy stopped him. "What did he say exactly?"

Grover looked at her. "Just three words. He said 'I await you.'"

— End of Act III —